Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the review copy of Goodbye Earl. I recently read Half Blown Rose by this author (again thank you to the publisher for that book) and really liked Cross-Smith's writing and character development in that book. Goodbye Earl is a little less of a win for me compared to that book, rather a different kind of story and focus despite similar themes on women's lives and strains and overcoming challenges.

As the title implies, GoodBye Earl is indeed a story of revenge and what happens to young women and how this impacts them over time. I will admit that the story was a little more predictable than I expected, and while I am a reader who does not mind predictable because it doesn't mean a story is bad, here it meant I was less excited about how the plot and how the story unfolded. I found the backstory to read a bit too young for me; I love a good YA book but the characters at times felt underdeveloped and too young in some ways given the complexity of their lives. This is just my take, the characters themselves are overall engaging and I love a story of adult women and friendship and revenge themes (which is why despite my reservations about some of the book I am giving this 4 stars, it's a 3.5 read rounded up... let's work on all review apps getting us space for .25 and .5 stars!)

This is still a good book, the themes are important to examine, and this could be a great read for book clubs looking for something quick, discussion worthy, and relevant to women's lives.

Goodbye Earl is a beautifully crafted novel that captures the essence of real and relatable characters within the backdrop of a charming small town in the South. I was so excited to dive into another one of Leesa Cross-Smith’s books as I gave This Close to Okay five stars.

The author's talent lies in her ability to breathe life into her characters, making them feel like old friends. The story revolves around four women whose friendship knows no bounds. Each character is skillfully developed, with their unique struggles and triumphs.

The setting of the small town, Goldie, adds an immersive layer to the story. The quaint charm and tight-knit community highlight the importance of friendship and support. The vivid description of Goldie’s surroundings transports the reader to the heart of the South, immersing them in the culture and ambiance.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Goodbye Earl is the clever use of alternating chapters between High School and the present day. The narrative allows valuable insight into each of the four characters’ pasts but also shows the growth they experience over the years. It reveals how our formative years shape our adult lives, allowing the reader to relate to the women on a deeper level.

The core strength of the novel lies in the unbreakable bond shared by the four women, Kasey, Rosemarie, Ada & Caroline. Their friendship is the emotional anchor of the story providing support and understanding in both joyful and trying times. Their relationship is a testament to the importance of friendship, reminding us of the people who stand by our side, making life’s journey more meaningful.

In addition to its exploration of friendship and personal growth, this book also delves into the theme of revenge, adding a layer of suspense and intensity. The characters explore the complexities of forgiveness, justice, and the consequences of one’s actions. Through skillful storytelling, Leesa keeps readers on the edge of their seats, eagerly turning the pages to uncover the characters’ motivations and the ultimate resolution of their pursuit of revenge.

Something about this book felt very different than the author's last few releases. I think it's really cool this book is based on the song by The Chicks. The writing was incredible as always.

While I’ve been reading this over the last 1.5 days (in my bed, in the ER waiting room while my dad gets his heart checked out, while at home relaxing after, and then I finished it while lounging in bed this morning) and I’ve tried talking to anyone about this book, the first question I’ve gotten when I tell them the title is, “Wait. Like the song?” The second question I get is, “It sounds like that’s gotta be corny. Is it corny?”

My friends, as someone who totally dislikes The Chicks (I can’t listen to Natalie Maines because her voice grates on my nerves–it’s not about their music), I gotta tell you this book isn’t corny. I came into this book justifiably skeptical but willing to take a chance because I really loved the cover, and I ended up unexpectedly not only liking it, but loving it. It’s split up into three acts, takes places in two different story timelines (2004 when the four protagonists are seniors in high school and 2019 is the present day time in the book), and is told in turns by all four main characters (the author chose to use third person limited with each character when it’s their chapter instead of going with third-person omniscient for the whole novel).

But first, let’s get the two reasons why I didn’t rate this five stars out of the way really quick before I get into everything I did like.

