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Samantha Stone #1
The Trouble with St. John
"After all that work and sleuthing and investment in my great detective notebook, I had nothing. In fact, the only successful thing I’ve done since stepping foot on this island was successfully believe all the lies everyone told me. Oh, I’ve also successfully been attacked, successfully got hit by a door, and successfully eaten more Xanax than I’ve ever eaten before in my life. And in two days I’m supposed to just leave and pretend none of this ever happened. If I can even leave after being framed for murder."
When shy, medium-looking Samantha Stone winds up on the romantic tropical island of St. John after getting dumped at the altar, she’s faced with two options: (1) sit in her sweaty villa and cry over her un-marriage to her idiot ex-fiancé while watching Love Actually on repeat and mass-eating Oreos and Xanax, or (2) pursue a hot vacation sexcapade with the gorgeous travel god she meets at baggage claim. Really, what’s a girl to do?
But, after losing both her super spendy non-diamond engagement ring and her mysterious tropical island fling candidate in the same drunken night, Sam quickly learns that St. John isn’t quite what she bargained for. In fact, she'll be lucky if she can make it back home alive.
Join breakthrough author Katie Bloomstrom as she takes you on a journey into a picture perfect paradise filled with men, money, and mystery where nothing – and no one – is quite what it seems.
When shy, medium-looking Samantha Stone winds up on the romantic tropical island of St. John after getting dumped at the altar, she’s faced with two options: (1) sit in her sweaty villa and cry over her un-marriage to her idiot ex-fiancé while watching Love Actually on repeat and mass-eating Oreos and Xanax, or (2) pursue a hot vacation sexcapade with the gorgeous travel god she meets at baggage claim. Really, what’s a girl to do?
But, after losing both her super spendy non-diamond engagement ring and her mysterious tropical island fling candidate in the same drunken night, Sam quickly learns that St. John isn’t quite what she bargained for. In fact, she'll be lucky if she can make it back home alive.
Join breakthrough author Katie Bloomstrom as she takes you on a journey into a picture perfect paradise filled with men, money, and mystery where nothing – and no one – is quite what it seems.
221 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 11, 2015
30 people are currently reading
475 people want to read
About the author
Katie Bloomstrom
4 books31 followersKatie Bloomstrom is the Amazon bestselling comedic author of the Samantha Stone mystery series. Her books are sold in 13 countries, where she is known for her wacky, candid characters and her twist-filled, laugh-out-loud story lines.
Her novels, in order, are: THE TROUBLE WITH ST. JOHN, WHAT HAPPENED IN VEGAS, AND ROME UN-HOLIDAY.
Her novels, in order, are: THE TROUBLE WITH ST. JOHN, WHAT HAPPENED IN VEGAS, AND ROME UN-HOLIDAY.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 4, 2015
Review originally posted on my blog www.livinglifewithjoy.com
The Trouble With St. John is the first book in the Samantha Stone mystery series. I would classify this story as a seriously hilarious, chick-lit mystery novel. We’ve got a petite, small-town girl that has a penchant for mixing Xanax and wine on our hands. She swears like a sailor and uses entertaining slang like ‘spendy’ to describe expensive things. After finding herself in one-too-many strange situations, Samantha begins to start thinking like 007. Will she be able to figure out what’s going on before it’s too late?
The novel is written in first person narrative through the voice of her online blog diary. It’s got a bit of a Bridget Jones’s Diary feel to the blog entry introductions, or you could even compare it to a grown-up version of The Princess Diaries in terms of the format, but this novel was much funnier than either of the two! I found myself laughing out loud and shaking my head at the ridiculous things that Samantha was doing and thinking throughout the story.
This novel was filled with drama, chaos, scandalous secrets and left me wanting more. Throw in a good dose of sexy encounters with gorgeous and mysterious men, and a healthy gulp of wine, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for love and laughter. Despite all of the mysterious situations, this novel left me wanting to go on my own tropical vacation!
Memorable Moments:
In reality, I’m twenty-eight. I hate being called Sammy, I don’t have pigtails, and I don’t like to color. Not anymore, at least. Okay, maybe I do still color sometimes. With my niece. Whatever.
