The Faker's Guide to Self-Improvement

Valerie Knight wants many things in life: an end to her court-mandated therapy, a chance to get her column back at Mile High Magazine, artisanal cheeses at a discounted price, and her ex-husband to downward-dog straight into the earth's burning core. Most of all, though, she wants to be the mother she never had. One who remembers birthdays, can keep herself from drowning in martinis, and who is interested enough in her teenage daughter's life to show up.

When Val receives an offer to write a...