Rating: 
Summary: Cassandra isn't my favorite Delinsky character
Review: Try as I might, I really didn't find much sympathy for Cassandra Ellis, the young, single, successful therapist who yearns for the father she never connected with and who lovingly tends to her comatose mother. Once her father dies, Cassandra's world is turned upside down, inside out and she reels from rather than steels for the ride. I had difficulty following the parallel story lines between Cassandra and patient/relative, the abused Jenny Clyde, and I figured out the "mystery" long before I should have...I even pegged Cassandra's stepmother correctly....and long before Cassandra did. Anyway, I usually like Delinsky's strong women. Cassandra seemed a little whiny to me, always looking for someone to blame for her father's self-imposed isolation, "self-imposed" being the operative word. The "Jenny Clyde" character was more interesting and certainly waged the real battles in this book. Yawn.
Rating: 
Summary: Barbara Delinski has done it again!
Review: and Again! And again! And Again! And Again! And again! And Again! and Again! And again! And Again! And Again! And again! And Again! According to her publisher, Barbara has done it again, and has been doing it again for the last four years! What exactly has she been doing? I don't know but she keeps on doing it. Who is Pete? Why is this question seemingly unanswerable?
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: Another Barbara Delinsky jewel. This book is one of her best. It keeps you interested and cheering for the characters. Her writing is timeless and beautiful. This book shows the very essence of the human spirit, and our need for love and compassion. The characters are so real, you feel yourself getting very involved in their lives.
The main character, Casey, is so real and believable you feel you know her personally by the end of the book. I couldn't wait to get to the end to see what happened, but then I was so upset because it was over.
Give yourself a treat and read this book!!
Rating:
Summary: A Most Delightful Summer Read
Review: Barbara Delinsky has caught my fancy and never disappoints me. My daughters and friends have moved this book around their circle of friends. I wanted the story to go on. I want a sequel.
Rating:
Summary: charming tale
Review: Barbara Delinsky's latest offering demonstrates why she perenially remains on top of the best sellers lists. It is a charming tale of loss and redemption that is just perfect for summer reading.
Renowned psychologist, Dr. Cornelius Unger, bequeaths his spectacular townhouse and all its unusual occupants to his only daughter Casey Ellis. The odd thing is that he has never met or tried to contact his daughter. Casey has always hoped that her father would embrace her while he lived and is bereft at this gift that is too much and too late. While cleaning out her fathers possessions in preparation for selling the townhouse Casey stumbles onto a partial journal describing the case study of a young woman who was abused by her parents and shunned by her neighbors. As she searches for the remainder of the journal and the answers to her questions about her own father she grows to love the townhouse and its occupants, a wary young housekeeper and a patient and an enigmatic gardner. Each story is well conceived and compelling, and filled with richly drawn characters. The two intriguing stories are expertly woven together to a stunning climax.
Rating:
Summary: Best-seller great
Review: Casey Ellis inherits an elegant Boston townhouse from the father she never knew. As she settles into her legacy, determined to learn about the man, she uncovers bits of an intriguing manuscript secreted throughout the residence. "Jenny's story" leads her on a discovery mission that uncovers the woman's identity and offers a clearer picture of the father Casey never knew. Step by step, as the story moves toward conclusion, Casey also becomes entangled in that forever kind of romance.
Beverly J Scott author of Righteous Revenge and Ruth Fever
Rating:
Summary: A delightful read that will have you glued to your seat!
Review: Casey Ellis may not have warm feelings for the Boston townhouse that her renowned father, Dr. Cornelius Unger, bequeathed to her. But the sight of its garden gives her an immediate sense of belonging. Fueled by anger that the man had never made an attempt to be her father, she carries much resentment when she first inserts the key in his door. How a dead man helps her to peel back the layers of frost on the door to her heart is a story of gratitude and reconciliation. FLIRTING WITH PETE is much more than a romantic novel. Its plot twists and turns with the comparison between two different life stories. A third character, Jenny Clyde, provides the mystery that propels the story forward. Jenny's life in tiny Little Falls is the sad story of a young girl caught between warring parents. When her father is to be released from prison, serving time for her mother's murder, Jenny sees her hopes for a normal life disappear. A trained psychological counselor, Casey sets up practice in the new townhouse. Shuffling through Unger's papers, she discovers a journal that unlocks her curiosity --- the journal is Jenny's story. Although Casey had no contact with Unger while he was alive, she feels that he is reaching out to her with bits and pieces of the journal to help solve a mystery. Casey sees the writings as a link to Unger's little known past. In the manuscript, Jenny copes with her dark past and unknown future by becoming involved with Pete, a strong young stranger who is driving through town on a motorcycle. She is infatuated with him and decides to leave Little Falls with him for a new home out west. Casey's own life experiences run parallel to those of Jenny's when she attempts to solve the puzzle of Jenny's disappearance. Casey honors her father's two wishes when she assumes ownership of his house; she keeps both the maid and the gardener in her employ. Both provide her with the tools not only to unearth roots from Unger's past but also to connect into it. The virile gardener pushes her sexuality beyond limits she has traveled. Delinsky paints a picture of the modern family that examines the deep feelings held by children of different unions. When Casey comes to terms with her own longings, and the reasons behind them, she can let go of former negatives that had guided her. FLIRTING WITH PETE is a delight to read, the type of novel that delays supper and bedtime. Delinsky gets into the hearts and minds of her characters with artful choices of description and styles. They exhibit failings, but they also exhibit necessary qualities to become problem-solvers. They have to work for the resolution of their difficulties. Applause is truly earned when they get it right. --- Reviewed by Judy Gigstad
Rating:
Summary: Barbara Delinsky outdoes herself this time!
