To be succinct, I loved this book. It was a delicious read, that captivated my attention from page 1 and didn't let go until the very end. My only complaint is that I'm left with so many questions about this "Comeback Kid," and the people that she has begun to connect and reconnect with. This is a book about temporary failures, family, redemption, resilience, and hilarious moments of southern justice, that will make you laugh out loud. In my opinion, this series opener is just as good as Ms. Harper's paranormal series, in the way that you can read it multiple times, and smile at something new each time around.

Giving this one: 5 stars.

Love this book! Love Harper's voice!
The debacle that begins Margot's tale is horrific...yet so funny! The turn of events that leads her to her roots is soon forgotten for the most part as Margot tries to find herself amidst the potpourri of southern family hospitality.
Harper constructs a touching story of finding oneself in the middle of chaos and upheaval, with a sense of humor the likes I haven't seen in a time! This is a fantastic read, that has me reaching for more Molly Harper!

Molly Harper has done it again. I loved her Alaskan shifter series, Bluegrass series, and And One More Thing. Sweet Tea and Sympathy mixes Southern tradition with Harper's comedic wit. This book is a great beginning to a new series, highlighting the importance of family while giving Harper fans just enough romance to keep us satisfied. Four stars, all the way!

I really enjoyed this first book in a new series by Molly Harper. The two main characters, Margot Cary and Kyle Archer, were ones I found very engaging and likable. I really enjoyed watching them get to know one another.

The book had plenty of charm and whimsy, with the McCready family and small town Georgia setting. Margot's parents divorced when she was young, and she doesn't know her father or his family. She goes to work in the family business out of desperation, but quickly develops emotional ties.

School principal, Kyle Archer, intrigues Margot, and the two soon become involved. Margot believes herself to be a woman who belongs in a large city, so she has to reconcile her feelings for Kyle with what she wants for her future.

This one had a fun storyline, a picturesque southern setting, and characters that I fell head over heels for. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

I loved this story! It has it all - a strong heroine, swoony romance, and great dialogue. The writing gives a great sense of what it's like to live in a small town, especially as an "outsider" coming in. The book has a southern "flavor" to it, which makes it feel like a book you want to cuddle up under a blanket and dig in to. And the characters are great - Margot and Kyle are both wonderful yet flawed, which makes them oh-so-relatable. Can't wait for the next book in this series!

https://grumpybookreviewer.com/romance/sweet-tea-and-sympathy/
Popular author, Molly Harper, has begun a new series called "Southern Eclectic". The first book in the series, 
Sweet Tea & Sympathy, is due out November 21, 2017. I predict another bestseller for Ms. Harper and Gallery Books.
 
Margot Cary is a popular planner of elite events in Chicago. Her most recent gala was certain to bring her a promotion and a hefty raise, so Margot gave up her apartment and made a downpayment on a new home. Thanks to an arrogant chef who ignored her menu regarding food allergies, a black-tie event was ruined in a spectacular way. Margot was not only fired, but blackballed in her profession, and on social media. 
 
The matriarch of her estranged father's family in small-town Georgia contacted her and offered her a job. The job? Taking the McCready Family Funeral Home and Bait Shop into the 21st century. Yep, you read it right. The family business was the result of two brothers starting two separate business in 1928. Finances required that they share the same building, and they are still connected.
 
Having nowhere else to go after giving up her apartment, Margot accepted the offer, and moved to the small rural town of Lake Sackett, Georgia. After a career amid glamour and elegance, culture shock was unavoidable.
 
Soon she meets a fellow transplant, Kyle Archer, the local school principal. Southern living is gracious,   delicious, but sometimes seen as intrusively friendly by newcomers; small town politics and jealousies are anything but gracious, delicious, or friendly. Margot's family is ecstatic to see her budding relationship with Kyle, but not everyone in town is. As a resident of her small Kentucky home town, married to her high school sweetheart, Ms. Harper would know.
 
