Girls Most Likely traces the lives of four women, from elementary school friends to grown women. It examines the twists and turns that create our futures, as women and humans. Each woman has a childhood that shapes who they become. From neglect to expectations of perfection to families, this book shows how the effects of youth form the people that grow from it. Even the most outwardly successful people have a ghost of their past that haunts their everyday life. The present is only the result of the past.
This is not an uncommon plot- following a group of people from their youth to their lives as adults. The lives of the characters are not especially unique either. What causes this book to be different is the depth and honesty Sheila Williams brings to her characters. She is able to bring them beyond one sided characters into human beings. Their search for acceptance and happiness is a common experience for all women, the world over. Any review or synopsis of this book will tell you all about these four women. I suggest you read this book and meet them for your self.
The other facet of Ms Williams' book that deserves notice is the setting, both time and place. The story starts out in small town Ohio, a town predominately populated by African Americans. It expands out from there as time goes on but it is a graphic view of the growth and changes of its inhabitants. The time crosses over thirty years so it is able to look at the influences of events on everyday lives. From the Vietnam War to political assassinations and the growth of civil rights it deftly portrays their impact on the four women, their families and community. It is a fictional glimpse into the history, both  small and personal and global in impact.