Younger    by Pamela Redmond Satran Order:  USA  Can Downtown Press, 2005 (2005) Paperback     Reviewed by Tarah Schaeffer We all go through periods in our lives when we want to be someone completely different. Our present lives may seem dull and boring, so that our minds scream for something exciting to whisk us away. Alice Green knows the feeling. For twenty years her life has been centered on her family. Now her husband has become her ex, and her daughter is off in Africa, leaving her an empty nest. No time like the present to make a change. Maggie, Alice's best friend and college roommate, decides to take matters into her own hands and give Alice a much-needed makeover. The result is far different from what they both expect - not only does Alice look fabulous, but she also appears very young. The friends decide to test out this new look at a local bar, to see if Alice attracts male attention. Within minutes, she's spotted by someone young enough to be her son. The man, who introduces himself as Josh, is a twenty-five year old game programmer, who just broke off an engagement. After conversation and a New Year's kiss, they make a date. From then on, things start to blossom in all areas of Alice's life, including her career and her self-esteem. She gets a Marketing job at a publishing company called Gentility. A major responsibility is trying to reinvent the look of their classics line, which needs a new and fresh face to counter its slumping sales. Always one to be thinking outside the box - and having a twenty-two year old daughter - Alice comes up with the perfect layout. Life is good for Alice, but how long will this act last? She can't be in her twenties forever, can she? I like the novel which, to my surprise, isn't as cheesy as I thought it would be. After reading the back cover, I expected a far-fetched, tongue-in-cheek tale. However, I was happily surprised to find in Younger simply the story of a woman trying to find her place in a world she thought she knew. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews