Customer Reviews

Something on the Side

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The master of drama, Carl Weber, is back with a new novel, Something on the Side. This time he takes us into the lives of the women of the Big Girls Book Club, better knows as BGBC. These women not only read and discuss books, but they live their lives to the fullest, regardless of their full-figured stature. Never let it be said that a big girl has to sit quietly on the side and watch the skinny ones get the man.

Tammy has it all, a husband who loves her and provides her a very lucrative life style. Tammy loves him just as much so she makes arrangements to fulfill his fantasy. The fantasy is fulfilled, but can the marriage survive such a giving gift? Tammy's cousin, Coco, is out to use every man she meets. Men are good for sex and money. Just when Coco meets a man who will financially take care of her for life, she also meets a man that can steal her heart. Now, she must make a decision on how she wants to live her life. Nikki and Tiny's lesbian relationship is in trouble because of Tiny's jealousy. When a new employee, Keith, at Nikki's job befriends her, Tiny becomes enraged and her anger escalates out of control. Isis' has her boyfriend, Tony, just where she wants him, following her rules in hopes that it would lead them to the altar. Everything is going well until her ex, Rashad, shows up proclaiming to still be in love with her. When Tony and Rashad show up with engagement rings at the same time, Isis makes her choice and dreams of getting married, until the truth about her relationship hits her in the face. Egypt, finally gets a man in her life and is keeping everything about him and their relationship a secret because the discovery of Mr.Right's identity can ruin family ties.

I had many "is she crazy" moments while reading this book. Screaming at the girls as they made one bad decision after another. Nikki was the only one I could actually cheer for as she made strives to become a stronger person. I was so outdone with Tammy, that I could have reached into the book and smacked some sense into her. The drama may seem to be a little over the top, but if you think about it, I bet you could find one of each of these women in your circle of friends. And if not like these particular women, I bet members of your bookclub have some interesting drama of their own. Pick up this one for your entertainment reading.

Jeanette
APOOO BookClub

This book is more than fantastic. I loved it and truly couldn't put it down (I sometimes forced myself not to read it because I wanted it to last longer). I have read Carl Weber books before, but he absolutely outdid himself here. Firstly, I must say how refreshing it was to read about women who are plus sized, and also how these plus size women are in relationships (good and/or bad).
There are four (really five) main characters he puts focus on; Nikki, Tammy, Coco and Isis (and Egypt who we never read of in the first person). All of them are great in different ways and the stories they tell are of the men they love and the relationships they have. Parts are predictable and other parts will have you in disbelief. I laughed through this and cried in parts and honestly, honestly, honestly couldn't put this down. I thoroughly enjoyed it and if you are a fan of African American writing, then you'll love this I'm sure. It's definately spicey here and there, but that's another great aspect to this amazing book that I can't rave highly enough of. Go grab a copy.

Mr. Weber has done it again! OMG! This story belongs on an HBO special!!! I LOVE the BGBC women! Tiny, Isis, Nikki, Tammy, Coco and Egypt are something else! The drama! The action and the hot, steamy sex = I could not put this book down!!! There are so many points where I just busted out laughing because Mr. Weber is also a comedian as well as a writer! Great story with women focused issues that certainly keep the reader turning pages well into the night! It also helps to have that special someone near by to help you get through the hot & steamy scenes too! Oh - yes YOU TOO CAN USE THIS BOOK AS A BOOK CLUB SELECTION!!! :)

Carl Weber has unleashed another facinating and tell all page turner. I love the concept and hope that we will see more of the Big Girls Book Club Members. Isis, Egypt, Tammy, Nicki, Tiny and Cocoa and others are exciting and have a story to be told. I think that Carl has unleashed the animal instinct and wow Big Girls need to be loved and they know how to love. The drama is thick and he has wandered into a territory that you wouldn't imagine. The story of these ladies is tantalizing... My favorite character is Cocoa. She is a confident, sexy no nonesense, play the game plus size diva that would make any skinny woman jealous. I like the character of sexy big girls...see just because you are plus size, doesn't mean you can't be glamous and sexy and every man is not looking for twig. Tony is a dog in the worse form and too me he still hasn't gotten what is coming to him. Tammy is an idiot --- everyone knows you can't live out every fantasy... Mac oh my~! Keith, my brotha what is up??? I understand you, but Nicki what you gonna do?? I don't want to reveal the storylines in this book, cause I don't want to steal the joy from you of reading and anticipating... I am so glad that I didn't read any reviews on this book and I thoroughly was able to enjoy the page turner that it is... Do you like exotic? erotica? exciting? extraordinary characters? If you answered yes, then join the BGBC and go get "Something on the side" and enjoy the ride.

Have you ever been in a club that had some weird restrictions? Like, you must be tall with long hair, or your name must start with the letter "K" and end with a "Y." Well, meet Tammy, Isis, Egypt, Nikki, and Coco, they're all members of the BGBC (Big Girls Book Club). To be a member of this club, you must be at least a size 14.

Tammy, the club's president loves her life. She has two adorable kids, a loving husband, and the best sex life you could imagine. Tammy's husband Tim has a birthday coming up, and she wants to fulfill his most freakiest sexual fantasy: a threesome with two women. She has it all planned except for one thing: Who can she trust to be the third player in this game? The only person that comes to mind is her best friend Egypt. As much as Tammy knows that Egypt would never willingly agree to this, she has to tempt her with something that Egypt could not refuse. Will Egypt agree to play, or will Tammy have to find another "gift" to give Tim for his birthday?

