By Charlotte Hughes
Mira Books
ISBN #1551668637
Romantic Comedy
October 2001
Reviewed by Thea Candee, of TRRC
Standing atop a step ladder with a makeshift noose around her neck, Marilee Abernathy realizes that while her Reverend husband and teenage son may have moved in with the town floozy, that’s no reason to commit suicide. Marilee needs to be strong for her son, she needs to show the people of Chickpea, South Carolina that she’s made of stronger stuff, and she needs a new attitude! Too bad she loses her balance while trying to get off the ladder, and too bad she forgot to take off the noose—but good thing the other end of the noose is tied to a fake beam!
Sam Brewer’s got his own problems, a mischievous mother and a clinging ex-wife, but when he hears a woman’s scream—he runs to the rescue. Sprinting across the yard, knocking down the front door, disbelieving what he sees. Sam realizes that the woman on the floor is Marilee, the woman he had a high school crush on, and he can’t help but get drawn into her problems and he soon hopes, her life.
A NEW ATTITUDE is such a warm-hearted and funny story! While suicide isn’t funny, Marilee is so unbelievably inept that you just can’t help but laugh. She’s so prim and proper, especially after she’s "rescued" by Sam. You’ll love the book just for the first chapter alone. Don’t stop there though, because the secondary characters really add life and body to the rest of the story as we see Marilee start to pick up the pieces of her life.
While I definitely enjoyed A NEW ATTITUDE, I would have liked Marilee to be a little more outspoken—especially at the end of the story. I felt as if she had growth with her "new attitude", becoming more self reliant and capable, but I couldn’t figure out why she still couldn’t speak up for herself, particularly where her ex was concerned, and get her thoughts and wishes across. If you’re ready for a fun, heart-warming and a true "power of friendship" book, then look no further—A NEW ATTITUDE will give you all of those—and more!
Reviewed by Thea Candee