This was a fun read! I found myself laughing out loud several times and I loved the essay format that made it easy to put down and pick back up without missing a beat. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

This book is a beautiful piece of fiction that will make you not want to put it down. I love how descriptive the writing is and how the author does such a good job with the idea of a "Southern lady." This book was a lot of fun to read and quite informative.

I never laughed so hard while I've read a book. This book is separated by subjects, and they are hysterical!!

Helen was born and raised in Alabama but lives in NYC with her husband. These are personal stories about her and translated into Southern Lady Code. I loved reading this and look forward to her other books.

A must read!!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Please, give me all the sarcastic southerner essay compilations! Helen Ellis is so witty and I found myself laughing out loud multiple times throughout. I've recommended it to a few friends since reading it. It took me a few essays before I was completely hooked. Anyone that's grown up anywhere near the Bible belt would love this one.

Loved this book especially being from the south. I won't lie I snorted a few times but the best part about it you do get life lessons out of it.

Southern Lady Code is a snarky, funny, and sometimes crude collection of essays that makes for a quick read when you're in need of a laugh. A few weren't that funny or relatable as a southern lady myself. Overall I enjoyed several but the majority of the essays were a flop for me.

Ellis' short essays are a delightful read, as the author narrates various humorous and embarrassing events from her life, childhood to adulthood. An enjoyable read.

I really like Helen Ellis's fiction, but I thought she was trying too hard in these essays. I had a hard time getting through the collection and didn't see her usual punch.

Helen is a riot. Her somewhat snide but honest and ever-humorous takes on contemporary life in NYC through her "code", never quite saying what she means, and never giving an insult when a roundabout compliment will do the trick, is a quick, enjoyable read. My favorite chapters revolved around the use of thank-you notes, shopping, and party etiquette. I was surprised by the insertion of a serious case her friend, a Bronx DA tried and won, but the dose of weight seemed to provide good balance to the rest. Many readers will balk at her taste, and some have already re: her story collection which I also got a kick out of, but I am a fan. I couldn't help but compare this memoir to those of Anna Quindlen and Nora Ephron, all three are women of a certain age, analyzing their goings-on in the city through their unique lenses, often leaving me breathless with laughter.

I'm so sad that I missed the chance to recommend this for Library Reads because this would have been the perfect title for that list. This book is funny, charming, and odd - all my favorite things. Can't wait to read more from this author.

I haven't giggled out loud reading a book in a while, and I'm glad this was the book to make me do it. I loved the short chapters, with my favorite being the one about her father's practical (impractical?) joke at her birthday. OMG!
I felt some essays were filler, but overall this is a quick, hilarious read that one could easily enjoy in one sitting or by the pool. I will say, definitely listen to the audio if you can as Helen narrates it herself and is hilarious and awesome to listen to.

If I could choose one person, living or dead, to invite to dinner, it would definitely be Helen Ellis! I had zero knowledge of her prior to this book, but it was so entertaining I flew through it in one sitting! Such a fun read- and as a fellow Southern lady, born and bred, I can confirm that her observations were spot on!

I'm a Southern lady from Alabama. I love SEC football (Roll Tide!), Coca Cola, grits and God, not necessarily in that order. I also cuss a little. I found these essays mildly amusing, but for the most part, they just weren't my cup of tea. (That's Southern Lady talk for they didn't blow my skirt up!)

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

My Thoughts: I want to be friends with Helen Ellis! After listening to her narrate her own essays, I feel like I know Helen and that we’d have great fun hanging out together, plus i could learn a thing or two from her. I tend to be a little blunt in expressing my own opinions, but Helen always uses the “Southern Lady Code” to say something not very nice. In this way she says something that initially appears to be very nice, very polite, but may leave the recipient a little muddled on what Helen really meant. I just can’t think that fast on my feet!

All her essays were hilarious, whether on serious topics like supporting a friend who was prosecuting a tough case, or Helen’s own attempts at becoming a pot smoker. She had me laughing out loud over and over. I’d highly recommend listening to this one as the author’s own expressive voice added greatly to my enjoyment. Grade: B+

Note: I received a copy of this book from Doubleday (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adored this essay collection - it had me laughing out loud with its equal measures of sass and snark and wit! It’s also a super quick read. Definitely one to check out if you enjoyed her earlier collection, American Housewife.

I haven't read a book in under four hours in years, but Helen Ellis's "Southen Lady Code" broke that record. In two short hours, I was able to blast through her entire series of essays while chortling and highlighting all of her quick quips and advice on being a Southern Lady at heart in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. From marriage to traumatic childhood experiences that resemble the extremities on Arrested Development to stolen Burberry coats, Helen Ellis takes readers on a wild ride through her life while providing morals that only a Southern Lady could provide. Her mantra, "If you don't have something nice to say, say something not-so-nice in a nice way," couldn't apply to this review at all.

I chose this book because I am a Southern lady of the same age as the author. I could relate to many of her high school stories from the 80s. The advice from her mother was on point. I still feel guilty if I don't write a thank you note. I sill cannot wear white until after Easter. Overall this was a short (single afternoon) and amusing read,

This collection of essays was hit and miss for me, if only because some of the Southern Lady stereotypes have always bothered me as a southern lady. I loved the segments on manners, but my favorite essay might have been Serious Woman. Many of these are lighthearted to mildly outrageous, but this serious tale of supporting a friend felt the most right.

I am currently reading this. I actually bought the audio and I love Helen witty sense of writing. I own her first book too and this is a book i would recommend to anyone

If you don't have something nice to say, say something not-so-nice in a nice way."

Helen Ellis' cover quote sums up what it means to be a Southern Lady in a nutshell. Or at least, how Helen Ellis and I were raised, even though I am a few years older and have been away from the South longer. My mother and especially, my grandmother, did their darndest to make one of me but somehow I was never much good at it. I binge-read this collection of essays some of which are hilarious and others amusing, but all on target. I especially enjoyed How to Stay Happily Married which ends with "As long as your wedding ring fits, you haven"t let yourself go." Some of the other essays were not as relatable. Burberry coats, for instance, are not a part of my everyday life.

Thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.