Bougie Book Review – The Next Best Thing


Meet my publishing mate – Deidre Berry. She's written a fun and quick read about the bougie and beautiful Tori Carter. The Next Best Thing opens with Tori Carter, a super-fabulous event planner, on the day of her wedding. She has planned every detail down to the nth degree and it promises to be the black-n-bougie event of Kansas City. As she's standing in the church, she receives a text message from lowdown Roland informing her that he is actually in love with a girl that up until that moment he swore was "just a friend".

When it rains it pours: shortly after this blow, Tori is the victim of nepotism at her job and summarily forced to leave. So our girl Tori is man-less, jobless, living in a building chock full of drama and surrounded by meddling family and friends. Her neighbor Nelson is a hottie with serious culinary skills but is he all he appears to be? As Tori struggles to discover who she is, who's on her side and what real relationships are all about, we're treated to a great story of self-realization and empowerment mixed with plenty of laughs and romance to boot.

Here's a review from Booklist:

Tori Carter is a woman who knows what she wants down to the smallest detail, which helps her when she's planning her expensive, over-the-top, picture-perfect wedding. Everything goes according to elaborate plan until, an hour and a half after he's supposed to be at the church, her fiancé, Roland, sends her a text message telling her the wedding is off because he loves another woman. Shattered, Tori throws herself into her work as an event planner and very slowly eases herself back into the dating pool. It's hard going, especially when every date turns out to be a bum, a druggie, or some other form of lowlife; but with well-meaning friends and a large, concerned family, Tori is able to put her life back together. At least it seems so, until Roland comes back into the picture. With a strong, powerful female lead and feisty, tough women as her support, Berry's first novel is a fresh, vivid portrait of one woman's trying experience.

Four Purple Pumps! If you get a chance to order this or scoop it up, do so (it's available at the OneChele Amazon Store)– it's worth the read! Read any good books lately?