No matter how the story starts, it’s always the same: I am a loser with a horrible, losery life and negative thought process. My only real friend is my iPad, with which I write this loser blog diary that no one reads or even knows about. Am thinking seriously about giving up, buying a hypoallergenic cat, and becoming the token Elkton spinster.
My Rating: 5/5 Stars [Please note, I received an ARC for review. If this was the final edited copy, I would have given it a 4 due to multiple grammatical errors that I found left and right. However, I’m hoping that all errors were found and fixed prior to the final edited copy being published.]
The Trouble With St. John is the first book in the Samantha Stone mystery series. I would classify this story as a seriously hilarious, chick-lit mystery novel. We’ve got a petite, small-town girl that has a penchant for mixing Xanax and wine on our hands. She swears like a sailor and uses entertaining slang like ‘spendy’ to describe expensive things. After finding herself in one-too-many strange situations, Samantha begins to start thinking like 007. Will she be able to figure out what’s going on before it’s too late?
The novel is written in first person narrative through the voice of her online blog diary. It’s got a bit of a Bridget Jones’s Diary feel to the blog entry introductions, or you could even compare it to a grown-up version of The Princess Diaries in terms of the format, but this novel was much funnier than either of the two! I found myself laughing out loud and shaking my head at the ridiculous things that Samantha was doing and thinking throughout the story.
This novel was filled with drama, chaos, scandalous secrets and left me wanting more. Throw in a good dose of sexy encounters with gorgeous and mysterious men, and a healthy gulp of wine, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for love and laughter. Despite all of the mysterious situations, this novel left me wanting to go on my own tropical vacation!
Memorable Moments:
In reality, I’m twenty-eight. I hate being called Sammy, I don’t have pigtails, and I don’t like to color. Not anymore, at least. Okay, maybe I do still color sometimes. With my niece. Whatever.
No matter how the story starts, it’s always the same: I am a loser with a horrible, losery life and negative thought process. My only real friend is my iPad, with which I write this loser blog diary that no one reads or even knows about. Am thinking seriously about giving up, buying a hypoallergenic cat, and becoming the token Elkton spinster.
My Rating: 5/5 Stars [Please note, I received an ARC for review. If this was the final edited copy, I would have given it a 4 due to multiple grammatical errors that I found left and right. However, I’m hoping that all errors were found and fixed prior to the final edited copy being published.]
March 24, 2015
The Trouble With St. John: A Samantha Stone Novel by Katie Bloomstrom follows Samantha Stone and her blog diary as she goes on what would have been her honeymoon by herself after being dumped at the alter on her wedding day. She almost immediately meets the super hot and mysterious Shane, who she kind of wants to have a fling with. Just when things are looking up, she loses her engagement ring, and things take a turn for the worse after that. And she thought her fiancé leaving her on their wedding day was bad. Now, her life is in danger, and she has no idea why.
I have not laughed this hard while reading a book in a long time. Unable to contain my laughter, I was getting some strange looks from the people in my household. Samantha Stone is this average, quirky woman in her late twenties who may or may not be dependent on Xanax, and I absolutely love her. Not only is she oddly relatable, but she is also extremely entertaining, and I had a hard time putting the book down because I had to see what kind of trouble she would get into next. Plus, her inner monologue that she is making very public in a blog is hilarious. I instantly wanted to be her best friend while literally reading the first page. This book had the laugh-out-loud humor and lighthearted romance that are typical for the chick lit genre, but the thing that made it stand out was the mystery and unpredictable plot. I was trying to figure things out throughout the book, and every time I thought I had it down, something happened to make my jaw drop. In other words, The Trouble With St. John is an absolute must-read and will leave you laughing uncontrollably, smiling from ear to ear, amazed at the twists and turns, and anxious for the next book. Katie Bloomstrom, I am beyond ecstatic that I discovered you and this wonderful book. I cannot wait to read more about Samantha Stone and her crazy adventures.