Not all members of the BGBC has a loving man to come home to. Meet Nikki, she was in love with her baby daddy. That is until he started beating her for no reason at all. He would punch her in the face if she smiled at the mailman. Now that he's her ex, it takes all of her strength not to kill him, or let her "roommate" Tiny complete the task. The only thing that's stopping her is her son. He loves his daddy, and she will do whatever it takes not to disappoint him.

Isis has a man (Tony) that worships the ground she walks on. He knows how to please her in every possible way. And that makes Isis want to settle down & become his wife. That is until Rashad comes back to town & tries to take her away. Little does Isis and Rashad know, Tony has a few tricks up his sleeve. Some are good, and some will destroy Isis's faith in men.

And then there was Miss Coco, who's habit was trying to decide which man she's going to allow to pay her bills. It didn't matter if they had a girlfriend, was already married, or was a single man. As long as the price was right, she would be their lady for the night. That was until she meets Mac. He makes her weak in the knees and enjoys every minute of it. But here's the question: Is Coco ready to give up her many men for Mac, or is she satisfied playing the field?

I want to thank Mr. Carl Weber for finally putting a little meat on his characters' bones. Something On The Side had a lot of excitement. Carl Weber made sure this book had some spice...and it had a lot. Each character added their own little "umph." The storyline dealt with a lot of issues that sometimes happen in everyday life. The way the characters always found a way to be encouraged by each other made you like each one of them. This was one of those books that when you pick it up, you don't want to put it down. You'll want to find out what's next in the lives of the women in the Big Girls Book Club.

Reviewed by Jackie
for Urban Reviews

This is my first Carl Weber book and I'm sorry that I waited so long to read this man. The write-up in the dust-jacket caught my attention and so did the premise of a book club that only had "members" that were size 14 and above! Lawd, how could I NOT read it?! This book had some serious "WTF" moments and a few "you've gotta be kidding" moments.

Tammy causes most of them and I seriously think she needs therapy. Coco's my girl (yeah I wish) and has no shame in her game. The other characters I did like but I really followed those two. There is one huge (no pun intended) surprise that, if you pay attention, could have seen coming but still a shock nonetheless. Carl has a very unique style of writing that I can't name but I can follow. He's definitely got another fan with me and I'm looking forward to reading more of his work.

On a side note: I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Carl Weber at BEA (Book Expo America) 2008 in Los Angeles and he was very nice and gracious. It was nice to see him and so many of our other authors supporting and being supported!

Tammy, Coco, Egypt, Isis, Nikki, and Tiny are all members of the Big Girls Book Club (BGBC), where all the members are plus-sized ladies who have "something on the side."

Tammy, the only married member of the BGBC, makes sure everyone knows she loves her life and has the perfect husband and marriage. When Tammy decides to organize a threesome to fulfill her husband Tim's fantasy, their relationship drastically changes.

Coco's mission is to lead a glamorous life as a "kept" woman, until she meets sexy Mac. The life Coco is accustomed to changes when Mac enters her life, but a discovery about Mac's lifestyle leaves her uncertain about their future.

Sisters Egypt and Isis are both looking for a man to enrich their lives. Isis is determined to marry her man, Tony, but he has some skeletons in the closet that cause her plans to come to a screeching halt. While trying to help Isis get over someone from her past, Egypt makes a decision that could end her relationship with her sister.

Nikki started a relationship with Tiny after experiencing abuse from her son's father. Tiny credits herself with helping Nikki get back on her feet, and doesn't want her to forget it. Growing tired of Tiny's possessiveness, Nikki begins a relationship with co-worker Keith. Nikki's expectations in the bedroom don't mesh with Keith's, and Nikki makes a startling discovery about him that causes her to halt the relationship.

Carl Weber's latest novel is very different from his previous work. The story started very slow and did not pick up until much later in the book. The end result, however, had many surprises with life-altering results. All of the Big Girls Book Club members faced relationship hurdles they could never imagine. Just as each one thought her life was perfect or on the right track, "something on the side" proved otherwise.

Reviewed by Dawnna W.
for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

A lot going on here. It took me awhile to get into it but at the end it turned out to be pretty good. Between threesomes & pretend men, this book was enough to make you go whoa! I'm sure these new characters will show up again in another Carl Weber book. My favorite Coco. If I could be like anyone it would be her. Money, Power & Sex.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story...and couldn't finish soon enough. After reading the first 14 chapters I needed to know how it all ended....Carl did a great job with this one as well as his other books. He offers characters and situations that draw us in and keep us entertained.

I am a Carl Weber fan, and really like his writing. This book was well written, but the plot did not entertain me as much as Weber's previous books. I kept reading this book thinking could "real" african american women in the 21st century be this way, and knowing the answer was yes; so I mostly found it very sad that he captured the angst of "us". Weber has touched on some profound themes in the book like how our childhoods shape our adult lives, abandonment issues, our unrealistic dance with material possesions and the value we sometimes place on them; being true to yourself, low self esteem masquerading as arrogance; abusive relationships etc.