User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
This is a Southern Women's Fiction/Chick-Lit. I loved this title, and the cover is so pretty. This is not a light Chick-Lit or Women's Fiction, but it was a really good book. I really enjoying this book so much. There was points of this book I found that moved to slow or was boring, but those part where really short and I got through those part super fast. I love the parts the characters where in North Carolina mostly because I have always lived in North Carolina. This book covers some hard hitting topics, but it is done so will. This book as a ton of twists and turns, and I did not see any of them coming. This is everything I want in a Southern Women's Fiction book. I will say the storyline/plot runs this book the characters does not, but it works so well. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Gallery Books) or author (Kristy Woodson Harvey) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
Rating: really liked it
Quick thoughts:
Kristy Woodson Harvey is one of my very favorite authors for summer reads. Under the Southern Sky is a story of love and family.
I loved Amelia and Parker’s love story more than words! The ending was more than I ever could have expected. KWH knows how to put an exclamation point at the end of her books, closing on a note that leaves the reader feeling good.
It never hurts that the story is set in my beloved home state, and I can visualize the coastal community of Cape Carolina, while also feeling the author’s love for this setting as well. If you are looking for your next book to warm your heart, this is it!
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.Jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Rating: really liked it
I was lucky enough to get an Advanced Reader's Copy of UNDER THE SOUTHERN SKY and just adored it. Kristy Woodson Harvey is a rising star in Women's Fictionl, and this novel, about the unconventional ways we form families in contemporary times really resonated with me. Great dialogue, believable characters and a relatable plot. I guarantee you'll love it!
Rating: really liked it
Under the Southern Sky , the newest book by Kristy Woodson Harvey, is emotional, thought-provoking, romantic, and so, so, good!!
“I found out my marriage was over the day my ‘Modern Love’ piece appeared in the
New York Times .”
Even though her life has come crashing down around her, Amelia is still focused on her work as an investigative journalist. While researching a story at a fertility clinic she discovers that frozen embryos belonging to her childhood friend Parker and his late wife Greer have been labeled “abandoned.” She takes it upon herself to deliver this news to Parker.
Three years after his wife’s death, Parker is still dealing with his grief and definitely isn’t ready to move on with his life. When he learns about the embryos, it sparks a desire to become a father and bring a piece of Greer back into the world, so he decides to hire a surrogate and asks Amelia to help him with the process.
As they both try to navigate through emotional issues and figure out the next step in each of their lives, Amelia and Parker begin to lean on each other more and more. But life—and emotions—are complicated ones, and each has secrets they’ve kept hidden away. Sometimes happiness means stepping outside of your comfort zone and taking chances, which is harder to do when you've been hurt.
Set against a gorgeous North Carolina waterfront backdrop, full of family drama, poignancy, love, laughter, and sadness,
Under the Southern Sky was such a fantastic book. I felt these characters in my heart and was so invested in their story.
I loved Harvey's last book,
Feels Like Falling , but this one really blew me away!!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2020 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2020.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
Rating: really liked it
This was such a sweet love story.
Amelia and Parker are childhood friends. They each married someone else, but life didn't work out as expected. Parker's wife, Greer, has died and three years later he's still struggling to live without her. Amelia thought she and her husband had a good marriage, until she found out that wasn't the case. Now, life has intertwined Amelia's and Parker's lives in an unexpected way.
The story is mostly told from the POV of Amelia and Parker, but through journal entries and letters Greer is very much a part of the story. At the heart of the story is the question of how to move forward and overcome the past. There's also the question of what to do with the four embryos Parker and Greer had frozen before she died.
This is a beautiful love story that tackles some heavy topics, yet still makes the heart happy. Grief, cancer, infertility, and mental illness are part of the story. In spite of such somber topics, the story is very positive and has an uplifting quality.
Rating: really liked it
If you are looking for your next great summer read, look no further!! Kristy Woodson Harvey is fast becoming one of my favorite go to authors for Southern Chick-Lit and awesome beach reads. And she doesn't disappoint with Under the Southern Sky. I loved the way she structured the book. You get to hear from all of the characters perspectives and read from Greer's journals. Those journal entries are oddly intimate and really help the reader connect with the journey all the characters take and the crossroads that their journey intersects at. It's a beautiful and emotionally charged journey. What do you do when your whole world comes crumbling down around you? How do you put the pieces back together? This book explores that along with the strength of family, long time friendships and love (both old and new). Each chapter is like peeling back the layers of an onion, adding so much flavor and depth to the book. This is a sweet, tender read but yet still takes you down a twisty road. This is a must read book to add to your summer reading list!! I loved this book and love this author!!
