Morning on Main Review

This was the first book that I’ve read by Jodi Thomas and it won’t be my last. I love the whole small town romance and how everyone knew everyone and you felt that family vibe. There was so much history between the characters. Plus I loved the fact that the characters were regular ordinary people. There were no abs, chiseled jaws and beauty queens. Just regular people with everyday issues. This was a sweet book that held my interest and I’m hoping we get more books about them in the future. I’m not ready to let them go!

Found this to be slow moving.with both the characters and the story line.

I've always been fond of quilting and the stories behind it. Jillian James was a drifter and always searching for her dad is those places she goes. It's interesting, she's a loner closed off but still amiable. Connor hasn't had a chance to pursue his own dreams so he sticks to his routine and caring for his grandmother and daughter in the small town he grew up in.

Jillian and Connor are unlikely friends but they get along somehow. The stories from the quilts are my favorite part of this. Eugenia may be forgetting other things but no those. Connor's written stories are vast, they became his own remedy. Not looking for anything but finding something in the other. It was a slow moving relationship but meaningful. Both of them were more mature older characters and that was refreshing. I like that they were well rounded and developed well.

Laurel Springs has many things to share, mystery and secrets to uncover. So many different personalities that make it up as well. The touch of humor along with the sweet, clean and gentle romance was just right. The interactions between towns folk and within the quilting shop as well as the Larady's. Young and older.

Mornings on Main was a simple feel good small town story about family and history how that all ties in. The quilts played a big role in it all unfolding, something different with normal characters from different generations and jobs. The cover depicts the overall feel warmth and inviting. It was a lovely sweet read I enjoyed. This is my first book read from Jodi Thomas and it won't be the last.

Mornings on Main is a good romance, A good way to escape and let the romance take you away.

I do enjoy a good small-town-life romance and when I saw the blurb, I thought I'd give it a try. Jodi Thomas is a new-to-me author.

Jillian James doesn't stay in any one place too long. Raised by her father, it's a way of life for her and the only thing she's ever known. Laurel Springs happens to be a zip code in one of her father's journals, so she decides to check on the place in her quest to learn more about her father. She's not planning to stay. I adored Jillian's backstory--I found how she was raised and lived her life so very refreshing and interesting.

Connor Larady is a man who has sacrificed much to take care of many. It was so easy to fall in love with this character. It's not surprising that Jillian does too. I loved these two together and their quiet falling-in-love story, made a bit painful since there was an expiration date.

There are some wonderful secondary characters in Sunnie, Connor's daughter and Gram and her quilt shop. The stories of the quilts were poignant and left me wanting more.

I really did like most everything about this story. I really couldn't stop reading until the end. That's where I had a bit of a problem with everything happening rather quickly. It was such a huge decision for Connor and Jillian and it just came so fast in the context of the pages. I wanted a little more there. But overall, I really enjoyed this story and recommend it if you are looking for an interesting, quiet, small time life romance that will leave you feeling pretty darn good.

An ARC was provided for review.

3.5 stars

While I've had Jodi Thomas on my TBR for a long time, this is actually the first book I've read from her. I enjoyed the characters and the writing; although I felt it was a bit repetitive in places. Both Jillian and Connor were searching for something and they found it with each other. I think Sunnie, Connor's daughter, stole the book. She grew so much. I'd love to see her later on.

Mornings on Main by Jodi Thomas is a full length, standalone romance novel.
Meet Jill James. She's a bit a floater, had never a home. And now she lands in Laurel Springs, a small town in Texas. The first man she runs into is Connor Larady, single dad, mayor and owner of the lokal paper. He desperatedly needs help with his sick grandmother and Jill is happy to help and have a new job. She enjoys smalltown life in Laurel Springs. She enjoys having roots for the first time. She enjoys working at the quilt shop and caring for Connor and his afmily.
Mornings on Main is a feelgood story, excellent written with lovable characters. Both are good people and I connected easily with them.
I enjoyed reading this sweet romance and I give 4 stars.

One of those sweet, small town romances that is just as much women’s fiction as it is romance, Mornings on Main is the kind of story that you have to cherish. It isn’t fast paced and you definitely can’t speed through it. Instead you need to settle back and get ready to enjoy every page, every encounter, every brush of the hand, every secret that slips out, every glimpse into what makes people tick, every chance to get to know them just that tiny bit better. It’s a slow, gentle process and all the better for it.

