| Title | : | Getting What You Want (Stepp Sisters Trilogy, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0821776126 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780821776124 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2004 |
Remind me to have my head examined. What exactly possessed me to come home to Millbrook, Maine, where nothing changes but the weather? Oh, right. A six-month grant to do genetics research at Rand laboratories. What can I say—I’m a smart girl. And smart girls get what they need and get out again. Smart girls don’t dream, they settle. And smart girls do not get completely tongue-tied while holding a basket of fried clams when they bump into the most gorgeous man they haven’t seen in fifteen years: Chase Jordan.
Remind me to have my hormones removed. Chase Jordan. Town bad boy. Rebel with a cause to show up in my dreams unannounced. Oh boy, this is not good. Not smart. It’s like high school all over again. But in a good way. A heart-thumping way. An I-have-no-idea-what’s-going-to-happen way. A way that’s making me feel like maybe settling for what I have isn’t so smart…but really going after what I want is the craziest thing I may ever do...
Getting What You Want (Stepp Sisters Trilogy, #1) Reviews
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3.5 STARS
I love finding new to me authors. Even if they've been around for years! This was a sweet and heartwarming CR. Takes you right back to high school and the politics of that incredibly shallow time. I fondly remember my high school days but I've often wondered why it's high school that makes people reminisce so. For me and all my friends it was university---now that's where the fun happened!
Anyways, I really liked this. Abby Stepp was one of the unfortunate 'ugly Stepp Sisters' back in good ole' high school. She was often made fun of and made to feel unpopular, poor, geeky, ugly and completely unworthy by the cool crowd. Her two other sisters suffered the same fate, though one for her weight and the other for her height. Abby always dreamt of the day she could escape her hometown and once she graduated high school, she was gone.
Fast forward to present day. It's been almost 15 years since Abby has come back to Millbrook, Maine. Her younger sister, Ellie, still lives there and works as a librarian. A research grant brings Abby back but only temporarily.
Chase Jordan....sigh. He was one of the cool kids, the token bad boy in Millbrook. And Abby's crush for as long as she could remember. But Abby is different, no longer the 'ugly' Stepp sister. She's intelligent and holds a doctorate in biochemistry dammit! But something happens when Chase sees Abby for the first time in 15 years. And Abby can't forget Chase, with his gorgeous blue eyes and dark hair. Can these two connect? Overcome their potential differences?
I loved how the relationship between Chase and Abby grew from friendship. They were so well suited for each other, and so in sync. Each one had insecurities and I loved seeing how the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Chase had a big secret he couldn't risk exposing to Abby, while Abby couldn't believe someone like Chase could want her. They were sweet and complemented each other beautifully.
Of course there's an ex in the picture--Summer-Ann, and she was one vindictive little bitch when she wanted to be. But eventually even she got over herself. I loved the secondary characters, and am really excited for Ellie's and Mason's story! I loved the ending, loved the epilogue and especially loved Chase, such a wonderful and caring man. -
3.5 stars. Returning to her home town in Maine is unnerving for scientist Abby Stepp: it’s where she and her two sisters were ruthlessly teased as “the Ugly Stepp Sisters.” She’s even more unnerved when her former high school crush, the “bad boy” Chase, starts paying attention to her. Still thinking of herself as an unattractive nerd, Abby is sure he’s completely out of her league -- she has no idea that gorgeous and successful Chase has his own insecurities, and thinks exactly the same thing about her.
The painful aftereffects of difficult childhoods make a good backstory for this romance. Abby is still so shy and mistrustful that she gives off an aura of standoffishness, and Chase has to discover how much she was hurt in order to understand that she’s not an intellectual snob. (He refers to her as a “city slicker” at one point, which briefly threw me for a loop. Do people really say that?) And the utterly cool, popular Chase also had a hard life that Abby never knew about.
