Gail Donohoe Storey has done a perfect job of describing the life of a yankee transplanted into the heart of Texas. Her eye for detail about the unique Texas class distinctions is dead-on. Any Texan, former Texan or wanna-be-Texan will love the description of the debutante ball. And any book that includes a scene about Chuy's margaritas is going to get five stars from me. Obviously, the setting was my favorite part of this charming story of love and family. By and large the characters were well-drawn, and the plot was entertaining. The title has nothing to do with the book - just a cutesy phrase unwisely appended to an otherwise entertaining read.

With sharp eyes, ears and pen, Gail Donahue Storey has captured the essence of personal relationshipsin the 90s and even better, the weirdnesses of Texas social scenes, old and new. This is a very witty, satirical book, a glorious romp I read non-stop. Can't wait for the next one!

Gail Storey's Colleen Sweeney is on another tirp in the cultural wilds of Houston and Ft. Worhth. Her off-the-wall incisive observations on the very essence of human feelings and instincts tempered with her original and very funny voice and style make for a book you do not want to miss.

I liked the other reviews of this book, and it's generally hard to disagree with them. However, the character of Web Desiderio was less than fully developed, and it makes the narrator's conflict less believable. Colleen's main conflict is that she is kept "off-balance" by her mixed feelings for Web. She's drawn to him, but he hurts her and makes her feel worthless. It's clear why he's a toxic person for her, but what is the reason for her attraction? She mentions his physical attractiveness, but only in passing, as if that's not that important to her. There is a scene where he discusses his dead mother, and it seems that Colleen feels for him, but it fails to render him adorable. When about to make a critical error in judgement, Colleen simply defends the enormous mistake by saying it's to "have the experience." I feel like her mind conveniently shut down, and it did not feel like the author had built up Web's powers of persuasion effectively. Further more, Colleen's relationship with the doctor develops unrealistically quickly and feels a bit false. On the whole, the book is enjoyable, and at times Colleen is remarkably insightful. Also, I chose this book because I may have to relocate to Houston. The author's depiction of Houston is very helpful.

There are a couple of reasons I'm probably somewhat biased towards this book. From what I recall, the author is a professor at the University of Houston, my alma mater. Second? As a young twenty-something woman, I lived in an apartment complex near the Montrose area of Houston, populated with the same sorts of curious characters who live in The Lord's Motel. When I finished this book I was struck with the sense of, "This could have been written about me!" Similarities aside, that to me represents the mark of a great read.
Colleen is the Texas girls' Bridget Jones, constantly debating involvement with a man who is scum, seeking to improve herself all the while combating fierce insecurity and some self-loathing. What makes Colleen even more endearing as a character is her want to handle herself well in any situation- whether it's professional improvement through her creation of a book delivery program, or trying to be patient while a wonderful man heals his heart. She isn't whiny, she isn't stupid and she doesn't wander through life interested only in herself. Definitely an easy read for an afternoon by the pool or those days where you want to leap from the top of your office building.

"Is it better to have fun with a kinky man or to be gloomy with a good one?" So begins Gail Donohue Storey's smart, witty and sometimes sensual tale of one woman's search for love and personal growth. The story is narrated by the engaging and endearing Colleen, the principal protagonist, who functions in a chronic state of analytical overload. Indeed, her search for answers is continually impeded by her propensity to keep manufacturing more questions. Colleen is a librarian; bright, thoughtful, and kind. But her self-created world of palpable excess and her personal baggage take their toll in her decision-making processes. The result is a story that grabs the reader from the first sentence and never lets him or her go. The characters are brilliantly created and unforgettable. Perhaps most compelling, though, is Storey's gift for turning a clever phrase in describing Colleen's existential angst. It makes the dialogue some of the most entertaining that I have ever seen in a novel. Casual readers will love the story; voracious ones will marvel at the artfulness of the text; and writers, such as I, will just wish that they could write like Gail Donohue Storey. This book is a winner. It's "Sex in the City" with an actual point.