This series is EVERYTHING! I now consider Kristy Woodson Harvey one of my FAVORITE authors after reading her Peachtree Bluff series. So thankful that I found her books. This series drew me in from the very beginning and I absolutely did not want it to end. Such well developed characters and emotional story lines intertwined through all three books. Her writing sucked me in and made me feel like I was one of the Murphy girls! Do yourself a huge favor and read this amazing series. Kristy did an outstanding job and I cannot wait to read her other two stand alone books. FIVE STARS for the Southern Side of Paradise!

This is hands down the best series I have ever read. I am so invested in the family in this book and feel a bit of grief that this will be the last book in the series. The women in these books are as real as anyone with real life problems. They remind me of friends and family that I am graced with. I’m sad that this is it for this family but I am crossing my fingers that we might get an update on them in the future. By the way 5 stars is not enough!!

The Southern Side of Paradise is the 3rd in a series by Kristy Woodson Harvey. The protagonists are three adult daughters and their mother, all of whom are dealing with momentous events in their relationships with their significant others. The mother, Ainsley, is engaged to the love of her life whom she left as a young woman (I'm sure the back story is told earlier in the series) at the same time her youngest daughter, Emerson, is engaged to the man she believes is her soul mate. Ainsley's oldest, Caroline, has discovered that her husband, James, has been cheating on her. Ainsley's middle daughter, Sloan, is dealing with her own issues. Her husband, Adam, a soldier, was badly injured and then captured. Although he was found and repatriated, his injuries will prevent him from returning to duty. Harvey's gift for characterization is such that I found myself wishing I could go to lunch with Ainsley. Her plot is rich, vivid, and perfectly detailed. I loved this book so much that I will be purchasing and reading the first two.

This book is a big 'ole dose of food for the soul. My favorite of the entire trilogy, I feel like it couldn't have ended better. I had a moment of, "oh no, I only have 20 pages to go" so I set it down because I just didn't want it to end.

P.S. I still just cannot stand Ansley

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2742329176

Kristy Woodson Harvey is absolutely one of the best authors ever! I love these series. I'm sad that this is the final book in this series, but she definitely outdid herself with it. The Southern Side of Paradise is spectacular. You will love it! This family and this setting feel like home. I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you Net Galley for my ARC. This was the 3rd book of this series. 3rd times a charm. Definitely by far my favorite book of the series. This book focuses on Emerson, the youngest of the Murphy sisters and her decision to choose between small town life and marriage or making it big in LA as a movie star. Would make the perfect beach read with summer just around the corner.

The Southern Side of Paradise by Kristy Woodson Harvey is the third in the Peachtree Bluff Series. The third time is the charm. I have enjoyed the series and hate to see it end. This book focuses on the baby sister in the Murphy Family – Emerson. The series is about a mother and her three daughters who return to their roots in Peachtree Bluff when their lives come apart. Each book is a standalone story, but I recommend reading the entire series so you understand the other sisters’ perspectives. This book is voiced by Emerson and her mother Ansley. As with any good southern writer, the relationships between family are key and secrets always come out in the end. I love when characters get a second chances at love. I was drawn in from the beginning. It was like seeing old friends again. I think I enjoyed this one the most even though it was the last sister’s story. I wanted all the Murphy women to be happy in the end.

This final book of the series is superb! This is a complex, compelling story of a family of strong women- three daughters and a mother who got their strength from their grandmother. It’s a true page-turner which leads the reader to follow the journey of each woman as she interacts with the other important women while following her heart toward true love with a husband and family of her own. Beautifully interwoven plots demonstrating the power of love and unbreakable bonds of family members lucky enough to remain true to supporting one another, no matter what.

loved the cover and this book! It was a quick read and hard to put down! After reading the first two, this was like revisiting old friends. Great book for the beach too!!

I know that this book will appeal to a lot of readers. It is an easy, breezy beachy read that finishes up the Peachtree Bluff trilogy. However, I really wanted more from these characters. All of the women seem so shallow. I did like Emerson's story, especially her LA flashbacks, but I do think it was a tad predictable.

And I just can't really get over the fact that this series justifies and condones adultery. That's just so bizarre and distasteful to me.

With all that being said, I loved the setting of the book and the small town characters. The town meeting with Hal about the goats was great. I think the portrayal of the beach town and its odd assortment of inhabitants was spot-on. I'm confused by Kyle's background though--- how was he originally from Peachtree Bluff and didn't meet Emerson until LA??? That was confusing to me.

Overall, 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for the goat scenes.

