Synopsis
Event planner Hattie Norwood goes back home to Mountain View, South Carolina to support her parents and their failing farm and finds herself in the middle of a town battle because they don’t want their small town to become home to a new Carolina Panthers stadium, but Hattie is actually in favor of it. While home, she can’t believe her eyes when she sees her old flame, former MLB standout Lee Lockhardt, who’s returned home after career-ending injury.
But there’s also the hunky and mysterious new owner of Fox’s Hardware, Fox. Are you Team Lee or Team Fox?

My Thoughts
The second I started reading this book, I got Sweet Home Alabama vibes! It’s one of my favorite movies, and I picked this up because I love a good book set in the south. This book did not disappoint. It’s got small town southern charm, high school love, a mysterious handsome new man in town that has that rugged charm with his beard, country music, farms, and barns all mixed in. It was a cute Hallmark-type romance and the characters were the fun neighborly rural small town kind. Do you like Heart of Dixie or Sweet Magnolias? If yes, you’ll love this book!

Themes
Family
Old Love
Love Triangle

Ratings
Characters: 5 ⭐️
Pace: 4 ⭐️
Enjoyability: 4 ⭐️

Thank you Alcove Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you to Joy Callaway, Alcove Press, and Netgalley for the ARC.

I found this story to be slow moving initially. I did like the book. I found it hard to engage in the hero/heroine/hero story. Hattie seemed to jump between Fox/Lee. I may have been the wrong audience for the storyline.

A sweet story about coming home and rediscovering yourself, worthy of a Hallmark mock up. Leaving a small town for the bright lights and big city isn’t all that it seems, and Hattie ends up realizing what she loves most is what she left behind.
The plot keeps moving along, the characters are charming and they keep it interesting, and the love all around made this an enjoyable, light read. Perfect beach read material!

What a heartwarming and enjoyable read! Joy Callaway’s first contemporary novel, Sing Me Home to Carolina, features a charming, though economically challenged, rural small town and a delightful cast of characters. It would have benefited from some streamlining, in my humble opinion, and some of the plot seemed a bit unrealistic. That said, I will be looking forward to future contemporary works from Callaway - perhaps also set in Mountain View?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the privilege of a complementary ARC. Opinions are my own.

Cute book about a hometown girl returning home. She is getting to know the town again and is trying to help them with a benefit. A new man in town has her eye and now we watch where it goes. It reads a lot like a book I just finished so I had to stop from time to time to remind myself which book I was reading. I was hoping to check out the audiobook as well to see if it would make the story more exciting but was unable to get it.
I can definitively see this as being a Hallmark movie or show.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Sing Me Home, Carolina is a beautifully written historical novel that gracefully intertwines Southern charm, emotional depth, and a compelling dual-timeline narrative. Joy Calloway brings the Carolina Lowcountry vividly to life with lush descriptions and a palpable sense of place that transports the reader to both past and present with ease.

The story follows the lives of women navigating the complexities of tradition, family, and the pull of dreams that don’t always align with expectations. The characters are well-developed and emotionally resonant, particularly the female leads, whose strength and vulnerability are portrayed with nuance. The novel excels at capturing the tensions between duty and desire, history and progress, and the push and pull of home.

Though the pacing slows at times, and certain plot points feel somewhat predictable, the emotional payoff is worth it. Calloway's prose is lyrical without being overwrought, and her exploration of generational ties and the enduring power of place makes this book both touching and thought-provoking.

A lovely read for fans of historical fiction with heart and atmosphere.

Sing Me Home to Carolina by Joy Callaway is a beautifully written, enjoyable story of going back home.

I loved the characters, community, romance and small town drama of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own and completely voluntary.

This is definitely my favorite @joywcal novel so far! I will just be over here packing my bag to go live in this little fictional town of Mountain View! Thank you @alcovepress for my early listening and reading copies of SING ME HOME TO CAROLINA, out now!

I loved Hattie’s storyline: living her life in the big city even though she’s from a small town. The struggle she has is still being “in love” with her HS sweetheart, even though he did the unthinkable breaking up with her as he headed off to college, eventually becoming a big baseball star.

What I loved even more? The small town of Mountain View, its slower pace of life, and the love everyone in the town had for their way of life. I can see both Hattie’s perspective on the town, and I can also see the town’s perspective,

What I didn’t bargain for? Lee Lockhardt the baseball star (washed up and injured) coming home, wrecking Hattie’s life and then somehow becoming a great musician and going on a world tour with his band. *eye roll* He strikes me as a man of convenience, if you know what I mean.