One reason I had to dock the book some points: In the back half of the book (the book is split into three acts, so it might even just be in the third act), the 2004 and 2019 timeline narratives first have to make way for emails between all four of the girls as two of them have moved away after high school and two have stayed in their small hometown; and then the main storylines and those emails have to make space for transcripts of police interviews from various town citizens who come in to give voluntary statements. That’s a whole lot of stuff going on all at once, and it makes the book too busy and also too long. I would’ve recommended greatly reducing or even just removing the emails between the girls to reduce the length of the novel. I was ready for the book to end at least 50 to 75 pages before it did. That’s not much, but it’s enough to affect the reading experience.

The second reason I felt some points needed to be docked: Devon. What the heck was the point of all of that? It was confusing and then anti-climatic. I’m not going to spoil it. If you read this then maybe you’ll understand.

Now we’re onto the good stuff!

I don’t put stock into how companies like Amazon categorize a book, because it feels unfair to cage in books that are so many things down to only three categories. This book can’t just be pinned down to one thing. It’s part coming of age tale, part crime fiction, part revenge tale, and part “I will do anything for my family” story. It’s also a story about found family, abusers, victims, survivors, addicts, the patriarchy, the south, absentee parents, white privilege, racism, loss, grief, running from your problems, grief, first loves, trauma, sisterhood, misogyny, music, tradition, falling in love, the sweet cowboys, watching a lot of Dateline, and promises you keep no matter what.

These four girls became sisters from another mister at the age of five while playing in a church basement in their small southern town of Goldie, population just a little over 2,000. Kasey is biracial and being raised by a single mom. Ada has two loving and wealthy parents. Rosemarie is black and has two parents who are total hippies. And Caroline has two parents who divorced and then abandoned her to the care of her grandmother, Mimi. Four girls walking four totally different paths in life, but always stepping together, in sync, hand in hand with one another and never forgetting one another or leaving one behind. They make promises to one another and to the whole of them and they don’t break them. Kasey and Rosemarie left after high school but came back eventually, and with them came a reckoning.

I very obviously recommend this book. I laughed, I cried (it’s hard to get me to cry while reading), I felt touched, and I’m so happy I gave this book a chance.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Coming of Age/Crime Fiction/Found Family/General Fiction/LGBT Friendly/Vigilantes/Women’s Fiction

Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central, and Ms. Cross-Smith for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I'm familiar with The Song by The Chicks. (Having grown up knowing them by their former name, I still have to actively remember to use their new name as the old one was so familiar. Anywho.) I've heard many of their songs but I'm most familiar (as most of us are, I assume) with their ubiquitous hit Goodbye, Earl. Its recent remake can't hold a candle to the original IMO: that cheerful, happy beat and their smiling faces, juxtaposed against the brutally beaten victim in the video... *shivers*.

So. It's not much of a spoiler to say that this book IS the literary version of that song. Really. It's right there in the description. I was SO excited for it too; I love a good "stick it to the man" story. Ha. Unfortunately the book took its sweet time getting there: there was just sooooo much background and character description and I wasn't opposed to it necessarily but I just wanted to get to that proverbial roadside stand on highway 109 already!

I had no problem following the back-and-forth timeline. I had no problem with the characterization. My main issue was that it took much longer than I would have preferred to get to the ACTION. And then at the end things seemed really hasty and unfinished. This would have been fine if we had not spent 65% of the book on character setup. Kasey's romantic situation (don't want to give spoilers) seemed rushed after an entire book spent hesitating and debating. Ada told Grayson the truth- but what did he SAY? (And for a woman with 4 children, she sure spent basically no time with them. That woman owes her husband a vacation.) What happened to Caroline? She was just left hanging. And I guess we are just supposed to assume that Rosemarie... well, if you've read it, you can fill in the blank. I also thought that the, uh, revenge would be a little more revenge-y. Call me vengeful I guess. I think overall I would have preferred less exposition and more climax/more denouement.

Still a fun ride though, and a good summer book particularly if you live in the South and/or are a Chicks superfan.

I didn't have time to read this one before the pub day but am so excited to check it out!! I absolutely loved half-blown rose earlier last year and am very much looking forward to reading even more wrks by this author!

