Flip-Flopped: A Novel - Hardcover

Smolinski, Jill

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312285140 ISBN 13: 9780312285142

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books, 2002

Synopsis

Hawaii may be the island of romance according to the travel brochures, but for Keeley Baker-Kekuhi, lately it's been anything but. She's broke, stuck in a dead-end job studying an extinct volcano-and her husband, Kam, has just dumped her for a hula dancer. Even worse, he's now demanding custody of their four-year-old son. No wonder she's about to throw in the towel on love.

But things are looking up. Enter Ian Gardiner, an artist rep whose boyish good looks catch Keeley's eye. A true gentleman, he's sweet, thoughtful, romantic-and nothing like Kam, who just wants to surf and watch TV all day. Plus, Ian's crazy for Keeley. But is he just too good to be true? Kam was perfect for Keeley once, too. Does she have the heart, much less the energy, to try again?

Flip-Flopped is a quirky and charming story of Keeley's adventures as she faces single motherhood, a fierce custody battle, a divorce lawyer who can't seem to leave the Summer of Love long enough to focus on Keeley's case, her duties as maid of honor for her best friend's wedding-and a once dormant volcano that's suddenly about to blow.

With witty, laugh-out-loud detail, Jill Smolinski serves up smart, spot-on observations about love and relationships, and ultimately shows that life's eruptions can often lead to bigger and better things.

About this title

About the Author:

Jill Smolinski is a transplanted Midwesterner who currently lives in Southern California with her young son. This is her first novel.

From Booklist:

Keeley's life in beautiful Hawaii is a bit stressful--her husband, Kam, has moved out to live with a hula dancer, who wants to move to Fiji (along with Kam's and Keeley's son, Dante). At work, Keeley is stuck in the finance department, even though she was hired as a scientist to study Kohala, the island's long-extinct volcano. In the little time she fits in for Kohala, she notices activity. As the volcano heats up, so does Keeley's life; first there's the custody battle she's in with her husband; then there's her lawyer's iguana (which Keeley adopts in exchange for a reduced fee); and, finally, there's her simmering relationship with a British art agent, whose initial lure seems to be that he knows Davy Jones, Keeley's childhood idol. Some of the events in Keeley's frantic life seem quite contrived, but a willing suspension of disbelief makes it possible to appreciate Smolinski's honest and funny look at the loss of love and the process of grieving. A light and charming debut. Beth Warrell
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About this edition

• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0312285140
• ISBN 13: 9780312285142
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320