Customer Reviews

Holy Rollers

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Get ready for a ride! That's what I felt I was on as I read this novel and took the journey with these characters.

ReShonda Tate Billingsley's books just keep getting better and better. I loved her last three novels. The Pastor's Wife, Can I Get a Witness and The Devil is a Lie were all extremely entertaining, but this book was just the best. For this reviewer, I think it was because the novel addressed issues that are near and dear to me -women wasting themselves on no good men and women who have a good man and "can't" and "won't" keep him! Jeez, enough of it already. I picked up a subtle message about loose sex in the story as well. Those who were giving the milk away just got milked.

Holy Rollers is a fresh, original story. Seriously, pro-athlete groupies who restructure their game plan - reminds me of change management class I took in grad school. I loved the character CoCo, felt sorry for that poor pitiful Audra and patiently waited for Nita to ______ , well, I won't give it away. The women were realistic, each one representing some woman I know or have know, or dare I admit, have been. LOL. (In a past life of course.)

It was a fun read. ReShonda was on her game, using her talent for making her readers laugh out loud. Don't pass this by, it's at the top of my list of great summer reads and a book I recommend for women of all ages.

Reviewed by Rhonda McKnight

An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purposes of review.

Audra, Coco, and Nita are on a mission to find a man. Coco has spent years in an abusive relationship and she has finally decided to leave. Nita is known to be on the scene and always with a new man. But she is tired of feeling empty and is ready for something new. Audra is a single mother and needs to find a great man not only for her, but one that can be a father to her son as well. They have all dated plenty of athletes and friends of athletes. These men have dogged them out and left them lonely. They are now looking for a new place to find some good men. When Audra suggests they go to a Baptist ministers convention, everyone was a little skeptical. But if they are looking for good men, this may just be the best place. Will they find what they are looking for?

Billingsley gives it straight with no chasers. Each woman represents someone you know or even yourself. The characters in the church are definitely women that you know. You will laugh out loud and maybe even cry. This is not your typical Christian fiction book. It is definitely not preachy but still serves its purpose with a lesson. I recommend this one for a great summer read.

This book was provided courtesy of the publisher for review purposes.

Donnica Copeland

APOOO BookClub

Sista Talk Book Club

CoCo, Nita, and Audra are the best of friends that all yearn for the love of a good man. CoCo suffers the physical abuse of her boyfriend Sonny, but when he causes her to miscarry her baby, she walks away from him. Single mother Tia is looking for a strong man to be a father figure to her son, Andrew, all the while she's being chastised by her neighbor and babysitter, Ms. Bea. And the cunning Nita is tired of scouting for Mr. Right in the clubs. These three decide to embark on a crusade for their `husbands' in church with the Holy Rollers.

Will these three friends find their `Samson' within the church realm, or will they discover the battle within the sanctuary proves to be as treacherous as the battles in the world? Will the Lord turn their initial plight into something worthy and pleasing in HIS sight, or will Satan continue to encourage them to continue their unholy façade? Will a violent Sonny allow CoCo to walk away, or will he change his abusive ways to win her back? Ms. Bea's words of wisdom are many and with such conviction, can these three headstrong divas prove her wrong?

Reshonda Tate Billingsley pens another exciting read with plausible and cleverly orchestrated scenes. The characters are true to life and make you put a face to each character within the church. I applaud her for exhibiting the behavior of many `church women' and a widespread dilemma with the church and with the members. Holy Rollers was an enjoyable read, had consistent character development, and the dialogue was credible as well as engaging. Great job Ms. Billingsley!

Reviewed by Tazzyt2bossye for Urban Reviews

One of the draws for me with a book by Reshonda Tate Billingsley is the way she is able to take stories centered around faith and the church and allow us to see the "human" side of being saved and in God's Grace. With Holy Rollers she continues to do what she does best: give us stories about imperfect people trying to do right when it isn't easy.

Living right is not always as easy as it seems, especially when surrounded by the very things that are wrong for you. Billingsley's newest characters know what they want, but will they go about getting it the right way or wait for it to be shown to them? In the middle of this premise are the social issues that have become great discussion pieces through fiction that help us all to realize that just because someone looks good to us, doesn't mean they can't be up to no-good.

In the end, I was left both entertained and engaged: another trademark of this author. You're able to read her books of fiction for enjoyment and still leave with a powerful message that you can apply in your own life.

This is one of Conversations Book Club's 25 Summer Reads of 2010. Give it a try, and the reason why will be self-explanatory.

We all know too well about groupies pursuing professional athletes. Now we are introduced to a real and growing trend, groupies trying to catch prominent pastors and ministers. In Reshonda Tate Billingsley's Holy Rollers ,three lifelong friends are facing thirty, without a committed or wholesome relationship with a pro- athlete, and they are no longer able to compete. Tired of failed relationships, they decide to attend a ministers' conference masquerading as "holy and devout" churchgoers with the intention of capturing the heart or desire of a prominent pastor.

This fresh and fast paced story about the encounters of Coca, Nita and Audra with men of the cloth will keep you turning pages to determine whether they will make the right decisions to accomplish their quest. Sweet and humble Coca, short- sighted and needy Audra, and smart, sophisticated bad girl Nita were realistic and represent women you and I know or may have known.

Clothed in humor and wit, that makes you laugh, this original story strategically addresses several real issues for women. Without being preachy, but leaving that to my favorite character the outspoken babysitter, Ms Bea, Holly Rollers addresses such issues as looking for "love" for the wrong reasons and in wrong places and smart good- looking sisters making poor choices in men and in life, due to a lack of self-esteem or due to the "issues" of their past. The prevalent issue of domestic violence is carefully woven in the story.