The writing isn’t particularly imaginative and there are some threadbare romance cliches: Evil Other Woman, negligible other man. The Evil Other Woman plot in particular goes on far too long and in a ridiculous direction -- I can’t believe anyone would be as stupid as that EOW. Or, for that matter, as utterly useless as that other man. But although most of the characters have outgrown their nastiness towards Abby and become likable adults, the book doesn’t overdo small town stumping. And Chase is delectably honorable and caring. There are plenty of steamy scenes in the second half of the book, but much of it is also spent on the two of them becoming friends, making it plausible that two such seemingly different people could wind up happily together.
(BTW, several reviewers have mentioned issues with the Kindle edition --there are far fewer errors in the epub version I read.) -
The story of Abby, a scientist returning to her home town for a project, and Chase, the high school bad boy she had a crush on.
Abby is dreading returning to the place where she was bullied until she finished high school, but the opportunity presented to her in a career she loves was something she couldn't pass up on. Soon after she arrives in town, she stumbles upon Chase, who is more friendly to her than he's ever been. She is wary of his attention, since she hasn't completely gotten over her insecurities from high school, so it takes her a while to accept when he asks her out.
The two eventually start dating, but not everyone is happy about it, and Chase's ex, who used to be the most popular girl in high school and one of Abby's bullies, does all she can to break them up. That includes .
An engaging story with a satisfying happily ever after. The series continues with
Wanting What You Get and Abby's sister Ellie's and Chase's best friend Mason's story next. -
Most romance novel heroes have a bit of everything....looks, charm, bad boy tendencies, and a bit of reformation in store for them. Chase Jordan has all that and more. He is the best hero that I've read for sometime. I kinda have a crush on him (a fictional character no less!)
This is one of those books that everyone who's ever been to high school can relate to. High school is such a difficult time. Clicks, out of place teens, popular students, geeks, athletes, labels...yuck. This book dives right into these tough memories as the smart, geeky, valedectorian Abby Stepp returns to Millbrook, Maine to do some research and is living next to her high school crush (the popular badboy)!
Abby has a lot of forgiving to do. She was poorly treated in high school and has many hard and hurt feelings surrounding her treatment. Chase also has difficult memories and regrets his behavior from high school. The question is "can he get Abby to forgive and forget".
I loved this book. It was deeply sensual but emotional as well. Both Abby and Chase have work to do...accepting themselves for who they are and learning how to love each other and themselves. I found myself devouring this book with a silly grin on my face the whole time. Chase is such a gentleman and a GENTLE MAN. He is the stuff dreams are made of, and when Abby's dream comes true, I for one was cheering on the sidelines. -
Note to self:
Remind me that when I read a chicklit book , it means that it's simple, fun and full of floof. It's a brain candy book, not the next Rosetta Stone that needs to be solved and pondered. I need to chill.
This book is okay for an ugly-duckling-turned-to-swan story which really suits my mood last week. It's full of LOL moments but not entirely memorable. The hero who was said to be a bad boy needs to be more bad, in my opinion.
( Darling, if that's how they define bad, then what does that makes me?)
My primary problem is that the story was made up of " I hate you-let's make up-everything's fine-I hate you again-let's make up again-and everything's alright again" moments.
It was good, if it was taken into small doses. But to make the whole story revolve with this plot, it gets annoying.Oh, and the heroine has that moment where she believed what the bitch said instead of asking the guy the real story.
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This was just ok. The heroine was an unattractive youngster, raised by a grandmother and ruthlessly teased for her looks and lack of money. She couldn't get out of her little town fast enough. Now she's a respected research scientist and is returning to her home town which harbors many a bad memory for a project. Her first day in town she stumbles across former crush and town bad bay Chase who is just as handsome as he was in his younger years. He restores old homes for a living and lives with a fluffy golden retriever.