Reviewed by ME for Readers' Favorite
I have not laughed this hard while reading a book in a long time. Unable to contain my laughter, I was getting some strange looks from the people in my household. Samantha Stone is this average, quirky woman in her late twenties who may or may not be dependent on Xanax, and I absolutely love her. Not only is she oddly relatable, but she is also extremely entertaining, and I had a hard time putting the book down because I had to see what kind of trouble she would get into next. Plus, her inner monologue that she is making very public in a blog is hilarious. I instantly wanted to be her best friend while literally reading the first page. This book had the laugh-out-loud humor and lighthearted romance that are typical for the chick lit genre, but the thing that made it stand out was the mystery and unpredictable plot. I was trying to figure things out throughout the book, and every time I thought I had it down, something happened to make my jaw drop. In other words, The Trouble With St. John is an absolute must-read and will leave you laughing uncontrollably, smiling from ear to ear, amazed at the twists and turns, and anxious for the next book. Katie Bloomstrom, I am beyond ecstatic that I discovered you and this wonderful book. I cannot wait to read more about Samantha Stone and her crazy adventures.
Reviewed by ME for Readers' Favorite
May 13, 2018
Unhoneymoon sleuthing
An okay read. Bit disjointed and sometimes you just wanted to take the heroine and shake some sense into her. Dumped on her wedding day, going on her honeymoon solo, an ugly engagement ring, dead bodies, FBI and a running blog that takes you through the plot. What happened to her "fiance" and why does her ring have a strange effect on people? The heroine got on my nerves a bit and although the plot was a good one I won't be reading any more.
An okay read. Bit disjointed and sometimes you just wanted to take the heroine and shake some sense into her. Dumped on her wedding day, going on her honeymoon solo, an ugly engagement ring, dead bodies, FBI and a running blog that takes you through the plot. What happened to her "fiance" and why does her ring have a strange effect on people? The heroine got on my nerves a bit and although the plot was a good one I won't be reading any more.
October 9, 2017
I had a hard time getting into the book at first. It was written in a different style that I am not accustom to. She referred to it as a blog diary. The book is about Samantha Sonte from Elkton MN. She is stood up at the alter by her fiance Colin. She decideds to still go on her honeymoon (or as she calls it her un-honeymoon) to St. Johns. In a diary format, she goes through all her trials and tribulations while there. After getting used to the format of the book, it started to get interesting and I ended up really liking this book. I always read my books from beginning to the end. Some things start out really slow but may pick up and suprise you in the end. That's what this book did for me.
June 13, 2025
“The Trouble with St. John”, first in the 'Samantha Stone' series, successfully manages to bury a fairly decent plot under a mess of musings, Xanax and booze, and blogging.
Sam Stone was stood up on her wedding day. All that's left are memories, a nice engagement ring, and the prepaid (un)honeymoon in St. John.
It doesn't take long for Sam to lose the ring after a night of heavy drinking – when she awakens she has no idea of what happened to it.
Shortly afterwards it becomes clear that the ring is special in some way and people will go to extreme lengths to get their hands on it.
After running out of cash Sam is forced to rely on the kindness of strangers.
Are they friends, or crooks playing the long game?
The writing isn't great and Sam is annoying most of the time.
2 Stars.
Sam Stone was stood up on her wedding day. All that's left are memories, a nice engagement ring, and the prepaid (un)honeymoon in St. John.
It doesn't take long for Sam to lose the ring after a night of heavy drinking – when she awakens she has no idea of what happened to it.
Shortly afterwards it becomes clear that the ring is special in some way and people will go to extreme lengths to get their hands on it.
After running out of cash Sam is forced to rely on the kindness of strangers.
Are they friends, or crooks playing the long game?
The writing isn't great and Sam is annoying most of the time.
2 Stars.
March 11, 2018
Weird and Witty!
This book is written like a blog and was so unusual that I had to keep reading. Then I couldn't put it down because it was so flipping hilarious. Can't wait to read the next one!
Great story, great characters and so funny you will laugh your face off!
This book is written like a blog and was so unusual that I had to keep reading. Then I couldn't put it down because it was so flipping hilarious. Can't wait to read the next one!
Great story, great characters and so funny you will laugh your face off!
October 3, 2017
Sam Stone Mystery
This was quite a different story, I found it very entertaining. The characters and plot was so funny. I recommend reading this book.
This was quite a different story, I found it very entertaining. The characters and plot was so funny. I recommend reading this book.
