Customer Reviews

The Bum Magnet

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

By the description of this book I had a good feeling that it would be a bit smarter and more entertaining than most chick-lit, but I still couldn't shake the chick-lit stigma I was putting on it. Upon actually reading the book I found I was right and very wrong. The book wasn't just smart and entertaining, but it also surpassed the genre of chick-lit.

The main character is nothing like me; our ages are distant, our economic status is distant (she's a professional and I'm...not), she is jaded when it comes to love and I am still young enough to be socially acceptably naive about it. That's the short list and still I could relate so much to Charisse. As a woman, in her wants and needs and dedication to her loved ones, and as a person in the same respects. The character was so well defined and three dimensional that even though I had NOTHING in common with her, I could constantly put myself in her place, making the book more interactive than just passive.

What I loved most about the evolution and character of Charisse's life, and the men in it, were that you were shown the good and the bad in the same stark and truthful light. Charisse wasn't perfect, the men she dated weren't perfect, and even those who you felt so disgusted by at times had their good sides. You still could understand how Charisse would and could form relationships with them.

Without spoiling anything, I'll simply say the man she finally ended up with was GREAT. Again, realistic but still a great leading man. One I don't walk away from the story thinking `it wouldn't actually last'. It was perfect. It was sweet. It was sigh worthy.

On a final (and IMPORTANT) note, the tone of the book was overall upbeat in what seemed like a dismal life from time to time. This made the humor easy and flawless. There were a lot of times that I laughed out loud and that last scene will remain one of my favorites for a long time.

I enjoyed the book somewhat. the "heroine" of the book was too stupid at times for me to get into the story as much as I wanted, I had a few laugh out loud moments and the girlfriend back and forth banter was interesting, all and all it was to "chick litish", but I would recommend it for a quick enjoyable read

I enjoyed the free Kindle sample of this book, so I bought the whole book. I read it, and enjoyed it, but I was a bit disconcerted by the language and the main character's single-mindedness about sex and men. This book was written by a black author, and all characters are black - I am white - and the language and alternate culture shown in the book took me a bit by surprise. If you don't like raw language (no swearing, just 'street' language) you might want to pass on this.

On the positive side, this was an excellent portrayal of a successful 40-ish woman with emotional baggage that was keeping her from being all she could be. She fell into toxic relationship after toxic relationship, blaming the guys for being 'bums' without understanding how her own baggage made her pick men that were only going to reinforce her existing gender stereotypes. The book is the story of her coming to terms with her past and her baggage (and dumping a lot of it), and meeting 'Mr. Right' in the process. Just about any woman, of any background, would be able to relate to her, though I agree with another reviewer who said that she was frustrating at times.

There were just so many things that happened to Charisse that a woman who is written as so intelligent, wouldnt seem to continue making the same mistakes in choosing men over and over again, the title of the book certainly fits because every man she was with was certainly a bum. Charisse was so smarting but so dumb at the same time. She saw the writing on the wall with all of her men, but stayed involved with them despite the truth being right in her face. The story was interesting and kept me entertained, but at times I just could not relate to the stupidity of this 39-40 year old woman. I am intrigued enough though to want to read he sequel to see how her life turns out.

Charisse Tyson would just as much tie a bone around her collar to justify the amount of dogs that enter her life. It seems as though just as she ditches one loser, another one sprouts up in his path proving to be even more conniving and destitute than the one before. How can she shake the disparity that causes losers to continuously cross their paths?

I absolutely loved this book. It had humor, it had emotion, it had the truth of relationships wrapped up in a not so pretty bow. Charisse proves that love can be a tricky, tricky thing. We desire to find the one who not only will sweep us off our feet but will keep us in midair suspended. This proves to not only often to be a façade but traps her in false hope, until harsh reality sets in. This was definitely a page turner that I could barely stand to put down. All women can certainly relate as they ask themselves, "Am I a Bum Magnet?"

Reviewed by:
Nikkea Smithers
RWA Bookclub President

I normally wouldn't have picked up a book like this because I'm more into the street lit or Zane type books. I bought this at the going out of buisness sale that Borders was having and boy am I glad. This book was a refreshing, insightful story about not letting your instincts take control and you heart constantly having the lead and how it causes you to be a bum magnet. I may be 14 years younger then the main character but I can still relate on so many different levels. The author did a great job discussing the issues without being to preachy or to boring. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a funny, easy read about the stressful dating world. I can't wait to read more from this author.

