Crazy For You

I love and adore this book, and Jennifer Crusie is hands down my favorite romantic comedy author. Her characterization is fantastic, her dialogue snappy, and she manages humor beautifully. Absolutely, BUY THIS BOOK! Crusie tackles multiple lines in this that most authors just don't do -- stalking, for one, and that's compounded by the fact that the character who's a stalker is, like many other stalkers, someone that nobody believes COULD be a stalker, or dangerous. Not only that, but she did a fantastic job with the stalker's characterization, so you get *why* he is the way he is -- a clear example of how one's virtues can turn out to be one's vices.The A line romance between Nick and Quinn is just fantastic. I could go on for paragraphs about why, but that's the clearest way I can put it. It's a wonderful friends to lovers storyline with a heroine (and hero!) that you'll root for all the way through -- and unlike some romances, these characters feel *real*. They're people you not only could know, they're people you want to know. I'd love to be able to go have a coffee with Quinn and Darla!The B romance line, though, might be, in its way, even better and more unique than the A romance line. It's Quinn's best friend Darla and her husband Max, who is Nick's brother. As the B romance, obviously, it doesn't get as much time, but it totally hits on the cylinders as to just why people in love might want something more -- and how they get it. It's funny, it's on point, and it's sheer perfection.I also recommend buying the companion book, The Crazy for You stories. Crusie includes a lot of the work that fed into the writing of this book, including one novella that made it into Redbook featuring Darla's sister, Debbie, who's pretty much a bit character in this book. It's hilarious and has a definite scent of the Dixie Chick's 'Goodbye Earl' to it, if you ask me, but in a mild form. It also includes a short story that fleshes out the character of Barbara, and puts a whole new spin on why she does what she does.That said, do NOT buy the audiobook. The audiobook was clearly edited tightly; the performance is clipped and I didn't realize that it was abridged until after I got it. It cuts out ALL the scenes between Darla and Max, so basically, the entire B-line romance. That sucks! The B-line romance is SUCH a great counterpoint to the A romance between Nick and Quinn, and what's more, Crusie did such a beautiful job of showing how you can have two people who are in love with each other but still wanting something to spice up their marriage and make it new. Besides which, it cuts out several of the funniest scenes in the book! I was so disappointed to see that was missing.So, buy the Kindle, buy the paperback -- but avoid the audiobook, which is a shame, because the vocal performance is really very good.

can be very funny as Jennifer Crusie shows in this wild and crazy tale of a small town art teacher whose life is totally changed when she adopts an abandoned dog that looks more like a large rat. Quinn realizes she craves change in her "beige" life and acquiring a dog was her first step in that direction. Her second is to dump her annoying control freak of a boyfriend ( the creepiest character in any novel ever ). Then she buys a house and falls head over heels for her sister's ex-husband. Nick is Quinn's best guy friend, totally gorgeous and unfortunately afflicted with the worst case of commitment phobia. Quinn knows this but her common sense dissapears every time she sees him and she is now determined to be with him. Quinn's life is full of that excitement she had craved what with her mom coming out of the closet and her loser ex stalking her she's got her plate full. What else could possibly happen in this previously excitement challenged town? Read on to find out.This is my first book by this author and although I did not think this book was a keeper it definitely got me interested in her other books. An excellent beach read. Recommended. :)

Crazy For You was an okay read, but didn’t knock my socks off. First of all, I should admit to not reading a lot of romance novels. I sampled Susan Brown and stopped as soon as I got to the first graphic sex scene. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb, aka Nora Roberts, was okay, more of a murder mystery than a romance novel, but the sci-fi elements were rather thin, and didn’t knock my socks off. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder had some romance elements, but was a cozy murder mystery so I liked it. Outlander was the best romance novel I can remember reading and has been turned into a nifty TV series.Crazy For You is about a woman leaving one guy and then beginning a relationship with another guy, while her ex is unwilling to believe she has really left him and becomes a stalker. Teachers having sex at the school, while kids are around, breaking and entering by the stalker, and the compulsive fickleness of the protagonist left me rushing through this story so I could get to my next book.I read everything from nonfiction to westerns, but at least half of my time is spent reading sci-fi and fantasy.Sci-fi and fantasy authors I like include Douglas Adams, Isaac Asimov, Paolo Bacigalupi, Ray Bradbury, Orson Scott Card, Arthur C. Clarke, Earnest Cline, Suzanne Collins, Abe Evergreen, Diana Gabaldon, William R. Forstchen, Joe Haldeman, Robert A. Heinlein, Frank Herbert, Hugh Howey, George Martin, Larry Niven, Andre Norton, George Orwell, Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson, John Scalzi, John Steakley, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Andy Weir.

I give this book five stars because it made me feel some emotions and I couldn't put it down at Ll

Jennifer Crusie is at the top of her game in this charming and hysterical contemporary romance. All of her trademark elements are here - witty dialogue, amuzing secondary characters, a hot romance. This is the story of a small town art teacher, Quinn McKenzie, who adopts a stray dog and decides to finally take control of her life. She breaks up with the steady but dull school coach, gets her own place and tries to initiate a romance with her ex-brother-in-law and close friend, Nick. The problem is that the rest of the town thinks she lost her mind. The coach refuses to accept their break-up and her boss blames her for the team's loosing streak and threatens to fire her. Inspired by Quinn's new attitude, her Mom comes out of the closet and her best friend leaves her happy but unexciting 20 year marriage. As if things are bad enough, Nick refuses to sleep with her! There's one amusing plot twist after the other, and the dialogue is priceless. One of the things I love best about Crusie's novels is the way she makes the lives of ordinary people - Quinn is a teacher and Nick is an automechanic - funny, exciting, sexy and romantic. This is a great novel that you will read again and again, laughing all the while.

The mix of hilarious romantic comedy with a dose of mentally ill stalker didn't work for me. I loved the laugh-out-loud humour that is a hallmark of Crusie. The stalking, not just Bill the former boyfriend, but Quinn's reluctance to call the police, and the ways in which a "good guy" can convince everyone to fall in with his stalking, was realistic, disturbing and unpleasant. I felt sorry for Jason the high school jock, who is forced to confront what is happening, and as a result quits playing. There was little authorial concern. Wanted to like it, but the more I read the more squicky it all became.

I adore Jennifer Crusie's sassy heroines and cool heroes. I haven't really seen anything new from her for a while and nothing that is as good as her earlier stuff so I just keep re-reading these.

I love Jennifer's sense of humour. Maddie's gran was just the most fab creation. Crusie creates 3-dimensional characters that you can't help but fall in love with. She doesn't write nearly enough for my liking!!

I can’t understand why Ms Crusie stopped writing these gorgeous stories. She writes so well and with such warmth I re read her novels whenever I’m down. Cheaper than therapy

I nearly didn't buy this book because it looked like a bog-standard "single thirty-something woman and the problems in her life" girly novel. However, it is highly entertaining,beautifully written and extremely funny. The rather extended love scenes retain traces of the author's previous incarnation as a writer of romances, but certainly don't detract from the book's overall excellence. I wish I had written it.