Neither Jillian nor Connor are looking for someone. They live their lives a certain way and figure that’s what they are built for … until they meet each other. While the connection is immediate, they go through a lot of fits and starts because both of them are wary. Jillian’s upbringing (and continued nomadic lifestyle) and Connor’s romantic history mean that getting close to others isn’t easy for them. But what the heart wants can be hard to resist.

As much as I loved seeing Jillian and Connor slowly fall in love, I think the women in his life are just as awesome. The friendship between Connor’s grandmother, Eugenia, and her lifelong friend, Joe, is oh-so-touching. And her battle with her wandering memories is enough to bring you to tears. But it’s Connor’s daughter, Sunnie, and her romantic woes that grabbed hold of my heart. She’s at a difficult age but she’s got a good amount of spunk to help see her thru it 🙂

Yes, there is a beautiful love story here with two people finding something they didn’t know they were missing, but there is so much more. The search for home and family. The need for a connection to the past and future, as well as to someone else. There are bonds that tie us together, some we are born with and some we make, but they are all important in making us who we are.

This was a lovely story with amazing characters!They are all memorable and play an integral part in the story! This is a heartwarming story of families, of small town life with a great romance!

Jillian is looking for answers and clues to the father who abandoned her. When she arrives in Laurel Springs, Texas she knows it will be a temporary visit.
Connor is the town mayor, is a man with a lot on his plate, not only is he a single father but he is looking after his grandmother, Eugenia who has Alzheimer.

This was a lovely story!

This is the first book I have read by Jodi Thomas and it won’t be the last because I loved the characters, I loved the small town romance and I really liked this authors style of writing.
This is a story about different generations of a family and in this book we meet three couples at different stages of their life’s, Sunnie and Reese are the youngest and they are teenagers trying to work out this dating thing that has just hit them, Jillian and Connor are adults trying to make their relationship work despite the problems life is throwing at them, and Joe and Jeannie are best friends who have known each other for most of their 80 odd years of life, every couple has a story to tell and this book is a powerful, heartwarming story about the bonds that families form and forge, it’s about a community in a small town and it’s a town I would love to visit. A sweet love story that left me wanting to read more from Jodi Thomas

4 Star Review Mornings on Main by Jodi Thomas
This was a new author to me. Jillian James is looking for answers and clues to the father who abandoned her. When she arrives in Laurel Springs, Texas she knows it will be a temporary visit.
Connor Larady, the town mayor, is a man with a lot on his plate, not only is he a single father but he is looking after his grandmother, Eugenia who has Alzheimers; he also has to decide what to do with her quilt shop.
When Connor hires Jillian to help out in the quilt shop he is uncertain as to whether she is trustworthy. Jillian has sworn off men,but there is something about Connor that makes her want to take a leap of faith. Can Jillian be happy in a small town? Or will her wanderlust be too much for her?
Whilst I liked Jillian, initially to me Connor was harder to engage with as I found him to be distant with those around him; thankfully he grew on me.
Mornings on Main is a story of family, community, of life in a small country town and one of love. I enjoyed the characters and how Jodi Thomas brought them to life and I loved Eugenia's character.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher through Netgalley.

I'm sure it will not come as a surprise to anyone when I say this isn't the sort of cover I'm usually drawn to. It's beautiful if that were an actual storefront I'd go in but I like to see a bit of skin on my book covers. With that said, this was a lose-lose situation. The book wasn't sexy, so a sexy cover would have just annoyed me. The cover's nice enough, and it fits with the story.

I adore well-written stories about small towns. One hallmark of a well-written small town story is when you get to know the entire community, not just the main characters. This author did an amazing job of not only introducing me to the key players in the community but putting me right in the middle of the action.

More often than not, I complain when authors try to introduce me to a dozen or so people, how am I supposed to keep them all straight? This time, however, I can't complain at all. The characters were introduced and layered and developed in such a way I wasn't overwhelmed. It was beautiful to read.

During this book, I was introduced to three couples at various stages of their lives. We have Sunnie and Reese, who are teenagers and just figuring out the whole dating thing. Conner and Jillian who are adults and trying to figure out how to make a relationship work when they know it has an expiry date. Then we meet Joe and Jeanie. Jeanie who have been best friends for pretty much their entire 80-some years of life. Their relationship isn't romantic in the slightest, Jeanie was married to Joes best friend before he passed away, but it's obvious how much they care about each other.

Now, Ms. Thomas, you have a unique way of describing the men in this book.

