This was a fun read! The ending, while a little heartbreaking, was satisfying. I enjoyed seeing her get what she deserved. I'd be interested to see a follow up to this book.

3.5 stars. I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but felt it was missing the humor I was expecting to make it a great read. It had a good cast of characters, some likeable, some not. I guess I wanted it to be more smalltown gossipy and funny to make a it a fun, entertaining ride. The narrator did a great job bringing this story to life.

EXCERPT: Posey smiled wistfully as she recalled what had transpired while Frances was on the far side of the globe. Before Frances's plane had reached cruising altitude, CJ had whisked the then nineteen-year-old Posey Burch from her dumpy apartment and into his stunning home for seven whole days of uninterrupted passion.
CJ had downshifted the white Jaguar as he turned into the driveway that day, the growl of the engine thrilling her with its power. She gasped as the three-story house came into view, silently vowing to one day live there as CJ's wife.
'My God, it's a mansion.'
'Yep. She calls it Eden Hall.'
The last day of their weeklong rendezvous, CJ had been tense. He yelled up the stairs, 'Damn it, Posey, hurry! Her plane lands in twenty minutes.'
A lovestruck Posey lifted the flask from his dresser and tucked it into her suitcase before slamming the lid. Impulsively, she dropped one of her monogrammed earrings among the hand creams, pens and bookmarks in Frances's nightstand. Her mother had saved for over a year to buy them, but to get what you want to get, you have to do what you have to do.
Sure of her future, Posey gave the earring three full weeks to get the ball rolling. When she realized her plan had failed, that here would be no announcement from CJ that he was divorcing, she was equal parts furious and heartbroken. In an effort to lessen the sting, she vowed to possess a house even finer than Eden Hall. How to accomplish that goal was unclear, but if Frances could get a mansion, so could she. And once CJ saw her as a successful hostess in her own magnificent home, it would be only a matter of time before he came to his senses and married her.

ABOUT 'THE EMPRESS OF COOKE COUNTY': The chatter at the Curly Q beauty shop is about who'll be first to get a new blue Foodarama refrigerator from Sears in their small town of Spark, Tennessee, but Posey Jarvis and her daughter Callie Jane find themselves facing a crisis--one that will change both their lives forever.

Thirty-eight-year-old Posey Jarvis is the self-appointed "Empress" of rural Spark, in Cooke County, Tennessee. She spends her days sneaking nips of gin, following every word about her idol and look-alike, Jackie Kennedy, and avoiding her stalwart husband, Vern. She is also struggling to control her newly defiant daughter, Callie Jane, 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 twentieth reunion there. Possums are nesting in the parlor and the stench of cat urine permeates the sunroom, but she must be ready for the big day, so she needs to work fast. She cares nothing about seeing her classmates, but she cares deeply about seeing the love of her life, a man who dumped her twenty years ago.

Callie Jane has had enough of her mother and working her boring job 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. Her domineering mother, stultifying future, and even the creepy peeping Tom terrorizing the town will be in her rearview. But then a shocking act of violence changes everything, and Callie Jane must determine how far she will go to save someone she loves.

MY THOUGHTS: A cautionary tale about greed, envy and being grateful for what you have.

Posey Burch Jarvis and her daughter Callie-Jane are polar opposites. To Posey all that matters is social standing and appearances. Callie-Jane is more realistic, down-to-earth. She loves her daddy, the Beatles music and her best friend, Trace. Posey is manipulative and a drunk. Callie-Jane doesn't like to make waves and wants, one day, to live in California. The only thing they have in common is that they both have goals and dreams, but the obstacles preventing them from being achieved seem insurmountable. Until one day something happens that changes everything.

I thought this was going to me a humorous book, and it does have its humorous moments, but mostly it's kind of tragic. Posey would have to be one of the most narcissistic characters I have read in a long time. She is impossible to like. She is mean, ungrateful, a snob and a liar.

The part of the story that doesn't focus on Posey is sweet and heartwarming. It's definitely a contrast!

I felt sorry for Callie-Jane. She has a daddy she adores and the mother from hell who is determined to rule her life. It's a wonder Callie-Jane is anywhere near normal! Her struggle to find a way to live her own life was the highlight of this read for me.

