If you think you have man problems, wait until you meet Lenita Faulkner. Lenny is living with her boyfriend of nine years, Ralph, and expects him to propose at any moment so they can get on with her plans of starting a family. Though she’s very fulfilled by her career as an obstetrician, Lenny has always dreamed of having a husband and children of her own. Unfortunately, those dreams fly out the window when Ralph not only leaves her for another woman, but also steals all of the money she has invested over the years.

Shattered by the betrayal, Lenny travels home to Madoosa County to visit her mother, who is dying of cancer. While trying to deal with her closed-off mother and demanding brother and sister, Lenny discovers her old journal from when she was an overweight, unhappy child. The journal lays down the rules for the kind of life Lenny wants to lead when she’s a grown woman. The now grown Lenny realizes that she’s followed none of these rules and has allowed a man to dictate her life.

With new resolve, Lenny returns to Atlanta to put her life back together and add a few more rules to the existing ones. The new Lenny is ready to fight for the money that has been taken from her and is even brave enough to try to find love again. But this time around, she’ll be following the rules — unfortunately, that turns out to be easier said than done.

Lenny’s story is one of joy and heartbreak, both usually mingling in each chapter. The character of Lenny is definitely the best part of the book, though the reader sometimes gets fed up with how much she lets the men in her life and her family walk all over her. Lenny’s journey is one of growth and getting back on one’s feet. Anyone who has ever had a broken heart or who has struggled to make it on their own will relate to her and her struggles and enjoy each page of this brave, sassy book.