Crazy Little Thing (A Bell Harbor Novel)

Upon starting this book, I really wondered if I was going to like it as it seemed more about healing. At least at the beginning of the book. But Ms. Brogan was merely laying a solid foundation. I'm so glad I persevered as this story was unlike any romance I've read before. Most romance novels deal with two people meeting/connecting, falling in love...hawt intimacy then breaking up, and after working out their issues, getting back together...usually. But I especially liked this story as it dealt a lot with moving on after a divorce...healing from that stressful situation and how this main character, Sadie Turner, simply "deals". And this story was so much more...it was about the journey and the arrival.POSSIBLE SPOILER:After a stressful and ugly divorce from her philandering husband, Sadie Turner heads to her Aunt Dody's home in Bell Harbor, Michigan, with her two children, for a much needed summer vacation. She simply needs time to vedge and heal. Sadie is insecure and vulnerable as she comes to terms with the wasted years she devoted to an uncaring man. She has a poor self image and an even poorer outlook on life in general. Her ex and his oppressive treatment of her for eight years makes Sadie second guess just about everything...but most importantly, ever committing to another relationship...ever. Until she get's to know Dr. Desmond (Des) McKnight.Des is everything opposite of what Sadie has been accustomed to. He's cordial and polite...he's kind, patient, sincere and caring. When he shows more than a casual interest in Sadie, she finds it hard to believe (she does, afterall, have trust issues). I loved Des. He's the epitome of the perfect, non-arrogant alpha male. A major "rawr".. yowza factor.This story was such fun to read...at times it had me laughing so hard I had tears streaming down my cheeks and my hubby going "what? what??"...(and I'd have to stop and explain)...I loved Aunt Dody...a loving free spirit and Fontaine who's antic's and vernacular wit had me rolling in the aisles.If there was a downside to this book (for me) it would be that character descriptions sort of "trickle" in as you read the book. The Author doesn't stop and devote a paragraph or three in just describing a person...descriptions filter in through dialogue and narrative...which isn't a bad thing...but can be distracting when you're trying to get into the plot. I was often distracted, wondering what color eyes, or hair, or size, or height so-n-so had/was when I could've been concentrating more on what was happening at the moment. But it all comes in time. :)Still all in all this was a delightfully delicious, and often hilarious story. No holes or loose threads...it never unravels or disintigrates. Strong emotional dimension that the reader will easily connect with and become emotionally invested with in little time. Deep tacit messages of healing, starting over...the journey and the arrival of finding that one special person in your life. A fabulous story of getting your priorities straight and realizing what really.....reallllly...matters in life.

I enjoyed reading this book. The characters are engaging and amazing the connection is undeniable throughout the pages. The storyline flowed easily throughout the pages. A must read!

For any female out there who has ever sworn off men, Brogan's story "Crazy Little Thing" is a great inspiration to figuratively "jump back on the horse". Tracy Brogan wrote this fictitious story to relate to most females who have gone through a bad break up, divorce, or have just given up on dating. Brogan is known for writing stories about "ordinary people finding extraordinary love" (Amazon, 2013), which she did so well in "Crazy Little Thing". With her quirky characters and hilarious plot, this story is a laugh out loud romantic comedy that can inspire those to never give up on love. Brogan's main character, Sadie Turner, had gone through a bad divorce so she decided to spend the summer at her Aunt Dody's Michigan lake house with her two young children. Her Aunt Dody is the family member we all have, a crazy, fun-loving, and delusional spirit who only looks to get the best from life. Dody also ends up with a heart-breaking tragedy of her own in which she does what any loving parent and aunt does; she hides it from her family. Throughout the story her outlandish comments, bizarre adventures, and mission to have fun help pull Sadie out of the depression and influence her to "let go" so she can enjoy the rest of her life. Another character that we can relate to is Sadie, the divorcee who needs a boost to start enjoying the rest of her life. She is a neurotic, OCD, mother of two who swore off all men since her ex-husband was cheating on her throughout their 8 years of marriage. Ironically, she went to her aunt's lake house for the summer in hopes of getting away from reality and men, but to her surprise she meets the tall, dark, and handsome doctor, Desmond, who takes her breath, and sanity, away. With her aunt and cousins' help, she starts to see that not all men are the lying, cheating pigs that she was so familiar with. Sadie's cousin, Fontaine, is another perpetrator in her complicated and comical dilemma. He is a character that we are all familiar with; he is a flamboyant interior decorator who attempts to help his cousin learn how to dress herself and impress their new hunk of a neighbor. He tries to help Sadie, just like his mother Dody, get over her belief that she will be alone for the rest of her life. Fontaine's down-to-earth attitude and hilarious come-backs provide lots of entertainment and laughs throughout the whole story. Brogan's story is one that we all can relate to in one way or another. Sadie, Dody, and Fontaine make a dysfunctional family come to life and teach us not to dwell on the past. Brogan encourages us to live in the moment and to not generalize the male population, even though sometimes it can be so hard not to. We also learn that our family, no matter how outrageous they can be, is important to piecing our lives back together when we fall apart.

I had the opportunity to read this book in one day over two long train journeys and I found myself engrossed in it and grinning a lot - I managed to avoid laughing out loud, but only just. This is not because the story is unique or particularly challenging - it is a contemporary romance of a young woman, who has had a bitter divorce and who is trying to avoid men. She stays in a small town with her eccentric family and is overwhelmingly attracted by Des, a locum doctor, but the effect of her marital history makes her shy of men and frightened to commit. The story is completely predictable and the characters and setting are reasonably familiar.What engaged me about the book was the style which was warmhearted and engaging. The writing is witty and realistic. For a change, the main character, Sadie, actually grows and changes through the novel in a believable way. The author avoids humour by humiliation and the situations she contrives for Sadie and Des are believable (if not actually realistic).I've read a lot of this type of novel and this is one of the best I have read - I highly recommend it for a feel-good, lighthearted and amusing experience.

I didn’t think I was going to like this book as the first few chapters for me were a bit slow. We were introduced to Sadie and her two kids moving town because of her cheating husband and I thought this was going to be one of those sickly sweet American stories. But then we're introduced to her Aunt Dody and son Fontaine who for me stole the show, they were a bit cliché but that’s what made them brilliantly hilarious. Added with the new good looking neighbour Des and this story is for me a great light hearted funny romance. For anyone who has got two kids, you'll totally relate to Sadie with some of things she does. I was crying tears of laughter at the ending in particular, when the ex-husband just proves what a clueless idiot he really is. I highly recommend this book, stick with it as it does get so funny and will leave you with a smile on your face.

I never had so many laugh out loud moments. Sadie is finally very divorcing her cheating husband, and spending the summer with her children at the beachfront home of her off the wall aunt. A new romance is the last thing on her radar...but fate has other ideas.

Sadie decides to take a break after she finally has had enough of her husbands infidelities and they are divorcing. She meets Des who is living in a neighbours house and is attracted to him. The story was just a bit too crazy in the characters and it just fell flat.

This is a story about one summer with Sadie and her kids a year after her divorce. She goes to spend it with her aunt and her cousins, who all have very colourful personalities. It is a very easy read and had me laughing out loud at various points! There are parts which are completely bonkers but in a good way. It's warm hearted and a good read, I read it in two sittings and enjoyed it.