Now, let’s talk about Fox Ryan, the mysterious hardware store owner. Now HE was a solid individual. And given that he bails Hattie out of a couple predicaments with his strong singing and helps her build a wedding/music venue that brings so many visitors to the town. Win-win in my book.

Well done, Joy, well done, I loved it!

Things I enjoyed:
Lighthearted
Small town vibes
Likeable characters
Country music
Love story
Closed door romance

This is my second book I have read by author Joy Callaway. I loved this emotional love story that kept me turning the pages! I kept staring at the cover as I was reading the story. Gorgeous! If you are looking for your next poolside or beach read, Sing Me Home to Carolina would be perfect.

I received a complimentary advanced electronic copy from Netgalley and publisher Alcove Press. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book.

A Return to Mountain View

This small-town, contemporary, and clean romance follows Hattie’s return to the rustic hills and quiet charm of Mountain View, South Carolina. The scent of honeysuckle and hay still lingers in the air, a familiar comfort against the ache of a decade away. Raised on the family’s struggling farm, Hattie once believed she had to leave to become someone more. But now, with her parents in need and the fields overgrown with uncertainty, she's come back—not as the girl who left, but as a woman bearing the weight of dreams deferred and roots unearthed.

First Love, Second Chances

However, when she returns she finds out quickly that her old love has also returned and with it their connection to one another is fueling again. Lee is her first love and a man she will never be able to get out of her heart, but both of their futures are in question as Lee might leave town again and with it, breaking her heart all over again. Their connection is still there, raw and unfiltered, like the humid Southern air thick with memory. But while their hearts remember, their futures remain uncertain. Will Lee stay? Or is she once again bracing for the heartbreak that never fully healed?

Sparks, Pain, and Possibilities

The pain that Hattie went through when they broke up after high school has devastated her for a decade and has left a mark on her ability to love anyone other than him. Their reunion is not to be taken lightly and is filled with lots of fireworks, past pain, and emotional conversations.

A Town on the Brink of Change

The Mountain View of today is not the town Hattie remembers. The looming construction of a modern football stadium threatens to bulldoze not just farmland but the very soul of the community. Her family’s farm—sun-baked, weather-worn, and full of whispered stories—stands on the edge of survival. And at the heart of it all is the barn, an aged beauty of weathered wood and sagging beams, where dances, fundraisers, and memories unfold. It’s more than a structure—it’s the last beating heart of a town fighting to stay whole.

Enter Fox: The Steady Stranger

As things start to crumble around Hattie's perfectly crafted world, she finds a balance and support in the mysterious new hardware shop owner, Fox. He's stable and loves this town - even if no one seems to know his real past or how he ended up in this corner of the country. But that doesn't matter to Hattie, he's always there to support her and help when needed, which is exactly what she needs in these circumstances.

Roots, Growth, and Finding Home

The deeper Hattie sinks into life in Mountain View, the more she begins to realize that growth doesn’t always mean leaving. Sometimes it means staying and planting deeper roots. She’s torn between the woman she wanted to be and the one she’s becoming—the one who finds beauty in morning fog over the fields, who treasures family dinners around the scratched-up kitchen table, who dares to dream a little differently. The family barn, once just a landmark, becomes her symbol of possibility. A gathering place for neighbors, a pulse of connection, and maybe…a way forward.

The Love Triangle That Tore Me Apart

The tug between Lee and Fox is more than a romantic dilemma—it’s a battle of identity. Lee represents history, passion, and the unresolved ache of a first love. Fox offers steadiness, compassion, and the unknown comfort of someone new. Watching Hattie navigate this tension is as gripping as it is gut-wrenching. You feel her heart split with every glance, every gesture, every whispered what if. I had my favorite early on, and I was holding my breath until the very end. The payoff? Worth every single page.

A Journey of Strength and Self-Discovery

Hattie’s evolution is powerful and deeply moving. She doesn’t just find love—she finds herself. Her journey is muddy and real, like the dirt roads she once ran down barefoot as a child. She faces hard truths, makes messy decisions, and rises again—each time stronger, wiser, more whole. By the final chapter, I didn’t just admire her—I believed in her. This story isn’t just about choosing the right man. It’s about choosing the right version of yourself.

