Brett Sills

Brandon is a thirty-year-old guy who goes through the motions through life. His fiancée, Clarissa, is a complete nag, and his job at an African-American broadcast station where he is the only white employee is as rewarding as a wet rag. So when Brandon gets an out-of-the-blue phone call from his Powerball-winning father, who barely calls twice a year, asking him to accompany him to Sweden, Brandon is looking for a way to escape.Okay, I have to get a couple of things out of the way: one, I’m not really sure I liked the narrator, Brandon. Some of his comments were offensive, and stated in an offhanded manner that did not quite make it to funny. Also, the fact that he saw nothing wrong with cheating on his fiancée while on an unannounced vacation with some Swedish woman he just met and subsequently fell in love with (?) gave me severe pause. I get that you’re frustrated with your life and your fiancée, Brandon. But I still don’t like that he cheated in every sense of the word on Clarissa, no matter how annoying she was. Two, I wasn’t quite convinced with Brandon’s Swedish love interest, Saga. He meets her by chance and then ends up falling head over heels for her… but even he admits several times throughout the book that he has no idea who she is. I guess you’ve got to believe in love at first sight in order for that relationship to seem realistic, and in order to overlook the complete lack of chemistry between these two. Plus, Saga was pretty one-dimensional in my opinion. Sure, she is really pretty and she and Brandon end up having great sex or whatever but there was zero character development, something that wasn’t resolved by book’s end.While My Sweet Saga isn’t half as clever as it thinks it is, it certainly has its moments of hilarity and heartfelt sincerity, which makes for a fun read. One of the last chapters, in fact, made me burst out laughing at the visual picture it created (“On a side note, if ever looking for a way to beat the cold, try running for your life, buck ass naked, while being chased by a psychotically angry man four times your size. It’s like emotional flannel. You won’t feel a thing.” – Gold!). Everything from the toilet humor to the various, sometimes obscure pop culture references (Brandon tells his fiancée he had a “roommate” named Anton Chekov—I see what you did there, Mr. Sills) was on point, and even gave me a chuckle or two. Overall, Mr. Sills is no Tucker Max, but I appreciated the effort. If you’re looking for a quick, lighthearted read, this one’s for you.… (más)

My recent experiences with authors and publishers sending me books to review have been somewhat underwhelming so I was a bit wary about reading My Sweet Saga. I shouldn't have worried. This is a well-written story about a guy who's so used to going with the flow that he can't even find the strength to end a relationship that makes him miserable and how his life changes when he meets a woman who is so unlike his fiance that she upsets his routine and shows him that a different life is possible. It's funny and although the start is slow it picks up pace and flows nicely all the way through. I could really see what kind of people all the characters were and Brandon and Saga's character development and relationship arc was interesting to watch. Saga's original secretiveness and general "take it or leave it" demeanor seems mysteriously odd at first but as the novel progresses it begins to make sense. With Brandon it was a bit trickier - his inactivity in the face of an undoubtedly miserable future and the choices he makes when he actually does act are maddening (the guy did everything exactly the wrong way) but at the same time his weakness makes him sympathetic and I was glad when he actually did what he knew was right all along. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot and had fun with the characters when they were having a good time and commiserated with them when things weren't working quite working out. The writing was light and easy and reminded me a little of Matthew Norman's so if Domestic Violets appealed to you this book may as well.
The only but serious drawback was the constant and very graphic referenced and descriptions of sexual encounters, body parts and bodily functions that are better left to the privacy of a bedroom or behind the closed doors of a restroom. Once or twice would've been fine but what I saw here was excessive and more often than not did nothing to move the plot forward.
All in all this is a good debut novel and I look forward to seeing what Mr. Sills does with his next book.… (más)

Description:
Brandon is a run-of-the-mill 30 year old, but with no zest for life, he feels like his is just going through the motions. He works a dead-end job, is unsure about his upcoming nuptials, feels hated and judged by his future in-laws, and his racist butt-hole of a father just reappeared in his life. So it's no great shock that he can't manage to focus on anything in-particular; that is, until his lotto-winning father insists that Brandon accompany him to Stockholm, Sweden to meet a man that could change their lives. It is here that Brandon meets Saga. A beautiful Swedish woman that shows him not only how to live, but how to love. Unfortunately, this new-found love of life leads him to impersonate a NASA employee, become a national hero, get arrested, break indecent exposure laws, and have two fiances.

Review:
This book was a total over-the-top surprise! Brett Sills' writing style, dialogue, and characters are brilliant. Never have I laughed so much at some of the most ridiculously funny and crude material that I've ever read. The characters are well-developed and strangely relatable, and the discussions they have are full of wit and blunt-edged sarcasm. It was fun to read a book completely in a male's point of view, especially since most romance/comedy reads focus on the women. My Sweet Saga is completely unique with a plot full of unforeseen twists. It is refreshing to read a book about how messed up and wonderfully unexpected life can be. I highly recommend this to adults who want to read something different and laugh out loud doing it! I will be anxiously waiting for Brett Sills' next novel!

Rating: On the Run (4.5/5)

*** I received this eBook from Admiral J Press in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.… (más)