Sweet Tea and Sympathy is a sweet novel that blends eccentricity, a touch of family drama, and a little bit of romance in a southern setting. Readers will find themselves giggling over the main character’s quirkiness, especially in the opening scene, but also throughout the novel. This novel is perfect for a day at the beach or sitting in the sun while sipping a sweet tea!

Molly Harper is well known for her Half-Moon Hollow books. Paranormal romance in a small Kentucky town.

Her titles never fail to crack me up! And since she is a former humor columnist that is no surprise. This new Southern Eclectic is definitely something I can get behind. 

Being a Georgia girl myself, the title kind of jumped right out at me and I just knew this was going to be good. And it is. 

Chicago and small town Georgia are about as far apart as you can get in a lot of ways.

I don't think anywhere in Chicago you would find the bait store next to the funeral home, but it works. 

The McCready family is full of loveable characters. Even though Margot comes to town at the behest of a family she doesn't remember, she quickly falls in love with her cousins and aunts and uncles and maybe even the hot new principal. 

She may even find out why her father never followed her mother when his wife just up and left with Margot. Could they get another chance to be family? Or will she hightail it out of there as soon as a better opportunity comes along?

These are smart, witty and downright hilarious characters and I laughed right along with everyone else!

A good read about family, assumptions, and the love of family!

This book will be out November 21st.

Netgalley/Gallery

I tried to like this book, but it seemed like many books I have read before. There was nothing excellent or really wonderful about it that made me want to read more.

This is a funny, quirky book with so many endearing characters that will make you laugh out loud. It is well written with charm and wit.
The story is about the redemption of Margot Cary-exclusive party planner banned from the working community because of a planning nightmare disaster. She treated the ordeal with aplomb and composure only to find her reputation and career in flames. Exiled from every high and even low scale planning businesses, her only savior is a job offer from a family she was had no idea existed. The job is to coordinate funeral care and planning. Margot travels to the South, to a small community to meet her family and ultimately, herself.

I've never read any of Molly's books and I kind of requested this one on a whim as I was looking for something sweet to read. I'd just had a bad experience with a book and was a little frustrated and wary going into this one. (See previous review of romance novel gone wrong if you want to know how that worked out.)

But, as you can see from my Goodreads Rating, I loved all parts of this book. As someone from a small southern town (some of us consider Florida the south) I completely fell in love with this town and pretty much every single one of these characters.

The book's opening scene is hilarious and enough to catch your attention. At first you sense that Margot is a little uptight. She's a big city girl with a big city job so you know right off that she's going to clash with her small-town family.

This does happen, but not in the sense that she thinks she's better than any of them. I don't recall any instances of Margot feeling superior to the residents of the town and I loved that about her. If anything she worried about what they thought about her.

This, to me, is not your typical "love at first sight" romance. Sure, there's definitely chemistry between Margot and Kyle, but it isn't thrown in your face and sexualized throughout the pages. Kyle is a complex character, but in the best way. I love that he puts his family first, doesn't try to control Margot, and is always honest with her. Kyle had me swooning many times with just his words.

What I loved most about this is how Margot comes to know and love the family she's never met. From her father to her aunts and uncles and cousins. So many of these moments made me smile, almost as much as reading about Margot and Kyle.

So, five stars from me for making a romance also about family and not making me hate any of the main characters. I'm impressed.

Molly Harper's books are delightful. This one is funny and sweet. The romance is good, but the real attraction is hanging out with Margot as she discovers her quirky, supportive family, and learns to lighten up. I love the small town characters, and enjoyed learning some tidbits about Southern Culture. Highly recommended.

With Sweet Tea & Sympathy, Molly Harper will have you laughing and falling in love with Margot, Aunt Tootie, and even little June. This clever, sharp-witted story kept me interested and eagerly turning the next page. Margot has just lost her job as an event planner in Chicago. Humiliated by an incident involving flamingos and shrimp, and with her finances in a downward turn, Margot answers Aunt Tootie's call for help with the family business – the McCready Family Funeral Home and Bait Shop. Margot is taken in by her long-lost, eccentric and warm family, and that's when the adventure really begins. Molly Harper's hilarious writing will tickle your funny bone, and the food descriptions will give you cravings for yummy southern delights. I can't wait to join the McCready family on their next adventure in Lake Sackett, Georgia!