Let's look at Conner first:

"he was starting to look like the mug shots on the Dallas nightly news. Hair too long, this was the third day he'd worn the same old wrinkled shirt, and he hadn't bothered to remove the raincoat his gam said only a vampire would wear."

And Reese:

"He was skinny, ate everything in sight, had hair the color of the Red River, and never said the right thing at the right time... his face had more scabs than pimples."

... At least he has all his teeth.

I all for being realistic, but I think we need to have a very serious talk about what I expect from my book boyfriends. I don't ask for much: he pretty much just needs to look like he stepped right out of a Calvin Kline underwear advertisement, have an uncanny way of always knowing what I need to hear... nothing unreasonable there.

My husband, on the other hand, is your biggest fan. He thinks it's about time men were realistically represented in romance novels. So I guess I'll be getting every book you've ever written for Christmas.

Anyway, my only serious complaint about the book is the ending. I wanted more, obviously, but I really wanted to see Conner and Jillian give a relationship an honest shot when they weren't counting down the minutes until it ended.

Overall, Mornings on Main was a beautiful, engaging, and well-written story. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to take a break from their reality and get lost in the drama of a small town for a few hours.

I really liked and enjoyed Mornings On Main. I loved the chemistry between the characters. cant wait for more.

4 Sweet Small Town Stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

There something about a small town romance that draws me in every. single. time.... throw in a bunch of fabulously develop characters and I am hooked.... major props to Jodi Thomas not only were the main characters Connor and Jillian well developed and likable..... so were all the many secondary characters.... I felt as though I spent the hours I did reading this book immersed in this lovely small town in Texas.....


Neither Connor or Jillian are looking for love, neither of them want a relationship, so of course what happens? This was absolutely not a case of Insta love it was a slow burn.... quite slow.... and I liked it like that, it was very realistic.... everything about this book was real.... the town seemed so very real and lifelike with all the good and bad.... but best of all it was so refreshing to read a romance with male characters who you might actually meet some day.... they were men you would find walking down the street not walking on a runway in a fashion show.... don’t get me wrong I love reading about that super hot musclebound guy that will fulfill my every need wish and desire... but this was definitely a refreshing change.... Jillian also was a real girl, with real problems, Who you would really love to hang out with..... I think I need to head to Texas and hang out with Connor and Jillian for the day!

Absolutely recommend when you’re in the mood for a sweet clean love story with amazing characters and that small town feel😍

*** thank you so much to the author and the publisher for a copy of this book ***

Living in Texas, I always enjoy books set in the Lone Star State and sometimes the locations are close to somewhere I have lived and I can imagine the town and the people.  Laurel Springs felt like many small towns across the country where everyone knows each other and stick their noses in your business, but under the guise of being concerned.  But that sort of community is a blessing to those that embrace it because they know that there are people that care about them and their well being.

Jillian ends up in this small town searching for details about her parents and her history.  Growing up, she never had ties to anywhere she lived or any person other than her father, and even that is questionable based on some of their histories that is revealed throughout the story.

Connor has had a rough life, or at least not the one he expected to live out in his dreams.  He wanted to travel and write books but ended up married with a daughter and the responsibilities that ensue.  But meeting Jillian fills a hole that has been empty for quite some time.

This book has a great cast of characters, from the steady to the quirky.  Each rounds out the story and makes an impact on the story and each other.  I loved seeing Sunnie mature a bit more when it came to boys and I think Jillian had an impact on that even if it was subtle.  Gram may be dealing with memory issues, but she is still pretty sharp and endears everyone to her that knows her, especially Joe who has probably loved her for 60+ years.

This book made me laugh and cry and the only thing I wish was an epilogue or something to let us know if Jillian ever resolved her past.  I don't want to say too much about that but would love to know what happened.  I felt like a few stories were left unfinished and perhaps that means another book?  Only time will tell.

We give it 4 1/2 paws.

MORNINGS ON MAIN by Jodi Thomas is a lovely read. It’s the perfect way to spend a cold spring day: curled up on your favorite reading nook with a cup of tea in one hand and a delightful book in another. Incredibly well-written, this book took me to a small town, introduced me to the people living there, and made me like them and care about them. There are plenty of characters, but the book always centered on Jillian, Connor, and Sunnie -- the three whose points-of-view we rely on to tell the story. These are normal, real people with every day problems that everyone can relate to -- growing up, growing old, leaving, staying, and taking risks to fall in love or continue drifting.
I appreciate Jillian and Connor’s sweet slow-burn fall into love. You can see how it developed throughout the length of the book. I also enjoyed Gram and Joe, the quilts, and the town’s coming-to-life side stories. My favorite part of the book, though, is Sunnie. Her growth as a character from the sullen, resentful child in the beginning to the warm, lovable, funny teenager at the end brought a smile to my face.
I’m rating Mornings on Main four stars. Jillian’s storyline with her parents remained unresolved. I’d have liked for her to find a more definitive closure than what she got. Other than that, I found this book heartwarming and I’d recommend it to everyone who likes small town reads with a sweet romance.

