Sometimes when life gets too overwhelming, all you want to do is run away! For New Yorker Desiree Christian-Cohen, life had reached the breaking point a long time ago. Her father left her mother for another man, her mother was unhappy about having to care for her ailing father, and her less-than-committed boyfriend, Nick, is driving her nuts. So, Desiree does what any slightly crazed young woman would do -- she closes her eyes, points to a spot on the map, and takes off for a summer adventure...in Honey Creek, Kansas -- population, 1,623.

In Lucy Jackson's clever coming-of-age novel SLICKER, the ups and downs of a young woman's life as she tries to decide just what she wants out of life makes for a captivating story that is heartwarming and satisfying. Arriving in Honey Creek, Desiree is soon the center of attention as the only person from New York to ever visit the small Midwest town, not to mention the only Jewish person (or in Desiree's case, half Jewish). She meets a slew of unusual folks by hanging out at the Sweet Tooth Café, but her heart rate really picks up when the gorgeous Bobby McVicar walks through the door and straight into Desiree's heart.

The son of charming old hippies, Bobby is fascinated with the Desiree's sophisticated airs, but deep down inside he finds a sweet girl who is loving and caring, and just what he has been waiting for all his life. As the couple get to know one another, they fall in love -- but will their vast differences and upbringings be too much to overcome for their love to have a chance to blossom?

SLICKER is one of the sweetest novels I've had the pleasure of reading, with charming characters, and a delightful and funny romance which combines to make a novel that is sure to please big city and small town readers alike.