Customer Reviews

Move Over Girl

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I read the cover of this book and just laughed and laughed. Finally! I thought. Some good fiction to sink my teeth into. Well, in the end, I had to force myself to complete this novel.

The beginning was very slow and the story line lacked depth and sophistication. There's really nothing to it. At the end when I took a step back to re-examine the messages and insights Peterson had delivered, I discovered that he hadn't really said jack. His book is just a pathetic replay of the same old uninspired "collegiate" African-American characters that contemporary, Black male fiction authors seem to be limited to writing about. Lots of fantasy and very little substance.

The story in Move Over, Girl is so done, I wondered why Peterson would bother to re-write it. I read on Peterson's website that the impetus behind the book was his desire to write a novel that "he" could relate to. Many African-American readers will probably recognize some if not all of the characters and situations in the book and that's good in a sense. What's bad is that those same characters and situations are unimaginative and shallow. The book is more "Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt and burned it. Surely, you have a NEW story to tell! "

Not that I believe that all books have to have some educational value. After all this is fiction. I just think that if a person is going to create a story then the story should be worthwhile. A book should either teach and/or entertain. Peterson does a poor job of both.

I am impressed by the fact that the book was orginally self-published. The author claims he sold out of the first printing and most of the second. That's awesome; however, I wouldn't recommend buying this book. If you want to read it, borrow a copy the library.

Okay...I know everyone's entitled to their opinions, but what's up with the unnecessarily harsh putdowns of "Move Over, Girl?" I enjoyed the book immensely. First of all, are we even reading the same book? (CareerGirl in particular seems like she tried to get a bit, um, personal with her barbs) Personally, I think Peterson can write his behind off--and I read on the average two books per week and don't say that about just anybody.

I first heard the buzz about the book on his site and from the customer reviews. I must admit that I was a bit skeptical, in a "yeah--but how good can it really be?" sort of way. But after reading "Move Over," I had to give it props. As a woman, I appreciated Tony's story--although I didn't agree with everything he did (and thought some of his actions were downright messed-up and doggish), I appreciated the insight into the mind of a young man, and why they sometimes do the stupid things they do when it comes to relationships. I was also feeling the humorous voice in which Peterson wrote--not slapstick, mile-a-minute jokes or anything, but Tony had a lot of wry, funny and sometimes sarcastic insights that kept me chuckling--perhaps because that's the way I often think, myself.

The only reason I gave it four stars and not five is because I would have liked Peterson to have developed the thing between Tony and Kim more. But as far as the main character's flaws and unresolved issues--hey, isn't that how life is, people? I mean, this isn't a half-hour sitcom--perhaps it isn't MEANT for things to be solved by the end of the book. Actually, I would have been turned off if Tony had been all pseudo-righteous and without flaw.

One star? Whatever. For me, tack on three more of those.

I wanted so much not to say something negative about this book, but once I finally got to read it...

Basically this book spent too much time with this guy's introspective babbling. I kept waiting for a plot to take place, but every time you felt the book was going somewhere, once again, Tony goes off on a tangent back into another state of introspection, reminiscing, giving his musings on a certain person or topic... Which would be cool in smaller doses...

I realize this is the author's first book... Next time round, more plot/action, less intropection... Practically 3/4 of the book depicted what was on Tony's mind, 1/4 depicting actions...

Perhaps this *should* have been presented as a "diary"... Or titled "Thoughts" or something like that... We would at least know what to expect, and approach it as such.

As I turned each page or started a new chapter, I kept waiting for the book to get started, and it never did. The whole book was the inner dialogue of a black kid at State University chasing girls, playing ball, and occasionally doing some homework. There was a little interaction with his "crew", and a little dialogue with his various one-night stands and girl friends, but no plot at all.

It was only curiosity that kept me reading until the end. Is that what a black man's life is really like? Do college kids really jump into bed so indiscriminately? On page 79 in one of Tony's inner ramblings he says "Kicking it to some girl out of convenience. That's what I think that brother Ra was doing, 'cause the girl he was talking to wasn't even all that cute." Well, now I've opened up my mind and read some of the modern black literature, and I think I'll just skip it next time and read some real literature that engages your mind and maybe even teaches you something.

