By Charlotte Hughes Mira Books ISBN #1551668637 Romantic Comedy October 2001
Marilee Abernathy feels that her life is spinning out of control. Her husband Grady, minister at Chickpea Baptist Church, has left her for the town slut after sixteen years of what had she thought of as a solid marriage. The worst part, the part that wounds her to the bottom of her soul, is that her son Josh chose to live with Grady and the slut. Marilee figures that suicide is the answer but after two crazy episodes she realizes that suicide is truly stupid. She decides to get her act together, get her life in order and, most importantly, get her son back.
As a teenager, Sam Brewer was known around town to be very popular with the girls; as a man he still hasn't heard any complaints. Concerned about his mother Nell's ailing health, Sam sells his construction business in Atlanta, prays his ex-wife won't bother him with requests for money anymore and moves back in with Nell, right next door to Marilee Abernathy. Sam always had a 'thing' for Marilee in high school even though she never knew anything about it. After seeing her again he knows that he doesn't plan on letting her get away this time.
Marilee has no job skills so she has to take what's available -- which means being the receptionist at a funeral home and playing piano in the evenings at a supper club. In addition to holding down two jobs, she is also housing a pregnant sixteen year old, trying to get Josh back home with her and, to top it all off, figuring out if Sam is interested in her for more than just a casual fling. So much is going on it's a wonder a person has time to breathe, let alone decide if she has a chance of making something special happen between her and Sam.
A New Attitude is a story with a lot of good intentions but, unfortunately, falls flat at times. Marilee Abernathy deals with a cheating spouse, a depressed son, no job training and a multitude of other problems with humor that sometimes just misses the mark. As an example, her suicide attempts were supposed to be funny but they didn't work for me.
The town of Chickpea is filled with all the wild and zany characters you would expect to find, from well-meaning best friends to a two-faced boss. However, there is so much going on at times, it's hard to get close to these people. Even though the story revolves primarily around Marilee, it is Sam Brewer who develops through the book into an interesting, emotionally stable guy with a lot to offer.
A New Attitude is a well-written story that somehow tries to be too many things at once: humor, drama, excitement, and an important message about forgiveness. There is redemption in the end but it's a long, long road getting to it.
Lisa D. Guest, The Romance Reader