Review: Flibbertigibbet by Willa Okati

Author: Willa Okati

Pages/Word Count: 96 Pages

At a Glance: This was a wonderfully pleasant, light, quick read.

Reviewed By: Jules

Blurb: Is Donovan ready to leave routine behind and take a chance on a flirtatious flibbertigibbet?

Donovan thought he had his life all planned out. He knew where he was headed, and how he’d get there. Might not have been the most exciting life, but it was safe. Sensible. Practical. Just what he wanted.

That was before his house burned down in a freak accident. Now, Donovan’s life is all about crash space on a friend’s houseboat and entertaining the antics of his new neighbor and marina maintenance man Leaf. If Leaf ever takes anything seriously in his life, he shows no signs of it. He’s loquacious, outrageous, and not even a little shy. Absolutely not the kind of man Donovan had thought he’d fall for before he tipped head over heels for the flibbertigibbet’s offbeat charm.

When it comes down to a choice between sensible and scandalous, is Donovan really ready to leave routine behind and take the plunge into deep water?

“Good God, the things he could do with a wink. Some men couldn’t get that much come-hither packed into the verbal offer of a blow job, free of charge.” – Willa Okati

Review: The charm of Flibbertigibbet starts with the title – how can you go wrong with a nod to The Sound of Music? – and flows through the story, largely thanks to the exuberant joy of the book’s resident free-spirit, Leaf.

Leaf is such a fun, appealing character. He is exactly what Donovan needs in his life, and at exactly the right time. Donovan is very uptight; frankly, I wondered why Leaf continued to bother at times. Buuuut, luckily for Donovan, Leaf sees something in him and continues his pursuit, bringing on some of the most fun scenes in the book.

I loved the setting of the marina. There is something so relaxing and cheerful about houseboats; it was a great choice of location for Donovan to recover from his recent trauma. The descriptions of the marina are fantastic, especially when it was decked out by Leaf for the monthly get-together for the residents. I also really liked Donovan’s friend Eve, whose boat Donovan is staying on. She brings some nice levity to the story as well.

As is a common issue with many short stories, things get a bit rushed toward the end – though, I have to say, I absolutely loved the moment where everything “clicks” for Donovan. Even as it became clear we were heading to that tidy wrap-up at the end, because he had been having such a rough go, Donovan’s epiphany was an especially cool moment. In fact, Okati had a nice, breezy style throughout, which I definitely enjoyed. This was a wonderfully pleasant, light, quick read.