Thanks to NetGalley, Montlake, and the author for the chance to read this book.

This is a book about long-held family secrets. It's a closed door romance book. It's set over a fairly short time period, so the romance aspect does move quite fast.
Some of the storyline felt disjointed, but I guess part of that was the main characters mental thoughts and the way they constantly lept around while she is processing her grief and some major life choices.

It was a good book but not one I'd read again.

I found this book to be a good read that kept me engaged.
The storyline is sweet, heartwarming, and feel-good.
I loved the characters.
This book has secrets, friendships,and romance.
Perfect reading for those of us that remember party lines on the phone🤗

I loved the small town characters and small town vibe. The story seemed a little slow and predictable at times but the slow go romance was fun. Thanks#NetGalley

THE PARTY LINE is Carolyn Brown’s way of reminding us how quite different times were back in the day – as she would likely say. Folks were so judgmental. And candidly fearful of what they didn’t understand, what was indeed foreign to them, or their traditions, or lifestyles. The cache system was alive and well, even in small American towns. A hierarchy of citizens you could say. And never more apparent that an THE PARTY LINE by Carolyn Brown.
Young folk have no concept of the lack of technology. The fact that we are speaking about less than one hundred years ago seems almost surreal. I often laugh at a reference to a dial on the phone. And I remember when phone numbers were only seven digits long and the first three were letters not numbers. I know archaic.
It is the reference to the party line that helps you position the characters at the place Poteet Texas. Small town America was not so long ago. Sadly, some of these ideals still exist. No one should think themselves better than others because of wealth or lineage. But it happens.
So when Aunt Gracie passes her niece Lila her house and acreage with it, it opens this small town along with Lila herself to many unforeseen changes. There were literally acres of strawberries. Lila is an accountant who leaves her career somewhat behind her to head to Aunt Gracie’s town. Lila had spent much of her life there with her mother Sarah, Gracie, and their circle of friends. She isn’t the only one returning to town. Conner, whose grandfather owned a neighboring farm, returns from his military career. He is looking for a sign that this is where he now belongs.
Family secrets abound in this town. And the party line was the original means of correspondence to any of these areas, and the conduit for lots of gossip. The problem was the lack of privacy. And that’s where we wind up in our search, along with Lila, to get to the center of a generation’s long secret.
As always Carolyn Brown brings a sense of goodwill to THE PARTY LINE. Even though we suspect that the secret would probably be better left buried, there is a desire to have it resurface so that it can ultimately be dismissed. There is as always amazing dialog and reflection on music, faith, and trust. Can’t have a Carolyn Brown story without an amazing song list. The characters are wonderfully flawed but with a heart of pure gold. Surely whatever secret might get uncovered will be handled with respect.

Carolyn Brown's latest book brought back memories of my own childhood in the 50s when we had party lines and I spent a lot of time with my Great-Aunt Grace in the family homestead dating back to 1860. How fun it would be to re-visit that time in my life! I find Carolyn's stories to be quick, easy reads with a touch of romance and strong family connections. Thanks to NetGalley, Montlake and the author for a copy to read and review.

When her old aunt passes away, a woman comes back to her small town to claim her inheritance. Family secrets and a new promise of love and new start on life are there waiting if she’s willing to take a chance on change. Carolyn Brown is an autobuy author for me particularly when it comes to the cozy, country charm of her small town women’s fiction with a smattering of romance and humor.

The Party Line is set in a town that isn’t on most maps where everyone knows each other and all the secrets, but one. Aunt Gracie had a secret that has the town stirred up again when they think Lila will discover it after she moves into Gracie’s house. Lila has been an accountant in the big city, content with her job and acquaintances, but she feels the difference between contentment and deep-seated happiness when she sorts through Gracie’s past, reacquaints herself with the neighbors, spends time with her mother and Gracie’s friends. The strawberry fields behind the house and the new young foreman have her attention and tempt her to try something new.

Gently paced and full of all sorts of heartwarming moments, The Party Line is a book that the reader can sit back, relax, and feel- feel the summer heat and taste the sweet strawberries, appreciate family, friends, and romance, and then dig a little deeper into bittersweet truths the past generations had to face. Not a book for high entertainment or drama, but well satisfying all the same. The Party Line is for those who like the crossover of women’s fic and romance in a country town setting.

Man, I wanted to love this book so much once I found out it was set in a small town in Texas. It's very near a town I know of, near where my mom grew up, Poteet, so that made it that much more interesting to me. Sadly, that wasn't enough to save this book.

I don't have a better way to describe it than to say the writing felt clunky. Things didn't seem to flow, and there were unexplained jumps as well. The author also wasted space describing things that didn't need explaining, at all. I don't know, there was just a lot of nothing for me in this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review l.

The Party Line by Carolyn Brown is a fun and enjoyable read! The story centers around Lila Matthew’s and how she inherits pretty much everything from her Aunt Gracie who actually isn’t her aunt at all. This story shows that family doesn’t always have to be blood, it can be chosen. Aunt Gracie had lived a long life that was filled with pain and heartache and she chose to keep some pretty big family secrets. Despite all of this, she was a very kind, generous and loving person. She did have a wild and feisty side that was depicted in her love of the color red. The authors reference to the telephones party lines was a nice touch that brought back many fond memories from days gone by. This really is a great story and it’s one I highly recommend. I’d like to thank Montlake Publishing and NetGalley for the arc to read and review. It’s an enjoyable story with a touch of southern flair that I’m giving a 5 star rating.

