Shoe store owner Roger Hudson has a chip on his shoulder the size of Mount Rushmore. Hiring real estate agent Sally Bright, the most-annoyingly positive woman ever, probably isn’t the smartest move but she’s the best. Her constantly bubbly nature gets under Roger’s skin but there’s an even bigger problem. She’s also getting into his heart. And don’t even get him started on her dynamite legs.
Roger doesn’t fool Sally one bit. She knows his crotchety act is as fake as her best friend’s Gucci bag. She’s dealt with his type before but selling his home is proving to be harder than she thought. Especially since she’s developing feelings for her handsome client. But just when things seem to be going in the right direction, Sally’s secret could destroy everything she worked so hard for.
Rich Amooi is a Taleflick Discovery Winner, Readers' Favorite Gold Medal Recipient, Holt Medallion Finalist, and the Amazon Bestselling author of 24 romantic comedies, including It's Not PMS, It's You, Dying to Meet You, Royal Crush, and Men or Paws.
A former radio personality and wedding DJ, Rich now writes romantic comedies full-time in San Diego, California, and is happily married to a kiss monster imported from Spain. Rich believes in public displays of affection, silliness, infinite possibilities, donuts, gratitude, laughter, and happily ever after.
Too sunshine and rainbows for me. I mean, the female protagonist's favourite word is "yes". *gags* Even her name has the word "bright" in it. I mean, I get that she survived cancer, and that would really give you a whole new perspective on life. I'm all for living every day at a time, and striving for happiness, but there is such a thing as too much optimism, and thy name is Sally Bright.
The story was okay, just your run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. Kind of like Cheeni Kum. Actually, almost exactly like Cheeni Kum.
Roger (Mr. Crotchety) is a shoe store owner and he isn't very friendly. He lost his wife 5 years ago and has been in a perpetual bad mood ever since. Sally is a local real estate agent and she is always smiling. Sally is a cancer survivor and she enjoys and appreciates everyday she is alive. When Roger finds out he's getting a new neighbor, one who likes late night parties and is building a mega mansion, he is in a hurry to sell his house and move. He hires Sally to help sell his house and help him find a new one. He's going to have to spend a lot of time with Sally and her happy personality. Pretty soon, it gets really difficult for Roger to spend time with Sally without checking out her legs and wanting to kiss her.
I absolutely loved this funny, sweet and charming romance. Roger is 60 and Sally is 50, not the typical ages I usually read but I loved these characters! Roger comes across as a jerk at first but he's such a good guy with a good heart, it's just a little broken. I love that Sally brought out the best in Roger and she saw past the Mr.Crotchety character. This book was light and fun, it had me laughing out loud at times and I read most of this book with a big smile on my face. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an easy, fun and super sweet romance!
Mr. Crotchety by Rich Amooi has an interesting premise based on the blurb, but I DNFed half way through. The concept drew me in about a fifty something widower still mourning the death of his beloved wife of thirty years. Roger owns a shoe store in town, and has become surly, brooding and plain old crotchety. He snaps at everyone, with the exception of his nephew who stays with him as he writes his thesis for grad school. When Roger finds out some big celebrity is moving next door to him, that’s when he decides to sell his house. This is all based on gossip that the big celebrity is too loud and into partying. Sally enters the picture then. She’s a ball of sunshine, a real estate agent full of pep and smiles. Roger can’t stand her. But he hires her to sell his house, and that’s when things begin to change between them.
This change for these two should have been cute, but it was too over the top, annoying. Roger has a personality transplant too quickly. He acts anti-social but then says the opposite. He has this great house, but doesn’t want anyone over, and yet he has a tree swing in his front yard for the neighborhood kids. He gripes and snipes, in I guess, what should be a cute way, but it’s not. He acts much older then he is, which becomes uncomfortable reading when he flirts and hits on Sally, who is much younger than him. They end up making out and kissing at every house they visit, which is for comic relief, but it’s off putting. Sally treats Roger more like a grandfather figure than a man she’s attracted to. Their chemistry is just not there, mainly because Roger is too much of an old coot, and Sally too much of a college co-ed even though she is shown as an established career minded woman.
Roger and Sally just don’t mesh well together. Their romance is not believable. The wackiness factor grew old, so much so that I stopped halfway through.
Review originally posted on my blog www.livinglifewithjoy.com Check out my blog for more reviews, interviews, excerpts and giveaways!
Mr. Crotchety had me laughing from page one, which I’ve come to realize is a given with any Rich Amooi novel! Sally is a super bight and happy person, despite the many hardships life has thrown her way. Roger is a crotchety old man that lost his wife to cancer and walks around with a constant chip on his shoulder. They’ve both experienced unfortunate life situations but have responded in completely different ways. When an unwanted neighbor sets off to move in next door to Roger, the two are brought together in an unexpected way. Cue the almost constant laugh track that accompanied this novel in my head while reading it.
