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.

This book was so much drama and I was here for it! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! This book was based in my hometown, Charleston SC. I was born and raised here in Charleston and I am still here. It was so neat to read about the college I went to and the others I am very familiar with, the restaurants, the cities near by. The book itself was brilliant and kept me interested from start to finish. The home restoration & HGTV vibe was so fun to read about! I feel like it tied into the story well. The drama was raw and messy but the story drove home that beauty comes from ashes.

I love a book with a Southern flavor and Southern by Design delivers. All the down South charm, plus a wonderful story of family, following your dreams, and navigating the rough roads in life. This book hits all the right. spots and makes you happier for reading it!'
4/5

Magnolia (Mack) Bishop, still reeling over the loss of a impressive design fellowship in her Charleston home town, is offered the chance of a lifetime. Exquisite Interiors, the most popular reality home design show, wants her to audition for their show. Her restoration work for the Carolina Historic Society on the Daniel House will be featured. To succeed, Mack has to rely on her trusted assistant Maya, her college friend and confidant Fitz and her many loyal workman from the city. There are problems. Her untrustworthy, soon to be ex-husband Grady must do his share of child care for their seven year daughter. Her mother, the original Magnolia, must be prevented from interfering with Mack’s work. This will not be easy. And then there’s a complication. The handsome man who just moved in next door is…the man who broke her heart when he chose a photography residency over her.

All of this fills Southern by Design to the brimming. There is heartbreak, romance, anger and a delightful look at the backstage world of creating a reality home show. I’m hoping that Holy City Flip becomes a series! I want to see more of these characters who I would recognize if I saw them walking down the street. If you like Kristy Woodson Harvey, Mary Kay Andrews or Patti Callahan Henry, you will love Grace Helena Walz and Southern By Design! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollinsFocus and Grace Helena Walz.

Coming from the South, I as a reader can understand how a certain last name carries weight as it epitomizes where that family stands in society. Society is extremely important as the girls and eventually women learn how to speak and behave in a certain way. Mack was born in that type of society; however, she was determined to capitalize on her talent as a designer and create her own path which eventually resulted in a reality television show. Even though it may have been frowned upon, she knew that divorcing Grady was the right decision as it enabled her to allow Hallie to be a child and express her wants and desires. Love does not go away when Mack had such strong feelings for Licoln.and I was glad she stood up to her mother and knew that she couldn't let him find someone else. Just like Fitz, love supersedes what society believes who one should be. This is a charming read.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus | Harper Muse for the opportunity to read Southern by Design by Grace Helena Walz.. It was charming, sweet and sad and I enjoyed it tremendously.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 While Mack may have a keen eye for design in her professional life, her personal life is not how she envisioned it to be after her husband’s dalliances outside their marriage. Grace Helena Walz’s novel absolutely radiates southern charm, a beautifully fun story of growing up even when you are technically an adult that many of us can relate to. Sometimes adult duties are tedious and no fun, and sometimes we find joy and second chances where we least expect them. Southern by Design hits all the notes of the classic souther antebellum style and grace in a heartwarming and savory read.

Review is on Goodreads and will be posted on instagram closer to publication date and on Amazon when published!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who has lived the entirety of their life in New England, this was the exact dose of southern charm I was looking for. I LOVED this book. It was like four or five of my favorite tropes rolled into one and I was living for it. I thought Mack was such a fun character but the supporting cast was what really made the story shine. I could quite literally visualize the Spanish moss swaying in the breeze over a glass of sweet tea in downtown Charleston. I also just really enjoyed the story. Mack working through her personal struggles with her career when the one who got away pops back up in her life was fun, and even though some of these plot points have been played out several times over, it still felt fun and fresh to these characters. I loved the relatability of having to really pull yourself up by the bootstraps when it feels like just about everything is an inconvenience and the odds are against you. Throw in the HGTV style element and you've got a really solid four star read. Loved it!

Adore this gorgeous cover! The southern setting is familiar for me, one I enjoy reading stories set there. This was no exception. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Souther by Design was a great book that had everything that I look for in a book: great story, great characters, and even a great cover!

Oh this book was just charming!!! It was such an adorable book. I can not wait to recommend this to book club! I absolutely loed the characters and the sweet story. Wonderful writing.