Devon’s review of What Looks Like Crazy by Charlotte Hughes
Contemporary fiction released by Jove 26 Feb 08
What Looks Like Crazy is not my usual cup of tea. It’s contemporary fiction, heavy on the humor. There are romantic elements to be sure, but the book reminds me more of Chick-Lit than anything else. There’s a heroine with a messed up love life, a weird family and friends and an equally kooky professional life. She gets into all manner of ridiculous situations, and indulges in makeovers and retail therapy when she’s feeling down.
However, What Looks Like Crazy is much better written than much of the chick lit I’ve read, with vivid characterization and few shallow clichés. I requested it because I was looking for something different, and this fit the bill.
This is the first in a series featuring Atlanta therapist Kate Holly (meaning no HEA yet), and although the author was new to me, Charlotte Hughes has written a number of romance novels as well has co-authored a series with Janet Evanovich. It was a light read, which I quickly devoured, and is sure to appeal to contemporary romance fans.
Much of the humor comes from Kate’s interactions with her patients. It could’ve been cringe-inducing or patronizing (“Hey, let’s laugh at the crazies!”), but wasn’t. Though Kate’s patients exasperated her, I never got the feeling that she looked down on them – a sense of empathy was there. The balance between outrageousness and vulnerability also made Kate’s best friend/receptionist (a loud-mouthed rich widow), and her mother (a very unusual woman), sympathetic, when they could’ve been cariacatures. I’ve read so much hamfisted humor that I really appreciate an author who has a light comedic touch.
Then there’s the men in Kate’s life: fire-fighter almost-ex-husband Jay, and psychiatrist ex-boyfriend Thad. She’s got chemistry with both, but therein lies a big problem I had with the book. Kate and Jay are a matter of weeks away from divorcing, and her motivations for ending her marriage bugged me. On the one hand, I could understand her reasons and fears. But on the other hand, the way she handled it made her seem immature and self-absorbed. And Kate really seemed to feel that she was somehow the wronged party, that Jay had done her wrong. I didn’t agree, and therefore wasn’t feeling particularly sympathetic. Girlfriend needed a bitchslap and some therapy. I suppose that’s why this is a series. Kate the therapist will hopefully learn to deal with her own issues in a healthy manner.
Although my issues with Kate prevent me from giving the book a higher grade, I would definitely recommend What Looks Like Crazy to contemporary fans, especially those who like The Funny. I got sucked right into Kate’s crazy world, and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next with all of her relationships (professional, familial, and romantic). A promising start to the series.
Grade: B
From the back cover:
Kate is trained to deal with everyone’s problems—except her own…
Psychologist Kate Holly’s own life has become the stuff of intensive therapy. She’s divorcing Jay, her gorgeous firefighter husband, who is perfect except for his tendency to put his life on the line. Her eccentric secretary lures in clients with promises of free manicures. Her junk-art-collecting mother and aunt have erected a vaguely sexual sculpture in her front yard. And, her psychiatrist ex-boyfriend refers patients to her in return for information on the color of her panties.
Struggling to keep her sanity gets harder every day, especially when Kate starts getting bombarded with mysterious threats that could be from just about any lunatic in Atlanta. She’s treated them all. And the only person who can help Kate is the one man who always makes her lose her mind—and her heart…
Read an excerpt here.
