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Ain't She Sweet?
In high school Sugar Carey had reigned supreme. She alone had decided what or who was cool. Her spiral perm had been the perm against which all others were measured, and her opinion on which boys were acceptable to date the only one that counted. A beautiful, blonde - if not always benevolent - dictator, she had a reputation for being the wild child in her home town, the girl most likely to set the world on fire, and leave a trail of destruction in her wake. When she left home she swore she'd never return. Only now, fifteen years and several husbands later, she's run out of money, luck and options...But Sugar arrives back home to discover that everyone else is living her life. Her half sister is married to Sugar's high school sweetheart, the teacher she schemed to get fired is now a successful novelist and owns her old house. She also discovers that people have long memories - especially where Sugar is concerned...
464 pages, Paperback
First published February 17, 2004
About the author
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
50 books15.1k followersSUSAN ELIZABETH PHILLIPS
Susan Elizabeth Phillips has been called the “Queen of Romantic Comedy and is the creator of the sports romance, beginning with her 1989 bestseller, FANCY PANTS. An internationally acclaimed author, her books have been published in over 30 languages. She’s the only four-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Favorite Book of the Year Award, and a recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award.
Susan's newest book, SIMPLY THE BEST, is coming in hardcover, ebook and audiobook in February 2024. SIMPLY THE BEST is book #10 in the highly acclaimed CHICAGO STARS football series. Susan is also known for the Wynette, Texas book series and many stand-alone women's fiction/romance novels.
In addition to being a New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and USA Today bestseller, she is a hiker, lazy gardener, horrible singer, passable cook, passionate reader, wife, mother of two grown sons, and grandmother.
You can visit Susan on Facebook, Instagram or on her website.
https://www.facebook.com/SusanElizabe...
https://www.instagram.com/SEPauthor/
http://susanelizabethphillips.com/
Susan Elizabeth Phillips has been called the “Queen of Romantic Comedy and is the creator of the sports romance, beginning with her 1989 bestseller, FANCY PANTS. An internationally acclaimed author, her books have been published in over 30 languages. She’s the only four-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Favorite Book of the Year Award, and a recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award.
Susan's newest book, SIMPLY THE BEST, is coming in hardcover, ebook and audiobook in February 2024. SIMPLY THE BEST is book #10 in the highly acclaimed CHICAGO STARS football series. Susan is also known for the Wynette, Texas book series and many stand-alone women's fiction/romance novels.
In addition to being a New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and USA Today bestseller, she is a hiker, lazy gardener, horrible singer, passable cook, passionate reader, wife, mother of two grown sons, and grandmother.
You can visit Susan on Facebook, Instagram or on her website.
https://www.facebook.com/SusanElizabe...
https://www.instagram.com/SEPauthor/
http://susanelizabethphillips.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,669 reviews
August 3, 2020
5 Stars
I'm blown away.
Suddenly all other books look pale in comparison. Even those I've five-starred before.
You know that saying about readers and different tastes? I wish it wasn't true. Because I want all of you to see its beauty. I want all of you to experience everything I felt while reading it. I want all of you to adore it as much as I do.
I am not ready to move on to the next book. Am not ready.
I'm blown away.
Suddenly all other books look pale in comparison. Even those I've five-starred before.
You know that saying about readers and different tastes? I wish it wasn't true. Because I want all of you to see its beauty. I want all of you to experience everything I felt while reading it. I want all of you to adore it as much as I do.
I am not ready to move on to the next book. Am not ready.
October 14, 2010
Have you ever experienced reading and enjoying it, until the author says something, which is quite unforgiveable that it destroyed almost everything?
Well, I did. Susan Elizabeth Phillips had done that mistake.
One of the characters of the book described a pug, UGLY.
I love pugs.
How can this pug be ugly?
Pugsley, my pet dog, God bless his soul, is really adorable. How could anyone call him ugly?
And now, Pugsley is crying.
But despite my seething anger, I continued on, chanting She called a pug ugly again and again. But obviously, the chanting didn't work. I still loved this book.
How could I hate it, when I was still up 3am in the morning, trying to finish it? And, pray, tell me, how I could hate a book with a hero who has a British accent? That got me all weak in the knees already.
Speaking aside, the story is cute and the happily ending well deserved. The bantering of the H/h is refreshing. The dialogues are all witty and humorous. I was laughing loud so often, I thought the doctors are going to take me away.
The plot, though not actually unique, (the heroine had three ex-husbands and was a mean ass is high school) is still good, since Susan Elizabeth Phillips added tons of new stuff to it, that it became an original.
I should also mention that this book taught me that it's never too late for love. Despite all the heartaches that can come my way, we should never close our doors. And also, it's never to late to ask for sorry.
This book is 97th on the All About Romance Top 100 list. And I'm wondering why it isn't any higher.
BTW, Susan, I forgive you for saying that a pug is ugly.
However, I think Pugsley does not. He takes things quite seriously. He is deeply hurt, thus, the frown.
Well, I did. Susan Elizabeth Phillips had done that mistake.
One of the characters of the book described a pug, UGLY.
I love pugs.
How can this pug be ugly?
Pugsley, my pet dog, God bless his soul, is really adorable. How could anyone call him ugly?
And now, Pugsley is crying.
But despite my seething anger, I continued on, chanting She called a pug ugly again and again. But obviously, the chanting didn't work. I still loved this book.
How could I hate it, when I was still up 3am in the morning, trying to finish it? And, pray, tell me, how I could hate a book with a hero who has a British accent? That got me all weak in the knees already.
Speaking aside, the story is cute and the happily ending well deserved. The bantering of the H/h is refreshing. The dialogues are all witty and humorous. I was laughing loud so often, I thought the doctors are going to take me away.
The plot, though not actually unique, (the heroine had three ex-husbands and was a mean ass is high school) is still good, since Susan Elizabeth Phillips added tons of new stuff to it, that it became an original.
I should also mention that this book taught me that it's never too late for love. Despite all the heartaches that can come my way, we should never close our doors. And also, it's never to late to ask for sorry.
This book is 97th on the All About Romance Top 100 list. And I'm wondering why it isn't any higher.
BTW, Susan, I forgive you for saying that a pug is ugly.
However, I think Pugsley does not. He takes things quite seriously. He is deeply hurt, thus, the frown.
November 18, 2013
5 Stars! A book you can sink your teeth into. It consumed me. In no way did I think these characters could endear themselves to me, particularly Sugar Beth, but much to my surprise not only did I like them, I was rooting for a good outcome!
No one, I mean no one, can write snarky witty dialogue like SEP can, and how she managed to make me like some of these characters is beyond my thinking at the moment.
I don’t even know where to start with this one, but in the beginning, I just couldn’t see how anything good could come of this story, but hell, what do I know?! You just don’t know about someone, until you really get to know them. You think you know what drives them, but do you really?! Talk about a mean girl, Sugar Beth takes the crown, and yet, she turned out to be one of the most appealing characters I’ve ever had the pleasure to read about. Colin is the last person you would think could forgive, but not until he's exacted his revenge. However, revenge can be bittersweet, especially when the one you want to hurt is the last person in the world you should be hurting, but you don’t realize it until everything is set in motion, then it just becomes painful and you are powerless to stop it. Sugar Beth's strength and resolve floored Colin and me!
I will stop rambling now, but if you are looking for something different, a book that will make your head spin, make you contemplate why people do what they do, then read this! The ending is worth the pain it drags everyone through, including the reader!
*Thank you KarLyn for recommending this SEP! It’s no wonder it’s one of your favorites, it’s now one of mine too! I can definitely see myself reading this again!
October 3, 2013
It is six o'clock in the morning. I have no reason to be up right now except for the fact that finishing this book gave me the worst night's sleep I've had in a long time. Man this book bothered me! (Please excuse the following rant, I really need to get this out of my system!!!)
First off, I love SEP, and I have a habit of finishing her books in one sitting because of how good they are. This time I finished the book in one sitting because I was so frustrated I couldn't bear to go to bed with it unfinished.
To begin with, the whole Winnie premise made not a lick of sense to me - she MARRIED Ryan, for God's sake, and became best friend with every mean hateful girl from highschool. Forgave every.single.one. Not one grudge held on any of them....???
And her best friends hate Sugar Beth for forgetting them after highschool? Seriously? That's the reason to be so cruel? And suddenly they're Winnie's best friends? Seriously? These characters need to GROW UP.
I just couldn't handle it. It literally set my teeth on edge. Winnie was uncompromising and mean. Look, she had it rough I grant you and Sugar Beth was terrible during highschool. The things she did were horribly mean spirited and I felt so sorry for Winnie. There needed to be some come-uppance, but I hated how it was handled.
I especially hated Winnie's inability to feel ANY empathy. It completely ruined her as a character. From her very first comment: "let the games begin" I started to dislike her. Winnie had already got EVERYTHING - the whole town was on her side, everyone already knew Sugar Beth had been terrible, and Winnie had inherited (and sold) every single piece of Sugar Beth's history. Seriously, the comeuppance had already HAPPENED. So when she was so rude at the party I could agree with Colin that I was ashamed she couldn't rise above the situation. Even after the wine down the front of her shirt when she told Sugar Beth to get her fork...my God I could have screamed. Honestly. Screamed.
