I loved everything about this book!
The South, the family drama, the mystery in the air!!!
I flew through this book and it will be one of my favorites this year!

Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy.

I truly enjoyed this book about life the South, complicated families and the Southern Baptist Church. The three siblings find some unexpected information when their mother dies suddenly. I thought the book was a little slow in the first few chapters but really pulled me in later on. I loved the characters and the development of them.

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

“The Sweet Taste of Muscadines” is the debut of author, Pamela Terry. This novel is a heartwarming tale that takes its reader on an enjoyable journey through Maine, Georgia and Scotland. The story’s focus is on three children: Lila, Henry and Abigail. Their father, a minister, dies while in Vietnam; as a result, their mom must carry on as a single parent. As they grow older, Lila and Henry leave their home and move north, Lila to Maine and Henry to Rhode Island. When their mother suddenly dies, both siblings return home to plan the funeral. As typical in these types of tales, returning home opens up a lot of old wounds for Lila and Henry. Neither felt close to their mother who preferred youngest child, Abigail, the one who stayed home.

Lila discovers a small box full of letters. Along with her brother, Henry, she pieces together the clues from these letters, which leads them on a journey to Scotland to uncover the secrets from their past.

The major plot points and tension between the siblings felt instantly relatable and Pamela Terry makes a good effort to not make choices simply for plotting purposes. Nothing about the story itself is unique, but the author manages to weave her tale while avoiding clichés. She makes excellent use of her setting, with gorgeous descriptive passages. This enhances the relationships between siblings and their desires to understand their history.

I did not know what to expect when I began reading this novel, but found it enjoyable. Three and a half stars.

Thank you to Pamela Terry, Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It took some time to get into this book from this debut author. The Southern story of the children and the unusual death amongst the muscadines.
I'm sure there will be many fans of this, but the writing style was not something I enjoyed. I'm rating this book based on what I think others that read it will think, not on my thoughts of this ARC. Thank you for the chance to give an honest review.

Fans of “Where the Crawdads Sing” will fall in love with Lila Bruce in this novel about looking back to move forward. Secrets are revealed after Lilas mother dies- in the same hiding spot Lila used throughout her childhood. The twists will keep you turning the pages of this southerners journey.

When their elderly mother dies suddenly, found among the dense vines of the muscadine arbor behind the family estate, Lila Bruce Breedlove and her brother Henry must travel back to the insular Southern town they left behind. But as they uncover more about Geneva's death, shocking truths are revealed that upend the Bruces' history as they know it, sending the pair on an extraordinary journey to chase a truth that will dramatically alter the course of their lives.

With deep compassion and sharp wit, Pamela Terry brings to life the culture and expectations of a community that values appearance over authenticity--and where the struggle to live honestly can lead to devastating consequences.

This novel will be the talk of every book club. Highly recommended.

Loved this book so much! The characters are likeable and very well written and developed. My first book by Pamela terry, but definitely won’t be my last.

I received a complimentary copy of Sweet Taste of Muscadines from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Great novel! Following the lives of three siblings and watching the lies unravel after their mother's unusual death was very interesting to say the least. Family secrets and wishes of the deceased cause quite a stir for her remaining immediate relatives. Well written, with a great storyline--well worth the read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Sweet Taste of Muscadines is a fresh look at family secrets discovered after the death of a parent. Although a staunch bit too stereotypical with a harsh paintbrush of Southern Baptists, this storyline can be used as a great discussion for religious tolerance among adults who can sort through their childhood teachings with an understanding perspective of the choices adults can make without harboring harsh judgements for those opposing their own. The same for differing cultures; choices are available without censure on differing ones. That said, this novel unravels the affects of deaths on a family in a small Southern town. In an analytical way rather than an emotional one, the heroine dissects loss through the lense of the oldest child, now a young widow, thinking she’s strangely orphaned, returning home after years of estrangement from her family. Her disdain for the culture of her childhood community is clear, yet she shows a semblance of respect for the routine of her youth as the community follows expected rituals of bereavement under unexpected circumstances. The twists of uncovered secrets keep the reader engaged enough to continue reading, following the heroine and her brother on journeys that take them to the land of their heritage, Scotland. Truths are unearthed. Healing begins as answers fill the uncertainties of reality gleaned by adults as they tackle childhood perspectives. Tolerance of lifestyle choices as well as inherited talents are themes explored through the discovery that that all losses are not the same.