This book was a celebration of strong women and their friendships and bonds. Working together against the abusive men who think they can get away with anything. At times I found this book to move too slowly, but other parts I could not put time. Leesa Cross-Smith is an incredible writer, which is evident in this book too. The characters are all amazing, different and dealing with their own demons. Their relationships seem unbreakable and grow and change as they get older. A wonderful book about the strength of incredible friends and just how far people will go for others.

Following 4 best friends, 15 years apart, this book switches between characters and times, however I found it to be done flawlessly. I was never confused about what was going on or who was "talking". 2004 follows Ada, Caroline, Kasey and Rosemarie in their final days of high school and the drama that follows teenagers. We continue to follow them in 2019, when Kasey returns to Goldie for the first time since high school. When danger seems to be following one of her closest friends, she finds herself being honest with the real reason she left Goldie and working with her girls to ensure their health and safety.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy. HAPPY PUB DAY!

❣️Out Today 7/3❣️Goodbye Earl by Leesa Cross-Smith 4/5✨
If you’ve heard Goodbye Earl by The Chicks, you might be able to guess what this book is about…it was about so much more than the title implies! Sisterhood (biological and chosen), second chance revenge, trauma, murder, and love. Please read the content warnings on this book!
It was fun reading about each of RACK (Rosemarie, Ada, Caro, and Kasey) and how they’ve grown and developed over time and how their friendship has transformed. There were parts where I felt like a little too much information was given (this is coming from someone who LOVES the information) but overall thought it was a solid read!
I would love to have a chance to make all of the recipes mentioned because they all sound tasty! Except maybe a select few…iykyk
Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy! @grandcentralpub #goodbyeearlbook #goodbyeearl #thechicks #revenge #sisterhood #rackforever #leesacrosssmithbooks

Meh. I was really expecting a dark comedy, but this wasn’t that! This story was more about lifelong friendships than revenge. This story could have been told in half of the 400 pages given to us. The first half really drags along and when we finally get to the climax and resolution it’s just mediocre. Overall the story was ok, but it’s been done before.

This dual-timeline story takes you through two summers with four best friends - Caroline, Kasey, Rosemarie and Ada. In 2004, the summer of their graduation, when they were getting ready to head off in different directions to college, Kasey's mom was murdered by Kasey's abusive stepfather. Kasey fled their small Southern hometown of Goldie without telling anyone goodbye, and hasn't returned since.... not until now, when she finally comes back in 2019 for the wedding of Ada's younger sister. When she sees one of her besties being verbally and physically abused by her husband, it brings back all of the memories she has tried so hard to bury. Determined that she will not let another person she loves succumb to the same fate as her mother, Kasey decides to act out the song "Goodbye Earl" and get rid of the abusive husband for good.

This book was a lot of fun. Warning - it is rather long, and it did feel at times like those two summers would last forever, but it was definitely worth it. I especially enjoyed all of the police interviews towards the end, with all of the women of the town coming out and speaking out about the deceased (and his family) and how everyone was better off now that he was dead. If you are a southerner, or a woman, or both, then this book will resonate with you. I definitely recommend this one!

RACK - Rosemary, Ada, Caro & Kasey - lifelong best friends. This book is told in 2 timelines - the girls in high school and then current day as adults. It’s a book about friendship, sisterly bonds, etc. These friends have confronted domestic violence in many forms and have to take matters into their own hands.

I love the friendship between the 4 girls. So many fun references to The Chicks which I loved. The dual timelines worked well in the story.

Southern Belle revenge seekers become the hero a friend needs to save her life. Goodbye Earl, yes just like the song, brings together four friends returning after fifteen years to their hometown. Their return marks the beginning of reliving their haunts that will shape their future.

This story follows duel timelines, 2004 and 2018, as we learn the events that lead these ladies to plot a crime. If you let go of your disbelieves, you can have fun with this crazy storyline. I'm not sure I'd have a friend murder someone for me, even if we are best friends.

Not my favorite by this author, but still a good story.

Thank you Grand Central Publishing for the complimentary copy.

This was a story about four best friends; Rosemarie, Ada, Caroline, and Kacey also known as RACK living and experiencing life in their high school years then jumping to their adult life that’s full of secrets and revenge.

