I have mixed feelings about this book; it's well-written, and the characters are funny but the story develops way too slowly to be enjoyable.

1999. It is summer in Texas and the Evans women, owners of the only funeral home in town have their hands full. The dead are rising again, evil has returned, and they must fulfill their duty to keep the dead where they belong. Luna is the youngest of the Evans. At fifteen, she knows her family is different. When one of the dead rises in front of her, she starts to unravel her family’s secrets, especially the one involving a fateful night 15 years ago when she was just a baby. As bodies start to pile up and her nightmares become worse, it is time to face her purpose and the powerful vampire that is wreaking havoc in her small town.

Told in alternating points of view, this mystery/horror story reads as a YA novel. We follow Luna Evans' unique coming of age as she must contend with the truth about her family and her own challenges as an adolescent. The story has plenty of gore and gets a little slow at times but held my interest long enough to care about the characters.
This is my first time reading a horror novel and I enjoyed it, though I am not inclined to follow these characters on a future journey. However, if you like horror, gore, a little humor, and southern vampire themes, you might enjoy this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.
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I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This was a great read. Horror, Comedy and supernatural all rolled up to a seamless read. I could not put it down.

This really started out strong, and I had such high hopes. In the end, it just wasn’t for me. Things began to drag pretty quickly, and I found myself skimming quite a bit. By the end, I had pretty much checked out completely. Sorry I couldn’t be more positive.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The premise of this was fun; it could definitely be a series with the way it ended. I don’t know that I would continue to read it though. I found it to be way too many POV’s and at times had trouble remembering who was who (especially when it came to the Evans women.) I guessed the twist about halfway through, but it was a good one!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin'sPress I Minotaur Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, St. Martin's Press I Minotaur Books.

People have always gossiped about the Evans' women. There's just something 'a little strange ' about them that keeps the people in their Southeast Texas town from getting too close. But when you've got the only funeral parlor around, well let's just say that eventually everyone is going to walk through your door.

BLESS YOUR HEART by Lindy Ryan was delightful - strong full-bodied characters, written with wit and heart. At the center of the story is Luna Evans, a teen-ager trying to navigate high school, hormones, an over protective mom, and a sudden introduction into the real work of the Evans Funeral Parlor.

Business is picking up for Ducey, Eleanor, and Grace Evans and that means trouble. People aren't just dying, some are rising from the dead and if there is one thing the Evans women know how to do, it's put the 'restless dead' to rest. As more people start to go missing, Ducey, Eleanor, and Grace realize that a Strigoi―one of the original vampires―is loose in their town and a member of their own family might be to blame.


BLESS YOUR HEART is that rare vampire novel that creates its own mythology around the undead and the people who hunt them. It's a mystery but getting to know the Evans women, their relationships to one another, to their friends, and to the town was the bigger draw. These are characters that you want to revisit and see where they go next. Strong recommendation for fans of well-written, humor-filled supernatural mysteries and stories.

Thanks to #NetGalley for access to review this ARC copy.

Great read about generational curses, the dead and small towns! There are a few themes and storylines that could have been expanded on or at least wrapped up, which was a little disappointing. There were also a few repetitive phrases, which irked me, but otherwise I think this is a pretty light read that most will enjoy!

I wanted to read this because I like vampires, and the title got me. It was a fun horror comedy with charming main characters, I'd read other books by this author.

I seem to be on a streak of books that are just not for despite intriguing premises - and this is yet another... from the opening pages I just wasn't engaged. The writing and pacing just didn't hold my attention. The topic was intriguing and I really thought it resonate, but it wasn't a good fit for me.

First, thank you to NetGalley and the author for this ARC!

I had high hopes for this one, with the promise of vampires and a generational group of women being our fighters. Alas, it kind of fell flat. It started nicely, but then started to drag with more of the same just kind of repeating itself.

Then the end was just...underwhelming. You drag the story along for almost 40 chapters, then end things so quickly? And the way it ended was unsatisfying for me as well. Too many questions went unanswered, too many plot points that seemed forgotten. I could maybe see this working if there was a sequel that answered those, but as a standalone, I just wasn't satisfied.

On a positive note, I will say I enjoyed reading from the POV of each of our Evans women (once I got the hang of who was in which generation) as well as our main deputy.

I was immediately intrigued by the idea of this book as someone who watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer in my high school “glory” days, and it did NOT disappoint.

Bless Your Heart is a southern horror story that is also charming. Told in alternating POVs, the focus is the Evans Funeral Parlor and the women who run it: formidable Ducey, the Evans family matriarch, her daughter Lenore, set her in routines to keep evil at bay, her daughter, Grace, haunted by the events of a “Godawful Mess” that happened 15 years ago, when HER daughter, Luna, was just a baby. The job of the Evans women is to keep the dead…well, dead.

