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Dempsey's Grill
Gibson Baker had it all. A beautiful house in Seattle, a beautiful girlfriend and a steady teaching job.
But when Gibson’s loses his job and his girl on the same day, he’s forced to crawl home to Eugene, Oregon.
At least Mom’s happy to see him.
His successful realtor sister, Hope, is not impressed and makes it clear he needs to land another job, and soon! Dempsey, Gibson’s best friend from high school, arrives with promises of ‘the opportunity of a lifetime’. Dempsey wants to open a restaurant. But Dempsey’s dreams are always that – dreams. And Gibson’s not eager to get involved in yet another doomed venture. Until Gibson’s childhood sweetheart, Gail shows up.
What starts out as a wild dream, a desperate plan and a dare, soon takes on a life of its own. With Hope’s help, the trio of misfits finds the perfect spot for the restaurant, but as the grand opening approaches, each must face unresolved issues from their past.
Can they pull together and grow beyond their previous failures, or will they give up their dreams to do the safe and responsible thing?
But when Gibson’s loses his job and his girl on the same day, he’s forced to crawl home to Eugene, Oregon.
At least Mom’s happy to see him.
His successful realtor sister, Hope, is not impressed and makes it clear he needs to land another job, and soon! Dempsey, Gibson’s best friend from high school, arrives with promises of ‘the opportunity of a lifetime’. Dempsey wants to open a restaurant. But Dempsey’s dreams are always that – dreams. And Gibson’s not eager to get involved in yet another doomed venture. Until Gibson’s childhood sweetheart, Gail shows up.
What starts out as a wild dream, a desperate plan and a dare, soon takes on a life of its own. With Hope’s help, the trio of misfits finds the perfect spot for the restaurant, but as the grand opening approaches, each must face unresolved issues from their past.
Can they pull together and grow beyond their previous failures, or will they give up their dreams to do the safe and responsible thing?
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Published August 26, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 3, 2019
It's been a while since I read a story that left me with a smile on my face at the end.
Dempsey's Grill tells the story of Gibson, a teacher who is fired and dumped by his girlfriend (one of the most insufferable characters you'll ever meet on a book page) and has no choice, at the age of twenty-nine, but to move back to his home town and in with his parents. There he meets up with childhood friend, Dempsey, who has a crazy idea about opening up a grill that sells the best burgers in town. Joining in on this venture is Gibson's first love, Gail; an old neighbor who he last saw when they were fifteen, and someone who brings out the best in him. As they help Dempsey achieve his dream, hijinks ensue, friendships are tested, Gibson learns about his own family and self, and what he truly needs to be happy.
Bryan J. Fagan writes in such a fun, conversational tone that you'll feel like your hearing this story from your best friend. I definitely recommend this book for those looking for a feel-good story that teaches you a little something about growing up when you're already supposed to be grown, and the relationships that help shape you.
Dempsey's Grill tells the story of Gibson, a teacher who is fired and dumped by his girlfriend (one of the most insufferable characters you'll ever meet on a book page) and has no choice, at the age of twenty-nine, but to move back to his home town and in with his parents. There he meets up with childhood friend, Dempsey, who has a crazy idea about opening up a grill that sells the best burgers in town. Joining in on this venture is Gibson's first love, Gail; an old neighbor who he last saw when they were fifteen, and someone who brings out the best in him. As they help Dempsey achieve his dream, hijinks ensue, friendships are tested, Gibson learns about his own family and self, and what he truly needs to be happy.
Bryan J. Fagan writes in such a fun, conversational tone that you'll feel like your hearing this story from your best friend. I definitely recommend this book for those looking for a feel-good story that teaches you a little something about growing up when you're already supposed to be grown, and the relationships that help shape you.
August 17, 2019
Dempsey’s Grill is a quirky, delayed maturity, coming of age story. Gibson and his best friend, Dempsey, are on the cusp of turning 30, the age they believe is their last chance to get their acts together and perform as fully functioning adults. Their lives are going nowhere fast. Neither of them has a real job or relationship, and the time is now or never. Their decision to start a burger joint plunges them in the deep end of the occupational pool, and their efforts to figure out what the heck they’re doing provide an amusing romp. Adorable, relatable characters make the reader root for them to succeed, and the crazy plot twists keep you guessing. The satisfying ending ties up all the story threads. No cliff-hangers, this is a complete stand-alone.
August 30, 2019
I loved this book!
Dempsey's Grill was a page turner from the very start. The main character, Gibson was immediately loveable. His emotions were well written and easy to believe. You can feel his relief, pain, joy and dazed confusion as he gets hit with one unexpected turn after another. All the characters feel very real; I think everyone has a friend like Dempsey. (Or should!)
Bryan Fagan has done a great job pulling readers along on this ride. I found myself staying up late at night just to read "one more chapter." By the end of the book you feel like you know these people intimately; I was sad to see it end. I highly recommend Dempsey's Grill. It's a funny, warm, engaging story.