Though this book is riddled with cliches it is written in an infectious style and I mostly enjoyed it despite myself. Still, it wasn't as fabulous as many of the glowing reviews made it out to be and I found myself losing interest with it each time I attempted to finish it. The characters were likable enough but it needed something more to overcome the plethora of cliches and stereotypes. And that something just never materialized. -
I had hoped to really like this story the blurb made it sound really good containing all the elements that I love in a romance, unfortunately that proved not to be the case.
Abby and her two sisters were very badly bullied at high school, so much so that as soon as Abby graduated she left for college vowing never to return. But then a great job opportunity arises and Abby can't resist but the good job is back in her hometown. Abby had made a great career for herself as a scientist. She returns home and is staying with her younger sister the towns local librarian. It's not long before Abby runs into local bad boy Chase, Abby's high school crush.
While I quite liked this it didn't live up to my expectations it's very cliched with characters who are stereotypes, for instance Abby is the bespectacled scruffy geek now transformed into a beauty. Chase is the archetypical bad boy. Chase's prior love interest is portrayed as the typical dumb blond. I thought initially that Chase seemed a little dense he didn't get why Abby was standoffish, he was up close and personal when she was being bullied but he was annoyed with her when she wasn't friendly to their old high school classmates. She had to explain it to him before he got it like I said he was dense. Abby was okay but I didn't like how she would mess about with Chase even though she had a boyfriend, of course the boyfriend was totally an unlikeable character so that made it alright. Apart from that the plot was very predictable and lagged quite a bit, the sex scenes were rather uninspiring as well. -
Life was too short to waste his time on women who weren’t interested.
- Chase
Yes, the weekends did definitely start early. But we’re not college students. We’re a couple guys rushing headlong toward middle age, running the risk of having nasty headaches when the alarm clock goes off in the morning.
- Mason
Destiny.
- Abby
The funny thing about destiny is that you can't predict it, and you can't prevent it.
- Leslie
She's evil. All women are, but we're looking for the least evil ones who will put out.
- Mason
I couldn't take advantage of a lady who was drunk. But I could easily take advantage of a lady with mere hangover.
- Chase
This is one of those moments when I really, really regret my decision to reform.
- Chase
She felt sad, but not as sad as she would have suspected. If anything, most of her sadness was related to the fact that she didn’t feel worse.
- Abby
The best defense was a strong offense.
- Summer Anne
Are dates always such a mystery?
- Abby
Yesterday is forgotten.
- Chase
The answer was easy -- he hesn't been thinking.
- Chase
I felt proud. Proud of the wild, defensive boy who overcame huge obstacles to become the strong, intelligent man before me.
- Abby -
What a fantastic contemporary romance! It had all the elements I enjoy....laughter, tenderness, understanding, and lots of love.
Chase is the kind of guy every woman dreams of, and Abby is the kind of girl most women ARE. Tortured along with her two sisters throughout high school, she had a hard time coming back to her home town. Chase is the former bad boy, and the one Abby had a crush on throughout high school. He never picked on her himself, but he stood by and watched it happen. She went through some self-discovery in this book and she learned to forgive, something Chase is really good at doing. It's hard sometimes to get past the trauma high school can inflict, I can relate. But everyone changes as they learn lessons in life and her former enemies turn out to be admirable people that she comes to like a lot.
I hated Chase's ex, Summer, and if I had been Abby, I'd have knocked her upside the head. When Chase's secret was revealed in the most humiliating way, I literally cringed and blushed myself. I loved every second of this book and am moving onto Ellie's book right away! -
Oh, I absolutely loved this book. I tend to like it when the h is not pretty, pretty perfect. This book fit that theme and it was well written. The h was very likable and the H was smoldering. But he was not perfect either. He was harboring his own insecurities. They both thought they weren't good enough for each other. The love scenes were hot and imaginative. (The one at the lake was my favorite!) Great read!!
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2.5 stars.
While I liked the concept of the geeky girl in high school who comes back after she's all grown up and finds the popular guy falling for her I felt that the writing and tone of the book was more old school than the time period it's supposed to be set in. Abby and Chase don't sound like 30 something year olds, they sound like they're in their sixties with some of their mannerisms.