October 9, 2017
Fun read
I liked the way the story was told as a blog. Fast paced and fun. Will look for next in series.
I liked the way the story was told as a blog. Fast paced and fun. Will look for next in series.
June 8, 2015
What's a girl to do when she gets jilted at the altar? Go on her un-honeymoon to the tropical island of St. John and lick her wounds of course!
The Trouble With St. John is an entertaining chick lit mystery that follows the crazy journey of Samantha Stone as she tries to pick up the pieces of her life after being jilted at the altar.
Set in the romantic tropical island of St. John, Samantha's hilarious story is told in the first person narrative via daily blog journal entries on her iPad. This shy, wine loving, Xanax taking, Oreo binge eating, un-bride turns into a amateur sleuth when she investigates the case of her missing diamond engagement ring. With a lot of drama, humor, crazy trials and tribulations, and unexpected twists and turns, Samantha soon finds out that this romantic tropical island has a bit of trouble and danger brewing that could get her caught in the middle!
Author Katie Bloomstrom weaves an enjoyable chick lit mystery that is fun and fast paced, it easily draws the reader into Samantha's story with clever blog entries, drama, romance, and crazy antics that Samantha encounters on her amateur sleuth island adventure. There is a nice balance between the humorous blog entries, Samantha's amateur sleuthing, and the unexpected twists and turns that will keep the reader turning the pages and wanting more. I can't wait to see what Samantha's next adventure will be!
The Trouble With St. John is the first book in the Samantha Stone Mystery Series.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Pus Blog Tours.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot...
The Trouble With St. John is an entertaining chick lit mystery that follows the crazy journey of Samantha Stone as she tries to pick up the pieces of her life after being jilted at the altar.
Set in the romantic tropical island of St. John, Samantha's hilarious story is told in the first person narrative via daily blog journal entries on her iPad. This shy, wine loving, Xanax taking, Oreo binge eating, un-bride turns into a amateur sleuth when she investigates the case of her missing diamond engagement ring. With a lot of drama, humor, crazy trials and tribulations, and unexpected twists and turns, Samantha soon finds out that this romantic tropical island has a bit of trouble and danger brewing that could get her caught in the middle!
Author Katie Bloomstrom weaves an enjoyable chick lit mystery that is fun and fast paced, it easily draws the reader into Samantha's story with clever blog entries, drama, romance, and crazy antics that Samantha encounters on her amateur sleuth island adventure. There is a nice balance between the humorous blog entries, Samantha's amateur sleuthing, and the unexpected twists and turns that will keep the reader turning the pages and wanting more. I can't wait to see what Samantha's next adventure will be!
The Trouble With St. John is the first book in the Samantha Stone Mystery Series.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Pus Blog Tours.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot...
September 18, 2016
Fun, light, easy read.
February 21, 2015
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book! The main character's "voice" and writing style was engaging. She was hilarious with her feelings and opinions. She wrote as if she were talking to a BFF.
Samantha's fiancé has dumped her and disappeared, so she decides to go on her Honeymoon to St. John alone. While there, she loses her engagement ring... Or was it stolen? She meets a lot of interesting, suspicious characters, including a couple hotties. She decides to start sleuthing on her own to figure out what the heck is going on.
It was kind of fun to watch Samantha's process since she isn't actually an experienced detective. The comments on the blog added a fun feel, especially near the end. Super creative format. I loved how Samantha wanted to be a super-cool spy, but was really inexperienced and kept getting lost. It was like how I would probably be if I stumbled upon a real crime!
The characters were all really fun and confusing. I didn't know who Samantha should trust either! As for the mystery, it all came together and made sense. It did get really confusing in the middle and wasn't easy to figure out.
I would definitely recommend this book to fans of chick lit! It was an enjoyable, engaging story with a hilarious main character. Her "voice" is really what made the story! I would love to read the next one in the series.
Samantha's fiancé has dumped her and disappeared, so she decides to go on her Honeymoon to St. John alone. While there, she loses her engagement ring... Or was it stolen? She meets a lot of interesting, suspicious characters, including a couple hotties. She decides to start sleuthing on her own to figure out what the heck is going on.
