Customer Reviews

A Little Help from Above

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

 

 

I enjoyed this book more than I have any other in quite some time! The author is extremely talented and very funny! I could not put it down, but as I got close to finishing, I didn't want it to end. I loved the characters as well as the storylines. For any reviewer who "didn't get it", I have to believe that you are lacking in the sense of humor category! Some of you sound like Shelby, the one who supposedly offended you so much! Get a grip, Guys; it's a NOVEL! For those of you who are open-minded and can appreciate a great story that is well-written and quite witty, GET IT AND EBJOY IT! I sure did!

Though I'd read the reviews that warned that the main character, Shelby, was an unlikable shrew, I wasn't scared off. When handled right, an unsympathetic main character can be great fun. That is not the case here. It's hard when you're rooting against the main character.

There wasn't a soul to like in this book. Shelby's portrayed as an appearance-obsessed, impatient and somewhat hateful self-centered witch and yet we're supposed to be cheering her on. Her sister Lauren is almost as selfish as Shelby herself. Minor characters are marched in and out only when it's conveneient for moving the plot along. And there are inconsistencies in the plot that ask too much of even an accepting reader. This book needed some help from a red pen.

The device of the mother's intervention from above--a fun premise--was not used to great effect, the coincidences pulled me right out of the story, and my happiness when it was over was not for its fake-feeling ending, but for finally being able to toss the book.

Very witty and cleverly crafted, this is a gallant first effort by the author! It's a story of a long journey on the path of reconciliation, which takes many zany (and sometimes silly) twists and turns. The reflections of the long-dead Sandy, who is trying to manipulate her family's outcome from above, is somewhat reminscent of Debbie Macomber's angels series (I make this comparison as a complement to the author). As a Long Islander, I appreciated accurate representation of this area contained in the setting and in the references to actual real-life places scattered throughout. While there were parts that were a bit unrealistic, such as the chance meeting on the Hutchinson Parkway, the surrogate storyline, and the astrology bits, all-in-all, this was a highly enjoyable story that was lots of fun to read!

Assuming you've already read the book description, I won't rehash the plot, as it would just make me dizzy. So many things going on, so many coincidences, so many unlikable characters. Still, I kept reading, knowing that the author was going to have somehow make these people redeem themselves. And they do, sort of. By the end of the book everyone was happy. That is, everyone except for me.

When I picked the book up, it was just for light reading. The description was cute. But the angry, vindictive main character turned me off right from the beginning. There were many times I wondered how the editor, let alone the author, could read this book and think it plausible enough to be published. Talk about twisting a plot. This book was much too contrived to be believed.

If shallowness could speak, this book would roar. Family dysfunction, selfishness, and intimate secrets have their literary places, but this book misses the boat. Full of preposterous coinicidences, underdeveloped characterers, and a foul-mouthed rather hopeless heroine, I would say a light beach read, but no more. The "lessons on life" were too trite to carry much weight. If looking for a view from heaven, check out Lovely Bones, but this one is very skippable.

