Cindy Vine
Author of Not Telling
Works by Cindy Vine
The Case of Billy B 1 copy
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While I didn't find myself thoroughly engrossed in this book, it was well-written and the story was mildly engaging. I found it to be a quick read.
Two 50 year old single mothers ... two adult problematic children with too much drama and issues in their adult lives ... two worrisome moms who come to the rescue ...
Fenella Fisher and Suki Rabonowitz have been lifelong BFFs since the age of two. When their two eldest children find their adult lives are in a mess, the worried moms hatch a plan to sort out their children's lives.
Suki's son Josh has been known to be a liar, owes money to several people, is a cocaine addict and possibly had an affair with a woman in Cornwall, UK which resulted in a pregnancy.
Fenella's twenty-eight year old daughter Kirsty is an artist who has a needy streak that requires asking her mother "the relationship guru" for advice about her relationships. Her latest on again / off again boyfriend Grant has dumped Kirsty and left her in a tizzy.
Suki and Fenella hatch a crazy plan to find Kirsty a man on an internet dating site that leads the two ladies on an adventure filled with crazy antics. They also try to solve Josh's problem with the possible birth of his child in the UK.
Can the worried moms fix their wayward kids' lives?
C U @ 8 is an entertaining story about two worried moms whose eldest adult children can't seem to get their lives together. Written in the third person narrative, the reader follows along with the quirky fifty year old single moms Fenella and Suki as they try to fix their kids' lives through some really funny antics. There is a lot of humorous and quirky sides to these two ladies, in a time in their lives when they should be enjoying themselves, their needy adult children fill their days with worry and they feel the need to step in and help them out.
There are a lot of laugh-out-loud moments in this entertaining story with these two characters that will keep you in stitches as you read about their adventures and crazy antics. Fenella is the more serious type of woman, who just wants to get rid of her frequent migraines, travel to exotic spots and live a peaceful life. Suki on the other hand is redefining her life after the death of her ultra conservative orthodox Jewish husband's death. Put these two lifelong BFFs together and you have a duo that are determined to help their kids, and while they're at it they get themselves into some pretty funny situations!
C U @ 8 is a lighthearted entertaining story about the special bond that is a mother's love for their child. If you want a fast paced fun read full of quirky humor and crazy antics, then this is the book for you!
RATING: 3 STARS *** (My Rating) / 4 STARS **** (Amazon Rating)
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Virtual Book Tour Cafe.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/08/c-u-8-by-cindy-vine-author-gue...… (more)
Fenella Fisher and Suki Rabonowitz have been lifelong BFFs since the age of two. When their two eldest children find their adult lives are in a mess, the worried moms hatch a plan to sort out their children's lives.
Suki's son Josh has been known to be a liar, owes money to several people, is a cocaine addict and possibly had an affair with a woman in Cornwall, UK which resulted in a pregnancy.
Fenella's twenty-eight year old daughter Kirsty is an artist who has a needy streak that requires asking her mother "the relationship guru" for advice about her relationships. Her latest on again / off again boyfriend Grant has dumped Kirsty and left her in a tizzy.
Suki and Fenella hatch a crazy plan to find Kirsty a man on an internet dating site that leads the two ladies on an adventure filled with crazy antics. They also try to solve Josh's problem with the possible birth of his child in the UK.
Can the worried moms fix their wayward kids' lives?
C U @ 8 is an entertaining story about two worried moms whose eldest adult children can't seem to get their lives together. Written in the third person narrative, the reader follows along with the quirky fifty year old single moms Fenella and Suki as they try to fix their kids' lives through some really funny antics. There is a lot of humorous and quirky sides to these two ladies, in a time in their lives when they should be enjoying themselves, their needy adult children fill their days with worry and they feel the need to step in and help them out.
There are a lot of laugh-out-loud moments in this entertaining story with these two characters that will keep you in stitches as you read about their adventures and crazy antics. Fenella is the more serious type of woman, who just wants to get rid of her frequent migraines, travel to exotic spots and live a peaceful life. Suki on the other hand is redefining her life after the death of her ultra conservative orthodox Jewish husband's death. Put these two lifelong BFFs together and you have a duo that are determined to help their kids, and while they're at it they get themselves into some pretty funny situations!
C U @ 8 is a lighthearted entertaining story about the special bond that is a mother's love for their child. If you want a fast paced fun read full of quirky humor and crazy antics, then this is the book for you!
RATING: 3 STARS *** (My Rating) / 4 STARS **** (Amazon Rating)
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Virtual Book Tour Cafe.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/08/c-u-8-by-cindy-vine-author-gue...… (more)
Cindy Vine kindly made three of her books available for free, as eBooks, in a promotion at Smashwords back in May, and being a lover of ‘free’ I couldn’t resist the opportunity, especially as I do most of my book reading using my smartphone these days. It took a while for me to get around to reading them (hey! I’m busy you know!) but I wasn’t disappointed when I did.
I read them in the ‘wrong’ order. That is, not in the order they were published, but each is a self-contained story, about different characters, so it’s not a necessity. I started with The Case Of Billy B, then moved on to Stop The World I Want To Pee, then to Not Telling.
All three books, although not directly connected, deal with difficult topics. Billy B is the victim of child abuse, Fenella, in Stop The World, could be described as a slightly reluctant wild child, and Jenny, in Not Telling, is the victim not only of misfortune but also of sex abuse as a child.
So, if you are looking for a cosy, rose-coloured glasses read then these books are not for you. But despite the stories being about the raw side of humanity, Cindy Vine’s writing, and her insight into her characters make them well worth reading.
