Savannah Comes Undone

Savannah #2

by Denise Hildreth Jones

Fans of Savannah from Savannah will rejoice to see this hilarious heroine back in her second laugh-out-loud romantic adventure. Savannah, Georgia, is in an uproar when Savannah's drama queen mother chains herself to a town landmark and becomes the lead story on the six o'clock news. A mortified Savannah stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the spectacle—she’s got enough to do with a new job, moving into her own apartment, and making a last-ditch effort to win back an old flame. But a mysterious stranger, a curly-haired hottie, and visit from the president have Savannah turning in circles that may leave the whole town dizzy! Now a journalist for the Savannah Chronicle , Savannah just doesn’t need drama. Really, she can create her own. But in spite of the mind-boggling events in Savannah this week, the truth is going to be revealed by one of its very own. . .if she can deal with the homeless lady who keeps asking her for food, the beauty queen who may have killed her boyfriend, and the new female reporter who's caught the eye of every guy in town. Told in the wry voice of an adult child of a drama queen, Denise Hildreth’s second book in the Savannah series is packed with humor, love, and wisdom—with a southern accent.Will Savannah figure out that her mother isn’t totally crazy after all?

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Chick Lit, Southern, Contemporary, Romance

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Denise Jones is a southern girl who loves Jesus, SEC football, family, friends, good food and cold Coca-Colas. She is the mom of one shih-tzu, the bonus mom to five kiddo's and the husband of one Mr. Jones. She spends her time leading Reclaiming Hearts Ministries in her home of Franklin, TN. And every now and then she writes a few books.

You can email her at:
denise@reclaiminghearts.com

Reviews

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mini ‘Books For Christian Girls’ review. It is not a full content review and will not receive one. These mini-reviews are years old and just for clarity on the rating the book received on Goodreads.


10/4/2013-
“I definitely liked the first book better than this sequel. It was a fun read, but nothing really stands out to me about the plot.”


*Main Content-
One man yells "Jesus" in frustration.
A couple mentions of PMS; A mention of a sexy newscaster.

[Rachel Walton · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give this book 0 stars, I would. The plot went nowhere and the characters are boring and unlikable. Seemed as if around 100 pages focused on the main character eating, looking for food, or complaining that her mother wasn't making her food. Don't waste your time!

[Della Tingle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Denise Hildreth Jones’ writing so much! I am always at peace knowing there won’t be smut or foul language. This is the second Savannah novel. I did like the first one better, but this was still a fun read!

“Some moments in life aren’t even imaginable. Some you can only experience” (248).

[Margaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading the first book, Savannah From Savannah, I was anxious to follow Savannah's next adventure. This second book just didn't hold my interest as much. The plot of Savannah's mother, former beauty queen and passionate citizen of Savannah, seemed to drag on and the real issue of separation of church and state was just neatly disposed of in the implausible ending. While the books are about the growth of pampered Savannah into a self-sufficient and independent Savannah, I didn't see much growth in the main character in this book. At times she seemed spoiled and self-absorbed and for a young woman out to prove she is a writer, she sure didn't seem to take her probationary career very seriously. I do enjoy the characters who are well developed and stand on their own when it comes to quirkiness, love, honor, patience, and humor. And I still love Duke, the hilarious family dog. I will move on to the third in the series and hope that it will live up to the first one.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So happy to finally read this book after discovering the first one at my small-town library some years ago. I remember reading it during a road trip with my family, laughing aloud at the heroine and her zany wisecracks, until my mother finally asked what on earth was I reading that was so funny?! A few years ago I found out that there were two more books written as follow-up, and have been waiting to get my hands on them. Alas, none of the libraries where I have lived between now & then have had them. Neither have the used bookstores I've perused. Finally my current library has this one (it's the second one). It pales in comparison to the first but I still enjoyed reading it. I guess I'm going to have to buy all 3 so I can finally read the next one!

[Nadine Keels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughts on the entire series.

Savannah: my introduction into Chick Lit and some of the absolute funniest reading of my life.

Oh, sure, a few parts of the humor hinge on things one might roll her eyes at and say, “Right. Like that really would’ve happened,” but the fact that Hildreth wasn’t afraid to let loose and get a little ridiculous made me appreciate the series all the more. I mean, why always be confined inside the box of what’s “realistic”? Let your hair down, be a little silly, and laugh about life!

Note, though, that what I appreciate most about the books is that they aren’t just all silliness and giggles, as Hildreth gives her heroine some serious lessons to learn, all without bogging the story down with sermons detached from the plot. Excellent!

[Judy Templeton-sims · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Savannah books are one of my favorite. Of course the best one is the 1st book.

[Grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this second book hoping that Savannah and her story would move along. I guess 3 weeks is not enough time in book time, or even in real time. I was expecting too much.

The way the story concluded left me scratching my head. It was absurd. I did a google search to make sure what happened in the story didn't really happen because it involved real historical people. I didn't come up with anything so I think it was something created. What happened never could have happened, ever...unless it really did. If so I will edit this review. I mean a presidential limousine crashing into a monument of the Ten Commandments could have happened by accident? I don't think so.

Another issue I had with Savannah was that she shockingly tried to lure back her ex-boyfriend who was already engaged to be married to someone else! I like him, though. He was good and solid and said all the right things. But what was meant to be funny, her conversation with him with a busted lip, was so irritating. I won't be reading any more of this series...I think

[Nd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much ado about less than nothing. This should be in juvenile fiction, not adult fiction and is way too right-wing and religious to be of interest to me. Protagonist Savannah (from Savannah) hadn't long come home to Savannah as a college graduate to work as a writer for a local newspaper. Her twenty-four-year-old mentality is on about a ten-year-old level. Her character is inconsistent and ridiculous. In cahoots with a local judge, her stuffy, prissy, control freak mother, Victoria, president of the Savannah Chamber of Commerce, had chained herself to the carving of the Ten Commandments in front of the courthouse to keep it from being removed, and blah, blah, blah, blah.

[Rhys-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, I really, really love this series! I enjoyed the second book even more than the first. "Savannah Comes Undone" takes place over a week, when the entire city of Savannah is embroiled in controversy over a Ten Commandments monument. Naturally, Savannah's mom, Victoria Phillips, handcuffs herself too the monument to take a stand for her beliefs.
This book has a profusion of larger-than-life characters and addictive wit. It also contains a pretty large portion of Christian content for this type of book, something I greatly appreciated. I can't wait to read the third book in the series, but I'm not ready for it to be over.

[Rebecca Massey · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I thought the first book was a fun read with a good message, I struggled with this sequel. It didn’t have much of a plot and seemed to drag on. I found the main character of Savannah to be a little self-absorbed by caring about who would cook or clean for her. The last third of the book was better where Savannah had learned some valuable life lessons. Gonna try to read the 3rd and final book in this series and hope it keeps my attention as I really do like the later works by this author.

[Jeni Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was really hoping to like this book, but it was painful. It dragged on about a girl in her 20s that acted like she was a spoiled teenager and did nothing but despise her mom. I kept hoping the sorry would pick up, but once something seemed like it would get good... boom.. back to flat. The only good thing is that you don't need to read any other books in the series to know what's going on.

[Gail · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trying to get through this book was painful, I thought it would never end. I hate to stop reading a book and like to think it will get better once I turn to the next page. Unfortunately that didn’t happen until page 213. After that, it was quite enjoyable.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find Savannah to be a real and relatable character, which is why her unhinged behavior in this one was even more frustrating. I will say that this was the book that gave me a real fascination for Savannah, GA

[Kw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, but a bit too long.

[Susan Featheringill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story! Such fun to read.

[CS Zeigler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kept waiting for something to happen and nothing ever did! Easy read. Good night time reading. The cute phrases became predictable and a little tiring.

[Geneva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, funny series. Savannah does a lot of learning lessons in this book, but she does in the end. A story about family, friends, hometown, values, an even a little romance thrown in. There is a little something for everyone.

[Sarah Duran · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Savannah Comes Undone" by Denise Hildreth tells the story of 24 year old Savannah Phillips from Savannah, Georgia. This story is about the conflict between her and her mother, Victoria Phillips, who is advocating for something she believes in but something Savannah thinks is pointless and silly. Savannah is a human interest writer for the Savannah Chronicle. Her mother is currently the talk of the city, which is a great story for Savannah. Even with this great story at hand, Savannah's stubborn personality keeps her from associating herself with her mother.

This book was interesting at some points, but never completely captivated me. The story was well developed; however it was not intriguing to me. I liked that the author used Georgia dialect in her writing, it made the setting a lot clearer. I also liked that there was just the right amount of description, which also made the characters and the setting more real. I didn't like that there weren't very many exciting twists of the story, which are always so captivating for me. I also didn't like the ending, it was not very exciting and did not leave me with the feeling of satisfaction.

Overall, I thought this book was okay. It is good for a calm and interesting read.

