Customer Reviews

Playing the Hand You're Dealt

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
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Although I was not convinced I would enjoy Playing the Hand You're Dealt after reading a synopsis of the book (as the underlying "creep-out" factor that surrounded a young woman falling in love with her best friend's father had the potential to overshadow the sub-plots), Trice Hickman's third novel, Playing the Hand You're Dealt, proved to be both a great summer read and the ultimate page turner!

Without giving away any of the story, this is a definite book club must read! Set in Washington, DC, this newest work of fiction from Trice Hickman is so much more than the tale of a torrid affair; rather, I would argue that any of the other sub-plots (i.e., mother-daughter relationships, African American's attitudes toward gays/lesbians, perceived social status, and perceptions of beauty in the African American community) all had enough substance to stand on their own as separate storylines and therefore, were just as central to the development of the characters as the primary storyline.

I do, however, suggest (although not absolutely necessary) that if you have not already read Unexpected Interruptions and Keeping Secrets and Telling Lies, that you do so before reading this work (as the characters from the other two novels, in a writing style similar to E. Lynn Harris', are intertwined into this storyline and much of the back-story is key to truly understanding the actions and overall development of the characters in this work).

I would have given the book five stars if the nice, neat "fairly tale" didn't seem so contrived.

I am looking forward to reading the next book by Trice Hickman; her works of fiction continue to give a voice to the middle/upper-middle class African American, a voice that will always struggle to be heard in the "land" of street/urban literature that is currently saturating the market.

PLAYING THE HAND YOU'RE DEALT pulls the reader into the close-knit friendship of Emily and Samantha. As close to being sisters as they could possibly be without sharing the same blood, their friendship takes some unexpected twists that test the bond they built over many years. Samantha struggles to find herself and her place in life. Her self-reflection proves to be both painful and frustrating. Will she ever find real happiness?

Emily is forced to come to grips with some forbidden feelings she has held onto for many years. Will she finally give in to her emotions? Will she lose a cherished friendship in the process?

This tale shows how friendship of the tried-and-true nature can endure the roughest of storms. It reveals the stuff that genuine sisterhood is made of. Trice Hickman has once again written a page-turner, which has the reader rooting for some of the characters, while despising others. It will be great to see a sequel to his work.

Reviewed by Marcia Brevard Wynn
for The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

Is just one way to describe this book. The writing style is confident with hardly any missteps.
This is the story of Emily & Edward (thank you for giving the protagonists simple and in my view, elegant names!), Ed is Emily's best friend - Samantha's - father. This is about their enduring love spanning years, kept secret from all including each other to protect their loved ones. Not so hard a task as long as they live in different states...until Emily suffers the loss of her beloved mother and last living relative and moves temprarily into Ed's turf...and home. The home in which his wife and grandchild reside. Now all bets are off as they try hard & ultimately fail to suppress their feelings amidst a background of family dysfunction & drama which though seemingly endless is never OTT. Let's not forget Ed's harridan of a wife, Brenda who will not go quietly. Brenda is a scheming, damaged woman more interested in keeping up appearances than keeping her family together. The author's skill at drawing the persona of Brenda- a figure of dislike, hilarity yet pity- is superb. In my experience, too many authors would have overplayed their hands, desperate to portray a deeply unsympathetic character & remove any hint of sympathy one might feel towards the wronged wife but Ms Hickman rose to the task unflinchingly; never sugarcoating the unpleasant reality of Emily's affair with a married man and the potential havoc this could wreak on his wife no matter how problematic she might be. We end up rooting for Emily simply because she is wonderfully written as a loving, truly decent person who is all too human and does painfully pay a price for her affair with Ed.
Running parallel with the Ed and Emily saga is the mixed-up, crazy world of Ed's daughter Samantha, her son CJ, thug of a baby-daddy Carl and an assortment of men including a never to be forgotten ex- boyfriend, Tyler who stands by her when things really start to unravel. Namely, a hilarious, brilliant scene involving a society garden party, a drugged out Carl spoiling for a showdown, an even funnier 'ready to beat him down' Samantha, the police and a near-hysterical Brenda devastated by the social ramifications of a less than perfect society party!
Throughout the book we are given each characters narrative, allowing us insight into their thoughts and feelings. This is a skill which is hard to pull off and I for one enjoyed reading each characters perspective; reminding me how easily we can (especially in real-life) misconstrue others words or actions.
We did get our fairytale (sort of) ending but not tied up in a neat little package- hearts needed to mend and wounds heal from all the pain inflicted but in the end they all lived happily ever after... hey it's a fictional story afterall; albeit one which is mature and beautifully written. This is one of the few books I would willingly award more than 5 stars, had this been an option.