Sugar Beth needed to be taken to task for her behaviour, yes. But her comment "I feel like I was raped" after Colin's book is published is apt. They really whipped her raw. And no fancy wedding made up for that for me.
THIS WAS TERRIBLE.
First off, I love SEP, and I have a habit of finishing her books in one sitting because of how good they are. This time I finished the book in one sitting because I was so frustrated I couldn't bear to go to bed with it unfinished.
To begin with, the whole Winnie premise made not a lick of sense to me - she MARRIED Ryan, for God's sake, and became best friend with every mean hateful girl from highschool. Forgave every.single.one. Not one grudge held on any of them....???
And her best friends hate Sugar Beth for forgetting them after highschool? Seriously? That's the reason to be so cruel? And suddenly they're Winnie's best friends? Seriously? These characters need to GROW UP.
I just couldn't handle it. It literally set my teeth on edge. Winnie was uncompromising and mean. Look, she had it rough I grant you and Sugar Beth was terrible during highschool. The things she did were horribly mean spirited and I felt so sorry for Winnie. There needed to be some come-uppance, but I hated how it was handled.
I especially hated Winnie's inability to feel ANY empathy. It completely ruined her as a character. From her very first comment: "let the games begin" I started to dislike her. Winnie had already got EVERYTHING - the whole town was on her side, everyone already knew Sugar Beth had been terrible, and Winnie had inherited (and sold) every single piece of Sugar Beth's history. Seriously, the comeuppance had already HAPPENED. So when she was so rude at the party I could agree with Colin that I was ashamed she couldn't rise above the situation. Even after the wine down the front of her shirt when she told Sugar Beth to get her fork...my God I could have screamed. Honestly. Screamed.
Sugar Beth needed to be taken to task for her behaviour, yes. But her comment "I feel like I was raped" after Colin's book is published is apt. They really whipped her raw. And no fancy wedding made up for that for me.
THIS WAS TERRIBLE.
December 4, 2022
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I'm OBSESSED with how good this was. I found it in the cruise ship's library the day before we left Mexico and I loved it so much I ended up taking it home with me to finish. I actually didn't like my first Susan Elizabeth Philips book that I read because it was one of those '90s romances that ages really badly and I thought the hero was a total douche. But this was absolutely fantastic and I positively ate it up (which just goes to show that sometimes an author deserves a second chance).
Sugar Beth Carey was the Queen Mean Bee of her tiny Missouri town when she was a teenager. And her favorite person to terrorize was the shyest girl in school, Winnie, who also was her illegitimate half-sister. Her second favorite person to terrorize was Colin Byrne, her senior English teacher who was only four years older than some of his students. She ruined Winnie's life and ended up getting Colin fired. Now they both despise her, nursing a grudge against her for over a decade. When Sugar Beth returns to town in disgrace, they can't wait to plan their revenge.
There was just so much about this that I loved. A bad girl redeemed, a heroine who's allowed to be flawed and play dirty and not be nice. A British hero who's a little bit cruel but mostly good-hearted (he reminded me of a nicer version of Gavin from my Horrorscape series, actually; I love a man who comes off as a prude who's dirty in bed). The small town dynamics were done so well, and I loved all the secondary plot threads, like about Winnie's goth-wannabe teenage daughter, Gigi, and her sort of second-chance romance with her husband, when their marriage starts to stagnate. Oh, and bless this author for writing a Black woman and not making her a stereotype (as so many other older contemporary romances tried not to but totally did). I loved that she was a lesbian who ran a bookstore, and how she managed to get her revenge in too.
Clearly I need to start revisiting some of SEP's other books because I couldn't put this one down and it stressed me out and still left me with a smile. I just bought KISS AN ANGEL by her and can't wait to read it next. This was the most fun I've had with a contemporary romance in AGES.
5 stars
April 18, 2020
No surprise here! I loved it when I read it and I loved it just a little more when I listened to it.
************************************************
Keeping this one short and sweet! ❤
Most of you already know that Susan Elizabeth Phillips is one my most favorite authors. I had gone on a binge not too long ago and read through quite a few of her books, falling in love with most all of them. I had saved a few for my inevitable need for a little of the magic she so easily delivers with her writing.
Ain't She Sweet gave me that magic and it was a fabulous read. It was SEP telling a story in her true form. Giving us two main characters that were completely lovable apart and when they were together they were delectable. Then top that off with side characters that are fun and quirky and you get all of the greatness. They truly are the ones that strengthens the story line and wraps everything together perfectly.
I'm happy. I'm content. If you love SEP and haven't read this one, move it up your TBR. You are missing out on a gem.
July 24, 2022
Just love it!
FANTASTIC! My FAV COMFY Re-read, when im low, problems, etc... Its my first choice!
EXCELLENT!
RE_RE_RE_RE_READ and Will read it again
RE-RE-RE-RE-RE-----READ!!!
FAV HEROINE EVER!!! TOP 1 HEROINE!
FAV MAIN CHARACTERS EVER!!!!
LOVE THIS BOOK!!!
Multiple reread, 5 stars!!!
Brilliant, beautiful story!! love this book! Just love it!!!
It's my 3 or 4 re-read. I love this book! I adore MCs.
Shitty parents don't deserve being parents!!!
Reread in 2019.
Excellent! Still one of my favourite books!
FANTASTIC! My FAV COMFY Re-read, when im low, problems, etc... Its my first choice!
EXCELLENT!
RE_RE_RE_RE_READ and Will read it again
RE-RE-RE-RE-RE-----READ!!!
FAV HEROINE EVER!!! TOP 1 HEROINE!
FAV MAIN CHARACTERS EVER!!!!
LOVE THIS BOOK!!!
Multiple reread, 5 stars!!!
Brilliant, beautiful story!! love this book! Just love it!!!
It's my 3 or 4 re-read. I love this book! I adore MCs.
Shitty parents don't deserve being parents!!!
Reread in 2019.
Excellent! Still one of my favourite books!
April 17, 2014
The girl everybody loves to hate has returned to the town she'd sworn to leave behind forever. As the rich, spoiled princess of Parrish, Mississippi, Sugar Beth Carey had broken hearts, ruined friendships, and destroyed reputations. But fifteen years have passed, and life has taught Sugar Beth its toughest lessons. Now she's come home—broke, desperate, and too proud to show it
Liked this one a lot. Had read it years ago but had sort of forgotten what it was about. Sugar Beth was such a strong character. Yeah, she had grown up in the fifteen years since she had left... Aren't most girls kinda bitches in High School? Maybe not all, but some. But would the town of Parrish forgive and forget. And would the High School English teacher forgive and forget also.
“Colin : “Perhaps now is the time to tell you that I have a weakness for agreeable women.”
Sugar Beth : “Well, that sure does leave me out.”
Colin : “Exactly. With agreeable women, I’m unendingly considerate. Gallant even.”
Sugar Beth : “But with tarts like me, the gloves are off, is that it?”
Colin : “I wouldn’t exactly call you a tart. But then, I tend to be broad-minded.”
Colin Byrne (yeah, his Dad was Irish) came across as a bit of a Dandy and a Fop! But still a lovable Dandy.
Liked this one a lot. Had read it years ago but had sort of forgotten what it was about. Sugar Beth was such a strong character. Yeah, she had grown up in the fifteen years since she had left... Aren't most girls kinda bitches in High School? Maybe not all, but some. But would the town of Parrish forgive and forget. And would the High School English teacher forgive and forget also.
“Colin : “Perhaps now is the time to tell you that I have a weakness for agreeable women.”
Sugar Beth : “Well, that sure does leave me out.”
Colin : “Exactly. With agreeable women, I’m unendingly considerate. Gallant even.”
Sugar Beth : “But with tarts like me, the gloves are off, is that it?”
Colin : “I wouldn’t exactly call you a tart. But then, I tend to be broad-minded.”
Colin Byrne (yeah, his Dad was Irish) came across as a bit of a Dandy and a Fop! But still a lovable Dandy.
June 4, 2018
3 June 2018 reread: This is as good as I remembered. I acquired the audio via Overdrive to see if that made a difference. It did, but not for the better (which was a surprise as I generally enjoy a Southern accent and this has lots of those). I didn't like the emotional interpretation, particularly near the end when Sugar Beth is uncertain. The narrator added frantic and more despair than I think was warranted. Also, the narrator inflected some of the Grand Sophy quotes (each chapter starts with a Heyer quote) in ways you'd know were wrong if you were familiar with the story and that irked me, too.
-----------------
This was a complete delight from start to finish. Francis Elizabeth (who everybody calls Sugar Beth because this is the South, apparently) was a very rich and entitled teen in a very small town. Her dad was the most important businessman and her mom the most important social director. For the most part, it seems her rule was strict though benevolent, but with two exceptions. The first is Winnie Davis. Sugar Beth takes every opportunity to isolate, pick on, and even terrorize the lonely brain. The second is the new, young teacher she got fired by leveling accusations of sexual misconduct. And then she went on to college where she torched all her remaining connection to the town by callously dumping her High School sweetheart and being too good for her friends.
