ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝐸-𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀 & 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝟑.𝟓 ⭐️ 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑪𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒚 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐩𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟎𝐬. 𝐓𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐲 𝐉𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐬 (𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐞 (𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐤 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞).

𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑪𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒚 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝! 𝐈 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬-𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒯𝒽𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓈 𝒩𝑒𝓁𝓈𝑜𝓃, 𝐻𝒶𝓇𝓅𝑒𝓇 𝑀𝓊𝓈𝑒, 𝐻𝒶𝓇𝓅𝑒𝓇 𝒞𝑜𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝓈 𝐹𝑜𝒸𝓊𝓈, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

3.5⭐️ rounded up

This is an unconventional story of a mother and daughter living in the Deep South during the 1960s. Judging by the cover and blurb, I expected a lighthearted, gossipy southern drama, but the reality was much darker.

The story is told from two points of view. Posey Jarvis is truly wicked. Her day is filled with sips of gin, rumination on her own importance, and manipulative plans to get what she wants even at the risk of destroying others. Callie Jane is Posey’s daughter. She has lived under her mother’s domineering control and longs to escape her and the small town she calls home. Both women have dreams. The cost of achieving them is quite high.

I alternated between audio and print versions of this book and found both held my interest. Brittany Presley’s narration captured the southern charm of the Cooke County setting.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse, and Harper Muse Audiobooks for the opportunity to access advance copies in exchange for my unbiased review.

A really fun debut novel. I loved the sassy characters and the Southern vibe.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

Eighteen years later, Posey is still pining after the same guy, and not the man she married. This is the main part of every decision she makes, and boy are there plenty of dumb ones. Through all this she alienates herself from everyone. I was never able to understand or connect with Posey and that made the whole book pretty confusing as she is the title character. Now, viewing Callie Jane as the main character makes for a much better story! She changed and grew during the course of the story, came into her own, and was a much more relatable character. That was the saving grace of this book for me!

It's been so long since I've found a southern "voice," in the vein of Fannie Flagg. Holy heck. This is IT. I laughed, I felt sadness and was sorry when it ended. Posey Jarvis came from the wrong side of the tracks, and she's harbored an obsession over someone she'd been with years ago (let's call it what it is...stalking.). She doesn't see the love that's right in front of her. Told in the alternating dialogues of Posey and her 18-year-old daughter worked really well, because you could see Posey from the outside in. Her daughter is also able to give us some insight into other characters, including her dad. I can't say enough about this book. Preorder it.

Thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Posey may be one of my least favorite characters in literature. Yikes! Her daughter and husband though were so kind.

This book is marketed as light hearted fun but it's really not. It's a decent enough read but I simply couldn't laugh at it. I really only laughed when a young CJ confused impress with empress and thats how her mother got her nickname.

2.5 stars

Posey and her daughter Callie Jane tell this tale set in a small town in 1966. Posey is, if not a villain, an incredibly unlikable woman who continues to pine after Callie Jane's father - the man who left her pregnant- even as her long suffering husband Vern puts up with her nonsense. Now she's inherited a big house and is planning to host her high school reunion with the goal of showing off and getting CJ back. Not so fast. Callie Jane doesn't want to get married- she wants California. Can she finally stand up to her mother? This is one unhappy family. I enjoyed the atmospherics and rooted for Callie Jane (and Vern). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

The cover and synopsis of this book didn’t match the actual reading experience for me. I thought this would be a lighthearted literary fiction, but instead it was filled with characters I found rather flat and unlikeable with no solid plot driving the story forward. It was a bummer

This book was not for me. I feel generous rounding up from 2.5 stars to 3. I could not abide Posey. She thought she was all that and some. At 19, she fell in love with a married man and since then, almost 20 years later she still had dreams of becoming his wife. She mad this dream her life goal even though she had a husband and an 18 year old daughter. Callie Jane, the daughter, was very much under her mother's thumb. She was engaged and did not want to be. The reader does watch her grow a backbone though. I think this may have been the only part of the story I liked. The husband--very nice, well liked and oblivious to his household. He was the only one that seemed happy. I had been expecting a comedy but did not find much humor in this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary ARC. This review is my own opinion.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of The Empress of Cooke County, by Elizabeth Bass Parman, from Harper Musedigo Dot Press/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary. PS Harper Muse sent me an email that said I had to include this language, so here it is: “I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.” I mean, not like you hadn’t figured that out already……just covering all my bases here, kids.

Not funny. Not charming. Definitely forgettable.