Well the book itself is more or less readable. The "mom intervening from above" idea is sort of interesting but doesn't quite work out. Just like the one-too-many coincidences in the story. Actually the story is the maine thing in this book that literally DISTURBS me.
I, just like some other of the reviewers picked this book up because i thought that it might be a relaxing light read. Boy, was i wrong.. I don't think i have ever been this angry at the contents of a book, even while reading Hitler's "Mein Kampf. There is so much unfairness in the whole story. Most of the reviewers think that the main problem of the novel is Shelby and her attitude but i thoroughly disagree. So alright, she is selfish and conceited but she is a smart and accomplished woman! And why is the fact that she chose not to have children considered a sin against mankind and the ultimate act of selfishness?! What ever happened to democracy and the concept of a thing called choice? Nobody seems to take into consideration that her childhood was a mess, she lost her mother when she was ten, her father banished all material evidence of her ever existing and forbade the girl to mourn. Not to mention the fact that he was sleeping with his dying wife's sister while she lay in hospital. And almost immediately after her leaving this world, he goes off and merries his daughters' aunt who (by total coincidence, of course) is pregnant from him! Shelby has every right to be angry with him! But in the book, everything that the other characters do and say is directed against her, no one even contemplates the idea that maybe she has a good reason for her attitude. Which i think she does.
And the character of her sister Lauren. She is even more egoistical than Shelby herself, not to mention that she is about as mentally stable as Jell-O. Of course, the fact that she can't have children makes her extremely unfortunate but she has absolutely no right whatsoever to ask her sister to be a surrogate mother! Well, alright, she does have a right to ask, but not a right to MAKE her do it! Shelby was against the idea right from the start and Lauren should have accepted that! But no! The little brat of a sister brings on the mental black-mail! And when Shelby still refuses to carry a child for Lauren, once again, everyone starts treating her like the witch of the century! Sisterly love or no sisterly love a woman has a right to chose not to have children! Besides, Lauren pruposed not to use her own eggs but Shelby's which means that, basically, Shelby would just have to give away her own child. To make the picture chrystal clear- Shelby has to get pregnant from Lauren's sexually harassing stallion of a husband whom she can't stand, ignore her own life for about a year and then give Lauren her FIRSTBORN! First of all, that is too much to as of a woman and second of all it is beyond unfair not to aknowledge her right to refuse.
I haven't yet finished reading the book but i just can't wait till i do. it will be a nice change to read something that is not utterly against human rights.

This is an awesome book, by a very talented first-time author. LOVED IT, LOVED IT. The premise: that a mother's work is never done, even from the "other side". In this case, Shelby Lazarus lost her mom 30 years ago, and unbeknownst to Shelby, her mom has been "assisting her" and pulling some supernatural strings from above. SaraLee Rosenberg has such a way with words, it is delightful to read her witty first creation. Her character development is wonderful. Furthermore, she deals with many timely issues, such as DES, surrogate pregnancy, family squables, sister competition, destiny, karma and astrology. A must read for every female on the planet, regardless of age or status. So enjoyable and thought provoking. Thank you to this talanted authoress. Looking forward to reading her two latest books. And to you Ms. Rosenberg, please keep writing a book a year, so I can savor every word! Perhaps a sequel to this entitled "A Little MORE Help from Above"?
A sincere fan,
Arlene Millman
author of "Boomerang - A Miracle Trilogy"

One Word...WOW!.. I absolutly adored this book.. The twists and turns kept me up half the night not being able to put it down. I have officially read this book about twelve times. Sad? no, not really. Read this book and you will completely understand. I have even gotten my girlfriends to read it and now they are hooked too! For a first book, Miss Rosenberg deserves a HUGE standing ovation. I would suggest this book to any female, young or old (although not under like 15)..it is a great, easy, enjoyable read that constantly throws you off. You fall in love with all the characters (even Shelby, the not so friendly one!) You get a sense of why she is the way she is. You can see how she is still grieving from the loss of her mother, and the resentment she has for her "new mom"..a.k.a her aunt. Shelby learns a lot from her coming to terms with her problems, and really shows how a pretty bad situation can tern into a blessing from God....or was it because she had a Little Help From Above?

I have to agree with several of the previous reviews that stated that this was just like a soap opera. The first 50-100 pages were tedious to read, but it amuses me that the author even takes the time to make a comment about how the novel drones on for 73 pages about our heroine. The story was predictable, the coincidences were too much, and how many times did he "need to push her bangs back from her face." We got it, really. It almost appears that the author ran out of things to say to perpetuate the novel to the end so she needed to regurgitate the same lines and descriptions over and over again. The aspect that irritated me the most about the novel was the way that Shelby was portrayed as selfish, yet Lauren was the one with selfish motives all along and came out smelling like roses.

I'm not even done yet and I cannot wait to find out what happens - you just know Shelby is going to find a heart. I recommend it. I LOVE the way she writes.