Bad Luck Cadet by Suzie Ivy

Reviewed by Lindsey



Surfing my pixelink.com site, I came across Suzie Ivy's book.  The cover was pink with what looked like a frightened blond babe on it. The name...uummm...Bad Cadet? There are so many ways one can interpret this.

At the age of twenty-five you have your whole life in front of you. When you’re forty-four years old, forty pounds overweight, and laying in bed with a broken hip, what do you have? Depression, red wine and no future, or so Suzie Ivy thought.

An advertisement on a drugstore bulletin board changed Suzie’s thinking and lands her in the police academy. Was she out of her mind? No, and she decided to live up to the challenge. The biggest question; is the Police Academy ready for Suzie Ivy?  (Amazon description)

I needed this book like diabetic needs insulin. The timing for it was fantastic. I always thought I would be in a profession that kept me physical and made a difference. Even though I love my co-workers, ending up in a office is the last place I would have ever imagined myself to be. I have a princess schedule. I work 5-6 hours a day, and it has a tendency to feel like 12. I certainly don't hate it , but being in a office is so far from where I should be. It works for what I need to do for now.

I'm not going to lie, I have thought,"Well, I'm 38.  That ship has sailed. I have 3 kids. Woe is me." Then I read Suzie Ivy's memoir.  Holy cow!! It's not too late, folks. You just have to want it, and tell your family to get over it.  You're doing it.

Suzie was nothing if not honest. This wasn't a woman who came into the academy, guns blazing (the scene where she screamed after shooting a gun..HAHAHAHA!!). The physical tests she had to endure were unbelievable. I found her age to be a bonus; only someone in her forties would laugh when a  police instructor (Drill Sergent) is screaming a insult regarding her hair. It was funny, but boy, did she pay. I would have laughed too.

I couldn't believe Suzie's ability to keep her temper in check. There were moments where some folks sounded like smart mouthed teenage girls.

The police procedure was interesting also. My husband said it was similar to fire academy, as I had to read some of this to him due to the fact he will not read one blasted book.

There were very touching moments regarding her family and one of her fellow cadets.

I am not one who usually reads memoirs as I tend to choose escapism (murder, zombies, healthy stuff), but this was a great read.

Now boys...I know it's pink, and I know it looks girly, but load it on your Kindle or smarty pants phones and no one will ever know. This is a book everyone will enjoy.

Even though Suzie routinely states that she came in last in many of the physical tests, in my mind she came out first. Honestly, she kind of puts Wonder Woman to shame.

Book #2 comes out soon. I believe she said it is about her first year at the police station.  Look for it.