But, hey, at least Elizabeth Bass Parman has written a book, which is more than I can say. I’ve just edited them.

PS
Here’s an actual proper book review you should read if you want a little more detail than is provided in my first six words; it was posted by one Main Colonial: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Description
“Get ready to laugh! Elizabeth Bass Parman is a true Southern storyteller. I couldn’t have loved it more.” —Fannie Flagg, New York Times bestselling author

Posey Jarvis knows she’s the rightful empress of Cooke County . . . She just needs to make everyone else realize it too.

Thirty-eight-year-old Posey Jarvis is the self-appointed “empress” of rural Spark in Cooke County, Tennessee. She spends her days following every word about her idol and look-alike Jackie Kennedy, avoiding her stalwart husband Vern, and struggling to control her newly defiant daughter Callie Jane—all while sneaking nips of gin. When Posey unexpectedly inherits a derelict mansion from her quirky old aunt Milbrey, she finagles her way into hosting her high school’s twentieth reunion there. She cares nothing about seeing her classmates, but she cares deeply about seeing the love of her life, a man who dumped her nineteen years ago. Possums are nesting in the parlor and the stench of cat urine permeates the sunroom, but she must be ready for the big day, even if she has to do the work herself.

Eighteen-year-old Callie Jane finds herself accidentally engaged and is panicking about her fast-approaching wedding. She’s also had enough of her domineering mother. Even though she loves her father, the idea of working at his emporium for the rest of her life just makes her . . . so sad. She longs to escape from her mother, her job, her upcoming wedding, and the creepy Peeping Tom terrorizing the town. She dreams of leaving everything she’s ever known in her rearview mirror and starting over in California. But when her life has been mapped out for her from birth, how can she break free?

Set in a gossipy small town during the turbulent 1960s and full of Southern charm and unforgettable characters, The Empress of Cooke County is a novel about found family, what it means to be loved, and how being true to yourself can have life-altering consequences.
• Southern women’s fiction
• Stand-alone novel
• Book length: approximately 82,000 words
• Includes discussion questions for book clubs

In 1966, Posey Jarvis lives in Spark, Tennessee. She is dealing at once with an unhappy marriage, a rebellious daughter who is determined to marry, and working on her 20th high school reunion -- where she hopes to reunite with her high school love.

I wanted to read this novel because I love anything 1960's! The time period and the southern setting were both very appealing. I thought this would be a light, humorous read. It turned out to have a darker (and more substantive) edge ... and it was a real page turner! I stayed up late reading because the characters were so compelling.

I recommend The Empress of Cooke County for readers who enjoy southern fiction, 1960's settings, and fascinating characters!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book

For fans of “The Tobacco Wives” and author Meagan Church

Callie Jane and her mother Posey both want something more for themselves than their lives in Stark, TN - but how they go about achieving their dreams is very different!

Callie Jane’s relationship with her father is so sweet and a main focus of the story. Posey’s grand plans for cementing her status as a self-proclaimed socialite backfire on her. I loved the setting and the time period - I will definitely be recommending this book upon publication, and will be sure to read the author’s future novels

I went into this book expecting a fun, small Southern town story, but boy was I wrong, and I got so much more than that.

The POV of this book goes back and forth between Posey and her daughter, Callie Jane. The two could not be more opposite, and I really enjoyed the way that played out throughout the whole book. Seeing Callie Jane come into her own and become her own person was great, and I especially loved the bond between her and her dad Vern. Posey is a whole other story, and I found her pretty unlikable, which grew more and more as the book went on. The small town setting with its gossip and southern values was a good backdrop for these two very different women. I was not at all expecting the turn this story took towards the end, and I was absolutely shocked. With short-ish chapters and a gripping story, this was an easy one to fly through.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. While the idea of turmoil among a southern family in the 1960s sounds fascinating, it just fell a bit flat.

For starters, I couldn't stand Posey (one of two main POVs). Not in a fun, love-to-hate way, either. Her daughter, Callie Jane, was fine, if a bit more boring than she needed to be. I did like some of the other characters but felt like I didn't get to know them very well.

The other issue is it felt like nothing really happened for the first 30-40% of the book, and even after that it took a while to hold my interest. It got more interesting toward the end, but overall I never felt like I was really sucked in or cared about the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the advanced reader copy.

It's hard for me to quite pinpoint what didn't work for me about this book. A strong voice is usually a good thing, but somehow this had a very strong voice, but it still didn't feel like it was distinct. Also, I appreciate when books put the reader right in the midst of the action, but there need to be context clues dropped along the way so the reader can figure out what's going on. There was very little of that happening here. Ultimately, I was disappointed by this effort.

