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2.5⭐️ rounded up for its potential

“Bless Your Heart,” the debut novel of Lindy Ryan, is more comedy than thriller. The colorful Evans women—Dulcey, Lenore, Grace, and Luna—serve as multi-generational custodians of their small Southeastern Texas town’s dead. As Luna discovers, however, they also serve as protectors of the townspeople. The reader learns of the Strigoi (vampires) and their history alongside Luna. Ryan’s novel is the first in a series, so significant exposition and character development is understandably necessary. While I don’t think I’ll be reading the next installment, I have no doubt that a “Bless Your Heart” series will have fans.

If you’ve ever wondered what Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series (origin of the HBO series “True Blood”) would look like if melded with “The Golden Girls” and set in 1999 Texas, then this is the book for you!

“Bless Your Heart” will be released in the U.S. on April 8, 2024. Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this audio ARC given in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Audiobook file didn't work. This seems to be a NetGalley issue and not the author/publisher. Disappointed. Rating is reflection of the experience, not author's ability.

This story takes place in 1999, and revolves around the Evan’s women, who run the towns mortuary. Surprise twist, they’ve been putting down strigoi for generations. What are strigoi, (besides hard to spell), they are the dead come back to life.
Luna is just learning about all this from her great grandmother, grandmother and mother. She’s also learning that she has.a link to the dead and there’s more to her than meets the eye.
The dead are rising and Luna and her family have to get a handle on it quick to save the town:
I was expecting more humor in this book. Maybe because of the title? I think I thought this would be more Sookie less Stoker. It’s an enjoyable listen for the most part. The story and characters are engaging. It’s very gory, but I didn’t mind that.
If I had one critique of this book, it’s all the mentions of what people are doing with their mouths, sucking on their teeth, constantly sucking on candy…..it’s a lot after awhile.
Lyra Parrish does a fantastic job narrating this audiobook and I would definitely listen to one of her narrations again.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Minotaur books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this one completely blind. I almost didn’t finish it but I pushed through. The fantasy/vampire scene is not my go to so I really couldn’t connect with any of the characters. I am giving this one 2 stars just because I really had to convince myself to finish this one.

I think I went into this expecting something completely different than it was. I wanted something funnier, more southern belle banter, more fun. The characters were great, but not sure I would describe this book as fun. This was a darker more horror than comedy. There were twists and turns and it definitely had some unexpected plots. It was well done, but at times dragged on. It was often very repetitive. I wish it had more banter and fun to balance out the mystery aspect.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced reader copy.

This was exactly what I thought it would be (in a good way), I always appreciate when the blurbs actually match up to the story and this one totally does. I really enjoyed the close knit family of women and their….unusual…occupation, it was a fun and unique take. While I enjoy high drama supernatural books, this was a nice reprieve from the sometimes exhausting intensity they often have. The more casual, cheeky vibe made it a fun read that I didn’t have to be too emotionally invested in. Also, the late 90s in the South vibes were spot on (as someone who lived in Alabama and Florida for a big chunk of my 80s/90s childhood). I would definitely pick up future books by Lindy.

The narrator gave me all the southern nostalgia and suited the story perfectly, I liked that she did great accents for the characters without the entire book being narrated that way. Highly recommend!

This is a fun genre mashup of a novel. I loved the characters so much and could see this like a movie in my mind. For some reason, it gave me Fried Green Tomatoes, Beaches, and Mystic Pizza vibes

Absolutely loved the storyline! I am not a gore person, but it was so well written and visual... I could not stop reading. This is an excellent addition to your TBR!!

A southern vampire, or more accurately Strigoi (troubled spirits who rise from their graves and gain vitality from the blood of their victims), story the only funeral home in a small Southeast Texas town and the women who operate it.

BLESS YOUR HEART is like no vampire story I have ever read. There were no bats or caped creatures with fangs. It is not a scary or gruesome story. Some scenes are "gross", but not horrible. I enjoyed the story and was intrigued and surprised by the end.

The narrator for the audiobook was great in creating voices for the various characters which made the book more enjoyable, and easier to follow the dialogue.

2.5 stars⭐️

This book is about four generations of Evan’s women who run a funeral parlor. When people in the small town start showing up dead in some very gruesome and disturbing ways, and the bodies sent to their parlor start rising from the dead, they realize the Strigoi, the original vampires, are back. The Evan’s women have to fight off these vampires in order to protect their town.

