Flight into Fantasy

Title: Ain’t She Sweet
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Grade: A-

Reason for Reading: Iadored the last SEP book that I read, and I was curious about this one, and I have to admit the plot kind of intrigued me.

Synopsis: (stolen from Rosario):
Ain’t She Sweet?
Not exactly . . .
The girl everybody loves to hate has returned to the town she’d sworn to leave behind
forever. As the rich, spoiled princess of Parrish, Mississippi, Sugar Beth Carey
had broken hearts, ruined friendships, and destroyed reputations. But fifteen years
have passed, and life has taught Sugar Beth its toughest lessons. Now she’s come
home — broke, desperate, and too proud to show it.
The people of Parrish don’t believe in forgive and forget. When the Seawillows, Sugar
Beth’s former girlfriends, get the chance to turn the tables on her, they don’t hesitate.
And Winnie Davis, Sugar Beth’s most bitter enemy, intends to humiliate her in the
worst possible way.
Then there’s Colin Byrne. . . . Fifteen years earlier, Sugar Beth had tried to ruin
his career. Now he’s rich, powerful, and the owner of her old home. Even worse, this
modern-day dark prince is planning exactly the sort of revenge best designed to bring
a beautiful princess to her knees.
But none of them have reckoned on the unexpected strength of a woman who’s learned
survival the hard way.
While Sugar Beth’s battered heart struggles to overcome old mistakes, Colin must
choose between payback and love. Does the baddest girl in town deserve a second chance,
or are some things beyond forgiving?

My Thoughts: I wonder if two books is enough to bring a person onto my list of favorite authors. Because I really adored It Had to Be You and I also loved Ain’t She Sweet.

There was a lot that was similar between Ain’t She Sweet and It Had to Be You. Both feature outwardly confident heroines who nobody thinks much of but who are pretty kick-ass in their own slightly spacey way. In both cases, the women arrive on the scene and cause havoc, much to the consternation of the men they’re paired up with.

What I liked about both books was the same. I really like the emotional struggles that both women had to face, and I loved the dynamics that played out in the relationships each had with her family and those around her. I also admit to a small and secret weakness for stories about small Southern towns and I thought that SEP put in a lot of authentic-seeming detail about Southern life. At least, this Midwestern girl bought it.

I wasn’t expecting to like Sugar Beth, and figured she’d be kind of a hard sell for me as a heroine, but I liked her quite a lot. I loved her strength and her wit, as well as her vulnerability. I don’t think she’s the sort of person I would want to know in real life, but I loved watching her bloom in this book.

Colin was a bit less easy for me to get into. He felt a bit too stock-character-ish for me, and I just couldn’t really get a sense of who he was in my head. I should have really adored him, because he exhibited all the signs of my favorite kind of hero–he was something of a nerd, he was witty and he could be sarcastic. But he fell flat to me, which is a pity because everyone else was drawn so well.

The other thing that got to me was that so much of these people’s lives revolved around high school and getting their revenge on Sugar Beth. Some people really deserved to feel that way–she absolutely was horrible to Winnie–but just because your friend blows you off for some random guy isn’t really a good enough excuse to throw wine on her blouse in my opinion.

Aside from those small quibbles, though, this book had me from first to last page, which is a miracle given the fact that my sinuses are trying to eplode out the sides of my head. Highly recommended.