Ann Leach and Michelle Beaulieu have created a fresh and strategic meaning for the idea of a buddy system. The authors, a psychologist and life coach, urge women to seek a "Goal Sister," a friend whose purpose is to help them meet specific goals in their lives. Whether you want explore a passion, change a career, partner, bad habit, or dress size, you don"t have to go it alone. Here"s the job description: A soul sister is a blend of the best parts of childhood and adult friends, she offers support and suggestions, her beliefs are compatible with yours, she will tell the unvarnished truth, ask hard questions, and hold you accountable. The authors, fellow soul sisters, offer buoyant examples from their own relationship and inventive journal exercises and checklists to map this unique model of friendship. Explaining that "a goal sister is not a male basher, party pal, agent, or therapist" they describe how to identify and approach a potential goal sister at work, online, or by creating a group and offer tools to establish and deepen the relationship and create boundaries. "You are not damsels in distress. Support, but don"t rescue each other." Leach and Beaulieu may underestimate the difficulties of recruiting a soul sister from the ranks of women unfamiliar with the book"s innovative ideas. Still, they make a powerful case about the relationship between the ability to change and the company you keep. -- Barbara Mackoff