Member Reviews
Kristy Woodson Harvey has written an amazing book about first love and how far you sometimes have to go to come back to it. This book drew me in right from the beginning, and the characters are real and likable. I like how the story is told from the viewpoint of several characters, and gives the reader excellent insight into their personalities as well as how they feel about what is going on at a particular time. This is the first book I’ve read by KWH, and I’ll be looking for more. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.
Wow! My first book by this author and it is a great one. Went looking for a light read and ended up on an amazing journey. I will be reading more of her books soon.
I was hooked from page one, the scenery, the subject matter, came together for one of the better reads for me this year. The uniqueness of the plot made for a refreshing “love” story. I recommend!
Amelia’s character is written with spunk, fire, snark, wit as she navigates the unchartered situation she is in. Twists and turns, some unexpected. Parker, the boy next door, they have known each other forever. The mothers and Aunt Tilly, our secret keepers and comic relief. Amelia and Parker both have major life-altering events, that bring them together. Do they need to let go of the past to plan their future? What is their definition of family? Take the trip to Cape Carolina for answers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the free copy for my voluntary review.
This review will go to Amazon on Release day, and Goodreads approx. March 20, 2021.
I love a story about the boy(or girl) next door. Through tragedy and heartache, Amelia and Parker discover their true feelings for each other.
Beneath the Southern Sky is my first Kristy Woodson Harvey book. I will definitely be reading more. The book kept me intrigued, was easy to follow, and had me wanting to know more about the characters.
Author Kristy Woodson Harvey has such a gift and in Under the Southern Sky she shares her gift of writing and story telling once again. I have been a fan of this author for a long time and her latest novel is just another example of why this southern writer is one of the best.
Amelia and Parker were childhood friends and when Amelia, a journalist, finds herself recently separated from her husband and on the edge of breaking a pretty big story she discovered that Parker is a big part of that story. Things get, shall we say, a little complicated and as Amelia uncovers the facts she also uncovers a bit of her heart .
This book has it all. A little bit of mystery, a lot of grief and personal emotions, love, friendship, ethical questions and more and author Kristy Woodson Harvey deftly weaves a story that draw the reader into the world of these characters.
Written with depth, humor and skill this is one book that will be one to reach for when a nicely written southern book is needed. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free copy for my honest review. This is one I would highly recommend.
A cute, easy read that kept me intrigued until the end. I enjoyed this book and its little twists along the way. Although I did figure a few of them out! I really like books that tell the story from different characters’ perspectives like this one did. The only issue I had with that was keeping the two moms’ names straight - Elizabeth and Olivia. I kept confusing them. They should have been a little more unique.
I finished the book quickly because I was anxious to see how it would all play out.
I was given an ARC from Net Galley.
This was a great book with a very interesting twist to the boy/girl next door. There is so much in this story to love. “It’s really truly loving that will turn you inside out.” And Kristy Woodson Harvey delivered. Told by three main characters that the reader can connect with and love all three.
Greer, Parker’s wife, tells her story of dying of cancer and her career as a great writer.
Amelia tells her story of being in a marriage where her husband has an affair with another man. Their divorce which causes Amelia troubled with trust issues. Her childhood goals of becoming an editor-in-chief of a magazine and not ever having children because of a rare disorder.
Parker tells of being the boy next door that has loved Amelia forever but she just thinks of him as a kid. He marries Greer and is devastated when she is diagnosed with cancer and dies. A love he can never get over for 3 years.
The asparagus story is hilarious and I can just imagine the author laughing as she was writing this chapter.
The story of Greer and Parker meeting was very good — heart touching.
The description of camping was my thoughts exactly: “Outside. In tents. With no bathrooms.”
She really did a great job hit all the emotions in one book.
Under the Southern Sky by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Amelia and Parker are childhood friends who have endured their own personal tragedies. Amelia's marriage is ending and she discovers that Parker and his late wife had frozen embryos before she died, which are now considered abandoned.
This is exactly the book I needed during election week! I was crying 15% in and connected with the characters so well. I have read all of Kristy's books now and this is my new favorite. It is such a sweet story about love, grief, vulnerability, acceptance, and family. I really liked the multiple POVs, and Greer's story, told in journal entries she wrote primarily while going through ovarian cancer, character development, vulnerability, and how relatable the characters were. The supporting cast is well developed and fascinating, and I would love a sequel featuring other characters in this world. The story is on the predictable side in its progression, but I still found it so satisfying to see play out. It is a story I was so engrossed in and stayed up late to finish. I also liked the few chapters with the moms conspiring on the side - I just had a smile at their lifelong wishes to become family by marriage. This feels like a true KWH with her love for southern culture and traditions and interior design! I always love her depictions of these beautiful homes and renovations :)
I am quickly becoming a huge fan of the author, Kristy Harvey! Her books are the perfect combination of ease, intrigue, and unique character development.
Under the Southern Sky's storyline was definitely unique. Amelia, the main character, while at the beginning of an unexpected breakup, discovers that her childhood friend, Parker, and his deceased wife have frozen embryos that are being considered "abandoned."Amelia decides to share her discovery with Parker which leads them down rediscovering each other, their past, and misunderstood mistakes.
While this one may be considered a bit predictable in its progression, I honestly loved it and just found it engrossing and satisfying. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and it kept me up later than usual to finish. I was sad to see this one end and I highly recommend adding this one to your spring 2021 reading list!
Thank you to Gallery Books for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.
