"The first installment in the Stepp Sisters trilogy!"

This is the perfect read for those who were ridiculed in high school for being poor, ugly, brainy or for whatever reason. This book opens with the three Stepp sisters being ridiculed yet again for being ugly, chubby and too tall. Their nicknames are the ugly Stepp sisters.

Abby Stepp is the brainy one and only wants to finally get away from the people in this Podunk town who have done nothing but made fun of her and her family all of her life. She had a crush on bad boy Chase Jordan with is gorgeous blue eyes but of course he never gave her a second glance.

Now Abby is a scientist with her doctorate and has been given the chance to go back to her hometown of Millbrook, Maine to do research in her field for four to six months. She does not want to go back but this is an opportunity that's much too good to pass up so she reluctantly accepts. Even her significant other Nelson bids her goodbye without a second glance.

Abby is happy to stay with her sister Ellie at their grandmother's home but the memories come crashing down on her especially when they go to the Afternoon Delight for dinner and she sees none other than Chase Jordan. He speaks to her but she's so stunned she is speechless. He just thinks she's stuck up as usual especially since she's not been back to town since she left right after high school graduation.

Then Abby finds out that Chase lives right across the street from Ellie. Ellie knows that Abby had a huge crush on Chase but what she doesn't know is that Abby still finds Chase irresistible but why would he be interested in one of the ugly Stepp sisters?

What Abby and Chase need to learn is that people and things change and most times for the better. Sometimes there are good reasons why people act like they did as you will find out when you read this book.

I have to say that this book really touched a soft spot in my heart. I could so relate to Abby and her sisters! This debut book by Kathy Love couldn't have been a better book. I highly recommend it and am eagerly looking forward to Abby's sisters' books!

Reviewed by Kathy Boswell
Posted June 5, 2004

Summary

NOTE TO SELF: Remind me to have my head examined. What exactly possessed me to come home to Millbrook, Maine, where nothing changes but the weather? Oh, right. A six- month grant to do genetics research at Rand laboratories. What can I say—I'm a smart girl. And smart girls get what they need and get out again. Smart girls don't dream, they settle. And smart girls do not get completely tongue-tied while holding a basket of fried clams when they bump into the most gorgeous man they haven't seen in fifteen years: Chase Jordan. Remind me to have my hormones removed. Chase Jordan. Town bad boy. Rebel with a cause to show up in my dreams unannounced. Oh boy, this is not good. Not smart. It's like high school all over again. But in a good way. A heart- thumping way. An I-have-no-idea-what's-going-to-happen way. A way that's making me feel like maybe settling for what I have isn't so smart...but really going after what I want is the craziest thing I may ever do...