I was very lucky a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Heather Webber's last book, Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe and when I saw that she was going to be publishing another book, I was so excited! Especially since it is in the same vein as her last book, a small Southern town and a bit of magic in both people and a special buttonwood tree.

I really like both Blue Bishop and Sarah Grace, whose two viewpoints make up the story. Blue has a knack for finding things and one day she finds a baby left at the buttonwood tree which has its own specialness. The Bishop name has been sullied over the years by Blue's con father, drunken mother and criminal brothers and so people hold it against her so they don't want her to have the baby. Sarah Gracehas her own talent of being a house whisperer and is in her own unhappy marriage but still tries to keep going with renovating old houses to rent to lower income families. There are also snippets of the judge as people of the town relate their experiences of Blue. Those were fun to read too.

This just left me with such a good feeling after reading it and I think this quote from the ARC describes it perfectly. "This is the South after all, where there's always a touch of magic in the air." I definitely recommend this book as a good escape! And I can't wait for more books like this!

Delightful. One of the characters mentions that in the South there is always a little bit of magic. The Buttonwood Tree is a magical tree dispensing advice on wooden coins as people are led to it for answers. Founded in folklore, the Buttonwood Tree, may have some real truths to it, so read and find out. Easy, beautiful, found-family story with a few surprises along the way. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a lot of secrets going on. At times I wanted to laugh out loud and other times I wanted to cry. It had some romance, mystery and a mystical feel to it.
It was so good! I loved it!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

I really enjoyed this book. This is the second book in this type (this is not a series) that this author has written. By type I guess it would be Southern magic fictional tale. The characters are engaging and make you root for them. Several times I wondered where the book was going, and it did not disappoint. There is enough of a puzzle to keep you interested until the end. This is a great summer read.

I adored this book! I read it in two days, staying up way to late to finish. I couldn't put it down yet I didn't want it to end. This is the perfect book for fans of Southern fiction and the addition of magical realism is stunning. Highly recommend.

Magical Realism at its very best!!! Blue Bishop has always been able to find lost things. But when she finds a baby by the Buttonwood Tree, the baby changes a lot of lives!!! The baby comes with a button from the Buttonwood Tree that says "Give the baby to Blue" but some people aren't happy about that as Blue's family tree is full of trouble makers. Sarah Grace is an loveless marriage. She wants out but is scared to disappoint her parents. Blue and Sarah Grace have been friends since school. Their lives are intertwined in many ways and I love their friendship. The characters in this book are simply amazing and you wish you could be their neighbor! Who does baby Flora belong to? Does Blue get to foster/adopt Flora? This book has so many secrets, wonderful friends, family dramas, and of course magical realism it made it the perfect book and I didn't want it to end! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

This is one of those books. From the first page I was completely hooked! The characters are vibrant and it was easy to become entangled in their lives. The touch of magic is a welcome departure from the typical books of this genre.
Before I was finished reading I was already looking online to see if the author had other books available. I highly recommend this book. It's an easy read but it still has complexity and freshness.

South of the Buttonwood Tree is a charming adventure in magical realism. In the small southern town of Buttonwood, histories are hard to outrun, edicts are handed down from an ancient and mysterious tree, and nothing is what it seems.
Blue Bishop is an outcast. Haunted by family history, she’s a loner who only relies on her sister and a few close friends for support. But things begin to change with the appearance of a baby in the woods with a note giving her to Blue. The more that is discovered about the parentage of the lost baby, the less Blue finds is true in her own life.
This is a lovely and easy read. The descriptions run a bit long-winded from time to time; however, the author accomplishes the slow, magical tone that makes the story so successful. I will definitely recommend

What a great summer read! I read this author previous book and enjoyed. This was perfect for what i wanted to read at this time. However, I did get a little confused at the end with who was related to who, I had to go back and read that chapter again. I would recommend this book.

A breezy, comforting and magical read is just what I was looking to read during these bleak times, and South of the Buttonwood Tree fit the bill perfectly. Although I haven’t read the previous books of Heather Webber, I am definitely looking forward to read more.

