So I'm a bit late on this review but I totally and honestly forgot about it until now. I was so deeply impacted by this sad and divided story. This historical fiction book, as told from the perspective of a more passive character, takes a deeper look into grief, loss, and suffering during such a pivotal time in America. Would definitely recommend!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for this ARC!

This was such a great story, and a reminder to me as to why I love this Historical Fiction genre so much. Donna Everhart has written a captivating and powerful story that centers around the Civil War in North Carolina. I loved her writing and attention to historic detail, about a woman named Joetta McBride who owns a small farm in NC.

I paired the book with the audio and loved this immersive style of reading. The listening experience was great, and I thought the narration captured the sad feelings and emotions so well.

*many thanks to Kensington, Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

"When the Jessamine Grows" was a really interesting historical novel. I really liked the protagonist and how she dealt with the situation she was put in. The ending was really well done and I liked that it was rather bittersweet.

This book has definitely become one of my favorites this year. Donna Everhart never fails to impress me with her writing, and I have read every single one of her books. Historical Southern Fiction is a genre that I absolutely adore, and Donna Everhart is undoubtedly the Queen of it. Despite not being a history enthusiast, Ms. Everhart's storytelling has made me a fan and has left me yearning to discover more. Her captivating writing style and the intimate thoughts of our main character made me feel as though I had a personal connection with her. However, the true highlight of this book is Joetta, our courageous leading lady. She is an incredibly strong woman, and the hardships she endures are truly heartbreaking. I wouldn't wish them upon even my worst enemy.

Although the backdrop of this story is The Civil War, it primarily focuses on the importance of staying true to oneself and one's beliefs. Joetta refuses to take sides, viewing the war as a futile endeavor, and as a result, she loses friends and the respect of her youngest son, who can't even bring himself to look her in the eye. The level of research that went into this book is impeccable, and I gained a wealth of knowledge about the war, farm life, and what it was like to live in the South during that era. This book deserves all the stars.

What a phenomenal historical fiction read! I absolutely loved the experience of listening to this book as the narration was fantastic (though I know reading the physical book would have been just as lovely).

The author’s writing in this story and her way of drawing you into the characters lives and making you feel so strongly for and alongside them blew me away. This book is very much character driven and doesn’t really leave the one single setting, so it truly took all of the great character building to develop this into the wonderful read that it was. I came to care so strongly for the characters and found myself so invested in their circumstances and lives. And I absolutely ADORED the strength and perseverance of the main character and all she did through the story. Definitely a character I was sad to part with at the end and who I won’t soon forget! I felt such a strong sense of place and time through the storytelling, which was another notch in the win department for me! Perhaps what I most appreciated was the way this story challenged me to think on what choices I’d have made in the characters shoes. It was very thought provoking. I can’t believe more people aren’t talking about this book! It’s truly a must-read for any historical fiction lovers!

Many thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for the gifted e-copy!

When the Jessamine Grows by Donna Everhart is a sad story of a family, town, and country divided. I have not read any other books on this subject before so it was very interesting to me. It was just so sad and I felt like there was not a whole lot of hope in the end even though the author tried. But I enjoyed it. I liked The Saints of Swallow Hill and I will read more books by this author. The audiobook version is narrated by Tiffany Morgan and it is enjoyable. Thank you Tantor Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this audiobook.

I loved the Civil War in North Carolina setting and the dividing of the country on slavery. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and it was nice reading a story that wasn’t based on WWII. This story was longer than needed, the pacing was slow at times. Joetta McBride owns a small farm in North Carolina, does not own any slaves and works very hard to keep what they have. Joetta and her husband, Ennis are neutral about Slavery. This neutrality led to a lot of gossip and issues with her neighbors and friends. It was interesting seeing the neutral side of the issues. While the characters were well developed, the middle part of the story dragged on. I listened to the audiobook on this one. I wasn’t a fan of the narrator as her pacing seemed off. This was a heartbreaking story about this family and how others perceived them when values do not line up and can turn on each other during times of war.

Told from the perspective of a pacificist wife and mother during the Civil War years, Where the Jessamine Grows is much more than a book about a war. Along with war bits, the book gets into the difficulties of parenting adolescents & living with family members who do not hold the same values as you.

