Well, that’s
exactly what Jack is hoping to do with his invention—extra large seats for
heavier children. Did he not see the issue with that?
Kate
Richards was the official spokesperson for KidFit,
a T.V. talk show against childhood obesity. Technically, she was also banking
on the little fatties. She is considered Jack’s nemesis, but the two can’t help
but feel an instant attraction to each other. The two had a great, effervescent
chemistry that was often youthful and klutzy. Their whole interlude read like a
high school episode with two love-obsessed teenagers. Still, the moments when
they talked and connected felt genuine, albeit a little sappy sometimes. But
you figure that with all the things that they both have to deal with in their
lives (Jack looking after his niece while her dad is in Afghanistan and Kate
rushing to pay off some bookie to save her father), it was a comfort to know
that they could confide and be there for each other.
Of course,
no romance can stay perfect without a little conflict messing things up. In
this case, Jack wasn’t honest about who he was—owner of the fat carriage
company she’s been publicly bashing—before getting tangled up in the sheets
with the woman. It’s like two people with opposing political views. How can
anyone make that work? I guess it’s easy when all they could think about was
sex. I must say some scenes were a little lascivious.
But
political views have a way of creating war. Suddenly, both sides are firing at
each other amidst the chaos of the sleazy paparazzi. I must say that the media turning
up the heat and shaking things up made the plot more interesting. What better
way to turn their world upside down? Will the pair be able to figure a way out
of this mess? Can they save their careers or risk losing everything for love?
Sprinkled
with light-hearted humor, Worth the
Weight is a sweet, contemporary romance that paralleled similarities to the
book/movie Must Love Dogs. Even with
the zany dating advice from the eccentric group of characters, it was ultimately
the dogs that hooked these two up. Also, Kate reminded me a great deal of Diane
Lane with her awkward sensitivity and shyness. To be perfectly honest, I only
saw the movie once (never read the book) and thought that it was an okay story,
and Worth the Weight felt like a
rehash of the same story but with a media-frenzy twist. In fact, that little
twist made it better. It was interesting to see the nutty side of fabricated
headlines, flashing cameras, and emergency PR work. I was actually curious to
see how it would turn out (even though I had a good guess.)
So if you
love dogs and quirky romances, this is the book for you.
My rating: 3.5 stars
ReplyDeleteDear Sandra,
Will you please consider reviewing my new novel DON’T FORGET ME, BRO, to be published later this year by Stephen F. Austin State University Press?
DON’T FORGET ME, BRO deals with themes of childhood abuse, mental illness, and alienated families. (See synopsis below.)
My award-winning debut novel THE NIGHT I FREED JOHN BROWN (Philomel Books, Penguin Group, 2009) won The Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers (Grades 7-12) and was one of ten books recommended by USA TODAY. For more info: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/john-michael-cummings/the-night-i-freed-john-brown/
In addition I've published a collection of short stories, UGLY TO START WITH (West Virginia University Press) Here’s a link to some information about my collection: http://www.amazon.com/Ugly-Start-With-Michael-Cummings/dp/193597808X
My short stories have appeared in more than seventy-five literary journals, including The Iowa Review, North American Review, The Kenyon Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, and The Chattahoochee Review. Twice I have been nominated for The Pushcart Prize. My short story "The Scratchboard Project" received an honorable mention in The Best American Short Stories 2007.
I look forward to hearing back from you.
My email is johnmcummings@aol.com
Thank you very much.
Kindly,
John Michael Cummings
P.S. Could you kindly give me a reply back to let me know you received this email?
Synopsis of DON’T FORGET ME, BRO
DON’T FORGET ME, BRO deals with themes of childhood abuse, mental illness, and alienated families. The book opens with the main character, forty-two-year-old Mark Barr, who has returned home from New York to West Virginia after eleven years for his older brother Steve’s funeral. Steve, having died of a heart attack at forty-five, was mentally ill most of his adult life, though Mark has always questioned what was "mentally ill" and what was the result of their father’s verbal and physical abuse during their childhood.
The book unfolds into an odyssey for Mark to discover love for his brother posthumously in a loveless family.
DON’T FORGET ME, BRO is a portrait of an oldest brother’s supposed mental illness and unfulfilled life, as well as a redeeming tale of a youngest brother’s alienation from his family and his guilt for abandoning them.
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