So Sugar Beth was very bad, with some outright evil in her past. And her life went downhill from there with a string of no-good exes and a drop into poverty. And like many (but not all) who find themselves at the end of their resources, Sugar Beth did some soul searching so we find her at the beginning of this book as a reformed woman forced by circumstances to return to town and take all the bitter recriminations and payback she knows she deserves. Making this go from potentially painful to probable torture is that Winnie Davis is now the town social director and she married Sugar's HS sweetheart who is now the owner of the local company enterprise and leading businessman. So Sugar has been a hiss and a byword for near a decade. What made this engaging is that Sugar Beth doesn't indulge in excuses or try to manipulate others on the strength of her reformation. Yes, she's a better person, but she also knows exactly what she did and that she pretty much deserves all the petty spite she receives. Part of her new-found strength is becoming self-reliant enough to trust her heart and to be honestly doing her best to be kind and helpful even as she's trying to find the McGuffin she needs to take care of a dependent who needs her. So she's strong and courageous and in such a way that she doesn't feel she has to prove it to everybody else.
And, of course, that teacher she got fired? Yeah, he's back, too, and interested in his pound of flesh. I liked Colin and I was really glad that SEP kept his revenge reasonable (he really is a fundamentally nice guy). Given that this is a romance and we knew he'd come to regret being mean it was good to see him, yes, enjoy the payback a bit, but also to understand that he isn't so much the bitter jerk he could have been as he is a mostly-nice guy presented with a golden opportunity for some quality entertainment. Plus, his banter with Sugar Beth is outstanding. Seriously, it is worth the read for that alone.
I really enjoyed the underlying theme of redemption and kindness and empowerment and being true to yourself. And I liked that Sugar's repentance was independent of the forgiveness extended by others. She apologized, sincerely, and that was really all she could do at this stage as her ability to repair anything had been stripped by the disaster her life had become. It took a lot of strength of character and I loved seeing her rise to the occasion—and watching that affect and engage and even inspire Colin was rather fun as well.
And SEP knocks the secondary characters and plots out of the park as well. Since this takes place in a small Southern town, that's important to note. I won't go into details except to say that I really liked how it came together with all the complexity it needed, without bogging down the main plotline unduly.
So yeah, strong on all fronts and a solid five stars.
A note about Steamy: I let too much time pass before reviewing this, so I no longer recall the exact number of explicit sex scenes. It was the middle of my steam tolerance but edging up, as I recall. And yes, there was a secondary romance with some heat to it, as well. Frankly, I really enjoyed that secondary romance as it involved another redemption/forgiveness arc, but in a completely different way from Sugar's.
-----------------
This was a complete delight from start to finish. Francis Elizabeth (who everybody calls Sugar Beth because this is the South, apparently) was a very rich and entitled teen in a very small town. Her dad was the most important businessman and her mom the most important social director. For the most part, it seems her rule was strict though benevolent, but with two exceptions. The first is Winnie Davis. Sugar Beth takes every opportunity to isolate, pick on, and even terrorize the lonely brain. The second is the new, young teacher she got fired by leveling accusations of sexual misconduct. And then she went on to college where she torched all her remaining connection to the town by callously dumping her High School sweetheart and being too good for her friends.
So Sugar Beth was very bad, with some outright evil in her past. And her life went downhill from there with a string of no-good exes and a drop into poverty. And like many (but not all) who find themselves at the end of their resources, Sugar Beth did some soul searching so we find her at the beginning of this book as a reformed woman forced by circumstances to return to town and take all the bitter recriminations and payback she knows she deserves. Making this go from potentially painful to probable torture is that Winnie Davis is now the town social director and she married Sugar's HS sweetheart who is now the owner of the local company enterprise and leading businessman. So Sugar has been a hiss and a byword for near a decade. What made this engaging is that Sugar Beth doesn't indulge in excuses or try to manipulate others on the strength of her reformation. Yes, she's a better person, but she also knows exactly what she did and that she pretty much deserves all the petty spite she receives. Part of her new-found strength is becoming self-reliant enough to trust her heart and to be honestly doing her best to be kind and helpful even as she's trying to find the McGuffin she needs to take care of a dependent who needs her. So she's strong and courageous and in such a way that she doesn't feel she has to prove it to everybody else.
And, of course, that teacher she got fired? Yeah, he's back, too, and interested in his pound of flesh. I liked Colin and I was really glad that SEP kept his revenge reasonable (he really is a fundamentally nice guy). Given that this is a romance and we knew he'd come to regret being mean it was good to see him, yes, enjoy the payback a bit, but also to understand that he isn't so much the bitter jerk he could have been as he is a mostly-nice guy presented with a golden opportunity for some quality entertainment. Plus, his banter with Sugar Beth is outstanding. Seriously, it is worth the read for that alone.
I really enjoyed the underlying theme of redemption and kindness and empowerment and being true to yourself. And I liked that Sugar's repentance was independent of the forgiveness extended by others. She apologized, sincerely, and that was really all she could do at this stage as her ability to repair anything had been stripped by the disaster her life had become. It took a lot of strength of character and I loved seeing her rise to the occasion—and watching that affect and engage and even inspire Colin was rather fun as well.
And SEP knocks the secondary characters and plots out of the park as well. Since this takes place in a small Southern town, that's important to note. I won't go into details except to say that I really liked how it came together with all the complexity it needed, without bogging down the main plotline unduly.
So yeah, strong on all fronts and a solid five stars.
A note about Steamy: I let too much time pass before reviewing this, so I no longer recall the exact number of explicit sex scenes. It was the middle of my steam tolerance but edging up, as I recall. And yes, there was a secondary romance with some heat to it, as well. Frankly, I really enjoyed that secondary romance as it involved another redemption/forgiveness arc, but in a completely different way from Sugar's.
December 27, 2015
★★★½
I've never been around to attend my high school reunions when they pop up, but sometimes I wish I could go just to see how far some of those wannabe socialites have fallen from their high horse. I know it's kind of mean, but let's just say my school years were not kind. In Ain't She Sweet, a whole town is granted this satisfaction. When the once powerful and cutthroat Sugar Carey comes home with her tail between her legs, all the roles are suddenly reversed. No one likes her anymore, no one has time for her anymore, and EVERYONE wants her to know it.
Ms. Phillips never disappoints with her characters and Ain't She Sweet is a great example. It has humor, romance, and a life lesson. One lesson I learned from this story and the characters is that people can change...life changes each and every one of us, and we should give others the emotional opportunity to start fresh again. If you like Susan Elizabeth Phillips's writing then don't miss out on this one!
My favorite quote:
“We’re all works in progress, honey."
Note: I was conflicted about my rating. While this wasn't my favorite SEP novel, I did enjoy it. One factor that may have affected my overall enjoyment was the audiobook experience. I typically adore Kate Flemings' (aka Anna Fields) narration but the male lead's voice just didn't work for me. In my opinion, the romance felt less than romantic during the male-toned narration. Reading it off the page may be a better way to go if I do a re-read.
I've never been around to attend my high school reunions when they pop up, but sometimes I wish I could go just to see how far some of those wannabe socialites have fallen from their high horse. I know it's kind of mean, but let's just say my school years were not kind. In Ain't She Sweet, a whole town is granted this satisfaction. When the once powerful and cutthroat Sugar Carey comes home with her tail between her legs, all the roles are suddenly reversed. No one likes her anymore, no one has time for her anymore, and EVERYONE wants her to know it.
Ms. Phillips never disappoints with her characters and Ain't She Sweet is a great example. It has humor, romance, and a life lesson. One lesson I learned from this story and the characters is that people can change...life changes each and every one of us, and we should give others the emotional opportunity to start fresh again. If you like Susan Elizabeth Phillips's writing then don't miss out on this one!
My favorite quote:
“We’re all works in progress, honey."
Note: I was conflicted about my rating. While this wasn't my favorite SEP novel, I did enjoy it. One factor that may have affected my overall enjoyment was the audiobook experience. I typically adore Kate Flemings' (aka Anna Fields) narration but the male lead's voice just didn't work for me. In my opinion, the romance felt less than romantic during the male-toned narration. Reading it off the page may be a better way to go if I do a re-read.
July 29, 2015
I thought I'd write a review on this book this time around but....
April 14, 2022
This was so....
*Sigh*
I can't put them into words. I think I need to go back and read all of SEP works now and work my way forward, because there is something about her writings that got me.
I love a good redemption story, especially when the character was a horrible person in the past and now wanting to make peace with everything and move on. Like, people changed. It's unfair to judge someone for a period where they were a massive dick. Hell, I was one of those people. Plus, it's always a refreshing take to have a story told from a deeply flawed character rather than these huge infused of Mary Sues in your normal contemporary book lately. It made things far more believable, in my opinion.
So yeah, definitely recommended. This is one of her best works, no doubt.
*Sigh*
I can't put them into words. I think I need to go back and read all of SEP works now and work my way forward, because there is something about her writings that got me.
I love a good redemption story, especially when the character was a horrible person in the past and now wanting to make peace with everything and move on. Like, people changed. It's unfair to judge someone for a period where they were a massive dick. Hell, I was one of those people. Plus, it's always a refreshing take to have a story told from a deeply flawed character rather than these huge infused of Mary Sues in your normal contemporary book lately. It made things far more believable, in my opinion.
So yeah, definitely recommended. This is one of her best works, no doubt.
