Good Things

by Mia King

A charming debut novel about a lifestyle maven who learns that living simply isn't simple.

Deidre McIntosh became famous teaching women to live simply, and simply live -ironic for a woman who thrives on the chaos of a television career, and shares a home with her best friend, the one man she can count on-who happens to be gay.

But when her Seattle cooking-and-lifestyle show gets bumped off the air, and her best guy moves in with his boyfriend, she's left trying to figure out the next segment. Seizing on a chance encounter with an attractive stranger, Deidre accepts his offer to use his country home. She hopes to get away for a while and learn to practice what she preaches. To appreciate life without voice mail. To gain the courage to start again, and take the first slow, cautious steps toward a new kind of success-and maybe even love.

It seems like a simple task. But it may be the hardest thing she's ever done...

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Womens Fiction, Relationships, Adult

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Mia King is a national bestselling author of women’s fiction. She is the author of three novels, GOOD THINGS (Berkley Books, 2007), SWEET LIFE (Berkley Books, 2008), and TABLE MANNERS (Berkley Books, 2009). Her fourth novel, FRIENDSHIP BREAD, will be published in 2011 by Ballantine Books under the name, Darien Gee. You can find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authormiaking or on her website at www.miaking.com.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, light read. The protagonist, Dierdre, is a 40-year-old host of a local television program in Seattle. When her show is canceled and her roommate moves out with his boyfriend, Dierdre finds herself without a job and a home. Through a chance meeting, she's offered a place to stay in a tiny town on the eastern border of Washington and, as a result, finds her way back to success.

This book was sweet, though the protagonist was annoying. Seriously, she's 40 years old but she spends all her money on clothes, her car, eating out, etc. I wanted to shout at her to grow up! What's more, her romance moves very, very quickly, unbelievably so. And really, who offers a home to someone they've met exactly twice?

The writing was decent, and there are recipes in the back of the book - a nice touch, since Dierdre hosted a lifestyle show - but in all I wouldn't recommend it as anything other than something to pass the time.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a wonderful and easy read! The characters were fun and interesting, detail a plenty, and to top it all off the yummy recipes made by the main character are included in the back of the book!(which I cant wait to try). I was sad to finish it and will be looking out for Mia King's newest addition. I would love if she continued with a sequel to this novel developing more on Deidres future show and growing relationship.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so much fun. I loved it. It was a very easy read that kept my attention from the beginning.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a quick book. I'll spare the full review, as I feel the description here on goodreads pretty much sums it all up. Enjoy!

[Gaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis:
At 40, single and the host of Live Simple and Seattle's Martha Stewart, Deidre McIntosh is living the good life - until she's not. Suddenly, as a younger, thinner, and blonder and wealthier Marla launches a competing show Deirdre's life comes apart. Deirdre's show is cancelled. And as she's mourning with a pint of icecream, she's evicted from her beautiful apartment.

It's a stroke of luck leads her to meet Kevin. After a chance encounter, he offers her the use of his cabin by Lake Wish. Surprising herself, Deirdre accepts Kevin's offer. As she spends time in Lake Wish and living simply, Deirdre slowly regains confidence and starts building her life again. And as she does so, she comes across love.

Review:
I thoroughly enjoyed Good Things! The tone and style was reminiscent of Watermelon by Marian Keyes. Like Watermelon, I had found Good Things serendipitously and found myself chuckling and unwilling to put it down.

Deirdre is a sympathetic character and I found myself hoping that things would work out for her, silently cheering with each small victory. Kevin is an ideal romantic lead, too. I thought it great fun go through each of the small hurdles that came their way.

I'd rate Good Things 4.5 out of 5 and would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, romantic read! It'd be great on the beach, at the park, or just lazing around at home.

