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lyrareadsbooks's review
3.0
I enjoyed the story, but I don’t think I’ll read more In this series. I don’t know anything about the author, this sounded like a northerner trying too hard to sound like a southerner by throwing every colorful southern-fried expression into one book and they tossing in phonetic spelling as well. It reminded me of when I lived in Georgia and out of state visitors would try to “sound Southern” but miss the mark.
ms_aprilvincent's review
2.0
The author was clearly influenced by the Roy Blount, Jr. Southern-fried Phrase-ee-ology Pig in a Poke Refrurnce Liberry. Goll-lee. If the down-home backwoods cliches were taken out, this book would be seven pages long.
mercyblue's review
2.0
Boring, is what I thought of this book. Boring and inaccurately portrayed. I thought I picked up a cozy mystery when I started reading this book, not a fiction novel with some romance thrown in for spice. How disappointing.
krisrid's review
5.0
Well, goodness gracious, y'all! That was more fun than a whole pack-a-pigs in a mud hole!!
First off, full disclosure - I am an unrepentant "Southern-phile. So I really, REALLY wanted to like this book. Fortunately, it is just delightful, so I can say without any reservation or embellishment that this is absolutely one of the best cozies, heck, one of the best BOOKS, I've read in a while. I loved everything about it!!
First off, I loved the title. Who DOESN'T want to read a story set in "Goose Pimple Junction", I ask you??!! You just have to know that a story set there is going to be eventful and entertaining, and it was.
The characters are exactly what you would expect in a small, Southern town. They are "characters" in the very best sense of the word, every last one of them. I loved getting to know them, and want to be friends with all of them.
The plot was actually pretty good, with a well conceived "old" mystery that connected to the present day goings-on, so we sort of get two mysteries for the price of one, and both stories were engaging and well-done.
And last, but certainly not least, probably my favourite thing about this book was the detailed and thorough education in "Southern-speak" the story delivers. It was an absolute hoot, and I laughed all the way through. Each chapter begins with a "Southern-ism" that is explained, used in a sentence, and translated for the non-Southern among us. The conversations throughout the book are also peppered with Southern terms and sayings, and as main character Tess is a transplant who doesn't yet "speak" Southern, the reader gets explanations for things when they are given to Tess as she learns how things are done in Goose Pimple Junction. It is a testament to my obsession with all things Southern that the vast majority of the Southern-speak was clear to me and only a few times I needed the explanation.
Also, I listened to this as an audio book, and if you have any interest at all in audio books, this is a terrific story to listen to. The narrator does a pitch-perfect Southern accent, and if she isn't Southern she must have lived in the South at some point because not only does she bring the characters and the accents to life, she puts the "flavour" of the Southern folks front and centre in her narration. I feel like I enjoyed this book even more by listening to it than I would have had I just read it in my own head.
I literally adored everything about this book! I am DEFINITELY going to be listening to the other books in the series, and I fully expect this to become one of my favourite series! Highly recommended for cozy enthusiasts, especially if you have any affinity at all for the South and its folks.
First off, full disclosure - I am an unrepentant "Southern-phile. So I really, REALLY wanted to like this book. Fortunately, it is just delightful, so I can say without any reservation or embellishment that this is absolutely one of the best cozies, heck, one of the best BOOKS, I've read in a while. I loved everything about it!!
First off, I loved the title. Who DOESN'T want to read a story set in "Goose Pimple Junction", I ask you??!! You just have to know that a story set there is going to be eventful and entertaining, and it was.
The characters are exactly what you would expect in a small, Southern town. They are "characters" in the very best sense of the word, every last one of them. I loved getting to know them, and want to be friends with all of them.
The plot was actually pretty good, with a well conceived "old" mystery that connected to the present day goings-on, so we sort of get two mysteries for the price of one, and both stories were engaging and well-done.
And last, but certainly not least, probably my favourite thing about this book was the detailed and thorough education in "Southern-speak" the story delivers. It was an absolute hoot, and I laughed all the way through. Each chapter begins with a "Southern-ism" that is explained, used in a sentence, and translated for the non-Southern among us. The conversations throughout the book are also peppered with Southern terms and sayings, and as main character Tess is a transplant who doesn't yet "speak" Southern, the reader gets explanations for things when they are given to Tess as she learns how things are done in Goose Pimple Junction. It is a testament to my obsession with all things Southern that the vast majority of the Southern-speak was clear to me and only a few times I needed the explanation.
Also, I listened to this as an audio book, and if you have any interest at all in audio books, this is a terrific story to listen to. The narrator does a pitch-perfect Southern accent, and if she isn't Southern she must have lived in the South at some point because not only does she bring the characters and the accents to life, she puts the "flavour" of the Southern folks front and centre in her narration. I feel like I enjoyed this book even more by listening to it than I would have had I just read it in my own head.
I literally adored everything about this book! I am DEFINITELY going to be listening to the other books in the series, and I fully expect this to become one of my favourite series! Highly recommended for cozy enthusiasts, especially if you have any affinity at all for the South and its folks.
dollycas's review
5.0
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I absolutely loved everything about this book!
Tess Tremaine is starting over after a terrible marriage. Her son has his life in Birmingham and she is settling in to her new home in Goose Pimple Junction. With a children’s book already published she decides to try her hand at a romance novel. To fill her time she lands a part-time job at A Blue Million Books and she is also refreshing the home she has purchased. It just so happens that her new home was the bookstore owner’s family home. The mystery begins when she discovers something interesting in a floor register.
They story goes back and forth from 1932 when a bank was robbed to present day. Tess’ arrival in Goose Pimple has spurred a bunch of things in motion. The author does the changing points of view wonderfully.
Metz has filled her story with sweet tea, southern charm and the language that Tess finds trouble grasping at first but she catches on PDQ.
The residents of Goose Pimple Junction are what we cozy readers call “quirky” and most have hearts as big as all outdoors. Bookstore owner Lou is a true gem and she loves people. She has her opinions which she is not afraid to share and sometimes she shares them loudly and at other times under her breathe so just the folks nearby can hear. Jack is a mystery author and he seems to click with Tess from their first “Howdy”, but Tess was just not ready to have another “cheatin’ man” in her life and in her frame of mind most men are cheaters. But she does start to warm up to him after a while.
The story is also full of humor and well known and not so well known Southern sayings – Goosepimpleisms. The dialogue continued to crack me up time and time again. For example: Tess and Jack are at dinner when another man walks in and they both notice his attire. Jack shook his head. “I ‘m surprised he can sit. His pants are so tight, if he farted, he’d blow his boots off.”
The mystery was well researched and well plotted. I was surprised to learn it is based on an a real unsolved mystery the author had grown up hearing about. There were plenty of suspects rolling around in my mind. Heck I even suspected Jack!
This story was a pure joy to read. I was sorry to see it end. The author gives us a small helping of the next book in the series, Heroes & Hooligans in Goose Pimple Junction. I went right to Amazon to try to purchased it. It is not out yet but the author says it will be soon. I can’t wait!
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