This was a good start to a series. There were a lot of things I liked, but some things that I didn't that brought my overall star rating down just a bit.I liked that when the reader is introduced to Fontaine, there is not explanation. He is the cousin. Period. Other things about him come into play later, but at first these things are not made into a big deal. Tracy Brogan doesn't try to hit us over the head with things that are just a fact of real life.The interactions between the hero and heroine were cute at times, emotional at others. But regardless of that I just didn't "feel" the chemistry. I have to say, I'm also really tired of reading about the woman biting her lip when she's nervous and it turning the man on and the woman having no idea she's doing it or the power she has. It's such an over-used trope in all romance books. Ugh!I really enjoyed Aunt Dody and her butchering of sayings and words...it was excellent comic relief. I enjoyed the story and characters enough to be curious about the next book in the series. I'll see how it goes from there.Oh! One last thing. I HATE the cover. Not the concept, but the picture they chose to go with. If you're going to show feet on the cover of your book, please be sure the toes aren't all spread out at weird angles. Not attractive! A year after her divorce, uptight and play-it-safe Sadie Turner is still trying to pick up the pieces of her life and move on. A trip with her kids to the sleepy beach town of Bell Harbor on Lake Michigan seems like a harmless option to rid herself of the negativity and anger but with her free-spirited but nosy Aunt Dody, and colorful cousins, Fontaine and Jasper, Sadie might just go stir crazy. But when she meets the neighbor next door, Des McKnight, things begin to change but Sadie can't decide if it's the silver lining she's been hoping for, or the worst nightmare about to repeat.Crazy Little Things was humorous, easy to read, very light and it didn't try too hard to be a romance book (which was part of the problem).Sadie is, for good reason, jilted, angry and lonely; and she expresses it, i.e., the author expresses it. On one hand, she's supposed to be this responsible mother and, at times, could be introspective, but usually ridiculously childish or utterly illogical, especially when she and Des start dating. Some did not like this aspect of Sadie, who was grumpy, mopey and lamenting the tribulations of her nasty divorce, but I felt that it was genuine to the character and the progression of the romance. These less than sparkling descriptions of Sadie's emotional turmoil might be legit for someone in her situation, in real life, but I don't necessarily want to READ it all the time. Despite that, I did like Sadie. It helped that the narrative was peppered with oddball characters that poked fun at Sadie for being just that: grumpy, mopey, self-pitying. While Des was a likable character, also the typical freakishly sexy hot guy that is attracted to the hot mess of a woman, he was rather bland, quite vague and a lot more nebulous than a male romantic lead ought to be. He and the romance were almost background noise to the actual tell of the story--which was the journey that Sadie is embarking on, one of self-discovery and acceptance of herself as much as her situation.The secondary cast of characters, with their witty dialogue and snappy observations, sometimes stole the show. Were they oh-so familiar, sure; but they all acted as soundboards and voices of reasons for Sadie which relieved some of the annoyance I felt with Sadie. The writing was good and it flowed smoothly. There were small feats of conflict to climb over and subtle sexual tension that kept the forward momentum going, but overall, it lacked depth--the romance, mostly, which switched from tepid to restrained to...meh. Ultimately, the story isn't about the relationship but one element of Sadie realizing she deserves to be happy, for herself.The problem is that Brogan didn't go far enough for those of us who like more characterization and details, more romance (not necessarily heavy on the sex but actual romance and more development), a little more description and background of the male lead and their actual feelings for each other (which was either oddly vacant, constantly hesitant, touch and go or ambiguous). Everything almost Went There, then Ms. Brogan, or her editor or publisher, pulled back. Then again, chick-lit isn't about evoking strong emotions, intensity or depth, just feeding into our fantasies and in that, Brogan did as well as any other romance author out there. For me, it's good for just one read and borrowed from the library. While I didn't dive in head long to finish this book, Brogan did her job and well, I was entertained and had a good laugh to boot.
What do You think about Douces Folies (2014)?
Funny, funny, funny. I love the sense of humor displayed in this book! Everyone has those zany family members and Sadie is no different. Coming off of a divorce she goes on vacation to relax and regroup for the summer at her aunt's house. Add a couple of cousins, her aunt's friends, and of course Running Man to get a story that keeps you turning the pages. Looking forward to reading other books by this author.
—ariam_lopez
Since this book came from Kindle Unlimited, chosen because it looked like a quick and easy read (it was!) I didn't have high expectations. I loved it! The characters were sweet, funny, and real. Finished the book in one sitting with several laugh out loud moments! The only complaint I had was that I wanted more of several characters. I'm hoping future books in the series will fulfill that wish!
—jhas
Beach read--a fun escape for a summer read. I could read more of this author's stuff.
—dancer11
It was good to laugh at some parts. Enjoyable read.
—Druwski
I especially enjoyed this being set in Michigan.
—atclimb
