Suddenly Single

by Shana Burton

Vashti Hunter knew that something was wrong when she received her fiancé’s nervous phone call the night before their wedding, but she was too distracted by visions of wedding grandeur to listen to her instincts. Instead, what was supposed to be the happiest day of the 26-year-old’s life quickly turns into the most humiliating, when she is left at the altar. 
After battling a fierce bout of depression, Vashti regroups and begins dating again. A string of failed relationship attempts help her figure out not only what she does not want in a mate, but who she is. It’s only after she evolves into the person she wants to be that she finds the man who is worthy of her love.
Because of their 20-year age difference, Vashti’s new relationship is met with opposition from her family, friends, and especially his daughter, who resents Vashti’s presence in her father’s life. Their relationship is further complicated when Vashti’s long-lost fiancé returns remorsefully.  Will Vashti find him worthy of a second chance?

354 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

My name is Shana Johnson Burton, and I am married with two boys. I was born and raised in Macon, GA, and I am an English teacher at the high school I graduated from. I love to cook, dance, read, and, of course, write. I have two other books in the pipeline. Suddenly Single is my first novel. My second one, First Comes Love, will be released in November 2008, and the third will probably come out some time in 2009-- God willing!

Reviews

[Taylor Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable ending but cute

[OOSA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learning to Heed

All Vashti Hunter needed to do was listen, instead she was standing alone at the altar. Now distraught and very heartbroken, Vashti has to get back in the swing of things. On a serious mission to find a man she can love who is also ready to settle down, Vashti seems to find the most undesirable men out there.

Learn to wait on God! The moment Vashti does, could it be that the man she's needed was always by her side?

While reading SUDDENLY SINGLE I was able to laugh at some of the issues, but it also saddened me that Vashti was dripping in desperation. SUDDENLY SINGLE is a good book with some comical twists that I can easily recommend to others!

Reviewed by: Carmen

[Shonell Bacon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Left at the altar, Vashti Hunter turns away from church and toward men to find Mr. Right, eventually learning she shouldn’t sacrifice self for love. Overall, solid premise and enough drama to propel readers to ending. Be forewarned: drama is at every turn; take a breath and dive right in!

[Carol Hornsby-mccoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started out interesting just with the title. I didn’t care for the Focus. I felt the different circumstances she underwent became boring and predictable after awhile.
Nevertheless I was determined to read through to the end.
Her blessing was right in front of her all along.

[The Urban Book Source · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Shana Johnson Burton penned a novel that will have your head spinning through the life of Vashti Hunter, the main character in Suddenly Single. Vashti Hunter knew that something was wrong when she received her fiancé's nervous phone call the night before their wedding, but she was too distracted by visions of the wedding grandeur to listen to her instincts. The day that was supposed to be the happiest day of the 26 year-old's life quickly turns into the most humiliating when she is left at the altar. Being left at the altar and not marrying the man of her dreams causes Vashti to turn to the one place she feels can help her—church. She seeks counseling from her pastor but soon discovers that he is not at all interested in helping her clear her head, but more concerned with getting into her pants.

After her ordeal with the Pastor, Vashti battles a fierce bout of depression. Once the depression is behind her she regroups and begins dating again only to find herself in a string of failed relationships—attempts with a down-low brother, a brother that has more baby-mama drama than she cared to deal with, and a few others. These escapades took Vashti further and further away from church as she tried to meet the deadline of a bet she had with her best friend Monique: Find a man and marry him in a year.

After dealing with a string of failed relationships, Vashti figures out what she does not want in a mate, but also discovers who she is in the process. It is only after she evolves into the person that she wants to be, that she finds a man who is worthy of her love. Because of the 20 year age difference, Vashti's new relationship is threatened by opposition from her family, friends, and especially her new love's daughter who resents Vashti's presence in her father's life. Only to complicate Vashti and her new love life even more, her long- lost fiancé' returns remorseful and wanting her back. The only question that remains is: Is Vashti completely and truly over him?

What did you like best about this book?
I enjoyed the fact that the author made this person real. Vashti showed real emotions that most women deal with when they have gone through a rough patch in their life. I recommend this book to those who love drama and happy endings.

What did you dislike about this book?
Although the read was fast-paced and filled with drama, the story was predictable and the main character seemingly too desperate to have a man.

How can the author improve this book?
The storyline as a whole was not bad, but it would have been nice if the pacing was better and the incidents in the story, a tad more realistic. In an attempt to stay within a time limit, the story was rushed even though there were a little over 300 pages.

[Adrienna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vashti has a sob story, on her set wedding day, no Kendrick (who she wasted 5 years of her dear life with) at the altar to make their wedding vows official. Now, she's suddenly single, and a number of women can relate to this horrible experience of possibly not marrying the man they thought was meant for them!

There are some parts I had to take a break a day or two; caution for those single Christians who practice celibacy. This is edgy Christian material similar to Lutisha Lovely material (who doesn't write Urban Christian but setting is in the church).

Vashti slept with too many men for my liking, without conviction, even the flirtious pastor although she knew his rendevous with younger women. (This was a pause stop for two days for me. Sorry I take these stories literally as if it is real people). I picked this book since I liked the author's previous work: Flaws and All.

This is an okay read.

Adrienna Turner
Author of "God is in the Equation"
www.adriennaturner.webs.com

[Joe Finkelstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I probably would have been the last person to read this book if I didn't have a connection to the author (I teach with Shana's sister). I'm a happily married Jewish male, and this book is about a single Black woman; and it is published by a Christian publishing company. That said, I am glad that I swiped a copy of the book from my friend and spent the weekend reading it.
I think that Ms. Burton did a wonderful job weaving a compelling tale. She employed some nice twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. I like it and can't wait to BUY Ms. Burton's next book.

[Kellee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok. I realized towards the end that it was very slow moving. I realized it because the book finally started to pick up the pace. It definitely wasn't Christian Fiction in my opinion, but I was perfectly ok with that. The errors started off minor and were easy to overlook, but eventually started to really get on my nerves. I wouldn't read it again, but as slow moving as it was, it did hold my attention, however it was VERY predictable.

[Stanjay Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a couple of years ago and decided to revisit it. 5 stars! I really thought that storyline was well organized and written. It had so many different twist and turns starting with the main character Vashti being stood up at the alter on her wedding day. The whole journey through the subsequent days, including her trying to bounce back from being left at the alter, getting back in the dating game and still managing her business definitely made for a great book.

[Shana Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suddenly Single is like no other book I've read. The characters are rich and the plot is well-paced. Shana Burton's writing style is funny, edgy, and refreshing. She is definately an author to watch! What I learned from reading this book is that the love of a man can never be a replacement for loving yourself.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book but more so as a regular fiction not Christian fiction. There wasn't much Christian about it to me. The story was pretty predictable but I still enjoyed reading it

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a very good book. Im surprised on how some things turned out.

[Chauna Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. She reminded me A LOT of myself, and she went through a lot of scenarios I have had in life. Although I didn't get stood up on my wedding day, I have had my heart torn from me several times and its no picnic. I hope there's a part 2 ;)