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Vada Faith
When Vada Faith answers an advertisement in a local newspaper for a surrogate mother, she believes all her dreams are about to come true. She's always wanted to be known as "somebody.” Somebody besides a high school beauty queen in the small town of Shady Creek, West Virginia. Somebody besides the wife of football hero, John "Wasper" Waddell. More than the mother of twins. More than the town’s most sought after beautician, in the shop she owns with her twin sister, Joy Ruth. She's tired of living in the run down Victorian home her husband inherited from his Grandma Belle, even if Eleanor Roosevelt might have once sat in the wicker chair still on their front porch.
Vada Faith longs for a new home in the fancy subdivision of Crystal Springs.
Then, Roy and Dottie Kilgore swoop into town, wanting a child of their own, and bringing money to burn.
In going after her own dreams, Vada Faith nearly destroys the lives of those she loves.
Vada Faith longs for a new home in the fancy subdivision of Crystal Springs.
Then, Roy and Dottie Kilgore swoop into town, wanting a child of their own, and bringing money to burn.
In going after her own dreams, Vada Faith nearly destroys the lives of those she loves.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2012
36 people are currently reading
517 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
May 16, 2012
I wish there was one more star on these ratings or else the labels changed. Three stars should mean "neutral, I finished it and don't regret the time I spent on it".
This book reminded me of watching an election unfold: you pretty much don't like any of the main characters but you keep watching to see what horrid thing somebody will do or say next.
The main character (who I'm thankful is not my mother) does come to her senses in the last chapters but it's a long time coming.
My favorite part of the book (and I really liked this, thus the three stars) was the setting- a small town full of women who use their middle names- and the little snippets of small town drama that unfolded in the beauty parlor.
This book reminded me of watching an election unfold: you pretty much don't like any of the main characters but you keep watching to see what horrid thing somebody will do or say next.
The main character (who I'm thankful is not my mother) does come to her senses in the last chapters but it's a long time coming.
My favorite part of the book (and I really liked this, thus the three stars) was the setting- a small town full of women who use their middle names- and the little snippets of small town drama that unfolded in the beauty parlor.
September 18, 2012
I think one of the things I liked best about Vada Faith was the author's ability to turn a phrase. She took an old saw and sharpened it, time and again. The character wasn't "all thumbs", she was all fingers. That says so much!
I also loved that I knew the characters. It was like taking a peek into the lives of hometown folk, but in very unusual circumstances. Vada decides to be a surrogate mother, to the disapproval of nearly everyone she knows. She gets hate mail, is verbally assaulted by kinfolk and townfolk alike, even debated about on television.
Even though the situation Vada Faith finds herself creating is quite unusual, her reactions, struggles, and soul searching are all things you and I would understand. I would have liked a less tied-up ending, but that's my own preference, an no reflection on the choices the author made.
You will love the book and if you're anything like me, won't be able to put it down. It's one that stayed with me long after I finished reading it. Sometimes, I still catch a glimpse of Vada Faith when I'm out and about.
I finished reading this book in the summer a week after I received it, not quite certain of the date.
I also loved that I knew the characters. It was like taking a peek into the lives of hometown folk, but in very unusual circumstances. Vada decides to be a surrogate mother, to the disapproval of nearly everyone she knows. She gets hate mail, is verbally assaulted by kinfolk and townfolk alike, even debated about on television.
Even though the situation Vada Faith finds herself creating is quite unusual, her reactions, struggles, and soul searching are all things you and I would understand. I would have liked a less tied-up ending, but that's my own preference, an no reflection on the choices the author made.
You will love the book and if you're anything like me, won't be able to put it down. It's one that stayed with me long after I finished reading it. Sometimes, I still catch a glimpse of Vada Faith when I'm out and about.
I finished reading this book in the summer a week after I received it, not quite certain of the date.
September 20, 2012
This is one of those quick easy beach reads. A one town kind of book. I could not however get past the fact that several characters in the book where called by two names. Vada Faith, Joy Ruth and the one that really got me was John Wasper (not his last name...middle name). I could not get over this.
As for the book topic...I can't imagine carrying someone elses child for them and having to give it up. I know people do it and I admire that they have the strength to do that for someone else, but I just couldn't do it. It would be very hard.
As for the book topic...I can't imagine carrying someone elses child for them and having to give it up. I know people do it and I admire that they have the strength to do that for someone else, but I just couldn't do it. It would be very hard.
