Not Quite What It Seems [Paperback]

Mari Walker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2010

Jadyn has made a life for herself with her boyfriend, Taji, and has a promising career as a dancer...just as soon as she nails her next audition. However, she has never fully recovered from the emotional and physical pain she suffered at the hands of her mother and stepfather as a young girl. After finding out that Taji, the supposed love of her life, has been lying to his family about her, and may have even ruined her chances at getting a lead role in STOMP, Jadyn decides to make a drastic change in her life. She attempts to locate her biological father, whom she has never had a real relationship with. Her search takes her to Florida where she stays with her great-uncle and cousin. While following up on seemingly dead ends in her search for her father, Jadyn discovers that sometimes things are not quite what they seem when she becomes involved in a heated love affair with a man named Julian, who may just be the death of her.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Facing the future means facing the past for Jacyln Collins, an African-American dancer whose ambition spells disaster for her relationship with Taji Hietkikko, a Japanese-African American. In her latest novel, Walker (Never As Good As the First Time) tracks Jadyn's challenges as she strives to break free from Taji, who'd rather she fit the traditional housewife role; she's also still recovering from years of sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather. Finally, when Taji sabotages her chance at a role in a production of STOMP, she leaves him. After a spiritual awakening, she heads for Florida to find her real father, Charles Ivery. Connecting with great-uncle Buhjay and cousin Flash, however, leads her to a shady new boyfriend, and a shocking turn of events. Walker deftly depicts Jadyn's family reunions with a gentle touch.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Praise for Not Quite What It Seems:

"Walker captures your attention from the start with the multiple levels of dysfunction that exist in the protagonist's life. She's a tremendous talent and has a great ability to write strong, realistic personalities and different voices." --Romantic Times BOOKreviews

"Walker deftly depicts Jadyn's family reunions with a gentle touch." --Publisher's Weekly

“If you like to read Eric Jerome Dickey, Donna Hill and J.D. Mason, you'll definitely want to check out Mari Walker!” -- Carleen Brice, author of Children of the Waters

 

“[Mari] has the rare ability to make the simple complex by challenging the reader to evaluate their life against her story. The read was the equivalent of what I would describe as VSOP brand liquor...top shelf stuff.” –Royale Watkins, comedian, Mixtape Comedy Gotham, NY

 

"Mari Walker knows how to capture and hold captive her readers from the first line to the last.  It's authors like Ms. Walker, with her distinctive writing style and voice, that remind us just how priceless a well told story is."--Joylynn M. Jossel, Essence Magazine Bestselling Author

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (April 13, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312375417
• ISBN-13: 978-0312375416
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,242,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mari Walker developed a love of words at a very young age, listening to her mother's smooth mellow voice reading tales from an old Southern fairy tale book or spinning tales about her childhood growing up in Blakely, Georgia. Mari imagined that she could see worlds unfolding and characters acting out the adventures that were spun from those beloved stories.

Overcome with curiosity about whether the pictures in her head matched the ones in the book from which her mother read, she climbed onto her mother's lap with cries of "Can I see the pictures?" To her utter amazement, there were none. A new and wonderful thought was birthed inside her that day. A person could carve out worlds, adventures, people, pictures, sounds, and at times even smells out of mere words. From that moment, she knew she wanted to become an author.

Mari divides her time between freelance writing and editing, and advising aspiring writers on the techniques she has learned on creative writing. Her first novel, NEVER AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME, was an Essence Magazine bestseller and was featured on the list twice in 2008 and once in January of 2009. Ms. Walker has been a featured guest on BlogTalk Radio,Classic Soul 107.5.com,and is currently being featured on Terra Little's Blogzine the week beginning June 1, 2010. Her newest novel, NOT QUITE WHAT IT SEEMS is also featured on UrbanReviews Flash Drive promotion, as well as The Midwest Bookfest Promotion. Follow Mari on Twitter or Facebook!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, Surprising Ending..., January 28, 2011

