This will be one that stays with me for a long time. It’s one of my favorite reads this year if not my favorite. Not the typical civil war novel but the story of a woman who stood up for herself and her family and took the blows that came with it. I spent an entire day reading it as I wanted to keep seeing what happened next. Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC. I highly recommend it.

This has to be one of my favourite books so far this year. I have read every single book by Donna Everhart and she has never disappointed me. Historical Southern Fiction is one of my favourite genres and Donna Everhart is the Queen. I am not a history buff but Ms. Everhart makes me a fan and leaves me wanting to learn more. Her writing style is captivating and the internal thoughts of our protagonist made me feel like I knew her personally. The best part of this book is our leading lady, Joetta. She is one strong woman I tell you and the losses she experiences I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

Although this story revolves around The Civil War it is mostly about staying true to one's self and your convictions. Joetta refuses to take a side, she finds the war a useless endeavour and because of this, she loses friends and the respect of her youngest son, who can't even look her in the eye. The research was impeccable and I learned a lot about the war, farm life and what it was like to live in the South during that time period. All. The. Stars.

“When the Jessamine Grows” by Donna Everhart is the moving tale of one woman’s struggle to try to remain neutral in a border state during the Civil War. Joetta and her beloved husband work hard to be self-supporting on their little farm. But Joetta’s cantankerous father-in-law keeps putting ideas about the glory of war into her children, causing her older child to run off to join the Confederate troops. Much too young to join the army, her husband Ennis sets off to bring back. Unfortunately, Ennis gets drawn into the war and is unable to come home. Managing the farm and the house is almost impossible, but it is made worse when Joetta’s reputation in town is destroyed because of her neutral stance. As seen throughout history, war brings out the worst in people and as a result, Joetta and her family suffer.
This was an engrossing story, although I felt it dragged a little bit in the middle and could perhaps have been shorted a little. Nonetheless, this is an excellent piece of historical fiction that can pull on your heartstrings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When the Jessamine Grows
By: Donna Everhart

Pub date - Jan. 23, 2024

Read if you like:

👩‍👩‍👦‍👦 Family connections
👩 Strong women
📚 History

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story starts with the Civil War looming around the corner. At the very beginning, I was nervous. I already liked Joetta (the MC) and I knew she and her family were about to go through some very hard times. The characters, the scenery, the story, they were all simply wonderful and made me want to read to the very last page. I love Donna Everhart and this book was just as magnificent as her others.

I loved how this book focuses on those left behind during the war. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to others who love books about strong women.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The hardships that Joetta endured during the Civil War were brought to life in this historical novel. Joetta , her husband, Ennis, their two sons, and Ennis’ father live on a farm in North Carolina. Joetta’s son runs off to join the Confederate troops, and her husband follows to bring him back. Joetta’s neutral stance on the war makes her unpopular in her town, inviting the wrath of many neighbors.
I really liked how Donna Everhart characterized Joetta. She brought life to her characters. The description of life during that time was well detailed, with a well developed plot.

It's 1861 just about the beginning of the Civil War when we come upon the McBride farm. There we find Ennis, Joetta, there two sons Henry and Robert, along with Mr. McBride, the grandfather. People are taking sides across the country, and certainly there was much discord within the McBride household, especially with the grandfather talking up about the glory of war and how he disagrees with Lincoln. However, for Joetta McBride this was most troubling, causing conflict within her own home. When 15 year old Henry, who believes everything his grandfather is saying, runs away to join the Confederate Army, it is Joetta who insists her husband go after their son and bring him home. This is the catalyst that brings disaster to family. Joetta is no Scarlett O'Hara, no prissy, romantic. She us a strong woman, steadfast in her belief They lived on a small farm, the family working together, they owned no slaves, and held to their values and were neutral in their feelings about the war. As the war goes on, Joetta holds onto her conviction that this is not her war. It is a struggle, from day-to-day as life goes on and as the war continues she is the backbone of the family. Turned way from people she thought were her friends, worrying about her son and her husband, she keeps going forward. To me she was not only brave, but a heroine at a time when it was a hardship to keep it all together.. I cannot imagine the strength it took for Joetta to run the farm, take care of the house, and live a lonely life as she became the talk of the town and called a traitor by many.

This book was amazing...it gives you pause to think what this country went through as sides were drawn, not only with the soldiers in battle but those on the home front as well. How easy it was for people to turn away from you, friends on day, enemies the next, with no respect for others that didn't feel the same way. To hold onto your convictions takes fortitude as you hold fast to your principals. Joetta McBride was that person, a heroine in my eyes.

My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. My thanks especially to Donna Everhart for writing this wonderful book.

Great historical fiction about the Civil War. This book provides a unique perspective about remaining neutral in a war that divided families between Union and Confederate. This book really made the civil war come alive and what it meant to struggle to stay alive and survive while the war was raging. I really liked Joetta’s story as she tried to keep her family together and her farm running and survive while her husband and son were off fighting in a war their family didn’t even believe in. The stories of hunger and having to make do and survive with nothing. Joetta’s son talked about how the hunger was harder after eating a decent meal bc it you had to adjust to not eating all over again. The second half of this book really picked up for me and that’s when I was fully invested in this story and was rooting for Joetta and her family to survive. I would love to see this book made into a movie. The ending could easily lead into a sequel to this book and I would be happy to read it. Highly recommend reading if you are a historical fiction lover.