4.5 Stars

This is a first time reading Jodi Thomas and I am excited to read more. The depth within the story and the character's was there from the beginning chapters. I was drawn in very quickly and got lost in the little town surrounded by quilting.

Jillian James is a wanderer. It is all she has ever known, in fact it is how her father taught her before he left her. It was not easy growing up with only a dad but even different with his calculated moving all the time. Take no memories with you attitude. But she has been fairing out not too bad. She has only had a couple of instances where life has gotten super tough. Chasing after the zip codes in her father's ledger she is hopeful to find him or some pieces to his story.

Connor is considered a jack of all trades in the small town he call home. Days spent running the local paper, raising his daughter and being Mayor. Trying very to help Gram keep her quilting store and her passion as long as possible. You don't realize what your life is missing until she stumbles in your door.

Will Jillian find the answers she is looking for? Can Connor find adventure at home?

** Advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review **

Mornings on Main by Jodi Thomas

Jillian James is a drifter who wanders the world staying in places a short time without putting down roots or carrying more than she needs from one place to another. She is living the life shown to her by her father – a man who disappeared from her life a decade before the story begins. In some ways she is strong but the strength is also one that keeps her isolated rather than part of those around her.

When Jillian arrives in Laurel, Texas she is hoping to learn more about her parents, spend some time working while adding to her nest egg and regroup before traveling on. She is a bit of a Chamaeleon able to do many different jobs so when she goes in to get a job and finds out it will be cataloguing quilts rather than working at the newspaper that is fine with her. Her new boss is the mayor of town but Connor Larady is much more than just the mayor. Connor is a single father of a teenager, widow, guardian of his grandmother, owner of much in and out of town, writer and a man with more depth than Jillian first expected.

This is a story of generations in one town. It is the story of community and family and also a love story. I enjoyed the slow unfolding of the romance between Jillian and Connor and hoped that the two would find a way to be together. I found Sunnie, Connor’s daughter, to be intriguing and was happy to see her growth through the book. I loved Gram and the stories she was caretaker of in her person and through the quilts she saved and cared for.

This was a wonderful read and one that made me want to hear more about Laurel Springs, I am hopeful that if this is a series there will be more about each of the characters mentioned and perhaps that Jillian will find out more about her ancestors, too. This was the first book I have read by this author but doubt it will be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

Review for mornings on Main by Jody Thomas. Jody has the unique ability to capture your attention and make you read faster and at the same time you wanted to savor every moment of this book. Whether it was the moments where Julianne and Collin could be alone or the moments with the grandmother. Julianne is just passing through town. She never stays anywhere very long and doesn’t get involved. Collin has never left the small town that he lives in and takes care of. He takes care of everyone except himself. The relationship between the two them was the sweetest and the most heartwrenching of the books I have read.
The stories with the quilts were fascinating. It could’ve been a book all in itself. I never would’ve thought a quilting book could be so interesting. I finished the book last night with several tears. It was so moving as you watch them with the grandmother and Joe and also the moments with Jillian coming to terms with the people who did not want a life with her and the man who did.
Jody has also unique ability to create secondary characters like the daughter Sunnie and her boyfriend Reese that adds those special touches to a story and make it feel so real. The book is authentic, real, and emotional. It’s definitely on my must read list.
Sex - one scene with very few details. almost closed door.
violence - someone beats up Reese
I received this book from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review.
You can see my full review at More Than a Review dot com where I rate the level of sex, violence, language and drug/alcohol use in books.

Mornings on Main by Jodi Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a Small Town Texas novel so maybe it is the first in a new series. I really enjoyed watching Jillian James as she struggled to find her place in life. Was it to roam without ties or had she finally come to the place that felt like home. Like all Thomas novels there are the two main characters Jillian and Connor Larady; Jillian the wander and Connor with roots deep in the small town of Laurel Springs. They are surrounded with a great cast of supporting characters. I wonderful story of hope and love.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.