EXCERPT: The men aren't strangers. She meets them in acting classes, at the yoga studio, through friends of friends. Most of the time, they come to her home, the tiny Grove Street apartment that she and Beck share. She lets them in late, long after she has tucked her daughter into the cushiony pink softness of her comforter, although some nights Beck is with her father and the room sits empty. She makes the men tiptoe past the closed door of Beck's bedroom and leave before sunrise. But Beck has never been the kind of child to come searching for her in the night.
She pours wine. She lights candles in her dark room. Sometimes, she and her guest talk quietly for hours. On those nights she fills and refills her wineglass until she can talk freely but remember little. She tells lie after lie when he asks her questions. Better, so much better, when things don't get too personal.

ABOUT 'SECRETS OF SOUTHERN GIRLS': Ten years ago, Julie Portland accidentally killed her best friend, Reba. What's worse is she got away with it. Consumed by guilt, she left the small town of Lawrence Mill, Mississippi, and swore nothing would ever drag her back. Now, raising her daughter and struggling to make ends meet in Manhattan, Julie still can't forget the ghost of a girl with golden hair and a dangerous secret.

When August, Reba's first love, begs Julie to come home to find the diary that Reba kept all those years ago, Julie's past comes creeping back to haunt her. That diary could expose the shameful memories Julie has been running from, but it could also unearth the hidden truths that Reba left buried…and reveal that Julie isn't the only one who feels responsible for Reba's death.

MY THOUGHTS: This is a slow meandering story that takes over half the book to get to the crux of the matter - the sexual awakening of a young southern girl, Reba (Rebecca). It is told from multiple points of view: those of Julie - her best friend; August and Toby - Reba's lovers; and Reba's diary entries, and two timelines - the current time as Julie and August return to Lawrence Mill to try and find the truth about Reba's death, and the 1990's when Reba and Julie were teenagers. The past perspective is set against a background of racial discrimination and southern prejudices. I liked Reba's diary entries; they helped set the scene of a young woman's awakening and the confusion and uncertainties it causes.

The author does a wonderful job of creating the atmosphere of the desperation of a first love, sexual awakening, family discord, teenage angst, betrayal of trust, and breeched friendships. It also involves inter-racial relationships and racial tensions all taking place in the claustrophobic setting of a small mill town.

Haley Harrigan writes with a lyrical beauty and a southern slowness that only adds to the atmosphere of the book. It is a slow burn, but that's okay. This isn't a story to be rushed. It is a twisting and sometimes sensual exploration of a first love and lost innocence.

I had a few minor issues relating to the physical evidence at the scene of Reba's death and the coroner's report, but that's just me. This is a solid debut effort from this author and I will be interested to see what else she has written in the intervening years.

⭐⭐⭐.6

#SecretsofSouthernGirls #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: HALEY HARRIGAN WRITES SOUTHERN STORIES ABOUT FLAWED WOMEN WHO AREN’T AFRAID TO KICK UP A FUSS TO GET WHAT THEY WANT. SHE LIVES IN ATHENS, GEORGIA WITH HER HUSBAND, DAUGHTER, AND ONE DEMANDING YORKIE. WHEN SHE’S NOT WRITING, SHE ENJOYS READING, WATCHING COLLEGE FOOTBALL, SIPPING MARGARITAS, READING, GETTING OVERLY INVOLVED IN TV SHOWS, AND READING.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of secrets of Southern Girls by Hayley Harrigan for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

A well written novel but unfortunately I did not finish the novel as I didn't enjoy the premise or the writing style

This book is about a woman who 'thinks' she murdered her best friend. After years of running away and regretting doing so, she receives a message from the beau of the deceased friend. I love stories set in the South, especially those involving deep secrets.

When Reba is accidentally killed by her best friend, Julie, the grief and guilt is too much for Julie. She moves away but years later the past catches up with her.
This was a solid read but was a bit too wordy with multiple povs. Thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Enter the world of Southern secrets. Murder, secrets and small town life wind together to give the reader a fun and intriguing read. Don't miss this one!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Full disclosure: I couldn’t put this book down. For me, the feelings of being a girl on the verge of womanhood while still towing the line of being innocent totally struck a cord with me. The mystery and characters were all amazing and I was very impressed with this book! 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Holy moly!!! It is hard to believe that SECRETS OF SOUTHERN GIRLS is author Haley Harrigan's debut novel. She nailed it!