It was kind of fun to watch Samantha's process since she isn't actually an experienced detective. The comments on the blog added a fun feel, especially near the end. Super creative format. I loved how Samantha wanted to be a super-cool spy, but was really inexperienced and kept getting lost. It was like how I would probably be if I stumbled upon a real crime!
The characters were all really fun and confusing. I didn't know who Samantha should trust either! As for the mystery, it all came together and made sense. It did get really confusing in the middle and wasn't easy to figure out.
I would definitely recommend this book to fans of chick lit! It was an enjoyable, engaging story with a hilarious main character. Her "voice" is really what made the story! I would love to read the next one in the series.
April 21, 2015
Independent reviewer for Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock. The Trouble with St. John by Katie Bloomstrom tells the story of Samantha Stone or should I say Sam tells her story by writing it on a her iPad diary. Samantha is dumped by her fiancé on her wedding day and decide to go on an unhoneymoon to St. John were she drowns herself in pills and alcohol to forget her misery. Sam tells her story as if she is talking to her bff and all the things that happen to her while on the island. She meets the super hot and mysterious Shane and wants to have a fling with him; she looses her engagement ring or was it stolen??? I really enjoyed getting too ow her and see her turn into a detective when trying to find out what's going on with her.
This Is a really funny book and really enjoy reading it.
I give this book 4 fangs!!!!!!
This Is a really funny book and really enjoy reading it.
I give this book 4 fangs!!!!!!
February 4, 2015
I loved this book! It was fast paced and fun. I immediately became attached to the main character, Samantha, because I'm from the Midwest, too, and can totally relate to being trapped in a small town. I really liked the way Ms. Bloomstrom wrote in first person, and the entire book was made up of blog/diary entries. There was a surprising twist and turn around every corner, and it certainly made me want to travel to St. John, even though, from the sounds of it, it is quite dangerous. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!
March 3, 2015
I received a review copy
A book with mystery, set on the beautiful island of St. John, and our main character is named Samantha. Sounds like the perfect book for me :) This was a quick and humorous read, filled with plot twists and honestly kept me guessing until the very end. Bloomstrom did a terrific job with building scenes with suspense, and also on bring the characters to life. I felt like I was friends with Samantha, and we connected on the Midwest bond, too! Sometimes she could seem like a total air head, but hey, that’s all right! Her journey made for a fun read!
May 27, 2015
~~I received this in exchange for my honest opinion~
This book is awesome! It is like you are reading day by day the adventures of Samantha. Everything that happens while she is on her Un-honeymoon. Yes you read that correctly. This book is an easy read, with twists and turns in there. You think you have everything figured out, but you don't. I want to say so much more, but that will give away good parts of the book. You need to check this book out!! This is a great summer read!!
This book is awesome! It is like you are reading day by day the adventures of Samantha. Everything that happens while she is on her Un-honeymoon. Yes you read that correctly. This book is an easy read, with twists and turns in there. You think you have everything figured out, but you don't. I want to say so much more, but that will give away good parts of the book. You need to check this book out!! This is a great summer read!!
January 7, 2016
Full review here (spoilers):
https://fangirlalways.wordpress.com/2...
Snippet: It reminds me a lot of Stephanie Plum mixed in with a bit of Shopaholic for the weird things that keep happening to the main character. I would give it a 3.5/4. As always, spoilers in the full review behind the cut!
https://fangirlalways.wordpress.com/2...
Snippet: It reminds me a lot of Stephanie Plum mixed in with a bit of Shopaholic for the weird things that keep happening to the main character. I would give it a 3.5/4. As always, spoilers in the full review behind the cut!
January 11, 2017
My friend told me about about this series after it was selected for Falen from KDWB radio's book club. It is hilarious! Literally made me laugh out loud. I can see how the blog format isn't for everyone, and the main character Sam can be a total ditz, but at least it's not like all the other books out there. It kinda reminds me of the Stephanie Plum series with a better plot.
January 13, 2016
Whenever our main character is confronted with an uncomfortable, boring or frightening situation, her go-to is to take a half (or whole) Xanax just to get through it. I could likely have consumed an entire bottle & it would still not have made this story readable.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews