I received this book from NetGalley and was very happy that I did because I had heard about on Friends & Fiction and thought that it sounded excellent.

The story is about Lila and her siblings trying to figure out the mystery behind their mother's death. Her sister, Abigail, finds their mom already dead under the muscadine arbor at their family home in Georgia. Abby has stayed close by and considered herself her mother's best friend. Lila had married an older man that had since passed away, but they had lived in Maine where she stayed. Henry and his boyfriend had also left Georgia.

They all come together as soon as Abby calls them and try to figure out why their mom was holding the "digging spoon" when she died and then what the letters meant that they found after doing some digging of their own.

I loved the relationship between the siblings and the story kept me interested all the way through. I enjoyed reading this debut author and look forward to reading more from her.

This was an interesting read. It dragged in the middle. Although there were a lot of surprises along the line., about a disfunctional family. The end tied all the loose ends together.

Objectively speaking, I think this was a good book. But it’s hard to tell bc the subject matter didn’t resonate with me. It wasn’t boring and I have no complaints about it so I think it still deserves a good rating.

Sweet story of Lila, who returns to her Southern hometown after her mother passes away. During her stay, several family secrets are uncovered that give way to further exploration by her and her siblings. The characters were endearing, and there is a lot of evocative descriptions of the places included in the story. Perfect for fans of Anne Rivers Siddons and Dorothea Benton Frank. Thanks to Goodreads and the publisher for advanced copy in return for my thoughts.

A dazzling and impressive debut novel. Beautifully written - lyrical. Pamela Terry has us feeling the setting with vivid descriptions. She immerses us in southern charm. Terry also has great character development. You are able to get to know the characters - you feel the family dysfunction - you see sibling bonds, and the hurt that parental deceptions can cause. She shows how the culture of the times can influence and hurt a family - shows us that when a family makes decisions based on the ideals of the times just how devastating it can be for everyone. She shows us the power of forgiveness, the hurt of deception, the magnitude of cultural unacceptance, and how a decision done in righteousness can be so detrimental to others even when the rationale was to achieve the opposite. Terry also shows us the fortitude of the human spirit. Excellent read!
The book is one you would like to read again to absorb the words. The audio version is great as well - the narrator, Xe Sands, does an excellent job using the slow pace of the southern cadence, Her change in timbre for the different characters is spot on. Enjoyable.
Pamela Terry is an author to watch. I look forward to her next novel.

This debut author does justice to the Southern fiction genre. Family secrets are hidden around every corner when a family reunites after their mother's sudden death. I really enjoyed the characters of Lila and Henry, two of the family members who return home after living their lives up North for quite awhile. Their sister who had chosen to remain home brings some comic relief to the story as well. I liked how friendships were rekindled and family relationships were repaired along the way. The secrets that were uncovered were not easily figured out, which made the book even more interesting to me. A good debut novel from an author I'll read again.

The Sweet Taste of Muscadines was a novel filled with unexpected circumstances. I enjoyed the relationship between Lila and Henry. As brother and sister, they had the kind of relationship most hope to have with a sibling. When their mom dies and unexpected family baggage becomes revealed, the story takes a most engaging turn. While the ending was not exactly what I had hoped for, I enjoyed the journey.

True southern tale replete with the big old houses, constant humidity, and that feeling of being stifled. I enjoyed this book but the characters seemed unrelatable at the beginning. As I moved through the plot I understood the characters better and felt they were more “real.” Best part was looking up muscadines (I’m a northerner) and imagining myself in that hidden little space, remembering the love of people who have passed.

The Sweet Taste of Muscadines is a family drama that follows Lila and her brother Henry as they return to the town they grew up in following their mother’s sudden and suspicious death. They arrive to find their younger sister Abigail, who lived in their hometown, gone somewhat off the rails and frantic that their mother indicated that she wanted no funeral.

The siblings band together to organize a wake of sorts at their house instead of a funeral as they search to discover what led to their mom’s death and why she doesn’t want to be recognized by the community she lived in. The deeper the siblings dig, the more they realize they didn’t know so much about their family at all.

This story has a little taste of a thriller in it combined with familial drama and set against the picturesque backdrop of a Southern muscadine arbor. I enjoyed the relationship between Henry and Lila, and Lila and her friends, but there was nothing especially compelling about the storyline. The writing was beautiful, but I wasn’t fully convinced of the discoveries the siblings made, and I would have liked some more character development from both of them and from their parents (perhaps via flashbacks.)

I really enjoyed this book. This was my first book by this author and I thought it was very well written and just drew me in. I had to know what secrets the family was keeping. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Ballentine and Pamela Terry for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

The Sweet Taste of Muscadines is a beautifully engaging novel about a southern family mourning the loss of their Mother. The book follows Lila, Henry and Abigail as they navigate the mysterious death of their Mother, Geneva, found in a Muscadine grove with a spoon in her hand. What even possessed her to go there in the night?

As Lila and Henry unravel the mystery surrounding their Mother's death and what happened many years ago when their Father died, they unravel more secrets than they can digest, ultimately travelling across the world to get answers. All three chief characters are interesting and relatable. Lila, slowly recovering from her husband's death, Henry, coming out as gay in a small southern town and Abigail, the younger sister who gave up her life to take care of her Mother, rebelling almost immediately after her death.

The most wonderful thing about The Sweet Taste of Muscadines is the writing. It is lush, beautifully detailed and pulls the reader right into the idiosyncrasies of a small southern town, with its hilarious characters and traditions. It is almost hard to believe this is Pamela Terry's first novel. She takes us from the uniqueness of Wesleyan to the magic of Scotland without missing a beat.

