Good Hair Days gave me everything I crave in a Southern story; sharp wit, fierce women, and that stubborn, messy, overwhelming kind of love that only comes from family. Georgia and Junie feel like women I’ve known my whole life, and their bond, full of tension and tenderness, pulled me in right from the first page. The writing has that warm, punchy charm that makes every line crackle with life. I could feel the small-town salon, the layers of loss and legacy tangled in every bobby pin and bottle of hairspray. The humor was sharp, the emotion unfiltered, and the Dolly Parton touches had me grinning. It reminded me that healing sometimes looks like a fresh perm, a tough conversation, and letting your sisters hold you up when the world starts crumbling. It’s about women reclaiming their strength and rewriting what legacy looks like. And I loved it for that.

At its core, Good Hair Days is about a family (and small town) that come together to support each other when things get tough. There are touching moments of the family embracing each other, flaws and all, and overarching sweet sentiments around grief & loss.

Unfortunate, two key things ultimately made this story fall a little flat.

First: this is a story full of half truths and lies that slowly unravel. However, part of them don’t make sense to me (e.g., I’m unclear why all the secrets Cece shares were secrets in the first place). And the other part stem from an unhealthy family dynamic that I don’t support (e.g., Georgia living her mom’s [and aunts’] dreams; none of the woman being able to ask for help even from the sister’s father because he isn’t ’a Louise’).

Second: I don’t find the characters all that likable (e.g., Junie forcing Eddie to keep her secret is selfish and lacks empathy for the position she puts Eddie in). And while the secret come out throughout the book, the character growth feels minimal (e.g., Junie doesn’t actually learn to embrace support from her family, she still avoids sharing critical news).

Thank you to Grace Helena Walz, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful and hopeful story that captured my heart immediately. I enjoyed the characters that made up the family, and I thought Walz crafted them beautifully. The book moves quickly and makes you think about relationships and what means the most to you. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I just finished a great book. Good Hair Days by Grace Helena Walz is available later this year. Pick it up! You won’t regret it.