Book Review: "Stuck in the Middle" by Virginia Smith
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Virginia Smith left her job as a corporate director to become a full time writer and speaker with the release of her first novel Just As I Am.Since then she has contracted eight novels and published numerous articles and short stories. She writes contemporary humorous novels for the Christian market, including Murder by Mushroom (Steeple Hill, August 2007) and her newest release, Stuck in the Middle(Revell, February 2008), book 1 in the Sister-to-Sister Series.
Her short fiction has been anthologized, and her articles have been published in a variety of Christian magazines. An energetic speaker, she loves to exemplify God’s truth by comparing real-life situations to well-known works of fiction, such as her popular talk, “Biblical Truths in Star Trek.”
Virginia is a speaker, and an avid Scuba diver. She and her husband Ted, divide their times between Kentucky and Utah, and escape as often as they can for diving trips to the Caribbean!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Joan Sanderson's life is stuck. Her older sister, Allie, is starting a family and her younger sister, Tori, has a budding career. Meanwhile, Joan is living at home with Mom and looking after her aging grandmother. Not exactly a recipe for excitement-or romance.
That is, until a hunky young doctor moves in next door. Suddenly Joan has a goal--to catch his eye and get a date. But it won't be easy. Pretty Tori flirts relentlessly with him and Joan is sure that she can't compete. But with a little help from God, Allie, and an enormous mutt with bad manners, maybe Joan can find her way out of this rut and into the life she's been hiding from.
Book 1 of the Sister-to-Sister series, Stuck in the Middle combines budding romance, spiritual searching, and a healthy dose of sibling rivalry that is sure to make you smile.
"A gentle story of one young woman's season of growth, deftly blending the tangle of family relationships with gifts of whimsey and revelation. A joy to read."Breaking out of my shell
~SHARON HINCK, author of Renovating Becky Miller and Symphony of Secrets~
"Virginia Smith has created a charming and humerous novel that celebrates small-town life, generations of women caring for each other, and the value of finding a deeper, more active faith."
~SHARON DUNN, author of the Bargain Hunters mysteries~
As part of a three sister family myself, this book really reached out to me. I could totally relate with how the sisters acted and all the drama that goes on between them. The rivalry, the arguments, the late night gab fest- been there, done that. Anyone who has at least one sister will definately relate to this book. Joan started off at first as a sort of martyr-ish character who gave up everything to help out everyone else. Then as the story progresses she allows herself to do things that will make her own self happy. I really liked how Joan allowed herself to come out of her shell regarding church. She was attending her old church simply because of tradition and not really getting much out of it. Even thought it was new and different for her, I'm glad she let herself become open minded to help update her own church. The same went for her relationship with her mother and grandmother. I could understand the arguments from both sides but there were times when I felt that Joan was not looking at the situation too clearly. I loved her relationship with her own McDreamy doctor. The chemistry between the two of them is wonderful and you can really feel the sparks fly.
This book has it all with the romance, drama and hilarious moments. The dinner scene competition between Joan and Tori was a hoot. It's just one of the many laughs in the book. I love all the characters in this book. It was really hard to put down and I found myself having a great time while reading it. I am looking forward to the other books in the series especially Allie's because like her I am the oldest sister. This series starts off with a bang with this wonderful gem of a book.
Stuck in the Middle by Virginia Smith is published by Revell (2008)
Deborah, thanks so much for a great review! I'm glad you liked my book. I, too, am the oldest sister, so I can't wait 'till you can read AGE BEFORE BEAUTY!
ReplyDeleteGinny