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Just Too Good to Be True: A Novel | 
 enlarge | Author: E. Lynn Harris
Publisher: Doubleday
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $12.79
You Save: $12.16 (49%)
New (36) Collectible (1) from $12.79
Avg. Customer Rating:  46 reviews
Sales Rank: 1984
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.6
ISBN: 0385492723
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780385492720
ASIN: 0385492723
Publication Date: July 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Harris serves up a treat that will capture and enchant audiences everywhere—a big, bold, and irresistible novel about football, family, and secrets.
Brady Bledsoe and his mother, Carmyn, have a strong relationship. A single mother, faithful churchgoer, and the owner of several successful Atlanta beauty salons, Carmyn has devoted herself to her son and his dream of becoming a professional football player. Brady has always followed her lead, including becoming a member of the church’s "Celibacy Circle." Now in his senior year at college, the smart, and very handsome, Brady is a lead contender for the Heisman Trophy and a spot in the NFL.
As sports agents hover around Brady, Barrett, a beautiful and charming cheerleader, sets her mind on tempting the celibate Brady and getting a piece of his multimillion-dollar future—but is that all she wants from him, and is she acting alone?
Carmyn is determined to protect her son. She’s also determined to protect the secret she’s kept from Brady his whole life. As things heat up on campus and Carmyn and Brady’s idyllic relationship starts to crumble, mother and son begin to wonder about the other—are you just too good to be true?
A sweeping novel about mothers and sons, football and beauty shops, secrets and lies, JUST TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE has all the ingredients that have made E. Lynn Harris a bestselling author: family, friendship, faith, and love.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 41 more reviews...
 Just Not That Good August 27, 2008
I have been a huge fan of Harris since his first novel. I've attended readings and book signings and always buy his books the day they come out. His are books that I will devour because of his characters and plot developments. Sadly, Just Too Good to be True does not measure up to his earlier efforts.
I heard Harris on Wendy Williams' show and he explained how some of his Arkansas students helped him write the dialogue for his characters. Perhaps that's why much of the dialogue was simply not believable. Worse than the dialogue, though, is that the characters in this book seem particularly one-dimentional. They do things that are simply not realistic and it's difficult to develop a real relationship with them.
I'll continue to read Harris, but after this book I won't be standing in line to have him autograph the next one.
 Just to weird to be true August 26, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I eagerly purchased this book looking forward to another page turner from Mr. Harris, what I got instead was a book full of people who need psychiatric help. Camryn's obsession with her son's celibacy, to the point where she was lying to herself was just sick and weird also her son's need to pretend that he was perfect was also weird. WAAAYYY to wrapped up in each other's lives to be healthy. Mothers like that raise sons who are incapable of having relationships with anyone else without having Mommy call the shots. Ugh, I can't even finish it, I just put it down. I'll try the next one, but I'm done with this one.
 Enjoyable August 25, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This was my first E. Lynn Harris book and I can honestly say I enjoyed it. I didn't know what to expect given what I heard his last novels were about but this book had drama, love and real issues that people face in their everyday lives. I recommend people to pick this up!
I'm a fan, but I was disappointed August 22, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I am a big fan of E. Lynn Harris and have read all of his books. I ordered this latest offering the minute it was available and eagerly anticipated its arrival.
As usual, the plot was engaging and beautifully executed. My disappointment partly came from the fact that the central male character was not gay or bi or even on the DL. I love Harris' work for the intricate plot he weaves with his central gay male characters, their struggles with inner demons and their eventual acceptance of their sexuality and pairing off with another equally hot black man.
I enjoy books of all genres, but if I wanted to read a book about a straight football player I could choose from a plethora of other titles. But I love nothing more than to indulge in books filled with characters I can identify with on the level of sexuality.
I enjoy E. Lynn Harris' work because it deepens my knowledge of African American society (I am a white Australian dude) and helps me understand the struggles therein. Reading Harris' books, I am always surprised by the level of prejudice and discrimination against African Americans by other African Americans and wonder if perhaps, like members of our own gay 'community', they are their own worst enemies. If we can't unconditionally love and accept those who are like us, then how can we ever expect it from those that are different?
My disappointment further came from the fact that I was disgusted by the character of Carmyn's description of her boyfriend as 'an hourly worker' and 'an underachiever' because he worked in a takeaway food outlet. Even though I do not pull an 'hourly rate' and do well for myself I found that whole way of thinking utterly offensive and derogatory. It is snobbery and prejudice and tainted my whole experience of the novel.
Overall, it was a necessary read because of my love for Harris' other books, but again, if I want to read a novel where the pivotal characters are totally straight I can choose from millions of other titles. If all of our beloved authors of gay literature decided to start making their main characters straight then where would we be?
Good Book August 21, 2008
Overall this was a good book. I highly recommended it to several of my friends that had given up on E. Lynn Harris. Since it was not all about gay men, the storyline was actually interesting and exciting. Although by the end, it was predictable...
There were too many unanswered questions. Like what was Delmar's actual on the side gig? Was he G4P??? Why did Maybelline have a heart at the end? Was it really necessary to throw Basil in the book? I mean can he not write a book that is Basil free?
I did stop to wonder if this happens for real in college football. Wouldn't it just be easier to pay off the current girlfriend, instead of the condo, the fake parents, fake transcripts? Oh well I don't follow football all that much, so I was not too impressed with the extra game day details...
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