Customer Reviews

Split Ends: Sometimes the End is Really the Beginning

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

All right it's a cute story but the premise of a country, small town girl moving to a big city isn't an original idea. Unfortunately, Split Ends doesn't venture far or exceptionally well from that idea...

Sarah Claire Winowski moves from small-town-USA, Wyoming to LA in hopes of becoming a star hairstylist. You want her to succeed, to break out on her own because in the past, she has often gotten the short stick in life. I liked the characters from back home- the sweet, blue-haired old ladies who paid her extra at her tag sale just so she'd have more money. I liked the quotes that started each chapter from old time movie stars (Cary Grant, Greta Garbo, James Stewart, etc). That said there was a lot that bothered me. There were many tangents in the story line where Sarah and Dane, usually, would argue over something stupid for multiple pages. And then the very same argument would come up again (i.e. she was a "have not" and he was a "have"). Sarah seemed like a really kind, giving individual that you would love to meet but after awhile she got really annoying, focusing on minute details and making a HUGE deal about them.

Split Ends, overall, was not as enjoyable as other Kristin Billerbeck's books (Ashley Stockingdale series). I was a bit disappointed. There were a lot of very obvious typos. The premise was nothing real original but I still was originally intrigued to see how things would work out for Sarah Claire. (In many ways, the story reminded me a little too much of Phoebe Grant books by Laura Jenson Walker with the movie quotes and trivia.)

I'd recommend Stealing Adda by Tamara Leigh if you're wanting a better fun, fluffy read!

Kristin Billerbeck's "Split Ends" seemed like just another `chick lit' novel to start. This time, our heroine is from the wrong side of the tracks - an illegitimate daughter of the town's richest guy - but she wants a better life, so she leaves town (and the responsibility of caring for her alcoholic mother) to pursue her dream of being a hairdresser to the starts at an exclusive salon in California!

I was finally able to really commit to the novel by page 118 when I encountered my favorite line in the book: "...her beauty didn't protect her." The author was relating the story of a gorgeous California girl that just got dumped. This is one of the major themes of the novel, and it really touched me. Beauty has no power!

The celebrity quotes that begin the chapters are charming and some represent very sound advice. The story is smart and funny and touching and (although drama-laden) so true for many American women, today. We place too much importance on what other people think of us instead of who God actually tells us we are. That is an important lesson for us to learn, so this is an important book for us to read. Not only does Kristin Billerbeck entertain, she ministers to the deepest hurt faced by many of us - self-criticism.

This delightful love story is a wondeful mix of old fashioned charm and sassy wit. My teenage daughter and I both found this romantic tale to be highly satisfying and enjoyed all the allusions to the Hollywood classics, especially where a certain famous Mr. Grant was concerned.

Kristin Billerbeck is one of my favorite for-fun authors and I think this one is her best yet!

Kristin Billerbeck is a talented chick-lit writer whose other books (especially the Ashley Stockingdale series) are just plain ol' fun, engaging reads. I'm a huge fan.

That said, I don't think I've ever been more disappointed in a book than I was in Split Ends. The characters were flat and stereotypical. The main character kind of wanders all over the place, through the plot and in her head. Those huge flaws plus the HUGELY obvious grammar/spelling mistakes made me wonder if her publisher even attempted an edit at this book.

Or it could be that, like so many other writers in the Christian fiction genre, Kristin has stretched herself too thin, making herself incapable of creating anything other than a mediocre product.

I do not recommend this title. Other up-and-comers in this area are writing much better books. Erynn Mangum's Miss Match, Tamara Leigh's Stealing Adda, Lisa Samson, and others are much more worth reading.

What intrigued me most about Sarah Claire leaving small-town Wyoming for Hollywood wasn't the it's-been-done hayseed chick in the big city thing--I couldn't wait to find out whether she'd immediately cave in and bail her alkie mother (who'd followed her to the city) out of jail again, like in the "old days." For me, the answer to whether or not Sarah could change old patterns and find new ways to deal with her mom would end up making all the difference in her blossoming romance in Hollywood. The ending surprised me with its grace-filled, redemptive quality. Sarah embraced growth--and not just of her hair, either. That growth allowed her to receive a gift she hadn't believed would ever be offered. Highly recommended!

Sarah Claire Winowski knows she's meant for greater things than being stuck forever in small-town Wyoming, daughter of an alcoholic mom who works in a bar.

At age 26, she's ready to strike out and see the world, armed with scissors and a flair for color. Her big break comes when her cousin Scott helps her land a job with a posh hair-design studio in dreamy Hollywood.

It doesn't take long before Sarah Claire realizes what she's up against - a boss who's in love with himself, jealous coworkers, and a town where beauty is only skin deep. Image is everything, she learns, and her past threatens to destroy the new life she's trying desperately to build.

For any woman who has ever left home to pursue a dream, Billerbeck's novel shows that no matter how far we journey, God will always lead the way.

--Christian Women Online Book Buzz

I have read all of Kristin Billerbeck's other novels and really enjoyed them. However, I found Split Ends to be very all over the map, so to speak. It seemed like it jumped from one idea to another really quickly, and then never went back to resolve any of the questions, but rather just kind of answered them in 1 sentence snippets at the end.
There were also a lot of typos that drove me mad...

How Kristen Billerbeck actually made being the adult child of an alcohlic funny I'll never know! She also paints a true picture of Hollywood: beautiful beaches vs smoggy brown skies, beautiful people vs the homeless, Rodeo Drive shops vs second hand stores. Sarah Claire, hair dresser now hair designer experiences all with the attitude of a spunky kid. Its a fun romance with a true "feel good" ending.

I read this book because it was recommend to my by a good friend. It was a fun read and I understood the ending but I thought, it could have been filled a little better. No hint of what the character would do with the rest of their lives.

I am a fan of Kristin Billerbeck, but this book was a disappointment to me. I did not feel as connected with the characters. The first couple of pages started out interesting enough, but throughout the book there was conversations that would drag on for pages. I felt there needed to be more depth to the characters.