“Yvonne Fountain Copeland is determined to move on after her husband of fifteen years decides to leave her because their marriage became “boring.” Returning to her hometown of Durham, North Carolina, Yvonne is convinced that a change of scenery will help her draw closer to God and find inner peace. Yvonne didn’t know that the journey to peace would lead her to sexy, single, childless basketball coach Curtis Parker.
Yvonne and Curtis soon discover that you can’t find true peace and joy without God’s help. What began as a series of “why me’s” evolves into an extraordinary journey consisting of victory, faith, joy and love.”
(Above excerpt is from the back cover of Up At The College)
The Review
I want to start with the positives about this book. I very much enjoyed the faith element to the story. There were great little “reminders” of parts of The Holy Bible that I needed to read and was appreciative of when I crossed them. For example, the book begins with a time in Yvonne’s life when she feels that she has hit bottom. At this time, she is reminded of the words from John 4:4-6. These beautiful words helped me at a time in my life when I needed to be reminded of them. There is another quote in the book shortly thereafter that really “hit home” for me:
“To obey God was a privilege, and far too many Christians missed that point. They always acted as if obedience were an imposition to be endured, rather than a way for God to keep them safe and able to receive the many blessings He had set aside for them. They didn’t understand that God’s call for obedience was a tremendous act of love on His part.”
Another part of the book that I enjoyed was watching Yvonne and Curtis’ relationship grow. As taken-aback as she was by Curtis’ romantic moves towards her, she takes the time to ensure that God is the center of their relationship. With the God at the center of a couple, their relationship has the strong foundation that it requires to grow. I applaud Bowen for including that in the story.
Lastly, I appreciated the characters giving praise to God for the blessings that were bestowed in their lives. Likewise, the challenges that they were faced with, they understood were something that God had in their plan for their growth. Let me add: at the end of the book, I wanted to be a part of that church service because it sounded like a blast!
Now, for the unfortunate words that I have to express about this book. First of all, I am Caucasian from a predominately middle-class, white community. Therefore, I am not familiar with the informal vernacular of a black, Baptist community in the South. In fact, some of the language in here I had to run past a friend to understand what I was reading. Even so, Bowen’s vacillation between using proper English and this “slang” (for lack of a better word), wore on me. For me, it was comparable to reading a foreign language. Yet, it was English.
Let me give an example:
“LeDarius, who was usually quiet, said, ‘Dang, Coach, you are crunked tonight.’ “
I thought that Crunking was a form of more “hard-core” hip-hop dancing. I don’t think that is what this line meant.
Another example, in this case it is just a missing word that throws me:
“ ‘Oooh,’ Rochelle said, ‘you so fast, Elaine.’ “
Huh? You are so fast… meaning she’s easy? I don’t know. I just didn’t get it. I’ve read other books where a cultural vernacular is used and completely understood it. In this book, it was more difficult for me to “get it.”
Even if I were to understand some of the language better, I don’t believe that this particular book was well written. There were way too many ensemble characters to keep track of that were not instrumental to the plot. In addition, the time that was spent on Yvonne and Curtis (and their close friends and family) should have been the more prevalent and central storyline of this book. It were those parts that I looked forward to and didn’t get enough of in reading this story. Additionally, all of the writing about “Rumpshakers,” a local “naughty” dance joint was just a waste of time and energy for me, reading-wise. I could have completely done without it. I understand why Bowen inserted it, or at least I believe I do (for the purposes of showing later redemption), but I just couldn’t wait to get through those parts.
I want to thank my special friend for helping me with the wording. But, for Bowen, unfortunately this read really fell short for me. There may be a better audience for this book; I’m just not it. It was a CHALLENGE for me to complete this book. However, Bowen put her time and heart into writing it and I believe that she deserves a review out of me after reading the entire story.