December 21, 2021
3 1/2✨
kay I'm conflicted bout this. cuz there's 2 relationship in the focus here, and while I loved the main relationship, the same doesnt apply to the other couple (that also plays big part in this book, so it affects my feeling overall too)
Tis' bout our heroine Sugar Beth. In high school, she was a bitch with a capital B. A bully, an asshole, a mean girl, u name it. The golden rich girl everyone loves to hate
15 years and 3 husbands later, broke and with only the company of gordon, her latest husband’s dog (who also hates her apparently), she’s back in her hometown
Inevitably having to face the people who has been wronged by her in the past.
Winnie ; the illegitimate daughter that her father had always preferred, plus her bully target in high school, also the girl who ended up marrying sugar’s high school sweetheart.
and Colin ; her ex teacher that she spread nasty rumors about and was fired because of it, now owns the house that was supposed to be hers and was her new boss (yes, she works as a housekeeper in her own childhood house. I believe, no matter how big of a bitch you are, karma’s always the bitchest).
ofc the best thing in this book, sugar beth
that scene in the beginning when Colin kissed her and what she did in return was also one of my fav one from the book
now, the next best thing; the couple ofc
Had this book was only about Colin-SugarBeth, the rating'll be higher. But aside from them, this had Winnie/Ryan/Gigi's POV as well. So there’s parts bout this lil’ fam too. Fact is, I just didn't care about them. So each time we get their POV instead of the main couple's, I got bored
Other than that, it was all the grown up 13 years olds that annoyed me. People in town kinda treats her horribly cuz of her mistakes in high school, that happened 15 years ago. she was an angry teenager who did stupid shit, and it wasnt like its any of u nosy ppl’s business
”What did it say about a person when even her dog hated her?”
kay I'm conflicted bout this. cuz there's 2 relationship in the focus here, and while I loved the main relationship, the same doesnt apply to the other couple (that also plays big part in this book, so it affects my feeling overall too)
brief summary
Tis' bout our heroine Sugar Beth. In high school, she was a bitch with a capital B. A bully, an asshole, a mean girl, u name it. The golden rich girl everyone loves to hate
'In the space of five months, she'd lost her mother, her father, her best friends, and Frenchman's Bride. She'd been too young to understand how many losses were yet to come'
15 years and 3 husbands later, broke and with only the company of gordon, her latest husband’s dog (who also hates her apparently), she’s back in her hometown
Inevitably having to face the people who has been wronged by her in the past.
Winnie ; the illegitimate daughter that her father had always preferred, plus her bully target in high school, also the girl who ended up marrying sugar’s high school sweetheart.
and Colin ; her ex teacher that she spread nasty rumors about and was fired because of it, now owns the house that was supposed to be hers and was her new boss (yes, she works as a housekeeper in her own childhood house. I believe, no matter how big of a bitch you are, karma’s always the bitchest).
what I loved
He braced his hand on a bookcase. "You need the money so you can keep her at Brookdale. You're not the villain in this piece, are you? You're not the viperous blond bitch-goddess who only cares about herself. You're the poor, unselfish heroine willing to sacrifice all to help the less fortunate.
You've created this alternate persona—this woman who's so tough that she doesn't care what anybody thinks of her. A woman so tough that she's proud to announce all her character defects to the world, except—and make note of this, because here's where your true brilliance lies—those faults you hang out for everyone to see don't have anything to do with who you really are. Applause, applause.”
ofc the best thing in this book, sugar beth
“You have a wretched track record with husbands."
"You think?"
"Word travels," he drawled. "I believe I heard that husband number one was someone you met in college.”
“Darren Tharp, all-American shortstop. He played for the Braves for a while." She executed a nifty tomahawk chop.
"Impressive." He took a sip from his drink, the tumbler nearly swallowed by his palm, and regarded her over the rim of the glass. "I also heard he left you for another woman. Pity."
"Her name was Samantha. Unlike me, she managed to graduate from college, but it wasn't her degree that attracted Darren. Turns out, she had a natural-born gift for fellatio."
The tumbler came to a stop halfway to his lips.
She gave him her best Southern belle smile, the one that went from here to there without coming anyplace close to sincerity
that scene in the beginning when Colin kissed her and what she did in return was also one of my fav one from the book
now, the next best thing; the couple ofc
1. “You were a terrible teacher."
"Abysmal." He nudged aside a piece of cable with the toe of his boot.
"Teachers are supposed to build their students' self-confidence. You called us toads."
"Only to your faces. Behind your backs, it was a bit worse, I'm afraid.”
2. In contrast to her semihooker's attire, he wore dark slacks, a long-sleeved burgundy silk shirt, and an elegant pair of suspenders. What kind of man dressed like that to work at home? As he looked down his imperious nose at her, she knew for sure he'd been trapped in the wrong century.
“Fresh from your morning trot in Hyde Park, m'lord?" She managed a slight curtsy, although it lost some of its effectiveness, since she was behind the counter, and he couldn't see her knees bend
3. “Perhaps now is the time to tell you that I have a weakness for agreeable women."
"Well, that sure does leave me out."
"Exactly. With agreeable women, I'm unendingly considerate. Gallant even."
"But with tarts like me, the gloves are off, is that it?"
"I wouldn't exactly call you a tart. But then, I tend to be broad-minded.”
4. She shot around the end of the counter and stuck her head through the archway. "You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?"
His chuckle drifted back to her, low and diabolical. "The Cinderella story in reverse. I only wish there were ashes in the fireplace so I could order you to sweep them out.”
5. The phone call came at three o'clock on Saturday afternoon, an hour before the bookstore closed. "Gemima's Books," Sugar Beth said.
"If you want to see your dog alive again, be at Rowan Oak at five o'clock. And come alone."
"Rowan Oak?"
"If you call the police, the dog's . . . dog meat."
"I dumped you!"
But he'd already hung up
6. “You manipulating bastard!" Everything spilled out, all her anger and frustration. She yelled and cursed until she was hoarse, but when she finally wound down, he only said, "Now, now, my love," which wound her up all over again.
"I'm not your love! I'm not your anything! You deserted me, you limey prick, and I'll never forgive you. But I'm glad you left because now I don't ever have to look at your ugly face again. And guess what? When I told you I loved you, it was a big joke, do you hear me? All this time I've been laughing at you behind your back. I don't love you! The whole thing was a big fat joke!"
"I'm sorry to hear that," he replied, not missing a beat. "But since I love you enough for both of us, I'm not too concerned. It's embarrassing, really, how much I miss you."
That calmed her down a little
7. “Don't you dare hang up! Are you telling me that you're not coming back unless I agree to marry you?"
"Of course not. That would give you far too much wiggle room. What I'm telling you is that I won't come back until you're standing inside the church, at the altar, with all our friends there as witnesses.”
“That's ridiculous!" She kicked a magazine out of her way. "This isn't one of your books, Colin. This is real life. People don't do things like this."
"But then we're not ordinary people, are we?"
8. She'd started to hyperventilate and sank down on the chair. "Use your head. Neither of us can afford another mistake. We have to be sure we're completely comfortable with each other."
"I was sure a long time ago. I'm very much in love with you."
She gripped the phone tighter. "Come home, Colin. Now."
"And put myself at your mercy again? I'm hardly that foolish."
"Then how are we going to settle this?"
"Inside a church in front of a minister. Take it or leave it."
She jumped back up. "I'm leaving it!"
She heard a bored sigh. "Fortunately for you, I'm prepared to be patient for another day or so, which, more than anything else, bears testimony to the depth of my feelings for you.”
💦 didnt love
Had this book was only about Colin-SugarBeth, the rating'll be higher. But aside from them, this had Winnie/Ryan/Gigi's POV as well. So there’s parts bout this lil’ fam too. Fact is, I just didn't care about them. So each time we get their POV instead of the main couple's, I got bored
Other than that, it was all the grown up 13 years olds that annoyed me. People in town kinda treats her horribly cuz of her mistakes in high school, that happened 15 years ago. she was an angry teenager who did stupid shit, and it wasnt like its any of u nosy ppl’s business
June 17, 2016
Review written June 16, 2016
3.8 Stars - An ironic, emotional and entertaining black sheep returner romance in great SEP style
'Ain't She Sweet?', a standalone (non series) romance from 2004 written by one of my absolutely most admired and beloved m/f romance authors in this traditional "light & nice" contemporary genre. Always much joy and heart.
...So even this time.
A nearly perfect SEP story, but for me, a few weaknesses in the audiobook edition. Thus, a lower rating ranking this time. — I listened to the 11:35 hours audiobook narrated by Kate Flemming (aka Kate Fleming or more known as Anna Fields), a established usually very good SEP-narrator.
**********************************************
Parrish, Mississippi US
'Ain't She Sweet?' is the 15 years later returning, three times married, admirable tough woman, Sugar Beth Carey's, and the by now famous local author, once a young British highschool teacher, Colin Byrne's, struggling and bumpy "Enemy to Lovers" story.
She, Sugar Beth (a silly name or?), is without even a penny but sha has an old aunt's small legacy and a very famous artist's old painting to hope for. He, Colin has revenge and repayment to look forward to. Moreover, he now owns the big southern house our heroine grew up in. Colin also hangs out with her old boyfriend .... who in his turn now is married to the girl Sugar Beth used to bully and make life miserable for every day then back in their teen years.
