Another wonderful book by Kristy Woodson Harvey. Love the southern setting and the love story of Amelia and Parker. Childhood friends who marry others and find their way back to each other.

I got half way through this book and just became I invested with it.
The characters were fun and I really enjoyed the concept of a surrogate love story, but when it didn’t work out, I lost interest. The author is a great writer though and this is a fun beach read!

Loved This One!

Kristy Woodson Harvey never disappoints. I have read and loved all of her books.
( Official Fan Girl Status ).

A huge thank you to Gallery Books, NetGalley and the author for my advanced copy of this wonderful book.

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to read it prior to the pub day. I bought a physical copy that I will be passing on to a friend. I also listened to this book on audio. (Scribd)
The audio was fantastic.

Under the Southern Sky was my favorite read of May 2021.

Things I Loved-

*The Audio- I'm about to repeat myself but it needs to be said again. AMAZING. This audio is narrated by 4 different people. If you are an audiobook lover- please don't sleep on this.

*The Multiple POV's - Something I always love in books.

*The Characters- I was equally invested in all of them. They felt like real people. Please don't ask me to pick a favorite. Parker though. What a love interest. *Swoon* If Parker is based off of someone Kristy knows in real life: I need a name. Someone get me those details.

*The Feels-As with all of KWH's books man did I feel all of the emotions.

I can't really give a specific reason why I didn't give this book 5 stars.

Overall- LOVE LOVE LOVE. Will recommend to everyone with a pulse.

I mean, wow, right? KWH always writes a wonderful tale and <em>Under the Southern Sky</em> is no different. One of the things I love most about her books is her characters. They are so relatable. These fictional people could be someone you know and love. I think that brings a special fondness for Kristy's books. They feel familiar. And this book is simply the best one yet. I swear her writing gets better with every book. And that's saying something because I've loved her writing from her very first book. </p>

I think you should definitely pick this one up. It has everything you need for a phenomenal beach read.

I received an advanced copy of this book, All opinions are my own.

I always know when I pick up a Kristy Woodson Harvey book that I will be transported to a Southern location with the sweetest town I want to go live in. There’s always a back story and a beginning that needs to have an end. I love her characters and the beautiful stories she tells. You can’t help but fall in love with the people, the town, and the way she takes real life problems and lets her lead experience struggles we as women face. Only thing better than reading her books is possibly listening to the audio book to hear that Southern accent? I’m a huge fan of Kristy’s and if you haven’t read any of her books I definitely recommend you do.
Amelia’s world has been rocked when her husband announces he is leaving her, for another man. Heartbroken and lost she decides to fill the emptiness by throwing herself into her work. She loves her job but she has always dreamed of being a big city editor, working in New York and writing stories that will get her name out there. During an interview at the in vitro clinic Amelia is hoping to get the scoop on what happens to the frozen embryos when they are labeled “abandoned”. This could be a big story for her so before the doctor comes in Amelia decides to take a few photos of the paperwork on his desk. Now she has the phone numbers of patients she can call and interview for her article but what she doesn’t expect is to see a familiar name. Someone from her childhood who was very important to her….
Greer has it all, the fancy job and the handsome dotting husband. It would appear her life is perfect and it seems that way until she’s given a diagnosis that will change everything. All her dreams of having children and creating a family with Parker are gone. Now her plans consist of tiding up loose ends and making sure her affairs are in order before she isn’t in the right mind to make those decisions.
Parker has lost the love of his life and can’t breathe without Greer. Everything reminds him of Greer and the plans they had to have a family and build a life together. When an old friend comes to him and tells him the status of his and Greer’s embryos he will have a hard decision to make. These babies are all he has left of Greer and he would love to honor her by hiring a surrogate to carry the babies. This is a huge decision and his family thinks he’s crazy for even considering becoming a single dad. Parker has no experience with babies but he thinks he’d be crazy not to have these babies.

3.5/5

Under the Southern Sky is my second time reading a book by Kristy Woodson Harvey, and I am already a huge fan of her writing, but this one was a tad odd for me. I don't know if it was timing or what, but I found the concept of Parker being in love with his childhood friend Amelia, as well as his deceased wife Greer very strange. Adding on to that Amelia wanting to be a surrogate for him just made it even weirder for me. The story didn't end up resonating with me as much as I had hoped, which did bring down my enjoyment of the book, but there were still plenty of things to love about this one. I am quickly becoming a huge fan of Southern fiction and Harvey definitely knows how to write it. I loved the family dynamics and the setting, and this is a perfect book to take to a beach or read sitting out on your deck in the summer with a glass of wine. It will resonate very well with plenty of readers, the plot just wasn't my cup of tea.