My thanks to Kristy Woodson Harvey, Gallery Books and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
Thank you Kristy for my review copy...all opinions are my own.
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Welp. This came in before the end of 2020 and I would be lying if I didn't say this was a highlight!
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I loved this book. Kristy's Peachtree Bluff series was one of my favorites and I was super excited to dive into this standalone. It sincerely hit just right.
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Kristy has such a fabulous Southern voice that comes across so well in her writing. She always brings me back home to Eastern North Carolina, everytime.
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Let's talk about this novel specifically for a minute. This is a favorite. I really didn't think it was possible for her to top the Peachtree Bluff series....but she did. Under the Southern Sky held so much heart. I laughed, I cried, I cheered and booed. This to me {Chef's Kiss}...perfection. The characters were absolutely enthralling. The setting brought us a character all on her own. I both couldn't wait to find out how it was going to end and dread the end of my time in Cape Carolina all at the same time.
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I will be recommending this one like nobody's business come April when it releases! Seriously. Don't sleep on this one, go ahead....pre order it. You are welcome ;-)
Rating: really liked it
Under the Southern Sky by Kristy Woodson Harvey is a contemporary romance in which the two main characters are childhood friends who have both just had their relationships come to an end. The pair have been lifelong best of friends that never would have expected to end up with one another much to the dismay of their families.
Amelia Saxton has just has her marriage end in divorce after finding out her husband had been unfaithful so she has thrown herself back into her career as a journalist chasing down the latest big story. However, upon investigating at a fertility clinic Amelia found out that her childhood friend’s late wife had her embryos in storage and they are about to be destroyed.
Amelia knows that there is no question she has to tell Parker what she has found out knowing that he’s been grieving his wife’s passing for the last three years. Parker is shocked at the news but the chance to still have a piece of his late wife is more than he could have hoped for so he knows he needs to find a surrogate to carry his and Greer’s children.
I’m always a sucker for the type of story held in Under the Southern Sky by Kristy Woodson Harvey and with that beautiful cover I just couldn’t resist picking this one up. The story was a slow building one and having a couple with a history, especially such a long one even if not romantic gives a story a deeper edge to it in my opinion. I found myself drawn in and engaged with what would happen with the characters with the many ups and downs along the way so I rather enjoyed reading this one.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Rating: really liked it
4.5 rounded up to 5.
As a Northerner, who desperately wants to move South, this author has become a “Go To” when I need a southern fix. This story was no different, but the storyline was unique and grabbed me from the Page 1.
To me a good story has to make you feel the characters plight. From the beginning you are introduced to a loving “perfect” couple who seem to have it all, and a tight knit community where friends become the family we picked as ours. Add a few secrets and a quirky family member and you will be hooked too! I cried, I laughed and I rooted for the outcome. Modern day issues in the old South. It did feel like it dragged in parts, but on the whole, I couldn’t put it down. Escapism at its finest.
Thanks to Ms. Harvey, Gallery Books and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone!
Rating: really liked it
Under The Southern Sky is my 1st novel by Kristy Woodson Harvey.
While working on the biggest story of her career newly separated journalist Amelia Saxton discovers that there are frozen embryo's belonging to her childhood friend Parker and his late wife Greer that have been deemed "abandoned".
Parker has all but forgotten about the frozen embryo's after the loss of his beloved wife three years ago. When Amelia reveals her discovery to Parker she gives him a new lease on life. In order to get a part of Greer back he decides to become a single father and find a surrogate. This sets in motion a trajectory of events that will change their lives forever.
This is a heart warming, well-researched story!
Rating: really liked it
Wow, I really loved this one! I loved "Slightly South of Simple" by Kristy Woodson Harvey and I was really looking forward to this standalone book! I'm happy to say, it's fantastic!! What a story. This one really pulled at my heartstrings, but It had so much love and hope. I wouldn't say this is a "light" read but the story was just amazing!! I'll be recommending this to everyone!! I love Kristy's writing and the way she can just pull you right into the story.