When the town gossip, Mina Jean Murphy, rises from the dead before her wake, the elder Evans women know evil has returned to their town.

Set in 1999, during a hot Texas summer, Bless Your Heart stole my heart. I have never read a story that I’d describe as gory (but not too awful), yet heart-warming, but that’s what it is.

This title releases in April 2024. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I can’t wait for everyone to meet the Evans women.

This book was a ride! I finished it in two days---snappy dialogue, and an intriguing plot kept me reading to see what happened next. The Evans women have run the small town's funeral home for generations. What the rest of the town doesn't know is that they also keep the dead from rising. They've managed to keep things under wraps since the "awful thing" that happened 15 years ago, but lately, it seems like something is happening again.

Fun, easy read that gave me Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the ARC!

Small town take on the age old vampire story! The ladies of the Evans Funeral Home are also caretakers of the town's vampire problem, after thinking they put it to rest years earlier. I thought it was a pretty cute book, gorier than I expected for the contemporary tone. My only problem was trying to keep track of the numerous characters. Between the Evans clan, the police force and the teenagers, it was a lot to keep straight.

Thanks to Lindy Ryan, St Martins Press/Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the advance copy!

3.5 ★

I was really enjoying how this started out. It was giving me Grady Hendrix vibes mixed with Alice Hoffman. A generational group of women fighting the undead? Right up my alley~

But then towards the middle, it slowed down and I found myself loosing interest. Not a whole lot was going on, and a lot of unnecessary back and forth between characters. It's set in the 90s but it didn't read that way...Not a whole lot of hints at the nostalgia that is the 90s, so not really sure why the author even bothered to mention it's set in the 90s?

Then towards the end it became pretty cheesy and it lost me altogether.
Characters were killed off just to kill off somebody and to get a reaction out of the reader. Which didn't work (least on me) since there were so many characters to begin with, so you didn't get the time to get invested in anyone.

But I did enjoy the beginning and the dynamics/banter between the family.

Not sure if I'll read the sequel (if there is one...but seems like there will be).

I was really excited to read this book based on the plot summary. And while I thought the idea was interesting, the execution was terrible. The writing was boring and repetitive. The author needed to show more than tell. And I wanted to throw my phone every time she mentioned Ducey eating a butterscotch. I get it, she’s eat butterscotch candies all day. You don’t have to tell me every other sentence. Perhaps this would have been a more enjoyable read if written by a different author. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the review copy

This book was not for me. The plot was fine, I just couldn’t stay interested, but I think many of our patrons will Ike it. I couldn’t keep the female characters straight. They all seemed too similar.

The cover of this book immediately caught my attention with that charming Southern title! I knew I had to check it out, and I'm glad I did. Instantly had me hooked. But let me tell you, it's not your run-of-the-mill charming tale – it had such a spooky twist that it had my skin crawling a little! Now, if spooky things make you jump out of your skin, maybe give this one a pass. But if you're like me and thrive on that spine-tingling, hair-raising excitement, you're in for a treat!

So, we've got the Evans women, these feisty funeral parlor owners in this adorable Southeast Texas town. But hold your horses, 'cause it's not just any funeral parlor drama. Nope, it takes a wild turn when the dearly departed decide they're not entirely done with their grand exit. They rise up as "Strigoi," and let me tell you. It's a whole new take on vampire books. The author, Lindy, weaves in family secrets and characters so captivating, they'll have you flipping pages so fast.

And oh my gosh, can we talk about those characters? Each is unique, and you're piecing together their stories and intriguing backgrounds as you go along. I was practically buzzing with questions, but you know what? Every single one was answered, just like a grand finale of a fireworks show. And that ending – perfection! It left me grinning, totally satisfied with all the mystery and suspense.

I loved it!

This is such a fun read! Everyone who wants a good vampire tale, with some laughs, and All vampire loving southerners should give this book a try! I cannot wait to share this book with everyone when it is published.

Thank you so much for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

That cover grabbed me, along with the Southern charm of a title and the very spooky story, as the women running Evans Funeral Parlor fight to keep the town safe from vampires. A fine mystery-horror tale that should NOT be read at night.

The funeral home business has been in the Evans family for a long time and ran by Evans women. That alone makes for an interesting Southern story. Then clients of the funeral home start waking up! No, I didn't really expect that nor did I expect the women to easily handle the situation. Of course the story thickens and there's plenty of drama and past drama that livens? up the story. This book kept me interested the whole time. There's humor, horror, mystery, sadness and hope. I read this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.