Following My Toes
4/5
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About this ebook
Even if nobody believes her, Faith Emerson knows she’s psychic. After all, she totally saw it coming when Peter, her boyfriend of two years, dumped her for her best friend.
Heartbroken, Faith needs a fresh start. So when her good friend Carolyn suggests she move from Duluth to Minneapolis, Faith takes the plunge and embarks on a new adventure. However, Faith soon learns things don’t always go as planned when she’s forced to deal with a coffee shop customer from hell, a bruised tailbone, a phone-sex operator roommate, a freeloading younger sister, her parents’ taxidermy convention, and a new love interest who may be stalking her. Yet every time Faith tries to rely on her perceptive abilities, friends or family accuse her of being self-involved.
Faith believes in love, but knows she must solve the stalker mystery before she can trust any of the new men in her life. In the process she discovers that she has more to learn about following her heart and following her instincts than she ever imagined.
Following My Toes is a tale of love and forgiveness, told with humor and a fresh, innovative voice!
Laurel Osterkamp has been a comedy writer for Minneapolis performance groups. She currently teaches creative writing to high school students, and lives in Minneapolis with her husband, son, and daughter.
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Reviews for Following My Toes
52 ratings29 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Review of member giveaway eBookCleo is a psychologist who works with bereaved families. She uses psychic measures to help the families contact their dead relatives. She also has a spirit contact called Tyler, a surfer dude. Sharon asks her to help after her husband dies in mysterious circumstances and Cleo decides to investigate further. This is a light easy read. Various diversions keep the pace moving along. Ideal beach or plane fare.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The body of a hiker named as Adam Meyer is found at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.Was it accidental death,suicide or murder ? Into the picture comes psychologist Cleo Sims ,who is contacted by the grieving widow Sharon to ascertain what really happened to her husband. Add in Cleo's Contact Project, which involves trying to contact dead spirits and her talking to Tyler , a dead surf dude , who appears with cryptic clues and disappears again with no answers and we have a well crafted crime novel with unusual trimmings and beautifully described mountain scenes. The other cast of characters and sub-plot involving Cleo's grandma in a nursing home suffering from Alzheimer's, her boyfriend Pablo who is a sceptical detective, Sharon's friend Erik who is mysterious and dangerous and her academic father Doctor Waycroft who is opposed to Cleo's project. The novel was well -written and I enjoyed reading same with the surprise ending.The author has produced a very entertaining book with many imaginative features.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is the first in the Cleo and Tyler mysteries. Cleo is a pyschotherapist and a grief counselor. Her dear friend and mentor is Elisa who teaches in the University's psychology department. Elisa refers one of her Clients to Cleo because the woman has recently lost her husband whom she believes to be have been murdered.The thing is that Cleo doesn't work alone. She has been visited by the spirit of a young man (Tyler). Tyler is a surfer dude who shows up when he feels like doing so and gives Cleo very cryptic messages to help direct her in helping the young widow.I like how Osterskamp is able to combine the slight bit of the paranormal with very a very realistic investigation. Cleo doesn't set out to solve the murder, but that's exactly what she does (with Tyler's advice.) Osterkamp keeps the reader guessing throughout as theree are several possible suspects and things become very suspieniseful when Elisa is taken hostage by the murderer and almost dies do to injures. Kept me riveted right to the last page. According to the author, Cleo's Contact Project was partially inspired by the works of Raymond Moody.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5WOW! I loved this book. I only have two things to say.1. I want that food so bad I can taste it.2. Too short!!!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was an excellent book. Very well written. The story line holds together with no loose ends. I was very impressed that the characters were well developed and believable. When I read the initial description I wasn't at all certain I would enjoy the book but I would encourage anyone who enjoys mysteries to grab it.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I read this while on vacation. It was a good read, with an easy storyline, and a sometimes complex dynamic between characters. However, at times, I found the characters to be over-the-top with their reactions, albeit a bit over-dramatic. Maybe it's just that I've outgrown that stage in my life, but it became annoying.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Really great book takes you on a ride trying to figure out who done it!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A quick and easy read, and the perfect beach read! I was pleased with the book, the story flowed seamlessly, and was to the point. The characters were eac h perfectly developed, and I felt a connection with each of them. Not thrilled that Faith and Ethan didn't end up together in the end, but it left off in a way that made me believe that they would eventually be together. Great job on this one!