Courting Greta

By: Ramsey Hootman

Narrated by: Daniel McColly

Samuel Cooke knows most women wouldn't give him a second glance even if he were the last man on earth. He's the cripple with crutches, the nerdy computer genius every female past puberty feels compelled to mother. So when he leaves his lucrative career to teach programming to high schoolers, romance definitely isn't on his radar.

Perhaps that's why Greta Cassamajor catches him off guard. The sarcastic gym coach with zero sense of humor is no beauty - not even on the inside. But an inexplicably kind act toward Samuel makes him realize she is interesting.

Samuel is certain she won't accept his invitation to dinner - so when she does, he's out of his depth. All he knows is that he'll do whatever it takes to keep her as long as he can. Pretending he's got his class under control? Easy. Being vulnerable enough to admit why he ditched his programming career for teaching? Um, no. That would require honesty. And if there's one thing Samuel can't exist without, it's the lies he tells himself.

In this poignant, witty debut, Ramsey Hootman upends traditional romance tropes to weave a charming tale of perseverance, trust, and slightly conditional love.

©2013 Simon & Schuster (P)2018 Ramsey Hootman

I'd give 10 stars if I could!

I gave this book 5 stars, but I would give it 10 stars if I could! Courting Greta is like no other book that I've read. Ms. Hootman takes two characters that are neither physically attractive or outgoing and both extremely hardheaded and puts them in the most unlikely romance--and it works beautifully.
Samuel is a small man who uses crutches and/or a wheel chair because he suffers from spina bifida, which didn't show symptoms until late childhood. I found it interesting that he had a normal life physically up until that time. In a way, he's had two totally different lives. Ms. Hootman did not shy away from submerging the reader into the everyday struggles and harsh medical aspects of the condition.
Samuel is attracted to Greta, who seems to be his polar opposite. She is a robust gym teacher who is as brash as Samuel is timid. Under it all, she has a hidden past and hidden yearnings that make Samuel perhaps the perfect man for her. The revelations at the end took me by surprise and made this a gloriously shining star (or 10 stars) of a book. It really blew me away!
The narration by Daniel McColly was fantastic! His voice and the manner in which he delivered Greta's lines were different and made such an impact on the story.
10 stars!

Real Good Read!

I found this story to be really good. The author did a really good job addressing the abuse that Sam endured as a child and adult from his father. The characters of Greta and Sam seemed to flow endlessly. I would love to hear about their lives after marriage and if justice was finally ever served to Sam's father or Greta's rapists. The narrator did a great job with their characters. This was my first book by this author but will definitely not be my last! I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Great Narration, Wonderfully written snark!

Really well done narration!! I don't normally like male narrators interpretation of female voices, Daniel McColly in my opinion gave Greta just the voice I would have imagined. Great story, I would have purchased the kindle edition of this book. "I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

More like, Greta’s endurance of Sam’s courtship

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Great job creating two awkward adults navigating the dating scene. Very original plan of attack to the storyline. I didn’t get a good visual description but the dialogs and situations were painfully hysterical. Sam’s handicap rendered his legs almost useless so he had to use crutches or at least a cane to carefully navigate. Any uneven ground was difficult. Sam is technically brilliant and is part owner to a very successful company but wants a simpler lifestyle. He accepts a position as a substitute teacher teaching teens computer basics. His first day he encountered Greta, an Amazon of a gym teacher. For no explicable reason, he is drawn to her and she reluctantly agrees to a relationship. Things start to drag here as the storyline gets way too much milage from Sam’s handicap. He falls, he gets picked on, he gets carried, he gets sick, he is full of self pity.... and it just goes on and on. Seriously. Too much. Greta has social issues and is blunt as a doorknob but is portrayed as smart, selfless and brave. Two very different people who can actually put up with one another.

Daniel McCoy was perfect!

👏🏻 Applause, 👏🏻 Applause, and 👍🏻 One Thumb

Re-edited; a quirky but so human love story.

Discovering that a portion of CH16 had been deleted, the error has since been corrected ensuring this one-of-a-kind tale of faults and foibles, reward and redemption may be enjoyed to the fullest. It's a "can't put it down" listen!