This is a great story and would be a good book club selection. I would dare to suggest it as teaching tool for a women's ministry as an interesting way to teach about pre-marital sex, selecting mates, self-esteem and righteous conduct.

In the past I have over-looked Billingsley's books. Today, I am going to start reading "Can I Get a Witness?"

Author ReShonda Tate Billingsley gives the reader a daring look at: the good, the bad, and the ugly of church folks in "Holy Rollers." The story centers around three main characters: Nita, Coco, and Audra who come to realize that their previous plan to land rich husbands among Ball players isn't working. They tire of the Club scene and the younger competition. The ladies devise a scheme to snag husbands by pretending to be God fearing "Holy Rollers." Their scheme is quickly discovered and foiled by real "Holy Rollers" who resort to low-down, dirty, drastic, and sometimes comical measures to protect their pastor.

Nita has issues of trust which are exhibited in her relationships with men and result in animosity towards church folks. Her issues cause hilarious interactions with the "church mothers" and disastrous outcomes with men. Coca suffers physical abuse within her relationship, which results in the end to a vicious cycle, but not without horrible consequences. Audra struggles as a single mother to find the right man to replace her son's deadbeat father, and out of desperation she falls for a charming preacher who turns out to be "a wolf in sheep's clothing."

For Nita, her insecurities and actions ruin her chance at true happiness with a "man after God's own heart." She learns a hard lesson about trust and fidelity. Audra finally breaks free from desperation and realizes that she can wait on the Lord. And at the moment Coca gives up on her "finding" a man, she is "found", by the man of her dreams.

The reader applauds the faithfulness of a Godly woman in Audra's life. Admires and respects the devotion to God of a righteous man. Acknowledges the support of a loving man, and is totally floored by the foolishness of the overbearing, overprotected, church mothers. The "Holy Rollers" behavior is spiteful and inexcusable, but their misguided love for their pastor is undeniable.

Those who have spent any amount of time in an African American church with a pastor who is single can identify with the characters of this novel, including the overly zealous and spiteful "Holy Rollers." The author does a wonderful job of weaving together many storylines, illustrating biblical principles, portraying both negative behaviors, and positive outcomes. "Holy Rollers" is an enjoyable read with simple truths about relationships and clear differences between church attendance and spirituality. By the end, we find our main characters on their way to become genuine women of God.

Dianne Rosena Jones

Author, "Tragic Treasures: Discovering Spoils of War in the Midst of Tragedy"

African American Literature Editor @ BellaOnline

The story is about three friends that are tired of no good men. One of the friends comes up with the idea of finding a rich young preacher. The 3 friends attend a conference that is looking for young men that are in the path of becoming pastors. The women each find a man at the function. Are the men sincere in becoming pastors or are they perpertrating just like these women are? The book is great. One of the women becomes engaged to a prominent preacher and she actually falls in love with him but then her past comes back to bite her and she is devastated. One of the friends finds a true and lasting love and the other one finds a man that is a hypocrite to the fullest and then some. I highly recommend this book... Being a first lady ain't easy....

In Holy Rollers, Coco, Nita, and Audra are three friends on a quest to find love in an unlikely place-a ministers conference.

Audra finds the man of her dreams at this conference. When she's faced with financial hardship, he's like her knight in shining armor. All that glitters ain't gold, so Audra must do some soul searching and determine if this is truly the man she's destined to be with.

Coco's friends have been trying to convince her to leave her abusive boyfriend but to no avail. It takes something tragic to happen before she finally decides to move on. With the help of her two friends, Coco's life is finally headed in a positive direction-or so she thinks.

Nita's world, as she knows it, changes when she meets and falls in love with the prominent pastor of a mega-church. When her past meets the present, all hell breaks lose and Nita finds herself faced with a major decision that can change her life forever. Will she do the right thing or revert back to her old ways?

Holy Rollers by ReShonda Tate Billingsley will take readers on a roller coaster ride of emotions and will have you cheering the characters on with hopes that they make the right decision. Holy Rollers is a fast-paced read and will make a good book club selection.

The thing I love about Ms. Billingsley's work is that she doesn't beat you over the head with a Christian message. She speaks honestly about the drama that can occur in SOME churches and does so in a humorous way. I read this in just over a day. Easy to read and entertaining from start to finish.

CoCo, Nita, and Audra are all on the prowl looking for the men of their dreams. The only criteria they require is that he's rich. After deciding that they could no longer compete with the groups when it came to the professional athletes, Audra encourages them to go to a convention where a lot of eligible young ministers would be ripe for the picking.

Holy Rollers is my first book by Mrs Billingsley and I really enjoyed it. Nita is self absorbed and demands to be catered to even if it meant provoking God by trying to coax Marshall, a very rich minister to bed her. Coco found the man that she's been looking for, but will she let her relationship with an abusive ex and her parents diabolical relationship stop her from claiming true happiness with Davis? Audra thought she hit pay dirt when she met Lewis at the minister's convention only to find out that everything is not peachy as she thought it would be. Will she allow her desperation to find a father figure for her child to blind what's really standing in front of her? Then you have the Holy Rollers who are a bunch of rowdy old church ladies that loves to keep their noses poked where they don't belong. Then Ms. Bea another unforgettable old lady filled with wisdom and sass what a combination!

I can't wait to see what else Ms Billingsley have on the shelves. I love books that have a lot of drama and bad stuff going on, but it's refreshing to read books that get the point across without all the extra.