Lauren Holloway has a very comfortable life. Married with twin teenagers and a cashmere-and-pearls housewife, Lauren has always been conservative and likes to do things the “right” way. In a sense, Lauren has been sheltered by some of the harsh things that many people experience in life.

Lauren’s polar opposite is Erin Karmeli. Erin, a single mother who dresses in skimpy outfits and quite a drinker, readily admits to making some wrong choices in her younger years. She has had a tough life, but she has a lot of determination and spunk.

Lauren and Erin meet when Lauren’s husband runs off with his yoga instructor. Now Lauren is a single mother stripped of the posh lifestyle to which she has become accustomed. Lauren and her daughters move into a modest home in a less affluent neighborhood. Erin is Lauren’s new neighbor, and the two strike up an unlikely friendship. Erin and Lauren spend hours having breakfast and coffee in Murphy Jones’ comfortable, cozy diner across the street.

Slowly but surely, Lauren comes to realize that her new life is bearable, even good. Her twins have adapted well, and she can let her hair down around Erin, who generously gives Lauren a partnership in her successful private investigator business. Things are coming together for Laurenl; she is learning who her other half is - and that it just might be her “better half.”

Her Better Half takes a more serious turn involving Erin midway through. The reader will discover the details, but it is an interesting plot development that highlights the depth of the friendship that the two women share. Author C.J. Carmichael does a good job developing her characters, and I enjoyed reading about Lauren’s new life and the quirky neighborhood residents. Recommended to fans of women’s fiction.