And The Crowd Went Wild by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Dabney: Susan Elizabeth Phillips published her first Chicago Stars book, It Had to Be You, in 1994. The book, featuring a tall, rugged football coach named Dan and a curvy bombshell named Phoebe is often called the first sports romance (I don’t know about that but that’s what they say.) And The Crowd Went Wild is the 11th book in the series and it is classic SEP, full of banter, homes that would make Nancy Meyer feel right at home, and, of course, an adorable dog. I enjoyed it although it treads very familiar ground.

Kayne: I could definitely see similarities between the two books, especially in the beginning when Dancy embarrassed herself at a charity event after her ex showed up with his new younger woman. She tried to make a grand exit, but instead made a fool of herself. This disaster reminded me of other funny situations Phillips heroines have found themselves in. What did you think of Dancy?

Dabney: I liked Dancy although she is one of those perfect women–beyond gorgeous, smart, funny, compassionate, and the sort who gives most of her money to charity. But, even though she struck me as unbelievable, I enjoyed her, especially in the first half of the book. What did you think?

Kayne: I thought she was a little zany. She kept me wondering what she would do next! When she showed up at Clint’s lake house in her ballgown after the disaster and he wasn’t happy to see her, I wondered what she had done to him in the past. She had a sad backstory and had been through a lot in her life and she is pretty sassy with him, but he’s such a good guy, he lets her stay in his guest house and it’s a caboose! (and a sweet homage to The Boxcar Children’s books!). Isn’t Clint the best?

Dabney: I also liked Clint. He is a classic SEP hero–a tough macho man who is really a softie. I’ve always liked how SEP writes men–she’s very comfortable with letting her heroes be very masculine without being alphaholes. And I loved that Clint, like so many, was struggling with what reads as low-level depression. He felt very human to me in a way that Dancy, at times, did not.

Kayne: He felt very real to me too. He was still grieving the death of his girlfriend from the last book, Simply the Best (which I loved), even though his girlfriend was pretty awful. He has more going on and is trying to get ready for the new season (he’s the quarterback of the Stars) but it’s sweet how he checks in on Dancy and her new pup (even if he won’t let them in his house, which is funny). He is such a caring guy. It was also fun when he finds himself attracted to her, but doesn’t want to be. What did you think of them as a couple?

Dabney: Well, I always think it’s a little forced when sane grownups think things like “she’s so hot but she was bad to me in high school so I can’t touch her.” But, this is the plot we have here so I went with it.

I liked them as a couple although–and this really seems to be a trend in current romance–I thought he was much nicer to her for much of the book than she was to him. (Also, can we just stop with heroines hitting men? At one point, Dancy starts beating up her ex-husband who, yes, is an ass, but, really, violence just isn’t a good look on anyone.) This got even worse in the end of the book–I get that Dancy was oppressed by her ex and by Hollywood, and by fan expectations but I still felt she didn’t do enough to earn Clint’s love. I would not say that about him. He’s a winner.

Kayne: I had similar feelings about Dancy, especially with the third act drama and I thought her revenge on her ex was pretty extreme. But I also think that she and Clint were a good fit. They clearly desired each other and I enjoyed their snarky banter and flirty swims.

Dabney: They are a good fit although I do wonder about their future. I think it’s interesting how the book handles wanting a family. Both Clint and Dancy want kids. And the book deals with Dancy’s pain around having had a miscarriage and how jealous she is of her husband’s new flame, Bisa, who is pregnant. I’m not sure how that need for kids meshes with the ending of the novel, which, honestly, I struggled with a bit. I hope that Dancy and Clint make it in the long run AND I think the ending they are given has some inherent contradictions.

Kayne: The ending felt a little rushed to me but it didn’t surprise me that much. As Dancy started to get her groove back, I could picture her being a diva. She was sassy and resilient and while I couldn’t always relate to her, I appreciated how she spoke about depression. I did feel the story was focused on her, maybe a little too much. Her dog was cute and I liked that we got to see their future through the dog’s POV.

Kayne: My grade for the book wavered during the third act drama but the humor between Dancy, Clint, their quirky friends and the dog, ended up winning me over. I give it a B+.

Dabney: Me too!