Apart from that this was a pretty enjoyable realistic sort of romance. The main character Abby who used to be called an ugly Stepp sister due to an unfortunate last name, poor socialization skills and overly large glasses is now a bio chemist (or something) and returns to her home town for a research project. So she's successful, kind, smart and has gotten better looking but not in an over the top way.
Another great thing about this story was that there were no silly contrived misunderstandings between the two main characters. Yes there are issues, but while I thought Summer was a bit too toxic to be believed it all works out in the end. -
This was a really great book... a very quick read- I couldn't put it down. The characters are very likable, and it's quite funny! I ran out and got the next two in this trilogy right away- I want to see what happens with the sister's stories now!
4 1/2 stars -
LOVED this juicy read by Kathy Love. She really gets your juices flowing (if you know what I mean!). Such a fun read as I recogonized the "fictional setting" and some of the "fictional characters" in this novel because I have known Kathy since we went to school together and have been friends since the 5th grade!!! Go Kathy! Never stop writing!
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Sry for the kind of ranty review ... I just couldn't write this differently :P
I looked for a simple romance book after reading too many emotionally exhausting books. Something that I wouldn't LOVE so much that I would fall into the "after book depression" as I call it... And I found what I looked for I guess... But man, still I am dissappointed altough I should have known better, right? I didn't expect to LOVE it, as I said, but I hoped to enjoy it though. Well I didn't, really.
This book is bad, I'm sorry.
It still gets 2 stars because I didn't have that high expectations anyway and its not "horrible".
It is full of clichés, which is to be expected with books like this. But if you are already using the typical situations, then PLEASE do it good ...
For example: (slight spoilers)
1. The typical "misunderstanding sitation" at the end. It's is well known in romance, there has to be a terrible misunderstanding at the end that drives the couple apart. Thats ok becauso to be expected. But if you use it, you should also get the "angst" across. He thinks she left him? Ok, but then let the readers know his sorrow and regrets!! (because lets be honest, the guy has mostly done something wrong in those books^^)If you are already writing it in his POV, then show us how it affects him. You can't just let him find out, he doesn't even think about it, and 5 pages later all is well again. I was like ... was that even worth the few extra pages? NO
2. She is insecure because of her teasing in highschool. Ok. She acts accordingly to the people who did it. Ok. HE apparently doesn't remember ANYTHING about how she was treated. Although it were his friends. He is kind of thick enough to think she acts stiff because she always thought she was something better. If that is the case, then well thats his problem. But what made the plot unbelieveable now was that he thinks that AND still can't look away, finds her so interesting although she only uses one word sentences with him, and is so insistent to go on a date with her. Why? Wasn't he supposed to find her uptight and arrogant? BUT .. the most irritating was: He figures her out in like a nanosecond. Before he was to thick to remember anything about her schooltime, and suddenly he thinks like a psychiatrist and immediately knows she acts this way because she is insecure yadda yadda ... couldn't relate to that at all
3. The Ex-GF ... who could be so dumb? I don't know, this took the "blonde cliche" (and add chearleader to that) to a whole new level. Her thinking: You want to get your ex back? Then be boldly obvious about and be stuck to him like a slug. Always have a mean comment about his fling. And most important: Embarrass him in front of all of his friends. He will then immediately forget about his nice GF and come back to you. Brilliant!! :P
But the main reason I wanted to read this was to get some romance. What did I get? Well yeah, I guess I got romance ... but it never felt like love to me. More like a resemblance of the first crush in highschool. It's not insta love, but nearly. And the sex? I don't know if it was me, but I was booored. I actually rolled my eyes a few times, it was just too much, I can't give you an example but sometimes I just HAD to roll my eyes at his thoughts, it just wasn't believable that a man would think that. I actually HOPE they don't think in this cheesy and girly way, especially if they are the "bad boy". Even an bad boy grown up. If they are explained as bad boys in books, I want them to BE them. To THINK like them. Not like a teen who is drowning in hormones and thinking in love poems.
