Best Staged Plans

Couldnt put it down

I love all of Claire's books; just like the rest I could not put this one down. It is so easy to get involved in the book and relate to all the characters. My favorite part was when Sandy was helping Naomi get back on her feet, so many people just walk by and not give a second thought about the homeless. It was really resfreshing to read and watch their relationship grow from strangers to friends. I can't wait for her next one!! I preordered this book for my Nook Color, recommend the nook color for all books it makes for easy, portable reading!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Best Staged Plans definitely worth reading

Home stager Sandy Sullivan is frustrated. Her husband and son are not with her on the same decluttering page and her goal of selling her home and simplifying her life is stalled. Asked to take on a challenging renovation job on an Atlanta hotel, she leaves her husband and son to continue sorting through the clutter, and she takes off on an adventure. It isn't long before her plans begin to go awry. Her arranagements to stay with her married daughter and her husband are the first snafu-her daughter has to go to Boston for a month to work, leaving Sandy and her new son-in-law to develop a relationship. Next, while working with the current boyfriend of her best friend on the hotel renovation, she is dubious that he is remaining faithful to Denise.
Sandy's ability to transfer her talents for renovation to a new city is awe inspiring and as she meets each new challenge, more of her personality and inner self is revealed. She is a character who shares a characteristic with Claire Cook's other female protagonists, in that in many ways she is Everywoman of a certain age and stage of life. The other characters are well developed and the story is carefully laid out to insure Cook's trademark humor and emotion. How Cook weaves together the many threads of Sandy's life as well as the plots of this book, is a tour de force. Definitely a good read and a chance to meet a new friend in Sandy Sullivan.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

An Easy Read

Best Staged Plans is the story of a middle aged women who finds herself wondering if what she thought she always wanted is what she still wants now. I found myself relating to Sandy even though I am not yet at that middle aged stage of life. I could see myself in her need to control everything around her. This is something I have been working on myself! I wanted to tell her not to sweat the small stuff! I enjoyed taking the journey to figuring out what was next in her life. For me this was a quick and very enjoyable read, perfect for a lazy day at the beach!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

a must read

best staged plans by claire cook
Great memory book. This woman is telling others what they need to do to sell their house. She tries to impleemnt the same thing in her house so
her 20+ yo son and her husband will help with the manual labor and get their house ready to sell or she's leaving.
She has things in her junk drawer that I also remeber having: mood ring-and she knew what all the colors meant. This is a hilarious book at times
and a serious one at times. Maps that are more uptodate online, games: go fish cards, mousetrap, etc.
She's tired of not trying fun new things.
she leaves her husband and son there to dismantle the kitchen cablinets to spruce them up so they can sell the house, her daughter shows up in town as
she's there on a business meeting for some time, while she heads to where the daughter lives with her husband to redo a hotel. She has a lot of fun with
that and helping her friend who arrives to try to find out if her boyfriend is seeing an old friend behind her back.
What a fun and very helpful book if you want to redo your house in order to sell it. Various tips through the book and at the end tell you how to accomplish this.
Ending was just right, not too much over the edge but and not dull -what you expect, either.

Disappointing

I was unable to relate to the characters in this novel. They seemed superficial and uninteresting. The staging info was interesting, but again no depth. It was definitely not worth what I paid.

Recommend this book!

I recommend Best Staged Plans. The story is solid and engaging. It has funny parts (losing glasses!) but also tackles some of the serious side of a woman's life (moving, older kids who need motivation). I found the book easy to read and enjoyable. I enjoy Claire Cook's style of writing and look forward to any future books!

Funny and honest depiction of the realities of women in "midlife"

Thank you, Claire Cook, for writing my biography. At least that's what it felt like as I read Best Staged Plans. Could it be we are twins separated at birth? Early on in my reading of the book, I started to reach for my highlighter; in books that I own, I often highlight passages that stand out for me. But I quickly realized that if I started doing that with Best Staged Plans, the entire book would be awash in neon yellow ink. Children's coloring books have more white space in them than my book would have had. Cook's writing style is clean and easy to read. She brings life to her characters that we can all recognize, if not in ourselves, then at least in family and friends around us. Sandra's first person narrative is by turns funny, sad, frustrated, and happy. I wish I she were my friend, what a ball we could have together. I laughed, I cried, and I thanked Claire Cook for sharing this book with the world.

Feel the need to declutter

Sandy is a home stager, hired by people hoping to sell their homes quickly. Although she and her husband have agreed to put their own home on the market, only one of them seems to be actively getting the house ready for sale. As Sandy leaves for Atlanta and a job staging a hotel, she gives her husband an ultimatum.

This quick read is full of tips which home stagers use to make a house look its most appealing. The focus on chocolate was a bit over the top; having the hotel named Hot Chocolate, with walls in varying shades of brown, plus the chocolate theme woven throughout detracted from the story. The sub-plot about Sandy's relationship with her son-in-law didn't seem complete; I felt there was a need for more information about the man if Sandy was going to get to know him and have more than just a polite conversation with him. When I finished the book, I felt the need to move and organize all the piles of paperwork which had somehow appeared on my countertops!

Some life difficulties, some decorating, some fun reading!

