Debbie's Spurts

This reader's personal opinion, ©2012, all rights reserved.* 

Uh...this one was so bad I even permanently deleted off the kindle library so no one else on my kindle account has to suffer through.  Plot synopsis attracted me to download sample and was rather funny with an engaging character.  Book cover reinforced that this was going to be such a fun girlfriend-y book.  Didn't hold up for rest of book.  Sounded like would be a funny read with quirky characters, boy was I wrong.

Cover of book misleading (for starters, this chick does not have girlfriends). The real plot synopsis -- a main character who is a doormat, irresponsible, in with a bad circle of friends (including drug dealer who crashes self and posse into her apartment rent free and uses it to deal their drugs), lets everyone catch her up in everything (peer pressure a la a bad aferschool special), ... about the only thing she did that got my sympathy/interest after the layoff I read in the downloaded sample was pull away just in time (like on the way into her apartment with his hands on her privates) from re-sleeping with horrid ex-boyfriend that harassed her at work and got her fired.

Whine all the way, lotta self pity, no gumption, things she did do she was going along with everyone else...eventaully stuck crashing back home then voíla new job, new boyfriend, new place, new reformed outlook so cutting monthly bills even stuff like cable in a not very believable character overhaul.

All that said, not that original and quite whiney (and really don't think that randomly tossing in some letters from creditors and potential employees that sound like came straight off the chick-lit-altarpiece Confessions of a Shopaholic added to the appeal and certainly not to the orginality—other that in some of them, apparently she even offered indentured servitude and sexual favors as a way to pay off debts or get a job. Okay, I guess it was a point in the book's favor that none of the potential employers or creditors took her up on the offer so we didn't have to suffer through that plot device...ugh...barf...blech...really enjoyed deleting this one.)

All that said, I did finish (seriously for some reason I kept thinking the train wreck was going to get better).  So I guess my loathing is more for the actual story and the utterly worthless characters than problems (other than endless whining and the fact I did not enjoy) with the writing itself.  I'm sure I bought as a reasonably priced kindle edition, but as I'm posting this the amazon price is showing as an unbelievable $20.99—so maybe I missed something.  But after running around with these characters (the fake-y character redemption ending notwithstanding), I felt I needed to take a shower and balance my checkbook or do some other grownup task.

*©2012. All rights reserved except permission is granted to author or publisher to reprint/quote in whole or in part. Copyrightholder posted on booklikes, BookRabbit, The Reading Room and may have cross-posted to other book sites. Posting on any site does not grant that site permission to share with any third parties.

Ratings scale used in absence of a booklikes suggested rating scale:

★★★★★ = All Time Favorite 
★★★★½ = Extraordinary Book. Really Loved It.
★★★★☆ = Loved It.
★★★½☆ = Really Liked.
★★★☆☆ = Liked.
★★½☆☆ = Liked parts; parts only okay. Would read more by author.
★★☆☆☆ = Meh. Okay. 
★½☆☆☆ = Disliked but kept me reading in hopes would get better.
★☆☆☆☆ = Loathed It. Possibly DNF and a torturous read.
½☆☆☆☆ = So vile was a DNF or should have been. An "uploaded" word spew or collection that should not be dignified by calling itself a "published book." Author should take remedial classes for language written in until basic concepts like using sentences sink in. Is author even old enough to sign a publishing contract or do they need a legal guardian to sign for them? Cannot imagine anyone liking.