Reflections of a Small Town Family

Published:  September 1st, 1991

What's Eating Gilbert Grape

By: Peter Hedges

Simon & Schuster

ISBN-13:  9780671038540

Just about everything in Endora, Iowa (pop. 1, 091 and dwindling) is eating Gilbert Grape, a twenty-four-year-old grocery clerk who dreams only of leaving.  His enormous mother, once the town sweetheart, has been eating nonstop ever since her husband's suicide, and the floor beneath her T.V. chair is threatening to cave in.  Gilbert's long-suffering older sister, Amy, still mourns the death of Elvis, and his knockout younger sister has become hooked on makeup, boys, and Jesus -- in that order.

But the biggest event on the horizon for all the Grapes is the eighteenth birthday of Gilbert's younger brother, Arnie, who is a living miracle just for having survived so long.  As the Grapes gather in Endora, a mysterious beauty glides through town on a bicycle and rides circles around Gilbert, until he begins to see a new vision of his family and himself...

Review

       I did not even know this was a book until I ran across it by chance on Goodreads, on some list or another.  If you don't like personal reviews, abandon ship now because this shit's about to get real up-close-and-personal -- because this book was super-personal and self-revelatory for me as a human being.  That doesn't mean I will necessarily be gushing about it to everyone who asks for book recommendations, because I think this is a book that not everyone will understand.  Thank you Peter Hedges, you freaking bastard, for that unwanted look in the mirror.  I have a confession to make: I am Gilbert Grape.  We might not have the same name, live in exactly the same circumstances, or feel exactly the same about everything, but we are the same person where it counts the most.  We are the one who stays, the one who takes care of everyone else.  

       Gilbert Grape is someone who has gotten sucked into being the breadwinner and pretty much SOLE provider for his family, whom he both loves and hates at the same time.  He lives with his mother Bonnie Grape who is so obsese that the floor is caving in under her, his sister Amy who is selfless and good (and who deserves better than wasting her youth being mother to her siblings), his younger sister Ellen who is a pretentious brat (verging on slut at times) and his brother Arnie, who is mentally handicapped, never seeming older than five or six years old mentally.  Gilbert works at the local grocery store, that is slowly going under due to the new superstore in town.  He's worked for the owner Mr. Lamson for seven years, and believes in loyalty to the man (and the business) who has been a father figure/oasis for him in the midst of his family issues.  Also, Gilbert has been in a sexual affair with Betty Carver, the insurance man's wife, for about the same amount of time.  He feels trapped in by his family, his dumb-ass friend Tucker, his job, and Endora in general.  

       Things are building up and feelings are coming to head, as Arnie's thought-to-be-impossible eighteenth birthday draws nearer and the rest of the Grape siblings make their way home.  The Girl from Michigan also shakes things up for Gilbert, making him think of his life in new ways, even if they're not always pleasant or easy.  Can the Grapes begin to let go of past hurts and move on, or will they continue to stagnate, with Gilbert "shrinking," as Arnie puts it?  This was uncomfortable to the max.  I saw myself at the age I am now (24) working a dead end retail job, supporting my family because no one else can/will.  I am also not perfect.  In the moments Gilbert calls his brother a "retard" I see myself with my mentally ill mother, and I'm ashamed.  Not to say that I'm a monster, but I lose my temper too.  I am "shrinking," letting things go unsaid and being everything for everyone.  I also see myself in Momma & Amy, eating all of my feelings and multiplying in size.  But this novel is also hopeful, because as the ending tells us, nothing lasts forever.  Things, people and hardships cycle in and out of life.  A beautifully harsh portrait of the American Dream dying in the Midwest, only to be partially re-invented by the time the book ends.  A story that'll stay with me, but I don't see myself revisiting it often.  Highly recommended if you're brave and daring.

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.*

Favorite Quotes

"I'm told women scream when they give birth because of the intense pain.  And I think about how easily life can slide away, like thawing ice.  And how it's only the living that scream."

"You can tell the idyllic nature of a family by the upkeep of its picnic table.  Ours is its own indictment.  We are splintering and peeling.  We rot."