An enjoyable read! A sweet story with romance and a little mystery. Definitely a slow build but really a good story. And the audio was phenomenal!

The Party Line is one of Carolyn Brown’s stand alone women’s fiction offerings. Lila Mathews has returned to Ditto, Texas from her career in Austin under very sad circumstances. Her great aunt Gracie Evans has passed away after a very long and impactful life. As Aunt Gracie’s primary heir, Lila has been left an estate leaving her well set for life and with a passion for carrying on in her aunt’s footsteps in the community, caring for her aunt’s best friend for over 90 years, Jasper, and keeping her aunt’s biggest secret, the secret Aunt Gracie learned on the party line that had changed the direction of her life and family.

As Lila navigates her great aunt’s legacy, she is also finding her future on many levels and areas. This is a well told tale with well drawn characters in a very small town setting. I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it!

I’m going to keep this review simple. Are you looking for a feel good, family driven, small town story that will make you smile? Try this story. Are you looking for a story that includes a big secret in a small town and absolutely everyone wants to know it but the only person that knows it isn’t telling? This story has that. Are you looking for a story about women paying it forward and helping other women? How about strawberry farming? Yeah, that’s not the most important but it is part of the story. Ditto, TX might be a small town but it has lots of drama. Lila inherits her Aunt Gracie’s house along with a strawberry farm and Gracie’s best friends, Jasper. Lila isn’t looking for love but it just might be right smack in her path as she learns about her strawberry farm. Connor is learning about strawberry farming from his grandfather while also learning about his grandfather’s oil business. He isn’t looking for love but it just might be right smack in his path as he learns about strawberry farming. This is a typical Carolyn Brown novel. I recommend it and I will definitely read more from this author in the future.

The Party Line by Carolyn Brown is one of those small town romances Brown is so famous for. Lila had purchased Aunt Gracie’s house from the estate. Gracie was really her great-aunt but Lila and her mom had lived with her for years. She had left her estate equally to her heirs and then Lila bought it. She loved it. She felt at home. Even the old fashioned party line phones made her happy, as did Jasper, her aunt’s good friend, in his nineties, who lived just over the field. The parts of the farm that were left were devoted to strawberries and so several times a year, crews descended to take care of the strawberries: readying the fields for the next hear, harvesting, and starting all over again. A little more complicated than that, but… She listened to stories from Jasper about Gracie, Davis, and him when they were kids. She worked during the day as an accountant for an insurance company, all from home. Life was good. Except for her cousin who kept pestering her for a larger share in the estate. She ignored that.

Is is really a slice of life, a good life. The house had ghosts, but eventually those were laid to rest. The remainder was strawberries; her mom, who lived just down the street; and Conner, whose grandfather leased the strawberry fields. Jasper proved to be a good friend, and told her stories that helped with the ghosts. She loved him: took him to church on Sundays and then to lunch. She fed him many days or he would be even skinnier than he was. Conner was a fun, good man, who was learning from his grandfather about what would eventually be his inheritance, the strawberry field and more. The cousin kept coming. Life got nothing but better and better. Love these feel-good, slice of life stories about places like Ditto, Texas.

I was invited to read The Party Line by Montlake. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Montlake #CarolynBrown #ThePartyLine

Carolyn Brown gas hit it out of the ballpark once again. Party Line is a wonderful story of life, regrets, family and the love of a lifetime. There's a secret about Aunt Gracie and as stories of her life unfold, and the secret is revealed it changes everything. As usual the characters come alive and small town Texas is revealed in this masterpiece of a story. You don't want to miss this gem of a story!

Although I received a free ARC ebook from Net Galley and the publisher, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Party Line by Carolyn Brown, this is one of my favorite authors and I have read most of her books. Once again I fell into the story line and couldn't wait to reach the end of the book. The author has a way of coming up with a story line, that is a little different and keeps you constantly wondering what will happen in the book. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.

I received and ARC from NetGalley and Montlake the publisher, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Lila Matthews returns to her home town of Ditto, Texas after inheriting her aunt Gracie’s estate. It includes a large home and a strawberries farm. While cleaning out the house she finds clues from Grace’s past that no one seems to know about. Carolyn Brown is the queen of writing warm, folksy stories set in small Texas towns. I appreciate the title and remember my family having a party line till I was 8 or 9.

There is a romance for Lila with Connor who recently left the military. They want to go slowly with picnics and sweet talks. There is no drama but a slow building connection. Much of the story is focused on Gracie. I love how Lila cares for and befriends Gracie’s neighbor and best friend Jasper. He has answers to many of her questions. And I appreciate Lila’s easy and honest relationship with her mother.

This is seemingly a stand alone novel from Brown and I enjoyed reading it. Yes, it can be predictable but I found the pacing good and flew through it quickly.