‘First impressions aren’t always the right ones and sometimes the heart can see what the eyes are missing.’
As much as I love reading chick-lit written by women, for women, it’s always refreshing to read chick-lit for women written by men. If you’ve never read any of Rich Amooi’s novels, you need to remedy that right now! His novels are always filled with love, laughter and hilarious roads to a happily ever after.
‘Happiness and love have no age limit.’
I absolutely loved this story. A classic Amooi romantic comedy that will have you laughing out loud the whole way through. Filled with tragedy, life and love. Throw in an unexpected attraction and a bit of dishonesty that could ruin everything and you’ve got a great recipe for disaster. I devoured this novel quickly and can’t wait for his next one!
5 stars for another hilarious Amooi romantic comedy!
I enjoyed reading "Mr. Crotchety" just like the other books I've read from this author. All of the books I've read so far by Rich Amooi have been fun and lighthearted. The characters in Rich Amooi's books have some emotional depth, but the main reason I read books from Rich Amooi is the happy mood they put in. I also like Rich Amooi's sense of humor. Happy reading!
Seriously this book made my eyes leak a hell of a lot! This book is different for me than the others I have read, why? Because this book felt to me that it was a man story, not a woman. Yes, we get her voice but for once she is not the forefront of the book and she makes the mistake not the guy! Refreshing Mr Amooi and it works! This time we are dealing with “older” characters (apparently but I don’t class 40/50s as old so don’t worry). Mr Crotchety, I mean Roger, runs a shoe store and he’s a grumpy, hot, old sod! His nephew Jeffrey comes to stay for the summer, writing a thesis on Roger about his unsociable behaviour. Roger, sadly lost someone to the dreaded C and since then shut himself off from having feelings or just generally being nice to people. Even on his lunch, he’s constantly irritated because he is interrupted by someone who is ALWAYS happy!! Meet Sally. Sally, too has had a brush with the big C but in a different way. Since then she is just always happy, looks for the good in everything. She’s the best real estate agent out there and ends up becoming Mr Crotchety (!!), I mean Roger ’s estate agent, one small problem with this…well two…they develop these tricksy things called feelings but Roger has his heart set on buying the house that Sally has saved for and loved since she was a child. I mean what could go wrong? I know I say it every time, but I smiled so much reading this book (and cried). I am not sure why but something about this book felt different from the others I have read. The pace was slower and things took their time to unfold. It was done with such ease. It’s one of the shorter books Amooi has written (according to Goodreads) and it has felt so much more concise and very driven to complete this story. I loved this one, there were no moments of cheese, I felt this was a real love story. A story of a second chance for Roger and Sally, both a bit older, both have been dealt a rough hand in life and dealt with it differently. Yet, they both want the same thing, like everybody, just to be loved for who you are. There were moments I was crying a lot, especially in the last two chapters. God if anyone did anything like what Roger did for Sally. I would not be letting them go! I can’t say anymore other than it was magical and so so so so romantic! Mr Crotchety made my heart sing. I devoured this book in an evening (and a 20 mins lunch break) it is such a beautiful story which also made me laugh out loud quite a bit! Ah, I do not know what more I can say. I just loved it. Everything to me was perfect
Once again Rich Amooi writes an amazing romantic comedy. The really great part is that the main characters are much older than usual. They have pretty much lived their lives, "been there, done that" and Roger Hudson aka "Mr. Crotchety" is a little embittered by what he's been through. Sally Bright on the other hand lives up to her name. Having survived a divorce and cancer she is a bright ray of sunshine, living each day to its fullest. So you can just imagine the fireworks when these two are thrown together.
The best part about Rich Amooi's books are that it feels like you are literally "read watching" a movie. And oh how I wish I had my own personal movie theater just like Mr. Crotchety.
Yet another fantastic rom com from Rich Amooi. Roger "Mr Crotchety" sends out the grumpy old man vibes. I usually don't like negative characters, but Roger had a softer side and I loved him. His grumpiness came across as amusing rather than annoying and I found myself giggling on numerous occasions. I enjoyed reading a romance with characters in their 50s and 60s and relished the resulting George Clooney massaging my feet fantasy.
I listened to the audiobook edition narrated by Greg Tremblay. He did a fabulous job, speaking clearly and at a good pace. His characterisation was excellent.
Mr Crotchety - PG13 Violence: none Language: <70, including some coarse words Sex: no sex, descriptive kissing
I LOVE Rich Amooi's books because I'm fascinated by the glimpses I get into the male mind (especially romantically). Mr Crotchety (Roger) is the funniest H of all the RA books I've read. I chalk this up to his unfettered quirkiness. He seems to fluster when emotions threaten tenderness and blurts out the most hilarious stuff. He reminds me of Thomas Haden Church's character in the movie *Easy A*: "Don't forget tomorrow's Earth Day!"