February 3, 2014
Without consulting either her husband or a lawyer, Vada Faith agrees to be a surrogate mother for all the wrong reasons. Because of the wife's medical problems, they have to use Vada Faith's own egg, which makes her the biological mother. Events prove the father is under fraud investigation, his wife a drunk who is having an affair and planning to leave him. Vada Faith falls in love with the baby, wants to keep it and her husband moves out. It's pretty obvious what is going to happen, but at least Vada Faith finally figures out what is the most important things in her life.
July 15, 2012
When I first started reading this I wanted to just slap some sense into the main character Vada Faith. But as I read on I realized that all of us make some sort of leap to decision that isn't always full of common-sense.
May 23, 2012
This book was well written with humor built into a complicated situation. It really shows us the results of impulsive decisions and how they not only affect us but all those around us.
November 21, 2012
Sometimes it takes a long trip to realize that all we need is what we already have. :) This is a great book and I believe I would read another book by Mrs. Whittington.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2018
Unbelievable---and not in a good way.
Thin characterization and unbelievable naivety on the part of Had a Faith. Sensitive issues around surrogacy handled very poorly. No one jumps into that role like it's a lark.
Thin characterization and unbelievable naivety on the part of Had a Faith. Sensitive issues around surrogacy handled very poorly. No one jumps into that role like it's a lark.
January 7, 2018
Vada decided to become a surrogate mother for a couple, but she acted too fast.
June 17, 2020
This was a train wreck I just couldn't look away from.
October 3, 2021
I did read the book, and it kept my interest. But very predictable. Not bad in all.
January 13, 2018
I loved this book
Not my usual genre but enjoyed the read. Make no rash decisions in life. Think things through. Vada Faith learned the hard way.
Not my usual genre but enjoyed the read. Make no rash decisions in life. Think things through. Vada Faith learned the hard way.
Want to read
February 15, 2016280p Check out this fun new novel set in the fictional town of Shady Creek, West Virginia. Follow the antics of beauty shop owners Vada Faith Waddell and her feisty twin sister, Joy Ruth. When Vada Faith signs on to be a surrogate mother to earn a down payment for a big home in the fancy new subdivision of Crystal Springs, she learns too late that the childless couple, Dottie and Roy Kilgore, are small time criminals.
When she loses the support of her beloved husband, John Wasper, Vada Faith realizes that in pursuing her own selfish dreams, she 19s about to lose everything she 19s ever held dear. She knows she has to do something when her two little girls are bullied at school. Somehow, she has to put a stop to the avalanche of hurt she 19s caused. The question is how? And what does she do about the little baby she carries? Would it help if she went on the Maddie Magill talk show and pleaded her case. Find out when you read this serious but humorous story of complicated relationships and solid family values.
When she loses the support of her beloved husband, John Wasper, Vada Faith realizes that in pursuing her own selfish dreams, she 19s about to lose everything she 19s ever held dear. She knows she has to do something when her two little girls are bullied at school. Somehow, she has to put a stop to the avalanche of hurt she 19s caused. The question is how? And what does she do about the little baby she carries? Would it help if she went on the Maddie Magill talk show and pleaded her case. Find out when you read this serious but humorous story of complicated relationships and solid family values.
July 1, 2013
Vada Faith claims to love her husband, but then she makes a life-changing decision... unilaterally... that may drive him away from her forever. To tell the truth, I felt considerably more sympathy for the husband, who's expected to support her choices, no matter how much pain they cause him, than I did for Vada, who wraps herself in a guise of selflessness to pursue a path toward "importance", money, and a bigger house. This book paints a new face on the issue of surrogacy, and on the motivations behind it. How long do you think her husband can "suck it up" and deny his own feelings, while continuing to support her decision to carry another man's baby? Will their marriage survive? Will she learn what matters more than "being important" and living in a big fancy house? You'll just have to read this book to find out.
December 22, 2014
Too drawn out
T
At first the story was interesting and seemed to promise an entertaining read. The first third held my interest. However about a third of the way through I became very bored reading the constant and repetitive pros and cons, arguments, etc. I almost decided to give up on the book. Instead I skipped the middle third of it and picked it up about two thirds through it, finding the story exactly where I left it. Also I found the story to be rather juvenile with a very shallow heroine. I would not recommend this book.
where I left it. Also the whole thing was ratherjuvenile with a crystalline heroine. I would not recommend this book.
T
At first the story was interesting and seemed to promise an entertaining read. The first third held my interest. However about a third of the way through I became very bored reading the constant and repetitive pros and cons, arguments, etc. I almost decided to give up on the book. Instead I skipped the middle third of it and picked it up about two thirds through it, finding the story exactly where I left it. Also I found the story to be rather juvenile with a very shallow heroine. I would not recommend this book.
where I left it. Also the whole thing was ratherjuvenile with a crystalline heroine. I would not recommend this book.
