Ali Wentworth is the best friend you always wished that you had. She's witty, she's smart, she bakes, and she's married to George Stephanopoulos. In her newest book, Go Ask Ali, she offers advice for living a smarter life based on her experiences as well as the experiences of her closest friends. From relationships to parenting to how to make a sex tape, Wentworth shares her wisdom on a wide range of topics, with a liberal sprinkling of personality, warmth, and humor.

Ali Wentworth is down-to-earth, even if her friends are in the top echelon of entertainment, No matter what, she keeps her feet on the ground and her hand in the cookie jar as she tells us stories of her early days as an actress in Los Angeles, her dating life, her relationship with her husband, and parenting teenagers.

I signed up for the humor and the tales from inside the entertainment industry and politics. But what made me really fall in love with this book is the stories of summer. From the weekends she spent with her mother in Maine as a kid to the time she spent in East Hampton with her kids as they grew up, those summer days sounded magical. No devices, just sunshine and family and laughter, light salty breezes and fireflies and bonfires. She painted such a lovely picture that I want to be a kid again, letting my feet dig into sand and get kissed by the ocean waves, or even just reading a book in a shady spot.

Go Ask Ali is filled with lots of lovely advice, but it's also replete with humanity and heart and humor. It's a short book, but it is a charming read for the beach or the morning commute. Great as a graduation gift or just because you need a book to lighten your day and your spirit. Great fun.

But as far as her assertion that she makes the best chocolate chip cookie dough in the western hemisphere? I'm not so sure. I think I'm going to need solid proof of that one before I can agree.

Galleys for Go Ask Ali provided by Harper through Edelweiss, with many thanks.