Kristy Woodson Harvey is a new author to me but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Great storyline that kept you guessing. A great story of love with a southern family and some comedy thrown in for good measure.
I am so thankful I was able to get an early preview of this book. As always Kristy Woodson Harvey did not disappoint and I was not able to put the story down and read it in one sitting.
This is a story of family secrets, love, loss, fertility issues, surrogacy, and the boy next door.
Prepare to have the tissues ready as the story is told by multiple points of view. I highly recommend this story to others.
Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book, it was a quick fast read. The characters were lovable, vulnerable, and with just enough crazy. If you want a great love story this is the book for you. I can't wait to read more by Kristy Woodsen Harvey.
Thanks so much to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was a fast and enjoyable read. The characters were relatable and I felt connected to their challenges and ultimately how they resolved. I was endeared by their relationship and friendship. I enjoyed the chapters written by multiple perspectives. I would definitely read other books in this series!
This was a pleasant read; easy, breezy and light. There were no surprises really, the characters were just interesting enough to hold my attention and the storyline had its moments. I would have liked more dialogue and less point of view (disclosure, I found myself skimming it). Aunt Tilly was the best character, there could have been some golden moments with her eccentricity.
I love Southern books so enjoyed the mothers and the description of their homes. Would read another for sure.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC, this is my honest review.
Oh wow. I just finished this book and just needed to sit a minute and let it all soak in. This book starts out pretty straightforward - a story of Amelia and Parker, who have known each other since birth and have had to endure their own personal tragedies. Amelia learns that Parker and his late wife had frozen embryos before she died, and they reestablish contact. What follows, however, is a wonderful story of several unexpected twists and turns. Amelia and Parker are beautifully drawn main characters, and their supporting cast is richly developed and fascinating in their own right. It is quite obvious how much love the author has for the Southern coastal region and its people. You will not want to put this book down and you definitely won't want it to end. Woodson Harvey just keeps getting better. 4.5 stars.
This is one of the better romance novels that I have read. The characters are rich, different, individual, and likable. The settings are enjoyable and the story takes lots of neat twists and turns. Kristi Woodson Harvey weaves a masterful tale of a threesome with multiple narrators into a romance. However, one of the characters is dead. The dead wife leaves her thoughts in journal entries and letters for her widowed husband who after three years is still devoted to her memory. HIs former next-door neighbor, once a woman of his dreams re-enters his life and provides interest and a rekindling of romance. But is she ready to settle down? She has a few secrets of her own. A relationship unknown to the widowed husband with his dead wife and a new love interest are just a few of the surprises to unwrap in this highly entertaining read. You won't want to put it down and more than that you won't want it to end. Thanks to #UndertheSouthernSky#NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I have always enjoyed Kristy Woodson Harvey books and this one didn’t disappoint.
Amelia and Parker are childhood friends and neighbors and their mom's are best friends. Both come back home for an annual family get together with broken hearts - Amelia ending a marriage and Parker still grieving an adored wife who he loses to cancer. Once upon a time, Parker had saved Amelia's life and she feel's honor-bound to help him have his dead wife's babies. Of course, things get complicated because unbeknownst to Amelia, Parker used to have a crush on her.
Under the Southern Sky is a wonderful story about overcoming your tragic past and moving forward.
Recommend this wonderful love story to your readers who enjoy Elin Hilderbrand, Mary Alice Monroe, Nancy Thayer, and even Mary Kay Andrews. It is quintessentially Southern, and very engaging. The main character is a talented journalist who finds herself suddenly without a job or a significant other and goes back home to her ancestral family home. There, she gets reacquainted with her childhood friend, who has recently lost his wife to cancer. Before she died, however, they managed to save four frozen embryos. What develops from there is a great romance that is definitely in the category of heartwarming!
A beautiful and touching novel focusing on the aftermath of grief intertwined with hope and the desire to keep on living. The tender love story that ensues is sure to capture every reader’s heart.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
All opinions are my own.
3 stars
I am a huge fan of Kristy Woodson Harvey, and absolutely LOVED the Peachtree Bluff series.
I am, however, struggling with this one.
The overall story is very interesting and the book itself is well-written. I did fly through it, because I wanted to find out what happened next.
I do have several criticisms- why did it seem like Amelia gave up everything and Parker gave up nothing? This frustrated me to no end. Amelia was very clear from the beginning of the book that she didn't want to get married again or have children. She was devoted to investigative journalism. Then apparently she has a personality transplant and wants to get married and have babies right.this.second. I just felt that, coupled with the career change, were not consistent with the character in the first 2/3 of the novel.
Why did Amelia and Parker keep so many secrets from one another at the end of the book? If the other hadn't discovered them, would they have remained buried? Yikes.
Being a lifelong resident of Illinois, I'm not sure if it's different in the south, but why is it okay to constantly shame people who don't want to have children? As someone who made that decision, it just rubbed me the wrong way throughout the book.
While I did like the book, I thought the Peachtree Bluff series was better and would recommend those over this novel.
I received an ARC of this book, in exchange for a review.
You will want to sit with all the emotions this book conjures up for days after you finish it. I could not put it down. Kristy Woodson Harvey captivated me from page 1. The story is beautifully told and stays with you long after you close the book. I cannot say enough good things about the story of Greer, Parker, Amelia, and the embryos that were deemed abandoned.. You can feel the characters with each turn of events. I highly recommend Under the Southern Sky. I can't wait to see what Kristy Woodson Harvey comes out with next.