I wanted to read this because I like vampires, and the title got me. It was a fun horror comedy with charming main characters, I'd read other books by this author.

First, thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC!

I had high hopes for this one, with the promise of vampires and a generational group of women being our fighters. Alas, it kind of fell flat. It started nicely, but then started to drag with more of the same just kind of repeating itself.

Then the end was just...underwhelming. You drag the story along for almost 40 chapters, then end things so quickly? And the way it ended was unsatisfying for me as well. Too many questions went unanswered, too many plot points that seemed forgotten. I could maybe see this working if there was a sequel that answered those, but as a standalone, I just wasn't satisfied.

On a positive note, I will say I enjoyed reading from the POV of each of our Evans women (once I got the hang of who was in which generation) as well as our main deputy.

I was immediately intrigued by the idea of this book as someone who watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer in my high school “glory” days, and it did NOT disappoint.

Bless Your Heart is a southern horror story that is also charming. Told in alternating POVs, the focus is the Evans Funeral Parlor and the women who run it: formidable Ducey, the Evans family matriarch, her daughter Lenore, set her in routines to keep evil at bay, her daughter, Grace, haunted by the events of a “Godawful Mess” that happened 15 years ago, when HER daughter, Luna, was just a baby. The job of the Evans women is to keep the dead…well, dead.

When the town gossip, Mina Jean Murphy, rises from the dead before her wake, the elder Evans women know evil has returned to their town.

Set in 1999, during a hot Texas summer, Bless Your Heart stole my heart. I have never read a story that I’d describe as gory (but not too awful), yet heart-warming, but that’s what it is.

This title releases in April 2024. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I can’t wait for everyone to meet the Evans women.

This book was a ride! I finished it in two days---snappy dialogue, and an intriguing plot kept me reading to see what happened next. The Evans women have run the small town's funeral home for generations. What the rest of the town doesn't know is that they also keep the dead from rising. They've managed to keep things under wraps since the "awful thing" that happened 15 years ago, but lately, it seems like something is happening again.

Fun, easy read that gave me Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the ARC!

Small town take on the age old vampire story! The ladies of the Evans Funeral Home are also caretakers of the town's vampire problem, after thinking they put it to rest years earlier. I thought it was a pretty cute book, gorier than I expected for the contemporary tone. My only problem was trying to keep track of the numerous characters. Between the Evans clan, the police force and the teenagers, it was a lot to keep straight.

Thanks to Lindy Ryan, St Martins Press/Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the advance copy!

3.5 ★

I was really enjoying how this started out. It was giving me Grady Hendrix vibes mixed with Alice Hoffman. A generational group of women fighting the undead? Right up my alley~

But then towards the middle, it slowed down and I found myself loosing interest. Not a whole lot was going on, and a lot of unnecessary back and forth between characters. It's set in the 90s but it didn't read that way...Not a whole lot of hints at the nostalgia that is the 90s, so not really sure why the author even bothered to mention it's set in the 90s?

Then towards the end it became pretty cheesy and it lost me altogether.
Characters were killed off just to kill off somebody and to get a reaction out of the reader. Which didn't work (least on me) since there were so many characters to begin with, so you didn't get the time to get invested in anyone.

But I did enjoy the beginning and the dynamics/banter between the family.

Not sure if I'll read the sequel (if there is one...but seems like there will be).

I was really excited to read this book based on the plot summary. And while I thought the idea was interesting, the execution was terrible. The writing was boring and repetitive. The author needed to show more than tell. And I wanted to throw my phone every time she mentioned Ducey eating a butterscotch. I get it, she’s eat butterscotch candies all day. You don’t have to tell me every other sentence. Perhaps this would have been a more enjoyable read if written by a different author. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the review copy

This book was not for me. The plot was fine, I just couldn’t stay interested, but I think many of our patrons will Ike it. I couldn’t keep the female characters straight. They all seemed too similar.

