"How can you do all this and not want to stay?"

I picked up Sing me Home to Carolina to have a little break from all the thrillers I have been reading lately, as I needed something different. And this could not have been more different indeed. In Sing me Home to Carolina, we meet Hattie, a big-city event planner who is on the cusp of being made partner if only she can complete one more massive event for her boss, as she goes home to small-town Mountain View to help her parents deal with some devastating news about their farm. Hattie can't quite wait to get back to her own life, when she is made to stay and support the town's effort to protest the construction of a large stadium nearby. As Hattie tries to balance her big-town job with the demands of the town, she needs to figure out what is really important to her, a quest only underlined by the romance in this novel... Hattie rekindles a relationship with childhood sweetheart Lee. But who is the new-in-town, mysterious, and oh so handsome Fox?

I'll say this first, the plot and characters were okay to me. Nothing spectacular, but fun enough for a light read. Big City girl is recalled home to small town country land and needs to figure out whether it is the big city career or the comfortable home life with friends, family and loved ones near i she really wants. Add in a bit of a love triangle, and you pretty much have it. That being said, I absolutely LOVE the feelings of cosiness and warmth, of summer in a small-town, and of a countryside small community Sing me Home to Carolina was able to provoke. If you are looking for sweltering evenings, country style music (and lots of references to it), barn weddings with fairy lights, the feeling of floating down a river to clear your head, and the likes..... look no further, as this one has it all.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I enjoyed reading it. I always love references to North Carolina, and the pacing was very engaging. Also Fox is a great example of healthy masculinity.

My frustration is that the main focus was Hattie's confusion about whether to stay or go. I didn't love how she kept switching back and forth between men (Fox was clearly the superior choice), and it just felt like the whole plot was driven by her inner confusion rather than the major events happening (including the romance). I would have loved to have gotten to know some of the other characters better instead of dwelling on her internal thoughts on whether or not she should stay in Mountain View.

Overall, it was fun to read, but wasn't quite satisfying.

"Sing Me Home to Carolina" is a wonderful story of first loves lost, small towns coming together, and southern charm.
Our main character Hattie, is returning home from her big city event planning job to her hometown of Mountain View, SC to help her aging parents. She runs into an old flame, and a pressing town issue - a national football team wants to build a new stadium in Mountain View, but the residents are protesting. It becomes the town versus Hattie - who thinks the stadium will bring new life and business to their withering town - but doesn't really think about how it will affect her parents' barn if that land is taken.

Hattie rekindles old friendships, old flames, and starts new ones. She realizes that change isn't always bad, and that sometimes it can affect you in ways you would never think of. This is a feel-good, heartwarming story, full of southern love! I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

A cut palate cleanser. I love South Carolina and this book gave me the "feels". I liked the characters and became invested.
I liked the trope of renovating the barn into a building for parties.
Overall, I just had fun with the story.

“Sing me Home Carolina” is such a joyful read! I couldn’t get enough of our main character, Hattie, who struggles with the decision to chase her own dreams in Charlotte or to move back home and help her parents in Mountain View. Her character growth and sweet fighting spirit are sure to make her one of your favorite characters!

If you are looking for a fun, lighthearted book with love, laughter, and a fun twist, this is the perfect book for you!

This is the first Joy Callaway book that I've read, but hey we have the same name so I figured she would be great! :) I loved this book. It was so much better than I thought it was going to be when I first read the synopsis. I also think I related to it because it's set in North Carolina and I don't live far from there plus with the different weddings aspect of the storyline I also related to since I'm in the process of helping plan a wedding. I enjoyed the main character and especially her growth throughout the book of realizing that the town didn't need the stadium and why it would survive without it. I wish there was a little bit more growth with the main character and Fox. I feel like they fell in love pretty quickly but hey, I guess sometimes that is how it happens. Overall, it was a great read and I would highly recommend it. It definitely shows the fun, quirky side of small town living.

I enjoyed this but it's a bit fluffy. Lots of ancillary characters casually referred to that don't add to the story. Character development was a bit shallow, keeping me from really connecting with the characters.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Joy Calloway is an amazing historical fiction writer but with her next book she proves she can write a sweet romance book too!!!

Hattie returns home to help out her aging parents and quickly gets sucked back in to her quaint, small home town where everybody knows everybody and everybody knows everybody’s business. The town of Mountain View is being threatened to become the next site of the new Carolina Panthers stadium and while most of the residents are against this move, Hattie sees it as a chance for her beloved hometown to rejuvenate itself and stay alive.