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wow what a great story. Faith is a teacher whose boyfriend leaves her for her childhood best friend and in a flash decision after talking to another frined moves to another city and then her whole life goes a little wonky. Good characters, nice story pace and really was a lovely way to spend an afternoon in the sun. Well worth the price!!!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Following my Toes was a great read, about a lonely teacher from a small town who has settled for who she thought was the man of her dreams. She was settling for a life of taking care of him and being under-appreciated, until one day he left her for aonother. This stimulates the lead character to move to a larger city where she comes across many interesting characters and in the end, discovers more about who she is and what she wants out of life.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Following My Toes is the story of Faith, a maybe psychic who loves to follow her feelings. The story actually starts with Faith and two others being abducted, and then we get a giant flashback to see how they got to that point. I find the term "chick lit" gets a bad rap amongst many readers, but this was chick lit in the best senses of the word. It was fun. There were break-ups, make-ups, friendships, and entirely new lives. The cast of characters was hilarious. I think I'd have a hard time picking a favorite, but if forced I'd probably choose Faith's eccentric roommate Missy. Missy was a free spirit who was loads of fun.The ending was not entirely unpredictable, but twists and turns are not what this book is about. It's about exploring the intricacies of various relationships and forgiveness. Can Faith forgive people who have wronged her? Is forgiveness really necessary to truly move on with your life after you've been hurt? Can being introspective about our own feelings blind us to everything else in the world around us? All of these are touched upon with a lightly humorous touch. I found myself laughing many times. The ending was satisfying and made sense for all the characters and their quirks.I kind of thought we'd get to the actual explanation of the abduction from the first few pages sooner, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment. Overall, I found this book to be fun and funny, while still providing several things to think about. In the end, I felt like the characters were old friends I would love to keep hanging out with. And I definitely want to know where they are going from here.Copy of book won in website giveaway.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great Chick Lit novel, about life loss, and how to accept yourself and your family. The plot can be a little slow at times, however overall it was a satisfying read. I truly felt for the main character, and wanted her to come out on top in the end.I received this book from the member giveaway program.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I received Following My Toes from the member giveaway program. This is a story about a woman who is left by her boyfriend for her best friend. After the messy breakup she moves to a city where she encounters a crazy roomate, new romances, a stalker and a friend with relationship problems. The story goes through how the main character grows as a person and the overall theme of the book is forgiveness. Overall it was an okay read. It didn't really grab and hold my attention but the plot moved forward nicely but I wished there was better character development. The writing style was off for me, mostly due to switching between the second and third person was awkward. I don't think I would recommend this book to my friends but it wasn't a painful read.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I won this book in a giveaway.For me, the book started out a bit slow, but as I kept reading, I became more engrossed and the story and the characters. I think that the beginning was a bit confusing, but it all makes sense in the end.Faith is a young teacher who is dumped by her boyfriend for her best-friend. Despite her "psychic" abilities, she didn't see this one coming. I would have loved to see more of this psychic idea, but I felt it was very secondary to Faith's character. I liked the title and how it integrated with Faith's "itching in her toes" whenever she felt especially clairvoyant about something.Faith moves to the city from a small town. While she's there, she tries looking for a new job. In the process, she meets several men who are interested in her. She also finds she is being stalked. It was an interesting ride to try and figure out who Faith's stalker was. I also enjoyed her eccentric roommate, Missy, and her sister Margaret. All of the characters worked well in the overall story.I have to admit that I am a sap for love stories. Faith is particularly find of a mechanic named Ethan, but their relationship is volatile. I think they fought a lot (too much?), but it could have been because they were too similar. In the end, I would have liked to see more of them together.Overall, I think this is a good read for those that are really into "chick lit". It was a light and fun read.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I can't tell whether I ended up liking or disliking this book. I could be biased because I this isn't the type of book I usually enjoy. I had a hard time getting into it, but once I did I was curious to see how it ended and read if real fast after Though, the ending was anticlimactic in my my opinion. It was interesting in a uniquely odd way. The actual text itself was kinda weird, too. Not one of my favorite books, but it wasn't bad.