First let me begin, great title and book cover, because that is what caught my attention to pick up the book. And seeing that the author was a first timer I thought okay I'll give it a try. Well I read it, but I wont recommend it as a must read, because the author was to wordy and it may have taken him 3-4 pages to tell us the reader someething that could have been said in 1-2 pages. Excatly what was the plot or was there one? Sometimes it was hard to continue reading and it made you want to skip around in the book, which is something I dont care to do. Now I do believe in giving first time authors a second chance so when his next book comes out I will buy it, but it wont be the hardcover. In conclusion let me add that I did enjoy the ending.

I must admit that the book cover to Move Over Girl caught me hook, line and sinker. Never again will I be so easily deceived. As an avid reader I usually purchase 90% of every fiction book written by African American authors. I will have to rethink my strategy. Move Over Girl was poorly written and lacked depth. You never got to know any of the characters other than Tony who was extremely shallow and the other cast members were simply there. It was almost as if the author was only trying to fill up dead space throughout the entire book. I constantly had to re-read chapters to see if perhaps I missed something. It jumped from one place to the other without ever really explaining what was going on and left me wondering, okay, and? What real purpose did it serve? Then I don't think there was a page without profanity. Not that I'm against cursing or anything, since I can hang with the best of them, but at times it simply seemed unnecessary and lacked usage for better words.

At any given time due to my work and travel schedule I can complete a book within 2-3 days. This book took me a little over two weeks to complete, and I kept the receipt just in case I decided to return it.

Well, I didn't return the book, but I must say that I was highly disappointed. The end of the book was almost as baffling as the beginning. There was no real story line or plot to speak of. The book left me with a bitter taste in my mouth and I only wish I had something nicer to say, but I don't. However, I'm all for giving Mr. Peterson a second chance and I hope that the next novel is better. However, next time I plan to purchase the paperback copy!!!

The title of this book had me going, and when I read the inside jacket I just knew that this was going to be a great read. However, this was not the case, I kept waiting for this book to get really good but it never did. This book felt more like reading someone's journal or just their thougths on girls, school, family, friends, sex etc.... Tony did such a good job of telling us what was on his mind to the point where it was just boring. There were hardly any dialogues between any of the characters in this book and there was so much that was left unresolved. We never found out what happened with his brother, his mother and most of all there was no real closure to the relationship that he had with Kim. The book started to get good throughout the last two chapters but by then I was really bored and just wanted the story to end.

I think the author has excellent writing skills but the storyline here was not properly developed and I walked away from this book not really learning anything new and feeling like it was just a waste of time. This book had so many potentials but somehow it never came through.

I wish the author the best of luck and I look forward to his next novel.

It's been a while since I was in college and my experience wasn't the experience of Tony Norris (the main character in the book) but I found the story to be very realistic. My problem with the book, however, is that some of the issues in the book never got resolved and I felt that there wasn't much in the way of plot progression. As far as the unresolved issues, I will point out three of them although there were more than just three unresolved issues. 1) He kept thinking about Kim, the girl he let get away, but he never once tried reconciling with her. 2) He went home, for a few days, to confront his brother to try to help straighten him out but after he went back to college, he didn't even call his brother to find out how he was doing. 3) His relationship with his mother was ignored and the author never even attempted to resolve or confront their differences. Maybe it's just me, but I felt like the book concluded but I was still left with a lot of unanswered questions. With that said, I liked Brian Peterson's writing style and I will definitely give him another try if and when he releases another book.

Brian Peterson has a sharp talent for 'telling it like it is'. He created characters who were well developed and interesting. His portrayal of the leading male Tony, gave the reader a glimpse of one who was struggling to stay true to himself despite examples and pressures from peers, family and life itself. While reading Move Over Girl, I felt like I was absorbed in the mind of a young brother who was coming of age. Tony made decisions that we all have had to at some point in life. His dialogue and emotions were well written and revealed a man who was was thoughtfully facing life instead of hiding behind his fears and inhibitions. After reading Move Over Girl, I reflected on the story's outcome and felt satisfied that Tony's patience and honesty had led him to a happy outcome! I eagerly await Mr. Peterson's next work!

I opened this book with skepticism, expecting another college bad boy memoir. Once I got past the first chapter which was difficult, the real story began. An honest, gripping tale of growth and self reflection. I can't wait to read more from this talented writer.