This book started off so well and I was so interested. Once it got towards the middle, it kind of just got slow and repetitive, and I started to lose interest. Don’t get me wrong the premise was interesting, I just think the pacing was a little off and we could’ve cut out like at least 50 pages. There were deaths that happened that just felt like they happened to get a reaction out of the reader and because of that it just felt repetitive and pointless at times. I did enjoy the family dynamic between the Evan’s women and their banter!

I do, however, recommend the audiobook. I think the audiobook is really well done and it’s the only reason I didn’t dnf it. This gave me Grady Hendrix vibes, so if you like his work you may love this!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an audiobook arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

I loved the campy vibe, it was gruesome but fun. This was a comedic horror and I enjoyed the small town vibe and southern setting. The narrator did an amazing job and brought the story to life. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy in exchange for a honest review.
4/5

Okay, this was actually quite surprised me by how gruesomely fun it was! This was totally outside of my typical read but I really enjoyed it as an audiobook! It was one of those books that you just got caught up in the story and were entertained but also slightly creeped out.

I felt like a couple scenes were like inna movie Will you put your hands over your eyes because it's kind of creepily gross because I would say this is a satire horror. It literally felt like Salem's lot meets True Blood but make it a funeral home of women who are slaying the dead. I really loved the different point of views especially the teenage daughter. If you're looking for something fun and unique, I would definitely check this out! I enjoyed it! Highly recommend that audiobook!

I absolutely loved this book! Lindy Ryan is a new author for me. I’m so happy this book was recommended to me. I’m surprisingly very emotional at the end of this one. It is a five star read for me. I love good horror!

The Evans women run the local funeral parlor in their small Texas town. They also have another responsibility: taking care of the restless dead. Ducey, Lenore, and Grace keep the town’s secrets, and protect those who don’t even know they need protection. But when a string of missing persons cases start to pop up in town, things start to get strange. Grace’s daughter Luna is having strange dreams, and the Evans women have secrets. The author weaves a tale that keeps you guessing, has chapters from the perspectives of multiple characters, and brings a fresh take on the elements of horror throughout the story. I enjoyed every page. I also adored these women!

The monsters in this story are the Strigoi - they are vampires, but they have an interesting twist. I really want to give details here, but you should read about them with no prior knowledge. This was a very original take on a well-known creature.

This book was truly a delight for a reader like me who loves horror. I’m really hoping to get to read more about the Evans women. Thank you to NetGalley, St.Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and listen to this book. I did both, and the audiobook has an absolutely incredible narrator in Stephanie Nemeth-Parker. This book releases on April 9th. I highly recommend it!

Vampire, mystery, and a dash of horror? Yes, please? This book was so much fun. I was a little worried it would be too similar to other vampire stories set in the south, you probably know the ones I am talking about, but this was such a fun and fresh take, I just had an absolute blast with it.

The Evans’ run a funeral parlor in a small southern town, that looks normal on the outside, but secretly part of their business is keeping the restless dead, well, dead. Things had been going well for years, but recently the dead haven’t been staying dead and things are getting a bit out of control, threatening to reveal the secrets of the Evans’ women’s’ pasts if they can’t figure out what on earth is going on.

This was seriously the best mix of funny and horror I have read in a long time. The only slight issue I had with it was that I wanted more of the vampire moments, which is maybe a bit nit-picky because there were quite a few. It was just such a new version of a vampire story that I wanted more!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book. I leave this review voluntarily.

This book was way more gory than I realized it was going to be, but honestly that wasn’t such a bad thing. I loved the 4 generations of women. I loved the small town setting as well as the setting of the the early 2000s. I loved the multiple points of view. I thought the story was interesting and that really young adults or adults would appreciate this book.

The narrator with that southern accent made what could have been too much horror for me just right.

I picked this audiobook because of the name and cover. I went in blind(I find the best books that way).

I had no clue this was a quirky, mystery, and horror novel. It’s a book I wouldn’t normally pick up but I loved it so much.
I loved the Evan’s women and the story. While it’s considered a “horror” novel it won’t keep you up at night. It may make you laugh way more times than you expect. So excited for the next one.