I did choose to listen to the audiobook which worked out well for me since I had a hard time keeping my attention focused on the plot. It is read by a full cast with the narrators being Cassandra Campbell, Michael Crouch, Rebekkah Ross & Karissa Vacker. I love Campbell and especially enjoyed her parts, but every single narrator did a fantastic job, and it was really great having all of them since there are quite a few viewpoints. They helped give each character a very distinct voice, which in turn helped me keep up with who was who. Under the Southern Sky is what I would consider a beach read, but don't let that fool you because it isn't full of fluff. There are some very serious topics that Harvey tackles, and I really love that about her books. I will definitely do a reread of this at some point, and hopefully will like it more the second time around!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book is an emotional yet beautiful story of love, loss and rediscovering the secret to true happiness.

When Amelia, a journalist, reveals a story of abandoned embryos she also learns that one of the embryos belongs to her hometown childhood friend Parker and his late wife. Amelia decides to visit Parker to share the news and from there the story unfolds.

There is romance, secrecy, family drama, loss, grief, disappointment and plenty of twists to keep you intrigued. Kristy does a wonderful job of not only bringing the characters to life but also the town of Cape Carolina - where at one point you will swear you can smell the salty sea air!

I loved this book! I cared about these characters and rooted for them like they were my own friends. I became incredibly invested in their journey (maybe too invested... like when you blow off your self-imposed bedtime by 3 hours because you can't. stop. reading.)

Thank you to Kristy, Gallery Books and NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recently divorced journalist Amelia Buxton is doing research for a story about abandoned embryos when she discovers her life long friend, Parker Thaysden's late wife's embryos are about to be destroyed. She immediately calls to tell Parker about it, and that's when life starts to take a turn for both of them in a direction they never saw coming...or did they? There are many ups and downs, tears shed, and laughter that made it hard for me to stop reading.

This was a phenomenal summer read! Kristy Woodson Harvey is clearly a master story teller! I really liked all the characters, the story line, and basically everything about it! If you are looking to escape for a few hours into a brilliant summer read, then I highly recommend this one for you. I will be anxiously awaiting Kristy Woodsen Harvey's next great novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Kristy Woodson Harvey writes that kind of breezy women's fiction that whisks you away to the Carolina coast. This is the 2nd book that I've read by her and both books feature women taking back control of their own lives. In this book, our leading lady is Amelia Saxton, a 30-something who has recently caught her husband cheating and has decided to move on. She is hoping to achieve the next level of success in her journalism career and while working on a story on the fertility industry discovers something about her childhood neighbor's deceased wife. Parker, the childhood neighbor, misses his wife Greer, who was a social media celeb with a ton of followers. She recently passed away of ovarian cancer, leaving behind her journals, a posthumously published memoir, and some frozen embryos.

Parker and Amelia reconnect and commiserate over their shared losses. These 2 clearly have a deep connection from their youth that has widened a bit in their adulthood. Their mother's were best friends so they spent a lot of time together growing up. This is a novel about friendship, love, grieving and moving on. It's a sweet contemporary chick lit novel that will send you to the Carolinas with all of the glorious comfort food and summer memories. The story is told alternately by Parker and Amelia, along with occasional entries from Greer's journal. Their different perspectives help us to see the story from different angles and secrets are slowly revealed. This would be a great beach read.

I went into it thinking oh this will be a good southern fiction read about finding love. Wow it was so much more than that! The story is about love, but also about grief, starting over, and reconnecting. It covers topics like surrogacy, forgiveness and is it a sacrifice to become a parent or a true blessing.

Amelia had no idea that being a journalist would end up uncovering not only a big story, but one that would change her life. She discovers embryos that below to her childhood friend are left abandoned at a clinic. Her friend Parker has recently lost his wife, Greer, and is devasted by her passing. When Amelia tells Parker he had all but forgotten. Then as he is able to wrap his head around it and he realizes to have a piece of Greer is to become a single father, so he begins the search for a surrogate.

Even though Parker and Amelia had grown up together, they hadn’t been close in years. Without realizing it they both start to lean on each other, and their friendship grows into much more than just old acquaintances from the past. Such a wonderful read.

Thank you NetGalley and Kristy! Under The Southern Sky was such a wonderful book to get lost in. Amelia and Parker are the perfect example of 'right person, wrong time' as they were childhood friends who went on their separate paths only to find their lives entwined later on in life through heartbreak. I live in Eastern North Carolina and this was easy to picture the setting. I am a HUGE Kristy Woodson Harvey fan now!

Oh goodness what is wrong with me! These tears wont stop!!!!! I am going to need a break after this one. I wont give too much away, but one thing I will say, if you love romance novels and are as sappy and as pathetic as I am about them? Then you will love this. You will met the most genuine and the most amazing characters ever.

Parker and Amelia are childhood friends, their parents are best friends, and I love how the south is depicted in this book, their parents are close so of course they would want their kids to be together, and these southern moms are NO JOKE!

Anyway if I say anything else I will ruin the whole thing, the synopsis says enough, but what these two main characters over come is just amazing, how they both realize that all this time they belonged together, how they were both opened up to each other, and Amelia's selflessness? OH WOW! And of course this book is going to have mini surprises that will leave you with your mouth open, good stuff good stuff!!!!! I was so sad I finished this book so quickly.

