Somebody Else's Man

August 17, 2009
Childhood friends desperate for love square off over untrustworthy men in Poole's frantic if not totally satisfying latest (after A Rich Man's Baby
). Nikki Edwards has had enough of lying men, especially after learning that her biological father, Raymond Hawks, has died without acknowledging her existence. She decides she's finished with “Married Man Malcolm” Walker who's strung her along for three years. Approaching 30, Nikki and her friends Reshaun and Tia face a crossroads. Reshaun decides to marry a Liberian after a whirlwind courtship, while Tia, a police officer, becomes pregnant with a thug's baby. An accident with a drunken Nikki at the wheel of her mom Lolo's car with Tia as a passenger disrupts their friendship when Tia sues Lolo's insurance company. Meeting single hottie Dre Hill seems like a dream come true for Nikki and wedding bells start to ring, but troubles suddenly escalate as sticky revelations about Dre's past cause major conflicts. Poole's rueful page-turner is diverting, and Nikki's emotional narration keeps it real, suggesting trust is always a work-in-progress.

January 21, 2010
On the prowl for men, Nikki and her tight friends, Rashaun and Tia, hit all the spots in Philadelphia, but their choices are less than spectacular. Too often they end up knocking back martinis while dishing about why men can't act right. Tia is in love with a thug, Rashaun marries an African, and Nikki is helplessly hung up with Married Man Malcolm. Nobody's happy, but there'll be much more drama before Nikki takes the long walk down the aisle. The question is: with which guy? Before the ceremony, Nikki's mother snipes at a female guest to "put some concealer over her tattoo."Verdict Brisk and breezy, this novel reads like a street lit take on Sex and the City. We hope the best for Nikki but can't help cringing at her decisions. Sex with Married Man Malcolm in a hotel suite while his toddler son zones out watching TV on the other side of the wall? That's a bold move, girl. Readers will howl.-Rollie Welch, Collection Manager, Cleveland P.L.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2009
When Nicole finally found out where her father lived, she went to his home to introduce herself. Dramatically, the reunion didnt go as shed dreamed, as her father denied his parentage to her, due to the fact that he was married and had two other children. He was now somebody elses father. This denial became fodder for a hectic coming-of-age for Nicole as she spends her young adult years with a few somebody elses men: dating a married man, then a lying man, and finally a man with baby-mama drama. When Nikki finally finds the love of her life, she learns that her fianc's past is entangled with her best friend, Tias, dark secrets, reigniting her fear of settling for somebody elses man. What Poole highlights subtly, but very effectively, is how the absence of a father can deeply impact the identity formation of women. Although sometimes slow in pace, this novel is a useful, thoughtfully rendered work.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)