Cold Read

by Sharyn Kopf

When Stephie Graham volunteered to direct The Rainmaker at the historic Holland Theatre in Bellefontaine, Ohio, she might not have thought it all through. Like how hard it can be to find six male cast members for a small community production. But then Andy Tremont moseys into the audition—and into her heart.

At first, everything seems to be coming together just fine … until it starts to fall apart. First, the female lead breaks her foot. Then Stephie learns there are talks of selling the Holland to developers.

And, in case things weren’t difficult enough, the theatre might have a ghost named Juniper who’s trying to keep Stephie and Andy from getting together.

There was, in fact, a Juniper who took the Holland stage in 1933 and sang about her broken heart, certain she had lost her chance at love.

But maybe God has a plan for both women that is beyond what either could ever imagine.

100 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 22, 2014

Reviews

[Tara Kolker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharyn Kopf’s dual timeline story, Cold Read, is fun with quirky characters. I’m not usually excited about reading present tense, but I really liked it in this case. The modern storyline was written in present tense, while the historical part was told in past tense. It flowed well that way, moving back and forth.

I personally enjoyed the modern part part more in this book, I think because I felt like, as the reader, I was able to get to know Stephie better than the historical main character, Juniper.

Stephie is directing a play in her small town’s historic theater, and she finds herself liking the man playing the lead role. As someone who has always been sort of on the outside and alone, Stephie almost panics at the mixed feelings she has at war within her.

Juniper is less developed as a character than Stephie, but she also shows up less frequently in the story, so it seems natural to not be able to get to know her as deeply. In spite of knowing her less, Juniper irritated me… I think because she pined away after someone who was clearly arrogant and thought he was above her and her family, and because of that she put down a true friend in much the same arrogant way.

Did I like the book? Yes! It was an enjoyable quick read, and I highly recommend reading Sharyn Kopf. She has a uniquely frank style of writing that feels like you’re having a conversation, as well as creative plots that are unlike any others I’ve found so far.

I would compare this book to pepperoni pizza. It’s easy going and fun, but at the same time isn’t just fluff. Good stuff:)

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cold Read is an interesting little story about two women that lived nearly a century apart that both struggled with love. I love the theater setting. I have done a lot of theater in my life and really enjoyed going through the process of getting a show together and ready to present. I know that lots of times there are situations where people doing a show together become very close in a short amount of time. It is sometimes a struggle to keep that intimacy in perspective because it will change once the show is over. The author shows a deep understanding of life in the theater and the struggles of single people in that environment. In the end, it is a wonderful little love story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

[Linda Rainey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nice romance between a director and one of her actors.
I liked the story line,the characters especially the ghost, Juniper.
This was a nice read for a lazy evening.