I don’t think there’s anything “wrong” with this book, it just wasn’t for me. I’ve forgotten most of the plot already and it’s only been a couple of days since I’ve read it, so I wouldn’t consider it a very memorable story either.

Posey Jarvis is 38 years old and convinced she is the "empress" of Spark Tennesse. She's a gin drinking Jackie Kennedy look alike who is best at avoiding her husband, Vern. Her daughter Callie Jane is beginning to become more rebellious, and Posey is doing all she can to keep up with her as Callie is unknowingly engaged. It is when Posey's Aunt Milbrey's mansion becomes Posey's that she gets the bright idea to host her high school's 20th reunion. She cannot wait to see the love of her life that dumped her twenty some years ago.

All of the different relationships and dynamics were enjoyable and kept me intrigued. Small town filled with drama and gossip was so relatable.
Overall, the book kept me engaged and I was able to finish it rather quickly.

I listened to the audio book version and the narrator did a fantastic job playing the rolls and portraying the appropriate emotions.

Thank you, Harper Collins, Elizabeth Bass Parman, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. I had high hopes for this book, and unfortunately, it was just not it for me. I really didn't like any of the characters very much, but by the end of the book I actually despised Posey so much I didn't want to read her POV.

"She [...] recalled her three wishes, the same ones she made on every eyelash, double rainbow, and white horse: to be loved by her daughter, to live in a mansion, and to one day call CJ her husband."

Posey has a secret. The 38 years old woman has spent twenty years of her life waiting to be reunited with her true love, the secret father of her (now grown-up) daughter Callie Jane. But no one in her small community knows it. No one knows that everything Posey has done to become the most distinguished member of Cooke county was done with the sole purpose of becoming worthy of CJ. When she inherits her rich aunt's house, Posey takes it as a sign that all her wishes will come true very soon, and if not, she will be the one to make them come true, whatever the price. As for Callie Jane, who gets (reluctantly? Accidentally?) engaged to her childhood best friend, the time has come to stand up for herself and make her own choices.

This was such a great story ! I liked the 60's backdrop, the small-town atmosphere, the characters ... It reminded me of "Desperate Housewives" and "Ginny & Georgia". I feel like Posey could be a bit more nuanced, but it was overall an interesting reading experience, very immersive, with vivid characters.

🎧 Audiobook : 5/5 Brittany Pressley did a terrific job with the southern accents !

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks for giving me access to this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Super cute book! I loved it. So fun from the beginning with a little mystery, a few twists, and a Murder! Audio was great too. Heartwarming and heartbreaking ❤️

The Empress of Cooke County
Author: Elizabeth Bass Parman
Narrator: Brittany Presley

I was expecting this book to be funny based on the description and while it had funny moments, it was heartbreaking. One of the FMC, Posey was impossible to like. She was manipulative, controlling, and just plain unlikeable. She was always looking back, wanting the man she had a one night stand with which resulted in her daughter. The biological father wanted nothing to do with Posey or their daughter. Her husband always wanted to get married and have children but was sterile. So, the two characters married. He loved her but she did not love him in return. She was always having an emotional affair with what she thought could be with her one night stand, plus she had an alcohol addition. He was having an affair but everyone loved him. The daughter justified his affair because her mom mistreated and manipulated him all the time. Then there is the other FMC, Callie Jane, the daughter. She struggled with her mother controlling her every move and wanted to please her father. Her side of the story is a great coming of age. There is an unexpected twist at the end that is just heartbreaking.

Thank you Harper Collins Focus and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Empress of Cooke County is a book that tried my patience sometimes. Posey was not a character that I ever liked. She is a character that you will cheer when she finally gets her "just rewards." It was the other characters that I loved. Posey's daughter, Callie Jane and husband, Vern. The two of them you will enjoy cheering on as they start to find their own way in the world.
Truly this is a southern fiction book, that will make you wonder why you don't read only southern fiction. Rich characters, classic small town, and the uniqueness of all that rolled together.
This is probably not a storyline that will go in the directions you expect, but boy it is a good read. So, pull up a chair and grab a glass of sweet tea and enjoy.

I was really looking forward to this one since it sounded like a fun, 1960s historical fiction romp and while there was a lot of small town Southern charm with a cast of quirky characters, this domestic dramedy was darker than I was expecting at times (mother-daughter drama, small town politics plus a murder).

