Bettye Griffin does an excellent job of bringing us into the lives of Pat, Elyse, Susan and Grace, lifelong friends from their childhood days in Dreiser projects on the South side of Chicago. A reunion of residents of Dreiser brings together old friends, ignites some old flames, and reminds some of lost love. The women are successful and financially secure, but in spite of thier monetary successes, they are still dealing with many real life issues (illness, spousal death, infidelity, etc).

Even though the author does a great job of telling their stories and making us a part of the girl group, I wish there had been some present day connection to the housing project, perhaps someone who didn’t “get out” but was still a part of the group.

This book was a joy to read, storylines and characters were well defined, and the book was easy to follow. I would definitely recommend Once Upon a Project. -  Sistah Deniece