Review: Everything you love about Barabara Delinsky's writing is here in her latest novel, plus some bonuses. This is the first time, well, since "A Woman Next Door," that she has written something you cannot put down. There is suspense, mystery, complex emotional issues, right to life issues, small towns, incest, child molestation, ghosts, suicide, aging parents, grief, etc.. plus much, much more. And, all these themes are tied together beautifully. I rarely give Delinsky 5 stars, but I can see "Flirting With Pete" is a first-rate effort. It really is one of Delinsky's best, if not the best she has ever written. Was there anything I didn't like? I think she gets a little too technical with the medical stuff. An author needs to make sure a novel isn't coming off like a textbook in explanation. However, I am interested in medical stuff, and nature/gardening, so it wasn't that boring for me. That's the problem: if the subject is maple syrup, or apple cider making, and you couldn't care in the least, then getting too technical is a problem. But, here, the whole gardening/flowers aspect of this novel works because there is a sense of nature that parallels the gripping plot. I really got a strong sense of the sprawling three-tiered garden setting, and the multi-level Beacon Hill townhouse that much of this story takes place in. Delinsky's characterization and insight into her characters moods and feelings is so nuanced and precise, I felt like the characters were in the room with me. I did, however, think the cover was a bit too much and gimmicky. But, so what? I don't rate based on a cover and I couldn't care less what's on the jacket. What matters is what's between the covers, and Delinsky has absolutely outdone herself on this novel. One thing that Delinsky does right is to throw in her twists all throughout this novel--unlike some authors (Nicholas Sparks) who make you wait until the very end until the payoff. Delinsky throws in a series of payoffs all throughout her novel, giving the reader some immediate satisfaction, as well as hooking the reader early-on. I'm serious, once you get to the final eight chapters, you will absolutely not be able to put this one down, and I'm usually a slow reader and like to pace myself, but I easily had this done in less than a week. Anyone who liked Delinsky's "Three Wishes" is sure to like "Flirting With Pete". Also Delinsky's writing is as good as Anita Shreve's and similar in tone to the writing in Anita Shreve's "The Last Time They Met" and Anita Shreve's "The Weight of Water". All of those novels had two parallel stories going on which rapidly careen, collide, and intersect in gripping plot twists. Delinsky brilliantly uses foreshadowing ala Anita Shreve, and creates a sense of urgency in the plots, all done through character, making this effort of Barbara Delinsky's so much more than a "romance". I think Delinsky has proven herself, with "Flirting With Pete," to be one of the most accomplished mainstream writers, right up there with the best of fiction writers such as Anita Shreve and Richard Russo(Empire Falls). I've read at least 12 or 13 different novels by Barbara Delinsky, and this is unlike anything I've ever come across from her. Bravo!
Rating: 
Summary: A different type of novel for Barbara Delinsky
Review: FLIRTING WITH PETE by Barbara Delinsky FLIRTING WITH PETE is quite a departure from her regular style of writing, but Barbara Delinsky comes up with a soap-opera-ish plot line in this novel about two very different women who are worlds apart, yet their stories parallel each other. Casey Ellis is a psychotherapist, and while her professional life is successful, her personal life is lacking. Her main problem is dealing with a sad and bitter childhood and an absent father that passes away before she can make contact with him. Her father, Dr. Cornelius "Connie" Unger, was a famous psychologist, and the book opens with Casey in attendance at his memorial service, although she was not invited. All her life she has followed her father's career, and it is to his credit that she pursued the career that she did. Despite her bitterness, she accepts the house that he wills to her upon his death, and she soon moves her office there. The other woman in this novel is Jenny, but her story is told in a series of journals. Casey finds these in her father's house, the house that she inherited upon his death, and as she finds each piece of the journal, she reads about a young woman who lives in fear for her life. According to the journals, Jenny lives alone in her father's house, while her father remains in jail for the murder of her mother. She is a loner, and has been all of her life. She tries to make a life for herself, but it is difficult for her, always feeling like the town outcast. As she tries to move on with her life, she also knows that time is ticking. Her father is due to be released soon. While Casey reads about Jenny, she deals with her current situation of living at her father's spectacular townhouse. She sees her patients there, some of whom seem to have problems that parallel hers. She also becomes "friends" with Meg, a shy woman that was her father's housekeeper, and meets Jordan, her father's gorgeous gardener. At the same time, she deals with her mother who has been in a coma for a long time, and Casey visits her every day, hoping that her mother will awaken. Without giving much away, the two stories of Casey's life and Jenny's life come together into one big climax at the end of the book. They merge into one story, which at first does not seem to be possible, but clues are left here and there, allowing the reader to figure out what common ground both stories may have. FLIRTING WITH PETE was a book choice for my online book club, and I have to say that there were many differing views on this novel. Half the group did not care for it, and preferred Delinsky's older style of writing. I personally loved the book. What I loved about the story was that Delinsky was looking more into the reasons why the characters did what they did, as opposed to focusing on pure action. Yes, there is a lot of action in this book, but I don't feel it is the main point of the story. Delinsky was trying to tell the story of a man who did not know how to love his own daughter, and because of his fears, created a series of actions that brought Casey to where she was today. It's a psychological thriller, to some extent, and I hope others like me will enjoy this novel. I recommend this novel, more to first time readers of Barbara Delinsky. For veteran readers of her works, I want to warn them that this may not be the novel they are expecting.
Rating:
Summary: Would make a great movie
Review: Flirting with Pete would make a very interesting movie. The author kept you going by telling a story within a story. The only reason I give this book 4 stars **** is because the ending was a bit bland. Read this one!
| 