This is such a good book and a terrific end to the Peachtree Bluff series! I was anxiously awaiting this third installment of the series and it did not disappoint! This book focus on Emerson, the youngest of the Murphy sisters and her decision to choose between small town life and marriage or making it big in LA as a movie star. The whole series, I've found the characters to be very relatable and so engaging. I'm sorry to see this series ending because I've grown to love the characters. I look forward to reading more from this author!

****Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this novel****

Have been waiting for the last installment of the Peachtree Bluff series featuring Ansley Murphy and her trio of fierce daughters ever since I heard it was happening. I enjoyed both of the previous novels in the series, Slightly South of Simple and The Secret to Southern Charm.

This third and final installment focuses youngest daughter Emerson. That being said, Kristy Woodson Harvey does an excellent job of weaving everyone and everything together, adding just the right amount of backstory to reconnect you with her characters and bring you to the series conclusion. It’s obvious from her writing that these characters have become family to her as much as they have her readers. While it will be hard to move on (perhaps some of these characters ((Caroline please?)) will pop up in other stories) this is a well thought-out ending to a heartwarming series.

If you happen to like down-home southern voices with a dash of off-beat, wholeheartedly recommend you give this series a try—it’s a perfect addition to a summer vacation reading stack!

Another fun, lovely book from Kristy Woodson Harvey. I've loved all three in the series, and I'm sad that it's over. Caroline, Sloan, Emerson, Ainsley and Jack are all amazing characters. So happy with the way that everything wrapped up. I definitely shed some tears and laughed throughout the book. This series is definitely one that I recommend to everyone who asks me what they should read. Looking forward to seeing what's next for Kristy Woodson Harvey. Thank you to Netgalley for letting read an early copy of this book. I've been looking forward to it since I finished the last one.

I was over the moon excited when she reached out to see if I would like to read The Southern Side of Paradise early. Of course I said yes and I got to reading. I couldn’t wait to read the book but I was a little sad to be reading the last story in the Peachtree Bluff series. I started by trying to follow the executive editor, Laura McKenna’s, advice by envisioning myself on a porch swing, mint julep in hand, with a great book (this one), and a view of the ocean. You’ve arrived the Peachtree Bluff state of mind.” It was the perfect way to read this book. So get yourself ready and off we’ll go. I was trying to savor every page, but I was also flying through it excited to see what happens to Emerson Murphy. Emerson is the youngest sister and we finally get to hear her story! Emerson is an actress who knows she needs to be in LA but has fallen back in love with her high school boyfriend Mark. He runs his family business in Peachtree Bluff and doesn’t want to leave. When Mark proposes, Emerson is caught off guard and says yes because she thinks it is the right thing to do. Caroline starts planning a beautiful wedding that takes advantage of everything Peachtree Bluff has to offer: the water, the beautiful scenery, and all the interesting characters that you find in a small town. Mark and Emerson are unable to figure out how to balance life in Peachtree Bluff and life in LA. How will they take care of children (definitely not with the help of Duchess, Mark’s mom)? How will they spend enough time together with Emerson’s acting and business venture in LA? Emerson is torn between standing by the man she loves and standing up for what she loves. I give the book ☀️ ☀️ ☀️ ☀️ ☀️, 5 bright sunshines! The great thing about a series is that this isn’t just Emerson’s story. We are still following Caroline, Sloane, and Ansley to see how their stories continue with their changing family dynamics. You find out how Caroline is reconciling her relationship with her husband. How Sloane is adjusting to life with her husband back from war. And Ansley has to share all the secrets she has been keeping to protect her daughters. Go read the Peachtree Bluff series! Try to read them slowly, to savor your time with the Murphy sisters and their mother, Ansley, because the three books go so fast and all the sudden you’ve read them all.

I finished the ARC of this book in 24 hours and loved every minute of it. I had previously read the other 2 novels in the Peachtree Bluff series and couldn't wait to read this one. Following the stories of the Murphy women, The Southern Side of Paradise was a fantastic end to a fantastic series. The author wrote a realistic story of relationships between mother-daughter and sisters. I really loved this book.

When I received this book, I must have been living under a rock and did not know this was a series! I just adored the cover! This is the third and final installment in the Peachtree Bluff series. Reading a book in a series out of order, is like meeting a new friend. You find out all about their present, and get glimpses into their past. Once you become better friends, this is when you find the hidden pieces.

