Hey, Good Looking: A Novel [Hardcover]

Fern Michaels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2006

With lively prose, unforgettable characters, and a touch of mischievous wit, Fern Michaels creates vivid reading experiences in all of her acclaimed USA Today and New York Times bestselling novels. Now, she inspires and entertains with a touching tale of the transforming power of love -- and a woman whose broken heart finds more room for the simple pleasures of family and home, and for discovering true love in the last place she expected.

Darby Lane and Russell Gunn had been inseparable friends from their early years in the Horseshoe, their wonderful Baton Rouge neighborhood of Southern comforts and childhood fancies, all the way through to graduate-school dreams and beyond. Then the unthinkable happens: a tragic accident takes Russ's life, and Darby's world is shattered. Returning to the Horseshoe in utter despair, Darby clings to the only family she's ever known: the three wily and colorful aunts who raised her.

Her long journey to healing takes hold as Darby begins to see Russ's brother Ben through new eyes. Suddenly love blooms in the place of grief, and now, with the help of her aunts, Darby faces the challenge of reuniting Ben with his estranged father -- if they can get through the conniving schemes of Ben's social climber stepmother. Calling on the same tender care and patience with which she builds custom dollhouses, Darby begins to create a new life out of her loss -- and comes to understand that love truly can conquer anything.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Michaels (Pretty Woman) turns out a fun, page-turning tale of familial feud and forgiveness in Louisiana. A funeral leads to a reunion that is anything but unifying, as characters struggle to resolve old injuries; a father trapped in his own house by a second wife must earn the trust of Ben, the son whom he neglected, while Ben's lover, Darby, and three aunts (Dodo, Diddy, and Ducky) team up to mend family ties.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Once again, productive and imaginative Michaels creates a heartwarming saga. Set in Baton Rouge, this tale revolves around two families, the Lanes and the Gunns. Close friends and neighbors for years, their shared lives are remarkably happy until Myrna Gunn dies and Marcus remarries. Bella, his new wife, can only be described as an evil stepmother, and the two families divide. But Darby Lane and Russ Gunn remain the best of friends. Russ even makes Darby the executrix of his will after they graduate from college. Ten years later Russ dies, and Darby isn't able to stop Russ' stepmother from going against his wishes. When Darby and Russ' brother, Ben, join forces to forestall Bella's continued machinations, they fall in love. But Darby's three maiden aunts--Dodo, Ducky, and Diddy--steal the show as they plot a caper to rescue Ben's father from Bella's clutches. In the process, they heal the breach between the Gunns and the Lanes, and prove the adage that you're never too old to satisfy your heart's desire. Michaels' talent for crafting quirky characters and gratifying narratives makes every page shine. Maria Hatton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (April 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739465635
• ISBN-13: 978-0743477420
• ASIN: 0743477421
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,682,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Fern Michaels is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Fool Me Once, Sweet Revenge, The Nosy Neighbor, Pretty Woman, and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over seventy million copies of her books in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Faithful reader no more, January 16, 2007

By 

Avid Reader (New Orleans, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hey, Good Looking: A Novel (Hardcover)

Does anyone bother to edit for Ms. Michaels anymore? From the very first paragraph the book begins to disappoint. ("A torrential torrent"? Really?) Anyway- the characters were half developed, the plot line skimpy, the dialogue trite, and the spelling errors abundant. It reads as is Fern Michaels is trying to be Janet Evanovich and cannot pull it off. She's just not funny. I have been reading Michaels for years and stayed loyal even through the downward spiral of her writing in the "revenge" series, but I have lost all faith in her now. I doubt I will bother to read her books again.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Torrential torrents and other nonsense, August 14, 2006

By 

DET (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hey, Good Looking: A Novel (Hardcover)

The first line in the book talks about rain as a torrential torrent. It gets worse. But who am I to say? I quit on page 39, shortly after the black belt 72 year aunt old scares the traumatized dog into the bath by putting on a ninja mask and jumping into the kitchen screeching, "Eyowwww." Beyond awful.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Friendship, Family, and Love, June 8, 2006

By 

N. Larrabee (Tarrytown, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hey, Good Looking: A Novel (Hardcover)

Darby comes home to bury her steadfast best friend since childhood, Russell Gunn. Ten years ago, she was overwhelmed that he made her the executrix of his will. He had made up his mind for personal reasons that he did not want to donate any organs in the event of his death. Darby had been away in Scotland when Russ died. She is devastated to learn that his stepmother Bella had signed papers to donate his organs. Darby's quirky aunts, Dodo, Diddy, Ducky Lane were surrogate mothers to Darby and the Gunn children growing up. It becomes their mission to stop Bella Gunn from trying to irrevocably change their neighborhood. The dialogue and narrative at times was uneven; but the main characters kept things interesting. By and large a very good romantic read.