Emily Snow and Samantha Baldwin are best friends that are as close as sisters. Emily has always been a "play by the rules" type of girl while Samantha is the exact opposite. When Samantha convinces Emily to move to Washington, D.C., Samantha couldn't be more happier. Emily should be just as excited, but this move is causing her to face the man that's she's been in love with for years...Samantha's father, Ed. When Emily acts on these feelings, what will be the outcome and is she prepared for it?

Playing the Hand You're Dealt is a though-provoking novel by Trice Hickman. Hickman shows us the complexity of loving someone that your heart truly desires and the hard decisions that may come with it. You really feel for Emily as she tries to deal with her feelings for Ed and how this may affect her friendship with Samantha. This story shows how one decision can test even the strongest of friendships and the power of forgiveness. Hickman does a wonderful job of showing realistic emotions and actions with these characters. Fans of Hickman's previous novels will recognize a few characters in this one, but this is a stand alone book and not part of a series. Playing the Hand You're Dealt is another wonderful, emotionally-charged page-turner by Trice Hickman.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert of Urban Reviews

Samantha Baldwin is born with a platinum spoon but can't shake her attraction to the thug in her child's father. She used to the wild life of no responsibility despite the fact that she doesn't have to want for anything financially. She sabotages any chance of being truly happy because of self contempt.

Emily Snow wasn't born with as many leisure's as her best friend but she has lived by the golden rule which has allowed her to live a safe life. When her mother passes away she decided to switch things up in her life and take chances that she normally wouldn't take. Like exploring her attraction to her best friend's father.

This book was very entertaining. I loved the fact that the author was not afraid to step out of what was safe and comfortable and write a book that explored something that is just a little taboo. Almost everyone sees the attraction between Emily Snow and Ed Baldwin, that is everyone except for Samantha and her self absorbed mother who knows that something is going on but can place her finger on it. Feeling each person's emotions as they went through the same situations was priceless. The anxiety and sexual tension that built up between Ed and Emily intensified my reading pleasure. The only thing I wanted more from was the end. I felt like it just concluded without getting the opportunity to see how the two best friends came back together. I wanted to be a fly on the wall when that happened. Still, this book was still very well written and held my attention throughout.

Reviewed by:
Nikkea Smithers
RWA Bookclub President
[...]rwabookclub@yahoo.com

Best friends Emily and Samantha's relationship has withstood the joys and pains of life. Can their friendship, however, weather their largest storm ever? Emily is in love with Samantha's father and the feeling is mutual.

On the premise alone, the story had me hook, line and sinker. Best friends, forbidden love...I was anxious to see where Trice Hickman would take this story. She doesn't disappoint. I loved the characters and the realness of their emotions. I really liked this story. "Playing the Hand You're Dealt" was well crafted and smartly executed. It's a book I'd easily recommend to others.

This was my first read by Trice Hickman, but it certainly won't be my last.

Reviewed by: Tracy

Emily Snow could be the poster child for a hard knock life. Her father died when she was 10, her mother lived with MS until it took her life, she was in love with a married man for 12 years but never acted on it and her best friend was the source of much stress. It wasn't until her mother died that she decided to move to the big city and throw her hat in the ring for love. Emily stayed with at Samantha's parents home while her new place was renovated. The events that occurred were just as playing out a good hand of bid whist at the family reunion. Emily, Samantha, Brenda, Ed, and Gertie all played the hand they were given to the best of their ability and were left suffer the consequences of their actions.

