Just Say No! : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Good Story about True Friends
Review: I am a big fan of Omar Tyree's writing. I have read Flyy Girl, A Do Right Man, Sweet St. Louis, and this one: Just Say No! I was not sure whether or not the book was going to live up to his previous books, but I was not disappointed. I was pleased with the depiction of Darin and John "Loverboy" Williams. The reader is able to follow the relationship of the two best friends from back in the day when they weren't even friends. Darin's father didn't even want him to be around John. But despite it all, they ended up attending the same college and became a support system for each other. Another good aspect of the book is the insight the reader receives about the music industry. Some say that it is easy to Just Say No, but it's not when you are caught up in it. A good read and a good story about loyalty.

Rating:
Summary: Just Say No - Just say yes to reading it.
Review: I just finished reading my first Omar Tyree book called Just Say No. It is a book that I could not put down. I liked the fact that it showed a deep friendship between two African American males. As an African American male reader of many books, it was good to read fiction that gives my perspective of various aspects of life. Nothing against Black Female authors. I love many of their books too. It was also good to see references to places that I've visited as I live in the Philadelphia area. The book made me proud to live here, although I was born and raised in New York.

Although I don't work in the music industry, I am very interested in the financial and marketing aspects of it. The book shows a behind the scenes look of how a star can be created and how it takes more than talent to become a star. Of course, John "Loverboy" Williams was a very talented singer and song writer. However, he became too wrapped up in giving the fickle public what he thought that they wanted in order to keep their attention. His need to please and later to be immediately gratified became destructive not only to himself, but to his friend and manager Darin.

There are religious themes in the book that I found enlightening. Also uplifting was how Darin matured throughout the book based on learning the importance of honesty, loyalty and faith in God. The book discussed but did not glamorize the sex, drugs and violence that exists in the music industry. It showed it for what it is, but showed how the risky experiences that John and Darin had were not worth making a lifestyle out of as we see many entertainers doing these days.

Just Say No is a book worth buying and reading if you are into what I call "faction" books. The book could have easily been based on the story of artists and groups like: Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, The Temptations, The Nortorious Big and Tupac Shakur. The only negatives I can mention is that the book has many music lyrics in it that I thought were overdone. It made the book longer than necessary. The way the book ended was apparent a bit too early in the reading. The book also discussed strong reasons why someone may not want to put a family or friend in a psychiatic ward that some may not agree with. Other than that (and I had to think hard about the third criticism), It was one of the better books that I've read this year so far.

Rating:
Summary: Ineresting..........BUT
Review: I thought that Omar Tyree's new book, "Just Say No" would be intriging..I have read 2 previous efforts, "Single Mom" and "Fly GIrl" and was impressed. Reading the first couple of chapter tells the story of two friends, Darin ("D") Harmin and Jhon Williams, who rise as a manager/singer twosome. Also a third friends, Tony Williams joins Jhon as his drummer. Everything seems to go right until Jhon starts using drugs and egts WAY out of hand, with everything from groupies, sex, drugs, money and EVEN personal unsolved conflicts between his mother,and a ROLE in the death of his bodyguard/best friend Big Joe. I felt the book was so boring from Darin's point of view.He literally would have walked the same path as John if he wouldnt have been strong. The book would has been a little interesting if told from the point of view from Tony Williams.

Rating:
Summary: Definitely Better than the Last Book!
Review: I'm not a big Omar Tyree fan but I must say that I really enjoyed his latest novel. The story was intriguing and the characters were well developed. My biggest complaint with the story tho' was that at times it was redundant and overwritten. At one point, I actually sat the book aside and said enough of the light-skin vs. Dark-skin drama. Once I got pass that issue as well as the numerous song lyrics(which were very distracting) Just Say No was actually a good read. Glad to see that Mr. Tyree redeemed himself after last year's release of For The Love of Money. Looking for a good storyline and enjoy reading stories that deal with positive male images(at least one of the main characters was) as well as stories that enlighten about the music industry then check out Just Say No by Omar Tyree. Hopefully you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: OMAR WRITES A GOOD ONE THIS TIME!
Review: Omar Tyree gets criticized because he doesn't write on the level of a Terry McMillian or Eric Jerome Dickey. His inability to write prose rich with compelling characters and vivid description (like McMillian) or create those exciting page turning plot twists (like Dickey) have been some of the weaknesses of his previous work.