Bite Sized Reviews: Most Eligible Sheriff

Published:  March 4th, 2014

Most Eligible Sheriff (Sweetheart Nevada #3)

By: Cathy McDavid

Harlequin

ISBN-13:  9780373755110

A Reason To Stay

Las Vegas casino manager Ruby McPhee needs to lay low while the police deal with a stalker at work.  So she's trading in her high heels for cowboy boots and assuming her twin sister's identity at the Gold Nugget Ranch.  Ruby only plans on staying in Sweetheart, Nevada, until the threat back home has passed.  But then she discovers a detail her sister forgot to mention -- the handsome sheriff she's dating.

It only takes a single kiss for Cliff Dempsey to realize the woman in his arms is someone entirely different...and completely irresistible.  To protect Ruby's secret, Cliff mantains her ruse, but soon the lines between duty and desire begin to blur.  Ruby and Cliff know they have a once-in-a-lifetime connection, but will they have a chance to let their love grow?

Review

     Ruby McPhee is on the run, to take over her sister Scarlett's life while her stalker is in jail in Las Vegas.  She needs to get away until the trial is over, and Scarlett is trying to reconcile again with her on-again/off-again boyfriend, Dimitri.  So Ruby goes to fill in at work for her, so Scarlett won't lose her job at the ranch where she works.  Of course her sister left out a very important detail when she was giving Ruby the lowdown on her life - she's been dating Cliff, the local sheriff!  Imagine Ruby's surprise when he shows up at the ranch, starts talking about going out on a date, and kisses her!  Cliff immediately knows that she's not Scarlett and after some skepticism and anger, he decides to help Ruby pretend to be Scarlett until her stalker is put away.  But when the danger finally comes to town, can everyone escape unscathed?  And can Cliff and Ruby ignore their attraction to one another, or are they simply meant to be?

     I for the most part really enjoyed this small-town romance!  I didn't realize that it was #3 in an on-going series, but it definitely works as a stand-alone as well.  The history of Sweetheart, the town Cliff lives in, was very adorable and I loved how it played into his romance with Ruby.  Also, the differences between her and Scarlett, and the mishaps they caused were pretty funny at times.  The attraction between Cliff and Ruby definitely rings true throughout the book, and I liked that this one wasn't all about the sex between two people.  It was more about the falling in love part of love, than the lust factor in the equation.  I totally understood why Cliff was hesitant to get involved with Ruby, after having gotten involved with a witness to a crime in Reno and being burned by the relationship.  Plus, it ruined his standing with the police department he worked for.  Probably my least favorite things about this one were the selfish, flaky attitude of Scarlett, who is stringing along Cliff as a placeholder until she can be with Dimitri, and the attitudes of Cliff, his family and the other townspeople after the showdown with the stalker.  Yes, Scarlett made a bad decsion to go off on her own with Cliff's cousin's children, when a crazed freak was after her identical twin.  But it was Cliff's fault for leaving the kids with Scarlett, when he knows she's an undependable, opportunist who has not a brain in her head most of the time!  

     The way they blame Ruby for everything and how they treat her about it, is completely abominable.  The ending resolves very sweetly after Cliff and his Aunt (the mayor) take their heads out of their asses and Ruby swings a high profile wedding to jumpstart the town's economy.  Overall, a very cute and fast-paced romance, with a slight thriller element to it.  But that ending just left a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth.  If you're looking for a quick, romantic read and you might enjoy it.

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

*I received a print ARC of this book from a representative (thanks Anna!) at Harlequin, as part of their Just Can't Get Enough campaign (March Theme: Weddings).  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book was published on  March 4th, 2014.*

Falling the Right Way

 

Published:  July 1st, 2013

Falling Hard (Roller Girls # 1)

By: Megan Sparks

Capstone Press

ISBN-13:  9781623700232

 

When Annie moves from London to a small town in the Midwest, she struggles to fit in. She gets off to a bad start when she makes an enemy of her school's queen bee, Kelsey. But she discovers a new passion, the exciting sport of roller derby, and makes friends with the cool and quirky girls on her team, the Liberty Belles. She also meets Jesse, the friendly boy who works at the roller rink, and Tyler, a cute, all-American sports star.