Lost love, new love, commitment to family and job and some of the most fun and beloved characters I’ve read in awhile this book had me enraptured the entire time I was reading.

Joy knows how to research and write a gorgeous book and the little details in this book brought back so many memories of my younger days with church cookbooks and the beauty parlor where everyone hangs out. I can not recommend this book enough!!!

Thank you Joy and Netgalley for the honor to read and review this book!!!

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.

This small-town southern romantic comedy was an absolute delight. I found Hattie to be so relatable, which is often hard to achieve. One of my favorite reads this year!

A Carolina small town fights for survival while facing an imminent polemic stadium project in “Sing Me Home to Carolina”, by Joy Callaway, a story where a love triangle remains undecipherable until the end.
The residents’ involvement in the Norwood’s barn restoration, lead by the heroine, an event planner, is admirable.
In general I enjoyed the cast of characters, although I didn’t particularly like Hattie and Lee.
I liked Fox and the fact the mystery surrounding him lingers until the end.
Hattie’s reactions and feelings towards Lee and Fox seemed often unexplainable and weird. Her indecisiveness is a bit annoying.
And I cannot fathom an event planner forgetting to contact the media…
I found there is too much telling, explaining, and tiring dialogue. I skimmed parts of the story because I lost interest.

I absolutely loved this story. It kept me fully engaged. I was rooting for Fox the entire time! Beautiful story about love, friendship and the importance of a strong community.

This was my first Joy Callaway read (thank you NetGalley). And I was not disappointed. I love a sweet small town romance. But often times they can feel so similar to other stories. However, I thoroughly enjoyed “Sing Me Home to Carolina.” I genuinely loved all the characters and felt invested in their stories and their town of Mountain View. I was cheering for Hattie even when I had no idea what she would do next. I honestly could not put the book down. Was it earth shattering in the small town romance genre? No. But it was definitely one of my favorites of this year. It had more twists than most. And I truly just enjoyed the characters and could not put the book down.

3.5 stars

I received Sing Me Home to Carolina as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This charming small-town love story has a delightful Hallmark movie vibe.

However, I did have a few reservations. The story is told from a single perspective, which limited my connection to the characters. It also felt quite slow at times, and I think it could have benefited from tighter editing; there were moments where the detailed descriptions slowed the pace.

Despite these issues, I genuinely enjoyed this sweet tale. It’s perfect for fans of cozy, small-town romances!

Hattie comes home to help her parents with their farm after her dad has a heart issue. The whole town is failing, and the state wants to build a football stadium in their town. Her high school boyfriend Lee is back in town and her feelings are conflicted. Enter the charming owner of the hardware store and it gets more confusing. When Lee goes to Nashville to record and tour, Hattie is sure that breaking up is for the best. Not only are they going to build the stadium, but it will also take her parent's land. A lot happens and as would be expected the small-town folks rally to try and save the town. This book captures small town life and family. I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

“Sing Me Home to Carolina” is a contemporary romance novel by Joy Callaway, marking her debut in this genre after previously writing historical dramas. The story centers around Hattie Norwood, an event planner who returns to her small hometown of Mountain View, South Carolina, to help her family as they face the potential loss of their peanut farm due to infertility issues.

As Hattie navigates these challenges and rekindles old romances amidst quirky characters and small-town dynamics, readers are drawn into a heartfelt exploration of love and community ties.

Fans of romantic tales set against charming backdrops will find themselves rooting for Hattie as she grapples with choices that could affect both her heart and her hometown.

What a wonderful love story. I do not want to tell you about the story, you can read the blurb, but a story of love and redemption and starting over. It was so beautifully written. I could see the barn in my minds eye. I loved this story. It made my heart happy. I look forward to additional stories by this author! Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book for my honest opinion.

Finally a really good story that kept me engaged and really enjoying the characters of this book. Could not put it down and loved the twists and turns to this story. Love story that was unexpected, town banding together to keep its feel, and a family that kept pushing on. Love love love.

This book is just about perfect - . a story of a dying small town, its residents and a couple of home town heroes. There is discussion about a sports stadium to be built in the area - one town really doesn't want it but they are one of town in the running. Petitions are signed, events planned all to prevent the state from taking over their farms. There is also a interesting love triangle in the picture. The culmination of all their efforts aren't entirely successful, however.....
This is such a fun boojk. It's a welcome and worthwhile addition to her catalog.

Small town, everyone knows everyone and all their history. Some want to escape, some never want to leave, some end up coming back and maybe getting a second chance at the one that got away. And everyone bands together to try to save the town from changing. Secrets abound, and maybe what you are looking for was there all along. Cute and engaging.