Mama Tried

Joy firmly believes she’s got nothing in common with her overbearing mama until love finds its way into her heart. Joy Faye Savoy has spent her life proving her mama wrong. As a disc jockey, she spins country music songs that resonate with women like her mama. On a whim, Joy recites stories about her bossy mama on-air, thinking nothing will happen. Her audience loves her stories and soon Joy finds her show syndicated. The only caveat is that she must keep sharing her mama tales. Talk about awkward. Joy’s a star in her own small town but it makes for strange bedfellows. When love comes calling for Joy, she finally understands her own mama and those sappy love songs. Joy realizes she’s her mama’s daughter after all and life is fuller than she ever imagined.

Mama Tried is a humorous women’s fiction illustrating the tenuous mother-daughter relationship. I connected with Joy on so many levels, it’s like I was reading a book about my own relationship with my mum. The descriptive narration is quite immersive which draws the reader into the story. The characters are vibrant and leap off the page. The dialogue is quick, emotive, humorous, and a tad snarky so naturally I loved reading it. The tone of the story is serious one minute and funny the next, as it is in life. Kathy Des Jardins writes with the same style as Rebecca Wells from Ya-Ya Sisterhood fame. Is it based on real life? I’m not sure but it resonated with me and made me think long and hard after I finished reading. Fans of Rebecca Wells and Fannie Flagg, you’ll love Mama Tried. A beautiful story about life, love, and mothers. Highly recommend!

My Rating: 5 stars

Joy Savoy is a small town DJ at a country music radio station. What a fun character! And even more fun is her momma! Joy's small show is syndicated after she starts sharing her momma stories on the air and spinning old country music 45s to match the stories. Half the time she's snarky and engaging and the other half she's depressed and honest. It's a very interesting story, unlike anything I've read before. Their lives are insane and the characters are hilariously perfect. Well written, engaging and humorous - with a touch of truth. They say country music is three chords and the truth.

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

Mama Tried was a thoroughly enjoyable read, punctuated with chapter titles straight from the County Western song chart. Sad at times, heartbreaking at others, I loved both Quida and Joy, their quirks and wisecracks. I wanted Joy to “wake up” and see what was happening. I wanted Quida to compromise. Rarely do I find a novel that touches me emotionally, but Mama Tried did. This book is for anyone who enjoys good humorous women’s fiction that illustrates the fragile relationship between mother and daughter.

This is a well written that holds your attention from the first page until the last. It will make you laugh, cry and fell every emotion in between. It will stay with you long after you read the last page.
I received a complimentary copy from The Wild Rose Press, Inc via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.