Customer Reviews

Starting From Scratch

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, this was worth the loooong wait for a new Georgia Beers novel. They always leave me with a small ball of happy inside and are really engaging while reading them.

I'm not sure how she does it, but she always makes up characters I really find myself caring about. It was no different in this latest one. It is written in first person, a style I often have problems with, but it really worked for this main character, Avery. Her commentary on her life is often funny, but not annoyingly so. Beers finds the balance between funny and serious in a way that I found myself emotionally engaged and laughed and cried right along with Avery. She had me right from the first page

Firmly settled in the romance genre this novel follows Avery through the ups and downs of an emotional year that has her question some of the things she always thought she knew about herself. I found myself relating to her on different levels, mainly her introversion and her baking.

Delightful novel, romance done right and well. A wee bit predictable, but that's really down to the genre and in no way inhibited my joy while reading it. Beers' style is distinct in the lesfic world, and I'm already looking forward to her next one.

Two things I noticed that I don't usually notice: The back blurb is funny and sets the tone for the novel, it's perfect (usually I don't even read back blurbs). The acknowledgments are heartfelt and touching. They do make me curious about what the heck went on behind the scenes. Whatever it was, I'm glad Beers came out still standing and not quitting.

It looks like Beers found a new home at Bywater, it's really great that Susan X Meagher gave this novel a home at Brisk Press. I hope for all of them it sells like nobody's business.

I have always been a fan of action, assassins, and cops. And I tend to read every book that comes out with regards to those criteria. So, why this book? That left me 'scratching' my head as I started to read it.
Granted, I read all of Georgia Beers' books and have never been disappointed in any of them. And here is what I found with this book:
1. It pulls you in, very quietly, very softly.
2. You believe this is real life, that this could actually be you at some point.
3. And, it makes the everyday motions of a life count too.
I liked the book and the reality of the situation, the encounters with the supporting characters were genuine, and Avery and Elena's relationship followed a natural path. The metaphor of 'baking' is not lost on the reader...ingridients start from scratch exactly the same way, but it is the way you 'kneed' the dough that makes a life well loved.
This is a book well worth your shelf space.

Just another woman meets woman kinda book, right? Wrong! This one really does pull you in, as noted by another reviewer.
I loved this book and will read it many more times.
The tone of the language felt real and current, using phraseology that I often use myself.
The wonder of realizing that you've fallen in love felt real in this book, not forced or out of sync as it can in some modern romances. Some novels read like a race to the relationship, then tragedy followed by an unbearably long period of angst that makes you want to just smack the characters in the head for all their stubbornness. The pace here tho felt more relaxed, and while there were moments of predictability, the end product is a strong story about personal growth mixed with finding love. Who could ask for more?

Now a word about the physical book itself. As with every book I've owned from Brisk Press, the finished product feels great. Those out there who crave the feel of a book in your hands know what I mean here. I don't know the financial impact of producing this final product but do know that few books look as good on my shelf, or feel as good in my hands as those produced by Brisk Press.

I'm not an avid reader of lesbian fiction, but a friend lent me this book while at the beach. Even though it was a lovely day, I found myself reading the delightful book to the exclusion of the waves.

What I most liked was the light, smooth style of the book. It went down like a cool drink, which was just the thing for the beach! But I don't want to imply it was fluff. Not at all. There were some difficult topics covered, and they were dealt with sensitively.

The characters had great chemistry, and I found myself looking forward to each time the main characters met. Beers kept them apart just enough to keep the spark alive, but not frustrate the reader.

The characters were well-drawn and very appealing--physically and emotionally. I'm no fan of children, but the one in this book was very appealing. He was involved just enough to allow Beers to make her points, but he never became an irritant. One of the characters was an introvert, and as one myself I was pleased by how she was drawn. Introverts have plenty to say--we just need the right situation to express ourselves.

The sex scenes were very well written. Just enough detail to make you feel what's going on in their hearts, but not so much that it feels too voyeuristic.

I can't imagine any fan of this genre wouldn't enjoy this book. It was a delight!

I don't hand out 5 star ratings very often, but this lesbian romance was pretty much flawless. That's not to say this is one of my favorite romances I've read, because it's not. It was a very solid story, but it's not one that is near and dear to my heart. (Which stories touch us the most deeply is extremely subjective.) So that means it was Beers's writing that stole the show with this one.

I usually try to write balanced reviews, stating what I like and don't like to try and help potential buyers to decide if it's really for them or not. But I'd have to deconstruct Starting From Scratch sentence by sentence to look for some nitpicky weaknesses. Yeah, I think it was that well-written. About the only thing I can really come up with is that I thought the Epilogue was a bit superfluous and I think it would have been a stronger ending without it.

The two main characters are rather typical for lesbian romances. They're professional women in good paying jobs. They're thin and beautiful. They wear makeup. (Sometimes I wonder where the "real dykes" are in lesbian romances, but that's a whole different topic.) One of the women is the mother of a young son, and having children is a major theme in the book.

These aren't things that are innately appealing to me, especially kids. But the characters are interesting and sympathetic and the first person point of view works surprisingly well. The secondary characters are also interesting, including the little boy. What really makes this novel take off right from the start is the humor. I was grinning quite a bit at the start, then chuckling out loud through a good portion of the novel. But it's not all happy, happy. The last quarter of the book takes a more serious turn, with a few tears shed on my part, and the writing in that portion is just as strong. And while I know this is of little interest to lesbian romance readers (wink, wink), the sex is really hot too.

