4.5 stars

The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White is a captivating novel of new beginnings and friendship.

Following her divorce from her husband of eleven years, Merilee Dunlap and her two children, ten old year Lily and eight year old Colin, move into a cottage behind a farmhouse in Sweet Apple, GA.  Her ninety-three year old landlady Sugar Prescott is surprisingly spry, mentally sharp and somewhat outspoken. Sugar and Merilee strike up an unlikely friendship in spite of Sugar’s reluctance to become involved with the divorcee and her kids. Despite not quite fitting in with the other wealthy  suburban moms at her children’s private school, Merilee is soon fast friends with Heather Blackford, wife to Dr. Daniel Blackburn and mother of two.  Merilee has also caught the eye of Sugar’s best friend’s grandson Wade Kimball but she is not quite ready to reenter the dating scene.  Sugar tries to warn Merilee that Heather might have an ulterior motive for befriending her but will Merilee heed her friend’s advice to not be quite so trusting?

Merilee is still reeling from her unexpected divorce and she is rather vulnerable as she starts her life over. She is a little concerned about how recent events have affected Lily and she makes every effort to keep her daughter from worrying too much about the changes to their lives. On the other hand, Colin is quite resilient and he loves exploring his new surroundings.  While their move has gone fairly smoothly, Merilee is a little overwhelmed by her responsibilities as a single mom.  Despite her natural reticence to discuss about her past, Merilee is surprisingly trusting as she her friendship with Heather deepens. Although the beginning of her relationship with Sugar is a little rocky due to her landlady’s propensity to speak her mind, they quickly find common ground as Sugar opens up to Merilee about her long ago past.

Sugar has had more than her share of heartache over her lifetime so she tries to protect herself from getting close to anyone. She has never had any trouble keeping her distance from her previous tenants, so she is a little surprised when she finds herself drawn to Merilee and her children. Sugar recognizes herself in Merilee and she is soon confiding long held secrets to her young friend. She is also a little worried about Merilee’s budding friendship with Heather but her warnings fall on deaf ears. While Merilee and Sugar do not see eye to eye on some things, their friendship easily withstands the occasional friction between them.  Although Sugar refuses to admit it, Merilee, Lily and Colin have become quite important to her and she worries about them as if they were blood relatives.

There is also a hint of suspense to the storyline in addition to Merliee’s new found friendships. Vague references to Merilee’s past hint that her recent divorce is just one of the losses she has suffered.  Her relationship with her parents is quite distant and they do not offer her help or support as she rebuilda her life. Astute readers will easily pick up on what is happening right under Merilee’s nose well before events take a wrong turn and she finds herself in an increasingly precarious situation. It is also somewhat easy to guess the motive for the plan that has been set in motion. This does not lessen the overall enjoyment of the novel but is incredibly frustrating seeing someone who is vulnerable fall victim to another person’s twisted manipulations.

The Night the Lights Went Out is an extremely heartwarming novel with a wonderful small town atmosphere.  The storyline is well-developed and quite engaging. The characters are multi-dimensional and very personable despite a few flaws. A very charming story with plenty of Southern flair that I absolutely loved and highly recommend to old and new fans of Karen White.

Let’s start with that cover, I just LOVE it! It’s gorgeous and though the ebook version (which I read) is pretty enough, I’m ordering a physical copy too. The Night the Lights Went Out is a perfect blending of genres with a southern flair, it has drama, intrigue, betrayals, history, a small dose of romance, truly something for everyone. Plus, it’s set in Georgia which always makes a fantastic setting in my opinion. 

Merilee moves into a new home following her divorce with her two young children, Lily and Colin. She rents a place from Sugar, a life long resident of Sweet Apple, Georgia. Though these two seemingly have little in common, their proximity allows them to strike up an unlikely friendship and discover they may have a whole lot more in common than meets the eye. 

I felt for Merilee right from the start, we’re the same age and imagining trying to start my life over in a small, tight knit is terrifying. Especially when it’s a small town in the south, some of the grown women in this book were worse than Regina George in Mean Girls! Sugar took me a little while longer to warm up to, she’s a bit crotchety but as she slowly shares her past with Merilee, I begin to really empathize with her. Both women were so deeply developed, resulting in characters that will stay with me for a long time. 

I simply loved everything about this book, it was super entertaining, magically blending past and present as Merilee and Sugar both narrated sections. There are also sections from an anonymous blogger who only will reveal they’re a neighbor, preferring to keep their identity a secret, but they dispense some great life lessons and hilarious southern sayings. I did figure out a plot twist, but I was having such a fun time reading this, I didn’t even care. It beautifully captures small town Southern life and had enough gossip and whisperings to make it even more juicy.