What I mean by that is:

- She created characters that are not only believable, but are also relatable.I

- The plot is fast paced and the reader never had a chance to get bored

- I think that the use of a character's childhood as a major part of the story can often go horribly awry, but not in this book. Instead, readers will find parts of themselves and their own last in parts of the characters in this book.

I loved it and highly recommended this book. It will surprise you in the best ways. I rate it as 5 out of 5 Stars

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Secrets of Southern Girls, by Haley Harrigan.

This book had a promising premise with all of my favorite ingredients. A return to home, murder, secrets...
But unfortunately, I was never able to sink my hooks into it. The writing wasn't strong, nor was the story. In fact, I read it, and then completely forgot to review it because it never stood out in my mind.

I had downloaded this title but did not realise there was a time limit to read this book. I did not send it to my kindle account so could not access this once the eBook expired. I would have liked to have started/continued reading it but could not because it was expired.

It took me a few chapters to get into this book, I started it a couple times but in the end I enjoyed it. I would probably go with 3.5 stars if it was an option

What has happened that 10 years ago when Reba died? And, more importantly, what has happened before?

This human drama tells the story of love, lust and losing, and also about many secrets and hidden places in people's lives. I would love it much more if the aspect of the final freedom would be more cathartic. Instead we get many passionate scenes and less of the real pain (less of the first and more of the second would make for much interesting read). Yet, we live in the time of suppressed and bottled up feelings, so maybe the authoress's observation is correct.
Having said all that - there is that youthful uncertainty, trials and tryings I find interesting.

This book was a little slow to start, but it well worth hanging in there.

The characters were very well developed and the story did flow wonderfully.

The characters are very true to life for me - some you like, some you detest. But it makes it a well rounded book.

I was given a copy of this book b6 Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Ten years ago, Jules leaves Mississippi behind her and with it the secrets that threaten to consume her. Her best friend is dead, and she thinks she is to blame. Then August, her best friend’s boyfriend, comes to her, asking her to return to Mississippi to help him find answers they both need.

A good book with some surprising twists and turns. I definitely recommend!

This is such an interesting premise that could have been executed much better. The pacing of the book is slower than I prefer. It had potential but I don’t think I’ll be revisiting this author.

As a southern girl I can tell you, our secrets run deep. In Haley Harrigan's novel, Secrets of Southern Girls, however, they run even deeper. I could not put this book down, it was so well written and held me from startling realization on and I couldn't get enough.

The author's writing was beautiful, but it took me a while to read whole book because the story was slow and doesn't pull me in. I was hoping for more suspense that'll keep me turning the pages, but there were hardly any and I already figured out what happened about halfway through the book.

A great book of adventure, and quite a page turner. This was one everyone was talking about and I was so happy to read. Would recommend to everyone.

Yeah, I finish it but with a hole in my heart, not because it was good though. The author is a good writer, I got hundreds of quotes and sensitive sentences. The part that didn't work was the dialogues, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. I think the author just need a better story to tell, I would defintely reading something else from her. I like it, it wasn't exciting though.

I found this such a powerful story. Ten years ago Julie accidentally kills her best friend and flees, years later Julie reluctantly returns to her home town and finds the truth of what happened. For a debut novel I thought this was fantastic and am looking forward to reading the authors new offerings.

This book was kindly sent to me for an honest and open review from the Publisher. This was Haley Harrigan's debut novel and I liked the initial premise of the book however, I did have some issues with the writing style feeling very dry for a majority of the book.

The conclusion to the story was somewhat predictable and it felt a little bit towards the end like the book had ended and then seemed to continue on for a further few chapters which I felt were unnecessary.

The character development started well and the main characters of this story Julie, August and Reba do at times entice you to connect and understand their behaviour.

I would say for a debut novel it was ok, and would suggest if the premise appeals to you that you make your own opinion as I am on the shelf with my rating.