It is a mess and this, to begin with, rather unsympathetic, by life worn, tired and very cynical heroine has hurdles to cross. Nobody likes her. NO ONE wants Sugar Beth back in Parrish.
'Ain't She Sweet?' is a wonderful story in the very best Susan Elizabeth Phillips style. Funny scenes, heartbreaking moments, hilarious dialogue and a wonderful bunch of interesting second characters. Add, as always, a fantastic brave and easy to like heroine and all in all great (believable adult) heartwarming love.
Me loving! (...Me need more SEP books more often.)
My only small complaint is that the, in every other way great, narrator this time partly destroyed the sexy hero by doing his voice way too ridiculously silly. Perhaps that is how Americans see and hear the Brits (and their in my opinion mostly fine English language speaking) but for me was it too much. His voice did it in the end hard for me to feel him as the "Dream MAN" and truly take him to my romantic heart.
...Sadly on an otherwise very good and fabulous well narrated audiobook. My recommendation is thus; read the book this time instead of spending money on an expensive audio book.
**********************************************
I LIKE - a solid good SEP every time
3.8 Stars - An ironic, emotional and entertaining black sheep returner romance in great SEP style
'Ain't She Sweet?', a standalone (non series) romance from 2004 written by one of my absolutely most admired and beloved m/f romance authors in this traditional "light & nice" contemporary genre. Always much joy and heart.
...So even this time.
A nearly perfect SEP story, but for me, a few weaknesses in the audiobook edition. Thus, a lower rating ranking this time. — I listened to the 11:35 hours audiobook narrated by Kate Flemming (aka Kate Fleming or more known as Anna Fields), a established usually very good SEP-narrator.
**********************************************
Parrish, Mississippi US
'Ain't She Sweet?' is the 15 years later returning, three times married, admirable tough woman, Sugar Beth Carey's, and the by now famous local author, once a young British highschool teacher, Colin Byrne's, struggling and bumpy "Enemy to Lovers" story.
« The tiny town of Parrish, MS, isn't exactly welcoming wild child Sugar Beth Carey home with open arms. Nobody has forgotten the former town princess's selfish and demanding ways... »
She, Sugar Beth (a silly name or?), is without even a penny but sha has an old aunt's small legacy and a very famous artist's old painting to hope for. He, Colin has revenge and repayment to look forward to. Moreover, he now owns the big southern house our heroine grew up in. Colin also hangs out with her old boyfriend .... who in his turn now is married to the girl Sugar Beth used to bully and make life miserable for every day then back in their teen years.
It is a mess and this, to begin with, rather unsympathetic, by life worn, tired and very cynical heroine has hurdles to cross. Nobody likes her. NO ONE wants Sugar Beth back in Parrish.
'Ain't She Sweet?' is a wonderful story in the very best Susan Elizabeth Phillips style. Funny scenes, heartbreaking moments, hilarious dialogue and a wonderful bunch of interesting second characters. Add, as always, a fantastic brave and easy to like heroine and all in all great (believable adult) heartwarming love.
Me loving! (...Me need more SEP books more often.)
My only small complaint is that the, in every other way great, narrator this time partly destroyed the sexy hero by doing his voice way too ridiculously silly. Perhaps that is how Americans see and hear the Brits (and their in my opinion mostly fine English language speaking) but for me was it too much. His voice did it in the end hard for me to feel him as the "Dream MAN" and truly take him to my romantic heart.
...Sadly on an otherwise very good and fabulous well narrated audiobook. My recommendation is thus; read the book this time instead of spending money on an expensive audio book.
**********************************************
I LIKE - a solid good SEP every time
May 16, 2021
Last time I read/listened to this I mentioned that the audible version made me drop a star, from five to four ... well, I have changed my mind. I LOVED the audible this time around. OK, Colin does sound like a right "dandy" but he fits the part.
Colin ... as Colin!
The narration, as per usual, by the wonderful Anna Fields is fabulous (as I said before, she is a sad loss to the audible community).
I honestly don't remember shedding a tear on reading this the last time but I did this time. It was a wonderful story ... the main characters are wonderful as are the secondary ones.
SEP has a new book coming out in the summer. I really hope I love it (I'm afraid her last release didn't do much for me) ... but, overall, her books are some of my all time favourites and ones I will re-read and re-listen to again and again and again ...
"I've decided to build a stone wall."
... must be his Irish roots, his longing to build a stone wall.
Colin ... as Colin!
The narration, as per usual, by the wonderful Anna Fields is fabulous (as I said before, she is a sad loss to the audible community).
I honestly don't remember shedding a tear on reading this the last time but I did this time. It was a wonderful story ... the main characters are wonderful as are the secondary ones.
SEP has a new book coming out in the summer. I really hope I love it (I'm afraid her last release didn't do much for me) ... but, overall, her books are some of my all time favourites and ones I will re-read and re-listen to again and again and again ...
"I've decided to build a stone wall."
... must be his Irish roots, his longing to build a stone wall.
April 11, 2021
I just had to re read this when I saw Vee’s review. I remembered it being sweet and sweet it was, I think I enjoyed it even more this time around.
I love stories in small towns, and they’re even more special if we have a southern girl and an english writer. I loved Sugar Beth and Colin, truly loved them and their banter, her sass and his patience, her damaged personality but with a kind heart at the same time.
I even enjoyed the secondary characters story, as it always happens with SEP, they hold a special place in the book and its development.
I loved the book again, it was a bit of fresh air. Sweet and uncomplicated ish.
I love stories in small towns, and they’re even more special if we have a southern girl and an english writer. I loved Sugar Beth and Colin, truly loved them and their banter, her sass and his patience, her damaged personality but with a kind heart at the same time.
I even enjoyed the secondary characters story, as it always happens with SEP, they hold a special place in the book and its development.
I loved the book again, it was a bit of fresh air. Sweet and uncomplicated ish.
December 25, 2018
4.5 stars. Another great book by SEP. She has become one of my favorite writers and hasn’t ever let me down. Although most of her books have an element of hate-to-love, they are all unique and I never get bored.
Ain’t She Sweet is the story of the shunned “It girl” making her way back to the small town where she grew up. Sugar Beth used to be the envy of all, but now she’s broke and down on her luck. She comes back to her hometown in Mississippi looking for a valuable painting she inherited from her aunt to help get her back on her feet.
When she returns, she discovers her old English teacher is living in the mansion where she grew up. He’s back living in Parish after Sugar Beth lied to get him fired when she was in high school and he’s determined to pay her back for her deception.
The writing in this book it top notch. Great developed characters and some of the best witty banter. I was laughing throughout.
As with all books by SEP, I highly recommend. Love her!
Ain’t She Sweet is the story of the shunned “It girl” making her way back to the small town where she grew up. Sugar Beth used to be the envy of all, but now she’s broke and down on her luck. She comes back to her hometown in Mississippi looking for a valuable painting she inherited from her aunt to help get her back on her feet.
When she returns, she discovers her old English teacher is living in the mansion where she grew up. He’s back living in Parish after Sugar Beth lied to get him fired when she was in high school and he’s determined to pay her back for her deception.
The writing in this book it top notch. Great developed characters and some of the best witty banter. I was laughing throughout.
As with all books by SEP, I highly recommend. Love her!
May 7, 2015
Buddy read with Gavin (though it was not planned as such ^_^)
4.5 STARS
So very, very funny! Strong and well-developed heroine and hero. Fully fleshed out secondary characters. Sarcastic to the bone and at the same time wildly romantic. The smoothest change of POVs I've read in a very long time. Sensual sex scenes. Southern. :)
You can see that I enjoyed this a lot. It was a bit formulaic but I've always loved the enemies to lovers trope and here it was executed in a very believable and great way.
I wish to have more time for a full review. I have the right to extend this one in the near future.
This comes highly recommended to everyone(men included) who love to hide their poetic souls in strong sarcasm!
October 14, 2015
Another stunner! I will never expect less from SEP!
April 24, 2014
I loved this book...except for the moments I hated it.
This review is for the audiobook version. The narrator did a fantastic job on everything except for the hero's voice. It was awful. It sounded like some eighty year old British guy...no exaggeration. It was terrible So unsexy that it really ruined the romance aspect for me. Oddly enough, she did a fantastic job at all of the rest of the voices. Inflection and accents and everything were just spot on.
Aside from narration, this book was one of SEP's that I wasn't sure about reading. Well...I knew I would read it eventually. It is Susan Elizabeth Phillips, after all. But the premise is very different, and the heroine was not someone I was at all sure that I could like. I was wrong. She ended up being the best part about this book. It was all the other grown up twelve year olds that bothered me.
The big deal of the story is that the heroine, Sugar Beth Carey, was the poor little rich girl back in high school. No one knew about the "poor little" part, however. Because, like most bullies, Sugar was hiding behind a false bravado of fantastic clothes and masses of limp followers. The person she tortured most of all? Her father's illegitimate daughter. The one he really loved, the one he spent time with, the one he treated as a father should treat a daughter...and the one he left his vast fortune and all of his earthly treasures.
Sugar Beth is returning home now, after three marriages...two of which failed miserably and one that broke her heart. But her hometown, and especially the man who is now living in her childhood home, want nothing more than to put Sugar in her place....again, and again, and again.
