Sammy's House (edition 2007)

Another excellent work by Gore. While Sammy may have moved up to the White House, she's still quite capable of giving neurotic a good name. Most of the fun of reading this one is trying to figure who the characters were based on when Gore was really in the White House. Some are obvious, but some are pretty subtle and quite amusing to discover. Here's hoping she finds a way to continue the saga. ( )

Sammy’s House, by Kristen Gore, is a sequel to Sammy’s Hill, and it picks up nearly two years after where the first one left off. Sammy is a low-on-the-food-chain white house official who specializes in health care and reports to the vice president, RG. She is still dating Charley, a reporter for the Washington Post, she still rooms with her relationship-challenged friend Liza, and she still obsesses over keeping her Japanese fighting fish alive.
But some stuff has changed. While Sammy is still prone to putting herself in embarrassing situations and making cringe-worthy gaffs, she isn’t as Lucile Ballish as she was in the first book. In fact, it’s completely understandable why this woman would be a valued member of the vice president’s staff; she’s loyal, hard-working, and competent.
But here is where Kristen Gore’s skill as a writer shines. She has created a loveable, funny, and smart character in Sammy, and she does so with aplomb. So many times I have read books about heroines who are supposed to super-intelligent, and I feel hit over the head with proclamations by the author about how genius the heroine is. (The Jessica Darling books by Megan McCafferty come to mind...) In contrast, Gore never ever tells us that Sammy is smart; instead, she includes us in Sammy’s thought process, which covers everything from healthcare reform, made-up holidays, interpersonal insights, and neurotic anxieties. Sammy’s brain is always in overdrive, and I find myself at once laughing and feeling in awe of how her mind works.
I’ll admit it; when I first heard that Kristen Gore got a book deal I was jealous and bitter. I was sure she was one more example of an undeserving author succeeding purely based off her connections. But then I checked out her first book from the library on a whim, and I realized how wrong I was. Sammy’s House is just as good as her first book, if not better.
In this one we learn about the inner-workings of the White House as Sammy becomes unwillingly privy to confidential information that could bring the administration she’s working for down. In addition, she’s struggling in her relationship after Charley moves to New York. With the perfect balance of political intrigue and romance, Sammy’s House is book not to be missed! ( )

Sammy is a vice presidential health adviser. Her new job places her with her own office in the White House and all the complications of being so close to the seat of power.

I enjoyed this sequel to Sammy's Hill. I think it fell a bit short of its predecessor but all in all was a fun quick read.

I love the quirkiness of Sammy's character - a lot of it is over the top - but I am totally willing to buy into the goofiness most of the time. What I didn't enjoy was the constant referencing to things that were explored or happened in Sammy's Hill. I don't feel that this kind of review is necessary in a followup book - it just gets kind of annoying for those of us that read the first book.

The last 1/3 of the book dragged a bit for me - but generally I found it a light summer read. ( )

Not nearly as good as the first but it was a fun read! The character is a bit over the top but I like her. ( )

A good follow up to Sammy's Hill. More romance, and some more serious themes, but still made me laugh. ( )