Customer Reviews

Suddenly Single (Urban Christian)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Shana Burton had me on the edge of my chair as I turned page after page in SUDDENLY SINGLE. Talking when she should have been listening, Vashti Hunter missed what her fiancé was telling her the night prior to what should have been the perfect wedding day. But she did have the perfect last name for what was to follow.

After being left at the altar, she goes on the hunt in all the wrong places, hunting for all the wrong things, while trying to outwit the enemy. Low self-esteem and her desperation led her to the pastor, a down-low brother, a brother in jail, a younger brother, an older brother, and drama. Throughout SUDDENLY SINGLE, I talked and laughed out loud.

Several lessons were taught in this story, some of which were to listen when others are speaking, not to allow your sisterfriends to convince you to do something you are not comfortable with and to stand still and wait on the Lord. Looking for drama, tears, laughter and a few "oh hell no's"? Then, settle down with your favorite beverage, in your favorite chair and read the debut novel by Shana Burton, SUDDENLY SINGLE.

Reviewed by Toni Bonita
for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I picked up the book at the local library on 2/17/08 and completed it by 2/18/08. The book kept my attention especially the characters Vashti. I can relate to some of the characters she chose to masked her pain BUT the God we serve is so patient with us so He can present what is right for us.
I am looking forward to reading more material from Shana Burton and from Urban Christian books. It was a pleasure to read the book and left with a peace enlightment.

Reviewed by Starr Baldwin
UrbanBookSource.com


Author Shana Johnson Burton penned a novel that will have your head spinning through the life of Vashti Hunter, the main character in Suddenly Single. Vashti Hunter knew that something was wrong when she received her fiancé's nervous phone call the night before their wedding, but she was too distracted by visions of the wedding grandeur to listen to her instincts. The day that was supposed to be the happiest day of the 26 year-old's life quickly turns into the most humiliating when she is left at the altar. Being left at the altar and not marrying the man of her dreams causes Vashti to turn to the one place she feels can help her--church. She seeks counseling from her pastor but soon discovers that he is not at all interested in helping her clear her head, but more concerned with getting into her pants.

After her ordeal with the Pastor, Vashti battles a fierce bout of depression. Once the depression is behind her she regroups and begins dating again only to find herself in a string of failed relationships--attempts with a down-low brother, a brother that has more baby-mama drama than she cared to deal with, and a few others. These escapades took Vashti further and further away from church as she tried to meet the deadline of a bet she had with her best friend Monique: Find a man and marry him in a year.

After dealing with a string of failed relationships, Vashti figures out what she does not want in a mate, but also discovers who she is in the process. It is only after she evolves into the person that she wants to be, that she finds a man who is worthy of her love. Because of the 20 year age difference, Vashti's new relationship is threatened by opposition from her family, friends, and especially her new love's daughter who resents Vashti's presence in her father's life. Only to complicate Vashti and her new love life even more, her long- lost fiancé' returns remorseful and wanting her back. The only question that remains is: Is Vashti completely and truly over him?

What did you like best about this book?
I enjoyed the fact that the author made this person real. Vashti showed real emotions that most women deal with when they have gone through a rough patch in their life. I recommend this book to those who love drama and happy endings.

What did you dislike about this book?
Although the read was fast-paced and filled with drama, the story was predictable and the main character seemingly too desperate to have a man.

How can the author improve this book?
The storyline as a whole was not bad, but it would have been nice if the pacing was better and the incidents in the story, a tad more realistic. In an attempt to stay within a time limit, the story was rushed even though there were a little over 300 pages.

All Vashti Hunter needed to do was listen, instead she was standing alone at the altar. Now distraught and very heartbroken, Vashti has to get back in the swing of things. On a serious mission to find a man she can love who is also ready to settle down, Vashti seems to find the most undesirable men out there.

Learn to wait on God! The moment Vashti does, could it be that the man she's needed was always by her side?

While reading SUDDENLY SINGLE I was able to laugh at some of the issues, but it also saddened me that Vashti was dripping in desperation. SUDDENLY SINGLE is a good book with some comical twists that I can easily recommend to others!

Reviewed by: Carmen

4.5 STARS

Shana Burton's debut novel leaves me looking forward to her upcoming release. I truly enjoyed Vashti Hunter's story. Even though I found myself frustrated at her for the decisions she made, I couldn't stop reading to see how it would all turn out, LOL.