The book explores wealth, identity, love and finding the courage to chase after one's dreams even though it might go against parental expectations and was good on audio narrated by one of my favs, Brittany Pressley. Somehow though it just felt a little flat for me. Okay but not great maybe owing to it being a me thing or a wrong mood, wrong time thing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review. Worth a read but I wouldn't rush to recommend it.

Absolutely loved this book! Told from the perspectives of a mother & daughter who couldn’t be more different, we get to know the full cast of small town characters in Spark, Tennessee. You’ll fall in love with Callie Jane; you’ll wonder what the heck is up with her mom Posey who is just simply waiting to be acknowledged for all her beauty and grace. You’ll definitely want to pick this one up!

I enjoy a sassy Southern fiction novel as much as I enjoy a cool glass of sweet tea. This one certainly delivered the sass, but don't let the cover deceive you, it also had a dark turn I didn't see coming. 
This mother/daughter story is set in the 1960s. Posey, who imagines herself the Empress of Cooke County, loves a nip of gin more than sweet tea. She married older, sweet-tempered Vern after finding herself pregnant and rejected by a rich, married man, CJ. The experience has made Posey obsessed with delusions of grandeur, specifically getting rich, living in a mansion, and winning back CJ someday. Thanks to an eccentric old aunt's will, Posey suddenly reaches two of those three goals by inheriting money and a run down mansion. She immediately starts scheming a way to catch CJ's attention. Posey's mild mannered daughter Callie Jane, accidently gets engaged to her childhood friend Trace. Callie Jane starts to evaluate what she really wants in life and she's pretty sure staying in Cooke County and running the family business is not going to make her happy. Vern, Posey's long suffering husband, runs the Emporium and is truly beloved by their small town of Spark. He married Posey with hopes of a simple life together, but when her inheritance rekindles her obsession with her lost opportunity with the rich CJ, everything comes to a head. 
The narrative alternates between Posey and Callie Jane allowing for a nice well rounded view of the plot. The small town setting provides a colorful set of characters and is filled with gossip, charm, and humor. Its funny, sad, heartwarming, and certainly memorable. Make a whole pitcher of sweet tea for this one, because you won't want to stop reading once you start.

I really wanted to like this book more. The main character was not likable and I was distracted by her rather than intrigued. The comparison to Lessons in Chemistry was why I wanted to read this book but i was disappointed. Sadly this was a DNF for me.

I went into The Empress of Cooke County thinking I was signing up for small-town gossip and some vintage Southern charm—like a cross between Steel Magnolias and a Fannie Flagg novel. And, well, I got that, and then some. Let’s just say, when you start with a beauty shop debate over blue Foodarama refrigerators and end with a moment that makes you drop your iced tea, you know you’ve been on a wild ride.

Posey Jarvis, the self-appointed Empress, rules her tiny town while sipping a secret stash of gin, but her crown starts to slip when life throws in a peeping Tom, an accidental engagement, and—because why not—a reunion in a derelict mansion that reeks of cat pee. Yes, you read that right. She's equal parts delightful and exhausting, and I had to applaud her sheer determination to turn a possum-infested mansion into the social event of the year.

And then there's Callie Jane. Poor Callie Jane, who’s just trying to escape the chaos of her mother, her future, and apparently, a town creeper who's not into boundaries. Just when you think she's finally getting a break—BAM—something happens that’ll have you flipping pages faster than Posey downs her gin. The book delivers on Southern charm, quirky characters, and more plot twists than a Tennessee backroad. But be warned: the last few chapters will make you question everything you thought you knew about this kooky county.

I loved it, but I’m still recovering from the emotional whiplash. If you like your Southern fiction with a side of gin and a plot twist that’ll make you reconsider your life choices, this is your book. Just... maybe brace yourself for that last 20%. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The audiobook is narrated by Brittany Pressley, and she does a fantastic job of capturing the characters and all the southern charm of 1966 Tennessee.

Fun, gossipy, small town Southern drama from the 60s. Definitely an emotional roller coaster ride. Perhaps a few too many train wrecks for me, but I didn’t have to live it! Great narrator.

