Customer Reviews

Nothing To Lose

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

 

 

Nothing to Lose is fun to read. The story itself is as old as girl-meets-boy, girl-loses-boy, girl-gets boy, but hey that's a very good story, indeed.
The best part of Nothing to Lose is the direct, straight-forward style. The author is a master of the plain declarative sentence and uses it to great effect. There isn't a single wasted adverb in the book. The pared down language is a powerful tool to get the story across and to make the humor pop.

An added bonus for me is the setting, New York advertising in the '80s. Lots of topical references that really take me back.
Its quick reading and totally entertaining. I found the ending a bit abrupt and I would like to have had another couple of chapters just to savor April's good fortune. Even with that small caveat I highly recommend Nothing to Lose.

April Taylor tries to eat her way out of depression for months after the failure of her marriage. Luis O'Neill is emotionally unavailable to women and overcompensates in his job to make up for his upbringing in the projects. Eventually April and Luis meet.

Yes, this is a romance story about a woman and a man who find each other. But it isn't your typical romance. Author Consuelo Saah Baehr doesn't analyze her characters or let them analyze themselves. Instead, she takes readers deep into these people's lives, shows what has shaped them, what is happening to them now, makes us care about them, and then lets readers do their own analysis. In the poignant scene where Luis asks April about her divorce, and she thinks she reads on his face that Luis will decide she's not desirable because another man dumped her, I found myself thinking, "Don't hurt her. She was so beat up emotionally by the failure of her marriage. Please, Luis, be nice." It was then that I saw how truly clever this author was in getting me to understand these characters and root for them without beating me over the head with an info dump.

The characters are completely fleshed out and, flaws and all, I loved them. The setting--New York and Newark world of advertising--was interesting and the details rang true. Ms. Baehr's dry wit added an extra dimension of humor to the writing, which was superb.

I thought the ending was too quick, but otherwise I really loved this book and will read more from this author. Highly recommended.

Fun easy read, really more about the relation between the characters, loved the dialog. Interesting the way the author let you struggle along side the weight loss with the character. Would recommend.

The only explanation I can find for the lackluster reviews of this charming and skillfully written novel is that it didn't meet the expectations of those who were expecting a bodice ripper. If you're looking for a paint-by-numbers romance, look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a delightfully engaging urban legend, with believable characters in a real life work environment, pull up a chair.

True, the portrait of the main characters is slightly superficial, but what the book lacks in depth, it makes up in wit and orginality.

Loved this book. Very well written. Characters are real.
Funny, thoughtful, honest, entertaining.
Well worth your reading time.
Invites you in to their world and New York.
Insightful reframing of dialogue between characters, hopeful and useful.

Although I liked this short novel, I felt like I was always just on the edge of actually getting to know April, but never quite got there. It moved along at a brisk pace, gave lots of detail on circumstances and time/place, but I didn't feel it truly delved into the soul of who these two people were. In the beginning for both April's and Luis's story, I thought I'd get to know more about them, but as they matured, they kind of shut down emotionally, for the reader. April lost weight. Period. Not much about how it made her feel, how it changed how she thought about everything, just snippets here and there. Example, in one dialogue she was asked, "How do you feel?" and her answer was, "Fine." Am I supposed to take that at face value? Or is this a glimpse into her closed door, an example of how she will never share her true feelings? I just wanted more. I agree with another reviewer that the ending was rather abrupt - I would have liked a little more there. Also, the fact that Luis did not appear to realize she was the same girl from before she lost weight - it was a bit of a disappointment that that aspect wasn't pursued more thoroughly.

There aren't many new books being written that are set in the 80s. At least not one sthat are done so well---from fashion to news headlines. It was in interesting twist on a good story. I found myself wondering how these characters have survived the next 30 years to the present day---from our heroine and her prince to Don and Pierre. I guess that means the author has done a very good job of creating very real characters.

Unlike most "romance" stories this one isn't so much about the journey that our main characters take together but rather is about the journeys that bring them together. Most of the story doesn't have anything to do with their relationship together. There was a lot of backstory in both of their lives to get through before they could meet in a meaningful way. There wasn't a lot of drama and action, but there was a lot of real emotion. I enjoyed the seperate journeys April and Luis were on and would like to read more about their journey together in the future.

Really enjoyable read. The straightforward writing style takes some getting used to, but definitely gets you right in there with the characters. April's story is one in which just about every woman will find something to relate to and you can't help but get caught up in her journey.

I thought this was an okay story, typical woman-seeking-love plus man-disconnected-from-life kind of thing, only with a weight problem and a shaky overcoming-adversity storyline. I felt April's pain, because I've been packing on some pounds due to stress-eating myself, but not at that level.

What was most interesting to me was the writing style. It reminded me of a true crime style novel, minus the crime. It had that journalistic feeling of separation of author from the characters, creating a sort of distance that leaves the reader seeing the character's actions but not the characters themselves. That kind of writing can be done in atypical fashions, but it didn't seem to work in this particular case. Not for me, anyway.

This is my first Kindle purchase. I adore the basic story of a woman trying to lose weight, and how the weight effects her life. I can see myself in the way the main character struggles with food and her relationships. The only part that I wish was that the characters were just a little bit MORE. More dramatic. More emotional. More over the top in the way they handle their daily lives. I guess I spend a lot of time reading other romance books of the "Soap Opera" style. The book was pleasant enough, and the ending was satisfying. Great read if you are on a beach or traveling.