Customer Reviews

Hip to Be Square

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When this book entered my life, I wondered if I, a 42-year-old married mother of two, could relate to the adventures of a single heroine. The answer is a resounding "Yes"! I enjoyed this book immensely. It kept my entertained and guessing about the outcome. Hope Lyda is a clever writer and I appreciated her wit and humor. I can't wait to read whatever she writes next!

I absolutely loved this book. It was often laugh-out-loud funny, deliciously and stylishly clever, and engaging as to the real-life problems of the Older Single Girl. (I was one, so I could relate.) Set in the colorful town of Tucson, with equally colorful characters, three single girls (who also end up in happy circumstances) decide their their wallflower friend needs a makeover. Her accidentally spectacular success makes for a most satisfying read. The only character that needed, for me, more fleshing out was Our Hero, who was too movie-star wonderful to be believed. I'd have liked the initial meeting of the two to be less instantly successful.
But for a Cinderella story, others would say the meeting was perfection.
I hope Ms Lyda continues to write inspiring escapes like this. For us True Believers, this sort of story can never be told too often.

If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.....

....until everything changes.

Hope Lyda has written a hilarious, witty page-turner about
missing it all, having it all, and coping with both.

Surprises abound; the characters are true-to-life and compelling.

Well written, perfectly paced, this is the work of a writer
reaching the peak of her craft.

Five stars -- and funny! :)

Dr. David & Lisa Frisbie
The Center for Marriage & Family Studies
Authors of "The Soul-Mate Marriage" and 10 other books

This is the charming tale of Mari Hamilton, a 29 year old who has not achieved any of the goals that she wanted to accomplish by her 30th birthday. She drives a beat up car. There is no special man in her life. She works in a retirement home rather than at a fashionable spa. She is constantly reminded by her boss and the residents of Golden Horizons that she does not adequately fill the shoes of the former Recreation Director, Beau, whom she replaced five years ago. Even Mari's well-meaning friends constantly try to change her - job, clothes, social life. In a last ditch effort to have a better life, she takes several leaps of faith. Will she land firmly on her feet? Or fall flat on her face?

Hope Lyda has a smooth writing style that immediately draws the reader into Mari's world. She is quick witted and very funny - her chapter titles are adorable. At times, our mental processes were so in sync that she seemed to be writing my own thoughts. This is a completely satisfying romantic comedy debut novel!

This is my first review for anything I have ever bought on Amazon. I thought this was a great book for the female who loves chick lit but who gets tired of the secular materialism in other chick lit. I think Hope Lyda is a great writer, and I can't wait to read her other books!

Hip to Be Square was the first Christian fiction book I've read. I loved it! The characters were real, down to earth. They could be some of my own girlfriends. The book was fast paced, laugh out loud funny in spots and deeply touching in others. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a great chick lit read:)

I honestly loved this book. The characters seemed to be real people rather than just characters in a book. I felt as though I was with friends because although most of the time I loved them, there were times when they annoyed me greatly. In all honesty, one of my favorite things about the book was the titles to each chapter. It was much more fun than the boring "chapter one" thing you see in most books. If you enjoy reading chick lit...give this book a try. You will probably end up enjoying it!

Lyda's "Hip to Be Square" is funny, honest and full of great dialogue. Mari is a reflective, irreverent AND faith-filled character who shares the fears and hopes of many women, not just those about to turn 30! Aided and abetted by a hilarious trio of friends, Mari sets out to make over her less than glamorous life as an activities director at a retirement home and the fun begins...

It was totally fun! The characters have more depth than your average chick lit, and there were all sorts of fun surprises throughout the book, even if you had an idea they were coming. Lyda creates a totally loveable character, a perfct prince, and a page turning novel that left me with a huge smile on my face. I actually jumped with joy at the last chapter! Awesome find!

Going by the other reviews I am obviously in the minority with this one.

Maybe I was not the target demographic but in all honesty I made it about half way through the book and then my roommate asked to borrow it when she went on holiday. The fact that I let her borrow it when I was halfway through it shows how little I cared about the characters, the plot or was inspired to find out what had happened to either of them. And I've never bothered to get it back.

My roommate who did persevere to the end recommended one and a half stars. I'm giving it two in the hope that the second half that I didn't read is superior to the first.

If you're new to Christian chick lit then go for the Spa Girls series by Kristin Billerbeck or the Phoebe Grant series by Laura Jensen Walker.