Review: A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 336
Released: 2012
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 4/5



Synopsis:

Big, the grandmother and matriarch of the family, honestly believes that something bad is about to happen. Every 15 years, something shocks the family; Big got pregnant with Liza when she was 15 years old, Liza had Mosey when she was 15 years old, and Liza suffered a massive strong when she was 30 years old. Mosey has just turned 15, and everyone wonders if she will make the same mistakes. Mosey is on her toes, praying she makes the right choices. It would be too much to break her grandmother’s heart. When Big announces that she will install an outside pool to help with Liza’s recovery, Mosey is adamant that the willow tree not be cut down. That willow tree is Liza’s favorite tree, and Mosey knows that Liza would not agree to cut it down. Big will do anything to help Liza, and she decides the tree has to go. The day the tree is cut down turns the Solcumbs women’s lives upside down; a small silver box is found and inside the box are the bones of a tiny baby, wrapped in a blanket.



Review:

This was my first experience with Joshilyn Jackson, and it was a great experiences. The tone of the book was very conversational, and real. Jackson depicts her characters as strong, independent women who despite their hardships want the best for each other. Although, much of the story is dealing with struggles and secrets, Jackson manages to lighten the book with laugh-out-loud scenes.

I loved the characters of this novel. Mosey is fifteen, as long as she can remember her mother and grandmother have warned her about teenage pregnancy. Despite the fact that she is not sexually active, she hides pregnancy tests to ease her mind. Dealing with her mother’s stroke has not been easy on Mosey, Liza was always the life of the party and now she can barely speak. Liza may have made some big mistakes in her past, but her love for Mosey and Big shines through. Big was my favorite, she was strong, and the root of her family. At fifteen, she raised Liza the best she could, always putting her first.

A Grown-up Kind of Pretty spans three generations, and has a little something for everyone. Three very detailed and multi-layered characters make it very easy for readers to connect with someone. I’m one of those readers who really need to connect with the characters, if I don’t like the characters I have a hard time enjoying this novel. Usually, when I read a story told in different perspectives, I tend to enjoy one more than the other. In this case, I enjoyed all three. The story is absorbing, relatable, and captivating. I recommend this one, and I’d love to explore some of her other novels.

Review: Yankee Doodle Dixie by Lisa Patton

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Pages: 304
Released: 2011
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 3.75/5



Synopsis:

Leelee Satterfield began her journey in Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter and she’s back in Yankee Doodle Dixie. Leelee did want any good Southern wife should do, she left home and followed her husband to Vermont, where he dreamed to own and operate a local inn. Unfortunately, he also found himself a much older, rich girlfriend and left Leelee and their daughters behind. Leelee was left to take care of their daughters, and deal with the inn. She did her best to keep the inn opened, it would break her heart to lose all of her father’s money. When an offer came up to have the inn sold, Leelee jumped at the opportunity to return south. She needed to pick up the pieces of her life, and salvage what was left. She simply was not cut out for winter, she needed to go home. Now, a single mother Leelee has to provide for her daughters. She has no family left but she leans on her supportive friends and childhood housekeeper. As Leelee tries to settle into her old but new life, she keeps thinking about a certain gentleman who kissed her before she left.



Review:

I loved Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter and I couldn’t wait to start Yankee Doodle Dixie. While I enjoyed the first book more, I wasn’t disappointed in Yankee Doodle Dixie. The heart of the novel was still there, and that was Leelee. I loved her spirit and tenacity. The introduction of Kissie, Leelee’s childhood maid was wonderful. I really enjoyed their interaction, and Kissie is a great character. She’s quite frank when she wants to be. Fourteen months running the inn, was more than enough for Leelee but coming back without her husband raises questions and she’s not ready to tell everyone that Baker left her for an older woman. Gossip runs rampant in a small town, and Leelee tries to remain focused on raising her daughters.

Divorce is not an easy subject, but Lisa Patton does an incredible job keeping the novel light and entertaining. Both novels were a great escape, and I will keep Patton on my radar. The pace was fast, and I easily fell back into Leelee’s world. I was rooting for her the whole time, and I wanted her to have her happily ever after. I would recommend reading the Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter first, although Yankee Doodle Dixie can be read as a standalone. Leelee has grown tremendously, and you can really see the different between both books. I highly recommend this one, great characters, great setting and best friends any girl would hope to have.

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Review: The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew

Publisher: Kensington
Pages: 352
Released: 2011
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5/5





Synopsis:

The Dry Grass of August is a heartfelt story about segregation and racial injustices in the South during the 1950’s. A thirteen-year-old June “Jubie” Watts leaves Charlotte, North Carolina with her mother, three siblings and black maid for a family vacation in Florida. While on their road trip, their maid Mary is not allowed in certain restaurants, hotel accommodations become more difficult, despite Jubie’s mother trying to keep Mary with the family. In many ways Jubie’s family is ahead of the times, and very accepting of Mary. They allow her to use their toilet, shower and try to include her as much as possible. She is more than just the help, she’s a member of the family. For as long as Jubie can remember, Mary has always been there. She’s always been around for the cooking and cleaning, and to run interference when her father’s rage has peaked. On their trip South, they drive though some of the the most violent pro-segregation states. As Jubie notices the segregation signs, and anti-equality slogans, she never would have guessed how unfair life could be. The family learns first-hand that they’re in the minority on their equal treatment of their maid. On their way back from Florida, the family has a minor car accident with consequences far greater than could be expected. No one could have predicted the shocking conclusion of their vacation, the family is forever changed and heartbroken.


