The Southern Side of Paradise is the third book in the Peachtree Bluff series. Those following the series by now are more than familiar with Ansley Murphy and her three adult daughters Caroline, Sloane and Emerson. As the second book in the series closed, Emerson has made a major announcement. All the while, Ansley has been drawing close to a former love, Jack, but they share a secret that could destroy the warm bond shared between Ansley and her daughters.

Emerson, the youngest and an actress, has just gotten engaged. Meanwhile, she has gotten the role she's been dreaming on. But things just are not quite right, and this includes a major health scare.

This was a very emotional read, but it certainly had its light moments, and I appreciate when the tension was lifted, because I was able to laugh aloud. I love the way these books were structured. Ansley is the principle character, and in the first book we got Caroline's point of view, in the second, Sloane's and in this one, Emerson's. Although Emerson is now engaged, she faces some difficult choices and very deep emotions.

Ansley and Jack have come a long way from the first book. But it is Ansley's unselfishness and her motherly love that could still possibly be the undoing of everything good that she deserves.

I adored this family. I absolutely loved the conclusion. Things were wrapped up very nicely for Ansley and her daughters. There were no loose ends and everyone involved has plenty to look forward to. I just found Kristy Woodson Harvey when I got this review copy, so I had the opportunity to read all three books on succession.

The previous two titles are Simply South of Simple and The Secret to Southern Charm. I highly applaud Ms. Woodson and definitely recommend this entire series. Although the backstory is clearly relayed, and this could indeed serve as a standalone novel, I do think the experience would be accentuated by reading it in order.

Many thanks to Gallery Books and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

How does the state mineral of Georgia land a role in The Southern Side of Paradise?

The Southern Side of Paradise is #3 in Kristy Woodson Harvey’s Peachtree Bluff Series. Ansley and her three grown daughters, Caroline, Sloane, and Emerson, the Starlite Sisters, by several twists of fate, now live on the waterfront in the “southern paradise” of Georgia called Peachtree Bluff. Ansley’s mom, Grammy, always said, ” …life is nothing but one big surprise after another,” and in this peach of a story, the surprises AND the family secrets just keep on coming!

From the Twin Towers on 9/11 and the streets of Manhattan, to the movie studios of LA and stardom; and even farther to the battlefields of Iraq- this family’s journey covers a lot of territory, both in distance and in time invested in relationships over the years.

Word of small town dramas don’t take long to spread and this holds true for Peachtree Bluff. You will meet and grow to love Carter, Jack, Mark, Kyle, James, and Adam. Statements like, ” I’m their father, and I’m dating their mother; Do you remember the night Peachtree High won state? The best part of life is the surprises, the reinvention of yourself ,” will connect the guys with their gals and the reader’s heart strings.

The staurolite plays a special part in the love story of the Starlite sisters of Peachtree Bluff. Staurolite is a special mineral found in Georgia; as special as the “little girls building castles on the southern side of paradise; the Starlite sisters.”

I highly recommend The Southern Side of Paradise! As a special treat, read book #1 Slightly South of Simple, and book #2 The Secret to Southern Charm. Then you’ll know why Kristy Woodson Harvey and her charming characters are considered such a Southern prize.

Kristy Woodson Harvey is such a talent. It’s nearly impossible to believe she’s so young. She reminds me of the Reese Witherspoon of the publishing world.

The Southern Side of Paradise is the final installment of The Peach Tree Bluff series. It’s sad to let these characters go because I’ve grown fond of them. This book focuses on Emerson. The youngest of the sisters. She has hard choices to make, impossible really.

All the sisters’ and their mother Ansleys stories and secrets are laid bare and resolved, just like I hope a good series will end. I’m jealous of those who get to start from the beginning and experience it the first time.

A forever fan you have found in me Kristy. You’ve been added to the ranks of Dorothea Benton Frank and Mary Alice Monroe.

I breezed through this ARC in less than 24 hours. It was what I needed on a cold day! The Murphy women are strong, successful and so close! This book is refreshing..it’s full of success and love. Another great addition to the Peachtree series!

I love this series! I love the bond and relationship of the Murphy Women. I'm sad that this was the last book in this series. The author did a great job with the creation and building up of the characters and helping the reader visualize Peachtree. It sounded like a heavenly place to live and grow up. I recommend this series.

A perfect ending to a lovely series, that has me wanting to pack up and move to Peachtree Bluff!
I admit, I’m going to miss the “Murphy girls”. The first two books featured a big family full of big personalities-each book focusing on mom Ansley and one of the three sisters. So no surprise that youngest sister & actress Emerson is a force to be reckoned with! Tears, laughs and plenty of drama fill these pages, but when push comes to shove-family is always there for you!!

FINALLY! I have been waiting for this installment to the series since I began! The Southern Side of Paradise was TRULY the most perfect ending to a series I fell head over heels in love with. The characters are so easy to fall in love with. Normally, I will only lean towards one, maybe two, characters in a story. However, with this Peachtree Bluff characters, I was in love with EVERY one of them. I constantly rooted for each of them in their contrasting stories. Annsley with Jack, Caroline with the second chance in her marriage, Sloan suffering through the unknowing of what happened to her husband, Emerson with her health and career. I wanted a happy ending for all of them. The author tied up all of their stories with a beautiful ending in my opinion. She wrote with such elegance and the most beautiful descriptions of the characters and settings. Mrs. Harvey had me wishing I was a Murphy girl living in Peachtree Bluff. All in all, this is such a wonderful, fun series about real life families and the highs and lows they face. I would recommend to anyone! Thank you to the publisher and author for this ARC. I am so grateful!

