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alisonlaw's review against another edition
Listen to my interview with [a:Sally Kilpatrick|6906076|Sally Kilpatrick|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1407722745p2/6906076.jpg] in Episode 13 of the Literary Atlanta podcast, released October 26, 2017.
thegeekybibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
There were only three words in the English language that I hated with all of my being: bless, your, and heart—specifically in that order.
Every Southerner knows what it means when someone blesses your heart, so it's no mystery why Posey Love hates hearing that phrase, especially after a lifetime of having her heart blessed by someone. But then, her life hasn't exactly turned out the way she'd planned, either. She thought she would be a teacher, married with a couple of kids. At 32, she was married, had no children, and is a receptionist at her husband's church, Love Ministries. She's content with her life—for the most part—and feels completely blindsided when she discovers that not only is Chad having an affair, he's also mismanaged their money and sold their home without telling her.
With no money and nowhere else to go, Posey goes home to her mother, Lark, whose lifestyle and youthful escapades were the source of most of the "bless your heart" comments Posey received throughout her life. With the help of her younger sister and her best friend, she's able to clearly see her husband's true character, and how he manipulated and controlled her throughout their marriage. After years spent following all the rules imposed on her by Chad, Posey is feeling more than a little rebellious. She starts breaking rules for a change—working her way through each of the Seven Deadly Sins—and starts living the life she dreamed of... on her terms this time.
The title alone was enough to spark my interest, but when the blurb mentioned it had "just the right amount of Southern sass" I was sold. How could I resist that?
Posey Love has earned a spot on my favorite characters list. She made me laugh so hard. I nearly died when she took a pole dancing lesson at the Pole Cat... SO funny! That scene is a treasure, trust me. The banter she had with her friend, Liza, always brought a smile to my face. I'm pretty fond of Liza, as well. I could completely relate to the moments when Liza is a sleep-deprived mess because her baby isn't sleeping through the night. New motherhood isn't always pretty, and I loved the realism of all those scenes.
Another character I particularly liked was John. He definitely had flaws, but he was a good guy. I really enjoyed seeing how things unfolded between him and Posey, and I liked that it wasn't always easy. Whenever there was a conflict between them, it made sense to me that (things I won't mention) would be an issue for one of them. Chad, on the other hand, was a character I disliked him almost as soon as he appeared in the story. Later on, I came to despise him for something he did. I won't give away what it was, but he committed a particularly heinous betrayal against Posey that made me so mad, I had to take a moment and say a few choice words before I could go back to reading.
I adored this book. All the characters (including several I didn't mention above) are incredibly well written and (with the exception of Chad) delightful in every way. Posey's growth as a character was outstanding, and I loved the way she was able to take charge of her life and do what was in her best interests, and not worrying what someone else would think about it. While the ending came a little too soon for me—I wasn't ready to let go of the characters yet—I loved the final line of the book.
Kilpatrick's writing is superb throughout, creating a fabulous cast of characters that I won't soon forget. This is the first book of hers that I've read, but it won't be the last. She definitely has a new fan in me.
Be sure to put this one on your TBR list, folks! Trust me when I say you do NOT want to miss out on this little gem—this book is most definitely a book worth reading.
I received an advance review copy of this book courtesy of Kensington Books via Netgalley.
crysdale's review against another edition
5.0
First of all, thank you to the author and NetGalley for this ARC in return for a review.
I'm a little leery of calling this book powerful and painful in case it turns potential readers off. Trust me, if you're just looking for a regular amazing fiction book, go ahead and grab this one. This is a sweet, touching story of a woman that gives up church for Lent, and how she finds herself while checking off the seven deadly sins along the way.
But it resonated so strongly with me that I found myself crying in several places, reliving a past that I had forgotten, and wishing I could reach through the pages and stop Posey from going through the same thing I did. I blessed her poor heart more times than I could count.
I couldn't put the book down. I think I probably could have finished it in one sitting if I hadn't started it on a super busy weekend. It really had everything. I even walked around, reading the first page out loud to anyone who would listen because it was just that funny. The characters, the setting...EVERYTHING was just so vivid and real that I felt like I was right there with them. Days after I finished it, I still catch myself wondering how they're all doing. I hope this isn't the last we hear of them.
I can't wait to buy a copy when it's released. This one is definitely going to be part of my collection.
I'm a little leery of calling this book powerful and painful in case it turns potential readers off. Trust me, if you're just looking for a regular amazing fiction book, go ahead and grab this one. This is a sweet, touching story of a woman that gives up church for Lent, and how she finds herself while checking off the seven deadly sins along the way.
But it resonated so strongly with me that I found myself crying in several places, reliving a past that I had forgotten, and wishing I could reach through the pages and stop Posey from going through the same thing I did. I blessed her poor heart more times than I could count.
I couldn't put the book down. I think I probably could have finished it in one sitting if I hadn't started it on a super busy weekend. It really had everything. I even walked around, reading the first page out loud to anyone who would listen because it was just that funny. The characters, the setting...EVERYTHING was just so vivid and real that I felt like I was right there with them. Days after I finished it, I still catch myself wondering how they're all doing. I hope this isn't the last we hear of them.
I can't wait to buy a copy when it's released. This one is definitely going to be part of my collection.
annie1will's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Infidelity, Infertility, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Dementia, Body shaming, and Alcoholism
nickimags's review
5.0
What a delightful read this was, I'm so glad I spotted my blogging friend Betty reading this on Goodreads.
I loved spending time with Posy, getting to know her and her estranged family. The character development was so good, she really did feel like a real person, and someone I'd love to be friends with. I enjoyed reading about how she changed from the 'perfect' buttoned up minister's wife, back to her old sassy self who enjoyed spending time with her family and friends.
