I start again to tell a big thank you to Penguin Random House for being invited to read thanks to NetGalley the latest book by Fannie Flagg.



"Something to Look Forward To"



opens with the Special Agent William Frawley, an U.F.O. sent on Earth by the Chief Galactic Observer of Planet 8626.
Of course the name and shape of that U.F.O. is not similar to the one of a human being so it was necessary a transformation.

Apart the story of William, our U.F.O. who once arrived on Earth will make good friendship, what I absolutely find great is the story of Darla Womble for example.

Darla once discovered that her body and face was not as fresh as in the past, but she wanted to hook up with a guy: so she booked several plastic surgeries in a clinic in Mexico, telling this just to a good friend. Once disappeared, a lot of relatives thinking that she was dead started to depredate the house, the garden: just a niece started some researches without to pretend anything, but seriously worried for her aunt.

When people will discover that their beloved relative was alive, panic!!!

Darla would have then understood who would have deserved her things, once gone.

The Honey Bee Café will tell us something else: how precious can be places and what people can do for not lose them.

But it's Welma that permitted me to rediscover the warm of the South of the USA, letting me show also, thanks to these chapters, the profound differences existing in the USA.

We all know that the South of the USA is conservative: life goes on with calm. Welma's problems were some animals, that sometimes entered in her kitchen. She had her own habits and she lived a satisfying existence.

She had a niece in Hollywood, Cathy. Cathy was modern as the rest of people of her age are. She ate only vegan, she taught yoga, living in an environment in which perfection was normality. So Welma didn't understand the profusion of modernity she told her, like speaking by FaceTime for example.

The biggest problems experienced with Cathy?

When Cathy wanted to afford to Kansas after that COVID had kept everyone distant by her family. Her daughter joined a movement in which the nana had to call her Gandalf, not anymore Julie-Ann.

The opinion of Cathy regarding her granny was that she hadn't never had the possibility to change her existence, and that she was absolutely alone, when Welma was conducting not just a beautiful life, but satisfying, with a lot of people caring her her, supporting her, loving her...forever.

So powerful, shocking, absolutely stunning! a gem, a masterpiece, the story of Helen, devoted wife of a doctor. She sacrificed her career for following him. They had had two daughters and life sounded good enough. Then the crisis of middle-age, the doc. fell in love for a 20 and something girl new secretary. Helen started to following them, to be present, although they were separated, with affection: too much affection. I thought that this woman was wonderful in doing this...I cannot spoil too much. Oh, read it, it's simply enchanting! One of the best stories of this book. I think, the best one!

What I found in particularly fascinating in the latest book by Fannie Flagg?

It kept me calm, it let me re-enter in connection with the South of the USA, their traditions, their customs, their way of thinking and believing, their food: it relaxed me. This book, in particular in this moment so difficult for the world can be good to understand that life can be simply different, can be...normal, and that, after all, it's just a story of...perspectives.

A book that will tell you discover that there is a lot of goodness in this world! And that we can be part of it.

Reading Fannie Flag''s books, in fact, will permit to readers to understand how to live a satisfying and honest existence in little and big places, as well observing the differences and concepts existing if you live in a big and modern city or in a rural center somewhere in the profound South of the USA.

Fannie is a person in grade to paint every situation with goodness and wonderful knowledge of the human soul, teaching us integrity, honesty, good feelings.

Highly recommended book! To everyone.



Many thanks Penguin Ramdom House and Netgalley!



Anna Maria Polidori

A series of connected short stories - although I loved Fried Green Tomatoes, this one felt a little silly to me, and very light. Not sure if it is the present state of the world that affected my enjoyment of this book, or the subject matter, but it missed the mark for me. Many of the themes in the book felt a bit forced, and some of the characters were just one-sided. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy.A series of connected short stories - although I loved Fried Green Tomatoes, this one felt a little silly to me, and very light. Not sure if it is the present state of the world that affected my enjoyment of this book, or the subject matter, but it missed the mark for me.

I am thankful for the book from NetGalley, however, I found this book boring.
I really don't have a hundred characters to say about this book.

Something to Look Forward To by Fannie Flagg is another hit for this talented one of a kind author. Pure entertainment. Read and enjoy. Thanks NetGalley!

Last summer my husband and I stumbled upon a TV game show from the 70’s called Match Game. Each episode we would end up googling actors and actresses to see who they were. We found Fannie Flagg and were immediately impressed by her and her story of her dyslexia and then realizing she wrote Fried Green Tomatoes. I vowed to read her.
When this showed up as an available ARC I quickly hoped I would get it. Once gifted I couldn’t wait to read it and boy was I not disappointed by her charming short stories that seemingly had a message in them designed for me and how I was feeling that day. Fannie’s empathy is a gift that all readers would love.

Something to Look Forward to, by Fannie Flagg, is a collection of short stories set in a small town. I have read all of her novels and was looking forward to this new one. I was a bit disappointed to find it a compilation of stories, but that disappointment soon left as I made my way from story to story. While it wasn't my favorite of hers (you'll never top Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe), it should not be dismissed. I'll continue to read anything she writes!