 

Review

 

     Annie is the new girl in a small, Midwestern town and not only is she dealing with going from big city to small town, but England to America.  When her parents separated, Annie decided to go back to her Dad's hometown with him and help him open the café that has been his dream for quite some time now.  Struggling to find her own place in a new and strange life, Annie is drawn to both cheerleading (as a substitute for gymnastics) and roller derby.  Making friends with her next door neighbor Lexie, a sarcastic and individualistic artist, and Jesse, the boy who works at the roller rink, definitely keeps things interesting.  When she's forced to choose between cheer and derby, can Annie make the right decision?  Most importantly, can she decide to do what will make herself happy even in the face of the rules of high school popularity?

     I requested this from NetGalley on a whim, and mostly because after seeing the movie Whip It in 2009, I always wanted to know more about roller derby as a sport.  I thought it sounded interesting for the fish out of water aspect as well and I am a sucker for characters who move from one country to another!  It ended up being younger than I expected, but I'm glad because it lent a real sweetness to the book as a whole that might not have been there if the characters had been near the end of high school, rather than the start.  Annie was a really strong, interesting girl who loved her parents and didn't do stupid, clichéd 'teenager' stuff.  I liked the fact that she knew what she wanted, who she was and refused to cave into the cheerleaders' bullying and shallow opinions about her friends, etc.  Lexie's artwork was described great and the friendship Annie has with Lexie was very realistic for small town outcasts. 

     I feel like Jesse (outcast love interest) and Tyler (jock love interest) were both kind of underdeveloped and like the cheerleaders were very one-dimensional.  I feel like the conflict pretty much disappeared once Annie went for the second tryout for cheerleading and the other cheerleaders stopped picking on her really out of the blue.  The relationship of Annie with both her parents, especially in relation to the separation and the guilt over choosing her Dad to live with was well written.  I liked how invested both parents were in her life, where in YA lit a lot of times parents are non-existent, crappy, or just plain weird/stereotypical.  Sparks avoided that and made me really like Annie's Dad especially.  Overall, I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a light, fluffy and fun read that is something I'd recommend for younger teens in middle school or early high school.  Very cute! :)

 

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

 

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book was published on July 1st, 2013.*



Cherry, Everything Is Alright

Expected Publication:  September 10th, 2013

Cherry Money Baby

By: John M. Cusick

Candlewick Press

ISBN-13:  9780763655570

Hollywood glitz collides with workingclass aspirations in this satirical tale of an impulsive starlet and a sharp-witted small-town teen.

Cherry Kerrigan loves her simple life, her family’s tiny trailer, even working at Burrito Barn. Forget college — she’s marrying her sweetheart from next door. But here comes Ardelia Deen, a glamorous starlet who sweeps Cherry into a world of fast cars and penthouse parties. Now Cherry’s small-town life just seems so . . . small. When Ardelia drops a bomb of an offer — one involving a baby — Cherry knows her life will change forever, no matter what she decides. John M. Cusick focuses his signature wit on Hollywood royalty and the wide-eyed dreams of Small Town, U.S.A. in a novel about discovering who you are . . . and changing your mind.

Review

     Cherry Kerrigan is just a small-town girl, working in a burrito place and living in a trailer park with her Dad and little Brother.  In love with the boy next door, Cherry is loving her life just the way it is.  She doesn't even really see the appeal in leaving for the great world outside the town lines.  When Lucas, her sweetheart, asks her to marry him life is just that much sweeter.  But when Cherry saves movie star Ardelia Deen (who is in town shooting her latest movie) by giving her the Heimlich, things starts to change.  All of the sudden Cherry is on T.V. and being watched by all of America, made out as stupid trailer trash who doesn't know anything at all.  Hanging out with Ardelia begins to make Cherry wonder what she really wants in life and if staying behind while her best friend goes to college is really good enough after all.  Agreeing to help Ardelia find a surrogate to carry a baby for her, Cherry's life is consumed by her new friends, causing the gap to grow between herself and her old life.  Can she find a place to belong or will she be stuck between Hollywood, high society and the trailer park?  