The cover of this book immediately caught my attention with that charming Southern title! I knew I had to check it out, and I'm glad I did. Instantly had me hooked. But let me tell you, it's not your run-of-the-mill charming tale – it had such a spooky twist that it had my skin crawling a little! Now, if spooky things make you jump out of your skin, maybe give this one a pass. But if you're like me and thrive on that spine-tingling, hair-raising excitement, you're in for a treat!

So, we've got the Evans women, these feisty funeral parlor owners in this adorable Southeast Texas town. But hold your horses, 'cause it's not just any funeral parlor drama. Nope, it takes a wild turn when the dearly departed decide they're not entirely done with their grand exit. They rise up as "Strigoi," and let me tell you. It's a whole new take on vampire books. The author, Lindy, weaves in family secrets and characters so captivating, they'll have you flipping pages so fast.

And oh my gosh, can we talk about those characters? Each is unique, and you're piecing together their stories and intriguing backgrounds as you go along. I was practically buzzing with questions, but you know what? Every single one was answered, just like a grand finale of a fireworks show. And that ending – perfection! It left me grinning, totally satisfied with all the mystery and suspense.

I loved it!

This is such a fun read! Everyone who wants a good vampire tale, with some laughs, and All vampire loving southerners should give this book a try! I cannot wait to share this book with everyone when it is published.

Thank you so much for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

That cover grabbed me, along with the Southern charm of a title and the very spooky story, as the women running Evans Funeral Parlor fight to keep the town safe from vampires. A fine mystery-horror tale that should NOT be read at night.

The funeral home business has been in the Evans family for a long time and ran by Evans women. That alone makes for an interesting Southern story. Then clients of the funeral home start waking up! No, I didn't really expect that nor did I expect the women to easily handle the situation. Of course the story thickens and there's plenty of drama and past drama that livens? up the story. This book kept me interested the whole time. There's humor, horror, mystery, sadness and hope. I read this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fun read with very spooky vibes...for some reason did not think this was supposed to be a horror/scary novel tho lol.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

This was definitely an interesting premise. I enjoyed the overall story, and can easily see it becoming a series. The one thing that really detracted from my ability to love this book was how difficult I found it to keep the Evans characters straight. The younger two women of the family were easy to follow along with. The older two however it took me until over halfway through to be sure exactly which was which. Each chapter does tell you who is speaking, so it wasn't that. It was understanding who was the mother of who, and keeping the older generations straight. If I was able to just focus on the story instead of understanding the characters this could have been a story to easily get caught up in.

I liked it! It’s a pretty straightforward mystery that focuses on the characters and their relationships throughout this small town more so than the vampire elements, so I’d recommend it more as an exploration of generational trauma/responsibility/love than as a penny dreadful. Having said that, there is very detailed gore and death so. Look out for that. It reads very cinematically at times, so the visuals are clear and fun but you may not get too in depth a look at what characters were thinking. Overall it was fun and compelling with a moving ending, but isn’t overly deep or meaningful imo. Just a fun read.

This was really fun southern charm combined with vampires? Sign me up. I had a good time, though I have to say that the writing style took me a while to get used to so I could really get immersed into the story. Fun premise, well-written, lots of fun! Very unique book also liked throwback to nineties.

I want to know more about the Evans family! Tell us about Pie or more future books, please!!

Lindy Ryan is a talented author. The dialogue was a joy to read and the way she described the gore was top notch. Would not recommend reading this one at bedtime. The ending was also unexpected! 5 stars.

This was really fun! Lots of southern charm and atmosphere combined with spooks and vampires? Sign me up. I had a good time, though I have to say that the writing style took me a while to get used to so I could really get immersed into the story. Fun premise, well-written, lots of fun!

I am all here for this! Southern charm, mystery, horror and Vampires. This book 8s one of my favorites. I could not put it down. This is an amazing book. The title is perfect for this book. Absolutely perfect.
I just reviewed Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan. #NetGalley
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