Customer Reviews

Bubbles All The Way

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I'd grown a bit tired of this series, so all through the book I was excited because I felt this was the best one in awhile. However, the ending flushed all my goodwill right down the toilet.

Talk about coming out of left field. Not only that, but it was stupid -- and completely changes the whole vein of the series and the characters. I'm shocked the author would even think of going in this direction and risk losing so much of her audience.

So long, Bubbles...it was good knowing you.

After faithfully reading and truly enjoying all the other Bubbles books in the last few years, all of a sudden, I feel like I've been fooled! All the build-up to what we know and love about Bubbles is drastically wiped out and changed in the space of the last two pages???

I have to say that I had a hard time getting into this one and found myself skimming to get through. It is still funny, but I was not intrigued by the mystery and the whole relationship mess with Stiletto and Dan made me gag. We all know that Bubbles is very smart and savvy under the bimbo exterior, so why all of a sudden is she acting like one?

The ending is beyond frustrating, taking all my investment in Bubbles and tossing it aside. What does this mean for Bubbles and Stiletto? Who is he, really? How can she maintain her underdog appeal now that she is one no longer? Obviously, these are questions yet to be answered in the next installment, but I don't know if I care anymore.

I came to this series late and read the previous books back-to-back. It's almost as if, somewhere along the line, the author lost respect for her readers to so dramatically shift the storyline like this. Maybe another mystery to be solved as well?

WARNING: SPOILERS.
WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED TO SARAH STROHMEYER? I began this series last week. Actually I had read the first book over and year ago, so I re-read it and then the following fist this past week. When i finished "Bubbles all the way" I was pissed!!! This was one of the best series I have read (I usually read a book a day) So, I've read LOTS. It was becomming my favorite, even better than Stephanie Plum. Until the last 7 pages of this book. The author went and murdered the whole series in the last seven pages after writing this series for 6 years. I mean, what kind of brain-fart did this author have? The last pages of this book were the most ridiculous I have ever read in a non-childrens book. which is pretty much what the last few pages could have been. A 4-5 year old little girl wishes come true, I'm a princess book. I mean, what about the 6 months (time frame of the books) with Bubbles and Stilletto? Did he love her? Was it all just an undercover INTERPOL thing and her really never cared about Bubbles. Was stilletto even a photographer? What about the awards and things he had won?(mentioned in previous book)? What about his contract with AP when he couldn't even give Bubbles the pictures in the coal mine case? But yet in the last 2 pages he says he isn't a photographer? What about the pictures he took in book 1 of her jumping off the bridge and the dead guy in the park? How did DAN THE MAN know about this (god-awful) idiotic ending before Bubbles did? Was Stilletto and Mr. Salvo really child hood friends? And Stilletto being Henry Mertzer's step-son but someone only undercover the last 6 months for interpol but so tied to that town. I mean the WHOLE SERIES MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE AFTER YOU READ THE LAST FEW PAGES OF "BUBBLES ALL THE WAY". What happens to Jane & G? Does Jane get to go the Princeton? Does Bubbles ever get the write journalism again? Why was the canned from NEWS TIMES. There were so many unanswered questions in the book, I'm still so pissed off I wasted this past week of life reading this series. 24 hours after reading the last page of BUBBLES ALL THE WAY, I'm still pissed. I PRAY Sarah Strohmeyer has sense enough (a stretch, I know after that last chapter) to write another book in this sereis and hopefully save what could have been the BEST & beyond Janet Evanovich.

Wow--Was I surprised to see the other ratings of this book--there are enough stars to light the night sky. For me, this is the last bit of Bubbles that will slip through my hands. Oddly enough, until the last 1/3 of the book, I thought that this was the best Bubbles mystery yet. But, the ridiculous, contrived, unsubstantiated conclusion was enough to send me running to the beauty shop for a huge supply of clarifier just to wash the Bubbles right out of my mind.

I have to say that I read other reviews before I bought the book, but I liked the other Bubbles books enough to warrant purchasing this one. I actually thought this was the best mystery part and storyline of all the bubbles books; and I was up until after midnight trying to finish it. That's the good news. Here's the bad news: the last chapter, after you find out who is guilty of the main story's murder, is completely contrived, odd and left me questioning how could we not have known something about this earlier in the series. I'm a sucker for a series, so I'll end up buying the next book, but I have to say you could finish the book before the final chapter and be satisfied. I think it was a weird direction for the author to go - but who knows, maybe Bubbles is just dreaming all of the last chapter after being shot and the next book will clear that up...I certainly hope so!!