[Caitlin Constantine · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story itself was generic chick lit, complete with the super-convenient rich dude who likes the abrasive protagonist for some reason I cannot really ascertain, but gets involved anyway and saves the day. BUT! I liked the book anyway, and I'll tell you why - because FOOD plays a major role in it. The protagonist is a bit of a local Martha Stewart type television celebrity, and she spends much of the book cooking these fabulous desserts and putting together tremendous feasts. I was literally salivating at the descriptions. So imagine my delight when I turn the final page, only to be greeted by twenty pages of recipes for dishes prepared in the book! I totally squeed. I've only made a few of the recipes, but my favorites so far is a potato-and-leek gratin, which was to die for, and chocolate-cherry cookies.

Any other book would have been posted to PaperbackSwap immediately after finishing, but because this one had RECIPES I am keeping it forever.

[Mikkee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book's cover was what pulled me in, and then reading the jacket description, I was even more intrigued. However, I feel like what the book said it was about and what it actually was about were two very different things. The cover talked about finding the delights of a more simple life, but the book was really just another formulaic romance. Bad things happen to main character, main character goes off to pout, enter handsome, sensitive man, misunderstanding, reunion and happily ever after. Sometimes an author is gifted enough to take even the formulaic and make it seem brand new. This book was not it! The main character didn't even remain consistent with her character or personality and was, quite frankly, annoying and childish.

[Marci · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this book, I kept hoping that it would get into a deeper story. Or that the main character and corresponding love story would seem at all relatable, but it just never did. The main character is shallow and self-centered while the author seems to need to make references to her "just needing to do something for herself" when the back story seems like she does nothing else. The supporting cast is all very likeable, but there are also some love scenes that could do without so many details.

[Bridget · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, when you pretty much can't stand the main character in the book, it makes it hard to give a good rating. It doesnt help that I could see some plot "twists" a mile away either. Good concept for a book, but would be improved if the main character didnt alternate between having her head up her ass or whining about things in her life.

[Shawna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Chick-lit can be fun, but I wasn't impressed with this. I picked it up because my sister read one of her other books and said it was fun and clean. This was a bit predictable and certainly not clean. No recommendations from me.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I wanted something light to read, and this was on my bookshelf for quite awhile. But I guess it was a little more chic lit than I was looking for. Story of a life styles TV star whose show is cancelled, her bank account is low, and her roommate moves out, leaving her homeless. She escapes to the country to try to figure things out. It seemed OK, but I stopped reading 1/3 of the way through.

[Madalene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summer read/beach read

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute story, fast read.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

A silly book about a foolish woman who learns a few things as the story goes along.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I needed something light to read, and this fit perfectly. Once I got into it, I didn't want to put it down. It was pretty predictable but it was light and fun.

[Nayaki · Rating 2 out of 5]

A self help book in the guise of a novel. And I am no fan of self help. Just saying.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute chick lit.

[Laura Merrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, romantic read with good recipes in the back.

[Englandjennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this light read, it took me away to a little cabin at Wish Lake in a small town where the locals knew everyone. Loved this getaway!!

[Cindie Usevich · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute, fun little read. Nothing surprising or Oscar-worthy but it was a fun story

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

As other reviewers said, this is fairly predictable but a very easy read.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story line but lots of grammatical errors taking away from the book.

[Ciiku · Rating 2 out of 5]

Docking one star for the lack of nuance in the Trump mention.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Things
By
Mia King

I have been totally immersed in a book world of Angels and Vampires and Immortals and Werewolves. And…when I wasn’t reading tons of YA Fantasy I was reading lots of women’s fiction that contained tons of family dysfunction and lots of sadness. I really love both of these genres…they are intense and relaxing and enjoyable to me.

However…just a few days ago I became aware of a delightful author named Mia King. I read one of her books…Good Things…and totally loved it. It is refreshing and fun and includes recipes!!! And it was just a romp to read. It takes place in Seattle and the main character is Deirdre who just happens to be the host of a local television show that airs daily and is about all of the great things that most women love…decorating, baking, cooking, floral crafts, fashion, style and lots more. Deirdre is happy in this role…and loves her life…she buys Manolo Blahniks on Ebay…and considers spending $300 on them a bargain. She spends nearly every cent she makes without thinking about her future. She shares an apartment with her gay best friend and is happy…very very happy and secure and content. She doesn’t even miss not having a love interest in her life because she is so happy with her gay best friend…they cook and clean and literally do everything together. Life is so good for Deirdre.