I have really enjoyed this series of Kristy Woodson Harvey and was desperately looking forward to the last book in the series. This was a good read, but not my favorite in the series. Emerson comes off like a whiny 27-year-old woman who needs to grow up. I found her to be quite annoying throughout most of the story and was tempted to put the book down altogether. I kept reading because I was torn between Mark and Kyle and I did not know how it was going to turn out. All in all a good story, but not my favorite in the series.

I fell in love with Peachtree Bluff in Harvey’s Slightly South of Simple. I found the Series when the 2nd book, The Secret to Southern Charm came out. I had just got back into reading and the cover drew me in. I am a sucker for books on the low country and what looks to be a beach read. I saw it was the second in a series therefore my adventures began in Caroline’s world and continued to book 2 with Sloane’s story.

I could not wait to get my hands on the 3rd and final installment in the Peachtree Bluff series. I had the pleasure of obtaining an egalley in exchange for an honest review. Kristy Woodson Harvey does not disappoint in The Southern Side of Paradise. She shows the inner struggles of woman and how they can overcome almost anything. Each book takes on the story of one of the Murphy sisters and their mother Ansley. Though their worlds may seem perfect on the outside they are anything but that. The Southern Side of Paradise is youngest daughter Emerson’s story. Are the glitz and glamour of her Hollywood life too much for her? Are there skeletons in her closet? Emerson has secrets of her own and she is afraid for them to come out. Could secrets from the past coming crashing down and ruin everything for the Murphy women? You will have to read on and find out. At times I found Emerson to be a little whiney like a teenager but that did not take away from the story.

I am happy with the ending that Harvey chose for the Murphy women. I am sad to see them go but I look forward to the next world that Harvey will create. I give The Southern Side of Paradise a solid 4.5⭐️’s! My recommendation is read on!

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I am a huge fan of the Peachtree Bluff series and I truly never wanted it to end, but The Southern Side of Paradise is a fantastic finale!

For those of you who haven’t started this series each installment builds on each other -so it’s best to start from the beginning and trust me you will thank me after ;). I was considering doing a reread of the 2 prior novels to make sure I was fresh on the Murphy family, but I didn’t because I just couldn’t contain my excitement to see how everything would finish up!!! Thankfully Kristy Woodson Harvey gently and organically brushed us up on all of the character’s situations—LOVED THAT!

I simply adored everything this book!! I was weary how things would wrap-up because I have grown super attached to these characters, but Kristy Woodson Harvey blew me away with pure awesomeness is this book! I literally flew through this book because it was unputdownable! My heart is full because it ended perfectly, but there is still a part if me that would LOVE to see another installment (or maybe a spin-off series)! The Southern Side of Paradise is a total and complete 5 star read! I recommend this series to EVERYONE! I am so flipping excited to see what Kristy Woodson Harvey comes out with next!!

I was sad to see this third and last book in the Peachtree Bluff series end. I loved how all of the story lines wrapped. The author does a great job developing complex characters who struggle with real life situations throughout the series. The situations they are in aren't solved with a simple as "follow your heart", making the characters and their lives feel authentic. I loved the theme of second chances, and not being afraid to try again. I really loved this book!

My first thoughts while reading The Southern Side of Paradise were "Wow, what an amazing storyteller" and "this author writes authentic settings" and "the perfect family drama." I was skeptical going in because I hadn't read the first two books in the series but have always wanted to try the authors work and I am so glad I did. I will immediately be purchasing the first two novels and am so excited to get lost int he stories like I did this one.

I truly adored this book. I couldn't put it down. I felt a little lost in some situations but those were quickly put to the side because of how deeply invested I was in these women's lives. I am so happy to say that I have now found a new author to read!

This is the third and final book in the Peachtree Bluff series and even though I'm sad to say goodbye to this family, the story ended perfectly with all of the issues wrapped up.

This book takes us back to Peachtree Bluff and the Murphy family. Mother Ansley and daughters Caroline, Sloane and Emerson. Book 1 was Caroline's story, book 2 was Sloane's story and this is Emerson's story. Emerson left Peachtree Bluff right out of high school to go to Hollywood and pursue her dream of becoming an actress. She has started getting small parts and finally felt that she was making some headway with her dream when she came home for the summer. She re-connected with her high school boyfriend and had a major health scare all of which made her decision of what to do with her life even more difficult. Should she stay in Peachtree Bluff and marry her boyfriend or should she continue her goal to become an actress or was there a way she could have both? Along with her dilemma, a secret that her mother had been keeping for years came to light which further affected her life altering decisions.

This entire series about the Murphy family has been fantastic and I am sad to say goodbye to them I wouldn't mind seeing another book about this family in the future so we can keep up with them because I feel like they're friends after reading this series.

Perfect ending to a perfect series from a wonderful Southern author. Loved loved loved it!

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Loved the first two novels. Felt very connected to the characters. This final installment was very satisfying.