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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
Man. I definitely wanted to like this book more than I did. There were elements of it that I really enjoyed! The small-town vibe and the cast of eclectic minor characters was really fun. But part of what took away from the enjoyment for me was the romantic subplot. It took too much of the story and there was so much angst involved. I didn’t see how it could possibly end happily for any of the characters. It was just overall very distracting from the really compelling storyline of saving Mountain View.
I also didn’t like how the town (and Hattie’s parents) treated her most of the time. First of all, why did she need to sign the petition so bad? She doesn’t even live there. If she didn’t HAPPEN to be in town, they wouldn’t be chasing her down in Charlotte to get her to sign, right?? And everyone was just making her feel so guilty for trying to do HER JOB. The thing she gets PAID TO DO. She can’t go ahead and lose her income just because her parents have lost theirs! I just felt like everyone was so judgy but I would have felt the same way as Hattie. Which made it hard for me when she started having a change of heart and priorities. I didn’t really feel like her heart or priorities were askew in the first place, so it soured the later parts of the book for me.
Overall, there were some really delightful parts to this book. However, there were too many things that didn’t sit right with me which kept me from really loving it.
Note: I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I also didn’t like how the town (and Hattie’s parents) treated her most of the time. First of all, why did she need to sign the petition so bad? She doesn’t even live there. If she didn’t HAPPEN to be in town, they wouldn’t be chasing her down in Charlotte to get her to sign, right?? And everyone was just making her feel so guilty for trying to do HER JOB. The thing she gets PAID TO DO. She can’t go ahead and lose her income just because her parents have lost theirs! I just felt like everyone was so judgy but I would have felt the same way as Hattie. Which made it hard for me when she started having a change of heart and priorities. I didn’t really feel like her heart or priorities were askew in the first place, so it soured the later parts of the book for me.
Overall, there were some really delightful parts to this book. However, there were too many things that didn’t sit right with me which kept me from really loving it.
Note: I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is novel is a sweet story of coming home to deal with issues and seeing what keeps you coming back. There were more twists in this story than I expected so this kept me interested through the end. This is a perfect summer read for the beach or the porch!
Thank you Net Galley, Joy Callaway and Alcove Press for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.
Sing Me Home To Carolina is expected to be released June 10, 2025 just in time for summer reading!
Thank you Net Galley, Joy Callaway and Alcove Press for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.
Sing Me Home To Carolina is expected to be released June 10, 2025 just in time for summer reading!
Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in an exchange for an honest review.
4.5/ 5 stars
The summary really grabbed my attention because it had drama, romance and a woman choosing between 2 different men for her ❤️ heart.
This closed door romance book has a lot of my favorite tropes:
❤️ Love Triangle
4.5/ 5 stars
The summary really grabbed my attention because it had drama, romance and a woman choosing between 2 different men for her ❤️ heart.
This closed door romance book has a lot of my favorite tropes:
❤️ Love Triangle
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It started off a tad cheesy. Suuuper small town. Like I can't relate it's so small. I wasn't sure if I would like it or want to keep reading. I have to say it grew on me quickly and I'm glad I kept going. I started getting into the quirky town characters and story. And I feel like it's always good if I'm left wanting a sequel with more of the characters and story...like a vacation I don't want to leave. I love a book with character growth and I feel this book had some nice moments there. I would have like to see more from Hattie other than just managing the chaos around her. But hey sometimes that all you can do in life...ride the wave. This wasn't a 5 star read but a solid 3.5-4. Just an enjoyable book to read!
A big thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Mark your calendars....Available June 10, 2025!!
#SingMeHometoCarolina #NetGalley
A big thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Mark your calendars....Available June 10, 2025!!
#SingMeHometoCarolina #NetGalley
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I was so excited for this book but really nothing about it ended up working for me. Hattie was pretty awful. She only ever cared about herself and then when things started unraveling with the town at the end and she was upset I was so mad because people tried to tell her what would happen to the town. The love story was ridiculous. She gets back with her high school sweetheart for literally 2 chapters and they are saying I love you right away. It felt like high school like what? The writing was so lacking it was hard to stay engaged.
I absolutely loved this novel. This is my first time reading a book from Joy, and I can say it will not be my last. I was hooked from page 1. I haven't had a book that has had me laughing in some places and teary eye'd next. It tugged at my heartstrings and I love that she wrote it after visiting a small town in West Virginia.Being from a small town definitely made me love this book more and more and I would love to see for there to be another book after this one to see how much more there is to Hattie's story.I enjoyed how she told the story of Hattie a small town girl turned big city businesswoman who returns home to help her parents, only to find her heart being tugged between her old flame and the town's new mysterious new guy. This is a book that if you love Hart of Dixie and Sweet Magnolia's then this is a book that you will want to read.
This book is a page turner and if you are a small town girl and love a cute romance and a girl who has to choose between two men for her heart this book is for you. It's a small town romance, new love vs second chance love
This book is a page turner and if you are a small town girl and love a cute romance and a girl who has to choose between two men for her heart this book is for you. It's a small town romance, new love vs second chance love
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
"[I] thought that maybe getting stuck was the fate of the whole town."
How do you get yourself unstuck personally? And what can you possibly do to help un-stick an entire town? When the whole town thinks the answer is for it to land an NFL contract for the Panthers' new stadium built on its now-ineffective family farmlands, Hattie fights it because all the small-town charm of the region will go away, steamrolling paradise to put up parking lots. Maybe going back to the musical roots of the town will help -- it was founded as "a sort of Camp David for musicians who wanted to get away from the limelight."
I love a story about musicians coming into their own, and I love stories about towns coming together to do big things. (The "Extreme Makeover Barn Edition" going on at Hattie's parents' to make a proper event space is nothing short of amazing.) And as a Baltimoron, having grown up near there in the era of "the band that wouldn't die", I was really pulling for the town to get the team too, if it could be done well. This is a Hallmark-y kind of book in which there may be a lot of *life* going on, but you really pull for somehow, someway, everyone to win.
How do you get yourself unstuck personally? And what can you possibly do to help un-stick an entire town? When the whole town thinks the answer is for it to land an NFL contract for the Panthers' new stadium built on its now-ineffective family farmlands, Hattie fights it because all the small-town charm of the region will go away, steamrolling paradise to put up parking lots. Maybe going back to the musical roots of the town will help -- it was founded as "a sort of Camp David for musicians who wanted to get away from the limelight."
I love a story about musicians coming into their own, and I love stories about towns coming together to do big things. (The "Extreme Makeover Barn Edition" going on at Hattie's parents' to make a proper event space is nothing short of amazing.) And as a Baltimoron, having grown up near there in the era of "the band that wouldn't die", I was really pulling for the town to get the team too, if it could be done well. This is a Hallmark-y kind of book in which there may be a lot of *life* going on, but you really pull for somehow, someway, everyone to win.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this. I enjoyed it throughly as someone who adores country music and all things country in general. With a love story mixed in, I loved this very much.