The Big 5-OH! [Paperback]

Sandra D. Bricker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2010

Olivia Wallace has a birthday curse . . . or so she thinks. It was a broken heart on her 16^th, a car accident on her 21^st, pneumonia on her 30^th, and a fall down a flight of stairs on her 35^th. There were Ohio blizzards on her 38^th, 39^th, and 40^th; and six days before her 45^th, she lost the love of her life to a heart attack. Numbing grief stole that birthday and a couple more to follow and, on the morning of her 48^th birthday, she received the call she’d dreaded ever since losing her mom so many years ago…she was diagnosed with stage-3 ovarian cancer. The doctors didn’t hold out a lot of hope, but Liv survived and maintained her faith. Months of surgeries and chemotherapy and radiation treatments followed.

 

But now, as her 50^th birthday creeps up the icy Ohio path toward her, her hair has grown back, her energy level is up, and she is officially cancer free. It makes her nervous. After everything she’s gone through, Liv hates the idea of driving on icy roads and returning to work as an O.R. nurse in a local Cincinnati hospital.

Her best friend Hallie knows just the thing to break Liv out of the winter doldrums, while providing a safe haven of warmth, sunshine, and a time to regroup: a holiday in the Florida sunshine!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

For more than a decade, Sandra D. Bricker lived in Los Angeles and, while writing in every spare moment, worked as a personal assistant and publicist to some of daytime television's hottest stars. Since then she has written three novels for middle-grade readers and several romance novels, including unWANTED: Husband, Change of Heart, Sins of the Past, Wish I Weren't Here, Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas and The Big 5-0h!. Visit Sandra on the web at www.sandradbricker.com.  Follow Sandie on her blog at http://sandradbricker.blogspot.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (February 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426702353
• ISBN-13: 978-1426702358
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #998,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"I'm going to be a writer when I grow up!" Sandra D. Bricker declared these words to her father on a Sunday afternoon in Slidell, Louisiana. She was 5 years old, and was referring to being able to string her cursive letters together to write her full name for the first time, but the declaration proved somewhat prophetic.

By the time she reached high school and her first article was published in The Cincinnati Enquirer, Sandie knew writing was what she wanted to do. For more than a decade, Sandie lived in Los Angeles and, while writing in every spare moment, she studied screenwriting and worked as a personal assistant and publicist to some of daytime television's hottest stars. When her mother became ill in Florida, she walked away from that segment of her life and moved cross-country to take on a new role: Caregiver.

"I guess most people would see my career as a publicist as a sort of dream job. But giving it up turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to me!" she declares. "Not only was I given the gift of getting to know my mother as an adult woman before she passed away, but I was also afforded the blessing of being able to re-focus on writing novels in an effort to pursue my dream of a writing career."

That career weaves a web that draws in every age of reader. Sandie's interest in telling a story knows no boundaries. Three novels for middle readers carved out the beginning of the journey; then Avalon Books followed up with two hardbound romance novels in 2001: unWANTED: Husband (romantic comedy) and Change of Heart (romantic suspense). The response was tremendous, and Sandie was asked to pen a sequel to Change of Heart ... and so Sins of the Past was released in December 2003. Next up was another romantic comedy; Wish I Weren't Here was released in February 2005.

"I'm a Christian woman, first and foremost," she says. "So the last couple of years has been a bit of a dream-come-true. Summerside Press chose me as one of two authors to launch their new Love Finds You line in October 2008 with Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas, a romantic comedy for the inspirational market. So the best of all worlds, as far as I'm concerned!"

More hilarity continued to follow from this award-winning author.

Love Finds You in Holiday, Florida (Fall 2009) and Love Finds You in Carmel, California (Fall 2010) for Summerside Press, and The Big 5-OH! (Spring 2010) and Always the Baker, Never the Bride (Fall 2010) for Abingdon Press.

Future books will include sequels, The Big 4-OH! and The Big 3-OH! for Abingdon Press.

After spending nearly 15 years dealing with her celebrity clients' fans, Sandie finds it amusing that she is suddenly the one getting fan mail! "When people were actually buying my books at a recent signing, I found myself wanting to go around and invite them all to dinner or offer to bake them cookies. Hey! In fact ... maybe I'll do that very soon."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Big 5-Oh!, July 24, 2010

By 

Lollipops "lollipops5" (Arkansas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Big 5-OH! (Paperback)

Olivia Wallace is nearing a landmark birthday--the trouble is that all her birthdays have been bad luck. There was the year her boyfriend was caught making out with another girl at Olivia's birthday party, the year her husband died, the year she had a broken leg, and the list could go on.

This year, Liv's best friend decides to help Liv escape the doldrums of the Ohio winter, and sends her down to Florida to house-sit her mother's house. On the flight down, Liv meets handsome passenger, Jared Hunt, and is stunned to discover Jared is her next door neighbor in Florida. But then Jared's twenty-five year old son decides to pursue Liv. Liv is flattered, but not interested in a boy half her age. Nor is she interested in the flirtatious octogenarian chasing her.

Jared Hunt's wife died from cancer several years back, and he has never found another woman who measured up to her until Liv catches his eye. Liv keeps him laughing with her actions, but is there anyway that he can convince her to pull up roots and settle in Florida?

THE BIG 5-OH! is an adorable story that will keep your interest from page one. Liv is a realistic heroine who has a rough road, including a bout with cancer, including radiation and chemo. Cancer survivors will relate, especially with how unattractive Liv feels after having gone through that ordeal.

Add a dog with a lampshade collar, a rogue alligator, and a crazy cast of characters and you have a story that will keep you laughing. Ms. Bricker definitely knows how to write a romance that will have you laughing out loud while cheering the characters on. Don't miss THE BIG 5-OH! Discussion questions are included at the end of the book.

42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love This Author's Sense of Humor!, February 1, 2010

By 

Annette M. Irby - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Big 5-OH! (Paperback)

Ever have a bad day and pick up a novel, hoping for escape? That's what happened with me while I was reading Sandra's book "The Big 5-Oh!" Let's start at the beginning. This is the second Sandra Bricker novel I've read. The first was her fantastic "Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas" (Summerside Press). (Check the archives of Net's Book Notes for my review in 2008: w[...])

Sandra's books are fun. While reading The Big 5-Oh! I recall laughing aloud when I was in no mood to laugh! That's what good fiction does--takes you away from your circumstances and lets you enjoy yourself. She made me enjoy myself even against my will. (Thanks, Sandie!) I appreciated one of her themes--that even tough circumstances can be used by God as He works behind the scenes in our lives.

There is a shortage (in my opinion) of romantic comedies. Sandie's books help fill the void. Readers of any age will enjoy this book.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Humorous book in a Florida setting, April 8, 2010

By 

Rose A. Mccauley (KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Big 5-OH! (Paperback)

Although I passed the "Big 5-0" several years ago, this book touched my heart as I'm sure it will ladies of any age. I also loved the main setting--Captiva, Florida, one of our favorite places to vacation. An added bonus was reading about the various familiar sites and restaurants and the key lime pie! Makes me hungry for a slice just to type it.

Widow Olivia Wallace dreads her upcoming 50th birthday, but not for the usual reasons. She has a string of bad memories associated with birthdays. Her next-door neighbor and her neighbor's mom who lives in Sanibel, work it out for Olivia to dog-sit the mom's beloved Boofer (a character in himself!) while the mom visits her daughter.

While there, Olivia meets two men, a father and son who both seem to fall for her. She doesn't want to imagine what can go wrong on this birthday! Order the book and find out!