Bubbles Unbound

Written by Sarah Strohmeyer

Narrated by Barbara McCulloh

Sarah Strohmeyer has captured the hearts and funnybones of millions of fans with her spunky Bubbles Yablonsky mysteries. A curvaceous hairdresser with an outrageous wardrobe, Bubbles also freelances as a journalist. But when she links a murder to a wealthy socialite, she becomes the target of powerful people who will do anything to cover up the crime.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 16, 2008
• ISBN: 9781449802493

Sarah Strohmeyer

Sarah Strohmeyer is a bestselling and award-winning novelist whose books include The Secrets of Lily Graves, How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True, Smart Girls Get What They Want, The Cinderella Pact (which became the Lifetime Original Movie Lying to Be Perfect), The Sleeping Beauty Proposal, The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives, Sweet Love, and the Bubbles mystery series. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Boston Globe. She lives with her family outside Montpelier, Vermont.

Reviews for Bubbles Unbound

[bookconcierge · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A friend recommended this series to me. Great, light reading. Hairdresser Bubbles Jablonsky solves crimes. (Think Stephanie Plum)

[drled_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Synopsis: Bubbles Yablonsky is a hairdresser with a smart mouth and a love of spandex clothing. Her divorce decree allowed her to take all the college classes she wanted to; unfortunately she was a dismal student until it came to journalism. Her passion for writing news articles led her to hunt for information about a ten year old murder and put herself in harm's way.Review: Written in much the same style as mysteries by Evanovich, this was a nicely written tale. The characters are sympathetic and the situations are believable, for the most part. This book was fun to read and kept the actual perpetrator of the crime a secret until the last couple of chapters.

[whybehave2002 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a lot of fun and very much along the lines of Janet Evanovich. I can see why they are friends. I love a book that can make me laugh out-loud while I'm reading it. ;)

[tututhefirst_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Bubbles Yablonsky is a gum-snapping bottle blond, heavy on the make-up, skimpy on the clothes (tube tops/hot pants, HIGH heels), amply endowed in the right places hairdresser in Lehigh PA. The shop, Sandi's House of Beauty, is experiencing a downturn in clientele, which translates to a downturn in tips, which in turn translates into not enough money to pay the bills or feed her pre-teen daughter. Bubbles' ex-husband Dan (now he calls himself Chip) the attorney, was ordered by the divorce court to pay for Bubbles' higher education since her salary had funded his law-school education.Therefore Bubbles decides to go back to school to increase her earning potential. Nine years later, she has attended and FAILED every course offered by the local community, except for Journalism...her last chance to make something of herself. She aces the course, and sets out to become a crack reporter. Her adventures are at times hilarious, at times a bit over the top, but the story is entertaining enough and comes to an expected ending.This series has been compared to Janet Evanovitch's Stephanie Plum series. Meah......maybe......but these characters aren't doing it for me. Bubbles is too much of a caricature - sort of Flo (from Mel's Dinner) meets Stephanie. Bubble's mother Lulu is definitely no Grandma Mazur (on whom she seems to be modeled). The other characters, particularly the males, are wooden and lacking in any kind of appeal. The supposed love/lust interest "Stilleto", wouldn't even make it on the cover of a pulp romance. Chèli did allow as how this particular one, the first in the series, isn't as good as the rest, so I gave it 3 stars, and may try another sometime in the future to see if Bubbles is more than a pretty illusion floating through the air. Until then mark it for a perfect beach read, airy, light, bubbly, and as empty as that iced tea you just gulped down.

[catmommie_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another recommendation and it turned out to be a good one, say?Bubbles is a single mother hairdresser from steel town Lehigh, Pennsylvania. In trying to better herself, she becomes a part-time newspaper reporter. While reporting one story, she stumbles upon a blockbuster murder.I'm definitely going to read the rest of the Bubbles series!