This was the first book I've read by Claire Cook, but it certainly won't be my last. It was a fun (and funny!) book. Great summer time reading!

What a joy!

Things don't always go as planned in life, and, in Best Staged Plans, Claire Cook grants us a heartfelt, funny and refreshing view of coping. With characters we can all relate to, timely humor, and a bit of mystery, we get a great dose of life's-lessons-learned in feel-good form. What more could you want from your entertainment reading?

Highly Recommended - a good read

I read this book in a matter of hours yesterday afternoon. It was an easy read and really enjoyable. The characters seemed like they could be anyone in my hometown. There were several passages that made me laugh out loud. I am eager to read other Claire Cook books after reading this one.

Fantastic Read

I loved Claire Cook's latest book, Best Staged Plans. It was a fun read and so real with great, fulfilling twists.

Great read, great fun and upbeat!

I always enjoy Calire Cook because I am guaranteed a solid story, real characters, good values, and real life experiences without major drama. There are always simple life lessons in each book! This one was no exception!

Love this author!!

I really enjoy reading Claire Cook's books! Once you read one you can't stop reading her!!

What a pleasure to read - I can't wait for Claire's next one

Perfect reading for this "stage" in my life; and relates to all ages! So much fun to read and just what I needed. I would give it MORE than 5 stars.

I love this book!

I'm a huge fan of all of Claire Cook's books, and I think this may just be my favorite! Sandra is such a wonderful, relatable character. BEST STAGED PLANS is warm, fun, and smart - an absolute joy to read! I love the insider info on home staging and the decorating tips. As someone who is trying to de-clutter my life, I love how practical Sandra is and think I will put some of her strategies to work for me. I plan to become a dinner "assembler" too! I'd love to know what happens to Sandra next!

Great Beach Read

I can always count on Claire Cook to get my summer reading off to a good start and Best Staged Plans did that again for me this summer. Sandy Sullivan stages houses, (gets houses ready for selling). As she looks toward retiring herself, she wants to get her house in order and gets frustrated with her family because she seems to be the only one who wants to get the house in Boston ready for selling. Getting frustrated with everything she takes a job in Atlanta to stage a new hotel for her best friend's boyfriend. She is excited at the opportunity to visit her married daughter in Atlanta. When she gets there she realizes her daughter is off to Boston for a month so Sandy spends the time with her son-in-law, which is humorous in itself. Sandy and her friend Denise have some adventures in trying to figure out if Denise's boyfriend is all he is cracked up to be. Sandy also meets Naomi living between the dumpsters at the Chocolate Hotel, that she is staging to open. She befriends her and they both change each other's lives. I love the description of the Chocolate Hotel as Sandy designs this Atlanta hotel, I would visit myself it were real! There are lots of great tips in the book too for staging your own house to include some great paint colors. The thing I love about Claire Cook's books is that you can always connect with her characters and you feel like they are your friends by the end of the book. She has never disappointed me. I can picture myself in a lot of the situations her characters get into. Other books by Claire Cook are: Must Love Dogs (my personal favorite) Ready to Fall, Multiple Choice, Life's a Beach, Summer Blowout, The Wildwater Walking Club, and Seven Year Switch.

4.5 Funny, Relatable, Refreshing

Best Staged Plans is Claire Cook's delightful and entertaining new novel! This book is simply one of the most relatable stories I have ever read. The characters are realistic, down to earth, everyday people that I felt I could be friends with. They reminded me of neighbors and family. The novel has a very natural feel to it. It is evident that Claire did her homework with this novel.

The story takes place in the Northeast and the South. Having lived in both areas this novel had me rolling in laughter with its candid humor. It made me miss Boston so much! I also enjoyed the change of setting. It fit the story well.

Best Staged Plans was easy to read. The pace is steady but allows the reader to move as needed. I normally don't like slow paced novels but found myself slowing down and taking my time with this one. I wanted to savor every bit of it. There were so many humorous jokes and remarks that I could have missed it I rushed it. I didn't want this story to end but I must say the length of the novel is perfect. In addition to a great story, wonderful writing and loveable relatable characters the book is just plain fun! I learned that life is a series of stagings. We can only do our best with what we are given and be adaptable to changing situations.

I enjoyed reading every step of Sandy's story. This is definitely a novel I could re-read! I wish I could have read this on the beach! It is easily apparent to me why everyone says this is a must read for your summer's "to read" list. It's perfectly imperfect characters and humorous situations make the novel feel like home. Claire just understands women in all of our glory, splendor and hormonal outburst! I recommend you pick up a copy soon!! I loved it.

Reviewed for A Cozy Readers Corner Reviews on blogspot

Claire Cook does it again

While I was reading this book, I was starting to think Sandra really needed an attitude adjustment. She was so bossy! But as the story evolved and her character developed, it was easier to see that it was a necessary trait for her role in the family and also for her career.
I really enjoyed and appreciated the all the references to middle age, the life choices made during this time in my life and especially made me think about how we pay our penance in life. That was the part I didn't expect...examining how we relate to other people we meet in life.
And I have to say.....the references to "stuff".....it's like Claire Cook was eavesdropping on my thoughts.

Not+one+her+best

I+couldnt+seem+to+get+interested+in+the+first+40+pages