Book Review
Sweet Tea and Sympathy (Southern Eclectic #1)
By Molly Harper
Published in November 2017
Why I chose this book:
I've read Molly Harper's paranormal fantasy series and enjoyed them immensely (she's one of my favorite authors). In preparation for the upcoming release of Book 3 in the Southern Eclectic series, which is not paranormal, I wanted to feature the first two books in the series. Gallery Books provided a review copy.
Review:
Sweet Tea and Sympathy is an emotional, comedic story of one woman's confrontation with failure. Fans of Molly Harper will appreciate her recognizable wit and sarcasm (at one point, I laughed so hard I was crying). Harper's humor is something I absolutely love about her writing - her perspective and commentary can make even the most painful moments hysterical. And the character Harper creates in Margo is so relatable that, after a few chapters, it felt almost like she was a close girlfriend.
Margo is a single young professional event planner whose career is everything - and she is at the top in her field, but she has no personal life and is not truly happy. Sound like a good cross section of society? One could easily read Sweet Tea and Sympathy as a critique of societal norms and expectations. Margot's career is derailed when a chef she hires insists on serving shrimp, which Margot had specifically prohibited. Harper engineering hilarious chaos that result's in unemployment for Margot. Enter here long lost relatives who want to hire Margot to plan funerals at their funeral parlor and bait shop (they have different entrances). Margot moves from Chicago to Georgia, where she gets to know her father and his family, navigates the waters of a very small town, and falls for the principal of the elementary school.
More than humorous, Sweet Tea and Sympathy perfectly characterized the struggle of balancing a successful career and personal fulfillment. Uncomfortable in so many circumstances, such as not being in control of everything, Margot takes one step back for every two steps forward in accepting and ultimately embracing a new, less stressful, more personally gratifying life in Georgia.
Fans of Harper and readers who enjoy personal journeys can find a story to dive into in Sweet Tea and Sympathy.
My advice? Get the whole series and tell everyone to leave you alone for a few days. (I say this with confidence, though I haven't yet read the next book.)
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