Thanks Harper Collins for the ARC and Audiobook!

This one was so easy to read, I flew through the audiobook in less than a day! Britney Pressley can do no wrong and listening to her is like listening to an old friend talk!

I usually don't love southern vibes, but was surprised with how much I enjoyed this one! I think this will be a big hit! I'm always down for this kind of women's fiction and for mother/daughter drama and genre blends, so this fit the bill for me!

This is out now!

This was a very fun read, and sure there is a little tragedy thrown in towards the end but overall it was a joy to read. It's about a mother and daughter who are so very different in personality and temperament that they don't know what to do with each other. Posey, the mother figure is shallow and conniving but I still liked her because she was so self unaware that she was funny. Calle Jane, Posey's daughter is the polar opposite of her mother and has to learn to stand up for herself to realize her own happiness. I loved that the story is based in the south, I love good southern fiction. I highly recommend this delightful and heart felt story by Elizabeth Bass Parman. 5 solid stars.

I loved this debut novel and look forward to reading more! I enjoyed the 1960s atmosphere, the small-town vibes and Callie Jane's story. Her mom Posey is a woman who has spent her life wanting something more & not appreciating what she had. The two have a messy relationship, however Callie Jane has a beautiful relationship with her father and friends. I did not expect the ending at all but liked how it played out. Great book!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book drew me in with its small town charm and delightful characters. As the story continued, I was intrigued by the mystery of the "Creeper" but began to feel less sorry for the main character Posey who seemed to want to make everyone around her miserable. I grew to love her husband and daughter and hoped they would find their own happiness. The unexpected plot twist threw me for a loop. At the end, I loved the subtle reminder that even through sadness, people can find a way to make their own happiness.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of The Empress of Cooke County by Elizabeth Bass Parman. This is the story of some larger than life southern characters, in the 1960’s. Posey wants to be the most popular person around, and when she inherits a dilapidated estate, she thinks maybe it will happen. We meet her daughter who finds herself engaged at 18 to a man who is not the man of her dreams. And her husband, who is a good man but not in a good marriage. I did finish this one, but did not love it. Definitely a light read, maybe good for vacation or beach. #theempressofcookecounty #elizabethbassparman #netgalley #bookstagram #booklover #lovetoread #takeapagefrommybook #readersofinstagram #readallday #tbr #advancedreadercopy

Small town Southern to the core. Was it cute, was it funny, not really and not what I thought it would be. I managed to finish it, but didn't particularly care for it. Posey Jarvis was envious and gossipy. and her daughter Callie Jane is engaged to someone she doesn't want to marry. That's just the beginning Small town drama, peeping tom’s, rich aunts dying and leaving you a mansion! This book could not compete with the likes of Fannie Flagg! Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lacks the Flair of a Southern Writer

I originally thought this would be a light-hearted beach read. Then I wrongly assumed it would have some depth and provide an interesting plot to surprise the reader. Unfortunately, it did neither.

The main character Callie Jean, is a perfect daughter and friend. She is very close to her kind father, Vern. Her mother is a liar and a social climber and to no one’s surprise, she could not maneuver those in her small world to give her the life she felt she deserved.

Callie Jean is the product of a fling with a married man. Her mother, Posey, settled for Vern when she discovered she was pregnant with a married man’s child. She treated kindly Vern terribly and her goal was then to become an “empress” and it almost came true through an inheritance. None of these moves made sense.

The plot was not convoluted but it became hackneyed at the conclusion.

My gratitude to NetGalley and Harper Muse for this pre-published book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Posey sees herself as the Empress of Cooke County. A Jacqueline Kennedy enthusiast, she secretly drinks a lot to combat the boredom of her life in rural Tennessee. Her nineteen-year-old daughter Callie Jane and Posey's husband run the local Emporium. While Callie Jean dreams of California and a bigger life, Posey wants to rule where they are. Set in the late 1960's, Callie Jane and Posey's opposing dreams come to a head.

I really, really liked this one. It is a dark comedy, felt very "Southern fried", and had great characters. I loved to hate some and just loved some. It's not lighthearted in tone overall but was a good read. It felt a little like Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau, in a very good way.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

I really don't have a lot to say about this book. It certainly wasn't a light-hearted story! Posey wasn't happy with her life. She feels she is better than others. Although she is married, I don't understand why she wants to be with the man that dumped her years ago and she had a fling with (and a child with). I liked the chapters that included her daughter, Callie Jane, better. Although she is engaged, she really doesn't love the man. She really wants to escape her mother and her town and go to California. This was a much "darker" story than I thought it would be and really wasn't my kind of book. Posey wasn't my type of character at all.

Posey Jarvis is no longer a Stadler girl and does not want anyone to forget it. She grew past her embarrassing roots to become someone in the community - the Empress to be exact. Finding herself in the family way and quickly ignored by the baby's father, she marries the kindest man in the community who gets part of his dream - a child - if not a loving wife and. mother along with it. As Posey continues to try proving to her long-lost love that she is worthy of him and his high societal needs, she distances herself further and further away from her husband and daughter. The day she finds out she inherited the largest home in the community from her eccentric aunt, she thinks is the happiest day of her life and proof that things are going to start going her way. In fact, the opposite happens and her world begins systemically dismantling.

This was a great "southern" read - small town gossips, star-crossed lovers, and ill-placed expectations combine to create a great story about what you think you want in life, and what the universe has decided for you. It's also a story of strength to push back and stand up for what you want and your own happiness. I greatly enjoyed this book. I'll be watching for more from this author!