I would be reading more from this author for sure. Thanks Netgalley and Gallery Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

In Kristy Woodson Harvey’s “Under the Southern Sky,” featuring journalist Amelia Saxon. Amelia has been working on a story about what happens to “abandoned” embryos, and to her shock, finds that her friends Parker and his late wife, Greer, have some.
Greer died of cancer before she was able to put the embryos to use, and that hasn’t been on Parker’s radar for the past three years.
Amelia gives some thought to being a surrogate for Parker so that he (and Greer’s parents) can have a little part of Greer. But she’s not sure she would be able to give up the child.
Parker and Amelia both find themselves back in Cape Carolina, their childhood home where they try to deal with their own situations, with a little help from their mothers and fate.
I’ve loved all of Harvey’s books.

I absolutely love Kristy, and I knew I would love this book. I fell in love with Amelia so quickly, and I even loved Greer, through the small pieces of her we were given. The diary entries were perfect for building her character. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give anything away. This is another winner from KWH!

Under the Southern Sky by Kristy Woodson Harvey is a contemporary romance in which the two main characters are childhood friends who have both just had their relationships come to an end. The pair have been lifelong best of friends that never would have expected to end up with one another much to the dismay of their families.

Amelia Saxton has just has her marriage end in divorce after finding out her husband had been unfaithful so she has thrown herself back into her career as a journalist chasing down the latest big story. However, upon investigating at a fertility clinic Amelia found out that her childhood friend’s late wife had her embryos in storage and they are about to be destroyed.

Amelia knows that there is no question she has to tell Parker what she has found out knowing that he’s been grieving his wife’s passing for the last three years. Parker is shocked at the news but the chance to still have a piece of his late wife is more than he could have hoped for so he knows he needs to find a surrogate to carry his and Greer’s children.

I’m always a sucker for the type of story held in Under the Southern Sky by Kristy Woodson Harvey and with that beautiful cover I just couldn’t resist picking this one up. The story was a slow building one and having a couple with a history, especially such a long one even if not romantic gives a story a deeper edge to it in my opinion. I found myself drawn in and engaged with what would happen with the characters with the many ups and downs along the way so I rather enjoyed reading this one.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I really love this author! She hasn't written a book that I haven't enjoyed. This book, I read quickly because I just had to find out what happened and couldn't put it down. The characters were relatable and engaging. I really enjoyed the different points of view that the story bounced around too. Highly recommended!

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of Under the Southern Sky.
This is my second book I've read by Kristy Woodsen Harvey, and I can't wait to read her series next.
Being from the south I could literally picture the moms in the story, the way they looked and acted. One of my favorite quotes from the book was, "SOUTHERN MOTHERS MUST MEDDLE. IT is in our DNA". My sons have have accused me of this a lot, now I have a good excuse-It's in my DNA. I love when authors throw specific names of places, stores, or perfumes in the book - Joy Malone
The story line was fresh, and the characters very well developed and likeable. The over all story line was predictable, and the outcome was one that I was hoping for. There were some elements of surprise to the story which I really liked.

I absolutely loved every second of this book! It was a fast read, but had a lot of real-life situations in it. What a beautiful story!! This was my first Kristy Woodson Harvey book, but I will definitely be reading more!

I enjoyed this book. It held my interest from start to finish. A few twists added to its appeal. Interesting characters and locations.

3 stars
I enjoyed this not-so-light-hearted Southern romance-type novel, but it just wasn't the 4 or 5 star read for me as it was for many other reviewers.

I wasn't drawn to the protagonist at first, though she grew on me, a journalist who finds her husband in bed with another man and then gets involved in a topic close to her - the frozen embryos of a dead woman, who was married to a childhood friend from home. What to do with them?

The friend is grieving still, after three years and cannot even think about what to do. Thus, Amelia goes down to her family home on the N.C. coast, right next door to Parker's family, and they are slowly drawn together (of course.) She wants to write the story but, as we find out later, is more connected to his famous dead wife than appears in the beginning.

There are the typical revelations (Amelia & Parker's history as teens) and misunderstandings (he/she thinls X and of course is not feeling what I am feeling) of a classic romance or 'chick-lit' tale, though overlaid with a serious tone and a fair bit of mystery about several things. There is the tight-knit Southern family (including a couple of scheming mothers with their own history.) And, of course, we end up, after all the angst about the evolving love story, a 'happily-ever-after' ending.

It was okay, just not great. Predictable though entertaining. As I perused other reviews here, on Amazon and NetGalley, I read so much enthusiasm for the author's previous novels that I presume her southern romances are very popular. So, if that is your thing, you may well delight in this book. The writing and setting are very good. It's the plot that didn't quite win me over.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Gallery Books for providing me with an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.