Welling recycles thematic elements from her first novel, Crybaby Ranch
, in this underwhelming yarn of midlife empowerment. Annie McFall, fed up with her stifling marriage, leaves her husband, Jess, in the middle of their 26th anniversary dinner and flies from Wyoming to Florida, where her aging father and sister live. Annie indulges in self-betterment exercises and meets new friends. Writing from both Annie's and Jess's perspectives, Welling punches up her scenes with appealing splashes of humor. But the story proceeds in muted fashion as Jess slowly comes to terms with a past trauma, and Annie compiles a mundane list of steps to help her thrive within her marriage (e.g., “Enjoy personal friends,” “Claim personal power”). Despite an odd though engaging incident involving a former drug smuggler and a spectacular lack of judgment on Annie's part, the novel never takes off. (Mar.)