After the initial introduction and setup for this story were in place, it really settled into a classic SEP feeling. Sugar Beth turned my heart fairly quickly. High school was a long time ago, and people forgive and forget. Or they should. But this town doesn't, and they treat Sugar Beth horribly. I'm talking humiliating her at every chance they get, bringing her as low as she's ever been and then forcing her lower. It's a combined effort and not one single person is on her side. Not even the hero, who admittedly was one of the people Sugar tormented. But come on...that was fifteen years ago!
He's an English professor who fell in love with the south and used to teach Sugar Beth in high school until she told a lie to save her own ass but got him fired. In revenge, he wrote a book, made it big, moved back to town and bought her childhood home. And the revenge continues.
I kept picturing Sugar Beth as a cross between Dolly Parton and Miranda Lambert. Trashy-southern and cute as hell.
And while I'd like to picture Colin as this guy:
what I really pictured was this guy:
Still, this was a feast for my prejudiced mind. And a wonderful testament to the strength and resiliency and sheer heart of this wonderful woman. If I take one thing from reading this it's that what people show you...be they bully, nice guy, or somewhere in between...is rarely what the truth is. Most people put on a show in public, but in private, they are vastly different. Sugar Beth improved with age, and it took a town of assholes a long time to see what a wonderful, giving, repentant woman she really was.
This review is for the audiobook version. The narrator did a fantastic job on everything except for the hero's voice. It was awful. It sounded like some eighty year old British guy...no exaggeration. It was terrible So unsexy that it really ruined the romance aspect for me. Oddly enough, she did a fantastic job at all of the rest of the voices. Inflection and accents and everything were just spot on.
Aside from narration, this book was one of SEP's that I wasn't sure about reading. Well...I knew I would read it eventually. It is Susan Elizabeth Phillips, after all. But the premise is very different, and the heroine was not someone I was at all sure that I could like. I was wrong. She ended up being the best part about this book. It was all the other grown up twelve year olds that bothered me.
The big deal of the story is that the heroine, Sugar Beth Carey, was the poor little rich girl back in high school. No one knew about the "poor little" part, however. Because, like most bullies, Sugar was hiding behind a false bravado of fantastic clothes and masses of limp followers. The person she tortured most of all? Her father's illegitimate daughter. The one he really loved, the one he spent time with, the one he treated as a father should treat a daughter...and the one he left his vast fortune and all of his earthly treasures.
Sugar Beth is returning home now, after three marriages...two of which failed miserably and one that broke her heart. But her hometown, and especially the man who is now living in her childhood home, want nothing more than to put Sugar in her place....again, and again, and again.
After the initial introduction and setup for this story were in place, it really settled into a classic SEP feeling. Sugar Beth turned my heart fairly quickly. High school was a long time ago, and people forgive and forget. Or they should. But this town doesn't, and they treat Sugar Beth horribly. I'm talking humiliating her at every chance they get, bringing her as low as she's ever been and then forcing her lower. It's a combined effort and not one single person is on her side. Not even the hero, who admittedly was one of the people Sugar tormented. But come on...that was fifteen years ago!
He's an English professor who fell in love with the south and used to teach Sugar Beth in high school until she told a lie to save her own ass but got him fired. In revenge, he wrote a book, made it big, moved back to town and bought her childhood home. And the revenge continues.
I kept picturing Sugar Beth as a cross between Dolly Parton and Miranda Lambert. Trashy-southern and cute as hell.
And while I'd like to picture Colin as this guy:
what I really pictured was this guy:
Still, this was a feast for my prejudiced mind. And a wonderful testament to the strength and resiliency and sheer heart of this wonderful woman. If I take one thing from reading this it's that what people show you...be they bully, nice guy, or somewhere in between...is rarely what the truth is. Most people put on a show in public, but in private, they are vastly different. Sugar Beth improved with age, and it took a town of assholes a long time to see what a wonderful, giving, repentant woman she really was.
January 13, 2012
I once heard another author say they struggled for years to read this Susan Elizabeth Phillips book because they couldn’t imagine enjoying a book about a heroine named Sugar Beth. I know how they feel! Every time I picked it up I thought, mmm, maybe later...
Oh my god. Really!!! This is one of those rare books that I spent the entire time thinking I WISH I’D WRITTEN THIS!!! This with a heroine who was the most popular girl in town, stepping on anyone who got in her path along the way, who now down on her luck has to return home. And a hero so foppish he at first appears in a smoking jacket and slippers! I tell you this because I do not want you to be put off by these opening pictures. As this book is magnificent.
The dialogue is biting. The back stories and character revelation unique, deep, heartbreaking, real and juicy. The hero and heroine are nothing short of fantastic. So strong. So stubborn. So well matched.
AIN'T SHE SWEET by Susan Elizabeth Phillips is funny, smart, touching, raw and wonderful. BUY IT TODAY!!!
Next I’m reading... SWEPT OFF HER STILETTOS by Fiona Harper. What are you reading? Which book MUST I read this year?
Oh my god. Really!!! This is one of those rare books that I spent the entire time thinking I WISH I’D WRITTEN THIS!!! This with a heroine who was the most popular girl in town, stepping on anyone who got in her path along the way, who now down on her luck has to return home. And a hero so foppish he at first appears in a smoking jacket and slippers! I tell you this because I do not want you to be put off by these opening pictures. As this book is magnificent.
The dialogue is biting. The back stories and character revelation unique, deep, heartbreaking, real and juicy. The hero and heroine are nothing short of fantastic. So strong. So stubborn. So well matched.
AIN'T SHE SWEET by Susan Elizabeth Phillips is funny, smart, touching, raw and wonderful. BUY IT TODAY!!!
Next I’m reading... SWEPT OFF HER STILETTOS by Fiona Harper. What are you reading? Which book MUST I read this year?
April 5, 2020
4,5 Estrellas. Con lo que me gusta SEP no sé porqué he tardado tanto en leer este libro. Me ha gustado mucho la historia de redención de Sugar Beth y su relación con todas esas personas que hirió cuando era la cruel y manipuladora reina adolescente de un pueblo de sur de Estados Unidos llamado Parrish, que me ha recordado mucho a Peyton Place, salvando las distancias y los años.
Sugar Beth, que de joven podía haber hecho sombra a la protagonista de Chicas Malas (lo que les hace a Winnie y a Colin en esa época no tiene perdón), vuelve arrastrándose, 15 años y tres matrimonios fallidos después, a un pueblo cuyos habitantes ni perdonan ni olvidan. Lo que ocurre entre su llegada y la palabra FIN es una historia arriesgada y agridulce, donde brillan con luz propia esos diálogos chispeantes, ingeniosos y sarcásticos marca de la casa, pero también unos personajes imperfectos y llenos de defectos a los que un momento odias con toda tu alma y al otro te gustaría abrazar fuerte para hacerles olvidar todas las mierdas por las que han tenido que pasar.
Estamos ante un libro sobre el perdón y las segundas oportunidades, donde no sólo destaca el amor romántico entre Sugar Beth y Colin, también conocido como el duque (jajaja), cuya química es explosiva, sino también la historia de amor fraternal entre Sugar Beth y Winnie. Pena de epílogo, me ha sobrado totalmente en una historia mucho más profunda y reflexiva de lo que nos tiene habituados esta autora.
#Popsugar20 Reto 10: Un libro recomendado por tu blog, vlog, podcast o club de lectura online favorito: A la cama con un libro
Sugar Beth, que de joven podía haber hecho sombra a la protagonista de Chicas Malas (lo que les hace a Winnie y a Colin en esa época no tiene perdón), vuelve arrastrándose, 15 años y tres matrimonios fallidos después, a un pueblo cuyos habitantes ni perdonan ni olvidan. Lo que ocurre entre su llegada y la palabra FIN es una historia arriesgada y agridulce, donde brillan con luz propia esos diálogos chispeantes, ingeniosos y sarcásticos marca de la casa, pero también unos personajes imperfectos y llenos de defectos a los que un momento odias con toda tu alma y al otro te gustaría abrazar fuerte para hacerles olvidar todas las mierdas por las que han tenido que pasar.
Estamos ante un libro sobre el perdón y las segundas oportunidades, donde no sólo destaca el amor romántico entre Sugar Beth y Colin, también conocido como el duque (jajaja), cuya química es explosiva, sino también la historia de amor fraternal entre Sugar Beth y Winnie. Pena de epílogo, me ha sobrado totalmente en una historia mucho más profunda y reflexiva de lo que nos tiene habituados esta autora.
#Popsugar20 Reto 10: Un libro recomendado por tu blog, vlog, podcast o club de lectura online favorito: A la cama con un libro
May 8, 2015
The contemporary romance genre is not one of my favorites, but if there was more books like Ain't She Sweet then it would be! This was a surprisingly fast paced and fun romance. I loved the witty dialogue, the sarcastic humor, and the complicated characters. Sugar Beth was a great character and totally unlike any other I've ever encountered. She was strong, tough, and cynical, but not afraid to admit that she had made some mistakes in her younger days! Her relationship with the eccentric English author Colin Byrne was really fun. They made a great couple despite the fact that they had good reason to be bitter enemies.