Thank you to the publisher and author for the gifted copy, all opinions are my own!
Rating: really liked it
I’ve loved every book Kristy’s written - but this is my absolute favorite of all!! ❥
It’s a tender, sweet story that follows our heroine Amelia Buxton, a journalist working for a magazine,
Parker Thaysden, our damaged hero/widower, childhood neighbor + friend,
and Parker’s late wife Greer.
For Amelia, two life changing things happen simultaneously ON THE SAME DAY.
1. Her “Modern Love” story (about her own love story w/her husband) appears in the NYTimes, but then Amelia discovers her husband has been sneaking around with her hairdresser.
2. While at Palm Beach Conceptions to interview a doctor, Amelia is nosing through the doctors desktop papers and reads that Parker and his late wife Greer’s frozen embryos have been deemed “abandoned.”
Little did Amelia know the can of worms she’d open up by reaching out and telling Parker (what she feels he needs to know about his embryos.)
Amelia heads home to Cape Carolina. Parker (who has spent the last three years grieving over his wife) heads home to Cape Carolina too.
LET THE FUN BEGIN!!
I loved meeting their extended families, especially Amelia’s Aunt Tilley, she a real pistol! I adored her so much! And Parker oh my *swoon*
This is a beautiful story with strong female characters - about personal tragedies + hope, family, love and friendship. I enjoyed escaping to the shores of Cape Carolina with the entire Buxton and Thaysden crew. Amelia and Parker found in each other, what they didn’t realize they were missing all along. It’s fantastic, giving me that sweet-hearted southern warmth I love so much.
Rating: really liked it
I totally enjoyed reading UNDER THE SOUTHERN SKY. The two women in the book really caused me to really think. I loved the way this is written. This novel will be enjoyed and read by many!
Rating: really liked it
Poignant, hopeful, and romantic!
Under the Southern Sky is a beautifully written, heartfelt tale set predominantly in the small-town of Cape Carolina that takes us into the lives of Amelia Saxton, a young journalist struggling to come to grips with a recent separation and an important discovery she inadvertently stumbles across involving her childhood friend, and Parker Thaysden, a young widower who is still grappling with the loss of his wife and the all-consuming grief that is preventing him from moving on.
The prose is smooth and genuine. The characters are scarred, hesitant, and sympathetic. And the plot is an addictive, alluring mix of friendship, family, introspection, support, forgiveness, love, loss, drama, selflessness, community, new beginnings, and the power of love.
Under the Southern Sky was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021, and it did not disappoint. Once again, Kristy Woodson Harvey has written a charming, absorbing, moving tale that has an abundance of irresistible characters and a storyline I couldn’t get enough of, and it is without a doubt the perfect choice for summer!
Thank you to BookSparks and Kristy Woodson Harvey for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
Kristy Woodson Harvey never disappoints her readers and this is another fantastic book from her. I've been a loyal fan since her first book and she is the #1 southern fiction author that I recommend to my friends. She always tells a fantastic story from a southern perspective with lots of salty ocean air in the background.
Amelia and Parker were best friends growing up in Cape Carolina. Years later, Amelia's marriage has just broken up and she is in jeopardy of losing the job she loves as a reporter. Parker lost the love of his life to cancer and has been unable to move forward with his life for three years. When Amelia is researching an article about frozen embryos, she discovers that there are embryos for Parker and his wife that are considered to be abandoned and will soon be destroyed. Parker had forgotten about the embryos in his grief and decides that he wants to find a surrogate so that he can have a baby to remind him of his late wife. Telling Parker about the embryos brings Parker and Amelia back into contact with each other at a time in their lives that they are both grieving and trying to move forward. Can they help comfort each other as they attempt to move forward in their lives?
I loved the characters in this novel - they were both well written and very real - people that we know in our normal lives - even as they were faced with a huge moral question involving frozen embryos. This is a beautiful written story about love and loss, family and friendship. And the reminder that family is more than sharing blood - it is also made up the people you love and care about.
This is Southern Fiction at its best written by one of the best authors currently writing. You absolutely don't want to miss Under the Southern Sky!
