Magnolia "Mack" Bishop restores historical homes in Charleston and after losing an important fellowship, takes on a project her mother arranges for her firm. In the mean time, she's fighting with her ex for the company. And her old flame moves in next door.

It's like HGTV meets Hallmark - a sweet romance, fun characters, a solid storyline

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

I'm sorry but I had to DNF this. The writing was good and the present timeline was something I usually love but the flashbacks made me lose the momentum in my reading and could have been its own story. It really felt like I was reading two different books.

This is such a charming story. The setting feels so atmospheric. You can feel Mack’s passion for interior design and the Daniel House through the pages. There is a perfect amount of drama and plot. The subplot of romance was a perfect little addition to the story and a good way to push the plot forward.

It was wonderful to discover this debut novel -- here's hoping there are many more to come! It all takes place in scenic Charleston, in the world of interior design and historic preservation, where "Mack" Bishop is striving to prove herself as a designer of note by preserving an older home. Things don't go as planned, and she has to start over again, beholden to her imperious mother and then to a long lost boyfriend. Lots of romance, humor, and happenings here which will definitely keep you turning the pages. I look forward to recommending this title, especially to readers who enjoy books by Mary Kay Andrews, Elin Hilderbrand, Kristan Higgans, and Susan Mallery.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

In terms of writing, this book wasn't bad by any means. However, I found it to be quite uneventful. The characters where pretty one-dimensional, the mother-daughter relationship felt emotionally flat, the romance was barely explored and the plot was just a real drag for me. It felt like it just wasn’t going anywhere.

I enjoyed this while I was reading it, but the more I think about it the more I realize I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to others.

I loved books about second chance love stories. I always rooted for them get together at the end. The author made a great idea incorporating fashbacks of Mack and Lincolon background. She gave her readers better understanding of the characters. I also am so delighted because my big fan of HGTV, and I savor beautiful scenes of historic downtown Charleston. I recieved a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

4.75

If you love a good Charleston setting, southern drama, and witty characters, this book is for you! I loved the Fixer Upper aspect of the story as it added the perfect amount of tension and humor that I look for in a fun romance. Mack is a great character that I loved to see succeed! I felt like her personal cheerleader all the way through. This witty romantic novel is the perfect read for anyone fighting for their own dreams and way in life.

I appreciate this book for what it is, but it didn't hit the right notes to me. It's a great Women's Fiction book, but I wouldn't consider it a romance. Aspects of romances were part of the story, but the focus was on family dynamics. I personally would have liked to see the ending happen closer to the first 1/3 of the book, and see the "what comes next" be the main plot of the book. I found the whole story to be quite sad. A lot of misunderstandings and even family cycles. Cover is beautiful, no issue with the writing.

Sweet story about family, love, loss, and second chances. Relatable characters, and a fun home renovation storyline made this a winner for me.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins Focus | Harper Muse for the ARC!

Right from the beginning I really enjoyed Mack's personality and her figuring out how to navigate her new life after splitting up with her husband. I however could not stand her mother for the majority of this book. Every time she was mentioned I rolled my eyes and thought oh what now. Luckily at the end of the book she was redeemed in my eyes. I love that it left room for more character development with what all occurred in the the final chapters of this book. I will admit however I wish there had been more written on her and Lincoln in the present day. It seemed a bit glossed over of them getting to know each other again and going on dates.

Overall I'm giving this book a 3.75/5 stars. I would potentially read this book again but not for a long time.

Magnolia -Mack- has worked hard for everything. And then one day it's just not working. Yes, she assumed her husband, son of her mother's life long best friend, was cheating, but an unsolicited picture to a much younger girl sets a divorce in motion. And that Fellowship she was aiming for falls through.
Time for her Mother (the capital is mine) to step in - again. Magnolia Sr is always impeccable, never too kind and Mack isn't too happy with the design job she offers, but there wouldn't be a story if she didn't take the job.

Meanwhile we get to read what Mack's life was like 15 years before. How even then her single mother -Mack's father was never in the picture- was very on top of things, including Mack's life. We read about Mack and her highschool sweetheart, her leaving to study design and falling in love with someone else. It's slow going but it starts making sense when -in current timeline- a new neighbour arrives.