Such a sweet story by a new author. It is so well written. The characters are really developed well and the way the author describes the scenery makes you feel as though you are there. It is like you can even smell the beauty. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to more by this author. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Lila Bruce Breedlove has not been to her small hometown of Wesleyan, Georgia for a long time, but must return after her mother dies suddenly. As she, her brother Henry, and her sister Abigail begin their preparations, they are shocked to discover secrets of the past that their mother left buried.

There were certain aspects of The Sweet Taste of Muscadines that I liked: the descriptions of the settings, both the small town in Georgia and the one abroad. I enjoyed getting to know Lila and Henry, though the author seemed a little too caught up on their literal appearances than giving the reader a look into their inner thoughts. The fact that all three of the Bruce children when through huge changes in their lives, both before and after their mother's death, was more told than shown. The Southern way of life was well described, but the novel was not a complete package for me. Having read a number of similar novels, The Sweet Taste of Muscadines just did not stand out.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy by NetGalley and the publisher, Ballantine Books. The choice to review this novel was entirely my own.

I keep trying to like southern fiction so every few years I pick up a book in the genre in hopes it will be the one that makes me fall in love with the genre. I'm feeling like I miss out on a lot of great stories because I shy away from this genre. I saw many bloggers talking about The Sweet Taste of Muscadines a few months ago and I gave into FOMO in hopes it would be the one.

The plot sounded good
A woman returns to her small southern hometown in the wake of her mother's sudden death--only to find the past upended by stunning family secrets (Goodreads).

I love women's fiction and family dramas. Perhaps this would be a winning combination for me.

Gorgeous cover
I love nature on covers and this one kept drawing my eye. It probably why I noticed so many people talking about it months ago and decided to request it.

Great writing
This is Pamela Terry's debut novel and if she wrote something other than southern fiction I would not hesitate to pick up another book by her. The writing was really great. The descriptions of the weather in Scotland made me feel like I was there - sunny and warm here I could feel the cold and rain.

The characters...
I think the reason I don't like southern fiction is the characters. They make my teeth hurt - like way too sugary sweet tea. I probably should mention that I live in the south (I'm in Georgia), but I'm a Yankee transplant. I've met too many southerners who hide behind polite manners and southern hospitality when what they really think of you are not too nice of thoughts. So when characters exude that southern charm, it is an immediate turn-off for me. About halfway through The Sweet Taste of Muscadines, I was reminded of Sarah Addison Allen's The Peach Keeper, and when I looked back at my review for that book I basically said the same thing about the characters being the turn-off. I know a bunch of people loved The Peach Keeper so if you were one of them, then you should definitely pick up The Sweet Taste of Muscadines.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Thursday, April 22 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/04/sweet-taste-of-muscadines-Terry.html

This was a fabulous read. I’ve hit a rough spot lately so this was truly an extra special treat. It is smart, well written and will kept me in my seat. I lost track of time and that rarely happens. It’s about family, secrets, lies and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Three siblings are having to deal with the sudden and somewhat suspicious death. It is during the time when they all realize that much of what they’ve been told and believe is not at all real. There are so many layers and all is so masterfully written that just when you think you know what’s going on, the next page upends it all and you need to regroup. Do yourself a big favor and get a copy of this book. You’ll be glad you treated yourself. I very much look forward to whatever comes next from this truly gifted author.

The Sweet Taste of Muscadines is an interesting debut novel – and one I’m not going to dive into with details. This time you need to discover anything beyond the cover description on your own. There are secrets to be discovered, secrets that will affect a family forever… and secrets should never be given away in a review.

I enjoyed the experience but feel that this time my rating is going to have to do the talking for me.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

For a very brief moment at the start, I didn’t know if I was going to love this one. And then, bam, just a couple chapters later I was hooked and couldn’t put the book down.

This is lighter, happier fiction, but it also digs into some pretty serious family drama. The main character discovers some old letters that her mother tried to hide before she died, and the letters reveal alllllll kinds of family secrets—the kind that make her question her place in her own family, as well as her relationships with her mother, father, and siblings.

This ended up being a solid read for me. Not too light, not too heavy. Relatable, believable, insightful, and fun to read. Highly recommended!

FYI, a muscadine is a grape. I had to look that up... 😆

Lila's father dies when she is a child and she and her brother and sister are left to be raised by their distant and domineering mother in the South. Upon the sudden death of her mother when Lila is 47, she heads back to the Southern town that she was born in to deal with all of the feelings that never really faded. Many family secrets are unearthed-one that I kind of saw coming but many that I did not. This novel is beautifully atmospheric-the Maine location that Lila lives in, the South of the titled muscadine arbor and also the Highlands of Scotland are all well-described. This story is also quite lovingly rendered-if you are a fan of Anne Rivers Siddons or Dorothea Benton Frank, you may like this family drama.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC in return for my honest, albeit late, review.

this book made me cry, and grip the edge of my seat all at the same time. It's beautifully written, and the story was gripping and pulled at your heartstrings just enough for you to completely spiral.

Pamela Terry's book, The Sweet Taste of Muscadines was an absolutely wonderful read!

I was hooked from the very beginning, especially when she talked about sense of place and the South. I took a Southern Women Writer's course in college, and we focused a lot on how writers have different meaning on the words "place" and "home."

This book made me want to sit down with a glass of sweet tea and light bites and just devour!

A wonderfully written novel, with plenty of drama and character development--exactly what I like!

I cannot wait to see what else Pamela comes out with, and I have already been recommending this to everyone who wants to listen!