I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for providing the ARC ebook that I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

A fun collection of entertaining short stories from Fannie Flagg. I was a bit skeptical when the first chapter started out with aliens, but I was pleasantly surprised. Aliens were the last thing I expected from Fannie Flagg hahaha.
A nice summer read.
3.5

A new Fannie Flagg book is always something to look forward to, and this one was no disappointment. It had her typical warmth and humor, and held my interest throughout. Highly recommended!

What is better than a good Fannie Flagg story? LOTS of Fannie Flagg short stories. This collection is wonderful as usual.
She is a national treasure!

I read this book Something To Look Forward To by Fannie Flagg because it was written by Fannie Flagg. I have read all of her books and was so excited to see that she had a new one that I didn't bother to read the synopsis. Something To Look Forward To was a wonderful surprise. It's a series of short stories that interweave a group of people through time and across the country. I would read one of the short stories and have to read the next one. There's really not a stopping point. Well, there is but you really don't want to. I loved the characters that popped up throughout the different stories. I probably read four or five of the stories before I realized that the previous story might possibly be continued into other stories. Sorry if this review sounds confusing. Let me put it very simply. Read the book! It is quintessential Fanny Flagg and you will not regret it. I voluntarily received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

This is a book of 31 short stories of varying lengths about every-day people. These folksy tales are somewhat witty and sometimes silly, but all of them show the warmth that has made Fannie Flagg a beloved author.

Thank you, Random House and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book.

“Something to Look Forward To” is a collection of short stories by Fannie Flagg. I have very fond memories of reading Ms. Flagg’s previous books - so it was with great joy that I started into this one. I didn’t know that it was a collection of short stories that weren’t related to each other - other than being stories of joy or hope. This book covers small town America - where little things like butterflies in a backyard bring excitement and when discovering cats can bring one joy. When Ms. Flagg’s story was on point, it was fantastic reading. However, for me, this book wasn’t always on point and interesting. Some of the stories felt a bit forced - or too short or too long - which, for me, took away some of the enjoyment. However, if short stories are your thing and if you enjoy little slices of Midwestern life, this might be a book you want to check out. I will probably go back and read some of Ms. Flagg’s other stories - just to remind myself of how wonderful her writing can be in longer form.

Love this author! This series of stories is like a box of chocolates. You can read one or a couple and thoroughly enjoy each gem. I hope she does more of these. We all need stories of everyday wonderful people and moments.

Fannie Flagg is just The Best! I have read and loved several of her novels. This book of short stories was a different experience for me - I'm typically not a fan of short stories. But Fannie's writing is like a warm blanket on a chilly day, or a glass of cold lemonade in the summer to my soul. These stories did not disappoint, for the most part. There are lots of stories and lots of intertwining of the stories, and it was both unexpected and fun to meet up with familiar characters throughout the book. I could just hear Fannie's sweet southern voice reading each of these tales to me. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection, and look forward to her next novel.

Different than normal Fannie Flagg style - a series of short stories but, some are still intertwined giving the book true Fannie Flagg warmth and hometown feel. I'm still glad I read it for sure. Who doesn't like something that makes you relax, chuckle and feel hopeful?

“Something to Look Forward To” by Fannie Flagg is a joyful and character driven collection of interconnected short stories, where every day moments have unexpected meanings. Each vignette is told from a different charming character’s perspective weaving a patchwork of life lessons about love, loss and reinvention. .The stories are told with charm, depth, and honesty with the added touch of Ms. Flagg’s trademark sense of compassion. I recommend this entertaining book to everyone who needs a hug and a good laugh.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Fannie Flagg’s books are character-driven, and I wasn’t sure she could pull it off in short story form. Superb storyteller that she is, she hit the mark. Her previous stories focus on people, and she does that here but with a modern twist this time. The stories weave a tapestry of how we cope, individually and as a community, to our ever-changing new world. Some stories are interconnected, some stand-alone, but all share her warmth and humor. There are some that begin with a bit of darkness, but she is able to turn the story around to hope, and something to look forward to.

Loved it!

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This was a very mixed experience for me. I’ve been enjoying short stories a lot lately and since I’ve really enjoyed this author in the past, I thought it’d be fun to give this a try.

Some of the stories were great, but some I really struggled with. Emotional depth is pretty important to me when I read, but that’s obviously difficult to do when you’ve got the very limited page count of short stories. Sometimes, this was done really well. Some of these stories really hit me in the feels. But at other times, I either struggled to connect at all or I thought the bones were pretty good but that that the story really needed to be longer to get the depth it deserved. I did enjoy how some characters continued to show up in various stories, whether directly or through small connections. I laughed pretty hard at some of them, but there were also a couple that felt too forced in their themes, making the reading experience a bit awkward for me.

I don’t think Fannie Flag will be a go-to author for me for short stories, but I do think I will pick up another of her books again in the future to get that depth again that I’ve enjoyed in the past.

I’ve always enjoyed Fannie Flagg’s writing, and Something to Look Forward To offers her signature warmth and insight. This book takes a different approach, with each chapter focusing on a different woman’s story. While I usually prefer a single, continuous narrative, I still appreciated the unique voices and life lessons in each vignette. Thank you Net Galley.

I've read every Fannie Flagg book i could get my hands on for years now and this one did not disappoint me! I have laughed all night long reading this book and can't wait until i can get it in physical copy!