Slightly South of Simple by Kristy Woodson Harvey

• Title:  Slightly South of Simple
• Series:  Peach Tree Bluff #1
• Author:  Kristy Woodson Harvey
• Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
• Pages:  400
• Pub. Date:  April 25, 2017 – Gallery Books
• Source:  Publisher; NetGalley

Description: From the next “major voice in Southern fiction” (New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand) comes the first in an all-new series chronicling the journeys of three sisters and their mother—and a secret from their past that has the potential to tear them apart and reshape their very definition of what it means to be a family.

Caroline Murphy swore she’d never set foot back in the small Southern town of Peachtree Bluff; she was a New York girl born and bred and the worst day of her life was when, in the wake of her father’s death, her mother selfishly forced her to move—during her senior year of high school, no less—back to that hick-infested rat trap where she’d spent her childhood summers. But now that her marriage to a New York high society heir has fallen apart in a very public, very embarrassing fashion, a pregnant Caroline decides to escape the gossipmongers with her nine-year-old daughter and head home to her mother, Ansley.

Ansley has always put her three daughters first, especially when she found out that her late husband, despite what he had always promised, left her with next to nothing. Now the proud owner of a charming waterfront design business and finally standing on her own two feet, Ansley welcomes Caroline and her brood back with open arms. But when her second daughter Sloane, whose military husband is overseas, and youngest daughter and successful actress Emerson join the fray, Ansley begins to feel like the piece of herself she had finally found might be slipping from her grasp. Even more discomfiting, when someone from her past reappears in Ansley’s life, the secret she’s harbored from her daughters their entire lives might finally be forced into the open.

Exploring the powerful bonds between sisters and mothers and daughters, this engaging novel is filled with Southern charm, emotional drama, and plenty of heart.  (publisher)

My take:  Slightly South of Simple is the story of sisters whose lives are a bit messy. They all head home to their mother (Ansley) who is an interior designer in a small coastal town.  Ansley’s life changes overnight as she is put on constant mom, grandma and daughter duty. Yes, her mother comes to stay as well. With that much family closeness you can imagine the possibilities for drama, etc. And there’s a big secret that weighs on Ansley’s mind – and made me raise an eyebrow. There are old boyfriends, a repentant husband, wacky neighbors and a lovely setting that made Slightly South of Simple a perfect beach read. Recommended to fans of Kristy Woodson Harvey and contemporary fiction. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book of the series.

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