Some times we do go astray and try to find our own way. We make poor choices, but if we're lucky, we find our way back home to God's awaiting arms. Shana's story shows how even Christians can fall down, but it's not about the fall; it's how you rise above it all.

I truly enjoyed reading Suddenly Single and I highly recommend it!

I have not been one to read fiction, but I read this book since I know the author personally. I must say that I was impressed. The subject matter is not one that "Church Folk" like to read (or claim) because it "doesn't look good on us." Well, this is real life. The story itself is fiction, but for many women it is non-fiction. Grant it, the speed of Vashti's relationships is not an everyday occuring event, though it does happen, but if you slow it down to maybe a two to three year time frame, it happens everyday. I appreaciate the discussion that it triggers, for me at least, are we looking the man to satisfy our lives or are we going to allow God to bring us our husbands? Better yet, will we be content with God's Will for our lives if it is for us not to be married?
Love the story and can't wait for the next book.

After the humiliating experience of being left at the altar, Vashti
Hunter's life begins spiraling out of control. She finds herself
doing the very things she is certain are morally wrong.

On the surface, some of the situations Vashti finds herself in are
just plain ridiculous. Blindly, Vashti compromises her livelihood,
reputation and worth, with undeserving men in an attempt to fill
the voids in her life. Taking a deeper look, however, Suddenly Single
is a very realististic portrait of a woman controlled by insecurity
and low-self esteem.

Shana Burton has done an outstanding job of demonstrating the
necessity of putting God first and looking to Him to find our
identity and self-worth.

Wanda B. Campbell
for The Culture Clique Book Club

If you love drama and like to read about people who are more screwed up than you, then you'll want to buy this book! I highly recommend it!

Author Shana Johnson Burton penned a novel that will have your head spinning through the life of Vashti Hunter, the main character in "Suddenly Single." Within the first 30 pages, Vashti found herself stood up at the church on her wedding day, a week later bent over a pastor's desk, and met a man who had baby mama drama to the max... and he wanted her to be his wife!

Turning to the internet only produced a down-low brother, and her resolve to give another brother a chance sent her to jail for something she did not do. These escapades took Vashti further and further away from the church as she tried to meet the deadline of a bet she had with her best friend, Monique: Find a man and marry him in a year.

"Suddenly Single" had my mouth hanging open no sooner than I began to read, and the choices Vashti made certainly did not line up with the young lady who was raised to respect herself. When so much happened so early in the book, I was sure it could not get any better than that, but this fast-paced book surprised me in that Vashti continued to make one foolish mistake after another. Throw in some new family teen-age rebellion, a twenty-year age gap and Monique's (Vashti's best friend) gold-digging, cheating drama, it was more than evident that Vashti needed to go sit down and get some sense or go back and pick up the morals she was raised with.

Although the read was fast-paced and filled with drama, the story was predictable and the main character seemingly too desperate to have a man. The book received a solid '3' because the grammar and structure were excellent. The storyline as a whole was not bad, but it woud have beenniceif the pacing was better and the incidents in the story more realistic. In an attempt to stay within a time limit, the story was rushed even though there were a little over 300 pages

I recommend this book to those who love drama and happy endings.


Reviewed by Sharel E. Gordon-Love
APOOO BookClub

I usually don't indulge in this type of fiction because I don't like to be preached to. However, what I found between the pages of Suddenly Single was not a thinly-veiled Sunday morning sermon, but a real, honest, and hilarious look at what it's like to be saved and single in today's society.

The book opens with the lead character, Vashti Hunter, being stood up on the worst possible day-- her wedding day. Following this, she makes a bet with her best friend that she can be married within 365 days.

During her "hunt" for a new man, Vashti encounters everything from an affair with her pastor to babymama drama and a whirlwind romance with a R&B star. In her quest to find a mate, she overlooks what is right in front of her for most of the book. When finally does notice him, her ex-fiance comes back on the scene, begging for a second chance, and Vashti is left having to choose between following her head and following her heart.

If you are looking for a "how-to" guide for finding the perfect mate, this is NOT the book to read. This girl screws up (and around) so many times that it made me feel so much better about all of the stupid decisions I've made about men. It also reminded me of how dangerous it is to need a man or relationship to validate you as a person.

The book is funny, thought-provoking, and an all-around good read. It was very hard to put down, and I will definately be looking for more books from this author.