I loved this debut book and hope this author writes more!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a juicy story of love, drama, a spoiled grown woman who, is so crazy she will make you bust a gut laughing. This book is perfect for fans of Plum Sykes.

Wow, what a great book! Seeing mother and daughter both following their paths to follow their dreams, and how differently they go about it was fascinating. I loved Callie's relationship with her father, and how much he loved the town, juxtaposed with Posey's hatred of her life and discontentment with her small, insignificant (in her eyes) life. It was so relatable to see Callie struggle between her parents' wishes and what she feels she has to do to be happy. I loved the small Southern town setting,and I appreciated how certain aspects of the story were upended and didn't go in the direction it normally would in a book like this. If you want a book that feels like being in a gossipy hair salon, this is it.

Book Reviews: The Empress of Cooke County
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Author: Elizabeth Bass Parman @elizabethbassparman
Publisher: @harpermusebooks
Thank You to @netgalley for this ARC

Set in the South during the 1960’s this was a delightful debut novel. Posey Jarvis is married to an older man named Vern and lives in the small town of Spark, Saturday Tennessee. Posey’s life is just normal middle class. Everyone is spark loves Vern and this is hard for Posey as she wants so much more than Vern has been able to give her. Posey has a tendency to drink a bit too much which seems to affect her outlook on life. Callie-Jean is Posey and Vern’s 18-year-old daughter. She is engaged to her best friend. She wonders what her life would be like if she marries him. Will it be like her parent‘s, just basic normal? Callie Jean may not really want to be married but make this decision she will to have the courage to say no and chase her dreams .
Posey inherits a rundown mansion from her aunt and since Posey now has this mansion, she ends up final finagling her way to hosting her 20th class reunion. Posey does all of this and hopes to see her old high school flames CJ. CJ happens to be a doctor now and is happily married. But Posey is dreaming of what life would be like with CJ. The problem with Posey is she isn’t happy with what she has and she thinks she would be happy with that which She doesn’t have. Posey needs to learn how to be happy and if she doesn’t, who knows where she’ll go from here. Callie-Jean’s storie is better than Posye’s. Callie-Jean starts to find her voice, and is starting to find what she really wants in life. A secret revealed that affects Callie-Jean’s life and makes it a bit topsy-turvy. She eventually stands up to her mother and lets her voice be heard. Callie-Jean loves her father and is finding it hard to see how her mother treats him. The end of this book was well not quite as I thought it would be. It is very much an emotional whiplash. This book is a true Southern fiction and I a wonderful read. I am going to be looking forward to this author’s next book!

#southernfictio #harpermuse #debut #womensfiction #southernfiction #read #bookstagram

The Empress of Cooke County had a slow start and took a while to get me hooked but once it turned into a bit of a mystery I was in! The POV flip between mother and daughter definitely kept it interesting.

This is a somewhat darker story than the cute cover might have you believe, and while I don't want to give away the ending of the book, this one has a surprisingly satisfying conclusion. This is filled with gossipy, sassy Southern small town charm that still shows the limited options for women in mid-twentieth century America. I really enjoyed this quick and fairly short debut, and I'll be eagerly watching to see if more comes from the author!

I was really looking forward to this one since it sounded like a fun, 1960s historical fiction romp and while there was a lot of small town Southern charm with a cast of quirky characters, this domestic dramedy was darker than I was expecting at times (mother-daughter drama, small town politics plus a murder).

The book explores wealth, identity, love and finding the courage to chase after one's dreams even though it might go against parental expectations and was good on audio narrated by one of my favs, Brittany Pressley. Somehow though it just felt a little flat for me. Okay but not great maybe owing to it being a me thing or a wrong mood, wrong time thing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review. Worth a read but I wouldn't rush to recommend it.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A narcissistic woman with a devious plan gets a comeuppance.

In 1960s Spark, Tennessee, Posey Jarvis is eager to make the town forget her humble beginnings and acknowledge her as "empress." She certainly looks the part in her thrifted designer clothes and Cadillac and when she unexpectedly inherits the grandest (albeit dilapidated) house in town from her aunt, Posey believes things are finally falling in place. She will lure the doctor she had an affair with as a teenager and he will realize he really loves her. Sure, she'll have to divorce Vern, her presumably loyal husband who saved her from single motherhood.

But there are a few hurdles. Her teenaged daughter, Callie Jane, is suddenly thinking for herself, wanting to leave for California and break off her engagement with Trace, soon-to-be grocery store mogul. And Vern is disappearing for hours at a time, coming home with flimsy excuses and smelling of fried chicken.

Instead of things falling into place, they fall apart. This small-town story is by turns heartbreaking, hilarious, inspirational, and sad. #TheEmpressofCookeCounty #NetGalley

This book was kind of a lot of nothing going on. The only likeable character was the daughter, and she really had to grow on me. The mother was horrible from the beginning. The father was weak. The baby daddy was a jerk. There isn’t much I liked about this book except the ending.

The empress of Cooke county is a southern family story, the tone of which is similar to lessons in chemistry. Posey is an overbearing mother trying to live the socialite lifestyle that she had a taste of 20 years prior. Posey inherits a derelict house from her aunt and sets her mind to rebuilding it believing it will open a door to the life she feels she has been denied. Meanwhile, her daughter Callie Jane, is struggling under the weight of her mother’s expectations and is engaged to man she doesn’t love to try to please her mother. Affairs and secrets abound in the family, but when tragedy hits the two women put their lives on hold
To find common ground together.

This is a quick read that is atmospheric with witty and sharp dialogue. The novel is light hearted but takes a sudden turn near the end that shifts the tone slightly, if you liked palm royale or lessons in chemistry, you will enjoy this read!

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.