AIN'T SHE SWEET?

A sassy novel sassily read. In this romantic comedy, Sugar Beth Carey returns, tail between her legs, to her Mississippi hometown, where she has, as a spoiled, rich, wild, and beautiful teen, alienated just about everybody. Now the tables are turned. How the chastened but still impertinent heroine turns her life around, makes amends, and finds love consumes the book's lighthearted pages. The award-winning Kate Fleming (a.k.a. Anna Fields) gives an uneven, albeit always absorbing, reading. She starts out with a dazzling bang before settling into a pleasant but slightly distant interpretation of the narrative. Her impersonation of Sugar Beth's arrogant love interest fails to convince us of his sex appeal. The sex scenes are flat. On the other hand, the dialogue sparkles delightfully. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 04]