When Jillian Campbell-Marks discovers that her ex cheating on her with one of the junior account managers at her advertising firm, she decides to start over in the rural town of Holton, Massachusetts. She accepts a position as the senior creative director of the second best ad firm in New England, buys herself a farmhouse in desperate need of renovation, and returns to her maiden name, Jill Campbell. The first task in her new, less complicated life, is to come up with a fabulous new image for a Swedish car company.

What Jill doesn't expect is that country life will be no less stressful. Her first work project isn't to come up with an idea for a zippy new convertible, but instead to help rebrand a multi-million dollar beef manufacturing company— no small task considering Jill doesn't even eat red meat. Then her grandfather buys her a goat and a puppy to keep her company, and Jill—who knows better how to wear animals than how to care for them—finds she needs help. Enter 13-year-old Sarah Watson, who does odd jobs after shcool. Sarah and Jill strike up a friendship, and together try to cope with life in Holton.

The story is alternately narrated by Sarah and Jill. Sarah is a tomboy whose neighborhood-superstar mother wants nothing more than to make her into a proper little lady. We hear Sarah lament the woes of bra shopping, the arrival of her first period, and the impossibility of growing up to be rich and successful like Jill without succumbing to the lifestyle of motherhood and domesticity that most other Holton women seem to embrace. In short, Sarah is the girl we imagine Jill must have been at a young age and the contrast between the two of them works well. In fact, the relationship between Jill and Sarah shines in—what was otherwise—a pretty mediocre chick lit novel.

Jill was a difficult character to embrace mostly because of her constant self- pitying attitude. It's not the first time a heroine has been cheated on and moved away for a new beginning, but it's one of the few when she does so blaming everyone else for her problems and accepting no responsibility herself. For instance, Jill constantly reminds readers that she has no intention of having children, can't stand the little buggers, and has no idea why anyone would give up half their income just to have someone grow up who will eventually hate you, yet when her best friend calls her on her lack of maternal instinct Jill flies off the handle and refuses to speak with her. Acting more the child than the ones she has such disdain for made Jill a difficult character to sympathize with and root for. As a whole, REAL WOMEN EAT BEEF was like a hamburger rather than a filet mignon. It'll do when you're in the mood for some chick lit, but it doesn't have enough meat on its bones to really be fulfilling.