This book also benefited from having a number of interesting subplots and well drawn secondary characters who all had problems of their own.
This was different and fun. I'll definitely be reading more SEP books in the future.
Rating:4.5 stars.
Audio Note: I spotted a bit of criticism for Kate Fleming's performance on the Audible reviews, but I actually think she did a decent job. I liked her voices for both Sugar Beth and Colin. Most important of all is that she really got the sardonic humor.
This book also benefited from having a number of interesting subplots and well drawn secondary characters who all had problems of their own.
This was different and fun. I'll definitely be reading more SEP books in the future.
Rating:4.5 stars.
Audio Note: I spotted a bit of criticism for Kate Fleming's performance on the Audible reviews, but I actually think she did a decent job. I liked her voices for both Sugar Beth and Colin. Most important of all is that she really got the sardonic humor.
May 18, 2021
3.5 Stars
Overall Opinion: This was cute. The banter between these two made the story for me! The focus on Winnie and Ryan’s relationship was, however, not my favorite. I didn’t like so much focus being on them because I didn’t really like them. I also think my expectations got the better of me with this one too. This hit my GR feed recently by lots of my friends raving about this book, so I probably went in with high expectations. I didn’t hate it or anything, but it just isn’t going down as my favorite SEP book (Kiss an Angel still holds that place).
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Sugar Beth and Collin’s story. Sugar Beth is returning home with her tail between her legs after her 3rd husband died and she is left in a bad spot. Her aunt left her a valuable piece of art, but she has to find it before she can sell it off. She returns to the small town where she used to reign supreme but cut ties in college and doesn’t receive the warmest welcome. The biggest adversary she faces is Collin who was a teacher that she got fired for making a false claim about before she left. Collin now owns her old home and is the only option she’s left with when she strikes out at finding a job. There is some fun banter, some family/friend drama and a few sexy times...and they get a HEA ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between focusing mainly on Sugar Beth and Collin in 3rd person narrative but with some parts focusing on the side characters of Winnie, Ryan and Gigi (their daughter).
Overall Pace of Story: Good until the abrupt ending after the conflict resolution. I never skimmed.
Instalove: No, more like hate-to-love.
H (Hero) rating: 4 stars. Collin. I liked him. I loved his sarcastic nature and how he didn’t let Sugar Beth railroad him like many other men did. I just got frustrated with him at the end.
h (heroine) rating: 4.5 stars. Sugar Beth. I really liked her. Her quick wit was the best! Yes, she was the Regina George of the 80s in high school — but she was pretty messed up with her daddy issues enough to make me forgive her too.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Alright. They have some tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes, but not super descriptive
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: No
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: Not between mcs (see triggers below)
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends with a cute epilogue and what I would call a HEA ending . I still had a good bit of unanswered questions and I didn’t like that the epilogue was right after their conflict was resolved.
Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers
Overall Opinion: This was cute. The banter between these two made the story for me! The focus on Winnie and Ryan’s relationship was, however, not my favorite. I didn’t like so much focus being on them because I didn’t really like them. I also think my expectations got the better of me with this one too. This hit my GR feed recently by lots of my friends raving about this book, so I probably went in with high expectations. I didn’t hate it or anything, but it just isn’t going down as my favorite SEP book (Kiss an Angel still holds that place).
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Sugar Beth and Collin’s story. Sugar Beth is returning home with her tail between her legs after her 3rd husband died and she is left in a bad spot. Her aunt left her a valuable piece of art, but she has to find it before she can sell it off. She returns to the small town where she used to reign supreme but cut ties in college and doesn’t receive the warmest welcome. The biggest adversary she faces is Collin who was a teacher that she got fired for making a false claim about before she left. Collin now owns her old home and is the only option she’s left with when she strikes out at finding a job. There is some fun banter, some family/friend drama and a few sexy times...and they get a HEA ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between focusing mainly on Sugar Beth and Collin in 3rd person narrative but with some parts focusing on the side characters of Winnie, Ryan and Gigi (their daughter).
Overall Pace of Story: Good until the abrupt ending after the conflict resolution. I never skimmed.
Instalove: No, more like hate-to-love.
H (Hero) rating: 4 stars. Collin. I liked him. I loved his sarcastic nature and how he didn’t let Sugar Beth railroad him like many other men did. I just got frustrated with him at the end.
h (heroine) rating: 4.5 stars. Sugar Beth. I really liked her. Her quick wit was the best! Yes, she was the Regina George of the 80s in high school — but she was pretty messed up with her daddy issues enough to make me forgive her too.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Alright. They have some tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes, but not super descriptive
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: No
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: Not between mcs (see triggers below)
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends with a cute epilogue and what I would call a HEA ending . I still had a good bit of unanswered questions and I didn’t like that the epilogue was right after their conflict was resolved.
Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers
June 16, 2018
I’m considering giving this 5 stars because I’ve spent 3 years looking for another woman like Sugar Beth. I’ve prolly read 1000 books since I read this one - but it’s still in my head. I think that’s worthy of 5 stars.
****original review July 2015****
4.5 stars. I deducted half a star bc I didn't love the relationship btw Sugar Beth and Colin. They just didn't give me tingles. But every single other thing about this book did. I loved Sugar Beth's past and her present - her journey and where she arrived. Winnie. Gigi. Ryan. Gordon. The entire supporting cast was funny and witty and intense. This was the story of a woman who was awful in HS returning to her hometown after life had taken her down a few pegs. Then all the people she hurt took the opportunity to hurt her - and hurt her - and hurt her again. At times the book made me uncomfortable - the way Sugar Beth was treated and the way she took it. But the end made it all worth while - the whole cast turned out pretty incredible. Loved this book - it was a grand adventure.
****original review July 2015****
4.5 stars. I deducted half a star bc I didn't love the relationship btw Sugar Beth and Colin. They just didn't give me tingles. But every single other thing about this book did. I loved Sugar Beth's past and her present - her journey and where she arrived. Winnie. Gigi. Ryan. Gordon. The entire supporting cast was funny and witty and intense. This was the story of a woman who was awful in HS returning to her hometown after life had taken her down a few pegs. Then all the people she hurt took the opportunity to hurt her - and hurt her - and hurt her again. At times the book made me uncomfortable - the way Sugar Beth was treated and the way she took it. But the end made it all worth while - the whole cast turned out pretty incredible. Loved this book - it was a grand adventure.
March 10, 2019
This was such a sweet story. Sugar Beth was such a horrible person when she was younger. She was spoiled rotten, ruining relationships and ending up hurting everyone who ever cared about her. Sugar Beth made a game of terrorizing and making miserable her half sister Winnie all through school. SEP transforming Sugar Beth into such an amazingly strong, charismatic and lovable character despite her despicable history was a true gift. I loved everything about Sugar Beth. She was so upbeat and strong, despite how the Universe Bitch Slapped her ass, and took her down about 100 notches. As the story progressed, Sugar Beth proved herself to be a real sweetheart in the end. Winnie, even though she had been terribly mistreated by Sugar Beth, was kind of a butthead. I had a much harder time warming up to her and her petty jealousy, but it was fun watching her daughter Gigi bringing these 2 sister together as a family to the point of bonding again. I enjoyed the whole story; from the humiliating dinner party, to Sugar Beth reclaiming what was left of her family, to getting her HEA with her nemesis Colin. Gordon was pretty cute too, despite his grumpy demeanor.
January 10, 2014
"She rolled her eyes, back in the game. “Are you telling me that little bit of guilt is all it takes to make you tuck your tail between your legs? And you call yourself a man.”
He’d been reading too much Victorian erotica because he wanted to bend her over a chair and . . . do something quite nasty."
"Did you scare her? I swear, Colin, if you said one thing to upset her . . .”
He slapped a foil-covered casserole on the counter. “Why would I upset her when I was conserving my energy to upset you?”
She abandoned the side of the bed to sit cross-legged on the rug so Gordon, who’d slithered under the bed during her tirade, could emerge and put his head in her lap. Her eyes had started to leak, but she took deep breaths so Colin didn’t know his desertion had turned her into a regular little watering pot. “How could you have left?”
I la la loved this book! Sugar Beth is by far the wittiest heroine of SEP's. Every line of dialogue in this book was sheer genius. SEP really had to work hard to make readers look past Sugar Beth's Wild Child past and fall in love with her mature adult self. In many ways, Sugar Beth was like Daisy from Kiss an Angel and I'm certain that those who enjoyed that book will enjoy this one too. I personally enjoyed this one a lot more, but I'm sure some of you would disagree.
Sugar Beth Carey's come back to Parrish, Mississippi, and she's brought her reputation for wreaking havoc with her. She's broke, desperate, and too proud to show it, even with her old enemies lining up for a chance to get even. Winnie Davis, her longtime rival, is fully armed with the money, power, and prestige that had once been Sugar Beth's. But worst of all is Colin Byrne, the man whose career Sugar Beth had destroyed — and not exactly accidentally.
Now Colin's a famous novelist living in Sugar Beth's old mansion, and this modern day dark prince is using his writer's imagination to figure out how to bring the town's beautiful former princess to her knees. But despite her sassy mouth, feisty spirit, and hardheaded ways, Sugar Beth's no longer the spoiled rich girl they all remember. No, now she's a woman to be reckoned with ... and a great big reckonin' is about to happen, not least of all for one dark prince who might—just might—be thinking about falling in love with the wickedest girl in town.
