Wake up. Brush teeth. Put on black tank top. Go to work. Try to shoot lasers out of your eyes, thus setting your evil Nazi-esque boss' head on fire. For Jesse Holtz, this pretty much sums up every day of her same-old-same-old life.

Back in college, Jesse, the beautiful Cecile and the sassy Bryn were thick as thieves. This tight trio did everything together—partied, wept over cute boys, supported each other's dreams. Ten years later, they're still the best of friends, but are now planning for the rest of their lives. Bryn is considering what color to paint the nursery (and she doesn't even have kids yet), while Cecile is two weeks away from her wedding. Jesse is the only one who's still floundering. Should she quit her job? Why won't guys stick with her past a one-night stand? And why won't people get off her back about smoking?

It isn't until Cecile is in a horrific car accident that everything gets set in motion. Stuck in the ICU for two weeks, her friends and fiancé are lost as to what to do. On her wedding day, they surprise Cecile by going forward with the wedding, hideous bridesmaid dresses and all. With many tears of joy, Zach and Cecile are united until death do they part—which comes a little too soon, as she dies in her sleep two days later. Racked with grief, the survivors are again lost, but this time their lifeline isn't coming back to save them.

Over the next several months, Jesse, Bryn and Zach float along, trying to manage their individual grief as best they can. Bryn buries herself under her caseload at the law firm; Zach tries to drown his sorrows in bottle after bottle of wine; Jesse can't find a direction to go in and ends up turning circles with her job and personal life. To combat their loneliness, Zach and Jesse take comfort in each other's company—that is, until Zach takes it one step further and asks Jesse out on a real date. This starts off a whole other chain of events where friendships are tested, tempers flare and jealousy rears its ugly head. If only Cecile hadn't died...

Reminiscent of GOOD GRIEF by Lolly Winston, Kizis' FINISHING TOUCHES is a tender story of life, love, grief and despair. The pain that each character feels is so real, it made this reader ache with sympathy. Touching, funny and bittersweet, Deanna Kizis has written a novel sure to glue you to your couch for the afternoon!