It would be nice, perhaps, if the world was a place where such cruelty, both directed and random, did not exist, but we’ve a long way to go before we reach that stage, if we ever do. I sometimes find myself wondering how people can behave as they do, when I hear a story of cruelty on the News, particularly when the victims are children. Cindy explores how such things can happen and puts depth into all the characters involved, both good and bad.
I happily recommend Cindy’s books, and thank her for making them available in the way she did. Even though the free promotion is over, you can still purchase the eBooks for only $1.50 at Smashwords.… (more)
I read them in the ‘wrong’ order. That is, not in the order they were published, but each is a self-contained story, about different characters, so it’s not a necessity. I started with The Case Of Billy B, then moved on to Stop The World I Want To Pee, then to Not Telling.
All three books, although not directly connected, deal with difficult topics. Billy B is the victim of child abuse, Fenella, in Stop The World, could be described as a slightly reluctant wild child, and Jenny, in Not Telling, is the victim not only of misfortune but also of sex abuse as a child.
So, if you are looking for a cosy, rose-coloured glasses read then these books are not for you. But despite the stories being about the raw side of humanity, Cindy Vine’s writing, and her insight into her characters make them well worth reading.
It would be nice, perhaps, if the world was a place where such cruelty, both directed and random, did not exist, but we’ve a long way to go before we reach that stage, if we ever do. I sometimes find myself wondering how people can behave as they do, when I hear a story of cruelty on the News, particularly when the victims are children. Cindy explores how such things can happen and puts depth into all the characters involved, both good and bad.
I happily recommend Cindy’s books, and thank her for making them available in the way she did. Even though the free promotion is over, you can still purchase the eBooks for only $1.50 at Smashwords.… (more)
Statistics
- Works
- 11
- Members
- 36
- Popularity
- #397,831
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 5
- ISBNs
- 9
You are a loser.
You are a freak.
You are fat.
You are ugly.
You should just kill yourself.
Words have the power to hurt you if you let them. Kids and teenagers can be cruel and bullying seems to be getting worse every year. When does the cycle ever stop? What makes a bully a bully?
The Freedom Club hits too close to home for many school age children and teens. There are many bullied kids who have no one to turn to. No one to seek help from. You can see it from this story with teenagers from Rourke High and there are many other schools just like this one. Teachers, guidance counselors and principals need to be more aware of what is going on in their classrooms and in their school. There needs to be tougher consequences for bullies such as community service, forced counseling, jail time, and/or being expelled from school.
What I love most about The Freedom Club is it takes a deeper look at students who are bullied, what their home life looks like and what feelings they encounter being bullied. We don’t often always see the different sides of the spectrum. We also don't always see what makes a bully a bully. Sometimes bullies don’t necessarily have the support of their families or come from a happy family. Bullying might be their only way of coping. I am not saying that every bully is the product of a bad family, there are bullies that are just mean in general and get a thrill from putting down others.
It is also sad to say that even parents are bullies. Grown adults behaving like children. You have seen it on the news a mother cyberbullying a fourteen year old girl until the point where the girl commits suicide. How much does your life truly stink that you have to harass a child. You are supposed to be the adult. You should be in jail and never let out.
Principal Timmins of Rourke High is a bully and his two teenage children Sean and Monique are just like him. They are the popular kids at school. They are mean, heartless, and have no care for other people’s feelings. They are the worst of the bullies and the outsiders of their little clique often feel the brunt of their bullying.
A group of students come together to form the Freedom Club. It is a safe place where they can get together and stick up for one another against the bullies of their high school. It is a club where they all watch out for one another and lift each other up.
Although the group starts out with the best of intentions they do get a bit carried away with the revenge aspect. Two wrongs do not make a right and why stoop to someone else's level. I can understand why they wanted revenge and to be honest, it felt good seeing it happen. I probably shouldn't be saying that, but I do believe in karma. If I was in the same situation? I hate to admit it, but I would probably do the same. But, even though I liked that the kids finally stood up for themselves, you still never know what motivates a bully and you never know if the person you bully will have a breaking point and come back and do something very unexpected. The ending of The Freedom Club is really tragic and it was really unexpected, but you can see what led up to this point.
Here is a short story about me. When I went off to college, I got stuck with the roommate from hell. She was a bully and looked down her nose at me because I was not from the rich part of the state. I am a city girl. I am pretty tough. I come from NJ and us girls are tough here in the city. I may be short at 4’8”, but my mouth is bigger than my entire body. You can’t bully me. I will just laugh in your face and tell you how stupid you look. My roommate tried and learned the hard way that I am not the one to be played with. I have been like this my entire life. In high school, girls said I was weird because I always had a book about serial killers in my hand. I embrace my weirdness and so should you. Never let someone define who you are as a person. Their opinions don’t matter. Just know at the end a bully is going to have a miserable future ahead of them. Karma again.
I do believe that people can change though. If you are a bully. Stop it. That is it. That is all you have to do. Only you can make these changes and learn to be good to people. If you see someone being bullied take a stand. Don’t sit quietly by and do nothing.
The Freedom Club is real, honest, raw and uncensored. Cindy Vine will evoke every single emotion out of you anywhere from anger and outrage to sorrow and understanding. The story, at times, is poetic and deep and it needs to be read slowly to let the words soak in. There is such a powerful message behind this story. Its stories like this that should be absolutely added to middle graders and high schoolers as mandatory summer reading programs. Every child/teen should have this book in their hands. It is a must read.
I would like to leave you with one final quote from The Freedom Club that I really love that has such a deep meaning to me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
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