I will start this by saying that I don't really think that I was the intended audience for this book. I thought the cover was cute and the synopsis sounded charming. There were some really great elements in this book and some parts that I really enjoyed. The banter between the characters was humorous at times. The story its self just didn't seem to work for me. I thought the pacing was off and it really took a long time for things to really get moving. I was also really surprised at the level of gore in the story. Over all I think that this book will go over really well with a lot of people and it just wasn't my cup of tea.

When I saw the cover and read the blurb, I knew I just had to read this book, as it sounded totally up my alley. And boy, was I not disappointed!

The background "mystery," so to speak, regarding the Evanses takes a bit longer to finally be addressed than I would've liked, as it's built up and built up, mentioned and hinted around and then shelved once more, to the point that it just seems to drag out, but the "here and now" part was paced really well, and I loved going back to 1999. Interesting concept with an edge-of-your-seat ending, and I absolutely would not be opposed to there being more stories set in this world.

4 stars

**I received an advance review copy from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and comments contained within are my own.**

Oh. My. Lanta. This is one of, if not top read of 2024. This was full of southern charm and gory goodness and I couldn’t get enough of it. I cannot wait to see how the rest of this world unfolds in the coming books!

This may be one I come back to but for now, I'm going to put in my review and mark it as one I did not finish. I requested this title because of the cute cover, title, and overview. I thought this was going to be a bit of cozy horror, if such genre exists! The book got a little too graphic/gory for me and it just wasn't the type of book I thought I was going to be reading.

I enjoyed this one, did I love it? Not really. Based off of the cover I was expecting more of a vampire book and although it wasn’t super vampirey in my opinion, it has its elements and is definitely labeled correctly as horror (the descriptions were gnarly ((in a good way)). The characters weren’t completely developed for me and I wish the storyline moved a bit faster. Instead I felt everything happened after the 55% mark, the first half was a lot of plot building.
Every time I wasn’t reading Bless Your Heart, I was thinking about it and wondering what was going to happen next with the Evan’s’ women. I did enjoy the body horror and the descriptions, they really allowed you to visualize what these characters were seeing and experiencing which just added to the enjoyment. Overall, this book was a good time and I will be picking up the second book.

My thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with a digital copy for review.

This was such a fun mix of mystery and horror! I loved the atmosphere, the characters, and the overall story. It felt like Practical Magic, but with monster hunters. The generational aspect of the book was interesting and I was unable to guess the ending, which I appreciated. Overall a very enjoyable read and I hope there are more books to come!

Campy as hell, which I don't mind every once in a while. I love when campy is told in a matter of fact way too. A fun jaunt centered around a family of women I liked. Free advanced copy courtest of Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

"Bless Your Heart" has a lot to love with interesting family dynamics, light horror and humor, diverse characters, and a unique premise all wrapped up in a Southern Fiction story.

There are also vampires, specifically, ones that are called Strigoi. In Romanian mythology, Strigoi are said to be troubled spirits that rise from the grave. They can be quite troublesome and in 1999, in a small town in Southeast Texas, they're giving Evans Funeral Parlor, quite the time of it.

The four generations of Evans women who own this local funeral parlor are doing their level best to get a handle on the Strigoi issue while protecting certain secrets that need to remain buried...

"Bless Your Heart" was more entertaining than scary and heads up if blood and gore aren't your thing. It's plentiful here. I did enjoy the strong female characters from the Evans family but I wanted more backstory about them and less Southern chatter that slowed things down. Was I the only one who thought the Strigoi felt more like zombies than vampires? That's just me wondering out loud.

This was an immersion read where I preferred the digital version over the audio, narrated by Stephanie Németh-Parker. Her voicing was stellar but again, the Southern chatter wore me down.

If you enjoy light Horror mixed with Southern Fiction "Bless Your Heart" may be the beginning of a great series for you!

3.5⭐

Thank you to Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio, and Lindy Ryan for a DRC and an ALC of this book through NetGalley. It has been a pleasure to give my honest and voluntary review.

In 1999, in Southwest Texas, the Evans women have one job - to keep the undead, dead under the disguise of running a Funeral Home. It's been 15 years since they've met a Strigoi, but when the town gossip Mina Jean Murphy ends up dead on their table, then sits up, very much alive, they realize its time to take action once again.

I liked how we got four generations of the Evans women. I loved learning more about each of them as the story progressed, and the family dynamics were amazing to follow. I thought this was fun, but at times it felt a bit repetitive, which made the story drag a bit. I listened to the audiobook and think the narrator did an amazing job with these characters. There are multiple POVs that could get confusing at times, but I still enjoyed my time reading.

I am definitely intrigued to see how the story progresses into the next installment, especially after that ending.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
This was a great book and I'll be purchasing it for the library.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦:
🖤 Southern Gothic vibes
🪦 shows like True Blood
🖤 small town settings
🪦 multi POV
🖤 vampire + zombie ghouls

Add this book to your TBR if you're looking for something unique and filled with dark humor. It feels wrong to say it's funny because there's actually A LOT of people killed, sometimes gruesomely, but the whole book kind of feels like satire on horror so I didn't take it too seriously.