Can someone please send this book to Callie Khouri!
Set in the late 1960s in a small town in Cooke County of Tennessee
POSEY - a gin flask drinking (not so subtle alcoholic), Jackie-O obsessed, got knocked up a married doctor 18yrs ago after a week long affair while his wife was out of country. She grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and has made it her life’s mission to stalk the wife til the day the doctor divorces her and Posey can live in his house - “Eden Hall”. She’s selfish, vain and of course beautiful. Standing appointment at the Curly Q where all the town gossip is dished out by Queenie
VERN - almost 30years older than Posey, married her when she was pregnant and abandoned by the doctor. Unable to have kids his wish was always to be a husband/father. He runs the town’s Emporium and plans to retire soon and hand it over to his daughter.
CALLIE JANE - the product of the affair with the doctor, recently graduated and as luck would have it engaged to her best friend, whom she was about to decline til his overbearing mother said yes for her at the dinner table. Her own mother, Posey, forcing her to marry, and her father expects her to run the Emporium… meanwhile all she wants to do is see the Beatles and move to California.
Full of small town drama, peeping tom’s, rich aunts dying and leaving you a mansion with a catio room!
#netgalley #netgalleyarc #calliekhouri #elizabethbassparman #harpermusebooks #harpermuse #harpercollins

Will post on 8/11/2024
Set in the 60’s small southern town of Spark, people mainly do things out of obligation, what is expected, or because that’s what their parent’s did. All of the characters are intriguing and everyone has a secret(s). I always enjoy a small town with gossip, and small towns with ideal settings and sweet people.
This was a gossipy, full of secrets, status, keeping up with the Joneses kind of a book. There were good people, like Vern and Callie and scary people like Posey and the Creeper. The story came full circle and the reader got to see in a picture-perfect setting where people are always trying to be sweet, there was just a lot of bad.
How the secrets come out and things are discovered was the best part of the book. The mother daughter relationship between Posey and Callie was tough. Posey wanted her daughter to marry for money and status because it’s what she always wanted, but Callie was different. The way Posey treated her family was horrible and she was never happy. The story kept unfolding until the end and nothing about it was predictable for me. The women going to the hairdresser reminded me of Steel Magnolias were the woan of town gathered weekly for their wash and set hairdos.
If you love reading about the 60’s and the not so sweet south with a pinch of The Beatles you will love this book about family, friendship, and how the things that happen to us in our youth can certainly affect us in the present.

If you need a light read that will make you laugh, look no further than The Empress of Cooke County!

I enjoyed that while this was a lighter read, it still had layers that made me think. Honestly, I love a book that can do this. Reading heavy-hitters all the time is mentally exhausting. The Empress of Cooke County will appeal to those who need are looking for something to get them out of a reading slump, readers who enjoy wacky characters, or anyone who needs a lighter historical fiction novel.

I’ll cut to the chase. While the book description says this is a novel set in a gossipy small town during the turbulent 1960s, and full of Southern charm and unforgettable characters, I just didn’t feel it. Yes, it’s clearly a small town, and it’s set in the 1960s, but other than beehive hairdos and the Beatles, there was little to feel that time and place. (Certainly no references to civil rights, Vietnam, or any other big issues of the time.) As for Southern charm, I missed that. The southern-ness was conveyed by references to fried chicken, okra, sweet tea, hot weather, and a sprinkling of double-barreled names, but not much real atmosphere. And the characters aren’t particularly memorable. The principal character, Posey, is not just supremely unlikeable, but she is uninteresting. She is given few opportunities to play off other people; we read what is in her head, which is so narcissistically delusional that it’s hard to relate to her for a minute.

Posey’s daughter, Callie Jane, and Posey’s husband, Vern, are more interesting than Posey, though both are a bit too good to be true. The plot is both predictable and, at the same time, some aspects, like the process of restoration of a long-neglected house, aren’t very believable.

It’s a quick read, and I can see how it could be entertaining for the right reader. I’m just not that reader.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book is more of a breezy beach read. The juxtaposition between mother and daughter is interesting, but in the end it leaves you wanting for more. There isn’t much character development and details (especially towards the end) that get skipped or have no resolution and leave the reader with questions. I would provide specifics, but that may be spoilers for other readers so I will abstain. Perhaps it’s done on purpose to save those details for a sequel?