Editing Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden (section)

== Plot ==
The novel centers on Debbie Mullen, a renowned advice columnist whose column, also titled "Dear Debbie," has long served the women of New England. Through her work, Debbie has heard countless stories from wives dealing with neglect, belittlement, and abuse, and she has always offered thoughtful, practical guidance to those seeking her counsel.

However, Debbie's own life begins to unravel rapidly. She loses her job at the newspaper after one of her advice columns—in which she counseled a reader to pursue divorce—is deemed controversial by her editor-in-chief. Simultaneously, her carefully constructed domestic life reveals itself to be built on deception. Her daughters, Lexi and Isabel, are hiding secrets of their own, and her husband Cooper appears to be unfaithful, according to monitoring software Debbie has installed on his phone. Her husband's boss denies him a long-deserved promotion, and her youngest daughter is cut from the soccer team by a coach who criticizes her appearance.

As her frustrations mount, Debbie abandons her philosophy of being the "bigger person." Instead, she decides it is time to apply her own advice to those around her—but with a far darker twist. What follows is a calculated campaign of revenge against those who have wronged her or her loved ones, leading to shocking consequences. The narrative unfolds through multiple first-person perspectives, including Debbie, her husband Cooper, and Harley, a central figure in the unfolding drama. Interspersed throughout are increasingly unhinged drafts from Debbie's advice column, revealing the darkening nature of her thoughts.