And of course you know that this is going to end…swiftly, messily and sadly for Deirdre.
She ends up alone, jobless and homeless faster than you can whip up a batch of homemade scones.

Enter a chance encounter with a stranger…Kevin…who of course is handsome, wealthy and a bit mysterious. He comes to Deirdre’s rescue by offering her his vacation home in a town about four hours from Seattle called Jacob’s Point.

Jacob’s Point has its own cast of quirky characters…a delightful diner named The Wishbone…a mysterious lake…and the chance for Deirdre to discover who she really is and come to terms with her life.

Simply put but the book is so much fun to read…I literally could not put it down and read it in a day. The food and the people of Jacob’s Point and Kevin’s family and Deirdre’s baking were all quite enjoyable. Of course, Deirdre and Kevin’s relationship has a steamy side but that only added to the charm of this book.

I loved it and look forward to reading more from Mia King.

[Jay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Debut author Mia King has written a warm and touching story about a woman's journey to self-discovery and love.

Deidre McIntosh is Seattle's Martha Stewart. She has her own television show, Live Simple, where she shows women how to beautify their homes and lives in the simplest ways possible. Deidre loves her local celebrity status and loves that she shares a home with her best friend, who is gay.

Unfortunately, Deidre loses everything she loves in the span of a week. A rival show is launched on a competing station and rather than fight it out, her station manager decides to cancel Live Simple. Out of a job, Deidre returns home one night to find out that her best friend is in love and will be moving out. To make matters worse, her name was never added to the lease, so she has to leave too. In a chance encounter, she meets Kevin Johnson, a handsome stranger who offers her the use of his cabin in the woods until she gets back on her feet. Deidre takes him up on his offer and moves out to Wish Lake set on finding a way to rebuild her life. What she didn't count on finding was love.

Good Things is about reconnecting with the little things that make life good. During Deidre's time at the cabin in Wish Lake, she relearns the importance of truly living simply, which incidentally, is entirely different from what she was espousing on her show.

I enjoyed reading about Deidre and the people she meets at Wish Lake. My only complaint would be that book seems to wander a bit in the middle, making it easy to put down for long stretches of time. Regardless, I enjoyed the story the author crafted and I'm looking forward to her next book.

[Jenn O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book (and two others by the same author) has been sitting on my Library Books To Read pile for a while now … make that a LONG while. It kept getting pushed to the bottom of the pile for other books that were due back sooner or could not be renewed. Finally, it made it to the top of the pile and I am so happy it did because I really enjoyed it.

I really liked the characters, especially the people in the small village of Point. Like all good friendships, I liked forming a bond with the main character, Deirdre, even when some of her quirks would drive me nutty. I once heard the expression “you can switch moods on dime and leave people with change” -- that’s Deirdre. But then, maybe that is why I like her, she is not monotone in any way.

I love that we are approaching the holiday season and this story takes place in the fall/Christmas/New Year timeframe (which I did not know going in, it was just an added bonus.) Throughout the story, the characters are decorating, cooking or baking, which I thought was a really nice touch to bring the reader closer to the characters -- especially since some of the recipes are included in the back.

The one thing I thought was not necessary to the story was the sexcapades. If this was a bodice ripping romance, then sure, go for it. But this is a story about a woman rediscovering herself and figuring out how to stand on her own two feet again. I thought it was more of detractor than actually adding to the quality of the story.

[Colette · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this book, I can understand why everyone wanted to read Table Manners. I can't say too many times how I loved this book. I picked it and told myself "I'll just read chapter one to see what it's about" I was reading another book at the time, and didn't want to start a new one. However, once I started this book, I couldn't put it down! I loved how this wasn't just a romance. It was a book about friendships, following your dream, not giving up and taking risks. I also liked how Deidre stayed independent throughout the book, and didn't give into every little thing that Kevin wanted once they got together. I also liked while there was drama in the relationship, there was actually a romance! I've read so many books where the couple doesn't get together until the last 100 pages, that this was a refreshing read. I can't wait to read Table Manners!