I liked The Empress of Cooke County, but I didn't love it. I did particularly enjoy the 1960s atmosphere, the small-town vibes and Callie Jane's story.

I was lucky enough to be granted access to both the audio and digital versions and, overall, I believe I preferred the audio. Brittany Pressley is an excellent narrator and made the characters come alive.

⭐⭐⭐.5

#TheEmpressofCookeCounty #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Elizabeth Bass Parman grew up entranced by family stories, such as the time her grandmother woke up to find Eleanor Roosevelt making breakfast in her kitchen. She worked for many years as a reading specialist for a nonprofit, and spends her summers in a cottage by a Canadian lake. She has two grown daughters and lives outside her native Nashville with her husband and maybe Maltipoo, Pippin.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Muse via NetGalley for providing both the digital and audio ARCs of The Empress of Cooke County by Elizabeth Bass Parman for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

This was not what I was expecting. I didn’t see the story going in the direction it did and I can’t decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Very interesting plot, I loved the southern themes and Callie Jane’s character. The narrator did a wonderful job! Thank you for the chance to listen early.

Brittany Pressley did a fantastic job narrating this story. I loved her ability to change voices and bring emotion to the scenes as this story developed. I will definitely look for her other work.

The Empress of Cooke County takes the reader on quite the journey. I found the story quite entertaining and was so glad that Posey was learning some lessons, slowly but surely.

There is an event close to the end of the story that left me shocked and really wishing the author would have gone in a different direction. I was heartbroken for so many reasons and left with so many mixed feelings about this book. I had different hopes for Posey and her family.

My mixed feelings will not keep me from reading another book by the author. Anyone who can make me feel things strongly with their writing is someone I want to read more of, regardless of if I agree with them or not.


Thank you to Harper Collins for the ALC. All views are my own.

Such a fun book! It perfectly captures the gossip and drama of a southern small town. I loved the sense of time and place. PLUS, Brittany Pressley is the ideal narrator.

Set in a gossipy small town in the south the 1960’s this story had potential to be a great one, but it missed the mark in some ways. The story could have been set in just about any decade as there was nothing to really solidify the purpose of the 1960’s. I loved the part of Posey inheriting an old mansion and fixing it up to host her school reunion at it. With her life deteriorating all around her, Posey is still determined to have things go her way and to be catered to. Posey, as the MC, was not likable. She was definitely a character, but not my favorite. Her daughter and husband were not much better. The multiple POVs were a bit confusing in the audiobook. I had to really think who was speaking at that time. However, I did enjoy the part about Impress Cooke County that turned into Empress of Cooke County.

Thanks NetGalley and Harper Collins for an advanced audio copy of this book. This is the story of Posey Jarvis and her life in Cooke County TN. Posey wants more out of her life than to be in a small town called Spark. She wants to be admired, adored, and envied. Things are going well when she inherits a house from her elderly aunt. She decides that this will help her make her mark on the town and get back her first love, C J Ryan. Don’t mind the fact that she is already married to a man named Vern who runs the local emporium. Dressed like Jackie O, Posey goes from one mistake to another with a flask of gin in her purse and her head held high. This book was more touching than I thought it would be. It’s about mothers and daughters, how far we will go, or not go, for the people we love, and the joy we can find in everyday things. This was a great audio book but it would make a great book for book club. Add it to your list and thank me later!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance audio copy of this title. Posey is an unhappy, pretentious woman who cannot "see the forest for the trees" when it comes to her life. Her daughter, Callie and husband, Vernon have a tight, happy relationship despite her. Posey's unhappiness is a justified result of past trauma, but her treatment of Callie and Vern is unwarranted. The story takes place in the mid 1960's, and the reader also gets a glimpse into Callie's inner turmoil about making her own life choices. The plot and characters were well-fleshed out, and the story was readable. The reason I only rated it 3 stars was that I feel the cover art marketed this title as more of a fluffy, easy read, possibly humorous. At some points, it veered there, but the more serious aspects of the story were really the heart of the book.

