Some Kind of Hero

by Donna Hay

What do you do as a single parent when your kids don't want to share you with anyone else—except the person you least want? Single mother Tess is used to having to fight for her disabled son's rights, and is wary of getting too close to men. But Dan, at 17, is more independent than she realizes, to the extent that he has taken it upon himself to bring his parents back together whether Tess wants it or not. Meanwhile, to their Yorkshire town moves Jack, a widower with a mountain of baggage and a stroppy teenage daughter sitting atop it. In this sparkling novel Donna Hay tackles tough issues with warm-hearted comedy as she writes about love and families, and learning to live with the cards you've been dealt, and being some kind of hero.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit

336 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.


Donna Hay's first novel, Waiting in the Wings, won her the RNA New Writers' Award, and since then she has attracted praise from critics for Kiss & Tell and Such a Perfect Sister. She writes regularly for TV Times and What's On TV, and has a weekly soaps page in Chat magazine. She lives in York, England, with her husband and daughter.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tess is a school teacher with a teenage son. When Emily comes into her form she is a little worried about her. Her father lost his wife nearly a year ago and they all seem to be totally wrapped in grief. She has a confrontation with him over his daughter- but that unexpectedly sparks interest in Tess.

I loved the whole cast of characters in this book- we get to meet the families, the work colleagues and the kids. Jack is working towards a partnership- but can he give it his full commitment whilst having to care for his two girls?

There were lot of strands skillfully weaved together to produce a lovely read.

[Yazlina Saduri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a sweet novel of family ties amidst love within career manouvers for quite some time. Like this very much. Love Tess and Jack. The way they individually pamper their kids with lavish love and attention, nothing matters more than the kids, Their night of explosive physical sharing. Pity Charlie, good for her to have a soul mate such as Tom. Love that Tom character too. Very cool. Who would be best to be Jack in a movie?

[Primadonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oooh, this is so sweet.

[Avigail Guedalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it!

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book :)

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Within the first 2 chapters, you know the ending, but was a cute, fun book.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick little read but I figured the ending out in the first few chapters

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tess has brought up her disabled son Dan on her own for seventeen years, and doesn’t see why his dad should be involved now because he’d abandoned her when she was pregnant and had never even bothered to reply to her letters. But when Phil does show up, Dan worships him.

As a character, I thought Phil was horrible. He was nice and everything, but I thought it was a bit weird the way he just assumed that he was welcome and it seemed like he almost forced Tess to talk to him sometimes. Every time he turned up I just cringed and wished he would get lost!

Another character I didn’t like was Jack’s work colleague, Charlie. She is desperate to go out with Jack and is always scheming to make him like her. But Jack has two daughters, and Charlie hates kids. She seems to think that he’s going to ditch his daughters to go out with her. She was a nasty piece of work.

My favourite character was Emily, Jack’s teenage daughter. She was a typical stroppy teenager, but she was really good at seeing through people like Charlie.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, even though it was slightly predictable.
I thought the story did a very good job of showing the relationships between single parents and their children.

[Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was far better than I expected! Entertaining and touching, not too romantic although there was much love in the air :) Perfect reading for my summer holidays as the sun is finally shining - I read the book in the garden!

[Pat Osment · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice light read but not memorable in anyway,The plot was too transparent and the character of the thuggish vicar was so unbelievable
As to be utter nonsense.Not sure about the title and what it was supposed to refer to either.

[Carol Naguib · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, enjoyable and light read.

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great gripping book. A few sub plots didn't go far, but the main theme was worth it.

[Jaleh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice quick read; very likeable, relatable characters, transparent plot line..like a chick flick with parenting emotions thrown in.

[Pam]

Gentle frothy read, ideal for a summer holiday read.