Rating: 
Summary: Looking forward to the next one
Review: After reading books about Serious Issues or Chick Lit where the heroine worries about her weight and her jobs or if she can get the right guy, it was a blessing to find Bet Your Bottom Dollar. Elizabeth Polk tries to save the Bottom Dollar Emporium from going out of business, and while doing so, she discovers more about herself and the people around her, enriching her life. This is a plain out fun book, and Gillespie is a writer to watch out for.
Rating:
Summary: Looking forward to the next one
Review: Elizabeth is a great character because she starts out as a strong person who is happy with a life that most of her fellow character look down on - but she doesn't sell out to anyone. Gillespie has written her so that the reader looks forward to visiting with her again - in the next books. I do wish we could have seen more of Timothy before the proposal - they seem like a cute couple it just needs more details. I also wish we could have seen the wedding - that could have been so funny! I read on the author's website that her agent & publisher made her rewrite several times...I don't know if the author had more details before the rewrites - but I hope they all know that readers can handle 350+ page books even in a series.
Rating: 
Summary: A cut above your standard Southern fiction
Review: I grew up in the South and so I read a lot of Southern fiction and in terms of local color, hilarious characters, genuine charm and just plain likability, this book stands apart. Plus, the writing is excellent. You won't want to put this book down. The plotting is fast paced and creative, and you'll love the characters and want to find out what happens to them. I was excited to find out from one of the reviews below that two more are in the works--can't wait to find out what happens next in the Bottom Dollar world.
Rating:
Summary: Funny, original read
Review: I really enjoyed this book. The author created a cast of coloreful, nuanced characters, and I loved the the clever dialogue. I'm looking forward to more adventures with the Bottom Dollar Girls.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific Southern and Summer Read!
Review: I received Bet Your Bottom Dollar as an ARC a few weeks ago and I absolutely LOVED it. In three days, I have read over 200 pages which is a record for me with a new house and a baby on the way! The characters are just terrific and I love the sayings at the beginnings of each chapter, especially the bumper stickers and the church ones.
Timothy is a fantastic character and I love how he finally came around to tell Elizabeth how he feels after a little prodding! It does remind me of a bit of Fried Green Tomatoes (the comparison I had read somewhere) but also reminds me of Big Stone Gap books (by Adriana Trigiani)--I love those as well!I even wrote to the author and I am really pleased to know she already has 2 more books like these in the pipeline. She seemed quite appreciative that people were reading her books and I can't wait till the sequel comes out! Lorraine
Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Best!!!
Review: I truly loved this book. The ending left me speechless!!! Great work..can't wait to read more!
Rating: 
Summary: I'll never get the time back that I spent reading this book.
Review: I would've rated this book one star except that I THINK the author has some potential for improvement.
I agree with the assessment of many who have written reviews here in that the characters are one-dimensional, the plot was plodding, and the description of Southern life seemed over-the-top.
I also think it is presumptuous for the author to assume she is going to have enough of a following from her very first book to call it the first of a series. I for one have no intention of revisiting "Cayboo Creek" again.
Rating:
Summary: If you like southern fiction, here is a book for you...
Review: Karin Gillespie's debut novel, Bet Your Bottom Dollar, is a wonderfully entertaining southern fiction book.
I enjoyed every page and finished the book in three days.
When the big Super Saver Dollar Store comes to Cayboo Creek and threatens to put the Bottom Dollar out of business, beauty school dropout Elizabeth Polk must come up with an idea to save the place where the quirky characters all stop by to chat and buy their necessities.
Elizabeth may be a dollar store manager but she has a head for business and comes up with a surefire way to breathe some new life into the beloved store. She also falls in love and discovers a secret that impacts her life.
This novel is funny and the characters are drawn so well that by the end of the book you will want to travel down to Cayboo and visit with your new friends.
This is a must read, and the author will have a new book in the Bottom Dollar Girls series out later this summer. Cant wait!
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for summer!
Review: Like the other reviewers, I got an advanced copy of this novel ~~ and just loved it! This is a sassy and fun reading ~~ where the heroine grows into herself and finds out that one can make lemonade out of lemons! You have Elizabeth, who was raised by MeeMaw after her mother died. She was born in a small community outside of Augusta, Georgia. She is the manager of a small dollar-type store that is being threatened by a big superstore coming to the area. Gathering her resources, Elizabeth convinces her friends and family to fight the superstore. And along the way, Elizabeth finds true love and the deep secret of her past. This is a fun, witty novel about friendship, family, and love. It's a great read ~~ the quotes at the beginning of each chapter is fun and the writing flows like a conversation between friends. So if I were you, I'd grab a glass of iced tea and this book ~~ go sit somewhere outside and enjoy this funny story. It's a perfect read for summer! 7-6-04
Rating:
Summary: Cayboo Creek, SC is waiting for you...
Review: Southern fiction for any summer reading soul. Elizabeth has been recently dumped (with no explanation!) after her engagement to Clip. She has a tough time getting over the mysterious breakoff but soon shows a newcomer, Timothy, to town. The interesting pair hit it off and Clip comes a callin' for Elizabeth but does she accept?!
The story is set amid three gals, including Elizabeth, working at a Dollar Emporium which is getting ready to have competition in town with a Super Saver! Humor and just down-home fun make this an enjoyable read.
It ends as if there are other books in this series to follow ~ I hope so!
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