Although I mentioned this was a delightful read, there was a dark theme of domestic abuse running throughout this book. It didn't make it a heavy read at all, but it did highlight how this very serious issue, can be hidden away in a seemingly perfectly marriage.
I haven't read anything by this author before, but will definitely be on the lookout for her books in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for my digital copy.
I loved spending time with Posy, getting to know her and her estranged family. The character development was so good, she really did feel like a real person, and someone I'd love to be friends with. I enjoyed reading about how she changed from the 'perfect' buttoned up minister's wife, back to her old sassy self who enjoyed spending time with her family and friends.
Although I mentioned this was a delightful read, there was a dark theme of domestic abuse running throughout this book. It didn't make it a heavy read at all, but it did highlight how this very serious issue, can be hidden away in a seemingly perfectly marriage.
I haven't read anything by this author before, but will definitely be on the lookout for her books in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for my digital copy.
ladywheeler's review
2.0
Pricilla Slater hasn’t made an extended trip to her hometown since her last high school class reunion. Now her 15 year reunion is creeping up on her, but she’s ready for it. Pricilla has made a name for herself in the southern beauty world. She has a successful chain of salons called Prissy’s Cut N’ Curl, and her hair products are starting to get national attention. With this kind of success, she feels she has enough to show face to her high school friends without any shame. However, Pricilla’s parents don’t agree. They are still upset that Pricilla dropped out of college to attend beauty school. Despite her success, they feel that she is wasting her intelligence and promise with a career that will go nowhere.
When she gets into her small hometown, she finds that nearly everyone isn’t doing as well as she. As the class assembles to prepare for the reunion, Pricilla finds out that life can be hard work, no matter who you are or where you came from.
The first thing I’ll say about this book is that it does not do well as a stand-alone novel. For most of the beginning of the story, I was confusing characters and their relationships with each other. I think that there is quite a bit of history and emotions that I missed out on because I didn’t read the first of the series. There was no “recap” as most sequels of a series have, and I think that would have been helpful.
I didn’t connect or root for any specific character, and I think that’s because there were too many points of view being told. The book was supposed to be about Pricilla and her life and business, but I feel like it was a jumbled mess of everyone else’s lives. Getting an inside view of stories that had nothing to do with Pricilla took the focus away from her.
There were an abundance of real life scenes that severely dragged down the story. What I mean about “real life scenes” is snippets of daily life occurrences that serve no purpose to the plot. There were scenes of a housewife fixing dinner and arguing with her children or a male character that was analyzing on his looks and daydreaming about the woman he’s interested in (not a great representation of a male perspective, by the way). While they may be somewhat realistic, they didn’t drive the story forward in any way.
I was also really disappointed in how most of the conflicts were resolved. In one case, there was a married couple who has been separated for years with no contact. When they finally see each other again, they go to dinner and decide to make their marriage work. We didn’t get to see any conversation, just the couple mentioning it. I don’t want to see scenes of women doing housework; I want to see a marriage being saved! Was there an argument that brought issues to light? Was there a confession? Who was the first to admit they didn’t want a divorce? These are the kinds of things that the reader wants to witness.
I think by now anyone can see this won’t be my favorite of the year, it wasn’t all bad. The author did a great job in capturing the south. We are able to see the mannerisms of southerners and the beauty shop atmosphere. I was also proud of Pricilla. Almost everyone tries to talk her out of growing her business, saying that women shouldn’t focus that much of her energy on work or that she’s throwing away her potential. It’s refreshing to see a woman stand above the negative feedback and strive for her dreams and what makes her happy.
When she gets into her small hometown, she finds that nearly everyone isn’t doing as well as she. As the class assembles to prepare for the reunion, Pricilla finds out that life can be hard work, no matter who you are or where you came from.
The first thing I’ll say about this book is that it does not do well as a stand-alone novel. For most of the beginning of the story, I was confusing characters and their relationships with each other. I think that there is quite a bit of history and emotions that I missed out on because I didn’t read the first of the series. There was no “recap” as most sequels of a series have, and I think that would have been helpful.
I didn’t connect or root for any specific character, and I think that’s because there were too many points of view being told. The book was supposed to be about Pricilla and her life and business, but I feel like it was a jumbled mess of everyone else’s lives. Getting an inside view of stories that had nothing to do with Pricilla took the focus away from her.
There were an abundance of real life scenes that severely dragged down the story. What I mean about “real life scenes” is snippets of daily life occurrences that serve no purpose to the plot. There were scenes of a housewife fixing dinner and arguing with her children or a male character that was analyzing on his looks and daydreaming about the woman he’s interested in (not a great representation of a male perspective, by the way). While they may be somewhat realistic, they didn’t drive the story forward in any way.
I was also really disappointed in how most of the conflicts were resolved. In one case, there was a married couple who has been separated for years with no contact. When they finally see each other again, they go to dinner and decide to make their marriage work. We didn’t get to see any conversation, just the couple mentioning it. I don’t want to see scenes of women doing housework; I want to see a marriage being saved! Was there an argument that brought issues to light? Was there a confession? Who was the first to admit they didn’t want a divorce? These are the kinds of things that the reader wants to witness.
I think by now anyone can see this won’t be my favorite of the year, it wasn’t all bad. The author did a great job in capturing the south. We are able to see the mannerisms of southerners and the beauty shop atmosphere. I was also proud of Pricilla. Almost everyone tries to talk her out of growing her business, saying that women shouldn’t focus that much of her energy on work or that she’s throwing away her potential. It’s refreshing to see a woman stand above the negative feedback and strive for her dreams and what makes her happy.
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