Synopses & Reviews
When youre in trouble and sinking fast, whom do you call?
Piper Nelson is stuck. She cant quite stay away from the husband she divorced. She isnt always attentive to the high school students she teaches. And even she admits that shes been drinking too much and seeking out unsuitable men. Pipers mother, married to a celebrity evangelist, and her sister, who's immersed in plans to wed a professional football player and star in a reality TV show, are both too self-absorbed to sympathize with Pipers angst. They tell her to get a grip. But how can Piper ever really recover from the blow she suffered five years ago, when a car accident took the life of her young daughter?
When Pipers ex-husband announces that his new girlfriend is pregnant, Piper is forced to take stock. Realizing that its time for a change is one thing, but actually making it happen is quite another. And despite what she thinks, Piper cant do it alone Lucky for her, a couple of crazy, funny new friends are ready to step in when she needs them most and show her how to live and laugh again.
CONVERSATION GUIDE INCLUDED
Review
Praise for Shake Down the Stars
“Yes, I know you hear it all the time, but get ready for an absorbing story told with a unique and compelling voice. Shake Down the Stars is a treat. Renée Swindles writing is funny, sharp, heartbreaking, and quirky, and her non-stock characters wonderfully memorable….Enjoy the ride.”—Lalita Tademy, New York Times bestselling author of Cane River and Red River
“Renée Swindles Shake Down the Stars is a rich, savvy exploration of the many kinds of love, loss, and dysfunction that can unearth us or save us, bedevil us or deliver us…as complex and hilarious as it is surprising and lovely. Shake Down the Stars holds a mirror up to our best and worst selves, and Swindle writes with unflagging compassion and irresistible humor.”—ZZ Packer, author of Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
“I love, love, love Renée Swindles Shake Down the Stars! Its fresh and unfamiliar—which is quite the trick these days! I love the protagonist and the very unlikely yet charming love interest. The novel manages to be both light and heavy all at the same time. I cannot tell you how much I like it. Well, I can…I loved it. Seriously. One of my favorite reads of the past couple years.”—Nichelle D. Tramble, author of The Dying Ground and The Last King
Synopsis
Babysister gets what Babysister wants. Always has. Always will. After all, she's been spoiled rotten ever since she witnessed her mother's death as a child, and she's made the most of it-especially with her dad. So when her oldest friend, Deborah, begins to date a fine-looking, fine-acting man named Darren-Babysister doesn't think twice: she wants Darren for herself. And what Babysister wants...
There are just a few little problems with their secret love affair. Babysister's devoted boyfriend is one. And Darren's lingering doubts about dumping Deborah--light-skinned, church-going, beautiful--is another. But Babysister won't let go, even after Darren crawls back to Deborah--and marries her. Following her love-crazed heart, Babysister jeopardizes friendship, family, and her own self-esteem, until a little dose of reality shows her how much she's been missing all along.
Synopsis
Babysister gets what Babysister wants. Always has. Always will. After all, she's been spoiled rotten ever since she witnessed her mother's death as a child, and she's made the most of it-especially with her dad. So when her oldest friend, Deborah, begins to date a fine-looking, fine-acting man named Darren-Babysister doesn't think twice: she wants Darren for herself. And what Babysister wants...
There are just a few little problems with their secret love affair. Babysister's devoted boyfriend is one. And Darren's lingering doubts about dumping Deborah--light-skinned, church-going, beautiful--is another. But Babysister won't let go, even after Darren crawls back to Deborah--and marries her. Following her love-crazed heart, Babysister jeopardizes friendship, family, and her own self-esteem, until a little dose of reality shows her how much she's been missing all along.
About the Author
Renee Swindle is the author of Please Please Please, a Blackboard bestseller. She earned her B.A. from UC Irvine and M.F.A. in Creative Writing from San Diego State University. She lives in Oakland, California.