For those of you who love a good chick lit I would recommend running to find the nearest copy of this book. This is chick lit at its best and Susan Elizabeth Phillips at her wittiest.
He’d been reading too much Victorian erotica because he wanted to bend her over a chair and . . . do something quite nasty."
"Did you scare her? I swear, Colin, if you said one thing to upset her . . .”
He slapped a foil-covered casserole on the counter. “Why would I upset her when I was conserving my energy to upset you?”
She abandoned the side of the bed to sit cross-legged on the rug so Gordon, who’d slithered under the bed during her tirade, could emerge and put his head in her lap. Her eyes had started to leak, but she took deep breaths so Colin didn’t know his desertion had turned her into a regular little watering pot. “How could you have left?”
I la la loved this book! Sugar Beth is by far the wittiest heroine of SEP's. Every line of dialogue in this book was sheer genius. SEP really had to work hard to make readers look past Sugar Beth's Wild Child past and fall in love with her mature adult self. In many ways, Sugar Beth was like Daisy from Kiss an Angel and I'm certain that those who enjoyed that book will enjoy this one too. I personally enjoyed this one a lot more, but I'm sure some of you would disagree.
Sugar Beth Carey's come back to Parrish, Mississippi, and she's brought her reputation for wreaking havoc with her. She's broke, desperate, and too proud to show it, even with her old enemies lining up for a chance to get even. Winnie Davis, her longtime rival, is fully armed with the money, power, and prestige that had once been Sugar Beth's. But worst of all is Colin Byrne, the man whose career Sugar Beth had destroyed — and not exactly accidentally.
Now Colin's a famous novelist living in Sugar Beth's old mansion, and this modern day dark prince is using his writer's imagination to figure out how to bring the town's beautiful former princess to her knees. But despite her sassy mouth, feisty spirit, and hardheaded ways, Sugar Beth's no longer the spoiled rich girl they all remember. No, now she's a woman to be reckoned with ... and a great big reckonin' is about to happen, not least of all for one dark prince who might—just might—be thinking about falling in love with the wickedest girl in town.
For those of you who love a good chick lit I would recommend running to find the nearest copy of this book. This is chick lit at its best and Susan Elizabeth Phillips at her wittiest.
April 24, 2017
SEP nunca decepciona.
La historia entre Sugar Beth y Winnie me ha encantado desde el principio.
Y me encanta que Colin sea un fanático de la comida sana y orgánica!!!
Para leer cuando necesitas a SEP ;)
La historia entre Sugar Beth y Winnie me ha encantado desde el principio.
Y me encanta que Colin sea un fanático de la comida sana y orgánica!!!
Para leer cuando necesitas a SEP ;)
February 5, 2010
First: I listened to this as an audiobook, and I’m going to evaluate the book separately from the reading.
The book is, for my money, probably going to be my favorite Susan Elizabeth Phillips. It’s funny and sweet, but it’s also quite thoughtful. It’s a twist on Cinderella and her stepsister — because you don’t know which one is which, and by the end, you’re still debating. In a good way. Can they both be Cinderella, with dashes of stepsister? Pretty much, because the main female characters (Sugar Beth, the former high school beauty queen of Parrish, Mississippi, now down on her luck) and Winifred (her half sister by her father’s open relationship to another woman) are complex in the way they see themselves, each other, and the world. In the end I liked Sugar Beth the best, because she comes a long way, learns a lot, but doesn’t lose her edge.
The novel is very atmospheric, full of southern smells and sights and sounds (I’ll get to more about this in a minute) and does a great job of capturing the good and bad of small town life. I highly recommend it for anybody who likes a well done love story. Unless you’ve got a lot of biased, preconceived notions about romance, you should read this book.
Now about the audio. The reader is Kate Flemming, and she knows her way around a variety of southern accents. Flemming reads Sugar Beth with just the right amount of vinegar; I don’t think I would have liked Sugar Beth quite so much if I had been reading rather than listening. Really.
The problem is Flemming’s reading of Colin Byrne, the main male character. A successful author, once Sugar Beth’s reviled high school English teacher — she got him fired by telling a lie after he proved that a man could be immune to her charms. Colin is supposed to be the son of an Irish mason, a boy with ambition who managed to get an education beyond his social standing and pulled himself up by the proverbial bootstraps. I don’t believe there’s ever a mention of where he went to university, but it’s clear that he worked for what he’s got, and re-cast himself. And then Kate Flemming goes and reads him with an outdated posh upper class accent.
There are lots of examples of current day upper-class English accents out there. Colin Firth in What a Girl Wants jumps to mind, along with a dozen other examples from modern movies. But this Colin Byrne talks like an overdone Basil Rathbone circa 1930, all glottal creak (which is, in fact, a technical term) and plummy vowels. I kept thinking it was a joke, that there would be some explanation in the story of why he affected such an outlandish accent, but nope. It was so overdone it almost stopped me from listening to the book, but the story pulled me along and I learned to ignore it. I think I would have liked the character Colin Byrne a lot more if he hadn’t sounded like such a dweeb of a throwback.
Please note that I do have some grounds for making such judgments — my husband is a Brit with the kind of educational background that Colin Byrne is supposed to have. I played a bit of the audiobook for him so he could hear the character, and he burst into laughter.
But. In the end Flemming does such a great job with the other characters, I have to give the audiobook a pass.
The book is, for my money, probably going to be my favorite Susan Elizabeth Phillips. It’s funny and sweet, but it’s also quite thoughtful. It’s a twist on Cinderella and her stepsister — because you don’t know which one is which, and by the end, you’re still debating. In a good way. Can they both be Cinderella, with dashes of stepsister? Pretty much, because the main female characters (Sugar Beth, the former high school beauty queen of Parrish, Mississippi, now down on her luck) and Winifred (her half sister by her father’s open relationship to another woman) are complex in the way they see themselves, each other, and the world. In the end I liked Sugar Beth the best, because she comes a long way, learns a lot, but doesn’t lose her edge.
The novel is very atmospheric, full of southern smells and sights and sounds (I’ll get to more about this in a minute) and does a great job of capturing the good and bad of small town life. I highly recommend it for anybody who likes a well done love story. Unless you’ve got a lot of biased, preconceived notions about romance, you should read this book.
Now about the audio. The reader is Kate Flemming, and she knows her way around a variety of southern accents. Flemming reads Sugar Beth with just the right amount of vinegar; I don’t think I would have liked Sugar Beth quite so much if I had been reading rather than listening. Really.
The problem is Flemming’s reading of Colin Byrne, the main male character. A successful author, once Sugar Beth’s reviled high school English teacher — she got him fired by telling a lie after he proved that a man could be immune to her charms. Colin is supposed to be the son of an Irish mason, a boy with ambition who managed to get an education beyond his social standing and pulled himself up by the proverbial bootstraps. I don’t believe there’s ever a mention of where he went to university, but it’s clear that he worked for what he’s got, and re-cast himself. And then Kate Flemming goes and reads him with an outdated posh upper class accent.
There are lots of examples of current day upper-class English accents out there. Colin Firth in What a Girl Wants jumps to mind, along with a dozen other examples from modern movies. But this Colin Byrne talks like an overdone Basil Rathbone circa 1930, all glottal creak (which is, in fact, a technical term) and plummy vowels. I kept thinking it was a joke, that there would be some explanation in the story of why he affected such an outlandish accent, but nope. It was so overdone it almost stopped me from listening to the book, but the story pulled me along and I learned to ignore it. I think I would have liked the character Colin Byrne a lot more if he hadn’t sounded like such a dweeb of a throwback.
Please note that I do have some grounds for making such judgments — my husband is a Brit with the kind of educational background that Colin Byrne is supposed to have. I played a bit of the audiobook for him so he could hear the character, and he burst into laughter.
But. In the end Flemming does such a great job with the other characters, I have to give the audiobook a pass.
April 30, 2016
It's not that this book is perfect. There are a lot of things that I, personally, couldn't care less about. For example the whole story about Winnie's marriage. ( NOBODY GIVES A SHIIIIIIT )
Or, I really couldn't see Colin's allure. He was pretentious as hell. I like that his conscience worked and that he felt bad for what he put Sugar Beth through, but I never really warmed up to him. That's the thing with SEP's heroes. I have still to find one who I'm going to actually like. It's her heroines who are the soul of each story. I loved Sugar Beth. She is strong and proud and confident. Her speech about claiming your power resonated with me and her character left a huge impression.
So yeah, in conclusion, this is one of my favorite books by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (and ever) and Sugar Beth is one of my favorite heroines EVER.
Or, I really couldn't see Colin's allure. He was pretentious as hell. I like that his conscience worked and that he felt bad for what he put Sugar Beth through, but I never really warmed up to him. That's the thing with SEP's heroes. I have still to find one who I'm going to actually like. It's her heroines who are the soul of each story. I loved Sugar Beth. She is strong and proud and confident. Her speech about claiming your power resonated with me and her character left a huge impression.
So yeah, in conclusion, this is one of my favorite books by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (and ever) and Sugar Beth is one of my favorite heroines EVER.
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