Wow, like most other reviewers I was stunned by the silly twist of the ending. I loved the series and still had enough giggles out of this book to rate it as okay- but be prepared for the ridiculous ending which messes up the whole series . About the only way to recover from this one is to have Bubbles awaken from a coma caused by her encounter with a bad guy and find it was her feverished imagination. I mean, why did Strohmeyer bother to do this? Nothing else can follow this novel and it cheapens everything before. BUT it IS a Bubbles novel with some of the same charm and humor but I don't think I will ever bother re-reading or buying any of these again. In fact, take the book out of the library and save your money- unless you'd like the satisfaction of ripping the pages out and burning them.

Well, Ms. Strohmeyer, you've sealed your own fate for future book purchases from me. After reading all of the Bubbles books and falling a little bit in love with the characters Bubbles and Steve, you've managed to make fools of us all. I feel that every penny ever spent on your books was wasted; the previous stories that I enjoyed at the time, I now look back on and feel like a fool. You obviously have no care for who your readers are, and probably sleep like a baby knowing your devoted readers spend their hard earned money - and books aren't cheap - on your books, only to be left feeling completely blindsided, disappointed and utterly turned off. I'd rather buy a hundred JD Robb (Eve & Roarke) or Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum) books than spend a single penny on another line you may choose to write. In fact, I'm a HUGE believer in recycling books, giving them to libraries, etc., but I won't do to some other unsuspecting reader what you have done to us, thus I will throw all of the Bubbles books in the trash, where they belong. It's truly a shame, because there is no rhyme or reason why you would have chosen to do what you did - other than out of a sense of meanspiritedness. Like I said, you should have gotten to know your readers a bit better before ending your book (and from what I understand, the series) that way.

BUBBLES ALL THE WAY by Sarah Strohmeyer
December 23, 2006

Amazon Rating: 4/5 stars


For "Bubbles" fans, here's the latest in the series about the hairdresser turned reporter. In BUBBLES ALL THE WAY, Bubbles Yablonsky is at The House of Beauty hair salon (owned by her best friend Sandy) when she witnesses frequent customer Debbie Shatsky die before her eyes. It is thought that she was "poisoned" by a substance put in her glue for her hair extensions that Debbie was deathly allergic to. Now, Sandy is under the microscope and is considered as a possible suspect.

The bulk of the story has Bubbles trying to find clues that will help her solve the mystery of Debbie's death, a woman who was not very popular, a woman who was constantly bragging about her perfect husband Phil.

Stilleto is still in the picture, waiting in the wings as Bubbles deals with her upcoming nuptials to her ex-husband Dan. Only Bubbles could get into trouble like this, but she's decided she's doing the right thing for her emotionally scarred daughter, even though she hates Dan and loves Stilleto with all her heart.

A fun novel as all the BUBBLES books have been. I had a problem with the over the top ending, but otherwise the book was very enjoyable and I wouldn't mind reading another book in the series.

The entire book stretched any point of credibility but with Bubbles, that is natural, even with Santa shooting at her and people going bonkers over prescription records. However, Chapter 39 stretched any credibility to the breaking point. I can only hope that chapter was pure hallucination on Bubbles' part--maybe the stress of getting fired, breaking off her marriage to Fatso and finding herself again in the arms of True Love made her drift off into a world of fantasy. Sarah Strohmeyer is an excellent writer and her Bubbles character, until now, has been likeable, if somewhat trashy. I might read another one of the Bubbles series to see how Strohmeyer digs herself out of this one. I found the ending incredibly disappointing.

This has been an enjoyable series, especially for a resident of the Lehigh Valley, where it is set. Of late I had felt that the situations were becoming a little strained, and wanted the situation with Bubbles and Stiletto to stabilize. Also, Jane and the mother were becoming a little one dimensional. This installment, however, was rolling along merrily enough until the end, at which point I was rather shocked. It reminded me of the series finale to "Newhart."