February 10, 2016
Vada Faith has to be one of the most selfish, inconsiderate clueless women ever in a book. Couldn't empathize with her situation at all.
When Vada Faith answers an advertisement in a local newspaper for a surrogate mother, she believes all her dreams are about to come true. She's always wanted to be known as "somebody. Somebody besides a high school beauty queen in the small town of Shady Creek, West Virginia. Somebody besides the wife of football hero, John "Wasper" Waddell. More than the mother of twins. More than the towns most sought after beautician, in the shop she owns with her twin sister, Joy Ruth.
When Vada Faith answers an advertisement in a local newspaper for a surrogate mother, she believes all her dreams are about to come true. She's always wanted to be known as "somebody. Somebody besides a high school beauty queen in the small town of Shady Creek, West Virginia. Somebody besides the wife of football hero, John "Wasper" Waddell. More than the mother of twins. More than the towns most sought after beautician, in the shop she owns with her twin sister, Joy Ruth.
September 13, 2014
I'm wondering who recommended this book to me. And why? It's the story of a wife/mother/former high school homecoming queen in a small town in the South (where everyone has two first names) who decides to become a surrogate mother in order to feel special and extraordinary. Of course, the unintended consequences pile up. Upset husband. Outraged community members. Couple with multiple issues of ethics, sanity, fidelity. And the only possible conclusion. I read this on my kindle on a long flight. It was not terrible, but I wouldn't recommend it to others.
January 13, 2014
First and foremost if this rating would be based on the story alone I would have probably chosen to give it 3 or 4 stars but, this book annoyed the hell out of me. Something that I can say is that I cannot stand when an author refers to characters by their first and last name through the ENTIRE BOOK.. I do not think that I could really get into the story because of this. It was truly an annoyance.
January 29, 2015
When her impulsive decision to become a surrogate mother turns out to be a terrible mistake, Vada Faith finds herself in the middle of a storm. No matter what she does, someone will be hurt. In her debut novel, Barbara Whittington has created an outspoken, lovable character, filled with dreams, who will make you laugh and cry. If you like books that explore the human heart, you'll love being with Vada Faith as she decides what is important in her life. I know I did.
February 3, 2014
I am not really sure if I like this book or not. It was interesting enough to hold my attention but some how it's lacking something. I am the type once I start a book, and I feel "eh" about it, I will at least finish it to give it a chance. It wasn't horrible but it was not great either. The main character seemed a bit self centered/selfish, at times I wanted to shake her and tell her WOMAN UP.
February 8, 2016
this was an okay read. Vaida Faith decides to help a childless couple and become their surrogate, but without the support of her husband and family. A bit far fetched and at times I found myself annoyed with the Vaida. Wish I could have given 2.5 stars. Wasn't so bad that I didn't finish, but I wouldn't say I liked it .
May 15, 2012
I enjoy reading about helping women's dreams of being a mother being fulfilled in different ways. This book was different--Vada got on my nerves with her self centeredness. I did feel bad for her towards the end of the book though.
January 31, 2014
3.5 really - really wish we could do partial stars on goodreads!
Anyhow very interesting story and it made you really think about your decisions and how much most of them really do impact everyone in your life in some way.
Anyhow very interesting story and it made you really think about your decisions and how much most of them really do impact everyone in your life in some way.
February 21, 2014
I enjoyed this story. Do I thinks it represents surrogacy and the way most women approach consider being a surrogate? No but I still found the characters likeable and the story entertaining. Quick, light read.
February 10, 2015
This book left me disappointed. The heroine was too selfish and stupid, she didn't care one bit about her husband or her twins and went on with her project, no matter what happened around her. The double names were very annoying too.
November 26, 2016
To be honest, I just wanted to slap the silly woman for being so selfish and not giving a thought to how her decision would affect everyone else in her life. I thought the ending was a bit of a cop-out, but I can't seeing it ending 'happily' any other way.
June 19, 2012
I wish I didn't waste my time on this book. very predictable. I. felt it was written by a first time author. the only good thing about it was it was free on pixel. don't waste your money on it.
July 11, 2012
I just love Vada. I think she is genuine and would be a great girlfriend. I look forward to more stories from Barbara Whittington.
July 12, 2012
I downloaded this book for free and just couldn't finish it. It was way too predictable, and not in a good way.
June 25, 2013
quick read I got for free on my Kindle. nothing spectacular but good enough to read while waiting for appointments, etc.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews