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gle119's review
4.0
I took a chance on a free Kindle book, figuring I wouldn't lose anything if it was no good. Plus I'm always looking for new authors, I'd never read anything by this author before, and I frequently disagree with best-seller lists about what constitutes a good book. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the story was, with interesting characters and a unique plot. The characters, especially the main character, Robyn, were well-developed and not the cookie-cutter stock characters so rampant in fiction today. There are some cliches, and some plot twists that require a willing suspension of disbelief, but otherwise Getting Sassy is an entertaining, fresh, compelling story. It's not highbrow literature, but it provides good reading and some thought-provoking points about what defines character and who we really are, if you're of an introspective bent. I'd read this author again--and even pay for it.
thepickygirl's review
4.0
Robyn Guthrie moved to Fowler, Illinois as a compromise. Her mother's dementia is getting worse, and the two tried living together and nearly killed one another, so Lizzie is in Dryden Homes, a really nice full-care center. The only problem is, at $5,000 a month, Dryden is expensive, and Robyn is just about out of money. Before she secured power of attorney for her mother, Lizzie invested with a con man who swindled her out of $50,000. Robyn hates the idea of moving Lizzie to a state facility, but is there an alternative?
Robyn is standing in line at the liquor store when she first thinks of stealing money as a viable option. That is, until she reaches the cash register and Marv, whom she sees once a week to buy her mother a bottle of Chablis. Ok, so maybe robbing the liquor store is out of the question.
When Robyn talks to her accountant, a former jockey who, rumor has it, has questionable associations, she doesn't get money, but she does get a date, and it just so happens Mick knows the man who conned Lizzie - Bull Severn. And Bull Severn has a racehorse who is only calm when he shares a stable with Sassy, a goat. And the wheels begin to turn...
I read DC Brod's second in this series, Getting Lucky, a couple of months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Getting Sassy is just as good and really fun. Robyn is in an impossible situation, trying to do what's best for her mom while low on means with which to do so. Lizzie is a firecracker, so the moments when her dementia creeps in are poignant. For such a strong woman, these moments bring Lizzie to her knees. Though they don't have the smoothest relationship, these two women love one another, and everything Robyn does is for her mom.
Then there's Mick and Robyn. Robyn can't understand what Mick sees in her, but there's chemistry between them, and I liked seeing their relationship develop. Neither has had great luck with relationships; their marriages each lasted something like 24 and 36 months, but they have fun together and fall easily into one another's company.
And Sassy. For a goat, Sassy is a pretty great character. Though the book is hardly slapstick, Sassy provided some comic relief and a whole lot of tension. Robyn isn't a criminal, after all; she's a writer, but you do what you have to do. Right?
Robyn is standing in line at the liquor store when she first thinks of stealing money as a viable option. That is, until she reaches the cash register and Marv, whom she sees once a week to buy her mother a bottle of Chablis. Ok, so maybe robbing the liquor store is out of the question.
When Robyn talks to her accountant, a former jockey who, rumor has it, has questionable associations, she doesn't get money, but she does get a date, and it just so happens Mick knows the man who conned Lizzie - Bull Severn. And Bull Severn has a racehorse who is only calm when he shares a stable with Sassy, a goat. And the wheels begin to turn...
I read DC Brod's second in this series, Getting Lucky, a couple of months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Getting Sassy is just as good and really fun. Robyn is in an impossible situation, trying to do what's best for her mom while low on means with which to do so. Lizzie is a firecracker, so the moments when her dementia creeps in are poignant. For such a strong woman, these moments bring Lizzie to her knees. Though they don't have the smoothest relationship, these two women love one another, and everything Robyn does is for her mom.
Then there's Mick and Robyn. Robyn can't understand what Mick sees in her, but there's chemistry between them, and I liked seeing their relationship develop. Neither has had great luck with relationships; their marriages each lasted something like 24 and 36 months, but they have fun together and fall easily into one another's company.
And Sassy. For a goat, Sassy is a pretty great character. Though the book is hardly slapstick, Sassy provided some comic relief and a whole lot of tension. Robyn isn't a criminal, after all; she's a writer, but you do what you have to do. Right?
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