Overall it could've been more concise, I mean, it's not a hefty book, but there was a lot of explaining and plot dumping, partly in unnatural dialogue, which now and then was so obvious it interrupted my reading. To stay in design and building terms: one has to admire the wall, not see the stones that were used to build it. There were stones, plenty. Also, lots of people chuckled.
That said, the Grand Finale was great, kudos to Magnolia Senior

I received a NetGalley ARC in return for my honest opinion

I am also Southern by Design and this book did not disappoint. Drama, charm, interior design and second chance romance.... I mean, what more could anyone ask for? And this cover is absolutely stunning!

Big thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for this arc in exchange for review!

Quick, sweet, charming, second chance romance. Rating this 3.5 stars. While I enjoyed the story and didn’t see the “twist” coming, I wanted *more*. More development, more back story. It all seemed a little rushed. 2 timelines - flashbacks to Mack in college and present day.

Mack Bishop spent most of her life keeping her overbearing mother happy. Mack is currently separated, and working to showcase her talents in design when she gets to restore a home for the historical commission, on which her mom is a member. Her assistant encourages her to apply for a HGTV-esque show, they get to film a pilot, and an old flame buys the house next door to hers. Overall, I enjoyed this book but just wanted more details of the college romance, the present day romance, real dialogue with the mom.

Absolutely adored every second of this book! Adding Grace as a must read author and can’t wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this title. I love a good women starting over and rediscovering themselves story. Nothing gets me turning pages quite as fast as self discovery and second chance love tropes.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

This was such a sweet charming adorable book. I really enjoyed it. More than I thought I would. I loved the writing style. This book had me hooked from page one. This is a first for me by this author but will not be my last!!

Such a sweet story! It did take a bit to get into the meat of the story at least for me personally, but once I got into it I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait to recommend this one to friends! The southern setting was absolutely charming, and I adored the storyline, the characters, everything about this was so well done!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Southern by Design is a delightful and charming book written by an exciting new voice in Southern Women’s Fiction.

Mack Bishop has spent much of her life under her mother’s domineering and critical thumb, including marrying the son of her mother’s best friend much to the delight of both families. The one place where Mack feels confident is in her design business where she restores the old, grand homes of Charleston and gives them new life. She loses out on a coveted fellowship but gets another chance to showcase her talents when her mother presents her with an opportunity to restore a hidden gem from the Historical Commission that needs a lot of love to bring it back to glory. Mack’s assistant also encourages her to apply to host a reality show on home design and this new project will give them the content she and her design firm can use to apply.

Mack’s marriage is in its final stages, as the boy chosen for her by her mother has become a man increasingly difficult to live and work with. In a surprise twist, the boy she had fallen in love with during college comes back to town and buys the house next door. A single dad, his son becomes best friends with Mack’s daughter, forcing them together in ways that let them get to know one another all over again. In the end, we learn why Mack’s mother is the way she is, and it leads to a new understanding for Mack and a better relationship with her mother going forward.

This book had it all for me—home renovation and design, second chance at love with the one that got away, a complicated mother issue that gets resolved in the end, and a happy ending for a woman who has grown in her independence. Charleston plays a starring role in the book, and there is a host of secondary characters that provide layers of color and depth. I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Focus for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was kind of confused in the beginning because of the timeline. It was cleared up at the end, the whole story was really the precursor to the climax of the story. Mack and her mother Magnolia have a very difficult relationship. Mack's only family is her mother so she feels like she has the appease the only family she has left. It is a very clean closed door romance, the most there is kissing. Her ex husband sucks, like there was nothing that gave a glimpse that they even had a happy marriage. Mack is such a pushover it is unbearable, we get it, she doesn't like her mother. Mack is incredibly dramatic in the flashbacks. The writing was good but the story was cookie cutter and a huge plot dump. I took about break from this book for a month and then powered through. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Mack Bishop is the product of a strong Southern woman. She has her own design business in Charleston with one of her college buddies, Fitz. Her marriage is over due to her husband’s selfie of his privates that he texted to an unsuspecting person. Her daughter is a doll. Mack is finishing up a restoration job when she gets an opportunity to do a video for a home and garden tv segment. There is the set up. The story itself involves flashbacks to her college years and a lost love; a family secret that bursts open; and finding love once again. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I did receive an ARC of the book.