A Stand-Up Guy, by Michael Snyder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oliver is an amateur comedian moonlighting as a hotel security guard. His less-than-ideal childhood has left him with enough baggage to fill a moving truck, and he can’t quite shut the door on the traumas and move on. His pretty coworker and he get into some fun adventures as he reconciles the craziness of his past and present in order to have the future he’s dreaming of. Along the way, he learns to look behind what he sees and understand the people in his life a little better.

I liked this book a lot because it was a light read. While the issues dealt with were quite serious, the characters were very likeable and fresh, and the story kept moving enough to prevent getting bogged down in any one crisis. The love plot was prevalent but not overbearing. Oliver’s flashbacks were sad but not depressing. The tone was quirky but not disjointed. The life lessons spoke to me but didn’t scream.

Even though I’m sure this was not meant to be a book in a series, I hope the author continues the story he began with Oliver and his mixed-up life. The resolution was enough to close the book, but I wasn’t ready for it to end. This was almost like watching a date movie (chick flick) that didn’t end all wrapped up with a nice red bow on top, but still left me smiling.

NOTE: Zondervan and netGalley provided me with a copy of this book for review.

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