On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”
This book will receive, probably, my lowest rating to date. First let me state that my hat goes off to anybody who can complete writing a novel and she’s written many. Second, I respect Bowen for the love she has in her heart for Jesus and my review has no intent to place hurt. Rather, my honest opinion is what I seek to provide my readers about my experience with a book. With that being said, on “Sher’s Out of Ten Scale,” genre:Fiction/Christian, I give this book a 3 out of 10.
My thanks to Miriam and Hachette for providing me this opportunity.
“Beauty Maria Zavala – you can call her B – hates her size and worse, hates that others judge her for it. But everything changes when her new tax accountant turns out to be a modern-day fairy godmother. Armed with same old curves but a whole new attitude, B is ready to show the world what Beauty is all about.”
(Above excerpt is from the back cover of B as in Beauty)
The Review
I must start off by telling you that the most shocking thing about this book, for me, is that it is written by a man. I would have SWORN that it was written by a woman. Beauty, aka “B,” is the heroine and narrator of this novel and, if you are a woman, you would completely assume that this narrative was written by a woman. How this author was able to write, in first person, from a “curvy” woman’s perspective is beyond me. However, by the way that the men in this novel react to her, I can envision this book being written by one in the male species. Don’t get me wrong…. I have nothing against men. I love men, actually. But, to think that they actually understand the insecurities and dreams of a woman is hard for me to grasp. Let me give you an example. Ferreras writes:
“Life for a married man might be tough, but life for a married woman is hell. Woman have to work and take care of the house and take care of the kids and stay young and stay thin and pretty. Nowadays we have to be housewives, mothers, professionals, and models: that’s four full-time jobs right there. Oh! And please try to save an hour a day for yoga, so you can alleviate some of the stress of this insane lifestyle. I see women walking in and out of the gym with a baby in one hand and a Blackberry in the other one. I have yet to meet a man who can juggle all the responsibilities that we handle.”
See? That doesn’t sound like a man’s authorship, does it? I applaud Ferreras for putting himself into the character of B and really trying to relate to what women struggle against. Now, I’m not trying to be sexist. I have read many men’s authorship of woman’s point of view and vice verse. But, this is Chick Lit. Chick Lit has a certain tongue-in-cheek voice that appears to emerge from the woman’s mind. So far, I have only really seen this type of writing from female authors. So, I have to give props to Ferreras for really surprising me with this read and blowing my stereotype.
Now that I’m off of that topic, which borders on being sexist, which I hate… (shame, tisk tisk) I didn’t have a ton of hope for this book when I started it. After a few chapters, I was in Chick Lit Heaven. I really enjoyed the spin on this book. How B came to love herself was odd… yet, a fun read. The storyline kept me hooked and I wanted to see B progress from somebody who never really loved herself to a woman who became comfortable in her own skin. It was quirky, a bit funny, and a good adventure.
On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”
I’d recommend this book to Chick Lit enthusiasts. There is some material in here that is borderline on the “naughty scale.” You’ve got to have an open mind and, better yet, a curious one, to enjoy this book. But, I did. Let me give you an example why:
“When I met Simon I never imagined that he could be that kind of guy, and I’m not embarressed to admit that I was wrong. It takes time to get to know somebody, and if I had dismissed him on that first night, I would have never been able to witness this side of him.”
-and-
“Women go through men, and men go through women, is if we were going through shoes: too high, too low, too tight, too loose, too white, too dark. We’re not taking the time to get to know anybody.”
It is because of these types of endearing lines that I felt connected to the book and a bit like a hopeless romantic realist (if there is such a thing). Therefore, I am going to rate this book, genre: Fiction:Chick Lit an 8 OUT OF 10.It’s a great poolside, airplane ride, or escape the kids screaming read.
My heartfelt thanks to Miriam and Hachette for this escaping read.
There were a couple of stand-outs for me in Wednesday’s episode…
Adam Lambert
He did a GREAT job. I really loved his interpretation of the song as well as his different look. I haven’t been a huge fan of his, but I loved tonight’s performance.
Allison Iraheta
Baby Girl can SING! Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone was the PERFECT song for her! She blew the roof off with her version! Congrats.