Hickman continues to display her literary prowess in her latest work. The drama that unfolds from chapter to chapter is mind-boggling. I read this book (over 300 pages) in less than 3 hours because I just couldn't put it down. You will love the characters and the chatter about how they have to pay for their actions. Hands down this is a must read and one of my top recommendations of the summer.

Note: Author sent book for review purposes to Real Page Turners.

Deltareviewer
Reviewing for Real Page Turners

Emily Snow and Samantha Baldwin have been the best of friends since freshman year in college. They share everything, even the same birthday. Many years and miles away, their friendship has remained in tact. With the death of Emily's mother they are once again in the same city - Washington, D.C. But Emily has a secret. She's in love...with Samantha's father.

Trice Hickman has once again given readers a satisfying read. Narrated with alternating chapters from the key characters' perspective, readers are given all they need to know to root themselves firmly in the story. The only drawback to that was some repetition when the same situation was told through the eyes of more than one character. I easily found myself torn between the feelings of each friend, not wanting either to get hurt but knowing it was inevitable.

It was nice to revisit Tyler (Unexpected Interruptions) as well as the brief cameo of Cynthia (Unexpected Interruptions & Keeping Secrets Telling Lies). The conclusion was a little too `neat' for my liking, but overall it was an enjoyable read. Hickman's literary voice is strong, smooth and delicate.

Lately, it's been difficult to come up with an answer when asked what good books are out. With the release of PLAYING THE HAND YOU'RE DEALT, answering that question is a whole lot easier.

OOSA BOTM

Be sure to also check out:
Unexpected Interruptions
Keeping Secrets & Telling Lies

There are some unspoken vows and invisible lines that friends will not cross. In Playing the Hand You're Dealt by Trice Hickman, Emily Snow and Samantha Baldwin will try to weather the storm when Emily and Samantha's father, Ed, finally admit to their feelings after 12 years of fantasizing. Samantha felt the need to find Emily the perfect man to warm her lonely nights. Emily felt there was only one man for her and she did not know what to do.

Ever since their college days Samantha and Emily became more than just friends, they were sisters that would do anything for the other. It only made sense for Emily to move to Washington, D.C. when her mother died. However, Emily did not realize how difficult life would be for her being so close to Ed. She does not want to hurt Brenda, Samantha's mother, or Samantha, but denying her feelings for Ed would cause her the same amount of pain. When Ed and Emily found that the time had come to act on their feelings, their worlds become more complicated than either of them could ever imagine. How many people would be hurt by their actions? Can anyone ever get past the pain?

Samantha is no angel. All her life she has rebelled against her mother. She is a feisty no-holds-barred type of woman. Being around Emily, Samantha tries to learn how to be calmer while making better choices in all areas of her life. What would the revelation of her father's relationship with her best friend do to her?

While reading Playing the Hand You're Dealt I found myself shaking my head. The characters were well developed and their emotions were raw. Although I enjoyed the story, the retelling of scenes from the different point-of-views were a tad excessive. I understood why it was important to see the parts of the story from the viewpoint of more than one character but I believe some of it could have been omitted. I recommend this book to readers of contemporary fiction and real life situations full of twists.

The author provided a copy of the book for review purposes.

Jennifer Coissiere
APOOO BookClub

When opening Playing the Hand You're Dealt I started to see that Trice Hickman was a great story teller. There wasn't any unnecessary descriptions and I loved the fact that her characters told the story. It was my first time reading a book that was told in first and third person and I liked the format. The story consists of a young woman in love with her best friends father. Now we all know that when we see a young women with a rich old man we instantly think gold digger. But in this book Hickman portrayed that in many cases it can be true love and with the characters Emily and Ed that's exactly what it was. Although I really yearned for more drama in the beginning overall this was a great read. Easy flow and I felt that nothing was left to my imagination. Hickman gave great description, she allowed me to see what was happening in the story verses telling me and this is a sign of a true story teller. The ending was just what I've hoped, we all love happy endings right.

Tamika Newhouse
AAMBC Reviewer