Review:

The Dry Grass of August is a novel rich in atmosphere, and well developed characters. Mayhew carefully researched, and weaved an emotional, heartbreaking and powerful read. Readers are taken back to a time and place when African Americans were considered second-class citizens. This is not just another book about segregation, this novel stands on its own and readers will appreciate the original characters and plot. As Jubie’s world begins to unravel, she must confront her parents, risk the wrath of her father and standup for her own convictions. While segregation is a key component of this novel, Jubie’s parents marriage is strained, and this has a great impact on her. Her father’s alcoholism has Jubie relived to be spending time away from him.

Jubie narrates the story, alternating chapters with present-day and defining moments in her childhood. The alternating chapters really gives insight into Jubie’s world. She’s thirteen years old, and still very innocent. Although, not so innocent that she is not aware of her surroundings. Mayhew offers a broader and deeper examination of family dynamics, and class differences during this time in history.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked this one up. I had read reviews comparing it to “The Help” and honestly, they’re two very different, equally great, works of fiction. They both deal with segregation, but very different ways. I highly recommend this one!

Review: Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter by Lisa Patton

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books

Pages: 320

Source: Personal Copy

Rating: 4.5/5

Leelee Satterfield is a Southern belle, born and bred in Memphis, Tennessee. She’s Daddy’s little girl, an Ole Miss alumni, and her best friends have been there since elementary school. She’s married to the man of her dreams and has two beautiful little girls, life couldn’t be better. When her husband announces that he wants to move to Vermont to run an inn, Leelee is flabbergasted. She never thought she would move away from the South, as much as she tries to tell Baker she doesn’t want to go, she wants him to be happy and he won’t take no for an answer. When Leelee decides to make the best it, the inn is nothing like she imagines. She’s literally a fish out of water, and Baker is not helping her adjust. Baker no longer seems to be the man she married. She’s beginning to figure out that she has a lot to learn about Vermont and an Inn business, the climate is just one obstacle to endure. 

Leelee Satterfield captured my heart from the opening pages. She has always depended on a man, first her father and secondly her husband. Leelee never thought she would be left to run the inn on her own, but that’s exactly what happens. Her inheritance is wrapped up in the inn, and she refuses to walk away without her father’s money. She wants nothing more than to return home to her friends, but she must wait. Memphis will be there when she is ready to go home. When Leelee is faced with hardships she really begins to blossom and mature, life in Vermont wasn’t what she expected, but she is determined not to give up. 

Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter is full of southern charm, and I throughly enjoyed each and every page. Leelee’s life will pull at your heart strings, and cause you to laugh out loud. She is a force to be reckoned with and you will be cheering her on. Her strength and tenacity really impressed me. If you’ve lived through a harsh winter, imagine a reluctant Southern belle’s first winter. The inn is a 24/7 business and raising two daughters doesn’t make it any easier. 

The ending doesn’t completely wrap up the story, but Lisa Patton has since released book two called “Yankee Doodle Dixie.” I can’t wait to read this one, and jump back into Leelee’s world. I highly recommend this one. 

Review: Magnolia Wednesdays by Wendy Max

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 432

Source: Personal Ebook

Rating: 5/5

Vivian knows what a good “Southern” woman should do in certain circumstances, but now she’s living in New York and does as she pleases. Vivian works as a journalist and will go above and beyond to get the story she wants, her boyfriend may be across the world but he’s a foreign correspondent and she supports him in his career. When her own career takes an unexpected turn, Vivian finds herself with an embarrassing wound, caught on camera and uploaded to Youtube. Vivian’s life begins to unravel rather quickly. She’s horrified to find that someone has been hired to assist her at work, and Vivian is well aware that she is being pushed out for a younger, “fresher” perspective. Instead of waiting for be fired and training her replacement, she quits and walks out the door. When new job opportunities don’t seem to come as easily as she expects, Vivian takes on a pseudonym and writes about life in suburbia. She relocates to the small town where she grew up in Georgia, and decides to stay with her sister, niece and nephew. As the column begins to become popular in Georgia, Vivian is hoping that she doesn’t become uncovered, but a childhood nemesis is digging into her background. Vivian also has one more secret, she’s pregnant at fourty-one and doesn’t know how to tell anyone, including her boyfriend. 

Magnolia Wednesdays was a heartwarming, comfort read that I desperately wanted to find. A great cozy novel, does a reader good. Wendy Wax created an incredible well rounded novel. The plot, characters, and uncertainty was perfect. As Vivi tries to come to terms with her pregnancy, the clock is ticking and everyone will soon find out whether she wants them to or not, her boyfriend is in war-torn Afghanistan and their lack of communication makes it easier for her to keep the secret, but how long will she wait? When her brother-in-law died two years ago from a hunting accident, Vivian couldn’t stick around to help her sister and she fled the first chance she had. Her niece and nephew are skeptical as to why she is sticking around this time. Her sister is wondering the same thing, but she doesn’t come out and ask her. Vivian is realizing that there is more to small town life then she imagined, she might have shunned this life long ago, but now she is becoming increasingly comfortable. 