A few days ago, the offer to read an uncorrected proof of "The Sweet Taste of Muscadines" arrived in my email inbox from Ballantine books and Netgalley. I had not requested it, but what a gift it was! Even though my TBR pile grows taller daily, the description of this book by first time novelist Pamela Terry appealed to me and was just the kind of novel I wanted to read over a weekend. It's the tale of adult children who return to their southern hometown after the sudden death of their mother. She died in a muscadine grove, a place she had not been known to visit. While trying to find out whey their mother would have been there, siblings Lila and Henry uncover a box of letters with secrets about the father they'd lost at a very young age.

This book just hit all the right buttons for me. The characters were likeable and believable, there was humor that wasn't gooey, some heartache, redemption, and lots of lush descriptions of scenery and emotion. Pamela Terry is a master of the simile and I could taste and see everything she wrote about. I have to say this is in the top 10 of all the many books I've read this year and I was excited to read that she's already at work on her second novel.

This is a fun quick read filled with Southern drama and a bit of mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and I look forward to reading more from this author. At one point I was disappointed as the mystery seemed way to obvious but then the author reveals more surprises and I realized she probably expected us to guess the first part of the mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me this early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A very good book. I enjoyed it immensely. A loving tale of forgiveness, which after all is exactly what wounded hearts need, with inspiring and healing insights into the manifest ways people love, and the damage wrought by judging

This book explores complicated relationships between siblings and their mother. And how they deal with the lie that shaped their childhood. It took me quite awhile to get into it but I enjoyed it in the end. I received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley and this is my honest review.

Pamela Terry did an amazing job of taking the reader straight into the south and all of it’s unique and wondrous sights and smells. This book is set in my home state of Georgia and it captured all that I love about home. This story is about a bittersweet homecoming of a brother and sister and their reunion with the sister that never left. The secrets that are unveiled throughout the book keeps the reader captured. This is a page turning, do not put down until finished book. I highly recommend it and can’t thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing enough for my requested copy. All opinions are true and honest and most definitely my own.

Southern Lit at its very best. Lush descriptions, perfectly southern dialogue and realistic characters. Too often an author draws "southern" so broadly it becomes parody. Pamela Terry shows a respect for the South that I welcome . I look forward to more of her work in the future.

Beautiful! The author has the talent that will transport you to another time & place. It took me a while to enjoy it- because I would go back and re-discover each page. Each paragraph becomes relevant not only for it's importance to the narrative but also for its ability to evoke a cinematic scene. Each sentence was "chewy" and satisfying in its wake. Mysterious in its sad, slow but steady unraveling of a family's secret, the complicated love they have for each other.
"They call this land the Low Country, a region that sits serenely in the palm of the earth’s hand, so close to the sea that grasses and saltwater intertwine like tapestry threads."
"the God of Leviticus we Baptists revered even as we cherry-picked which of his orders to follow"

My favorite passage ... Chapter 22 (LOL) -When Reese Witherspoon makes this a movie, I can say "I read that " and I will again. Makes me want to be a better reader.

This book followed the childhood of three siblings through adulthood. The tales of life in the deep south and the consequences of decisions based on fear and prejudice are beautifully depicted. The ending brought tears of sadness and happiness.

I’ve read a lot of good books lately, but the writing of this novel truly sets it apart. I found myself highlighting so many eloquently written lines throughout this book. An example: “As with so many of the women in my family, there were no subtleties in my sister’s life; all her choices, from adjective to earrings, were outsize and theatrical.” So great!

I loved the relationship of Henry and Nila; the type of sibling love that isn’t often portrayed yet is so endearing.

The Sweet Taste of Muscadines by Pamela Terry is an excellent novel that delves into the complex world of family relationships and dynamics. This novel is set amongst the wonderful landscapes of Scotland, as well as given a southern touch by also taking place at the current family home in Georgia.

The author did a fantastic job weaving a story of family secrets, misunderstandings, complex pasts and childhoods, resentments, love, loss, hope, forgiveness, acceptance, and finally family lost and found.

I loved reading how this mystery played out between siblings: Lila, Henry, and Abby and all that they uncovered in regards to their less then ideal childhood between their recently passed mother, Geneva with secrets and deceptions of her own, and the loss of their father while they were young. The characters were well drawn, realistic, and thoughtful. Not all is what it appears, and as they unravel these mysteries, understanding and change occurs.

I loved Ms. Terry's literary descriptions of the cultures and landscapes of Southern life in Georgia as well as the alternative visions of Scotland. The images that she was able to conjure was by far, for me, the best part of the novel.

A wonderful novel that took me to another time and place and was a great respite from my daily routines.

Excellent. 5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine/Random House Publishing for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

This review is posted to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will be posted to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

I loved this book! The characters were believable and likable, and the storyline didn't lag. Very enjoyable!