I think what I love most about small town stories, romantic or not, is there's an inherent found family aspect to it, that sense of a community that's willing to help each other out in their hardest moments but also uplifting in joyous ones, and this is something Joy Callaway executes perfectly in Sing Me Home to Carolina. As someone who loves Hart of Dixie, those same vibes were emulated throughout this novel and that was something I thoroughly enjoyed as well as the romance(s) that were present.

Thank you Alcove Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

This was the first book by Joy Calloway I’ve read and I really enjoyed it! The comparison to Sweet Magnolias or Hart of Dixie really intrigued be as I’ve watched both of those shows.
While I found the book a bit slow to build, once it got going I was invested in the different relationships within the small town. The storyline had depth and emotion as Hattie and the town navigate the possibility/impact of the town being the site of the football stadium. Hattie also has to work to balance family and her own career ambitions, while battling her own heart.
Thank you NetGalley for the electronic advance copy of this book - all opinions are my own!

This was such a sweet small-town romance with just the right amount of tension and heart. Hattie never thought she’d return home, but when she does, she’s thrown back into the mess of her past—including her ex, the one who broke her heart over trust issues before college.

While navigating old feelings, she also strikes up a friendship with the charming new guy in town who runs the local store and is all about saving the community. Hattie’s torn between supporting new development to help struggling farms and respecting the locals’ wishes to preserve their way of life.

As she helps her parents and works alongside familiar faces, she slowly rediscovers her love for the town—and finds herself caught between two very different men, one from her past and one who might just be her future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove press for this free advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily

Joy Calloway is a new author for me and as a bonus, she is a local North Carolina author (I live in North Carolina) and I do love to discover more and more local authors. This book's genre is labelled southern and chick-lit, so sounds like fun.

Description:
A small town girl turned big city businesswoman returns home to help her parents, only to find her heart being tugged between her old flame and the town’s mysterious new guy.

This witty and effervescent novel is perfect for readers of Viola Shipman and fans of Sweet Magnolias and Hart of Dixie.

Event planner Hattie Norwood only came back home to Mountain View, South Carolina to support her parents as they receive word that the family peanut farm is infertile. This news doesn’t come as a surprise to Hattie, and she plans to return to Charlotte at the weekend’s end.

But then the town councilwoman begs Hattie to use her event-planning prowess to help Mountain View put on a musical benefit to stop the construction of the new Carolina Panthers stadium—a project Hattie is actually in favor of, much to the dismay of the locals—and she finds herself agreeing to stay until the town’s Founder’s Day celebration a week later, just as her old flame, former MLB standout Lee Lockhardt, materializes in town after a career-ending injury.

When the hunky and mysterious new owner of Fox’s Hardware, Fox Ryan, suggests the Founder’s Day celebration be moved to the Norwoods’ barn in an attempt to reinvent the failing farm as a music and event venue, Hattie agrees, unaware this move will thrust the town, her love life, and the brewing tension over the stadium into a very public spotlight.

Fans of small-town romance and quirky casts of characters will be rooting for Team Lee or Team Fox as Hattie decides if love, like most music, is meant to fade or last forever.

My Thoughts:
This book was fun, though heart-wrenching at times with the proposed new Panthers stadium threatening to take land from the locals and many locals believing they will destroy the town and it will never feel the same. I liked Hattie's character who showed strength, ambition, initiative, and a lot of heart. I enjoyed the mystery of Fox - who would have suspected? That mystery and Hattie's heart pulling her in a couple of directions made the romantic vibes intense. Overall I enjoyed the story, the plot, and the characters and would recommend to anyone who likes a good romance.

Thanks to Alcove Press through Netgalley for an advance copy.

This book was a cute, small town romance that felt like a hallmark movie. Was it amazing, mind-blowing, or life changing? No. It was entertaining, though.

Hattie grew up in a small town, and her home is at risk of being lost due to a stadium that could end up being built smack dab in the middle of her family's farm. Reluctantly leaving a job opportunity of a lifetime, Hattie returns home to help out her parents and runs into her ex, who had broken her heart when she was young, Lee. Could the romance be rekindled? Or is the new guy in town for her? As developments occur that keep her home away from her dreams, Hattie figures out what it is that she really wants in more ways than one.

Definitely Hallmark material.

Uh…

Hattie returns to her small home town in South Carolina to help her parents after they found out their peanut farm is no longer productive. While there, her town is dealing with the possibility of the Carolina Panthers choosing them as the location for their new stadium. On top of that, she runs into her old high school love and also a new handsome man in town. She has to juggle romance, family duties, and her job back in Charlotte.