Marilee Talbot Dunlap moves to Sweet Apple, Georgi with her two children. She rents a cottage from Sugar Prescott and Sugar begins to teach her to cook and begins to reveal some of her background. Secrets, family, friendship, and wonderful characters make this new novel by Karen White well worth reading.

This is the kind of book I just love. It starts out like an excellent story of a woman struggling to come to terms with her recent divorce and move on with her life. She is befriended by her elderly neighbor, Sugar, who is one of my favorite book characters in a long time. She is also befriended by the queen bee of the moms in Sweet Apple, Heather. If that was all that there was to this book, it would be a good book.

But there is so much more to this book. People aren’t who they initially appear to be. Secrets come to light. And someone ends up dead. It was great. This was the first book of Karen White’s I’d read. It won’t be the last.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for providing me with a review copy.

The Night The Lights Went Out
By
Karen White




What it's all about...

Marilee is abandoned by her husband for his girlfriend...a much younger pregnant teacher.  Marilee is left on her own...to start her life again with their two young children.  Marilee has issues with her parents...who don't seem to want to talk to her.  She also inherits a mean old cogety land lord...94 year old Sugar.  Sugar seems to always appear in Marilee's space either disapproving or bringing cookies or criticizing...and Marilee never seems to mind.  

Why I wanted to read it...

I loved the cover of this book and loved the idea of this book but I must say this book irritated me.  Sugar was a real pain.  How many times are you going to just show up in your renter's space?  And when she shows up she is not very nice.  I didn't care about Sugar's flashbacks or her life...honestly.  

What made me truly enjoy this book...

The mean girl aspect of this book was fun.  Heather...the ultimate mom...had ulterior motives for everything she did.  The close to the ending part of this book was more fun than its beginning.  Seriously?  This is a book you read for fun! 

Why you should read it, too...

Readers who enjoy this author and stories set in the South...all sweet tea and okra...should enjoy this book.

4.5 Stars!!!

Every time I pick up a book by Karen White, I'm impressed. It's like I forget what an amazing writer she is and how well she weaves a story. Those are just a couple of the reasons she is one of my all time favorite authors and on my auto-buy list.

The Night the Lights Went Out completely captivated me. In the beginning, it was the writing that did it. The southern setting of  Sweet Apple Georgia was beautifully described. I could hear the characters' Southern accents as I read the book. Not too long after beginning, it was the plot that kept my attention. The four points of view that delivered it were very engaging.

First, there was Merliee. She was a recent divorcée trying to navigate her new world. She had recently moved into a rental house on Sugar Prescott's land, and her children were attending a new private school. Merliee was trying to develop new friendships with other parents and Sugar. Trying to fit in was stressful for her. I found it very easy to relate to. Making friends in your adult years is really hard.

The second and third point of views were both Sugar's. One was her current 90-something-year-old current day voice. Sugar was crotchety and stubborn, but a great person underneath her rough exterior. She saw people for who they really were. The old lady made me smile a lot. Sugar's second perspective was told through stories of her past. Bit by bit, she unfolded the mystery of her life. I loved learning how Sugar become the strong, outspoken woman she was today from her history.

The fourth and final perspective was an anonymous blogger. The blogger claimed to have all the insight into what was happening in Sweet Apple. The blog gave insight into not just local business and construction happenings, but also social gossip. What showed up on the blog was scandalous.

All four perspectives wove into a couple of different fascinating mysteries. The first, I mentioned above about Sugar's past. The second involves things that begin happening after Merilee makes some new friendships with parents from her children's school. The mysteries weren't too hard to figure out. I may have guessed some major plot twists early on, but it didn't keep me from enjoying the book. It actually made the revelations all that more fun.

The Night the Lights Went Out was truly a great women's fiction/mystery read. I enjoyed every minute I spent with it. I highly recommend reading it to anyone who enjoys great mysteries in a Southern setting.

What a wonderful story with some twists you would never expect.  When you read the blurb you assume that Marilee is moving her children to small town Georgia to recover from her divorce and away from the gossip of her husband's infidelity.   Her landlady, Sugar, feels that Marilee is a good person and starts teaching her the ways of Southern hospitality.  But When murder rears its ugly head and Marilee is accused of murder Sugar, her elderly friends and Wade decide to help out.  Great book in the style that has made Karen White one of my favorite writers.  Lots of detail and very realistic characters makes this a page turner.  Would love to return to Sweet Apple, Georgia and visit with Sugar and her friends again and again.

