I decided not to finish this book because I didn't feel a strong connection to the story or characters. I will not be rating it or writing a full review, but I appreciate the opportunity.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this titles. Unfortunately this book archived before I was able to download it and I will not be able to submit a review at this time.

I regret not reading this sooner! I've been on a romance slump for the longest time but it's no surprise that Molly Harper dug me out of that rut! I love this prequel as well as the next two installments, can't wait for the rest of the books!

If you are a sucker for second chance romances, then this book is so for you.

I've read Molly Harper's books in the past and found them so light hearted and funny. And Save a Truck was no different.

It had fun a easy characters that melded so well. And a light and breezy story.

I found myself giggling, blushing, laughing.... All of it as I turned the pages.

I really adored Marianne and Carl though.They were just such a fun couple.And I appreciated how their romance changed as they got older and started the trek back together.

I just really enjoyed this one. The plot, the characters. All of it.

And if you just want a light and fun read I suggest going and giving this one a shot.

4 stars for me on this beauty!!!

Save A Truck, Ride a Redneck
Southern Eclectic, Book .5

I Picked Up This Book Because: I’m a fan of Molly Harper’s writing.

The Characters:

Marianne McCready:
Carl Dawson:
Pretty much all of Lake Sackett

The Story:

This book serves as our introduction to Lake Sackett, a small town in Georgia. Marianne is heading back for the summer after basically fleeing small town life and all its trappings for a pre-law degree. The main trapping being Carl Dawson.

Lake Sackett is full of characters a lot of them seem to be in the McCready family. The beginning of this book made me think about Sweet Home Alabama but the references do not carry far. While I like the characters we are introduced to there sure are a lot of them. For a story that is about 116 pages I feel like we meet a new person every other page for most of the book. I like the direction that Marianne and Carl’s story took and I see so much potential in the stories from the other characters.I look forward to the shenanigans that are sure to happen in this town.



The Random Thoughts:




3.25 Stars

Molly Harper was a new-to-me author. I will be honest, the title made me want to read this book immediately. I had to see what it was really about (since I rarely read blurbs). I was not disappointed.

This is a quick, sweet, and endearing second chance romance. At first when I realized this was going to be another coming home, second chance book. I cringed. They tend to be overdone. However, I was surprised and delighted to read this one. The trope may be everywhere, but this story stands on its own.

I loved the characters. I fell in love instantly with them. There is something about small towns in books that are so entertaining. I couldn't get enough of the main characters and the supporting characters. I want a story for them all!

This is a fun southern small town romance novella. Marianne is returning home for he summer before starting Law School in the fall. She left her small home town for the bright lights of the big city leaving her HS boyfriend with a broken heart. I loved her home town and all the wonderful characters who live and love there. The author does a very good job with the setting. The book is short and I was ready for another visit. Enjoy this cute romance.

This novella provides an excellent introduction into Molly Harper's new contemporary romance series, taking her fantastic sense of humor and excellent dialogue into a less fantastical world. Readers are introduced to Lake Sackett, Georgia, where the local funeral home is located right next to the local bait shop, and everyone has their nose in your business. Marianne grew up in town, but broke her boyfriend's heart when she decamped for the big city. Now that she's returning, can they rekindle their old flame or will they burn everything down?

Harper does an excellent job combining humor with genuine emotion and builds a wonderfully believable world. It isn't a necessity to read this before starting the series, but it is a delight!

This was a cute novella. Fairly clean in its heat level. The frustrating thing about it was the lack of "on page" time that the two main characters had together. I would have bought their second chance HFN ending a bit more. The rest of the characters were hilarious though. This one really sets the scene for a new series by the author.

Every see Sweet Home Alabama? That is what this book reminds of. A faster version, cause it is only a novella after all! Cute, sweet and predictable.

This was a fun, feel good kind of story. It was very refreshing and something I needed.

There is noting like your first love, sometimes it works out and other times it doesn’t. This is a story about a second chance with your first love. We all have decisions we have to make and we don’t always make the right ones. Sometimes you are able to make them right again just by coming home.

This was a sweet and quick read.

Heading back home to spend the summer before going to law school, Marianne begins to question her life goals and dreams. She’s always feared being stuck in small-town Sackett, Georgia, but now the idea has a little more appeal, as long as she can maintain some distance between herself and her large family.

Carl and Marianne were high school sweethearts, but when Marianne thought Carl might propose before Marianne headed off to college, she panicked and left him. After four years, the sparks are still there, but can they move forward instead of looking back?