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Bubbles Yablonsky describes herself this way: My profession is hairdressing, my body resembles a Barbie doll's and my fashion weaknesses are hot pants and tube tops. A cheerleader who walks into her shop for a dye job seemingly commits suicide, and when soon afterwards Bubbles catches her husband with another women, she inexplicably decides the two events are connected. After the inevitable divorce, since she put her husband through law school, a judge orders he pay her way through community college--where she "flunks every course." In other words, in every way possible, Bubble comes across as a walking disaster area and a ditz. I didn't find her congenial company and the first person voice just makes it all worse. I think the author was trying for a Stephanie Plum. But readers, I know Stephanie. I've read Stephanie. And this is no plum. There's none of the easy charm and wit that makes the Evanovich's books such a guilty pleasure.

[jepeters333 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bubbles Yablonsky, hairdresser, wants to become a reporter.

[reacherfan · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This series has been compared to Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, and I think that's very fair and accurate. However that's not why I'm giving it such a low rating, even though it's a fair things to do. That being said, this series lacks the charm and humor that's in the Plum series. Bubbles isn't even close to Stephanie, not by a long shot. The characters in the Bubbles series are flat and doesn't have the depth that Stephanie has. Remember when you were a child and played, "Dress up"? Well, that's how this series feels like, kids playing "dress up". I also had a problem of the time frame this takes place in. When someone is killed, it will say something like "10 years ago" or "10 years in the future..." I had a problem knowing were in time the story was talking place. This happened many times during the book. I have to say, that I didn't even finish it. It was that confusing and that boring. In a story, you want good character development, this sadly, doesn't happen here at all. I could careless about Bubbles and her friends and what happens to them. As a reader, I was never drawn in. I say, skip it. If you want to read a great series read the first Stephanie Plum, One for the Money and don't bother with Bubbles.

[kymmayfield · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great Book!!!! Laugh out loud funny, A great and quick read. Loved it!! Would definatley recommend to anyone. This series is a must read. Can't wait to read the next one!!!!!!

[deesirings · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a pleasant surprise! I was kinda disappointed by Evanovich's One for the Money, while, on the other hand, this one -- of a very similar genre -- cracked me up.

[bookbutterfly_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I put off reading this for years. For some reason Bubbles reminds me of Fran Drescher as "The Nanny". Not good for 341 pages of reading. The Bubbles series appears to be mystery in the chick lit fashion. While I'm not impressed with my first impression of Bubbles, I'd still be willing to read another in the series.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Many friends suggested the Bubbles series and I took the opportunity recently to try it out, starting at the beginning. It was very enjoyable.Bubbles is a hairdresser, she's also got a model's figure and she's blonde. She also has taken the opportunity offered her by her ex-husband trying to take away her allowance (after her supporting him throughout his courses to become a lawyer) by inventively doing as many courses as she can in the local community college. She thinks that she's found her role in life in the Journalism course, but she's still doing hair in Sandy's House of Beauty, after all she does have a daughter to support.She gets drawn into a murder with the delectable Steve Stiletto, and her vow of celibacy and her very life is in danger. The variety of characters that she meets during the story are quite well drawn and many of them quite believable.It owes a lot to Janet Evanovich but is quite a fun read. It kept me enthralled throughout. The Twists that the story took weren't very unexpected but did add to the enjoyment and kept it from being stale.

[dreaminginfiction · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from the series. This was a mix of Chick Lit and Cozy Mystery and full of fun. The characters are all so loveable you could hardly put the book down for long!!

[la_librarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Bubbles Unbound is likeable but has many faults. The name of the main gal Bubbles Yablonsky for starters. Stupid name and it's supposed to be her real name. Secondly, she's a little too dumb for me. She could be a hairdresser, love makeup, and have more of a brain. She seems a little too stupid for someone who figures all this stuff out. Very pathetic in some ways. HOWEVER..still a cute story. Evanovich fans will enjoy the quirky aspects of the book including Bubbles's mother and her mother's friend. They are very much like grandma Mazer. The male characters aren't quite likable as of yet, one is nice and ugly and one is hot and a little too stuck on himself. The wacky antics of Bubbles and her family is enough to make me read the second in the series: Bubbles in Trouble but I'm hoping for some changes Strohmeyers future attempts.