A great weekend read! As well as the expected happy ever after there was a family secret to uncover. I loved Lila's love for her adored Aunt Gracie. Gracie was a part of the story. Her love for Lila was felt even after she passed away. Connor was a perfect guy for Lila. It also serves as a life lesson of taking care of our elders, blood or adopted.

Thank you to Carolyn Brown, Montvale Puublishing and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. My review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.

Both Lila and Connor feel the mutual attraction but they takes things slowly and start as friends. Commitment is an issue for them and Lila is also hesitant as she fears Connor is getting closer due to her inheritance. As their friendship deepens, will they move forward to become more? Read this to find out.

While Lila is figuring out her love life, she is also embarking on a new journey in her career. With her move to Ditto, Texas, and inheritance of her aunt Gracie’s house and farm, she is at a crossroad with uncertainty looming.

I enjoyed the close relationship between Lila and Jasper, who is like a grandfather to her. The addition of Sassy also adds further joy into their lives. Connor is an interesting romance side plot while the focus remains on Lila’s self-discovery journey and the eventual reveal of her family’s secret.

The book’s pacing was a little slow but overall still an enjoyable read.

The Party Line* by Carolyn Brown is a heartfelt and gentle story about family, secrets, and the bonds that tie us to the past. The novel centers on Grace, whose death brings her niece Lila back to her hometown, where she discovers that there may be more to her aunt’s life than she ever knew. As Lila unravels the mysteries surrounding Grace’s past, she must also come to terms with her own place in the family and the town that has always been home.

At its core, *The Party Line* explores the dynamics between family members, both living and deceased. Lila’s quest to uncover Grace’s secrets provides a layered narrative that digs into the complexities of generational relationships, the weight of hidden truths, and the healing power of understanding one’s roots. As Lila delves deeper into her aunt’s past, she begins to realize that the stories people leave behind are not always what they appear to be.

Carolyn Brown's writing is warm and inviting, painting a vivid picture of small-town life and the people who inhabit it. Brown’s attention to detail creates a nostalgic atmosphere that will resonate with readers who appreciate stories grounded in familial love, tradition, and the slow pace of rural life. The pacing of the book is steady, and the way the plot unfolds gradually allows for reflection on the characters’ relationships and personal growth.

However, while the story has its merits, there are moments where it feels like it could have been more gripping. The central mystery of Grace’s secrets holds potential for deeper intrigue, but it doesn’t quite reach the level of suspense or emotional depth that one might expect from such a premise. The story's quieter moments can sometimes feel drawn out, leaving the reader with a sense that the narrative could have used a stronger hook or a more profound turning point to really capture attention.

Lila’s journey of discovery is touching, and her emotional arc provides some satisfying moments of resolution. Yet, the book doesn’t quite take full advantage of the tension or emotional stakes that the premise suggests. The characters are likeable, but the story doesn’t push them to the kind of dramatic evolution that might have made it even more engaging.

In conclusion, *The Party Line* is a lovely, soothing read with themes of family, loss, and uncovering the past. It’s a perfect choice for readers who enjoy character-driven, contemplative fiction. However, for those seeking a more fast-paced or gripping mystery, the story may feel a bit too understated. It’s a good story, but it leaves you wishing for just a bit more — whether that’s in the depth of its secrets or the emotional payoff of its revelations.

This was a sweet story of family and love, with lots of warmth and humor. I love the author's small-town stories, which are full of quirky and relatable characters.

Lila returned home to tiny Ditto, Texas when her Aunt Gracie died and left Lila her estate. It is up to Lila to make the more than one-hundred-year-old house her own. Bittersweet memories of growing up there make sorting through Aunt Gracie's effects an emotional experience, most notably going through the sympathy cards. There are rumors that Gracie had some big secret, but no one has discovered what it is.

Aunt Gracie's best friend and neighbor, Jasper, is a fun addition to the story. He is a feisty old gentleman with plenty of stories about the good old days. I loved how they comforted Lila and gave her insight into her beloved Aunt Gracie. Jasper was family to Lila, and watching the two together was often amusing, as was her insistence on a trip to the hospital when he was sick. Jasper was equally protective of Lila, and I laughed out loud when he dealt with the unwelcome visitors.

A newcomer to town, Connor recently left the military and works for his grandfather, Emmett. Emmett leases Lila's strawberry fields and is set to turn his businesses over to Connor. He's laid back and charming and shows a decided interest in Lila. I enjoyed seeing his kindness and support when she needed it and the twinkle of humor ever-present in his eyes. There are some sweet scenes of them together. My favorite is the picnic by the river. You can see them falling for each other; there's no drama, just a steadily growing attachment.

The book is mainly about Lila's journey through her grief over Aunt Gracie's death. Listening to Jasper's stories and those told by others helps Lila see her aunt as the strong woman she was. Little things lead to unexpected revelations and a desire to change her life. The scene where Lila cleans out Gracie's closet was fantastic, with the memories it stirred up.

The epilogue was terrific. I loved seeing them ten years down the road and seeing what their lives were like.

After the death of her Great Aunt Lila moves to Ditto Texas to live in the house she inherited. There she uncovers a family secret and finds love. Wonderful characters.