The Thing About Home by: Rhonda McKnight

 The Thing About Home

Author: Rhonda McKnight

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publish Date: May 9, 2023

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Casey Black is known worldwide as @YourGirlCaseyB, a famous influencer. However, when her life falls apart in front of millions of followers, she is humiliated and doesn't know where to turn. Her overbearing mother/ manager is too much to handle. Her husband wants a divorce.

Casey leaves New York City for the Lowcountry of South Carolina searching for her father's family. Her mother has never allowed her to meet them or even know about them. 

Arriving in South Carolina, she finds the family she never knew. Through her Great-grandmother's journals, she learns the history of her family and their 300-acre farm in Georgetown. The slow-paced lifestyle, delicious food, and love of a family bring healing to her heart and soul. 

As old family secrets come out and she learns the truth about her life, Casey has to make some choices. This is her story.

I truly enjoyed reading this book! I love the South Carolina Lowcountry. The Gullah-Geechee culture is fascinating and beautiful The food is amazing. McKnight truly captures the beauty of the region and the people who call it home. The characters are well-rounded. I could see the people, the land, and the food. 

I don't read many books with romance as a key player. However, this one was a joy to read. I look forward to reading more books by Rhonda Mcknight. She brings the beauty of the region and its people to all of us through her words.

Read this book if...

...you love southern fiction

...you love stories about the South Carolina Lowcountry

...you love feel-good stories

...you are interested in the Gulla-Geechee culture

...you love romance

...you love starting-over stories

Palmetto Moon: A Lowcountry Novel

Title: Palmetto Moon: A Lowcountry Novel Author: Kim Boykin Publisher: Berkley Pages: 320 2014

From Amazon:

June, 1947. Charleston is poised to celebrate the biggest wedding in high-society history, the joining of two of the oldest families in the city. Except the bride is nowhere to be found…

Unlike the rest of the debs she grew up with, Vada Hadley doesn’t see marrying Justin McLeod as a blessing—she sees it as a life sentence. So when she finds herself one day away from a wedding she doesn’t want, she’s left with no choice but to run away from the future her parents have so carefully planned for her.

In Round O, South Carolina, Vada finds independence in the unexpected friendships she forms at the boarding house where she stays, and a quiet yet fulfilling courtship with the local diner owner, Frank Darling. For the first time in her life, she finally feels like she’s where she’s meant to be. But when her dear friend Darby hunts her down, needing help, Vada will have to confront the life she gave up—and decide where her heart truly belongs.

This is a sweet, fairy-tale type story. It isn't entirely believable, but sometimes we all just want a happy ending. The characters were a little flat and stereotypical. The main character was not really likable- spoiled and self absorbed, she takes a job as a teacher but conveniently never steps into a classroom for the entire novel. That being said, this is a cute, fast beach read. It isn't bad at all. It isn't deep, but it isn't meant to be. When you need a light, quick, simple read with a happy ending, this is the one.

Read this story if...

*you love southern fiction

*you love fairy tales

*you love quick, light reads

*you love a happy ending

The Wisdom of Hair

Title: The Wisdom of Hair Author: Kim Boykin Publisher: Berkley Books Pages: 292

From Amazon:

“The problem with cutting your own hair is that once you start, you just keep cutting, trying to fix it, and the truth is, some things can never be fixed. The day of my daddy’s funeral, I cut my bangs until they were the length of those little paintbrushes that come with dime-store watercolor sets. I was nine years old. People asked me why I did it, but I was too young then to know I was changing my hair because I wanted to change my life.”

In 1983, on her nineteenth birthday, Zora Adams finally says goodbye to her alcoholic mother and their tiny town in the mountains of South Carolina. Living with a woman who dresses like Judy Garland and brings home a different man each night is not a pretty existence, and Zora is ready for life to be beautiful.

With the help of a beloved teacher, she moves to a coastal town and enrolls in the Davenport School of Beauty. Under the tutelage of Mrs. Cathcart, she learns the art of fixing hair, and becomes fast friends with the lively Sara Jane Farquhar, a natural hair stylist. She also falls hard for handsome young widower Winston Sawyer, who is drowning his grief in bourbon. She couldn’t save Mama, but maybe she can save him.

As Zora practices finger waves, updos, and spit curls, she also comes to learn that few things are permanent in this life—except real love, lasting friendship, and, ultimately… forgiveness. 

When I fist began this book, I was immediately taken in by Zora and her escape from life with her Judy-Garland-obsessed alcoholic mother. However, as Zora embarked on life in her new apartment and began beauty school, I started feeling like this was going to be another star-crossed romance in which a woman hitches her star to the first handsome man she sees and they all live happily ever after. In her quest to "save" Winston from his alcoholism, Zora very nearly loses herself. Fortunately, she comes to her senses (but I won't include spoilers).The story also paints an excellent picture of the many facets of alcohol and it's use (and abuse). Honestly, this one didn't leave me hanging on the edge of my seat. However, it was interesting enough to continue with. I'd definitely like to see a sequel. I'd like to know what happens to Zora in the future- whether she continues with her independence or succumbs to her mother's way of "living her life like it wasn't worth anything unless she had a man under her roof."

Read this book if...

*you love southern fiction

*you love stories of friendship

*you love stories of finding strength and independence in the face of adversity

Looking for Me

Title: Looking for Me Author: Beth Hoffman Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

I read this book in ebook form on my Kindle.

From Amazon:

Beth Hoffman’s bestselling debut, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, won admirers and acclaim with its heartwarming story and cast of unforgettable characters. Now her unique flair for evocative settings and richly drawn Southern personalities shines in her compelling new novel, Looking for Me.

Teddi Overman found her life’s passion for furniture in a broken-down chair left on the side of the road in rural Kentucky. She learns to turn other people’s castoffs into beautifully restored antiques, and eventually finds a way to open her own shop in Charleston. There, Teddi builds a life for herself as unexpected and quirky as the customers who visit her shop.  Though Teddi is surrounded by remarkable friends and finds love in the most surprising way, nothing can alleviate the haunting uncertainty she’s felt in the years since her brother Josh’s mysterious disappearance. When signs emerge that Josh might still be alive, Teddi is drawn home to Kentucky.  It’s a journey that could help her come to terms with her shattered family—and to find herself at last.  But first she must decide what to let go of and what to keep.

Looking for Me brilliantly melds together themes of family, hope, loss, and a mature once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. 

After reading Saving CeCe Honeycutt I eagerly awaited this novel. (I STILL say that CeCe should be a movie.) 

Although drastically different from her first novel, Looking for Me is still a great book in it's own right. It is an interesting look at the impact of following ones dreams against all odds as well as the effect of having one's dreams taken away. The novel also delivers a powerful message about animal cruelty. 

Teddi is a likable character. She makes mistakes, had to work for all she has, and loves dogs. :) I think Teddi's relationship with her mother is a powerful part of the storyline. I don't want to include spoilers, but finding out about Franny's life (toward the end of the book) makes her character much easier to understand.

I think Beth Hoffman is a great  southern writer. This novel has a great storyline which doesn't rely on silly romance or fairytale endings. (I HATE novels that do that.) I will eagerly await her next book.

Read this book if:

*you love southern fiction

* you love novels about families

*you love stories with a bit of mystery to them

*you feel strongly about animal cruelty and wildlife preservation