This time around, Omar Tyree's novel, Just Say No! is his best and most entertaining work to date. Tyree is beginning to realize his potential as a writer by giving us a story of the ups and downs that a singer and his best friend / manager encounter as they work their way up the charts in the exciting fast lane music industry. Omar takes us backstage and behind the scenes for a fascinating look at the groupies, drugs, and pitfalls that come with success. The bond of friendship between the two lead characters is touching and most will identify.

The book is a fairly fun read, yet has a few flaws worth mentioning. These flaws make me rate this book a three star instead of a four. One, Tyree wastes time describing drum beats and lyrics of songs. This isn't effective and has no emotional impact on us because music is meant to be heard, not read! Tyree is not a very clever writer of poetry or song lyrics. (The title itself, Just Say No! is corny and lacks creativity.) He probably should have kept mention of lyrics to a minimum. Also, towards the end, the book starts to become a little preachy and this slows down the pace of the story somewhat.

Should Omar now get the same praise as Terry McMillian or Eric Jerome Dickey? No! Not yet. However, Just Say No! is still worth reading because it is a good book. It is written in a simple, direct style, and this will probably be the best book he'll ever do! His next book is a horror novel called "Leslie", so things will probably go downhill from this point on!

Rating:
Summary: JUST SAY NO IS THE REAL TRUTH
Review: THEIR ARE SEVERAL MAIN CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK.THE FIRST CHARACTER IS JOHN.HE IS A 22 YEAR OLD SINGER.THEN THIER IS HIS BEST FRIEND DARIN HARMON.HE IS 22 YEARS OLD AND IS ALSO JOHNS MANAGER. TANGELA IS 25 YEARS OLD AND WAS JOHN FIRST REAL GIRLFRIEND.TONY IS JOHN'S DRUM PLAYER, AND BIG JOE IS HIS BODYGUARD. THEY ALL GET ALONG WELL, BUT WHEN JOHN STARTS TO CHANGE AND DARIN STOPS BEING HIS MANAGER THINGS START TO FALL APART.JOHN STARTS A NEW LIFE DEALING WITH HARD DRUGS AND THE WRONG KIND OF PEOPLE.
I LIKED THIS NOVEL BACAUSE IT IS A REAL LIFE THING. SINGERS RIGHT NOW ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. THIS BOOK GIVES US A LOOK INSIDE THE LIFE OF A CELEBRITY AND ALL OF THERE REAL LIFE PROBLEMS. IT SHOWS US HOW HARD BEING A CELEBRITY REALLF IS BEHING ALL OF THE GLITS AND GLAMOUR. I WOULD REECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WHO IS TRYING TO BECOME PART OF THE MUSIC BUISSNESS.

Rating:
Summary: Just say very dull
Review: This is the first book I've read by Omar Tyree, and after reading this not too sure if I will be reading others. The book showed a deep friendship of two African American males from North Carolina. John "Loverboy" Williams is a young man with a gift, he can sing, and write the best of songs. He wanted to please his public, and would go to great lengths to do so. Darin Harmon had dreams of becoming a football player, but John really wants him by his side as his music career takes off as his manager. John trust Darin and knows Darin will look out for his best interest and not rip him off.

John's music career really takes off, and when Darin injures himself while playing football, he changes his mind and decides to help John with his career. John starts changing, and not for the best. Darin decides not to manage him anymore John's life starts to fall apart. John (like many who are in the music industry) fall into a life of drugs, and dealing with the wrong people. The book does show how hard life can be for celebrities despite all the glamour, and the money. You get to read how the music industry really works. Omar gave us a peek at dealing with tours, and promotion for an artist. The song lyrics in the book were disruptive during reading. I did like the spiritual references made in the book. It showed how important it is to keep your faith. I must also mention that Loverboy had a tumultuous relationship with his mom. Mom is very religious and wanted her son to finish college and not go into the music business. The book is too slow paced. I normally finish a book in about two or three days, but it took me almost three weeks to get through this book, and I had to struggle to read it. I say Just say NO to reading this book. I'm glad I borrowed this one from the library!!!!