Super fun read, love southern authors' sense of humor, Harper reminds me of Mary Kay Andrews books, with her quirky, lovable cast of characters.

When an elite, big city event planner, Margot goes to a little town in Georgia, her life and the lives of her relatives and new neighbors will never be the same. Her somewhat non existent relationship with her dad and his crazy family becomes her saving grace.

Take a chance on this fun book, you won't be disappointed, I'm looking forward to the continuation of Margot's life in Lake Sackett, Georgia!

I don't know how she does it but she's done it again! Since her Jane Jameson series, Molly Harper is a must-read to me! And Sweet Tea and Sympathy is no exception!

The characters are awesomely hilarious and touching!
The descriptions, that are most of the time too long, were on point! I imagined myself there and the food! Oh the food made me salivate for deep-fried dishes at 8 am!
I didn't give the five full stars because the rhythm was a little too fast for me, which made the storyline felt too short or like something was missing at times.
But all in all, a hilarious moment spent in Georgia from your very bedroom!

What more can I say, except go read it! You won't regret it! Seriously! Definitely a book I'll recommend!!!

This book was so much fun! The characters are sharp and funny, June, the little girl was making me laugh. Loved Aunt Tootie. I would love to have a crazy, funny family like this. I'm so glad this will be a series. I think I found a new favorite author. This book was so entertaining I found myself laughing out loud. What refreshing writing.

This novel was as predictable as I imagined and no less enjoyable for it. A great escapist novel, perfect for the summer. Somewhat cliched characters, a mostly-predictable storyline, and all the feel-good spunk of a Sweet Home Alabama.

I have immediately added Molly Harper as a new favorite author!! This book was everything southern, and going back to my own roots, it felt like home especially having an actual Aunt Tootie. Sometimes going home (even if they haven’t always been there) is right where you need to be and this book tells that tale. Family, love, intrigue are just some of the elements you find when you read the pages within this book! I loved it and I can’t wait to see what Harper writes next because it will be on my shelves for sure!!

This is a fish out of water rom com tale, in which a city girl from Chicago finds herself in the bosom of her long lost family in rural Georgia, and of course, finds love as a bonus. The characters are well developed and the writing is strong.

Molly Harper, you have a new fan!! This book had the southern comfort charm and whimsy with a little bit of Green Acres (ish) eccentricity. I loved it and the characters were so memorable, especially Aunt Tootie. She was the glue for the entire McCready clan and her type of lunacy kept it all together.

The story centers around Margot who has just been fired from her dream job as an Elite event planner in Chicago. She's humiliated and running out of money. She received a call from her Aunt Tootie, who offers her a job to help work in the the family business, a bait and bury business that's been in the family for over 100 years. She accepts the offer because it's the only offer. She arrives in the little lake community and is exposed to the family she barely knows on her father's side. Her newfound family is warm and loving and welcome her with open arms. Margot feels like she has culture shock as her big city lifestyle seems to conflict with the small town, everyone knows your business, no filter banter way of life. Margot is also estranged with her father and doesn't know if the pain can be healed. She tried to carve out a life for her but is unsure where she is closed to be.

She meets an interesting man that seems to have his own pain to resolve and the two realize they have similarities that bond them together. Kyle is trying to have a normal life and believes by compartmentalizing parts of his life, he can have a semblance of normalcy but Margot changes that and the two navigate there way to each other while working through the craziness of the small town community.

This book was a great and I swear, I probably gained a pound or two just from the food descriptions. Southern comfort food is like no other and it was like a character in itself. Everyone would benefit with have g an Aunt Tootie who was playing chess when everyone else was playing checkers. This story has me laughing out loud and will continue to smile for days.