One thing that I really liked is the slightly different pace at the beginning as the main character gets established. She has a mad crush on a manager at the bank, but nothing happens with that for a while. Instead we learn things about her past, her friends, and where she is in her life. There's a slower build-up than usual to how the characters meet for real and begin to be involved. Then all sedateness is cast to the side and the romance takes off like a space shuttle.

I had read one other Beers novel previously, Thy Neighbor's Wife, and it was a pretty good story. But there was an amateurish quality to some of the writing that prevented that book from being as good as it potentially could have been. Some of the blame goes to not having a stronger editor who should have caught some of those problems. That book was published seven years ago, and I think it's obvious that in that time Beers has been working on perfecting her craft. I also suspect that part of the reason Starting from Scratch is so good is because the venerable Katherine V. Forrest was the editor. I'm very glad that when I came into an unexpected Amazon gift certificate and was looking for lesbian books to spend it on that I decided to take another chance on a Beers novel. I highly recommend this one to any lesbian romance reader.

Kindle note: Aside from a few cases of dropped words the Kindle ebook edition was well done.

Avery King is a thirty-something graphic designer, happily single, with a strong crush on Elena Walker, manager of her bank branch. Avery's best friend, Maddie, convinces her she should fill in as the coach of Maddie's T-ball team of five and six year olds while she convalesces from knee surgery. By Avery's own admission, she's not good with kids and has no desire to be around them. Maddie assures her that it will be easy and it will only be for a few weeks. What could possibly happen in a few weeks? As it turns out, Avery is great with the kids. She feels sorry for one small boy, Max, whose mom is too busy talking on her Blackberry to watch her boy play ball.

While she convalesces, Maddie enrolls Avery in an online dating service. Avery is appalled, but, intrigued and checks out the women who have responded to Maddie's ad. She narrows the field down to three, and contacts all three, but only one really appeals to her. While she waits for responses, she discovers Max at her back fence one morning. Imagine Avery's surprise when Max's other mother is Elena, the woman of her fantasies and dreams.

Beers is a Lambda Award winner and "Starting from Scratch" is her seventh novel. She tells the story in the first person and, as difficult as it is to write in the first person, Beers does it perfectly. Her characters, even the secondary characters like Avery's close friends, her grandmother, and Steve, Avery's dog, are carefully drawn, and readers come to care for them all. Be prepared to fall in love with Max, Elena's son, because he will surely pull at your heart strings. The pacing of the book is perfect, slow enough to let the reader fall in love with the characters and fast enough to keep her turning pages. The book is full of humor, angst, tears, joy, love, sadness, and hope.

There were no false steps, no editorial gaffes, and nothing to take the reader out of the story.

This is one of the best books published in 2010.

I'm a little young in age, but I can say without a doubt that this books is worth reading.

The love between Avery and Elena is adorable, not to meantion spicy. Plus Max is a little ball of adorable energy and even though I'm not a kid person myself (as I am still quite a kid), I couldn't help but fall in love with him.

However I'd like to point out some flaws with this story that didn't suite well with me. It was a great read, but I was annoyed when the narrator (avery) repeated certain word over and over again. When ever I write a story for fun and for practice in the future, I try to make sure I'm not over-stretching a phrase or word while I write. I also found that the sex scenes (though juicy and sexy) should have been to a minimum. It seemed like Avery had sex with Elena on the brain a lot.

Though it had a few flaws, it was still exceptional and I can't wait to read another book by Gerogia Beers. There was romance, heart break and sadness in the end, and all in all, I was glad I choose to read this book. It was also because of this book that I've learned to read the epilogue after every story.

I was not aware how long it was between books for Georgia Beers, however I will be eagerly awaiting her next publication. Having read all her previous novels I was very pleasantly surprised at how good her writing is now....don't know what happened to make her change publishers but am very glad that Brisk Press have taken her on board. (Love Susan X. Meagher books also). The story is well developed, with appealing characters and a believable plot. It was interesting to see the friendships of the main character change has the novel developed. This book is most certainly a 'keeper' to be re-read many times, which can be a rare thing in todays world of 'trashy' lesbian novels. Would also love to know the story behind the acknowledgments, which went for over 3 pages....hopefully Ms Beers will continue to entertain us with many more excellent novels.

It was well worth waiting for. Avery is funny at times, very engaging character. I wondered what took the author so long to publish this time around. But I have to admit that
it was an easy and satifying read. Thanks Georgia for another good book! Don't wait so long for the next one, you are missed.

I recently decided that I owe Georgia Beers a few positive reviews since she has spent countless hours entertaining me. I have enjoyed all of her books to one degree or another, but I must confess that Starting From Scratch is by far and away my favorite of the things she has written. The product description for this novel is kind of terrible and I honestly can't imagine it being a selling point. You will find the synopsis in other reviews though so I'll keep this brief. I personally had read a few other books by Beers and had been happy with them which is why I took the plunge here. Well I am glad I did! I've read this book at least six times now and it always is good for a few laughs. Its told in 1st person from the point of view of Avery who speaks in a very very funny voice. Her observations about life and love interest Elena absolutely cracked me up. And I don't say that lightly. I've read well over a hundred lesbian romances and this is the one that had me chuckling the most. (Other funny recommendations are Kate Sweeney's Winds of Heaven and KE Lane's And Playing the Role of Herself)

Wrapping myself up in this wonderful novel was like eating cookies fresh from the oven, and perhaps that was the point all along. This book is easily in my top 5 romances and I can't even imagine it ever losing its spot there.