Rene Gutteridge

I feel like I was transported into Leave it to Beaver meets Night Vale except it's not really Night Vale. It wants to be quirky, it wants to be funny but in some benevolent, ice-cream-social-fellowship-hall way I used to experience in my mother's church growing up.

It's supposed to be Christian fiction but I don't really get that except in that milquetoast Midwestern way I described above. it's so nice; it's so flat; it's so chummy and yet there's a lot of casual sexism going on. The subtle show more teasing of the opposite sexes that happens in very nice, Midwestern communities is rampant. where women are real women and men are real men. where women put on make-up, watch their soaps, do laundry, cook, and save men from themselves. men do manly things, are awkward, goofy, and need a strong female presence too keep them in line and give them directions. It's like JK Rowling's Casual Vacancy but without the dark humor; without the biting satire. In fact, Boo Hiss is the inverse of the Casual Vacancy. It's the source material. It's the small town culture that Rowling eviscerates.

Naïve, innocent, nice- all these words come to mind when i think of this book. it's a little too trite to be really funny to me but it is a feel-good type book. if you don't want any drama in your drama, if you want it to be funny and lighthearted and Barney-the-dinosaur-like where nothing bad EVER happens, then this is a good book for you. I'll have to buy the first two books -this is the third book in the trilogy- and give them all to my mother; my 83-year-old mother. show less

Book 40 - Rene Gutteridge - Boo Hiss

And so I reach Book 3 of 4 of the wonderfully funny series set in Skary, Indiana. Where Gutteridge succeeds in her books is the characterisation of the main participants of the town...and how much we care what happens to all of them.

A series that started with us asking the question, “How much can someone change?” has moved on to asking...”What happens when everything seems to be changing around us ?” How do we deal with that ? Should we just move show more with that and ‘go with the flow’ ? Or should we continue to ask, “Why are things changing ?”

Don’t get me wrong, change can be good, change can refresh and more importantly change is what happens as life moves forward. But...we do need to ask the question...who is in charge of the change ?

Chaos abounds as a two-headed snake escapes in Skary and mishap after mishap causes chaos, hilarity and much needed reconnecting with the characters we have grown to love.

One of the characters who has changed the most throughout the series, Martin, the Mayor’s assistant, sums up change better than I ever could.

‘Martin said, “Let’s give God thanks for the chance to be part of this delightful journey. And may there be many more journeys to come.” ‘ Amen. show less

Oh. My. God.

Literally. God. Mine.

Well. Old Fashioned wasn't what I was expecting. First off, I didn't know until I was holding this novel by author Rene Gutteridge in my hands that it's actually based on a screenplay, one written by writer-director-producer Rik Swartzwelder. And, finding out that this book's cinematic counterpart is purposely being released the same weekend as the film version of Fifty Shades of Grey, it strengthened the assumption I formed after once brushing through Old show more Fashioned's book blurb: this would be a nice story intent on giving rather blanket pointers on chaste dating practices for Christians. I'd like it well enough, and that would be that.

I can't pinpoint exactly when, while reading, I realized this novel wasn't what I'd thought it'd be. When I finished the book, I threw it down, took a seat, and wept.

"Sometimes doing right is more than not doing wrong."

Former reckless frat boy, Clay Walsh, meets free-spirited pretty girl, Amber Hewson, in this romantic story that's both sweet and humorous but also complex, nuanced, and at many points, just enough. The characters, major and minor, are imperfect, sometimes outrageous, and ultimately believable. Heartache, shame, faith, and grace find their places in this tale, not about dating pointers, but about a guy and a girl, plus the guy and himself, the girl and herself, and the God Who loves them both.

"As Lloyd tells me every day--be a good steward of your pain."

A vague book review, I know. Descriptions rarely do experiences complete justice, but it didn't take me long after weeping to know that I'd be adding Old Fashioned to my list of all-time favorite books.
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Tyndale House provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review. show less

Love’s A Stage is a light, romantic comedy with a bit of slapstick thrown in from the writing duo of Rene Gutteridge and Cheryl McKay. The setting is Massachusetts in the fall, complete with a Pilgrim-themed wedding (yes, that’s right, a Pilgrim wedding) and will get your Autumn romance reading off to a good start. The characters are likable — Aly is idealistic, Nick is devoted and the assortment of secondary characters range from loyal to clueless. But it is the underlying message show more that a marriage takes real work that resonated with this reader. As Aly and Nick planned their fake wedding to reunite Aly’s parents, it is apparent that for a real marriage to work, a couple needs to keep their eyes on the husband/wife relationship. A happily-ever-after follows near disaster that will have you chuckling. A quick read, Love’s A Stage is fun reading.

Recommended for fans of light romantic comedy.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to Redbud Press for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) show less