A story of family and how to create a life without losing the best parts of being family. When Magnolia, an aspiring chef in New York City, receives a call from her sister Violet about a family emergency, she finds herself heading back to Sullivan's Island. As Magnolia navigates the crisis, her family, and trying to help out the family restaurant she discovers things about herself. When things begin to settle Magnolia finds herself at a crossroad questioning what she wants in life. Perfect read for a summer weekend or anytime you need an escape to the beach.

When popular Southern author Dorothea Benton Frank died in 2019, her readers knew that we would miss her southern lowcountry stories with quirky characters and feel good endings. I wasn't sure that her daughter would be able to step into her mother's shoes. I was wrong to have any doubts. My Magnolia Summer is a perfect lowcountry book to read on your trip to the beach and if you can't get to the beach, the book will make you feel like you've just vacationed there.

Magnolia - known as Maggie - is a chef in New York City. Even though she misses her South Carolina home and family, she knows that if she keeps working long hours for little pay, she'll be promoted to a higher place in the kitchen and eventually be able to open her own restaurant. Her life is unsettled - the main chef is cruel and uncaring and her on-again/off-again boyfriend doesn't promise much of a future. When her beloved grandmother and her mother are in a car accident, she heads home immediately. When she gets there, she finds that her mother wasn't injured but her grandmother is in a medically induced coma. She also finds out that the family restaurant run by her grandmother has been changed - and not for the better. Instead of French cooking and homemade pastries, it now offers fried fish and cheap entrees from cans. Her alcoholic mother and her new boyfriend have made the changes. Her mother and sister both believe that Maggie thinks she's better than they are because she works in a restaurant in New York and there isn't much apparent love between the three of them but Maggie agrees to stay on Sullivan's Island long enough to work with her sister to get the family restaurant back into being a popular place for home-cooked southern meals. Will the two sisters be successful with their plans for the restaurant and will Maggie accept the offer for a promotion at a new restaurant in New York and leave her family again?

This is a delightful book about family and the love between three generations of strong women. There are some tears, a good helping of romance and some laugh out loud moments. Be sure to toss it in your beach bag when you head to the beach!

What a beautiful story! I loved her mother's novels and now I found her to love as well! She is a real talent. This was an easy book to escape in for a day. You won't be disappointed!


Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for my ARC!

Wow, what a wonderful novel but new and upcoming Victoria Benton Frank! This book would be perfectly paired with a frose from Sullivan’s Island while sitting on a rocking chair on a front porch. I quickly fell in love with this family and their story. It had the perfect amount of drama without being too heavy. I loved it!

******Publishing June 6, 2023****

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Magnolia (Maggie) returns to Sullivan’s Island after her grandmother was in a car accident that left her in a medically induced coma. Magnolia works as a relief chef for a popular NYC restaurant. Magnolia has been so focused on her career to the point that she hasn’t been back to visit her family in years. When she gets the call she needs to return to Sullivan Island, will this be the push she needs to figure out her life? I loved how the author described Magnolia returning to Sullivan Island as “finding her wings”! It perfectly describes where Magnolia is in life and pushes her to reexamine her own relationship with her family. When Magnolia discovers all the problems facing her family, she decides to put her NYC life and career on hold to help her sister Violet get the family restaurant back to being successful with home-cooked meals again. In the end, will this make her happy? Will she be able to find more clarity or will her life continue to spiral out of control? This book will have you turning the pages as Magnolia discovers who she is and what is really truly important to her in life!

Did you know that Victoria Benton Frank is daughter of the late Dorothea Benton Frank? My Magnolia Summer is her debut novel and it’s fantastic! A beautifully written book that will make you laugh, cry, and even shake your head at times. Even though this book highlights how complicated family and work relationships can be, it is entertaining.

I really enjoyed all the cooking tips in this book as this author once was a chef!

Be sure to add this book to your pool or beach bag! It will bring you hours of entertainment! A great book club pick as well as it will lead to many interesting discussions.

Thanks to William Morrow, I was provided an ARC of My Magnolia Summer by Victoria Benton Frank via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a great beach read! If you need to take a mental vacation then this is the book for you to read! I highly enjoyed it and will continually recommend it to patrons as the beach read of Summer 2023. A highly enjoyable family saga.