By 

Joey D. Pinkney "JoeyPinkney.com" (Garner, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Not Quite What It Seems (Paperback)

Not Quite What It Seems, by Essence Best Selling Author Mari Walker, is a knotted tale of the life of Jadyn Collins that slowly unravels one chapter at a time. Jadyn Collins' world pulls her in many directions. She struggles to resolve the emotional scars caused by childhood experiences. She is relentless in her pursuit to become a professional dancer. She has found love, yet her life goals do neatly align with her boyfriend's future plans for both him and Jadyn. On top of all of that, she yearns to find and reunite with her biological father separated from her and her two younger brothers by her mother when she was in her early teens.

Jadyn is the daughter of Samai Collins, the main character of Mari Walker's debut novel Never As Good As The First Time. A little older and on her own, Jadyn's character is strong enough to be the center of attention. She is driven by an inner-strength, full of sassiness and smart enough to navigate the varied situations she comes into contact with. Hence, Not Quite What It Seems is by no means a sequel to Never As Good As The First Time, and it's not really a continuation of Walker's first book. Just like the relationship between Samai and Jadyn, these two books are definitely related with the first being the foundation of the second. But Not Quite What It Seems has its own identity and can be read by itself.

Because of the ending, Not Quite What It Seems came off feeling more like two books jammed together as one. As a reader, I enjoyed the unfolding mystery of the connection between Julian, the man that she met on the flight into Florida, Jadyn's cousin Flash and Steele Money - a seemingly nobody, club promoter in the middle of nowhere. Julian slowly becomes a love interest, Flash becomes overly protective and Steele Money by no means hides his anamosity for Jadyn's presence in Palm City. By the time the dust settles in Florida, Jadyn's time there was a trip but not to Disney World...

Overall, I have mixed feelings about Not Quite What It Seems. I enjoyed what I considered the tale of two novels in, just not within the confines of the same book cover.

Joey Pinkney, Book Reviewer

4.0 out of 5 stars Illusions, July 8, 2010

By 

Urban Reviews "Your Source for the Best in AA... (Online) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Not Quite What It Seems (Paperback)

Jadyn has a promising career as a dancer. She also has a loving relationship with her boyfriend Taji. But Jadyn still has some emotional baggage she's carrying due to the pain caused by her mom and stepfather. She becomes even more confused when she learns that Taji may be the one that put her chances of a big career opportunity in jeopardy. To get a break from her current problems, Jadyn decides to go to look for her biological father. But Jadyn finds a lot more than she bargained for when she's suddenly in the middle of a dangerous plot that could turn deadly.

Mari Walker does a good job of continuing the storyline from Never As Good As the First Time with Jadyn's story in Not Quite What It Seems. In this novel, Walker introduces us to Jadyn as a grown woman who has a clear path to a wonderful dance career. You see that although she knows what she wants professionally, Jadyn still has some things that she needs to resolve in her personal life. Walker does a wonderful job of illustrating Jadyn's unresolved childhood issues and the counseling she receives. There's a lot of surprising drama involving Jadyn that will definitely keep you turning the pages. Although this book is a sequel, it's truly a stand alone book. Not Quite What It Seems is another entertaining read by Mari Walker.

Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert of Urban Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book!, May 19, 2010

By 

Jessica A. Robinson (Youngstown, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Not Quite What It Seems (Paperback)

In Mari Walker's newest book, NOT QUITE WHAT IT SEEMS, she allows us to go on a ride with her main character Jadyn as she tries to desperately find her own way in life and pursue happiness. She actually continued the lives of some of her characters from her first novel NEVER AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME, and explores their lives after a period of time. Jadyn was head over hills with a man named Taji and had a great life with him but due to some issues it caused her to leave Ohio and reconnect with family that she had in Florida in search of her real father. This story was so intriguing and captivating that I found myself trying to speed read just so I could see what happened next. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a great storyline, memorable characters, and situations that will leave your mouth hanging wide open. Great Job Mari!