What I really liked about this book was that it's so much more then a romance. It's also about friendships, self discovery and believing in yourself. Maybe because I'm in my late 30s, but I found it refreshing that the heroine in the story wasn't 22 and right out of college. I loved the fact that Deidre was 40. I also loved the fact that there were recipes at the end of the book of everything Deidre cooked in the book. Some of them look rather complicated, but there are a few that I'm really going to have to try!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you asked Deidre McIntosh what she loves most about her life, she'd probably say the chaos. Life is good and full of action and purpose, but unfortunately that all changes in a matter of days.

When the network drops her Martha Stewart-esque show, "Live Simple", Deidre must learn to cope with the lost of the job that she loved.

As if it couldn't get worse, Deidre's roommate and gay BFF also decides to drop a bomb on her by letting her know that he's fallen out - effective immediately. How do you cope when the person you lean on is leaving you at the worst time possible? You pick up, and you dust yourself off -- though nothing presents itself as a greater challenge than starting over.

When she meets Kevin Johnson, a stranger who offers to pay for her lunch and a place to stay, she finds herself jumping into the unknown headfirst. Deciding to trust him, Deidre temporarily moves into Kevin's cabin in Wish Lake where she becomes determined to pick up the pieces of her life and start fresh. What she didn't factor in was the most complicated thing of all - LOVE.

GOOD THINGS was an absolute treasure. It was filled with wonderful characters, pages and pages laced with great lessons and a feeling of warmth and indulgence.

[Devon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good things come to those who wait...and for Deidre McIntosh this is a motto to be remembered. When she suddenly finds everything in her life going horribly and inexplicably wrong. Her long running TV show has been canceled, her gay roommate finds love and is moving on and her romantic life is nonexistent, on a whim decides to pack it all in and take her own advice to "live simply". Due to the kind heart of an extremely handsome virtual stranger, Kevin Johnson, she finds herself in the tiny town of Jacobs Point staying rent free in Kevin's lake house. But as Deidre will soon find out living this simply isn't an easy task but with the help of some good friends Deidre will not only find herself but also find out just why they say that good things come to those who wait!

I found it hard to put Mia King's debut novel down! Good Things is a feel good book that you will just want to curl up with in the most comfortable spot in your home and read straight through. And with the recipes included this is definitely a book that keeps on giving.

[Kricket · Rating 2 out of 5]

i needed something light (literally & figuratively) to read on the beach. hardcover margaret atwood was too heavy to hold up on a chaise lounge and i didn't want to get it sandy. so the day before i left on vacation i went into the library's romance section and browsed.

which was weird! i'm always reading reviews and either putting things on hold or making a beeline to a book on a shelf.

anyway, my browsing skills aren't great because this book was pretty dumb. a martha stewart type loses her tv show, her gay roommate, and her apartment all within the space of a week. fortunately she meets a hot guy. AH! but the path to true love is never smooth. blah blah blah. so lackluster & predictable in every way. i did like all the foodie stuff though. i finished the book because i didn't feel like going up to the hotel room to get a different one. here ends my extremely literary review.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a quick, fun read. I was glad that Deidre didn't end up being "oh woe is me, my life sucks" type of woman and that she took charge and stuck to what she believed in. The book did get a bit too sappy/ love scene-ey for me at the end but I was able to overlook that.

My two small issues with the story line were:
1) If Jacob's Point is such a tiny, tiny, town why do they have ALL of these tourists??? Just doesn't seem legit...
2) Who the heck is Claire? I know the book said it was Kevin's goddaughter but that's it. She just comes for the holidays, being a brat and no one questions it? No one really even ackowledges here except for Kevin. Maybe it's described more in the sequel...