Review of BUBBLES BETROTHED by Sarah Strohmeyer (see her website)

BUBBLES YABLONSKY

Dutton, April 2005

Former hairdresser and now reporter Bubbles Yablonsky gets all of the really horrible jobs in her Pennsylvania newspaper, but when her photographer fishes out a Swiss Army knife to help Bubbles cut the slit in her too-tight skirt, Bubbles finds herself in jail with an accused murderer--who promptly dies. As the last person to speak with the accused, Bubbles is of sudden interest to the court system and the newspaper--and everyone wants to see her notes.

While attempting to maintain a relationship with sexy Steve Stiletto (who asks her to go for a fake engagement to help his career), fend off ex-husband Dan, and support her super-smart daughter Jane in her desires to go to Princeton, Bubbles also needs to track down whoever might have killed the crazy woman in jail. With suspects like a Polish-American Mafia leader, Bubbles' hands are soon full.

In Bubbles, author Sarah Strohmeyer (see more BooksForABuck.com reviews of novels by Strohmeyer) creates a character who balances between complete ditz and cleverness. It's a tough balance to walk and Strohmeyer steps off course a few times. Bubbles' mix of fairly sophisticated vocabulary when speaking and inability to understand common words when listening might be a statement about America's unwillingness to listen because we're too busy talking, but it seemed like an error to me. Once the action gets going, though Bubbles comes through. Her loyalty to her daughter, willingness to work, concern for those around her, and gutsy (if occasionally thoughtless) willingness to follow the story all make her a character worth admiring.

If you're tired of super-sophisticated New York City women who know everything about fashion but don't care about anyone but themselves, you just might be ready for a Bubbles Yablonsky fix. BUBBLES BETROTHED isn't perfect, but it is charming, with a bang-up exciting finish.

Three Stars

Reviewed 7/01/05

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