What a sweet like molasses story by Molly Harper. This is my first Harper read and it was beautifully written. The characters were well developed and the imagery catapulted me to this small Southern town - making miss it all. I felt, I laughed, I almost cried. It was all that I needed and more to come back from a reading drought. I am honestly hungover and can't really formulate the words that need to be formed to properly review this book. This is a must-read! It will release in the cool weather season, so pick this up, grab a cup of your favorite warm beverage and snuggle up with this read.

Sweet Tea and Sympathy is hilarious. Margot Carey is at the top of her game as an event planner in Chicago when something goes terribly wrong and shrimp and flamingos bring her career crashing down. Not only does the event become a local news story but even her relatives in Georgia see the story about this fiasco. Without a job and no prospects on the horizon Margot is forced to take her unknown family members up on their offer to come and work for them in their funeral home/bait shop business. Just until "something better" comes along. Margot is in for a culture shock when she leaves the Chicago metropolis for a small podunk town in Georgia. Margot is definitely out of her league when she meets her father and his family. There are many funny moments from a hot sexual encounter with a stranger in the cab of a pick up truck, breakfasts on a stick, and dog wrangling just to name a few. Fun book to read.

Teeming with southern charm and witty banter, SWEET TEA and SYMPATHY explores life changes, family dynamics, new love, and the challenge of forgiveness.

Margot Cary reminds me a bit of Zoey Hart -- a city girl moves to a small town in the rural south when her life is uprooted. Moving from Chicago, IL to Lake Sackett, GA proves to be a challenge for Margot (albeit, a hilarious one). Eccentric family members who like to hug and meddle, petty small town drama, and a dreamy guy with a complicated past. And, those are just to name a few.

Sweet Tea and Sympathy is superbly written and just as charming as it sounds.

A big thanks to both Netgalley and the publisher for granting me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

This was such an enjoyable book!!! I loved the setting and the quirky family members! It's a quick read with some heartwarming / wrenching moments but doesn't have too much angst. It's a great introduction to what I hope will be a long series! I'm particularly looking forward to Frankie's story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Margot Cary has a troubled relationship with her father and his side of the family. Unfortunately for Margot, her self-imposed distance from them is about to disappear after a major (and hilarious) work disaster leaves her fired and homeless, until her McCready family members offer her a place to live and a new job in the family business - McCready Family Funeral Home and Bait Shop.

But things aren't all bad down south in Lake Sackett, Georgia - there's the gorgeous and kind Kyle Archer to keep things interesting...

I'm a big fan of Molly Harper's paranormal books, and this new contemporary romance has reaffirmed her position on my "keep an eye on" list. As always, the characters are the real draw - funny, quick and lively, they pull you into the story and keep you entertained. There were some really touching moments in this book as the characters deal with a number of emotional issues, and the blend of humour and heart made this a genuinely lovely read.

Margot considers herself the best of the best when it comes to party planning. As a matter of fact, she is going to make partner! UNTIL….the flamingos and shrimp! OMG! You have to read the book to believe it! This was the first scene in the book and it had me in stitches.


Margot makes the biggest faux paus ever. She loses her job and all that’s left for her is the McCready Funeral Home and Bait shop! Yes, you heard me, McCready Funeral Home and Bait Shop! Now how southern is that. If you live in the south there is one of those on the first dirt road to the left.

Margot falls back to her family she has never met. She feels out of place. But like true southerners, her family takes her in, welcomes her, and teaches her how to drink sweet tea. Then it becomes crunch time. Is she going to stay or has she finally found her place in the world.

This is a fabulous palate cleanser, beach read or whatever read you want. This book hits the spot! This story had me in stitches from the get go! The author totally nailed the snarky comments and the wonderful southern ways. The characters were just that, characters. In the south there are lots of quirky people and the author knew exactly how to portray this. I adored this read and I expect great things from the next book!

I received this novel from Simon and Schuster as part of the #xoxperts.