South of the Buttonwood Tree is a captivating blend of magical realism, heartwarming romance, intriguing mystery, family drama and the small-town charm. Throw in an adorable and beautiful baby found mysteriously, whose coming unravels a mess of long-kept secrets, and what we have is the winning novel which will make you laugh and cry.

The plot alternates between the PoV of Blue Bishop and Sarah Grace, the protagonists of the story. The two PoVs are interspersed by Judge Quinby in his process of deciding who should have the custody of Flora (the abandoned baby), supplied with anecdotes told by multiple residents of the town.

The pace is gentle and steady, slowly engulfing you in the tale till you cannot put down the book. The tangles of mystery get tighter and tighter, and the grand reveal at the end took me by surprise. I loved how multiple, tiny threads of the story came together at the end in a way I could not have imagined.

All the characters are exceedingly adorable. Blue Bishop and her sister Percy are rule-abiding, golden hearted women, trying to transcend her family name, which has become synonymous with trouble in her little town. Sarah Grace, on the other hand, struggles to find her place in her family which constantly strives for perfection. Marlo and Moe, the grandparent-figures in Blue and Percy’s life are the epitome of care and familial love. Through the course of the story, both Blue and Sarah understand their families better and came to identify themselves by accepting and loving their families.

The overarching theme of the book was familial love, but also that family goes beyond blood relations. It was heartening to read about the maternal instincts of Blue for a baby who was not her own, the love of Marlo and Moe for Blue and Persy and for all the kids who came to their bookshop over the years and the multiple friendships that proved themselves stronger than blood relations.

This book was like a hug to read.

In the Alabama town of Buttonwood, the surname Bishop is synonymous with dishonesty and violence. Blue Bishop lost all three of her brothers to violence, her father walked away from his family, and her mother sank into a depression after those losses and also died, leaving Blue to raise her little sister. Blue is trying hard to rise above the ‘curse’ of the Bishop name and desperate to be a mother. When she finds a newborn baby in the woods it seems her wishes have been granted, but this is the catalyst for layers of town secrets to start being exposed leading to some astonishing and life changing revelations.

I fell completely in love with the characters in this book, and the setting of small town Alabama was described so well that I could hear the accents and visualise the woods and the homes and the town.

The one criticism I had was that in the first chapter it wasn’t made clear on Blue’s age, ethnicity, or even what era the book was set in so I couldn’t immediately ground myself into the story. But once I had those fixed I absolutely loved this magical story and all the characters in it!

I am sparing with 5 stars reviews, but in the genre of magical realism, it doesn't get any better than South of The Buttonwood Tree. I loved every moment of reading this book. The characters are lovely, flawed, interesting people who actually communicate with each other to resolve issues, rather than the tired plot device not finishing conversations. There is a way write about people having having secrets and also have them be emotionally intelligent enough to critically think through problems. This book does just that.

The magical elements make me ache to live near that Tree. I know I will be thinking about this book for a while. It will definitely be added to the Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen books that I reread when I need to soothe my soul.

This was a great feel good novel with vivid characters. The book is about the consequences and family bonds. The journey and experiences the characters all take to deal with the trauma and emotions in their life. How each one takes a different path and reconnects over the years. The author weaves things together masterfully to create a truly lovely experience.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forge Books for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

An abundance of life worries centered around this novel of immerse complications including friendship, healing, love and secrets that encompassed this lighthearted and tender tale. The characters came alive the more I read and the more I believed in what was happening on the page. Blue is a strong character with flaws, but it is that that propels this story and her interactions with those she encountered. With visually descriptive narrative, the author put me in the middle of all the action and I was there rooting for Blue and what she faced. Set in a small town, this book invokes the spirit of magic and it holds throughout the telling of this tale. Pure delight abounds in this enticingly engaging story.

"This is the South after all, where there's always a touch of magic in the air."
A story that will capture your heart.
Blue Bishop has always wanted a baby. When she finds a baby by the Buttonwood tree her life is about to forever change. Family secrets will be revealed.
Sarah Grace is a house whisper. Houses talk to her.
Magic is the word I thought of as I was reading this book.
Small town in Alabama where appearances are important as well as everyone is quick to judge one another.
I was drawn into the story from the start.
I loved this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Forge for the opportunity to read this book.