The Evans family is made up of several generations of women. They run the only funeral parlor in their small Texas town and for years things have been uneventful: people die, and then they bury them. But one day the dead start to rise, and the Evans women aren't surprised since they've experienced this before. But when more people start being killed, the women must figure out why this is happening, all while trying to keep their own family secrets buried.

I thought this book was so much fun. I loved the different women of the family and their unique personalities. I'm not a huge paranormal reader so if you're not either, don't be afraid to try this. I liked that there was a little mystery element to it as well. The ending didn't wrap things up completely because there's a sequel coming out next year. But the cliffhanger definitely makes me want to read the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I think the adorable cover made me request this one!

I listened to the audio and it was well done, although I'm probably not the right audience. This wasn't scary, but too graphic/gory-ish for my taste. I enjoyed the characters though and wanted to see how the Evan's women dealt with the "new arrivals" coming to their funeral parlor.

I also enjoyed the small town Texas setting. People are disappearing and Deputy Roger Taylor has suspicions and starts asking a lot of questions. Secrets, Strigoi (vampire-ish people), and fighting the un-dead made this one a rather strange and at times cringy read!

"Bless Your Heart" by Lindy Ryan is a captivating blend of mystery and horror set in Southeast Texas. The novel centers on the Evans women, who run the Evans Funeral Parlor in a small town with a dark underbelly. The story is infused with Southern charm and humor, yet it doesn't shy away from graphic and violent elements, particularly involving strigoi, creatures that are a mix between vampires and zombies. The narrative shifts between multiple points of view, adding depth to the characters and the unfolding mystery. Ryan's writing is both engaging and gasp-worthy, making "Bless Your Heart" a delightful and thrilling read from start to finish.

I didn't finish this book; it just wasn't for me. It might have been the wrong timing for me to read this type of book.

I'm thrilled to share my 4-star review of Lindy Ryan's delightful debut novel, Bless Your Heart!

This charming mystery-horror hybrid had me hooked from the get-go. The Evans family, a quartet of quirky and fierce women, are the heart of the story, and their banter and interactions had me grinning from ear to ear. The way Ryan weaves together humor and horror is nothing short of masterful - it's like a delicious recipe for a fun and captivating read.

The story follows the Evans family's ancient secrets and traditions as they're forced to confront a mysterious vampire, Mina Jean Murphy, who's resurrected in their funeral parlor. As Luna, the young and naive protagonist, learns the truth about her family's business and their supernatural abilities, I found myself eagerly turning the pages to uncover the secrets alongside her.

While I didn't feel completely connected to the characters, I appreciated their unique personalities and quirks. Ryan does an excellent job of juggling multiple storylines and perspectives, making it easy to follow along. The pacing is nicely balanced, with a good mix of action, suspense, and humor.

If you enjoy mysteries with a touch of horror and a dash of humor, Bless Your Heart is an excellent choice. It's not a scary read by any means, but it will keep you entertained and might even leave you smiling. I'm excited to see where the series goes from here and look forward to getting to know the Evans women better as the story unfolds.

Overall, Bless Your Heart is a delightful debut that sets the stage for an intriguing series. I highly recommend it to fans of humorous horror and mystery lovers alike!

"Bless Your Heart" by Lindy Ryan is a light, easy read that offers some charming moments but ultimately didn't fully engage me. While the characters are likable and the writing is competent, the plot felt somewhat predictable. Nevertheless, it might appeal to those looking for a straightforward and pleasant story.

This is not my usual genre. I have to admit I had to stop while eating lunch, there are some gruesome parts, and that was expected in this type of book. I liked the characters a lot, the story started out slowly and picked up speed. The cover is misleading and this book turned out to be very different then what I thought it was. If you are into horror, this is a book for you! I was surprised I like it as much as I did because I am not a big horror fan. Maybe because of the southern charm and touch of humor. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Ducey, Lenore, Grace, and Luna are the Evans women that run the only funeral home in a small Texas town. They bury the dead and they make sure that the dead stay dead, especially after that incident 15 years ago. So when the dead did start rising and feeding, the women and a few others have to figure out what is going on and find a way to stop it before everything comes apart and there is an even worse incident. Multiple viewpoints helps build tension slowly and ratchet up the terror bit by bit until all the pieces come together and the release is explosive. Despite the cover art, readers looking for vampires will need to visit a different small Texas town.

This was not my favorite book. I’m a pretty fast reader when I’m into something and it took me almost 3 weeks to finish. Granted this was not a bad book. It was well written, the story in of itself was interesting, and if you’re into old school gory vampire books then this is definitely for you. I think my biggest issue is that the pacing was too slow for me. I wanted more action and less POV’s that weren’t the women of the Evan’s family. I felt like I quickly figured out a lot of the “reveals” that didn’t come until around 80% of the book and the more interesting plot points were handed out too slowly for me. Despite the off pacing I can tell that the author is going to take the story somewhere interesting so hopefully the pacing of the next book will work better for me because I’d like to see where the story goes. Thank you netgalley and SMP Minotaur for the digital arc

3.5 stars. Horror with a bit of humor thrown in. Reminds me in some ways of Grady Hendrix, but Grady does it better in my opinion. If you go in thinking this will be a light horror read, you will be very disappointed. This is truly a horror book and overall I enjoyed it.