Debut novel Surprise Me! by Nancy Goodman is an entertaining novel that follows main character Genie Burn and her chaotic life. The never-ending struggles that Genie faces are entertaining to say the least … whether it be woeful dating issues, personal fears and holdups, binge/emotional eating, or simple everyday issues- Genie handles each issue with a fresh sense of humor and honesty. It isn’t too often that I find a book that I can relate to when it comes to dieting issues, but for some reason, I found Genie so appealing and real.
Nancy has struck gold with her first novel and I am so delighted that I got to be an early reader of this one. There are so many things that I enjoyed about Surprise Me! … but I think most of all, I really enjoyed Genie’s can-do-attitude. She is faced with dilemma after dilemma and never once failed to amaze me with her witty humor and her honest approach to living a life that she really wanted. I feel that as a reader, I’m often faced with books that deal with these issues in such a depressing, woe-is-me type of approach, and Nancy Goodman does a wonderful job at making you feel at peace with yourself. Overall, a stellar debut! I can’t wait to see what Nancy Goodman comes out with next.
[Rating: 4.5/5]