Beautiful book - a great escape, a great beach reach. Wonderful to have another Benton Frank to love.

I was a huge fan of Dorothea Benton Frank, and I was very excited to read this book by her daughter Victoria. There were definitely some similar elements of the writing styles, but unfortunately, it was not the same for me. While I liked the relationships that Magnolia had in her life, I felt like there was some necessary character development that did not happen. I felt the plot was unbelievable at times and needed to take a breath sometimes. I realize that it was an ARC, but there were multiple errors.

Overall, I would try reading a book by Victoria Benton Frank again, but this one was not a favorite book of mine.

I have read almost all the books by the authors mother so I looked forward to reading this book. The story was set in the south and full of food references. This book leaves you hungry and looking for more. Hopefully there is a sequel with the same characters. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

I have loved novels by Dorothea Benton Frank and was so happy to see her daughter, Victoria, write a novel, too. She did not fail to tickle my fancy. In My Magnolia Summer, a New York chef returns to her family on Sullivan’s Island when her beloved grandmother is in a car accident and in the hospital. Maggie (Magnolia) is shocked to learn her mother, Lily, was not only in the car but has also drastically changed the family restaurant. Maggie has to cope with her alcoholic mother and her younger sister, Violet, as she struggles with the accident, her work in New York, the family restaurant and so much more. Life seems to be throwing one curveball after another to this family. Great book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a wonderful wonderful story. Maggie returns home to Charleston when her beloved grandma is in the hospital. She has come home to a mess in the family-owned restaurant and works hard to turn things around.

I absolutely loved this book and loved the DBF references in the book…a shoutout to Victoria’s beloved and adored mom.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the honor to read and review this book.

This book was such a delight to read. My Magnolia Summer felt reminiscent of Dorothea Benton Frank's beautiful writing of the Lowcountry with a fresh voice. I am so happy that Victoria decided to continue her mother's legacy and write books that make readers feel like they are in Charleston with the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

This is the very first book I have read from this author and was seeking a casual, light-hearted, and fun read. This author delivered. I felt that this book had a August: Osage County vibe to it and I really liked the southern charm and ambience. The plot was extremely obvious from the start for Magnolia's path and I felt that there were some plot points that seemed a bit rushed in the grand scheme of the book. I would definitely read more from this author. I am always a sucker for the south. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

So poorly written that it is very difficult to see the storyline or characters. I would give it zero stars if I could

I read her mother's books and loved them. Thought I would give Victoria a chance. For a debut it is good. Hope to see more

Frank is such a well known author that I was excited to read her latest. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for the purpose of this review. The setting was everything that made this book magical for me. I enjoyed the story and thought she did a good job telling it. There were some spots that didn't quite capture all of my attention but overall it was well done.

My Magnolia Summer
by Victoria Benton Frank
Pub Date; June 6, 2023
William Morrow
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Victoria Benton Frank, daughter of the beloved late writer Dorothea Benton Frank, spirits us away to summer in the South Carolina Lowcountry with a tale of family bonds that is spicy and heartfelt.
This novel is interesting and satisfying, although it moved a bit slowly for me, the conclusion also felt a little too perfect for real life. But this is fiction. Great book for a beginning author.
3 stars

I received an arc of this title from Netgalley for an honest review. I struggled to get through this book, putting it down and then picking it back up. It's a great story, and I liked the characters; it just moved too slowly in some parts.

Victoria Benton Frank taking southern fiction by storm! I think it’s so wonderful to continue her mothers legacy while also making a big name for herself as an author. My Magnolia Summer was a great first novel that left me wanting more. Beautifully written and full of charm, you won’t want to miss this new summer read!

I enjoyed this book by Victoria Benton Frank, I couldn’t put it down. Her mother Dorothea Benton Frank would be so proud. The story is set in South Carolina - Low Country. It follows three generation of women. Rose - the matriarch, Lily - her daughter and the mother of Violet and Maggie. The story is told mostly in Maggie and Violet’s voices. There is a lot packed in this novel hopes and dreams dashed, addictions, food and love. I hope there is another book continuing this family saga because I felt there were loose ends that the author left. Victoria Benton Frank’s debut novel is a wonderful beach read. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the E-ARC. This is my own opinion.