Review
"Fresh and smart" (
Booklist )
"Zepeda (
Houston, We Have a Problema) gives readers a funny and smart heroine that readers will easily pull for." (
Publishers Weekly )
"Zepeda is a master wordsmith." (
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, New York Times bestselling author of The Dirty Girls Social Club )
"Zepeda... presents a debut about the everyday struggle to find one's way but adds unusual and alluring touches, namely the vibrant Houston setting and the novel's emphasis on Tex-Mex culture, art, and folklore." (
Booklist )
"Jessica's evolution from self-uncertainty to self-empowerment is amusingly charted, and Zepeda's take on the popular fascination with good luck charms, horoscopes, psychics and unreliable predictions is laced with rueful zeal." (
Publishers Weekly on Houston We Have A Problema )
"Reading Gwen's book was like going to a family BBQ-full of drama, juicy gossip, and lots of laughs." (
Mary Castillo, 2006 on Houston We Have A Problema )
Product Description
PARADISE LOST
If she can find the time, Sandy Saavedra will stop to breathe. New management has turned work upside down and her father's upcoming marriage-something he forgot to mention to Sandy-means there's no peace at home, either. But it's okay. No matter what's thrown her way, Sandy can deal. Because Sandy has a secret, and his name is Tío Jaime.
A short drive out of Austin delivers Sandy into the wide-open spaces of the Hill Country, to the front porch of grandfatherly hermit Tío Jaime. There, in the company of pepper plants, a shaggy dog, and fresh squeezed lemonade, the old man imparts down-to-earth advice. Overbearing boss? Work smarter; she'll leave you alone. Disrespectful boyfriend? Pack your bags; a real woman tolerates only a real man. His simple perspective reminds Sandy she can make her own choices-something she's been forgetting lately.
Feeling inspired, Sandy posts their chats online. But as she introduces the world to her personal Eden, her own life heads straight to hell . . .
