A New Kind of Bliss

by Bettye Griffin

Returning home to her mother's tiny apartment after her father passes away, forty-three-year-old divorcee Emily Yancy finds herself torn between two men--one who satisfies her mind, and one who satisfies her sexually --and desperately tries to find the best of both worlds. Original.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, African American, Audiobook

326 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2009

Reviews

[Danita Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story a lot. It was kind of long winded but still I enjoyed. I'll be picking Bettye Griffin books up again.

[Louise Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up

Divorcee Emily Yancy moves back to her hometown and is faced with a choice between two different men.

The pace is slow, but it does pick up a little bit. I did not like the authors writing style, it changed thoughts and some scenes without any notification. Not the best book I've read, but not the worst either.

#KindleFreeBook

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good read, just kind of crazy how she was so indecisive about who she wanted to be with for a woman over 40. If the doctor was not giving her what she needed she should either have told him or left him alone a long while ago. However the book did paint a good picture of trying to involve ones self in a ready made family with older children and inlaws. Over all a good read.

[Linda Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sixth book read in Beautiful By Design's (BBD) 'Choose your favorite book' cycle. The book selected by Sophia was A New Kind of Bliss by Bettye Griffin. We rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. Well, again, we are still in this virtual world hosting book club. As always, thanks to Skype, good wine, and 7 versatile ladies, we keep it moving. BBD almost had the pleasure of having the author join our meeting to discuss the book with us which would have been very exciting; however, we cannot control life's curve balls, but we want to say thank you anyway.

Collectively, BBD thought the story line was a great read. Initially, we all agreed the book started out slow, but it quickly picked up speed and became a very easy, refreshing read. It was chock full of relatable emotions, plot twists, laugh out loud moments, and even some "girl, no they didn't" exasperation. Certain parts of the book was very relatable and made for some interesting dialogue. In the book, A New Kind of Bliss, people entered relationships for many different reasons. The decision to stay in or leave a serious relationship was based on even more different reasons (i.e. do you like a person; is it love or a version of what you think love is; or is it for security reasons such as financial, emotional, physical, etc.) The book displayed many different variations of 'love' and what makes people happy by finding their own version of the perfect mate.

The only thing that BBD found a little distracting was the author used a writing style in which the thoughts/scenes changed without any notification/indicators (new chapter or headers). This caused the reader to have to reread the previous few sentences to make sure nothing was overlooked. Even so, it did not detract from the story. Also, as a courtesy, we wanted to point out that there was a misspelled word in Chapter 5 of the e-Book --'fot' should have been 'for'.

Lastly, the ending left us guessing who a certain gentleman could be that one of the character's met and thinking there could definitely be a sequel. We will certainly be reading other books by this author and hoping that Mrs. Bettye Griffin will be able to join our discussion even if it is still virtual. While nothing takes the place of meeting in person, we must do our part in keeping everyone safe, sort of like our 'new kind of bliss'.

[Bliss · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this title in fall but it's what I would consider a good "summer" read. Delves into nothing too seriously but I liked the characters, the characterizations and the little surprises.

Romance with a just enough comedy to keep it light.

[reneeNaDaCherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good and relatable story. I think Emily made the right decision in the end regarding her relationship with Aaron, the doctor. Some things you cannot overlook, especially if it's for a lifetime. The narrator did a good job too.

[Maggie Hayon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down. Easy, enjoyable read.

[Michelle Odland · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book I tried to like and did at some moments, but others just couldn’t find myself relating to the characters.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good but I can say it wasn't my favorite book. I wish that Emily and Aaron would have worked out but she did what she felt was best for her. So that is a good thing. Maybe her and the guy she met on the plane (Michael) will work out. :)

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a very good read. It had a surprising end that left me wanting a sequel.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was very frustrating to listen to because the main character goes around and around on one issue that she could have cleared up with one little conversation.

[Donna]

Not a good book. Stereotypical and underdeveloped characters, plot was boring.

[Monique]

It was a nice read. I loved how Emily made a tough decision regarding her relationship even though her family and friends felt she should make a different choice but they were ultimately supportive.

[Suzette Harrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

No the most loveable heroine

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book every woman can identify with from the family issues to the relationship issues. A must read

[Vacirca Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

[Annette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actually didn't/couldn't finish

[Stush · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good quick read, wish it ended on a better note.