<b>Actual Rating 2.5</b>

TW: Miscarriages, Absolutely Vile Father-in-law

When rumors of a civil war first reach Joetta in her North Carolina farmstead, she ignores them as they’re irrelevant to her and her family. But her father-in-law is entranced by the politics and war and brings it into her house, filling the ears of her young boys with tales of heroics and bravery. It isn’t long before one of her sons runs off to enlist with the Confederates, bringing the war into Joetta’s home. Now she must learn to survive the new normal, even as the war draws closer and closer to their home.

There were a few things about this read that didn’t work for me. The author generally relied on telling rather than showing. Now usually, this would break a book for me. However, for some reason, it mostly worked in this one. It detracted from the emotion of what should have been powerful moments and certainly made it difficult to connect with the characters, but I think since this book was moving so fast through time, it generally worked. This work spanned the entirety of the Civil War in 400 pages, so it did jump through time quickly.

Along the same lines, the writing style was rather simplistic and repetitive. Emotions were written over and over just as “X was disturbing for Joetta” which I don’t find compelling. This contributed to the bland feeling of this read. The language used also felt modern rather than era-appropriate, which took away from the immersion. But there were also instances where some beautiful descriptions were incorporated, which made for a bit of an odd mix in the prose.

This is a very slow read. There’s not much plot after the initial plot point and drama, and as I didn’t find the way the author wrote characters compelling, there wasn’t much to keep my interest. This was especially true in the middle portion of the work, which was honestly just a laundry list of all the ways life was difficult during this time.

A small part of the problem with this read was me. I struggle with Civil War fiction for a few reasons. It often feels like the characters are all the same from one to the next – they very rarely break trope, they find themselves in the same situations, and the outcomes are generally the same. I may partly feel this way because, growing up in the U.S. south, we spent an inordinate amount of time on the Civil War every single year in school. I wanted to give this one a try though as it’s set in a place I’m very familiar with, and it’s been awhile since I’ve given Civil War fiction a try.

If you’re interested in slow historical fiction set during the early Civil War in America, you might like this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for letting me read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Enjoyed the narration, was able to clearly understand at 2.0. Love the cover!!

Did find the beginning a little slow but the last 1/3 made up for it!! Made me gasp, surprised me, warmed my heart and brought a tear or two to my eye. All the makings of a moving great heart warming southern historical fiction novel. Loved the characters and really enjoyed Joetta and her strength during such a despairing time. Mr McBride, ornery character for sure but he did add depth to the story!

My first by the author and truly enjoyed! Thanks to Netgalley and RB media for my advanced audio copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

What a powerful and captivating story.
I was completely immersed in it since chapter one. It was heartbreaking and impossible to put down. A story that will stay with me for a long time.

When The Jessamine Grows released January 23, 2024.

An interesting book with realistic characters. I liked the different perspective of the war that the book provided. The narration was ok.

What a beautiful book to go along with the beautiful cover. About a difficult period in our history and a difficult time for those that lived through it.

I’ve read a few books about the time of the civil war from the perspective of the South. They are always so thought provoking.

I really liked Joetta and her practicality. My heart went out for her and all she endured. I loved reading about the growth of the characters around her and how they learned from each other.

This really is a powerful story showcasing the desolation the war brought but how hope can emerge from such destruction. I was captivated from the start to its conclusion.

It also made me wonder how the future will view the current era and opinions.

Tiffany Morgan narrates the audiobook and and really captured the essence of the time and the heartache that emerged.

📖: When the Jessamine Grows
✍️: Donna Everhart
🎙: Tiffany Morgan
⭐️: 5 of 5
🎧: 4 of 5


My Thoughts:

Captivating and inspirational. My first novel by this author and I devoured it in a day. War time stories are often depressing as so many faced extreme hardships, this was no different. Although the McBrides faced many trials, Joetta was a such a fighter. Never giving up or giving in to her convictions, despite her circumstance.
I am typically not a historical reader, especially when it comes to war but I would love to see and read a sequel in the future. Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to listen and review this advanced copy.

