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!

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.