It's 1966 and Posey Jarvis, 38, considers herself the "Empress" of rural Spark, in Cooke County, Tennessee. Callie Jane, 18, is Posey's daughter who finds herself accidentally engaged to Trace Humboldt. When Posey unexpectedly inherits a derelict mansion from her quirky old Aunt Milbrey, she finagles her way into hosting her high school's 20th reunion at the house with dreams of reconnecting with the love of her life, a man who dumped her twenty years ago. Callie Jane has no illusions about her mother and is bored working at Jarvis Emporium, a junk shop owned by her father. She breaks her engagement, moves out of her parents' house, and sets her sights on moving to California.

The story is told in alternating chapters by Posey and Callie Jane and was entertaining but not really laugh-out-loud funny in my opinion. Posey could be pretty annoying with her snobbishness and her aspirations of becoming the real empress of Cooke County no matter who she has to step on in her quest to reach the pinnacle of society in the county. Perhaps the copious amounts of gin she drinks helps to fuel her ambitions. The story got much darker than I imagined at the beginning - this is not just a piece of fluff. Although I enjoyed it, it seemed a bit unrealistic, even for 1966. 3-1/2 stars rounded.

The audiobook is narrated by Brittany Pressley and she did a good job although I found her voice to be a bit high-pitched for my liking.

My thanks to Harper Muse Audiobooks via Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: September 3, 2024

3.5. I thought the first half was a little slow, but I flew through the second half and really liked it!
The first half is building up the characters, which I really liked Callie-Jane and Vern and was rooting for them!
The mystery aspect of the story kept me somewhat interested, but there’s a part I didn’t exactly predict and I feel like that kept me engaged throughout the last half of the story.
As usual, Brittany Pressley did an incredible job with narrating the story!
I also really enjoyed the southern 1960s vibes of the book! Posey reminded me a lot of Hilly from “The Help”.

There are not many books that "have it all", but this one most certainly does! I absolutely loved this book! It was fun and quick paced and had elements of romance, mystery, suspense and family drama. It ended up being SO much more than what I expected going in. I thought I was in for a light, fun, warm-fuzzy kind of read and holy smokes, I got all that and SO, SO, SO much more. It was an awesome surprise and made me love this book even more.

The audio narration was excellent - Brittany Pressely does it again. Overall, I enjoyed everything about this book and I highly recommend adding to your TBR list. You'll definitely not be sorry you did!

I liked this book a lot until close to the end and then it jumped ship for me. Posey was so obsessed with things and a previous boyfriend she couldnt see the wonderful family and life she had right in front of her with her husband Vern and daughter Callie Jane. Callie Jane grew a back bone and stood up to her mom which I loved. I liked the narrator.

Overall a good book - 4 stars!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

Publish date: 09/03/2024

This was such a good read!

I loved the relationship dynamics of the family, the retro small town setting, and the characters of this book. I think most people from a small town can relate to the “stuck” feeling of both Posey and Callie Jane, and I really appreciated Vern as a character. The addition of a Peeping Tom to a small town filled with gossips really added to the story, and it added almost a levity to the story with the way “news” spread through the town.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and finished it in a day!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for this audio ARC!

Wow! What a great slice of 1960s small-town Southern drama. The booze-soaked, social-climbing wife barely tolerates her kind, hard-working husband. Their dutiful daughter learns, little by little, how to take charge of her own life. It's all here: gossip, infidelity, the Beatles, a broken engagement, a Peeping Tom, and…murder

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus|Harper Muse for the advance reader copy.

I started listening to the audio for 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆 and was immediately drawn into all the family drama. I was so drawn into the story during my commute that dove right into my physical copy as soon as I got home!

👜𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?

I found myself really enjoying following Callie Jane‘s story as she begins to open her eyes to the world around her and starts looking towards her own future, while finding her voice and what she wants for herself. As for Posey’s character (Callie’s mom)…man this woman gets my hackles up!

I also could not get enough of the wild drama Posey created in her own life and wondering where her next train wreck would take the story.

✔️𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:

Duality POV
Small Tennessee Town
Southern Fiction
1960s
Family Drama
Mansion Renovation

📖𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲?

This is a fast paced story that I could not get enough of!

👜𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸?

I still can’t believe this is Elizabeth Bass Parman debut book and I’m already excited to see what she writes next. Y’all definitely have got to dive into this gin fueled story full of atmosphere, drama and humor!