The Big 5-Oh by Sandra Bricker



I first heard of Sandie thanks to a huge blog tour for her first Summerside book, Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas. Everyone posted rave reviews about how awesome this book was, and how funny.

Then I met Sandie at an Orlando meeting and she was super nice. Then I met her again on the way to the ACFW conference and I thought, I really need to get her book.

So I did and I laughed the entire trip home (on the plane). After Snowball came out, it seemed like Sandie's career started snowballing too!

I got my hot big hands on her book, The Big 5-Oh. It's just now releasing but I read the ARC, which is kind of awesome! The story is based in Florida and highlights a woman who's in need of a break, especially since her birthday is coming up soon. Often marked by illness or tragedy, birthdays are main character Olivia's nemesis. So she travels down to Florida for some much-needed R&R, but finds instead a second chance at love (not to mention a pool-loving alligator and a farting dog).

Despite some of the more serious issues, this book is a sweet read. I enjoyed it, especially how each chapter starts out with a little story about a donkey. Those tidbits cracked me up.

You can find Sandie at her website, her blog, and she even did a guest post on her agent's blog. Plus, her former agent and current editor commented on the post, which I thought was pretty cool.

The Big 5-Oh is available now. Don't forget to check out Sandie's other titles if you love romantic comedy.

Comments

Terri Tiffany said…
Oh it sounds so good like something I would like--especially set in Fl!
February 6, 2010 at 1:04 PM
Emily Conrad said…
Looks interesting! Thanks for sharing!
February 6, 2010 at 1:25 PM
Susan J. Reinhardt said…
Hi Jess -

I find myself looking for humor after I've been engrossed in suspenseful books. This sounds like a good choice.

Blessings,
Susan :)
February 6, 2010 at 2:11 PM
Angie Muresan said…
I am so bad, Jessica. I have not kept up with new authors or new releases. Last night hubby and I went out to dinner and a bookstore, and I loaded up on books by authors I have read and like. It's horrible of me to be weary of giving new authors a chance, particularly as I'm hoping to be one, someday soon.
February 6, 2010 at 3:30 PM
ali cross said…
Very nice! Thanks for the review ~ I'm always down for a book that makes me laugh :)
February 6, 2010 at 6:49 PM
Jessica Nelson said…
Terri, she has another one set in Florida too. They're both Summerside books. Then Debby Mayne also has a Summerside book set in Treasure Island, FL. It's fun reading stuff set in our state. :-)

You're welcome, Emily!

Susan, you'd probably like Sandie's books then. :-)

Angie, I've been bad too. I try to buy debut authors that I know, but it's been a while. Don't feel bad though. Enjoy your books. :-)

You're welcome Ali! I hadn't really read romantic comedy before, but it was fun.
February 7, 2010 at 7:05 AM
Angie Ledbetter said…
Wonder why that sounds like a book I'd relate to? :D

BLACK & GOLD SUPA BOWL - WHO DAT?!
February 7, 2010 at 11:22 AM
Jaime Wright said…
OOO! The second new author I've been introduced to today on my tour through my favorite blogs! thanks for the heads up on Sandie's writing :)
February 7, 2010 at 4:48 PM
anita said…
Sounds like an awesome read! I've always envied authors who can write funny and romantic both. I seem to only be able to write about sad love stories with broken protagonists who find some way to heal one another. Hmmm. Wonder what that says about me? Snort!

Oh well, I guess it takes all kinds! I'm going to have to get this for my MIL. She loves romantic comedies! ;-)
February 7, 2010 at 9:21 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We All Got to Learn to Do It Sometime

*grossness alert* We all have to learn to deal with doo-doo eventually. Consider me a newbie mom, but it never occurred to me that my son should be wiping himself until about a month before kindergarten. And then the flashbulb went on and I scrambled to teach him. One problem. He didn't want to. He's fastidious and doesn't like to make mistakes, so the thought of taking care of this daily chore literally reduced him to screaming and crying on the toilet. Basically, he didn't trust himself. He was afraid. Scared to get his hands dirty. Afraid he'd miss something. This is probably weird, but it made me think of us as writers. There comes a point where we have to "grow up" and trust ourselves. We can't always rely on a crit group, agent, or editor to wipe up our mess. I think this should be a part of maturation for every writer, that we can look at our work and be confident in our ability to clean it up. Not saying we'll make it perfect or that we won...
Read more

Work First, Play Later

I'm back! I had a wonderful time with my family. Thank you all for asking. :-) In 2009 my schedule evolved into a blog first/write later kind of thing. It happened that way because my husband began using the computer in the afternoons and evenings for his project, but now that I have a router, my schedule's changing. It's time to work first, play later. That means I do my chores/errands in the morning, write at naptime, and visit your wonderful blogs in the afternoons and evenings. So if I don't show up in the morning, don't be alarmed (if you even notice, lol). I'm just changing things up. I'm too exhausted in the evening to write, that's why. During the day I have way more energy to write but at night there's a fifty percent chance I won't do it because I'm so tired. When's the best time for you to write? I also need to shout out my awesome crit partner, Linda Glaz! Some of you may have met her at ACFW. She's a wonderful, faithful, ...
Read more

Melodramatic Mother

Mom, this one's for you. *wink* The other day we were on the phone and my mom was describing some of her ailments to me. She's normally a healthy person, but she does suffer from allergies and sinus issues. She's also a vivid person and this comes across in her language. In this case, she told me her pain was skewering up through her nose. Skewering. She never finished the description because I laughed. What a perfect word! Strong, to the point, I had an exact (if somewhat gross) image of what was happening. Do you have a vivid person in your life? Someone who thinks in ways you forget to? And in your WIP, are you using the strongest verb possible to convey EXACTLY what you mean?
Read more