This story begins in North Carolina, as the country is becoming more divided over the issue of slavery, and as the war is just beginning and men are leaving their homes and their families, setting off to fight for the side they believe in.

Joetta McBride and her husband, Ennis, have lived in their home long enough to have settled into their comfortable lives along with their two sons, the oldest, Henry, who at fifteen is four years older than their youngest, Robert, who is eleven. They live a relatively quiet life on their small farm, and raise enough crops and enough animals to provide them with food.

They live in a Confederate state, and while they do not own slaves, nor do they wish to, they do not openly oppose the right for others to do so. Still, there are many neighbors, including her husband’s father, who shares a more ‘romantic’ view of war, the fighting for the glory of it all. Listening to his grandfather’s stories, Henry decides to leave home and join the fight his grandfather has made to sound glamorous. He leaves in the middle of the night, knowing that his parents would not approve. When his parents realize that he is gone, his father leaves to find him.

Time passes, and Joetta waits for their return, but is also left with being the one to keep the farm running, and as the war ramps up and neither return, she also struggles with the talk of war around her, as her former friends and neighbors increasingly turn their back on her. A young boy enters her life, a boy who has endured much loss, and she opens her home to him, despite her father-in-law’s opinion and the opinions of others.

There’s a journey that follows, one she is determined to take, and so she heads to the home of her parents. Once there, she sees how much things have changed, and yet, she realizes that someone is watching over her, in a protective sense, but she doesn’t know who.

This is a story of war, loss, and family, both those we’re born into and those that become family by virtue of compassion and love.


Pub Date: 23 Jan 2024

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Kensington Books/Kensington

.I first need to mention the importance of this book, which is set during the Civil War. In my opinion, there aren’t nearly enough books written during that time frame—but what a treasure trove there is to mine the stories of this tumultuous, heartbreaking era. Donna Everhart has helped fill that void with this gripping novel. Set in North Carolina, Joetta McBride, her husband and two sons live a quiet life on their farm, until the winds of war change their lives forever. I was immediately pulled into this story, rich in characters and emotions. Joetta was not just a character to me, she was a true person, one who I walked alongside in the fields and in her kitchen, and feeling all she was going through. Joetta’s stance on the war caused additional conflict for herself, robbing her of friendships, even putting her life in danger. I admired her honesty, her backbone, her steadfastness to all she believed, even when—especially when, it cost her dearly. I loved that she just kept putting one foot in front of the other, never giving up, never questioning if she were doing the right thing, her love for her family and her convictions the driving force of every decision she made. Would that we are all as brave and loyal and dedicated as Joetta McBride. Thank you, Donna Everhart for giving us her story.

This novel was a good read. The author did a excellent job of describing the settings throughout the story. Joetta was a character that brought tears, righteousness and OMG why are you doing that. There were so many different parts of the book that can even be relatable to our current timeline. The story defiantly kept me engaged.

I loved everything about this beautiful written story. and you can tell the author did her research into the time period..
This is one of these stories that you cannot stop thinking about.. The subject matter gave a unique perspective on the civil war-neutrality.. I highly recommend this book. Was so sorry to see this book end and would love a sequel.
I was provided with arc from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review and these options are my own..

WHEN THE JESSAMINE GROWS is beautifully written and you can tell the author did her research into the time period. The historical details sprinkled throughout help immerse the reader into the scene. The political climate is also captured in a realistic and historically accurate way, which gives the reader confidence in the storytelling as the narrative progresses.

I understand that Joetta's position is true to the geographic location and time period, but I had a little trouble stomaching her neutrality.

I do look forward to more from this author.

I was provided with an e-galley of the book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review, and these opinions are my own.

This is one of these stories that you cannot stop thinking about. I really enjoyed it.
The Civil War was a time of unrest and fear amongst the North and South. The fighting has begun.
The McBride family lives in North Carolina on their farm and cannot accept the Confederate views on slavery and this causes chaos for them with their neighbors and within their own tribe.
Joetta is the Matriarch and is one powerful force to recon with.
She is met with devastation, fear, heartache,and loneliness. as she tries so very hard to work the farm alone when her eldest son runs to join the war and her husband looks to find and bring him home.
Joetta is tenacious and yet these times are wearing her down and away.
Can she survive??

I remember learning of this time in history as a child and yet, this book absolutely brought it to light for me.
It is historical fiction that actually reminds me in so many ways of our times now with separation of the people then and now.
Thank you to #NetGalley and to #Kensington Books for this amazing ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.

Books about the Civil War used to be my very favorite, so I was excited about When the Jessamine Grows. It did not disappoint. The subject matter gave a unique perspective on the war - neutrality. I was sorry to see this book end, and would love a sequel.