I thought this book would be dark and humorous from the title but I’ll be honest, this book was rough for the first 50% or so. There was way too many characters to keep track of, so many that I made family trees and lists while reading. Some characters were introduced while others were mentioned without any backstory and I had to figure it out as I read.

The writing style was very choppy, it almost felt like one person wrote the beginning of the book and someone else finished it. I’m glad it’s finally over and I was able to finish it without DNF’ing. 🫠

I got this book because of the title. Then I kept hearing the song over and over as I read it. I wondered how good a book could be based on a song and this one was definitely interesting.

Four friends from the small town of Goldie somewhere in the South are definitely BFFs. The story is told from all four friends' POV and the setting alternates between now and their senior year in high school. While we get all the girls' views, the main character is clearly Kasey Fritz, who left Goldie without a hearty goodbye and refused to return for 15 years, not even for two of the girls' weddings. It's a big deal when she finally returns to Goldie to confront past demons, only to find that the living hell she left is being played out in the marriage of her friend Caroline. Kasey is determined to finish what they started 15 years ago.

I really liked the friendship dynamic and easygoing nature of those in this book. I actually moved to a small town from Southern California for my senior year of high school and so the setting felt familiar to me where everyone knew everyone forever. My one complaint about the whole book was that it went on far too long. There were a lot of minute details that didn't matter (like the whole ritual of using the bathroom described step by step, could've done without that - and it happens multiple times). A fun story of friendship based on a song by the Chicks. I enjoyed it but don't think I'd re-read it.

I tried hard to like this book, I really did. The story was not engaging for me, and I honestly had a hard time connecting to any of the characters. The storyline itself likely would have drawn me in eventually but I felt as though the characters were not relatable at all, and the story too farfetched and cliche in many ways. I started this book twice in an attempt to get myself to like it, and it didn't work for me. Hopefully it works for someone else.

DNF at 6%. I just really don’t like the writing style - it’s all telling and no showing, and the dialogue feels so fake. The only part I’ve liked so far is the descriptions of dogs. I cannot finish this.

This book just wasn’t for me. I felt like the pacing was a little too slow and I never found myself eager to pick the book back up. It wasn’t the writing that I didn’t care for but the development of the story.

After being blown away by this author's debut last year, I have to say this book was a departure and not necessarily in a good way. The four POV intermingled at times and the skipping around of the timeline became confusing... a chapter would start in one place and end up somewhere else with no means of how it got there; it just felt like a lot of skipping around. I didn't love this book but I believe in this author and will continue to read her work. Hope you have better luck with this one!

Goodbye Earl comes out next week on July 3, 2023 and you can purchase HERE.

Yep. That electric slut-red cherry on top of the Goldie Dairy Dee sign was zapping like always, even though Kasey Fritz hadn't been back home to see it in fifteen years. She rolled the rental car window down and stuck her hand out--like maybe she could touch the ghosts she knew were there, like lightning bugs wisping through the summer dark.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll be honest right up front, this book was not for me. I really wanted to like this book, but I DNF’d at 26% into the book. At this point, nothing has happened and I just can not continue.

This is a story about 4 friends in multiple timelines and different points of view. It is hard to follow and you have to pay close attention to which perspective you are in and the year. Sometimes the years mush together and you have to figure it out as you are reading.

Leesa Cross-Smith is such a beautiful, warm hug of a writer--and yes, I'm aware that it's probably a little odd to say that in the context of a book with so much abuse and murder. Here, Cross-Smith is doing what she does best: focusing on a tight-knit group and providing endless sensory details to really transport the reader to the Southern town she's imagined. I couldn't put down this story of four friends whose lives are marked by their strong love for one another and marred by the violence of men. Ultimately, I thought the all-encompassing evil reach of the Foxberry family undermined some of what the book got across about patriarchy and systemic misogyny, but that's a relatively minor quibble. Primarily, this book made me want to call my best friends, bake a pie, listen to the Chicks, and queue up a showing of Waitress with a big ol' bowl of popcorn. What more can I ask for in a book?!