So yeay .. that was a rant. I just didn't like it I' sorry :) -
Dnf al 68%.
No soy fan de los malentendidos y necesito que una historia tenga algo más que una protagonista en su treintena con inseguridades de su etapa en el instituto para poder seguir leyendo.
Es el único problema que tiene el personaje de Abby, que en el instituto le llamaban fea, que era antisocial y muy lista. Arrastra este problema y los malentendidos y las suposiciones tontas y las repeticiones hasta rellenar las 352 páginas.
Son realmente exasperantes las veces que se repiten los personajes:
Ella: “soy fea y no me quiere”
Él: “eres preciosa”
Ella: “soy fea y cómo un tío como él va a querer a una chica como yo”
Él:”eres preciosa pero eres demasiado lista para mí”…
La historia es floja y frívola, los personajes planos, y el argumento repetitivo y cansino.
Las suposiciones son ridículas , los secretos son supersecretos, porque hasta ahora sabemos que Chase oculta algo, pero vete tú a saber, a estas alturas será una estupidez…los personajes, o son planos y poco creíbles como los protagonistas o son clichés con patas, como la novia del instituto de Chase (Summer) que es ex animadora,rubia, guapa, con un tipazo, con pocas neuronas y manipuladora y sus amigas…está muy visto…
Lo dejo en cuanto el “malentendido” alcanza una nueva dimensión…ya empiezan a saberlo demasiadas personas y se va a convertir en el centro de la historia, o no, ya no me interesa… -
I loved this book. This was a new author to me and can't wait to read the next it the series. One of the reasons I enjoyed it was the story took place in a small town in Maine.
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3 Stars
I was looking for a cute ChickLit to read over Valentine’s Day and picked up Getting What You Want mostly because it is set in my home state of Maine.
It’s written in first person from the heroine’s perspective. Abigal Stepp has returned to her hometown after years away. She quickly has to face a lot of old demons surrounding her years being bullied in high school as well as reconnecting with her longtime, unrequited crush, Chase Jordan.
The plot was not that great because it centered on misunderstandings due to lack of communication and sort of had a love triangle. It was a bit clichéd. Yes, the story had some nice themes involving facing your past, bullying, and making assumptions about people, but it still could have used some more character development. The main characters’ insecurities were depressing to read at times. It took away from the lighthearted feeling that I was seeking. It’s good for characters to have insecurities because it gives them room to grow. But these particular characters held on to their insecurities for almost the whole book long after I wanted the characters to overcome them and focus on growing their relationship. Still, it was a cute read even if it was pretty standard for ChickLit.
RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 2 Stars -
DNF at 21%.
I must have been in a mood cause this was really an eye- roll fest. The plot seemed interesting enough, popular bad boy and unattractive nerd back when they were in high school? Sounds fun! BUT I can't get past how annoying Abby is. She's supposedly a 30 something year old who's a respected scientist but for some reason she acts like she has scrambled eggs for a brain when Chase is around. The breaking point for me though is when Chase touched her back and she thought of her boyfriend and this line was really published,
"Did Nelson have nice hands?Did Nelson even have hands?"
EYE ROLL
I'm gonna go ahead and try the next book and see how it goes. -
Getting What You Want--Stepp Sisters Trilogy 1/3) - R
Violence: none
Language: fewer than 75 swears, some coarse phrases
Sex: Ugh. Penis as desire barometer. Descriptive sex about 60% in that went on for several pages and continued intermittently.
I'm a proofreader and I found fewer than ten errors in this whole book, which is remarkable, considering the length. Any problems going from print to electronic format are gone.
I'm not about the sex, I'm about the storyline: unrequited love, old crushes, ugly duckling to swan, and everyone has something since no one's perfect.
Returned for content. -
So sweet! My favorite siblings-centered series! I love all the Stepp sisters and their journies to find love!