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great read! I truly liked the main character, Faith. I felt like I could relate to her and her issues with feeling too self involved, when actually as an outsider reading in, I felt the other characters were being too hard on her. I liked the reference in Chapter 3 to Sweet Valley High books and eating Ramen & Tang, this made the character very REAL. The twist in the story near the end was not completely unexpected but the author still kept you guessing through out the book. This book was funny and inelligent, and I would read it again.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I guess Laurel Osterkamp's novel can be best described as chick-lit with a serious undertone. Girl (who gets itchy toes when something good's about to happen) gets dumped just to find out her guy fell in love with her best friend. What sounds like a run-of-the-mill plot is actually an engaging journey of self-discovery, learning to let go and learning forgiveness. What I liked the most about this novel was that it was not only entertaining to read but how, despite of the genres tendency to give you happy endings, this one has a realistic, open ending.As far as the characters go I could sympathize with Faith all the way through. While the other characters were distinct and well drawn some were also a bit "over the top", but that was obviously the intention of the author. Bottom line is that both the plot and the cast make this a wonderful reading material for a lazy afternoon. In short: An enjoyable, touching and fun read!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I read this back to back with a novel by the author's daughter (Following my toes), and this was most definitely the better of the two; better thought out, more organized, more coherant plot. (I think this is probably a reflection of maturity). The whole concept of "The Contact Project", made this a unique & interesting read, that was what kept me most intrigued. A murder mystery with a contact-the-dead twist. The heroine was plucky, or pushy, whichever way you would take it--but it served her well. It reminded me of Agatha Christie in some ways, there were so many red herrings and sub-plots going on...clever, certainly kept me guessing. I found it to be intelligent & thoughtful. The food & scenery descriptions bring a lot to the table (ha ha), I did appreciate them and it gave the book a great context. Made me want to visit Boulder.Thank you! I would read another book by this author.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cleo is a grief therapist, one who combines her skills in psychology with the paranormal. Through her practice, she connects loved ones with the recently deceased through a combination of soul searching, meditating, and the paranormal. When Sharon is referred to her by a friend, Cleo is in for more than she bargained for. With an unusual and quirky cast of characters, this book kept me up reading all night long. I definitely enjoyed the myriad of twists and turns, as well as the author's writing style. Overall, this was a home run!
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Wow. I got this book by accident, and I’m glad I did. A nifty little mystery that was a quick, but enjoyable read. Adam Meyer takes a hike in the Grand Canyon, and meets his end there.His wife Sharon feels that he has been murdered, bring in Cleo Sims a grief counselor and medium. She helps unravel the mystery that will have you keep you guess, throw in a few other interesting characters and you will be unable to put the book down!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Loved this! I love the main charector, Cleo, the grief counselor. I would love to read more books with her in it. The twist and sub plots were great, keeps you on your toes.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good story, good characters, good read. This is an enjoyable read with twists and turns enough to engage the reader and make it a page turner, not in an epic over dramatic way but in a steady, believable, wanting more kind of way. Cleo and Tyler make an interesting murder mystery solving duo. I look forward to reading her next novel.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Too Near the Edge, by Lynn Osterkamp, is an interesting story about trust, lost, and suspicion. This book tells the story primarily of Cleo and Sharon, a psychic and a widow who are trying to unravel the mystery of Sharon’s late husband’s death. Lynn Osterkamp did a sensational job of developing her characters. She does a great job of raising suspicions with many of the characters, which makes it truly difficult to guess which person could be responsible for Sharon's husband’s death. Each time the evidence begins to lead to one character, Osterkamp presents new information about another character that raises one's suspicions all over again. There were a few grammatical errors here and there, and the end leaves one wondering what happens to a few of the characters, but the plot of this story certainly made up for it. Too Near the Edge does a great job of keeping its audience in suspense and keeps one guessing throughout. Once again, Osterkamp does a great job.Theme: 5Narration: 5Character Development: 5Plot: 5Setting: 4Style: 4.5