Sweet, charming over 50 romance with a gassy pug dog. Roger is a grump and Sally is a ray of sunshine - he can't stand her. Due to story and plot will not give away reasons but these two are made for each other. I really enjoy the humor and humanity this author puts into his characters. I like them! Light clean romance with HEA.
Synopsis- Shoe store owner Roger Hudson has a chip on his shoulder the size of Mount Rushmore. Hiring real estate agent Sally Bright, the most-annoyingly positive woman ever, probably isn’t the smartest move but she’s the best. Her constantly bubbly nature gets under Roger’s skin but there’s an even bigger problem. She’s also getting into his heart. And don’t even get him started on her dynamite legs.
Roger doesn’t fool Sally one bit. She knows his crotchety act is as fake as her best friend’s Gucci bag. She’s dealt with his type before but selling his home is proving to be harder than she thought. Especially since she’s developing feelings for her handsome client. But just when things seem to be going in the right direction, Sally’s secret could destroy everything she worked so hard for.
Review- This was sweet. It was all rather romance hea formulaic, but still not totally disappointing. Well, until the end when the "romantic" song being played to our female protagonist was "Lady in Red." I mean, just ugh. It almost spoiled all that came before it. Liking "Lady in Red" is nearly as bad as being a Micheal Bolton fan. Honestly, I think those people hate music. If you're reading this and like either of those things, you'll love this book. Also, you should feel shame at your mediocre taste and never admit to anyone outside of therapy your musical interests. Ultimately this was very much like middle of the road music, pleasant enough on the surface, generally appealing and easy enough to not offend (well, not wholly) but ultimately lacking anything new, exciting or creative.
Rating - Two and a half MOR stars. ⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Devoured the book, couldn't put it down. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Really liked it, consumed within days ⭐⭐⭐ - Enjoyed a fair bit, better than average ⭐⭐ - Meh ⭐ - Absolute drivel
A fun and cozy lil read. I liked the premise, grump x sunshine always works, although it was a tad cliche, ain't nothing wrong with that! If I were to complain about anything, it'd be how fast it developed. Rich Amooi is in the habit of ending his books in a engagement/marriage/just something big like that, when the couple haven't been together for all that long. I don't mind it too much, I just prefer for there to be more. Other than that, I had a pleasant time with this.
Mr Amooi's books are priceless and so funny. This one especially funny and romantic too. I loved that he had middle aged people in this one. Proves love just doesn't happen in the young.
MY RATING GUIDE: A Satisfying 4.5 Stars. After several gritty, dark & intense novels I needed a Pick-Me-Up read so I grabbed one my Rich Amooi books from my tbrs; they are guaranteed light fare. MR CROTCHETY is an Opposites Attract, Small Town, Seasoned Characters standalone Romance novel. It soon had me smiling and snickering frequently to myself - exactly as I had hoped. (Can I say? I really dislike the title).
1= dnf/What was that?; 2= Nope, not for me; 3= This was okay/fairly good & might or might not read it again; 3.5= I enjoyed it & might read it again; 4= I LIKED THIS A LOT & WILL MOST LIKELY READ IT AGAIN; 5= I Loved this; it was great! & most likely will read again ((I SELDOM give 5 Stars).
Saratoga, CA ~ Local shoe shop owner Roger Hudson, a fit and handsome 60, has given up on life since the death of his beloved wife by cancer five years ago. Now he forces himself through each day with as little interaction with others as possible. Among the local townspeople Roger has gotten the reputation of being a disagreeable grump. Roger is on his best behavior with his customers, but everyone else he avoids or barely tolerates.
After experiencing life changing difficulties in her past, local successful realtor Sally Bright, 50, believes strongly in keeping a positive and grateful attitude. She has attempted friendly interaction with Roger on a number of occasions during her lunch hour but those efforts have been largely ignored. Only when Roger is in need of a real estate agent does he actively seek out Sally Bright and now he has no option but to tolerate her positivity.
Comments ~ MR CROTCHETY is a standalone book I have been putting off for a while. I guess the title put me off. But I should have known better. This is another Rich Amooi novel I really enjoyed and will be rereading in the future.
Roger is a Scrooge-like, crotchety guy but he has his reasons. I found myself smirking in agreement by certain thoughts and responses from Roger but most of his comments were quite ridiculous. What a hoot! Some of us might wish we could say such things, but Roger actually does. So I connected with Roger. I liked Sally as well. She was surprisingly authentic in a positive sense and her reasons for looking at life the way she chose to, were valid. On a side note, I would really like to know what happens with Portia and Jeffrey, and if their relationship works out.