[Yvonne O'Connor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Savannah Grace Phillips is 28. She is about to move into her new place as she starts her new job at the paper. Her mother is the former Miss GA, Victoria Phillips, and she has chained herself to the controversial Ten Commandments Monument in front of the courthouse. Now Savannah must deal with her mother's drama while trying to cover the story as part of her job. Meanwhile, she must also deal with her ex getting married, a news reporter hitting on her dad, an ACLU woman in town, and a seemingly homeless woman who has all of life's answers. In the end, she triumphs over all and grows closer to her mom.

This one takes the story of a Southern belle too far. Why we need a story about a missing grandmother to complicate the plot is beyond me. Also, there are just too many characters in the book. Savannah is overly dramatic and I lost interest in whether she would ever do anything "good" by the halfway point. Her brother adds nothing to the plot, and neither doe the old reporter and beauty queen murder sub-plot. I almost wished the city would burn.

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book, like many of the "southern" chick-lit novels I've read is just a lot of nothing happening. Seriously, there wasn't a whole lot going on. Savannah is 24, comes from big money and moves home to live with Mom & Dad. Mom takes care of everything, except she decides to chain herself to a monument of the 10 Commandments to "save it." Of course, this means poor Savannah has to fend for herself, since she can't cook. Which means lots of take out from The Lady & Sons or Daddy's coffee shop. And then President Bush (the Junior one) comes to town, his driver has a heart attack, takes out the monument, narrowly missing Savannah's mom. Oh, and during the book, Savannah is trying to read a biography of Ronald Regan. I know, just pure stupid tangents, but this is how the book reads. I guess it's part of a series, but I won't be reading the rest of it.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Savannah Comes Undone is the second book in a series written by Denise Hildreth, surrounding a few days in the life of a young woman who recently graduated from college and has returned to her hometown of Savannah to start the next phase of her life. While I really enjoyed the first book, it was a struggle to get through this one. In the frst book, the characters were likeable, the humor witty, and the plot believable. But this review isn't about the first book. It is about Savannah Comes Undone, which I found implausible. I also found the main character whiny and incredibly self-centered and immature. The attempts at humor fell flat for me. I was so disappointed. It almost felt like an attempt to rush a sequel into print to capitalize on the success of the first book. Sorry, but I can't recommend this one. Read the first book instead if you haven't all ready.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first one was cute, but this one left me cold -- the poor little girl who's biggest concern is that her mama can't cook her dinner or wash her clothes... ooh, and what will people think when they see her picture in the paper? Oh, and of course the ridiculous plan to win back her ex further showcases her complete inability to admit that the world does not revolve around HER.

I know that the last 1/3 of the book is supposed to be the warm change-of-heart "my how she's grown" warm fuzzy moment, but seriously, I wanted to slap the girl around and just couldn't bring myself to care about her "problems" any longer.

**On a side note, I've really enjoyed this author's later works, just not a fan of "Miss Savannah"

[Angie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was really silly, and not in a good way. The first 2/3 of the book felt like the author was just meeting a page quota. Thank you, Ms. Hildreth, we know without a doubt that the main character is addicted to Coke and that she feels alienated at work. You made that abundantly clear in the first book. How about developing the characters and enhancing their relationships a bit, eh? I doubt I'll be reading any more of this series.

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I figured out what I didn't like about this Christian approach - it is based in prosperity gospel. This is a huge turn-off for me, and I find it difficult to believe that the heroine would go through this much personal growth, yet tied to her parents' apron strings, in a scant two weeks, absent true tragedy. Shocking, two weeks of work, and she's ready for a vacation. Yep, because that's how the real world works.
*Rounded up from 2.5 stars.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just because I loved the first book so much - and wrote to Denise Hildreth to tell her so, I got to review the 2nd book before it was published! It really was special to get that privilege and I will never give up my copy of the manuscript or the book.

With that said, this is a continuation of the story of Savannah and her mother. Don't miss it!

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable book, but not as good as the first in the series. Quirky and fun characters. However, I think Savannah's character didn't have enough personal growth for a girl, who is trying to become a more independent, mature, and self-aware woman. She came off as a shallow and, at times, whiny person. A story full of life lessons and wise sayings.

[Nancy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sequel to "Savannah from Savannah", this book picks up at the exact moment that the first one ends. It is also good, as was the first one, although at times in the second one, I thought the narrative was sort of meandering here and there. That said, though, there are some very important truths to be learned from this story.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute, easy reading book...good one to read while on vacation! I love this book because it is all based in Savannah, GA. We love Savannah, such a beautiful city. My BFF, Beckee suggested this and yes I still have your book :-)

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least favorite book in the Savannah series. I got so mad at Savannah for being mad at her mother. Her mother had every reason to do what she did, and Savannah was just being like a teenager who is embarrassed no matter what her parents do.