Review: Half Baked Women: The Reheat by Bobbie Candas

Twenty years later, they’re not done learning.

Tour dates: February 18 – March 11, 2026. To see the full schedule of stops, visit the
Goddess Fish Pomotions - Half Baked Women: The Reheat Tour Schedule.

About Half Baked Women: The Reheat

Half Baked Women: The Reheat
By Bobbie Candas
Published by Draft2digital on 04/01/2014
Genres: Women's Fiction
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 375

That first year of college, they thought they’d done it all
Twenty years later, they’re not done learning.

In 1971, they were just four girls starting their journey at the University of Texas in Austin. Twenty years later, they reunite in San Antonio along the Riverwalk, seemingly successful and happy. But beneath the surface, cracks from their past still linger.

That first wild and frivolous freshman year, Carney, Breeze, Margo, and Nicki navigate together through romances, jealousy, and risky habits, trying to find themselves while stumbling into adulthood. But years later, as they come together for a three-day reunion, they are reminded that maybe they still have something to learn from each other. Reckless events unfold, forcing them to confront the mistakes and secrets they thought they left behind.

Half Baked Women: The Reheat takes us back to a time of carefree abandon and easy friendships, where the journey of self-discovery was filled with adventure, road trips, chance encounters, laughter, and tears. If that sounds intriguing, jump in and enjoy the ride.

Note: This review reflects the current tour edition provided for promotional review purposes.

Review at a Glance

Genre	Women’s Fiction
Setting	Texas (Austin & San Antonio), past and present timelines
Length	376 pages
Content Rating	Adult themes, friendship drama, mature reflections
My Rating	4 of 5 Stars
Quick Take	A reflective look at friendship, choices, and how the past follows us into adulthood.

Here’s what worked for me — and where the story really shines.

My Thoughts

There’s something quietly comforting about stories that revisit old friendships. They stir up nostalgia for our younger selves — the versions of us still figuring things out, making mistakes, and believing life might unfold exactly as planned. In this Half Baked Women: The Reheat review, I found the story’s focus on friendship and personal growth especially resonant.

Set in Austin, Texas during the 1970s and contrasted with a reunion in San Antonio in the early 1990s, the novel invites readers to revisit those carefree college years before careers, responsibilities, and unresolved choices begin to shape adulthood. The dual timeline allows the story to explore not just who these women were, but who they became after life pulled them in different directions.

When Carney, Breeze, Margo, and Nicki reunite after years apart, old bonds resurface alongside lingering tensions and unanswered questions. The story unfolds through four perspectives and two timelines, which might sound complicated on paper, but the author keeps each voice distinct enough that the narrative remains easy to follow. The shifting viewpoints add depth, revealing how memory, regret, and loyalty can look different depending on who is telling the story.

What stood out most for me was the emotional honesty running beneath the nostalgia. While the novel captures the freedom and energy of youth, it never forgets that adulthood brings its own reckoning. Watching these characters reconsider their past choices makes the story feel relatable, especially for readers who have ever wondered how old friendships might look through the lens of time.

In Conclusion

Half Baked Women: The Reheat will appeal to readers who enjoy heartfelt women’s fiction centered on friendship, reflection, and second chances. Having come of age during the early 1970s myself, I especially appreciated the music-themed chapter headings, which added an extra layer of nostalgia and had me quietly humming along.

If you enjoy nostalgic women’s fiction, you might also enjoy my review of Famous Once by Jane Green, which explores similar themes of looking back and finding new meaning in where life has taken us.

Excerpt

Checking the time, she grabbed her planner and banged it against the steering wheel in anger,
knowing she was being totally irresponsible…again. So much for making a good impression on
her old friends. Carney was late and now looked exactly like what she was, last night’s leftovers.

It was to be a reunion of sorts among four friends. Friends who’d met their freshman year of
college, but it had been almost twenty years since the four had all gotten together at one time.
Carney had hung out with each of the other three women several times over the years, and a
few months back, she became inspired, thinking a gathering of the four of them would be really
fun. She’d been the one to organize this weekend party and cajole everyone into coming. But
unbeknownst to Carney, it would be the weekend that would set her life in a different direction.
One she hadn’t planned on and could never have imagined. After all, it was just a simple
gathering of old friends.

Carney briskly walked into the baggage pickup area attempting to finger comb her wild hair
while looking about for a familiar face. Why had she gone to all this trouble to pull these women
together? Estranged people she had bonded with years ago. Yet, for some reason, for Carney,
that bond still held, tethering the four of them together in her memories.

Breeze Smith’s flight was the first to arrive. And Carney was now already forty-five minutes late.
Darling Breeze—super friendly but always a force to be reckoned with, especially when you
poked the bear.

Meet the Author

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If this one sounds like your kind of read, here's where you can find it.

Where to Buy

View Half Baked Women: The Reheat on Books2Read

Giveaway

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Thanks for spending part of your reading time with me today.

Author: @bobbiecandas | Tour Host:@GoddessFish @GoddessFishPromotions