I have previously read other novels by Rich Amooi. He has quickly become one of my “Go To” authors when I’m looking for a breath of fresh air - something bright, sweet, and positive to take me away for awhile - perfect for the end of a long day, a hard week or too much reality. Readers who prefer lots of steam with their romance should look elsewhere. I recommend MR CROTCHETY to readers who enjoy: > Quick reading, light romantic comedies. > Seasoned Romance (a fit 50 & 60), Opposites Attract trope novels > Funny, slightly outrageous Pick-Me-Up fiction. > Palate Cleansers, breaks away from the usual suspense, fantasy, thriller, dark or angst-filled novels. > Small Town novels. > Quick reading, Light & positive fiction.
READER CAUTIONS ~ PROFANITY - Yes. Strong language is used. VIOLENCE - None. SEXUAL SITUATIONS - None during story.
I absolutely adore Rich Amooi books. I have to say this one is one of my top favorites. I couldn’t wait to get to the end to see what happened. I laughter so many times reading. I always love a good funny book that you can relate to in one way or another. Anyone wanting a super cute read this is the book for you. Happy reading
This book has the best bunch of characters that I have ever met. Roger Hudson is considered Mr. Crotchety in the community and does what he can to promote that name. He has reasons to close himself off.
Sally always had a smile and a welcoming personality that set Roger's nerves on edge. They ate at the same restaurant during lunch and he avoided her and her happiness with all he had. She has reasons to be so cheery. He just didn't know them.
When he is basically forced to move for his own well being, he has the opportunity to work with Sally. This has every possibility to go wrong. It is hilarious when they hold their first open house.
His nephew Jeffrey who helps him at the store he owns is a fun young man with great insight. Portia is Sally's best friend and co-worker and she helps to steer Sally in the right direction.
This book made me laugh out loud so many times. There are some of the funniest scenes I have ever read in this book. This is my first Rich Amooi book but it will not be my last. I really enjoyed it from start to finish. The entire story was fabulous. I had to give it 5 stars. It deserved every one of them.
I read this, alongside the audio book - so I have posted this to Audible too! I liked how this featured a more mature couple, yet despite this it wasn't boring at any point. I loved Sally's enthusiasm and the voice (by the performer). I loved the messages that it sometimes is better to speak your mind, to not lie as it will just catch up with you.
I liked how neither character was flawless, they each had their problems. Only too often, these problems are overlooked: thus, the characters seem superficial. For this novel, however that wasn't the case at all. The reading was brilliant, loved the voice changes, that is talent. In the same way, I liked the writing style it was sophisticated whilst still enjoyable. I also found it interesting to have been able to see the connection develop between Sally and Roger, the fact that it wasn't there immediately made it more authentic.
Thank you for having given me the opportunity. I recommend reading this if you haven't done so yet.
This would be such a great movie to watch on the big screen! Rich has done it again! You fall in love with all of his Characters. He has a way of putting you there in the local neighborhood of Saratoga. Then the twists and turns of real relationship with all the drama and heart breaking deceit then peeks you and takes you back to a glorious ending.
Cancer sucks! Shoe store owner Roger Hudson lost his wife to cancer five years ago and has been miserable since. Cancer sucks! Divorced real estate agent Sally Bright beat cancer and knows just how precious life is and is determined to make the most of it. This is a fun enemies to lovers rom com that will make you smile and remember that life is worth living. I loved that the characters were older and remind you that love isn’t just for the young but the young at heart.
Absolutely loved this story. This is a fun, enemies to lovers rom-com that will make you smile and remember that life is worth living.
I appreciate the age coverage and the depth of life stories given to each character. It is not often you see a romance about older adults or mixed aged adults, especially detailing life after tragedy. This made me love the book even more as it reminds you that love isn’t just for the young but the young at heart!
So. Another great title by Rich Amooi. I love a crotchety character and Roger fit the bill. The story was a pinch predictable but I still enjoyed the process and I think this moved to my favorite Amooi book. The rapport between Roger and Jeffrey was fantastic!!! Lots of wit and love.
Oh god. I wasn't surprised anytime during the book. Such a boring and repetitive storyline. Can't believe I even made it through the whole book. Took me such a long time for such a short book. If anyone is thinking of reading it, I would recommend you not to pursue that thought. Ever.
Absolutely loved this story. I appreciate the age coverage and the depth of life stories given to each character. It is not often you see a romance about older adults or mixed aged adults, especially detailing life after tragedy.
Love the antics and the story line. I can see this story playing out in real life which makes me have hope that love finds a way even with heart ache and heart break. Another to add to my favorites. Thank you Rich!
If you like romance, humor and maybe a few tears you'll enjoy this story of a grumpy character and his journey back to happiness. Another highly entertaining book by Rich Amooi. Highly recommended.