cover image The Pre-nup

The Pre-nup

Beth Kendrick, . . Bantam, $12 (290pp) ISBN 978-0-385-34223-0

Kendrick (Nearlyweds ; Exes and Ohs ) centers her painfully formulaic latest tale of domestic woe on that most unromantic document: the prenuptial agreement. Stay-at-home mom Ellie Barton, a twinset and pearls type, thought her life and family (blonde, curly haired little girl and a Ken-doll old-money husband) were perfect—until she sees a racy e-mail intended for her husband. Ellie's marriage isn't the only one going down the tubes; her two witty girlfriends are having pre-nup issues of their own: Mara, a lawyer with commitment issues, is having trouble drafting her own pre-nup, while health nut entrepreneur Jen's pre-nup could cost her her darling startup company. When Ellie's husband throws some punches in the divorce arrangements, the ladies roll out some dirty tricks of their own. It hits the required bases, but that's about it. (Nov.)