I usually prefer long, juicy novels to shorter books, so I didn't expect Crazy for You to be quite so perfect. But it was, especially as a start to summer (I finished it just before Memorial Day). In any season, a trip to Deep Haven is a treat, and I loved this one.
First off, I want to commend Susan May Warren and Michelle "Sass" Aleckson (isn't that a great name), for pulling off a book with an almost total role reversal of what I usually see. That is, Ronnie Morales is a tough, decisive lady, while Peter Dahlquist is a classic "beta male." But never did I think Ronnie was un-feminine, or that Peter was a wimp. They balanced each other out, without the book shoving down your throat that that's what they're doing. They play off each other well, need each other's strengths at different times, and learn from each other the way the best couples do. I loved watching them together, not just because of romantic chemistry but because Ronnie and Peter are so good for each other on every level.
That said, Ronnie and Peter are wonderful as single people too, which is one of my litmus tests for how well a romance is written. Michelle and Susie gave both of them rich inner lives and multifaceted outer lives. I enjoyed how Crazy for You made clear, Deep Haven might look like an idyllic small town, but it has its underbelly, too. *But*, it's people like Ronnie and Peter, who are willing to "roar" and stand up to the bad stuff, that make Deep Haven lovable again. I especially loved the scene where Peter calls out both halves of his crazy big--and maybe just crazy--family in front of the town. I also loved the scenes where Ronnie stood up for Tiago, herself, and their places in Deep Haven, even though they were outsiders, minorities, and might have found it easier to just leave.
Speaking of the tension, I applaud Susie and Michelle for dealing with some tough subjects in Crazy for You without hammering them in. I especially empathized and identified with Tiago when it came to the tension. No, I'm not a Hispanic boy. No, I was never a troublemaker; behavior-wise, I was considered a "good kid." But, I also know how it feels when everybody thinks that because of something--your race, your gender, your disability, whatever--you are automatically the problem. So again, kudos to both authors for handling that, and pointing out how subtle rejection can hurt more than overt. Also, kudos to them for wrapping that issue in others, such as how Peter's family (ies) reacted to Ronnie, reacted to his choices, reacted to others' choices (younger brother Jonathan) and so on.
I want to give a shout-out to both authors on the character of Tiago, too. It's been a long time since Susan May Warren cashed in on the kid factor--the last little kid with a lot of focus I saw from her was probably Tiger from the Christiansen series (who is all grown up now--love it)! Together, Susie and Sass created a great new kid in Tiago. Yeah, he's hard and stubborn. Yeah, I wanted to yell at him a couple times. But his behavior is always understandable, and his true heart is never far from the surface. I rooted for him to trust and to grow, and it doesn't escape me that how he acted was, ahem, sometimes how I act with God when He tries to help me.
Ahem, moving right along...ow, my toe...
The spiritual threads here are spot on, especially Pastor Dan's encouragement to Peter to "roar." After the last year or so, I think we all need that, whatever it looks like in our lives. Additionally, I enjoyed watching Ronnie and Tiago find their way back to belief and learn how to trust again, when they had absolutely no reason to do so. More than any other Deep Haven residents, I got the feeling Ronnie, Peter, and Tiago truly met God in Deep Haven, because it's a place where He has been welcomed for a long time. In this book more than others, I also got the sense that Deep Haven is a place God sends people to heal, and I love it.
As always, the homey feel of Deep Haven hasn't changed. However, I did love meeting new people and seeing new locations. Vivie's theater and her production of West Side Story were my favorites, and I can hardly wait for July so I can spend more time with her. I really rooted for the Crisis Team to come together, and loved watching them work on calls. The fires in particular were classic Susan May Warren; those rescues took me back to my first encounter with Deep Haven in high school.
As always with a book like this, the smaller scenes and details really made it "pop" for me. Check out the scene where Peter paints Ronnie's walls in a decidedly un-manly rose color; I almost cried. And, check out some of the interactions between Tiago and the puppy Blue, or Ronnie enjoying the little pleasures unique to Deep Haven, like her iced mochas. (My personality is almost the polar opposite of hers, but I too am a sucker for chocolate--namely, mocha cookie crumble frappuccinos and dark chocolate grahams or almonds. Heaven deliver my waistline)!
There are a few tiny things I'd have liked to see more or less of. For instance, I know Ronnie and Tiago are Hispanic, and that's great. But other than calling their grandma Abuela or alluding to Spanish gang activity in their old neighborhood, I didn't get a sense of their Latino/a identity. I wanted more Hispanic culture and more positive aspects of being Hispanic. I also felt that some of the behavior toward Ronnie and Tiago, Ronnie especially, was way over the top. Most notably, that Java Cup scene still stings in my brain. That's good; good writers make you feel things like that. But, I was disappointed that no one truly held Kathy, or the parents of the pit party teens, or some others, accountable for their actions.
That said, I won't take a star away for those things because they are small in the scope of what is still a great book, and because I know some scenes were more important (Peter calling out his family was more important than holding minor characters accountable, for one). The last thing I'll say is, Crazy for You gets my enthusiastic recommendation and I can't wait for more. I hope July 6 hurries!
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Customer reviews
I truly loved Crazy for You, the third book in the Deep Haven Collection. This one really made me feel like I was in Deep Haven.I adored the characters, Ronnie was far from your typical female character. She was tough, as she had been in the Army and was often brusque, rude and had a wide streak of protectiveness for her brother, Tiago.Peter had the heart of a servant and was a peacemaker. I couldn’t help but love him.They both brought out qualities in the other that made them a better person.I loved the diversity in this book. The fact that some of the characters were Hispanic and the prejudices and things they had to overcome made the story more true to life.I also enjoyed the interactions with the couples from the two previous books.I recommend this book highly!I received a complimentary ARC of this book from the author but the opinions are entirely my own.
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First class people pleaser meets…
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2021