Margot missed the big city, with its theaters, museums, and great shopping. She also loved the relaxed atmosphere, the view of the lake from her new home, and the loving embrace of her dad and his family. After slashed tires, sabotaged work, and even her family's animals targeted, should she stay or should she go?
 
After I got over being offended at Margot's exaggerated description of all things Southern when she first arrived, I have to say, I enjoyed the book, and can't wait to read the next books in this series. Also, the author is a fellow Southerner, so I suppose I have to forgive her.
 
What Makes This Book Reviewer Grumpy?
 
Then there are the usual things: split infinitives and  referring to people as "that" rather than "who".
As a Southern girl myself, I have to say I have never heard anyone say "ya" in place of "you". Look for me online as The Grumpy Book Reviewer.

Sweet Tea and Sympathy
Molly Harper
Available: November 21, 2017

Thank you to NetGalley.com for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I can totally picture this book as a movie (or a Lifetime TV special) as long as they don’t cast Reese Witherspoon as Margot. Everything about the first book in hopefully a trilogy is so descriptive. I laughed my a$$ off during the Chicago party disaster and smiled when June came tearing around the corner in the supermarket. Even though it wraps up nicely at the end, I’m dying to get to know the other family members a little bit more.
What I loved: Every single part of that kooky family could have their own book – especially Donna. Something tells me she is one who’s bit may be as nasty as her bark but she’s go to the ends of the earth for the ones she loves. I wouldn’t call them simple – just honest people who still see the good in everyone. We need more of that in this world.
What I didn’t love: I just don’t understand Margot’s mother – I get that life absolutely sucks when you live with a drunk – been there and have the souvenier t-shirt. What I don’t understand is how she could harden her heart to her child. And where was the recipe for the deep fried Hostess cupcake?
What I learned: Sugar on fruit? Is that really a thing?
Overall Grade: B+

www.FluffSmutandMurder.com

A sweet story about family, forgiveness, and finding love, with a heaping teaspoon of Southern charm.

Fired for a situation beyond her control, elite event planner Margot Cary is trying desperately to find another job but no one in her Chicago based area wants anything to do with her. It might have something to do with amuck-running flamingos….
When Margot is contacted by a relative she’s never heard of to come “home to Georgia” and help run the family business, Margot is at first suspicious, then wary. But when she realizes she is the laughingstock of the event planning world in which she lives, Margot succumbs to her better judgment and heads to a home she has no memory of and one that, frankly, terrifies her.

The members of her extended family – and there are plenty of them - welcome her home like a prodigal. Welcome arms and enough casseroles to make her thighs cringe, the family wants Margot to stay put with them and help them with the family business. But can an upscale event planner from the big city survive in a dying southern town running a Mortuary/Bait shop?

Into this mix, Harper tosses in a recovering alcoholic father Margot never knew and doesn’t remember, and a love interest with just enough of his own angst and troubles to make Margot’s look almost insignificant.

I’ve never read anything by Molly Harper before but I will tell you truthfully I’m going to go explore her back list.

This book was funny, sad, heart-warming, heart wrenching, and such a downright pleasure to read, I want to explore her other works. Filled with a fun cast of characters who are as southern as they are complex, and enough one liners and zingers to make a room of comedians sit up and take notes, SWEET TEA and SYMPATHY is a joyous tale of family lost and found, enduring love, and moving passed death and sadness.

I was given an arc of this book from Netgalley for an honest opinion and my totally honest opinion is that you should read it. Today!

A sassy read that I highly recommend. This is a fast read with a rather smart-mouthed southern gal (is there any other kind?) who finds herself in a family pickle..

Sweet, light and lovely. Margo Cary is a twenty something living in Chicago when one flamingo fiasco turned her life upside down. She leaves Chicago to work to the family business of a funeral and bait shop in rural Georgia. Her life takes several turns such as battles against PTA moms and surviving in the backwoods.

This is a quick and delightful quick read. Perfect for a lazy day afternoon read.

This book was filled to the brim with sweet southern charm. I was drawn into this amazing book right away and didn’t want to put it down. It was interesting, the characters were lovely and easy to relate to, the writing was vivid and hilarious, and the romance was perfect.