The heart of this novel is secrets, how some secrets shouldn’t be kept secret, and how sometimes unraveling secrets can do more harm, and cause more hurt than wanted. It’s a tough line to cross, and Vivian begins to learn this lesson. Sometimes digging around into family business should not be done. Vivian and her sister are becoming closer and bonding, but secrets are about to test the relationship. Can their relationship survive dishonesty? I read Magnolia Wednesdays at the perfect time, and I never wanted to put the book down. I felt invested in the characters and I was rooting for everyone. The secondary characters are as likable and enjoyable as the main characters. Vivian is hilarious, judgmental and incredibly frustrating.  At times you just want to yell at her. I throughly enjoyed Magnolia Wednesdays and this is a great book for those who enjoy a good Southern read.

Review: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Publisher: Penguin
Source: Personal Copy
Pages: 544


The Help is an astounding debut novel told from three very different perspectives. Kathryn Stockett has produced a modern classic of hope, courage, and independence. Once readers dive in, they will immediately be captivated and taken for an emotional ride, not wanting to miss a page. Readers are brought to Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960’s and prejudices are an everyday norm. The civil rights movement is in full bloom. Skeeter, a recent Ole Miss graduate is trying to make it as a journalist, and being a woman makes it that much more impossible. She’s offered a homemaker column, but knows nothing about cleaning. Hoping to write a more substantial topic, Skeeter receives some great advice from a woman in publishing- she is told to write about a topic that hasn’t been written before. Skeeter has a vision to expose the treatment of black maids in the white households. Raised by a black maid, she knows the impact these maids have on the children. Skeeter is appalled when her friends begin to install separate out-door bathrooms for the maids-insisting that it is needed to prevent diseases. Coming out and telling her friends that this is wrong, would surely cast her out of the community. Knowing that this project could potentially endanger those involved, Skeeter will publish anonymously. However, encouraging the maid’s to speak will not be an easy task. Aibileen is the first to agree to assist with the project, and eventually Aibileen is able to onboard Minny. Both maids’ are skeptical since they are unveiling stories from Skeeter’s world, many of them close friends but they bravely go forth with the project as tensions rise in their communities.


I bought this book when it first came out, but I kept putting off reading it. I’m not sure why exactly, maybe I was cynical of all the hype but I’m so sorry that I waited so long. This book has spent many weeks on the bestseller list, and deservingly so. Kathryn Stockett is an incredible writer, with a fascinating ability to engage readers. From the first page, to the last I was rooting for Skeeter. Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter were all in my thoughts when I closed the book. I loved Skeeter’s independence and defiant nature, especially given the times. When her mother is insisting she settle down and marry, Skeeter doesn’t want to settle. She dreams of a different world, but needs to remain central in her world. She’s pulled in two directions, and risks everything. Aibileen and Minny are not as sullen as you would expect. There was never a dull moment, and I read compulsively. If you’ve been putting this book off, I suggest you pick it up and being the first few pages…you’re going to be hooked. I do admit, the end was not what I wanted but honestly but that doesn’t make this any less of a novel.

Review: Miss Hildreth Wore Brown Anecdotes of a Southern Belle by Olivia De Belle Byrd

Author: Olivia DeBelle Byrd
Publisher: Morgan James
Pages: 156
Source: Author
Category: Southern Fiction
Rating: 5/5

“Miss Hildreth Wore Brown: Anecdotes of a Southern Belle” is an absolutely hilarious read. We all have stories about our upbringing, the stereotypes, the new generation vs the old generation and the influences of others in our lives. We love recounting the hilarious stories about individuals in our towns. After telling her stories verbally over and over for years, Olivia finally puts pen to paper, and delivers a fascinating read. Olivia deBelle Byrd picks her readers up and drops her readers into a Southern world. A world filled with traditions, and laugh-out loud stories. Stories that will leave you thinking, and have you recollecting your own stories. Each chapter is a short fun filled chapter, one that will leave you laughing and learning from her lessons. A self-proclaimed “directionally challenged” individual, Olivia recounts driving her son to soccer practice, but ending up in the wrong state. Her husbands response when she asks why he never gave the correct directions, “I didn’t think you knew where west was.” Yes, Olivia’s husband is always ready with an answer. After her husband asks her to purchase blue or brown pants. OIivia responds with “Marine blue, navy blue, dark blue, chocolate brown, mocha brown, latte brown?” I wonder what my husband would say...Imagine her husbands shock when he learns Ice Cream is no longer 25 cents a scoop and Chanel No.5 is not cheap. Imagine his horror when she pretends the bottle spills to the ground...

This book is not written solely for the Southern reader, everyone can relate and enjoy this book. A Fun, fast-paced, hysterical read. This is one that you will pick up, and not want to end. It’s all of 150 pages, so you may want to ration the stories.