Despite a somewhat slow start, this ended up being more interesting than I had anticipated. I quickly picked up on the clues as to what was "off" in the story, but did not anticipate exactly how the chips would fall in the conclusion, which happened at a much faster pace than the rest of the book. Sugar's slowly revealed story of her past is full of sadness and grit, and the connections she and Merilee forge out of their shared griefs are, beneath Sugar's gruffness, very tender. This will be a great recommendation for summer and beach reading.

The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White Is a 2017 Berkley publication. 

Karen White reigns supreme when it comes to modern day southern fried storytelling. I love Karen White’s novels, so it’s fair to say I’m a little biased when it comes to her books, but this one is really special. 

Marilee and her two children are uprooted from their lives after her husband, Michael cheats on her with their child's third grade teacher. 

Moving to Sweet Apple, Georgia, Marilee rents a cottage from a gruff elderly woman everyone calls ‘Sugar’. 

As Marilee gets settled in, she meets the other mothers in town, forges friendships, and may even have a love interest. But, one of the most important relationships she cultivates is with Sugar, as the two women begin sharing a type of quid pro quo confession of their painful past and sins, while unearthing a few old mysteries and solving a crime along the way. 

There are books I enjoy, books that touch me or move me, books that make me laugh, or keep me on the edge of my seat. Some books combine all those elements, like this one did, but few of them hit all the notes with perfect tone and pitch and harmonizing, quite like this book did. I haven’t read a book like this one in a long time and I really, really, really needed this kind of story. 

While books often focus on marriages, romance, and relationships within the family, allowing friendship bonds to lurk around the surface, this book places friendship front and center, and teaches a few valuable life lessons in the process. 

We all have regrets, have all made mistakes, suffered painful losses, some more than others, and confession can be good for the soul. This is something Sugar discovered, albeit kicking and screaming and determined not to allow anyone to melt that carefully constructed exterior she hides behind. 

Marilee finds in Sugar a dependable friend, a mother figure, and an unlikely kindred spirit. Sometimes, we still, even well into adulthood, seek approval, a salve for our loneliness, and a way to seek redemption for things we wish we could take back or redo, which is something Marilee goes through in this novel, while Sugar watches from the sidelines, ready to step in if and when necessary. 

The characters in this book are going to stay with me for a long time. They are so well crafted, realistic and vivid I would swear they came to life. The plot is amazingly well crafted, quirky, emotional, witty and humorous, but also suspenseful and edgy. 

The southern setting is a Karen White trademark, and as I've said many times before, there is just something about a story told with a southern flair that pronounces everything, from the food, (cookies in this case), to the scenery, to the dialogue. Karen White has that flair down to a science, and this novel is no exception, in fact, it’s exceptional. 


In other words, this story has something for everyone, and can be read by anyone, and enjoyed by all, and is the type of story that is good for your soul. I loved it! 

So, you’ve heard me gush long enough. Go forth and pre-order this book, you won’t regret it!

My library has ordered this title to be added to the collection.

This was the first Karen White book I read and I'm not sure if she is going to be one of my go to reads. I had a hard time getting into the book, but it might have just been me.

I am always absolutely giddy when I am able to get my hands on an advanced copy of Karen Whites novels. What I like most about Whites novels is her ability to create memorable characters and, of course, her great southern humor. I felt a great affection for Sugar who reminded me so much of my grandmother, who grew up in rural SC working on a tobacco farm located on a dirt road named after her family. Like Sugar, she spoke her mind and was as spunky at 95 yrs old as she was at 25. Though parts of this were a bit predictable, I still really enjoyed it.

A fantastic read! With every twist and turn, I was on the edge of my seat. Secrets abound. When you find yourself in the dark, close your eyes, and you'll find the truth and a way out.--not meant to be a quote. Southern GRIT Lit at its finest!

A thoroughly enjoyable Southern story populated by endearing characters and enough juicy secrets to keep you turning the pages! I loved the way the relationship between Sugar and Merilee developed. The secondary characters--Wade, Heather, Dan, and Merliee's children--were nicely done as well. Throw in an anonymous blogger who's funny (those Southernisms!) and full of gossip PLUS a murder and you have a real winner. Fans of Karen White will not be disappointed with this one. Both the present day story and the flashbacks to the past are adroitly handled and the ending is definitely satisfying.

The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White is an engaging escape, one that I had a hard time putting down. It is set in Sweet Apple, a small town outside of Atlanta, GA. That has been absorbed by the suburbs. Two women, one a recently divorced working woman with two young children and the other in her nineties whose family once owned most of the land around town, are brought together when Merilee rents a cottage on Sugar’s property. Sugar has been known as a curmudgeon, but underneath she is all that her name implies. Sugar can tell that Merilee has many secrets, having carried many of her own. Merilee is flattered that she is being courted at the by the leader of the moms, Heather Blackford, at her kid’s new private school. She can’t say no to requests involve herself in every committee and activity by this glamorous and wealthy woman.

