TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “CALIFORNIA GIRLS”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, First Chapter/Intros, originally hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea and now hosted by I’d Rather Be at the Beach; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s featured book is a recent download:  California Girls, by Susan Mallery. The California sunshine’s not quite so bright for three sisters who get dumped in the same week…

 

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Intro:  “They’re frying bacon!”

Finola Corrado tried not to smile at the panic in her assistant’s eyes.  “The cooking segment is potato salad five ways.  Bacon is the cost of doing business.”

Rochelle’s horror morphed into indignation.  “Yes, and right before that is the ‘What’s New in Sundresses’ segment.  I’m very familiar with the schedule.”  She set down her tablet, put her hands on her narrow hips and leaned forward, as if stressing the importance of her point.  Her long, dark braids moved with her.

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Teaser:  Zennie followed her sister into the dining room.  The table and chairs would be easy to get rid of, but the massive hutch was another issue. (70%).

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Synopsis:  Finola, a popular LA morning-show host, is famously upbeat until she’s blindsided on live TV by the news that her husband is sleeping with a young pop sensation who has set their affair to music. While avoiding the tabloids and pretending she’s just fine, she’s crumbling inside, desperate for him to come to his senses and for life to go back to normal.

Zennie’s breakup is no big loss. Although the world insists she pair up, she’d rather be surfing. So agreeing to be the surrogate for her best friend is a no-brainer—after all, she has an available womb and no other attachments to worry about. Except…when everyone else, including her big sister, thinks she’s making a huge mistake, being pregnant is a lot lonelier—and more complicated—than she imagined.

Never the tallest, thinnest or prettiest sister, Ali is used to being overlooked, but when her fiancé sends his disapproving brother to call off the wedding, it’s a new low. And yet Daniel continues to turn up “for support,” making Ali wonder if maybe—for once—someone sees her in a way no one ever has.

But side by side by side, these sisters will start over and rebuild their lives with all the affection, charm and laugh-out-loud humor that is classic Susan Mallery.

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I am looking forward to some delightful hours with these characters in this setting.  Would you keep reading?

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