A wonderful moving story set during the Civil War. The story surrounds the hardships of the love ones left behind. The struggles to survive, the uncertainty of ever returning to a life of normalcy. The worry of one's loved ones fighting the war, and for the heroine finding the strength of her convictions and belief. Not bowing down to the press to commit to the South.
This story has checked off all my expectations of a page turner story. The narrator was fantastic and really transported me to the south. A definite favorite and must read. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #WhentheJessamineGrows

When the Jessamine Grows by Donna Everhart takes place during the civil war. A family with 2 boys living in the south managing their own farm is trying to remain neutral and just wants to live like they always have. However, when the oldest son heads out in the middle of the night to enlist, nothing will ever be the same. A really good book. I was hooked. The narrator did a good job too. I love stories about her Civil War. I love to see the resilience of real people who just wanted to survive. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬
𝐁𝐲 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟏.𝟐𝟑.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝑂𝑢𝑡 𝑁𝑜𝑤!


The Civil War Era is a historical period that is difficult to read. But what I found so captivating about 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬 is that it comes from the perspective of a woman, a wife, a mother who wanted nothing more than to protect her family and her humble farm.

Joetta McBride and her husband are raising two young sons on a modest farm in North Carolina. Although Joetta must put up with her surly and opinionated father-in-law, she is content. But there are rumblings of division and even war coming. Joetta wants no part of any war for her family and is determined to stay neutral. But this will be tested when her oldest son runs off hoping to volunteer, and her husband is sent after him.

Although set back in the 1800s, when our nation was literally divided and split at its core, I couldn’t help but see some parallels to now. Joetta was seen as a traitor, even an outcast, if she didn’t pick a side (“their” side in people’s minds). Neighbors, even her younger son, treated her disrespectfully and unkindly because she chose to stay neutral and focused on caring for her family, running the farm, and staying true to her convictions.

With rich depictions of farm life and the hardships of war, this is a thought-provoking story about what it means to stay true to yourself.


Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours and @donnaeve2 for a spot on tour and a gifted book.

*** This audiobook was archived before I could listen to it.

I liked that this book was about the civil war but did not feature the war itself besides a few letters from Joetta’s husband. It was focused more on the people not in the war but who were affected by it. It’s hard to write a review for this book without giving spoilers about what happens. It was a story full of family, lessons, bravery, and love. I loved Joetta’s bravery about standing her ground on picking a side, even when the town treated her poorly. Not only was she trying to keep their family farm running while Ennis was away, but she also had some trouble with her son processing his feelings about everything happened. Over time Joetta and Rudean leaned on one another more and more and Rudean grew on me as well. One of my favorite parts about this book is not mentioned in the synopsis and I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say it happens the second half of the book. A heartfelt thought-provoking story. I listen to the audio while following along with the book and the narrator did a great job bringing the characters and their emotions to life.

Thank you @donnaeve2 @suzyapprovedbooktours and @Kensingtonbooks for the gifted copy.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fantastic! She has a beautiful, clear voice that portrays different character voices and emotions wonderfully. Historical fiction is not usually my genre but I thought the synopsis sounded intriguing. I loved this one! It had a bit of fighting but mostly it’s about the family during wartime. As a mom of 2 preteen boys, it really made me think and feel for Joetta. The storyline held my interest throughout and I loved the author’s writing style. I will happily read more by this author (especially a sequel to this one!) and recommend this book!

A North Carolina family's journey through the Civil War. When Joetta's fifteen year old son leaves to join the Confederate army, she sends her husband to find him and bring him home. Then she gets a letter from her husband- he enlisted to find him. Left at their farm with their eleven year old son and her disabled father-in-law, Joetta struggles. Not just with the work, but with the friends and neighbors that turned against her. Joetta is against the war- both sides. She sees it as people such as herself fighting for the rich's lifestyle. And her opinion is unpopular.

While this had all the hallmarks of a book I'd love, I didn't. I enjoyed it. But I didn't love it as other people did. I didn't connect emotionally with it. It was all very surface level for me.

One of the problems I did have was the vocabulary often used was not era-appropriate.

I listened to the audiobook, and that may have also negatively impacted my opinion. The audiobook is narrated by Tiffany Morgan. While her actual performance is fine- nice pace, tone, pronunciation, etc... Her voice didn't fit the book. Too young and upbeat.

I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.