Customer Reviews

A Stitch in Time

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dee Harris is busy with the reconstruction of her life in so many areas. Her 30-year marriage to her husband, Lyle, seems to be over after she caught him having an affair.

Her two 30-plus year old children are still living at home with their father. She lost 150 pounds and has undergone several reconstructive surgeries.

Her career as a consultant has really taken off. All of this, plus she has become a Christian.

Dee's life is very fast-paced. Her job at LeGrande Enterprises includes helping raise money for causes through events and helping committees plan out projects.

Eating has always been a comfort to Dee, but after her weight loss surgery, she has to be extra careful to eat in a whole new way. At one event, Dee eats an egg roll that wasn't chewed enough which sent Dee to the ladies room.

This is where she meets Lily. Lily is a very wealthy lady who lives in Las Vegas. She needs help in planning and implementing a huge building project. Is this a divine appointment?

Dee's boss and friend, Areta, does not understand Dee's Christianity. Stress mounts as reports are given to Areta about Dee aggressively evangelizing clients and coworkers. Where are these anonymous reports coming from?

Dee wants to divorce her husband for she cannot forgive him for the affair. Lyle is not cooperating by not signing the divorce papers. Her children, Kelsey and Kent, have enjoyed their lives living at home. Their lives begin to change along with their attitudes toward their mother.

Lily's nephew, Carter, is a handsome cowboy who is on the committee for the project. He becomes an interest to Dee on a personal basis.

Carter's twin, Colt, died and has left his land for the project to build an art museum that will glorify God in the arts. Problems arise as the committee members have different views on how this should be done. Will the project get started by the January 1 deadline, or will the land be forfeited?

Allison Bottke does a wonderful job with her first novel. Her sense of humor and detail gives life to the story and makes it fun and believable.

Allison Bottke so accurately portrays the honest struggles of being a new Christian in the real world. This book is not only fun and a great read but one that so many women can relate to. I can't wait to read her next book.

So awesome for her first novel! This book is for women of all ages, not just 50 plus! Weight loss, plastic surgery, divorce, fashion, glitz & glamour! What more could you ask for in a book? With a mystery(surprise) ending! I'd like a sequel, but better yet...a MOVIE!! Looking forward to more novels from Allison Bottke. Keep them coming!

A Stitch in Time is a must-read! Dee Decker is a heroine, not only for those who are or have been overweight, but also for any woman who struggles to survive in a dog-eat-dog world of luncheons, business dinners, and posh banquets. She is the poster child for every woman whose husband has been unfaithful, whose children have been ungrateful, and who looks for herself outside of herself rather than what is at the core of a woman, her heart.

Allison Bottke's new book is a stitch -- and she is a fresh new voice in Christian fiction. Can't wait to read more from this author.

I've enjoyed all of Allison Bottke's work. This one, her first novel "A Stitch In Time was" a fun read, couldn't put it down. Refreshing, full of life, might I say "everyday life" with all the glitz and glamour of "would I really want that life". Really made you stop and think and then finally realize what really is important? That being God, He is the reality and the glitz and the glamour and the knowing and the not knowing! He's it, He's what we are all really looking for! Thanks for making that so clear in this novel Allison. I look forward to reading your next and next and next!

In one year Dee Decker has gastric bypass surgery, separates from Lyle, her cheating husband, buys a new wardrobe, and becomes a Christian. Dee works as a fundraiser, and she's good at it too, and since she moved out on her own, she has more time to work. Dee files for divorce, but Lyle won't sign the papers. Her kids want her to forgive him, but adultry is a sin. God wouldn't expect her to forgive the cheating jerk, would he?
While working at fundraising to help build a Christian art museum and gallery, she meets Carter, a handsome man who sets her pulse racing, but she's still married, and Lyle WON'T sign those papers. Dee is a new Christian who wants her personal desires, and a personal relationship with God at the same time. A Stitch in time is at times, funny, serious, touching, and fully enjoyable. This one is a keeper.

Baby Christian, fad-crazy Charity Fundraiser Chick goes from fat to fantabulous in the blink of an eye while trying to keep her high-pressure job & her unbelieving family from unraveling at the seams.

This book (along with the "Shades of Style" series & probably a few others that I don't know about), appears to usher in the backlash/the pendulum swing from (what I call) Christian "prairie lit" (i.e. all that little-house-on-the-prairie-type literature that Christian women have been bombarded with for the last several years & -- I might add -- which has single-handedly kept most Christian women I know from even touching the stuff) to (what I call) Christian "Prada lit" ...

Because (due to inflation), I wish I had a hundred dollars for every time a designer name, a brand name, a celebrity name &/or a celebrity fad was mentioned in this book (i.e. the main character, Dee Decker, inhabits a pampered, privileged, bigger-than-life world that is just about as "relatable" & realistic to me as a pioneer woman setting up shop in the middle of Egyptian nowhere in the 1800s ... )

I've also been having a hard time figuring out what (if anything) the title ("A Stitch In Time" -- from the old saying: "a stitch in time saves nine") has to do with the story/characters in this novel? Since nothing in this story is ever saved "in time" without practically unraveling first (which is diametrically opposed to the original meaning of the saying), & since the novel ends with about a guhzillion loose ends flapping forlornly in the wind, it just seems to me that titles like: "Better Late Than Never;" or "Just In The Nick Of Time;" would been better sayings to use to sum up the overall message/theme of the story?

That said, I was VERY surprised to find myself getting into this book & this character & -- while I found myself QUICKLY skimming over any sections that had too many designer names/clothing descriptions in it -- I did find Dee's situation (baby Christian) & her dilemma (pending divorce) & her obsession (designer bod) to be compelling & relevant to what real Christian women in this pressurized modern world are going through every single day ...

Because, as Dee herself says:

"I can't believe how many women wanted to talk about weight loss surgery and plastic surgery. Who says Christian women aren't interested in these topics? They just don't want anyone to know they're interested." (p. 196)

And this is precisely why, dear publishers of Christian fiction, the pendulum has swung.

What a fun read! I was delightfully surprised with this novel - it went far above and beyond what I expected when I picked it up! The cover is adorable, but it gets so much better!! =)

This is a new chick lit with a completely unique voice - one you don't want to miss! I thoroughly enjoyed the story and was very disappointed when I turned the last page. Must...read...more!!!!!!

I believe women of all ages, shapes, and sizes will be able to relate to the realistic, heartfelt characters in this novel. For example, I'm 23 - a good 30 years younger than the heroine, yet I emphasized and cheered her on with my whole heart!

If you're looking for a chick lit with a deeper storyline and realistic problems for today's woman, look no further. This is one story that entertains without the extra layer of fluff.

BUY IT NOW!! =)

A Stitch in Time was a great romance and a great read. Dee is an engaging character and the "inside story" on fund-raising fascinating. As much as I liked this book, Allison Bottke's next book, One Little Secret, is even better! Keep it up, Allison!