Dempsey's Grill was a page turner from the very start. The main character, Gibson was immediately loveable. His emotions were well written and easy to believe. You can feel his relief, pain, joy and dazed confusion as he gets hit with one unexpected turn after another. All the characters feel very real; I think everyone has a friend like Dempsey. (Or should!)
Bryan Fagan has done a great job pulling readers along on this ride. I found myself staying up late at night just to read "one more chapter." By the end of the book you feel like you know these people intimately; I was sad to see it end. I highly recommend Dempsey's Grill. It's a funny, warm, engaging story.
September 3, 2020
This was a difficult book to assign a star rating to.
I’ll start with the things I liked about it. The story itself is funny, heartwarming, and filled with relatable, true to life observations from the author. The characters are endearing and I enjoyed getting to know each and every one of them. For me, the beauty of forever friendships and the importance of believing in yourself and never giving up on your dreams really came through in the end.
However, getting to the end was a struggle for me. There were half a dozen instances where I had to reread a scene multiple times to figure out what was going on and why. I was not successful in some of these cases. At times, the story was unclear as it seemed to repeat itself or one of the characters would up and do something that made absolutely no sense.
Grammar and typos? I understand that no book is perfect but this was my biggest problem with this read. There were extra, omitted, misspelled, or misplaced words on nearly every single page. Including the first one. I found this to be frustrating and distracting.
So, while I am torn about the quality of the editing, I still read the entire book and there is no denying how much of the author’s heart and soul was poured into the story. The writing style in general is honest, direct, and fun. I will absolutely give the author another chance and look forward to reading his future works.
I’ll start with the things I liked about it. The story itself is funny, heartwarming, and filled with relatable, true to life observations from the author. The characters are endearing and I enjoyed getting to know each and every one of them. For me, the beauty of forever friendships and the importance of believing in yourself and never giving up on your dreams really came through in the end.
However, getting to the end was a struggle for me. There were half a dozen instances where I had to reread a scene multiple times to figure out what was going on and why. I was not successful in some of these cases. At times, the story was unclear as it seemed to repeat itself or one of the characters would up and do something that made absolutely no sense.
Grammar and typos? I understand that no book is perfect but this was my biggest problem with this read. There were extra, omitted, misspelled, or misplaced words on nearly every single page. Including the first one. I found this to be frustrating and distracting.
So, while I am torn about the quality of the editing, I still read the entire book and there is no denying how much of the author’s heart and soul was poured into the story. The writing style in general is honest, direct, and fun. I will absolutely give the author another chance and look forward to reading his future works.
August 13, 2021
Puts a smile on your face
Gibson looses it all in one fell swoop- his job, his girl, and his house. He goes back home feeling ashamed and defeated. But life has other plans. His best friend has a dream and he needs Gibsons help to accomplish it. His old flame is in town too and he realizes that what he had in Seattle cant compare. And he has a family that truly loves him.
Having lived in the PNW i could just see the descriptions in my minds eye. I loved how Gibson and Hope both grew and changed throughout the story, bringing the other characters with them. Such a sweet story.
Gibson looses it all in one fell swoop- his job, his girl, and his house. He goes back home feeling ashamed and defeated. But life has other plans. His best friend has a dream and he needs Gibsons help to accomplish it. His old flame is in town too and he realizes that what he had in Seattle cant compare. And he has a family that truly loves him.
Having lived in the PNW i could just see the descriptions in my minds eye. I loved how Gibson and Hope both grew and changed throughout the story, bringing the other characters with them. Such a sweet story.
August 5, 2020
A fun, relatable coming-of-age story. A perfect read for anyone who has ever struggled with accepting the past, looking to the future, or wondered "what could have been".
September 30, 2019
I received an ARC copy of Brian Fagan's "Dempsey's Grill", and as with all books, I wondered what I was getting. I finished Chapter One and knew Fagan's book was a winner. He provided a full range of emotions. I loved some characters, wanted to strangle one, and had one or two that bounced between love and hate. The relationships between the characters were genuine, and by the time I reached the end, I had fond feelings for all of them, even the one I wanted to strangle. Fagan's writing is smooth, fluid, and took me from event to event, making me feel like I was part of the story. It was a quick, thoroughly enjoyable read, and I recommend it with no reservations.
November 30, 2019
“Dempsey’s Grill” is a classic coming of age story, with humor, love, adventure and some unlikely twists. Author Bryan Fagan has created characters that are relatable, likeable and just plain fun. I read “Dempsey’s Grill” during a particularly hard time in my own life, and it was a light at the end of each day, an escape into a story that made me feel happy. “Dempsey’s Grill” is a wonderful read that I cannot recommend highly enough.
January 1, 2020
I really enjoyed the characters in this book. All of them tragically flawed but ever so interesting. There are a few nail-biters that had me on the edge of my seat. I would definitely recommend this book. It might also be great for a book club selection.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews