Take Her Man

by Grace Octavia

New York City "It Girl" Troy Smith thought she'd have her ring by spring. But there's been a change in plans . . . Troy is a beautiful, successful black woman who's convinced her delicious boyfriend, Dr. Julian James, is the man of her dreams-until he says he wants a break. Brokenhearted, confused, and stuck in bed listening to Mary J. Blige, Troy knows there's only one thing to get her girls to throw her an official 3T Break Up Party! Established during their college days at Hampton University, the break up party was how Troy, Tamia, and Tasha- "The 3Ts" -survived the drama of relationship bust-ups by stepping out in their most scandalous dresses and dancing 'til their feet hurt. Now it's Troy's turn. There's just one Julian's stepping out too . . . with a new sister on his arm. Troy knows that should be the final straw, but she still can't believe that Mr. Right is really Mr. All Wrong. So it's time to get down and dirty and put the wicked 3T Take-Her- Man plan into action. And no matter how long it takes, she is going to win back her man. What follows is an adventurous, New York City roller coaster ride that even the 3 T's could not have predicted. A devilishly entertaining novel, Take Her Man also includes real-life rules, regulations, and recipes for becoming a real life "It Girl" . . .

Genres: Romance

316 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

About the author

Grace Octavia is a native of Westbury, New York. Her writing has appeared in Sisterfriends by Michele Agins and Julia Chance and Rolling Out magazine, where she was Editor-in-Chief. She is currently working on her Ph.D. at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Reviews

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book.

[Ruth Whyte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read of Grace Octavia. Her books always deliver a good story

[Revae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had my reservations about this book. Take Her Man is a plan concocted by the 3T's (three women who became best friends in college) to help Troy steal her doctor boyfriend back from the hospital intern that stole him from her. The book was funny and it kept me interested. I was annoyed in the beginnning because of how childish this plan was; however, the characters matured by the end of the book. While I had issues with the Take Her Man plan, the way Grace Octavia pulled it together was good. There was a lot going on with each of the characters. Grace Octavia attempted to squeeze too much into the book, so some of the drama could not be flushed out very well. The drama with Grandma Lucy and Troy's mother, Mary Elizabeth. The issues of the black bourgeousie didn't blend well with the story either. It would have worked, but it should have been written in better. Take Her Man was not the worst book I've read so far, but it's not high on my recommended books. I don't know if I will read Playing Hard to Get to find out what more happens with the 3Ts.

[Angelia · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading the "rave" reviews from others about this book...I picked this up and I have had it for quite some time because after reading Ms. Octavia's book His First Wife, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this one and needless to say that I DID NOT like this book at all. I found the whole "TAKE HER MAN" Plan stupid and frankly quite childish.... The fact that Troy who described herself as a "Fine, Black, Intelligent Woman" played herself in such a desperate way. The fact that Julian dumped her in the first place should have gave her a clue that he wasn't the one...I couldn't even finish this one and I know I will NOT try this author again.....

[Jenna Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

To keep this review short and sweet, since the other reviews tell you the basics of the storyline anyhow, I'll just quickly share my opinion. 1. I enjoyed the writing style of Grace Octavia in this book. I felt as though the dialouge used in the story was written as though it could have been an actual conversation or script. It had a raw and real feeling. 2. The plan was ridiculous. Honestly. 3. Troy was portrayed all wrong. The author wanted Troy to be intellectual but instead made her desperate and juvenile.
It took me a while to commit to reading this story and I may, and that's a doubtful "may", read another story from Grace Octavia before I completely decide to write her off.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is sort of..well..boring, and I was very disappointed as the last book I read by Grace Octavia was amazing. The narrator lives a very privileged life and comes across as a bit of a spoiled brat. She goes off on tangents that constantly left me thinking "Um, who cares?" And the little self help excerpts are pretty redundant. On a good note, it has an alright message.

[Chivon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon first glance this may seem like a book about a petty, needy girl who's man breaks it off with her. As you keep reading it has so much more intertwined in it. It has lots of laughs and ultimately a good message. I really liked this book.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Main character seemed to silly. Stopped after 1st chapter.

[Dionna Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a struggle which is surprising because the author's last 2 books were great. I don't know exactly what went wrong here but it wasn't as easy as the other 2 had been.

[Desire'e Greene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best but it still have a good ending.

[Lottie]

Not a good story, language was different for me. I did finish book because overall it was a nice story, nothing outstanding.

[Kellee]

I couldn't get past page 13. I was annoyed.