Sugar finds it curious that Merilee doesn’t know how to bake or cook and inserts herself into the lives of her tenants to help out. As they become acquainted, she can’t help but unloading her deepest secrets to Merilee. She also bring in Wade grandson of her best friend since school, to fix thing in the cottage. Of course, handsome Wade becomes something of a regular fixture. Interspersed with the storyline is a series of blogs written by an anonymous person with town gossip and Southern sayings and ways of doing things, for the benefit of the many transients from outside that have moved to the Atlanta area. They help root the story in Sweet Apple. Less The Night the Lights Went Out seem to be a collection of sweet Southernisms, there is suspense on that night that you might see coming, but about which Merilee is clueless.

Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book prior to its release.

She's newly divorced and she and her children are going to make a fresh start.  She's moved to a small house near the woods, right behind the big house of her landlord.  She's a bit hesitant but it's cheaper and not far from her ex so visitations won't be a hassle.  But she's got a sore heart and isn't ready to enter the dating world or even the "mom" world at school.  Sometimes you just don't have any choice.

Berkley and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published April 11th.

Merilee finds her new landlord, Sugar, to be old and irascible.  She wants nothing to do with them.  Yet, she keeps showing up with baked goods and tries to get them to eat better meals.  In time, a dubious friendship grows.

As if living in a strange town isn't bad enough, there's an anonymous blogger that knows about her past and the gossip going around town.  She's trying to maintain a low profile but folks talk anyway.  She tries to make friends but doesn't have as much success as she would like.  She's happy the most popular and beautiful woman in town as taken her under her wing.  She's even buying things for her as a friend.  That would quirk my worry button.  Nobody ever does stuff like that without wanting something in return.

When she goes to a fancy party at Heather and Dan's house, she does whatever Heather asks her to do.  Finding Dan drowned at the end of the dock is more than she can take.  Then they try to charge her with murder.  It's a good thing she has Sugar and Wade on her side.

The ending is dramatic and you're not sure who is going to be alive when the fight is over.  Old wrongs sometimes rise up in the present.  Karma is a bitch. Merilee had carried guilt since high school over an incident but she didn't expect it to try to kill her...

DNF - Opening and first 50 pages were not enough to draw me into the story.

A novel by Karen White is always an entertaining read. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. A story of two women that click, although they are of different generations. Both women have secrets. In Sweet Apple, Georgia there is a blog with commentary on those living there. The anonymous blog selected to comment on the reason for  Merilee Talbot Dunlap's divorce. She and her two children, Lily and Colin moved into a cottage own by Sugar Prescott, the area's matriarch. Sugar is not friendly and has definite opinions. For some reason, she is drawn to Merilee and the children. Merilee is starting over as her marriage collapsed as the blog hinted. The children are enrolled in the elite school of the area. Heather, the leader of volunteers chooses Marilee for a special friend. Heather is the perfect Mother and woman and is happily married Sugar doesn't like Heather. The twists and turns this story takes will make it hard to put the book down. I highly recommend this book.

Disclosure: I received a free copy from Berkley Publishing through NetGalley for an honest review. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions expressed are my own.

I had kind of drifted away from this genre of book for a while but I'm really happy that NetGalley and Berkley gave me the opportunity to read this book. I fell right into this one. A hint of mystery in a small town sounds cliche but with wonderful depth of the characters and and an interesting delivery surrounding the plot I just kept smiling, laughing and crying. Going backwards and forwards between character is usually not a favourite of mine but in this case it was for an intriguing purpose. Very rarely these days am I left with the nostalgia of wanting to return to the life of these people in this little town where you would think nothing happens but that is full of love, secrets and sadness but most of all kindness.

I really liked this book! I'm looking forward to recommending it!

At first glance the story seems to have a sort of "mean girls" theme regarding school moms. I can't give away any more, but it's much more than that! I went into this not expecting a murder ... but I loved watching it progress! This story is packed with secrets, family history, and Southern sweet tea.

Sugar, you'll find, is the heroine of this book, and she's an absolute riot! She's your typical 90 something ... no filter, and lover of television mystery dramas.

Merilee, I thought, was a bit dumb and naive ... and she has her lucky stars to thank for everything turning out as well as it did. Her two children, Lily and Colin, were sweet but I think a bit spoiled.

Isn't this cover gorgeous? Those binoculars factor into this story ... and I loved the little white dog that kept disappearing and reappearing...

Overall, a solid hit. Karen White is definitely an author to watch!!