This was a quick read during a cold month. What better time to read about warm weather and family! Being the youngest of 3 girls, I am a sucker for stories like this. The author does a wonderful job of filling in all the pieces of the previous books without it being redundant. I did not feel lost at all. But, I now need to get the other books and read them to find all the pieces. Reading this story is like sitting down with a friend over a great cup of coffee! The characters are all likeable, realistic and flawed. The writing flows easily from one family member to another.

Thanks to Ms. Harvey and #TallPoppyWriters for this ARC. All opinions are my own!

I had not heard of the series or read the first two books, but I really enjoyed this third in the Peachtree Bluff series! This would be a great summer read, since it evolves around a beach town. I liked that each of the main characters had their own story lines, but would overlap. Even with so many story lines, this book was easy to follow because I think you become so invested in each girl's story. The end of the book wrapped up nicely and makes me hope another book comes our way :)

The Southern Side of Paradise is the third book in the Peachtree Bluff series. Those following the series by now are more than familiar with Ansley Murphy and her three adult daughters Caroline, Sloane and Emerson. As the second book in the series closed, Emerson has made a major announcement. All the while, Ansley has been drawing close to a former love, Jack, but they share a secret that could destroy the warm bond shared between Ansley and her daughters.

Emerson, the youngest and an actress, has just gotten engaged. Meanwhile, she has gotten the role she's been dreaming on. But things just are not quite right, and this includes a major health scare.

This was a very emotional read, but it certainly had its light moments, and I appreciate when the tension was lifted, because I was able to laugh aloud. I love the way these books were structured. Ansley is the principle character, and in the first book we got Caroline's point of view, in the second, Sloane's and in this one, Emerson's. Although Emerson is now engaged, she faces some difficult choices and very deep emotions.

Ansley and Jack have come a long way from the first book. But it is Ansley's unselfishness and her motherly love that could still possibly be the undoing of everything good that she deserves.

I adored this family. I absolutely loved the conclusion. Things were wrapped up very nicely for Ansley and her daughters. There were no loose ends and everyone involved has plenty to look forward to. I just found Kristy Woodson Harvey when I got this review copy, so I had the opportunity to read all three books on succession.

The previous two titles are Simply South of Simple and The Secret to Southern Charm. I highly applaud Ms. Woodson and definitely recommend this entire series. Although the backstory is clearly relayed, and this could indeed serve as a standalone novel, I do think the experience would be accentuated by reading it in order.

Many thanks to Gallery Books and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

How does the state mineral of Georgia land a role in The Southern Side of Paradise?

The Southern Side of Paradise is #3 in Kristy Woodson Harvey’s Peachtree Bluff Series. Ansley and her three grown daughters, Caroline, Sloane, and Emerson, the Starlite Sisters, by several twists of fate, now live on the waterfront in the “southern paradise” of Georgia called Peachtree Bluff. Ansley’s mom, Grammy, always said, ” …life is nothing but one big surprise after another,” and in this peach of a story, the surprises AND the family secrets just keep on coming!

From the Twin Towers on 9/11 and the streets of Manhattan, to the movie studios of LA and stardom; and even farther to the battlefields of Iraq- this family’s journey covers a lot of territory, both in distance and in time invested in relationships over the years.

Word of small town dramas don’t take long to spread and this holds true for Peachtree Bluff. You will meet and grow to love Carter, Jack, Mark, Kyle, James, and Adam. Statements like, ” I’m their father, and I’m dating their mother; Do you remember the night Peachtree High won state? The best part of life is the surprises, the reinvention of yourself ,” will connect the guys with their gals and the reader’s heart strings.

The staurolite plays a special part in the love story of the Starlite sisters of Peachtree Bluff. Staurolite is a special mineral found in Georgia; as special as the “little girls building castles on the southern side of paradise; the Starlite sisters.”

I highly recommend The Southern Side of Paradise! As a special treat, read book #1 Slightly South of Simple, and book #2 The Secret to Southern Charm. Then you’ll know why Kristy Woodson Harvey and her charming characters are considered such a Southern prize.

Kristy Woodson Harvey is such a talent. It’s nearly impossible to believe she’s so young. She reminds me of the Reese Witherspoon of the publishing world.

The Southern Side of Paradise is the final installment of The Peach Tree Bluff series. It’s sad to let these characters go because I’ve grown fond of them. This book focuses on Emerson. The youngest of the sisters. She has hard choices to make, impossible really.

All the sisters’ and their mother Ansleys stories and secrets are laid bare and resolved, just like I hope a good series will end. I’m jealous of those who get to start from the beginning and experience it the first time.

A forever fan you have found in me Kristy. You’ve been added to the ranks of Dorothea Benton Frank and Mary Alice Monroe.