This story is told from three points of view, long time friends who find that life lessons are sometimes hard to accept and to deal with. Whitney, the executive with weight issues and self esteem problems starts on diets regularly and this time is determined to follow through. Taylor, the lawyer with a two year long relationship finds that she has some serious health issues of her own that need to be dealt with. Charisse, an emergency room nurse that has a seemingly loving family, the husband, a son, and a daughter, but does her past have anything to do with the reason she may be losing control of everything in her life.

Being told from different points of view, was an interesting way to try to get to know these main characters, how they relate to friends, family and each other. There were a few times that I did feel a connection with each of them, however slight. The author seemed to be creating characters that could relate to nearly every women, it is unfortunate that the connection was difficult to maintain. Some of the choices that these women made were out of character, and the feeling of disappointment in each of them was very hard to look past. The ending felt abrupt, disjointed and partially predictable. ( )

In her book, Changing Faces. Kimberla Lawson Roby address many issues that African American women face on a daily basis. Though it is a work of fiction, readers will be able to relate to the amusing, yet life changing stories of best friends Whitney, Charisse, and Taylor. Changing Faces will have the reader intrigued and surprised with the twists and turns of a good story. ( )

CHANGING FACES by Kimberla Lawson Roby is engaging from page one. Roby shows that she is indeed a masterful storyteller who can write about diverse characters, not just her ever-popular, preacher-you-love-to-hate, Rev. Curtis Black. In her new release, she introduces readers to three women with relationship issues who have been friends for years (reminiscent of Waiting to Exhale minus a friend). When one of them changes, their friendship could forever be damaged.

Whitney is a beautiful, professional woman who struggles with her weight. She has tried just about every diet that exists, but each attempt has ended in failure. She admits to being a compulsive overeater, but it doesn’t help that her thin mother and sister are unsupportive and never offer an encouraging word. Whitney simply wants someone to love her for her. That someone may just be Rico, the gorgeous man she meets at the local gym, who is not bothered by her size, but is willing to help her goal of shedding pounds before her class reunion.

Taylor is a great attorney who's been dating Cameron for two years and still has not received the marriage proposal that she's been waiting for. Cameron continues to ask for Taylor’s patience as he tries to get his architecture business off the ground. However, as Taylor experiences a medical scare, she revaluates her life and her patience may have just run out, especially when she sees that Cameron is not as attentive as he should be.

Charisse is probably the most flawed character of the three. She claims to be a devout Christian, but she's got many skeletons in her closet. Normally, she is vocal, opinionated and very much in control of every facet of her life. She even runs her husband as if he’s a trained puppy. But when he discovers one of her sinful secrets, his subservience goes out the window as he threatens to go public with what he knows. Meanwhile, Charisse’s relationship with her daughter continues to deteriorate and resemble the dysfunctional relationship she has with her own mother.

While it was nice to see the author step outside the philandering preacher storyline (although a preacher is present in this book), I was slightly disappointed that she chose the passé girlfriends-with-problems theme. Nonetheless, the novel touches on realistic issues such as food addiction and mental illness. Charisse's story, which showed the most creativity and had a number of twists, could have easily been the main storyline with Whitney's as a sub-plot. CHANGING FACES was touching and funny with several laugh-out-loud moments and readers will certainly root for their favorite heroine, but the story was also painfully predictable at times. Overall, Roby is still a great storyteller and I'm looking forward to seeing what she'll come up with next. ( )

Wow, this is an excellent book! I didn't want to put it down. With surprising twists, colorful characters, and an unexpected ending. The novel touches on realistic issues such as food addiction and mental illness. Charisse's story, which showed the most creativity and had a number of twists, could have easily been the main storyline with Whitney's as a sub-plot. CHANGING FACES was touching and funny with several laugh-out-loud moments Roby rounds out the book with messages centering on the importance of relationships with family and friends.

It's certainly a book you want to have in your collection. ( )