Slightly South of Simple by Kristy Woodson Harvey: Book Review

Slightly South of Simple is a lovely story of a single mother whose three grown daughters come home for the summer each with their own set of life challenges. It’s the first book in the author’s Peachtree Bluff series which I will be reading over the next few months.

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From The Publisher:

From the next “major voice in Southern fiction” (New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand) comes the first in an all-new series chronicling the journeys of three sisters and their mother—and a secret from their past that has the potential to tear them apart and reshape their very definition of what it means to be a family.

Caroline Murphy swore she’d never set foot back in the small Southern town of Peachtree Bluff; she was a New York girl born and bred and the worst day of her life was when, in the wake of her father’s death, her mother selfishly forced her to move—during her senior year of high school, no less—back to that hick-infested rat trap where she’d spent her childhood summers. But now that her marriage to a New York high society heir has fallen apart in a very public, very embarrassing fashion, a pregnant Caroline decides to escape the gossipmongers with her nine-year-old daughter and head home to her mother, Ansley.

Ansley has always put her three daughters first, especially when she found out that her late husband, despite what he had always promised, left her with next to nothing. Now the proud owner of a charming waterfront design business and finally standing on her own two feet, Ansley welcomes Caroline and her brood back with open arms. But when her second daughter Sloane, whose military husband is overseas, and youngest daughter and successful actress Emerson join the fray, Ansley begins to feel like the piece of herself she had finally found might be slipping from her grasp. Even more discomfiting, when someone from her past reappears in Ansley’s life, the secret she’s harbored from her daughters their entire lives might finally be forced into the open.

Exploring the powerful bonds between sisters and mothers and daughters, this engaging novel is filled with Southern charm, emotional drama, and plenty of heart.

My Thoughts:

I discovered Kristy Woodson Harvey’s books during the pandemic and she has become one of my favourite authors. Over the months I have acquired the four-book Peachtree Bluff series (including the 2021 Christmas in Peachtree Bluff) and decided now was the time to start it reading it.

Slightly South of Simple introduces us to Ansley and her three adult daughters Caroline, Sloane and Emerson who all return to Peachtree Bluff for the summer. Ansley has raised the girls alone since her husband died in the 9/11 tragedy. Each of the sisters is dealing with problems in their personal lives that are outlined in the book’s synopsis. This book is told from the dual perspectives of Ansley and Caroline.

The book celebrates the support and love that only family can bring to us. The women’s individual stories are emotional, complex and dramatic. I appreciated the more humorous moments to balance this out. This would be a great book to elicit some great discussion at book club.

Ansley’s story particularly raised my eyebrows. I’m not going to give anything away here but to let you know I was completely shocked by the choices she has made in the past. Having said that, I’m completely rooting for her present story.

I enjoyed Slightly South of Simple and will be immediately moving on to the second book in the series, The Secret to Southern Charm. If you enjoy Women’s Fiction, you will appreciate this first book in the series. I’m looking forward to sharing the second book with you once I’ve completed it.

What I Liked:

• The love and support within the family
• The not so perfect lives of each of the women
• The Southern US setting

Acknowledgements:

I own this book and purchased it through a discount retailer.

Similar Books I’ve Reviewed:

The Wedding Veil by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Feels Like Falling by Kristy Woodson Harvey

Under the Southern Sky by Kristy Woodson Harvey