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Too Near the Edge, by Lynn Osterkamp, is an interesting story about trust, lost, and suspicion. This book tells the story primarily of Cleo and Sharon, a psychic and a widow who are trying to unravel the mystery of Sharon’s late husband’s death. Lynn Osterkamp did a sensational job of developing her characters. She does a great job of raising suspicions with many of the characters, which makes it truly difficult to guess which person could be responsible for Sharon's husband’s death. Each time the evidence begins to lead to one character, Osterkamp presents new information about another character that raises one's suspicions all over again. There were a few grammatical errors here and there, and the end leaves one wondering what happens to a few of the characters, but the plot of this story certainly made up for it. Too Near the Edge does a great job of keeping its audience in suspense and keeps one guessing throughout. Once again, Osterkamp does a great job.Theme: 5Narration: 5Character Development: 5Plot: 5Setting: 4Style: 4.5
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I was on edge (hehe nice pun) the whole book wondering who the hell was the killer, or was there even a killer? Ahh, good plot twist. An accident is what starts this story off, or was it murder? Either way a sad man died by falling into the Grand Canyon (don't get me started on the dissection of this). A prologue that already starts you thinking. Fast forward a few months to our introduction to Cleopatra Sims, Cleo to her friends, a grief counsellor who has an unusual element to her practice. It's called the Contact Project and it allows grieving family members the opportunity to possibly contact their deceased loved ones. Not in the hokey John Edwards, Sylvia Brown way, but in a more scientific way - a single occupant in a darkened room reclining in a chair staring in a dark mirror. I'll be honest I didn't find this hokey in the least! It seemed a more New Age scrying method than a seance style. Now Ms. Cleo (yes I know what I just did there) has a small independent practice and screens her applicants to her project with the utmost care. There are a few (bazillion) out there that would scoff at the idea of giving closure to a person in grief in such a un-institutionalized way. Yet she strives to offer the best care and support she can. Sharon is a newly widowed woman who believes that her husband was murdered and did not accidentally fall into the Grand Canyon. She starts seeing Cleo in the hopes that her dearly departed will tell her what happened and give her some closure. Alas no murder mystery is that simple to solve. Lynn gives us three suspects, all with excellent reasons for wanting Sharon's husband dead (yet the end shocked me, never truly saw that coming). There is of course the normal sub plots to any good mystery and I found Lynn's ability to tie it all together and keep the stories separate remarkable. I also found the psychic, new age aspects of the story plausible and helping to make the story move smoothly. I don't believe there was a moment where I scoffed (and I do at some psychic stuff). I loved the introduction of Tyler, a complex spirit who stalks Cleo and talks in surfer riddles. Their repertoire was witty and exasperating at the same time.The twists, runs and blind sides were awesome and I found myself unable to put it down (alas I did when I needed to). I look forward to the next book and can't wait to see what new mystery Cleo and Tyler find themselves in.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book was well done all the way around. The characters were believable, the plot was suspenseful, and it was well edited. The main character, Cleo, was so relatable and I just couldn't wait to see what she was going to do next. I will definitely be reading the next book in her series.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cleo is a grief counselor who specializes in helping her patients make contact with those who have died. When Cleo's friend Elisa asks her to talk to Sharon, a friend who has recently lost her husband in a tragic accident, Cleo has no idea what she is in for. Helping Sharon definitely complicates Cleo's life and takes her on an adventure she will never forget. A great read with wonderful characters!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I actually read the second book in the series first sunday am and than went back and read this book. Either one are complete stand alone stories with some same characters but the ones involved in mystery were different. I actually stayed up till 1:00am mon to finsh this book.I like Cleo character but not too impressed with her boyfriends.Cleo is a grievence councler and has a specail trust that is free to help people connect too their dead ones. She sets it up and the person does the rest if they see someone great sometimes its not who they are trying to contact. Cleo gets involved with the people she's around with and trys to fix things. Tyler is a surfer dude deceased who comes in with surfer language and points her to someone to help. She did not know Tyler when he was alive.the story has lots of twists and turns I was wrong on guessing who the murderer was. I was given this ebook in exchange for honest review.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cleo is a psychologist who helps people work through their grief issues. In some instances she helps her patients attempt to contact the person in the spirit world. Sharon recently lost her husband when he fell to his death at the Grand Canyon but she is convinced that he was murdered and didn't simply have an unfortunate accident. These two great characters, along with others, work to unravel the mystery of how Sharon's husband died and ended up with a much bigger mystery than then had imagined.This was a great book that I couldn't put down. I would highly recommend it. Thank you LibraryThing.com and Lynn Osterkamp for this great book!