     Oh my goodness!  This book was not at all what I was expecting, but that's in the best way possible.  Cherry Kerrigan is smart, but she's a sarcastic bitch who doesn't try hard enough in school.  She doesn't want to go away to college and is proud of her life just the way it is.  I love Cherry so much.  Even when she's being a pain in the neck she's still really likeable, or at the very least really funny.  The fact that Cusick avoids caricaturizing her as stupid trailer trash really endears him to me as a writer.  The romantic relationship between her and Lucas is wonderful, with a true connection between them.  Also, the depiction of an interracial relationship (Lucas is black, Cherry is white) in a small, hick town was touched upon with an episode that takes place on the street when a cop asks Cherry if Lucas is bothering her.  Cherry of course, basically tells the cop to go f*** himself and calls him Barney Fife.  But it's not the main focus of their romance which is truly awesome.  The biggest focus is on the trust between them and how it  transforms from absolute to tenuous throughout the book.  But the love is still overflowing between them and I love the graffiti art of Lucas that connects them on an even deeper level.

     The family issues were so realistic that it was amazing to me when I was reading it.  Not just for Cherry, but for Ardelia too.  Ardelia's close friendship, practically sisterhood with her friend Spanner was antagonistic but loving.  The scene closer to the end of the book when Ardelia humiliates her in front of some wealthy, 'important' guests was hard to read if simply for the fact of how easy it is to take a friend's love for granted.  The relationship between Cherry and her Dad, a struggling auto-mechanic who wants more for his kids, was full of warmth, discipline and I love that he was a major presence in her life (even though he was constantly working and not always able to be there).  There was a huge contrast between that and the pronounced lack of a Mom in her life.  When the whole surrogate selection plot pops up, Ardelia and Cherry's insecurities and gaps in parental education become painful to witness.

     Life in the fast lane with partying, movie stars and drugs is something that starts to get a hold on Cherry at times.  But just when you think she's starting to lose herself, she does something that totally brings her back to herself.  As the book goes along, especially after Cherry gets high and almost cheats on Lucas and a tragedy befalls her family (pretty much financially ruining them), she has to make some pretty hard decisions about how to make things right.  I don't agree with other reviewers that the direction of the last portion of this book turned cliche.  Yes, if it were any other book I might say it did.  But with the amount of sheer emotion packed into every moment and confrontation, it was anything but cliched to me as a reader.  To me the ending was perfect and the friendship between Ardelia and Cherry throughout this book was a high point for me.  It was about the journey of figuring out who you are when the world proves to be scarier and bigger than you ever imagined.  Movie star or girl in a trailer park, life kicks you in the ass either way.  I highly recommend this book to fans of Where the Heart Is, who also like a book with some sharp (funny) edges to go along with the warm and fuzzy emotions.

VERDICT:  5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley and as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication is September 10th, 2013.*

You Better Apply Yourself Quickly

Expected Publication:  April 30th, 2013

The Boyfriend App

By: Katie Sise

Balzar + Bray

ISBN-13: 9780062195265

In The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise, super-smart, somewhat geeky Audrey McCarthy can’t wait to get out of high school. Her father’s death and the transformation of her one-time BFF, Blake Dawkins, into her worst nightmare have her longing for the new start college will bring.

But college takes money. So Audrey decides she has to win the competition for the best app designed by a high schooler—and the $200,000 that comes with it. She develops something she calls the Boyfriend App, and suddenly she’s the talk of the school and getting kissed by the hottest boys around. But can the Boyfriend App bring Audrey true love?