It explores how we all sometimes have to truly heal from trauma to find the right person for you. -
I little cheesy for my taste.
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Super cute. I do have to wonder why the back cover copy is in first person when the story is written in third. That’s baffling! Given that it’s almost 20 years old, this one still held up.
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3.5 stars.
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4,5/5
It's all about forgive and forget...
Abby Stepp gak pernah ngelupain ama highschool nightmares nya di Millbrook high, Maine.
Dia dan kedua adik perempuannya di julukin The Ugly Stepp Sisters - the fat, the skinnies giant, and the freak.
She was the freak one.
Abby adl cwe plg pintar di sekolah,
murid2 lain menganggap Abby dingin n sombong krna kejeniusaannya itu.
Menurut mereka Abby slalu memandang mereka dgn pandangan -hey-aku-lebih-baik-dari-kalian-jadi-jangan-bicara-denganku-
padahal Abby trmasuk cwe pemalu.
15taon kemudian dia balik lg ke Millbrook buat penelitian nya - dia ilmuwan..
Abby tidak menyangka akan bertemu lg dgn cwo yg diam2 di kagumi nya swaktu sma, Chase Jordan - badboy, sinfully handsome, dan Chase adl tetangganya!
Chase skrg tinggal di rumah tepat di seberang jalan rumah warisan nenek Abby!
Chase sendiri kaget melihat Abby yg skarang.
Walopun Chase bukan salah satu org yg pernah menghina Abby dan saudari2nya, dia jg bukan org yg pernah membela Abby...
Chase trmasuk cwo plg populer di sekolah...
Tapi anehnya Chase masih mengingat siapa Abby dan dia sangat ingin mengenal Abby yg skarang...
Yg perlu Chase lakukan adl membantu Abby memaafkan dan melupakan semua kejadian buruk ketika mrka masih sma dulu.
Ni nvl, awalnya trmasuk lambat.
Gw smpat pengen setop bc, tp gw penasaran krn tinggi nya rating ni nvl di amazon, 4,8/5 aka 5stars, jd gw lanjut trus!
syukurlah gw gak setop bc!
Chase nya sweet bgt,
abby jg!!! Trmasuk H.O.T jg bo, (on the table, in the lake-water- XD )
Ada satu rahasia ttg Chase yg bikin penasaran skaligus bikin gw kaget n pas kebuka di dekat2 ending, feeling gw campur2 jd pengen mewek,
n gw mewek!
Hwu wuu wuu...
Loved it! -
Ok, so this book took me by surprise. I never expected to like a "nerd" main chick whose attempts to be "flirtatious" but while looking or seeming "shy and innocent" would for once, not annoy me at all. In fact, I believed these moments and they seemed genuine coming from the heroine, the one time I read the line "she eyed him through her lashes" I didn't get that inherent impulse to roll my eyes and skip the scene. She wasn't dramatic, or emotional, or trying too hard about anything. FOR FRIGGING ONCE THE HEROINE SAID IMMA DO THIS AND BAM, DID IT!!!! GOOD FRIGGING BLESS AMERICA PEOPLE. (Well, the author but you know what I mean). What I found the most surprising and the most likable of all was that this book was just simply unexpected. The twists and turns were often somehow logical and didn't lack common sense that romantic novels and chick lits ( most of the time ) do but they also weren't so logical and obvious you'd see where everything was heading to. I was pleasantly thrilled. The characters were believeable to a degree, the main girl had her insecurities but they didn't influence always her actions or words to the point they blinded her judgement. And the main guy wasn't the typical macho alpha hot tempered shit head who ruined everything or appeared to be ridden by 100% lust (although his musings did tended to go borderline with infatuation rather than love but what do I know). HOWEVERR only four stars because I felt bored for a few moments here and there. The plot sometimes went from fast pace with purpose to slow pace with a question mark. But overall, a nice, satisfying, and I'd dare to say, light read.