I absolutely loved June, Hazel, Aunt Tootsie, and Frankie. They were amusing and unexpected. They made me laugh out loud multiple times in this book, something that doesn’t happen all that often. As for Margot, she grew emotionally quite a bit in this book; she started off a snotty stuck up city girl and slowly started letting go of the stress and anger and began to enjoy life in the south. I enjoyed that aspect as well.

The writing was so good, I could picture the lake, the cabins, the funeral home/bait shop, and could almost taste all the deep fried desserts! My mouth watered a lot! The stories and incidents in this book were down right hysterical and I loved every one of them. This is the type of book you can read when life just has you down or you are just in the mood for something light and entertaining.

*I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.*

Thank you to NetGalley who gifted me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've been wanting to read something by Molly Harper for a long time, and when this showed up on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance. My expectation was that since Harper is a well established author, I could assume a solid writing style and I wasn't disappointed.

The Southern US setting allowed the book to have a relaxed feeling which fits well with a summer read. I struggled a bit with the pace of the story. Some parts seemed to happen ahead of schedule and then we had to wait forever that story element to happen again. There are a lot of characters in this book and keeping them all straight was a bit confusing. I kept getting the characters mixed up, especially the minor cousins and townspeople. If this ends up being a series, that should no longer be an issue. But, having all those characters to introduce slowed down the rhythm of the story and lessened my overall enjoyment. It seemed as though Harper came to a realization that she was near her word goal and she quickly wrapped things up in a neat package.

As I said, the writing was what I was expecting, I liked the main characters and the setting but I think the story could have been paced out better to really make this rounded out. If this becomes a series, I'd pick up the next one.

Molly Harper is one of my favorite writers. She's a great storyteller with a wonderful sense of humor. This new series will appeal to fans of Penny Reid and Mary Kay Andrews. Estranged family and fish out of water elements give poignancy to a tale of self discovery as well as romance.

A very good cozy with interesting characters and a wonderful love story. A little heavy on the southern culture but "bless her heart"

Get a life, John.

I love shrimp. I can't imagine being allergic.

Carrington is a witch.

Lighten up a little, girl. You came on this adventure willingly.

Ha, Curtis, you old dog!

Oh my God, haha! The poor man must think she's bleeding to death!

This is the best family ever.

How do you fry oatmeal?

Dougie Hazard, I so love your parents for naming you that. Because really, what the heck goes with Hazard?

I gotta get me a possum egg.

Sometimes I wish I lived in the South.

Now seemed like a good time to answer your phone? Are you crazy, woman?

Donna's crazy.

Nate is a cute kid.

That's what you get for jumping to conclusions.

She is really not a kid person.

Take that, Lucille! Tootie don't play.

Ew, butter substitute?

Frankie's going to traumatize the kids and give the teachers heart attacks.

This committee has some seriously bad juju.

New York pizza is the best.

Go screw yourself, Bethenny.

He's really bad at the morning-after talk.

Finally! Take that, Sara Lee! You do not want to mess with this chick.

Haha, Kyle really hates Jimmy Greenway, doesn't he?

Marianne seems to pulled this out of her butt. But the idea is brilliant.

Sweet Tea and Sympathy by Molly Harper is the perfect blend of small town romance and southern charm. With a dazzling plot line and characters that will seep their way into your hearts, this book is going to be a must have for all romance junkies this fall!

Laugh out loud funny and sweetly romantic, this story has realistic characters and a world I'm ready to read more about.

Looky there...I just found a new must-follow author! This book intrigued me...I wasn't sure, during the first chapter, whether it was going to be a cut-your-losses kind of read, but then it took off and never slowed back down! The protagonist is a riot - and her family creates a perfect blend of supporting characters in the Georgia backwoods. I couldn't put it down and wholly blame the author for three sleepless nights. Definitely will be seeing what comes out next...

This is a hilarious debut of a new series. The dialogue is laugh-out loud funny and the characters are, well, "characters." Although one could guess the ending, it was worth the ride getting there.