Maybe it's bc right now we could all do with a little unexpected joy and this book delivers on that. It does have an element of Southern magical realism, which is something I always enjoy (I'm a fan of all sorts of magic realism) and it was woven in so seamlessly. My favorite part though were the stories that the townspeople went to tell Judge Quimby interspersed throughout the book. Those anecdotes and interludes were a perfect glimpse into how much we really don't know about people even in a small town. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this in advance. I recommend to anyone to settle up with it, glass of lemonade in hand, sun on your face and time to just read a story that is just that - a story.

Not enough words in the world to describe how much I love this book. I couldn't put it down but I didn't want it to end. Lots to twists and turns and surprises, and the ending was amazing.. If you only read one book this year, make it this one!

I was very excited to read this new book by this author. This is the second book I’ve read from her, and it’s very reminiscent of another favorite Sarah Addison Allen.
It started out a bit slow, but I love the small town Southern feel, and authors descriptions!
With magic, romance, and a great message about a community coming together, I would recommend this book!

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber intermingles magic and reality in the small town of Buttonwood, Alabama. It's told through the eyes of Blue and Sarah Grace, and the relationship between their families, with an unexpected twist at the end. I enjoy the way Heather Webber mixes reality and magic and messy family relationships.
Thanks to NetGalley for my copy of this book, it's a perfect summer read.

"I was a Bishop...My family was practically synonymous with the word trouble...Why hadn't they fought harder to stay out of trouble? Why hadn't they made different choices? Why had they left me alone to deal with the fallout of their behavior? Left me alone to raise Persy...Bishop black sheep, both of us". Thanks to Marlo and Moe Allemand, our surrogate grandparents, we spent quality time at the "Rabbit Hole", the bookstore owned by the Allemands. Marlo would say, "Stand in your own light, Blue Bishop...but...my light had been dimmed by the bad choices others had made".

"Buttonwood [Alabama] was a small yet thriving community. Tight-knit with a long memory. A very long, judgmental memory". The Buttonwood Tree was situated at the halfway point on the trail that curved around the town. According to local legend, the Buttonwood Tree was a sycamore tree growing from the transformation of a grief stricken woman. "The Buttonwood Tree grew strong, fertilized by her broken heart...While the Buttonwood's buttons were made of wood, what was written on them was set in stone...the tree's buttons had counseled many...To defy the tree's guidance was to bring on everlasting unhappiness".

According to Blue Bishop, "The wind always led me to the lost...how it pushed and pulled...How without fail, it called to me every morning to walk the Buttonwood trail...to lead me to something that was lost...I am still searching for the lost thing with no name". One day, a cry in the woods. "I sprinted due south of the Buttonwood tree, to a basket...a baby...In the basket-a tree button with an etched message, 'Give the baby to Blue Bishop'."

Sarah Grace Landreneau was a house whisperer. She could hear houses. "...houses were the best secret keepers...". Sarah Grace ran a company called "Sweet Home". She located, bought and rehabbed houses. She was bound and determined to buy the farmhouse passed down to Blue. "Sarah Grace, you need this house, more than it needs you. There's a lot to be learned here once you start peeling back layers...". A grudge had been passed down for generations ever since Daddy Bishop won the Landreneau house in a card game. Daddy had cheated! Sarah Grace's mother was outraged. Don't buy this house! She demanded perfection from her only child. "Do better. Be better".

A search was underway, an active police investigation into who had abandoned "Flora". Blue, until now, had avoided conflict choosing to escape into a fictional world by choosing a career as a children's picture book author and illustrator. "But...I would fight for Flora if I had to." Oh, the tangled web we weave. Town secrets were about to be unmasked. Can love, kindness and forgiveness be the new normal?

"South of the Buttonwood Tree" by Heather Webber is a magical story of a small town where judgmental behavior as well as keeping up appearances are challenged in the attempt to unravel a mystery. Who is Flora's mother? A captivating tome I highly recommend.

Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge Books and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.