For those of us who have reached a certain age, and succeeded in other venues than love, Charisse is an instantly identifiable character.

As the Every Woman who reaches for chocolate, shopping, and the occasional tipple to comfort her when there's no one else to do so, Charisse nails it. I was rolling on the floor laughing when she talked about having a theme song that changed on an annual basis.

But as one reviewer said, it doesn't matter whether you're Black or White or Asian -- Charisse's feelings, wants and desires can be seen in any mirror in any bathroom across the country. I liked how she went back to the beginning and analyzed each of her relationships, and examined her own part in their failures. It was done with humor, style, and then the payoff.

Charisse isn't perfect, but she keeps trying, and most importantly, learning. And I have to say, I learned a bit about myself watching her bumble along.

It was an enjoyable few hours... you go girl.

I know EXACTLY how Charisse feels. Yep. I'm a bum magnet myself. I've ALWAYS attracted the WRONG kind of guys. Could be why I'm divorced and a single mom of 2 boys. But, I wouldn't trade my bum magnet problem for the world, because I wouldn't have my amazing boys if I didn't. So, when I read the synopsis of K.L. Brady's book, I jumped on it. It would be a book that I could totally connect with. I wasn't wrong! I loved every single word and laughter of this story. K.L. Brady knocked a home run with this novel.

Charisse was a woman I wish I could have been. She braved the front of evaluating her past relationships, trying to see where it was that each one went wrong. Looking back on each of these relationships, man, I was laughing til I thought I'd die. The words that K.L. Brady used to bring the scenes to life for the reader, wow! TOTALLY awesome. Really gripping and fun.

A wonderful story of self evaluation, and coming to terms with being a bum magnet. That's a plot line that I don't think has been covered before. Sure, there are lots of books about meeting and falling for the wrong one, but the way K. L. Brady embraced this plot was awesometastic! It was definitely a fast paced enjoyable read.

I highly recommend this story to all the single women out there. If you're wondering where the heck you're going wrong with attracting the "right" guy, well, let K.L. Brady and Charisse walk you through the process of why the bums are attracted. I know I won't look at being single and the wrong guys the same away again! This is definitely a 5 Book worthy rating in my opinion. Be prepared for a bit of whirl wind romance, lots of laughs and some "go girl"'s thrown in. I am looking forward to reading another one of this fantastic author's pieces of work.

Charisse Tyson had it going on; she was beautiful, had a wonderful personality, great job and owned a home that was bought to prepare for a family. However, if she continued to choose the wrong man to share her life with, her dream of marriage and children would never be realized in Author K.L. Brady's The Bum Magnet.

It has been said that if you attract the same type of man, it speaks volumes on the type of woman you are, but Charisse seemed to disregard it and her intuition and fall for a man she instinctively knew was not right for her. But when she caught her long-time boyfriend with another woman in her car, she had had enough. It was time to look back over her past relationships and find the source of her problem and do something about it.

Pulling out her journal, Charisse addressed each and every past relationship, reliving the details, the ups and downs, and finally the demise of what she wanted to be a path to the altar. In this way, she was able to view who she was and make promises to herself to change, yet she still found herself repeating past mistakes and trying to justify why it kept happening.

Will Charisse ever meet the man for her, or will she continue to repeat the mistakes of her past? Assessing past bad relationships are a good start, but will she find the true reason behind going against what she knew was right to find love and happiness?

I enjoyed reading The Bum Magnet because of the engaging way Author Brady was able to include the main character's journal without interrupting the flow of the story. I recommend this book to women who find that they attract the wrong person in relationships in their quest to find the right man.

This book was provided to me courtesy of the publisher for review purposes.

Review by Sharel E. Gordon-Love
APOOO BookClub

Clever and humorous is the best way to describe this read in my opinion. I enjoyed the book from beginning to end. I enjoyed watching how the main character tried to self theropy herself into changing her choices when it comes to men. It was a great ending to a list of bad relationships with the wrong guys. With a bit of romance, pinch of humor and hint of reality, this book was all in all a great read for me.