Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Price of Friendship and Faith, April 13, 2008
Valeria A. Howard, in her debut novel, tells the story of Cecilia Ann
Richards or Sassy. Sassy, who is the top marketing executive for an
elite corporation, is single, confident, independent and saved. She
also has a way of telling everyone, without a bat of her eye, exactly
what is on her mind. Sassy believes that the only way to succeed is to
speak only the truth. She credits her success to her parents and her
friend Amber, who has grown from a wall flower to owner of a fitness
center; her boyfriend, Darnell, who is building a successful career
as a recording artist; and her neighbor, Jayna, who has recently
joined her church.
Howard was able to put together a short but compelling story of faith
and friendship. As Sassy struggled to maintain her overachiever' s
level of order, she lost sight of her friendship with Amber and
Jayna. She lost faith in Darnell, who wanted fame and fortune at any
cost and she compromised her position at work that could have cost
the company money. In only 150 pages, Howard put together a very
heartwarming story of what could happen when you put material things
first in your life. I look forward to reading her next longer
novel.
Reviewed by: Priscilla C. Johnson
APOOO BookClub
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Such Sassy Writing!, August 12, 2008
Sassy is not just the nickname for Cecilia Richards, it's her namesake. She is Miss Priss, Miss Thang, and Miss Manners all rolled into one. She is quick to judge and to tell her friends what she thinks of their business, but you best not be sticking your nose in hers. Sassy is written by Valerie Howard, and not since early E. Lynn Harris or Eric Jerome Dickey have I read such a fun, enthralling, and gossipy tale.
Sassy is always right, even when she's wrong. She prides herself on letting her friends know when they are out of place by pointing out their imperfections. Her best friend, Amber, is involved in a torrid affair with a married man. Sassy's neighbor, Jayna, holds a deep dark secretive past, keeping it from her own husband, and has just joined Sassy's church. Being a top executive, Sassy believes that to stay on top you must always tell the truth. And the truth hurts!
But Sassy is not without fault. Rather than cherishing her close friendships, she risks losing them because of the way she's been judging her friends. Her boyfriend, Darnell, is losing interest in her as he focuses his energy on becoming a successful recording artist. And Sassy also risks her reputation with her employer by making bad decisions that could have cost her company a ton of money.
A good job, strong faith, a loyal man, and close loving friends, you'd think Cecilia has it all and she practically does. But with her eyes focused on her own personal order and materialistic gain, she loses focus on the relationships and values that should be most important. She thinks she has everything and everyone figured out, but her attention is being drawn in the wrong direction.
Her wake up call comes when Darnell is tempted by the star of his music video, and her employer contemplates which ad exec will help her with a multimilllion dollar ad campaign without consulting her. These slaps to the face help to wake up Cecilia and open her eyes to the the true values in life that are right in front of her. The heart of the novel really hits home here for those of us who are fast forwarding through life and forgetting those things that should be more important to us!
My only qualm with Ms. Howard's debut novel is that it is awfully short. Howard has a true gift for creating memorable characters, comparable to Harris's own Raymond, Tyler, and Nicole who've we grown to love over the years. But just as you really feel like you are sitting down with these characters and getting wrapped up in their dramas, they are quickly resolved and we move on to the next. There is not enough time spent with each storyline to really have a chance to absorb it. I wanted to know these characters just a bit more.
But, I could definitely see Sassy and Darnell becoming the focus of a string of novels. With a bit more attention to developing and playing out her characters and their intricate plots, I know Valerie Howard could top the list in popular African American fiction today! Kudos to her and her "sassy" novel!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
You Can't Blame The Messenger - Or Can You?, July 21, 2008
(Official Apex Reviews Rating: 3.5 Stars)
Nobody's perfect...right? Sassy knows she's not - at least, she says she's not; however, her friends seem to think otherwise. After all, she always seems to have an opinion on what they do with their lives. As someone who is very close to God, she tries to do her best to live as He would want her to and tries to help her friends live the same way. However, not everyone wants to listen to her message, and she soon learns that how she delivers her message is just as important as the message itself.
Sassy is a successful marketing executive living in Chicago, who is cultivating a deeper, more meaningful relationship with a friend she has had for several years. Darnell is an up-and-coming R&B star who is just beginning his rise to fame; however, he's led down a path that draws him further and further from Sassy (and God, for that matter) and puts their relationship in jeopardy. He very nearly succumbs to temptation in the form of a very beautiful and successful model, and Darnell's manager wants him to do anything it takes to make his name. A lot of money is at stake, as are Darnell's heart and soul. Sassy does what she can to keep him on the right path and help him mend his relationship with his father, but it's difficult when he travels so far away for his work.
Meanwhile, Sassy is trying to help her friends, David and Jayna, through their marriage difficulties, which are further complicated when Jayna becomes pregnant (much to her dismay). Another friend, Amber, has made many choices in her life that Sassy has not approved of, the most recent of which has been to date a married man. At work, Sassy must choose between two less-than-ideal candidates to add to her very successful marketing team. It's a lot to juggle, but Sassy has God on her side to lead the way. If she can just keep her friends from turning their backs on her and her judgmental ways and convince Darnell to put as much into their relationship as she tries to, things could be perfect.
In Sassy, Ms. Howard delivers a simple, yet profound message: if you just put your life into the hands of God, He will guide you. There is another important lesson to be learned here, though, which is that Christians must be careful how they try to teach this message so as not to alienate the recipient. Despite this theme, which runs throughout the book, Sassy is an entertaining read and not overbearingly preachy.
Ms. Howard injects humor into her story, with delightful interactions that make her characters real and fun to read about. They are people you can imagine knowing, perhaps at work or living upstairs in your apartment building. They all have their own problems and travel their own journeys, learning important lessons along the way. The main drawback to Sassy is that it needs professional editing and formatting, and it could be further developed to enrich the stories and characters, but the writing is quite readable and enjoyable in its current edition.
Jennifer Walker
Apex Reviews
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