It’s 1960 and Posey Jarvis is the self appointed Empress of the small town Spark in Cooke County Tennessee - she started on the wrong side of the tracks and now has made it! Even though she got pregnant by a married man (for whom she still obsesses about daily and has plans to win him back) when she was young, she married and crafted herself into an appropriate southern woman. Now, years later, her daughter Callie finds herself accidentally engaged (everyone just expected it) but Callie she doesn’t want the appropriate Southern life of wife and mother that her mother spent so much time creating; she wants to be adventurous and move to CA. This is the story of the generational divide occurring in the 60s, told with humor, charm and fun characters.

This novel, while cute, does have some serious underlying themes; that being said I think the novel went deeper with the themes than any of the character dimensions. Posey especially remained one dimensional, although I believe her lack of character development was an intentional character flaw written by the author. Because of this I enjoyed the parts of the book with Callie more than the Posey chapters. I listened to about half of this one while cooking some of the last recipes of summer (I read the other half) and the audio was a pleasure to listen to. This is a cute book that has southern charm which I think was certainly captured by the narrator.

3.75 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperFocus for the ARC

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. This is a first by this author but will not be my last! I listened to this in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down.

The Empress of Cooke County is such a great book. I will definitely be recommending this. Once I started I could not stop. I loved the small town vibes and that some characters were not what I expected. I definitely did not predict the ending on this one.
I listed to the audiobook and I thought the narrator was great.

It has been a LONG TIME since a book has made me audibly gasp and this one had my jaw dropping (but seriously my mouth was actually open). I usually see twists coming, but this book surprised me and I loved it! It went darker than I thought it was going to, but I’m not mad about it. This was an excellent debut novel and I hope to read more from @elizabethbassparman in the future! This comes out Tuesday! (9/3/24) NOTE: the narration by @britpressley was stellar, as per usual ❤️

The Empress of Cooke County was engaging from the start! Set in a small town I loved seeing the town come alive and alternating mother daughter prospectives! I laughed out loud listening to this book as I folded laundry. It was such great company and very entertaining!

This story is sure to be a hit with fans of Southern fiction. It's a delightful women's fiction novel set in the South during the 1960s. I really enjoyed the characters, especially the main character, Posey. The story has a good dose of humor, and although some parts are a bit over the top, they add to the overall interest. The narration of the audiobook was excellent. Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to listen to this book; these opinions are my own.

This story is likely to be a big hit with lovers of Southern fiction as we follow the machinations of Posey, a Jackie Kennedy wannabe, who is obsessed with ensuring that she achieves her rightful status as Queen Bee of Cooke County.

She is prepared to go to great lengths to achieve this aim, including refurbishing her aunt's estate in record time (a somewhat unrealistic plan), in order to impress her peers.

By contrast, Posey appears to have very little interest in her long suffering husband Vern and her daughter Callie Jane, who is about to step into unanticipated matrimony and is discovering a belated reluctance to do so!

Astute and amusing, this will be enjoyed by admirers of the genre. It gets 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This is a delightful women's fiction novel set in the south in the 1960s. I really enjoyed the characters and I thought the story had a lot of charm to it. Some parts of the story were a little over the top, but I think that were most likely written to be that way on purpose.

If you like audiobooks, the audiobook version of this book is narrated by the fabulous Brittany Pressley who happens to be one of my favorite narrators.

This is a very delightful and charming book and I will be definitely on the lookout for more books by Elizabeth Bass Parman in the future!

Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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I don't know why, but I was totally enthralled with this story. I really wanted to know what happened to these characters. I genuinely liked all the characters, even the not as likeable ones. I listened to this whole book in one sitting. I was really invested in the story. Overall, a really good little drama.

This is a wonderful read! I enjoyed the multiple perspectives, the setting, and the overall feel of the book. This title is filled with the unexpected and I highly recommend it..

This was great! Posey Jarvis seems at first just like a busybody woman in rural Tennessee that’s not too likable. As the story grows, Posey reaches for her gin more and more, and she becomes more unlikeable. All the while, Posies daughter Callie Jane and her husband Vern continue to grow and seek their own happiness, apart from Posey.

Eventually, after inheriting a large home from her aunt, Posey sets a new plan into motion. She manipulates those in her life to get what she wants. Except her plans don’t work out and sadly, every one of the Jarvis’ pay the price.

As always, the audio performance for this book by Brittany Pressley was perfect!

Advance reader copy provided by Harper Muse and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.