Everybody in this town sucks. Hattie, Lee, the Mayor. All of them. The only one who doesn’t is Fox, and he isn’t even from the town. When she comes back for a weekend visit, Hattie refuses to sign the town petition protesting the new stadium because she feels like the town will fail without it. The town immediately turns on her and of course, if her single signuature isn’t on the petition, then the state will look at that as weakness and say that the town isn’t 100% against the stadium so they’re going to build there anyway. Cue the biggest eye roll ever. The reaction these people had to her not wanting to sign was extreme. They legit went to her house and protested her! In front of her parents!

On top of that, Lee, he ex-boyfriend from high school turned pro MLB player, is back in town. He is such a douche. I’ve seen people online say that when you’re online dating, instead of asking a man if he’s dating anyone, you should ask them if there is anyone out there who thinks that they are in a relationship with you. That’s how I feel about Lee. He is seeing Willow, claims that she knos it’s casual and that they’re not exclusive and is therefore trying to makeout with Hattie, yet every time Willow comes around she is all over Lee and glaring at Hattie. I also didn’t understand how two people could claim to be so madly in love with each other for years and yet neither of them tried to get in touch with the other. I never wanted them to end up together and they were together and “in love” for 80% of the book.

Fox, the other love interest was interesting. He seemed to immediately fall in love with Hattie and she sort of did too? Yet she was also in love with Lee? It was so weird. Because she didn’t even know Fox, yet she was crushing on him. He also had a mysterious past as he had shown up in the town and bought the hardware story and didn’t even have people calling him by his real name.

Then there’s this entire storyline about Lee getting discovered by a record label, immediately moving to Nashville and getting signed and then immediately going on tour in Europe as an opener. Hattie makes zero effort to continue this relationship while Lee is out of town, even though she claims to have been in love with him for 10 years.

Have I vented about this book enough? I found the writing to be terrible and the characters insufferable. I wanted so much more from a small town romance but this was not it. I don’t see how people can find any of these characters likable or find a single person to route for. I couldn’t even cheer for the romance!

Don’t pick this one up. If you’ve been missing Hart of Dixie or another small town romance, just give those a rewatch. I never want to visit this town or these people and feel they deserve everything bad tha comes to them about refusing progression.

The cover and synopsis immediately grabbed my attention. I loved a previous book written by Joy Callaway so I was excited to read this one. Unfortunately, the writing wasn't for me. I had trouble getting the storyline and ultimately did not finish it.

As a native South Carolinians I found tis book to be a fun, quick read. Will he a great summertime beach or poolside read. Not completely about romance it does have some family dynamics and he little quirks of small town life. I actually think I know a couple of little areas in the Upstate of SC (which was referenced ) that might be similar in size and population. The train business to Charlotte NC from "podunk" SC is totally unrealistic. Nobody except the homeless or invalid don't have cars in SC and pleease. .. there might be one passenger train that passes through the upstate and probably no more than that operates in the entire state, Way off base there. Otherwise characters were fun, conversational and a totally crazy twist on the guys. As for he Panthers stadium, probably a teeny bit of truth there as there was a lot of controversy when they moved their training camp from Wofford to a proposed site around Rock Hill. Anyway, fun quick read, not to get too serious about. I was invited to read this book as an advanced reader copy but was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks o the author, publisher and NetGalley for the read. Enjoyed!

This book had all the things I love in my romance—small town, second chance romance with all the feels! I enjoyed every second of this book. This is my first read by this author, but it won’t be my last. This book was well written with great conflict and so much heart! It’s the perfect summer read!
I received this book from Alcove Press and Netgalley. All opinions are my own!

Sing Me Home to Carolina
by: Joy Callaway
Alcove Press
General Fiction (Adult), Romance, Women's Fiction
Pub Date: June 10, 2025

With a small town setting of Mountain View, South Carolina, a quirky cast of locals, Calloway's novel is full of Southern charm, humor, and romance. Main character Hattie, an event planner in Charlotte, North Carolina, returns to her roots in South Carolina to help her parents through a crisis.
The plot also centers around conflict surrounding the building of a sports stadium in the community.

Callaway really created the atmosphere of a little town in her fictional setting, and the descriptions of the businesses and natural environment of river and farmland bring it to life. The book is an enjoyable, cozy read that delivers lightheartedness and laughter along with a romantic triangle, family heritage, and community spirit.

I received an advance reader's copy from Net Galley and Alcove Press. My review is my own.

#SingMeHometoCarolina #NetGalley #JoyCallaway