Review

     Audrey just wants for her high school days to be a thing of the past.  Perfectly content with her geek status, Audrey is only envious of one thing - how easy it is for the popular girls to get a guy's attention.  So when a contest is announced by the biggest technology corporation Public, for a scholarship awarded to whoever creates the most popular/innovative app, Audrey gets an idea - the Boyfriend App.  It's like a cross between Match.com and instant love radar.  With the help of her cousin Lindsey, some really awesome friends and Aiden, the guy who might be something more, can she win the scholarship money?  Or will it even matter when Audrey finds out a very sinister thing happening under the surface of Public's company?  Will they be exposed or will they get away with corrupting the youth of the world through subliminal messages?  Audrey was an interesting heroine for me, because she was not AT ALL predictable for the first half of the book.  She had personality, her own sense of self and definite strength against all the bad stuff aimed at her by her former best friend.  The boy confusion was understandable at first, but got old when her confusion turned into super-unrealistic naivete.   The battle between Public and their rival, along with Public's sinister use of subliminal frequencies to extract certain behaviors from people reminded me surprisingly enough of the Josie and the Pussycats movie from 2001 with Rachel Leigh Cook.  It made me laugh inside my head for most of the book.  A lot of the plot was horribly contrived and nowhere near the realm of believability. but I absolutely adored the humor of this book and the fact that the heroine is using her smarts toward a goal other than a boy (but capitalizing on her classmates hormones at the same time).  It was hilarious to read about Lindsey (her fashion diva cousin) and nerdy friend Nigit's unexpected relationship, in which he begins dressing like Michael Jackson...WTF?  My main complaint would be the completely unbelievable, weird science type plot events, the resolution and the overall devolving of the characters.  It was a cute fluff read, but not much else and it tried too hard to be taken seriously.  The constant, obvious satire of Apple became too much even for me.

VERDICT:  2.5/5  Stars

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. It will be available for purchase on April 30th, 2013.*

Where The Skies Are Not Cloudy

Published: February 19th, 2013
Home to Montana
By: Charlotte Carter
Love Inspired
ISBN-13: 9780373878031

Staying in one place was never Nick Carbini's plan. When his troubled past leads him to Bear Lake, Montana, single mom Alisa Machak makes him consider putting down roots. Alisa doesn't have a problem letting Nick work in her diner, but when he starts edging his way into her heart, she has to draw the line. He reminds her too much of her son's father, another drifter who abandoned them both. Nick wishes he could be there for them, but believes he's not fit to be a husband. When his worst fears come true one night, it's up to Alisa to show him the perfect recipe for a forever romance.

Review

     Single Mom Alisa Machak has been burned before, and she's not eager to repeat the experience.  So she stays away from men who present any danger of upsetting her life in any way - in other words, she avoids true love like the plague.  Nick Carbini has become a drifter, with no place to truly call home since he was a kid and his Mom was alive.  So he returns to the only place he can get that feeling - Bear Lake, Montana. Working in Alisa's family diner, Nick and Alisa immediately feel sparks fly.  But not willing to risk her heart or her son's Alisa hardens herself against the new-found possibility of a relationship.  Especially with a man who reminds her of her son's Father, a deadbeat drifter.  Can Nick move away from the demons of his past and convince Alisa that they have a future together?  Or will both of them end up with a broken heart?  Not realizing this book was Love Inspired and not a Harlequin Super Romance, I requested it from NetGalley.  I wish that I hadn't.  While the characters are relatable and fairly well written, this book was downright depressing.  Alisa is a woman who loves her son, her Mom and her town.  But she is a complete shrew and not a very interesting character to me.  Oh poor baby, had a bad experience in love.  So now she treats this veteran with major issues like he's Jeffery Dahmer reincarnated or something!  And every time he shows any interest in her son (who is starved for male companionship of any kind at all, as he has no Dad or Grandpa in his life) she freaks out and acts like Nick's trying to kidnap him from her.  Any excuse not to be nice to Nick and Alisa will take it, no hesitation.  I loved Alisa's Mother, who was an absolute gem of a woman, especially dealing with such a bitter daughter.  Nick had issues, but he saw the shades of grey in the world order which endeared him to me a LOT more than Alisa as a character and romantic interest.  While being a Christian romance, it managed to avoid the preachy overtones for the most part, until the second half of the book which was saturated in religion.  I got extremely annoyed with having it shoved in my face and was glad when the book was over.  My overall opinion is that people who like a predictable  bland romance will like this one. If you're not super religious avoid it like the plague.

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published February 19th, 2013.*