Please Please Please

by Renee Swindle

It takes about 15 lines of Renee Swindle's comic first novel for the reader to realize that this is something special. Maybe it's the voice of Babysister, the main character, a bright young African American woman of almost unbelievable selfishness, who sets her sights on her best friend's new man, Darren. Or maybe it's the sharply observed details, or the ricocheting plot line, or the intelligence underlying Swindle's lively and versatile prose. Or maybe it's because, in a field of books described by their publishers as "hilarious," Please Please Please actually is. Some of the best moments arise when Babysister, a spoiled brat with the ethics of a 10-year-old, tries to locate her stunted sense of right and I didn't start feeling guilty until after we made love and Rob held me from behind. There was something about the way he was trying to get me to play itsy-bitsy spider with him that made me feel awful. He was acting so sweet, yet the whole time we were making love I couldn't stop thinking about Darren. I had no business having sex with Rob, I thought. And later, as he fed me lumpy spoonfuls of oatmeal with his dopey love-struck smile and little bitty head, I swore to myself-- swore --romantic side or no romantic side, I would not have sex with him ever again. Period. A handjob is one thing, but it was simply not my style to sleep with two men. Babysister's kind, indulgent father and weakling brother are equally well drawn, as is her poor friend Deborah, who has a Bible verse for every occasion except for when her best friend steals her fine-looking boyfriend. Not the wedding invitation, not even the wedding ring, can turn Babysister away from what she wants. This is a naughty and refreshing page-turner from a wonderful new writer. --Regina Marler

Genres: African American, Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Renee Swindle is the author of Francine's Spectacular Crash and Burn, A Pinch Of Ooh La La, Shake Down The Stars, and Please Please Please.

Instagram: reneewritesnovels

Facebook: www.facebook.com/reneeswindlebooks

Pre-order Francine's Spectacular Crash and Burn: https://bit.ly/FrancinesCrashandBurn

Reviews

[Kristy]

Enjoyed reading along with a friend. Went in a different direction than I had initially assumed. Good read.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took a class from Renee in Berkeley extension. She did a great job with this book. It's fluffy and fun and satisfying. (She's also a great teacher so if you are interested, check out her class...)

[Shannan Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book from the library after reading the author's last book for a book club meeting. This was a good story, especially since a couple of the characters made me very mad at the way they were acting. A very good story.

[liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love it!

[Mikala Barber · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF!!! This book is a fast-paced and easy to read but it’s toxic and trifling. The amount of times that babysister got on my nerves and she isn’t really real person.

[Cariesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved how she added dimension to the characters, but I wasn't 100% on the way it ended. The ending left me incomplete, like there should have been more.