Save a Truck, Ride a Redneck is a short novella that kicks off the new Southern Eclectic series by Molly Harper. While not full of Ms. Harper’s usual snark and wit, the story is sweet and charming. However, I’m a bit curious as to its place in the series. I say this because there is a HUGE spoiler in the beginning of the book: a family tree which shows Marianne and Carl married with kids, as well as the death a major character who is still alive in this story. I really wish the family tree had been left out of the novella, and added once the series had progressed to match what the graphic displays.

Other than that little issue, Carl and Marianne share a sweet romance. The novella sets the stage for the upcoming series by developing the basic framework of the world. Save a Truck, Ride a Redneck was entertaining and engrossing enough that it got me interested and invested in the characters, and I want to know more about the McCready family.

My Rating: B/B- Liked It, but I had a small issue

Molly Harper does it again. She is a go to author if you need a great laugh.. I mean where can you go wrong.. A bait shop and a funeral home in the same building.

3.5 stars--SAVE A TRUCK, RIDE A REDNECK is the first instalment (and novella) in Molly Harper's contemporary, adult SOUTHERN ECLECTIC sweet, romance series focusing on the men and women of Lake Sackett, Georgia. This is law student Marianne McCready, and auto mechanic Carl Dawson's story line.

Told from third person perspective (Marianne ) SAVE A TRUCK, RIDE A REDNECK is a second chance story line between high school sweethearts and lovers Marianne McCready and Carl Dawson. Marianne had big plans after graduating high school with law school in mind, and Carl was willing to wait for the woman he had always loved but something spooked Marianne just days before leaving Lake Sackett, Georgia, and our heroine ran without looking back. Broken hearted Carl moved on with his life hoping one day that Marianne would acknowledge the love they once had. Fast forward four years, and our heroine, at the insistence of her mother, returns to Lake Sackett, Georgia to discover that old feelings burned deeply but a broken heart was harder to mend. What ensues is the rebuilding relationship between Carl and Marianne, as Marianne reconsiders her plans for the future.

SAVE A TRUCK, RIDE A REDNECK is a story of family and friendship; second chances and happily ever after. The world building looks at the usual assortment of townsfolk including the local gossip and busybody still intent on destroying people's lives. There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including all of Marianne's extended family who own and operate the local funeral parlour. Be prepared with a spreadsheet to keep all of the characters organized and connected. The romance looks follows the rebuilding relationship between our leading couple. There are no $ex scenes-implied or otherwise. A majority of the story line follows Marianne as she reconnects with family and considers the next step in her life. SAVE A TRUCK, RIDE A REDNECK is a cute, clean story of second chances with an odd collection of eccentric family members, towns people, southern charm and figures of speech.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

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After reading Sweet Tea and Sympathy, I searched for more of Molly Harper’s work and was thrilled to find there was a prequel novella in the series. Save a Truck, Ride a Redneck, is an entertaining read.

Molly Harper’s writing is snarky, witty, and so much fun. She weaves her amusing style through her heart-filled stories, and makes her characters and small town authentic. I feel like I know the people of Lake Sackett, Georgia, and I’ve fallen in love with them.

I learned about Marianne and Carl in book #1 (book .5—not book 2, as Amazon portrays) and was thrilled to become more involved in their second chance story. Both humorous and touching, I’ve come to expect no less from Ms. Harper.

If you enjoy the second chance love trope, and heart-filled, uplifting, and engaging stories, the Southern Eclectics series is a winner. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series, Peachy Flippin’ Keen, to be released April 2018.

Cover: Like
Title: Like
Publisher: Pocket Star
Pages: 136
Pace: Steady
First Line: If Marianne McCready any slower, the Georgia Highway Department was going to slap a “derelict” sticker on the back of her cute little red mustang and call it a day.

I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley.

Molly Harper’s novella, Save a Truck, Ride a Redneck, is a great introduction into her series. I love the location of Lake Sackett, GA. I don’t know if such a place really exists, but the author made it real if it isn’t. I read this book after enjoying Sweet Tea and Sympathy, and only then realized Save a Truck, Ride a Redneck was the first in the series—not the second like it is depicted on Amazon.

The southern comfort of family and values is prevalent throughout this book. However, the main character, Marianne is aghast when her old beau is the tow truck who comes to her rescue after her unfortunate near-miss with a deer. This is certainly not the entrance she had hoped to portray upon visiting her folks for the summer after attending college for 4 years. She did not leave on a good note—and to run into her high school sweetheart after breaking his heart, is super uncomfortable.

The trek through southern charm and sass is a fun read. As usual, Molly Harper spurs blasts of laughter throughout the book.