Anoop Desai
He was really enjoyable to watch. His voice was sweet and I hope to see him another week.
“As San Francisco’s most glamorous millionaires mingle at the party of the year, someone is watching – waiting for a chance to take vengeance on Isa and Ethan Bailey, the city’s most celebrated couple. Finally, the killer pinpoints the ideal moment, and it’s the perfect murder.
As Detective Lindsay Boxer investigates the high-profile murder, someone else is found brutally executed – a preacher with a message of hope for the homeless. His death nearly falls through the cracks, but with Cindy Thomas hears about it and discovers he may not have been quite as saintly as everyone thought.
As the hunt for the two criminals tests the limits of the Women’s Murder Club, Lindsay sees sparks fly between Cindy and Lindsay’s partner, Detective Rich Conklin. The Women’s Murder Club now faces its toughest challenge: will love destroy all that four friends have built?”
(Above excerpt is from the back cover of 8th Confession)
The Review
I haven’t read Patterson’s classics, Along Came a Spider and Pop Goes the Weasel. I have read The Lake House, Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas and Sundays at Tiffany’s, all of which I liked. Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas is probably my favorite love story novel (love love love that book). I heard that his murder/mystery series is good. This is the 8th Book of the Women’s Murder Club Series, none of which I’ve read. Surprisingly, this is not a problem for new readers. Not understanding the depths of these pre-existing characters didn’t deter me from getting to know them in this book and getting into the story.
For not being a huge fan of murder/mystery, I oddly enjoyed the change of pace that this book provided. There were two big cases to solve and I enjoyed watching them unfold. Although this book is a 368-pager, I read this book very quickly and enjoyed the fast-pace of the book. I appreciated the strands of romance woven into the story and the feminine spin on police work and law. 8th Confession also brings you into the mind of a killer, yet lets the story unfold so that you don’t really understand the motives until the end.
If the Murder/Mystery genre is up your alley, I believe you’d enjoy this read. If you’re a follower of the series, it’s a must-have. I met some folks on the soccer field who were really looking forward to this next book in the series and told me that they “gobble” up each book as they are released. Whether you’re a dedicated reader or just want to try out something different, I thought the book was good and perhaps you’d enjoy it. It’s perfect for a long plane ride.
On Sher’s “Out of Ten Scale:”
Because I haven’t read many books in this genre, I don’t have much to compare this book to. So, I’m going off gut instinct here on my rating and if I read more under the same genre, I may become more of a connoisseur of this genre. At any rate, for the genre Fiction: Murder/Mystery/Chick Lit, I rate this book a 7 OUT OF 10.However, if you’re a James Patterson fan (like me), you may disagree and give it higher marks!
My heartfelt thanks to Miriam and Hachette for this amazing read.
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Commit to spending five hours doing something that you love. No compromises or interruptions. Five hours of exploring self, finding peace, and replenishing.
Author: Michelle Andrea Bowen
I want to start with the positives about this book. I very much enjoyed the faith element to the story. There were great little “reminders” of parts of The Holy Bible that I needed to read and was appreciative of when I crossed them. For example, the book begins with a time in Yvonne’s life when she feels that she has hit bottom. At this time, she is reminded of the words from John 4:4-6. These beautiful words helped me at a time in my life when I needed to be reminded of them. There is another quote in the book shortly thereafter that really “hit home” for me:
Author: 
I must start off by telling you that the most shocking thing about this book, for me, is that it is written by a man. I would have SWORN that it was written by a woman. Beauty, aka “B,” is the heroine and narrator of this novel and, if you are a woman, you would completely assume that this narrative was written by a woman. How this author was able to write, in first person, from a “curvy” woman’s perspective is beyond me. However, by the way that the men in this novel react to her, I can envision this book being written by one in the male species. Don’t get me wrong…. I have nothing against men. I love men, actually. But, to think that they actually understand the insecurities and dreams of a woman is hard for me to grasp. Let me give you an example. Ferreras writes:
Author:
I have read The 