The narrator really brings the story together. Loved the “ghoul” whispery voice.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy in exchange for a honest review.

I loved this book!! This was such a a fun story. I really liked the characters, and I thought the story was very creative. This is the first of a series, and I will definitely check out the next installment. There were some very gory passages, so if you're not into that, then this might not be for you. Overall, I found this entertaining and it was darkly comedic at times.

Bless your Heart focuses on three generations of Evans women who run their towns funeral parlour. However, there is more to them that meets the eye, they also protect the town from the Strogoi (the original vampires) who are the dead come back to life. The story follows the women as they introduce the youngest Evan’s woman Luna to the real family business as there is a resurgence of the strogoi.

I didn’t finish this audiobook but I also don’t think there’s anything wrong with this, it just wasn’t for me personally. I know that a lot of people out there will like this. It kind of reminded me of The Southern Book Clubs Guide to Killing Vampires by Grady Hendrix, but I feel like there’s a lot less depth. I had a hard time keeping the characters apart and I wasn’t invested in them. I stopped around 35%, and I still had a hard time distinguishing the two sisters and the grandmothers. I think the narrator did a great job and I enjoyed her interpretation of each characters accent. I think I will just give this another try later. I think this would be a book for you if you enjoy vampire stories but you wish they were in a hallmark movie instead of a horror.

Thank you to Lindy Ryan, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC which publishes on April 8th

Thanks NetGalley,

I loved this novel and hopeful that this is the beginning of a series because I would love to hear more about the funeral parlor even if was a prequel to this one. I started out thinking this was going to be a cute little cozy novel and boy was I wrong. I was a bit surprised by some of the descriptions and instantly knew this was not considered a cozy. I'm not sure how this works but the horror and humor combination just works. It felt very Steel Magnolias in a horror movie just as much laughter. Who knew putting the two together would make such a lighthearted horror novel but with the gruesome bits. The description really says it all...A crackling mystery-horror novel with big-hearted characters and blood-soaked Southern charm, Bless Your Heart is a gasp-worthy delight from start to finish.

It’s 1999 in Southeast Texas and the Evans women, owners of the only funeral parlor in town, are keeping steady with…normal business. The dead die, you bury them. End of story. That’s how Ducey Evans has done it for the last eighty years, and her progeny―Lenore the experimenter and Grace, Lenore’s soft-hearted daughter, have run Evans Funeral Parlor for the last fifteen years without drama. Ever since That Godawful Mess that left two bodies in the ground and Grace raising her infant daughter Luna, alone.

But when town gossip Mina Jean Murphy’s body is brought in for a regular burial and she rises from the dead instead, it’s clear that the Strigoi―the original vampire―are back. And the Evans women are the ones who need to fight back to protect their town.

As more folks in town turn up dead and Deputy Roger Taylor begins asking way too many questions, Ducey, Lenore, Grace, and now Luna, must take up their blades and figure out who is behind the Strigoi’s return. As the saying goes, what rises up, must go back down. But as unspoken secrets and revelations spill from the past into the present, the Evans family must face that sometimes, the dead aren’t the only things you want to keep buried.

Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan is the first book in the A Bless Your Heart series. This paranormal story follows the Evans women, owners of the local funeral home. Owning a funeral home should be straightforward but it is anything but for the Evans women. Not only do they bury the dead but they also take care of them when they rise again. Mina Jean Murphy is the first Strigoi that arrives at the funeral parlor. The Evans women need to figure out who is creating the Strigoi, how to stop them and protect their town.

Bless Your Heart is told from multiple POVs. A lot of characters are introduced right away and it's difficult to follow along. I had a hard time keeping track of each character while listening to the audiobook. It may have been easier if I was reading a physical copy of the book or if the audiobook was narrated by multiple people.

I thought I was going to read a funny, intriguing small town paranormal story with vampires but I didn't find it very intriguing or humorous. I didn't care about the characters or the town. Even though people are dying there's no sense of urgency for the Evans women. There also wasn't enough information about them or the citizens to make me care. I wanted to stop reading the book about half way through but continued with it since I received an ARC. The explanations of the Strigoi came too late in the story. Overall I thought there was too much filler and fluff, it took away from the actual story and there were too many surface level characters.