The Girls from the Revolutionary

Two best friends from the San Fernando Valley find their friendship tested in Padilla's lively first novel (after story collection Hard Language). Sales rep Julia Juarez and realtor Ime Benevides have developed close bonds with zany dance teacher Concepcion and quiet seamstress Nina, who's wondering if she should marry her off and on boyfriend. After Ime begins dating Julia's secret office crush and Concepcion's old frenemy returns to wreak emotional havoc on Nina, each woman must re-examine how to maintain their friendships and stay true to their own desires. Adding extra juice to the sometimes thin string of work and love problems is a hilarious subplot about a celebrity with serious issues. This is refreshingly less ditzy and frantic than many of its peers, but it also tends to lag right when it shouldn't. Not bad, not great, but fun nevertheless. (July)