This RITA® Reader Challenge 2013 review was written by Caryl. This story was nominated for the RITA® in the Best First Book category.

The summary:     

Sadie Turner can organize just about anything — except her own life. When her cheating spouse topples Sadie’s impeccably tidy world, she packs up her kids for a summer vacation at her aunt’s lake house, hoping to relax, reboot, and formulate a new plan — one that does not include men.

Any men.

But eccentric Aunt Dody has other plans; she’s determined to see Sadie have a little fun—with Desmond, the sexy new neighbor. Tall, tanned, muscular—and even great with her kids, Desmond is Sadie’s worst nightmare. He must have a flaw—he’s a man, after all—so Sadie vows to keep her distance. But as summer blazes on, their attraction ignites, and the life Sadie is trying so hard to simplify only gets more complicated. But maybe a little chaos is just what she needs to get her future, and her dreams of love, back in order.

And here is Caryl's review:

I must admit, when I first considered reading Tracy Brogan’s Crazy Little Thing, I was afraid of getting into a clichéd disaster. The back cover said it all: debut novel, slobbering dogs, flamboyant decorator, eccentric aunt, sexy neighbor who’s tall, tanned, muscular and great with kids. I mean, come on… how many more overdone tropes can we cram into this book?

Oh. My. God. I can’t believe I was SO wrong!

Tracy Brogan is the goddess of wordplay. I was laughing out loud from the very first lines —

MY HUSBAND HAD A TALENT for putting the dick in unpredictable, so I wasn’t entirely surprised to catch him at an office party with his hand up the skirt of a giggly, jiggly redhead. Or that he had mistletoe dangling from his belt buckle. Even though it wasn’t Christmas…

— and I didn’t stop giggling until the very end. Ms. Brogan is a master of vivid (often hilarious) imagery and witty banter, and her characters have just the right touch of humanity to keep them from becoming caricatures.

Reading heroine Sadie Turner’s first-person point of view took me deep into her insecurities and had me cheering when she was able to push them aside to go after what (and who) she wanted. And hero Des, “the Bionic Man with the Sensitivity Chip Upgrade,” really is just a man with feelings and flaws, which made him even more desirable, in my opinion.

Flaming Cousin Fontaine and doddering Aunt Dody almost steal the show with their constant barrage of painful puns and outrageous remarks, while Sadie’s kids, in all their adorable innocence, give them a run for their money. But the characters also deal with a plethora of agonizing issues — divorce, homophobia, mortality — in a heart-felt manner. Dodie’s sometimes scrambled but spot-on wisdom pierces through all of the craziness to offer Sadie (and readers) a foundation for building a solid life rich in the love and laughter of family and true friends.

I re-read Crazy Little Thing so I could write this review with it fresh on my mind and found it even better the second time around. If you don’t have time to read all of the RITA nominees, be sure to put this one at the top of your list so you don’t miss it.

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