I highly recommend this short but sassy novella. It’s a great introduction into the world of the McCready family.

I received this book free from Net Galley.

Molly Harper’s new book is a fun tale that is quick and easy to read. The book isn’t very long, but Ms. Harper puts a lot of information into the story. This book kicks off Ms. Harper’s newest series <i>Southern Eclectic</i>.
Marianne McCready knew she wasn’t cut out for either part of her family’s business. Her family runs both a fishing store and the local funeral parlor. She always planned to leave Lake Sackett, Georgia for college and to never look back. When it came time to leave, saying goodbye to the man she loved was the hardest thing she had to do. Marianne still hasn’t gotten over that heartbreak and now she is back home for the whole summer. She knows that she will run into the man that she left and she isn’t sure how she is going to handle it.
Carl Dawson comes from a rough family. He never knew what he was going to find when he went home. It took a long time for him to trust the McCready’s and their acceptance of him. When Marianne left, she broke his heart and brought back all the feelings of inadequacy he had a child. Now that she is back, Carl isn’t sure how to handle the situation or the feelings he still has for her especially since she plans to leave again for law school.
The McCready clan is quite a unique bunch. They certainly have a number of quirky characters and yet, the love they feel for one another is apparent every time we meet them. Ms. Harper is definitely setting up the series with this book. There are so many great characters that she can build romances for and each story will have its own spin on the romance.
I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

I don’t know if I should hold up deciding on this story until I read Sweet Tea and Sympathy. Alone, it does nothing for me and Marianne and Carl’s romance was flat.

This is a prequal novella to the new Southern Electic series which features a family funeral home/bait shop. This story gives us a history of how a funeral home and bait shop came to be. It is also taking place in 2006 so we will need to wait and see how this effects the relationship of Carl and Marianne as I am presuming the rest of the story will take place in a current time period, but it is only 10 years in the past, so Carl and Marianne will not be the parents of the next generation romances. So I am uncertain as yet why we went back in time and how that effects the overall story plot.

As far as the novella, we meet Marianne who was determined to leave the small, quaint town where all her family lives running the funeral home or the bait shop and where she wants nothing to do with either place. She loved her boyfriend Carl, whose family is quite screwed up and he is determined to keep away from them and the McCready’s are all welcoming to Carl, except Marianne’s Dad who knows what is going on between the then teenagers.

Marianne was determined that she was going to keep her romance with Carl going through college until she got wind that he was looking at engagement rings and then she broke it off. Marianne was determined to get away permanently instead of ending up a too young, married woman with kids, like all the girls in town. So she broke Carl’s heart and ran as fast as she could, never looking back.

Marianne has returned to town the summer between finishing college and starting law school at her mother’s bequest. The first thing she does is run into her old boyfriend when he comes to tow her car, since she crashed almost running into a deer. Marianne must have been very determined not to know anything about her old boyfriend, even though he is best friends with Marianne’s brother, since she wasn’t aware that he bought the old mechanic shop as well as a big house in town that he was fixing up.

This was supposed to be a story of how they reconnect, but there is very little time for running into each other and they didn’t get to spend too much time together since Marianne was spending time catching up with the family she has been ignoring and helping settle things at the funeral home when family members can’t agree.

Carl is called a “magical unicorn” because unlike normal men, Carl is very understanding of why Marianne left him and was supportive of her going off to college and why she hesitated to come home. All ideas that make him a perfect romantic hero but not a “real boy.”

It is a standard plot of small town girl determined to get out and see the world but her single focus of getting out and not caring about what is going on at home turns me off to her as a character. She comes off at more bitchy than just wanting to follow her own drummer.

While the purpose of this novella is to wet your appetite and give you an introduction into the new series, I found the story of Marianne and Carl wasn’t enough to entice me. Maybe after I got to know them in Sweet Tea and Sympathy, I will have more interest in their backstory, but presented as it is, they didn’t do much for me.

Molly Harper’s writing is what is going to bring me back for the main story. This intro did nothing to draw out my excitement.

Molly Harper is quickly becoming an author that I would automatically one click. I love her writing style. I love the characters. They feel so down to earth and relatable. I love the humor, its probably one of my favorite things about her books. I think I'm all smiles reading them. When a book can make me laugh out loud you know its a good one!

I read Save A Truck, Ride a Redneck after I had already read Sweet Tea and Sympathy so I knew how it was going to work out but I still enjoyed it nonetheless!

Can't wait to read more of this Southern Eclectic series! Will definitely one click it I'm sure!

*I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.