In a Nutshell Review - The Mother-Daughter Edition

In a Nutshell Reviews are my version of mini-reviews, because sometimes, you just want the highlights.

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The Bloom Girls by Amy Pine
Published by Forever on August 3, 2021
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

Gilmore Girls meets My Big Fat Greek Wedding in this humorous, multi-generational story about a mother and daughter who discover that life happens when you least expect it.

Gabi Bloom doesn't believe in signs. She believes in photographic evidence, the view through her camera lens, and the snap of the shutter. It's why she traveled to Europe—to satisfy her wanderlust and to kick off her photography career. But in Ireland, all of that changed when Gabi gazed into the impossibly blue eyes of an American bartender. She wasn’t prepared for their intense and immediate attraction, or the fact that she’d be bringing Ethan home with her . . . as her fiancé.

Gabi's upcoming marriage is the cherry on top of her mother's current predicament. Stumbling toward forty, Alissa is a pastry chef who raised her daughter single-handedly while Gabi’s father traveled the globe. Now her baby girl is getting married after a whirlwind romance and Alissa—well, Alissa is pregnant. Again. And not only is her ex the father, he wants her back. For good. Until she can figure out that part of the puzzle, Alissa is hiding her big little secret even as she helps Gabi plan a happily-ever-after wedding. But somewhere between disaster and hope, life might just bloom in a way that is breathtakingly unexpected . . .

I totally fell in love with The Bloom Girls! Both mother and daughter were facing big life changes, and it was wonderful when they finally decided to come clean and face these changes together.

Gabi had just returned from her post grad European adventure with a fiancé. After being a witness to her parents' dynamic for over twenty year, Gabi had vowed that she would never marry. Then, Ethan crashed into her and changed her mind. As she planned the wedding, Gabi discovered that maybe she was more like her dad than she anticipated, and this could destroy her relationship with Ethan.

Meanwhile, the parents were keeping a HUGE secret. Whoever said the condom couldn't fail twice was wrong, as Alissa found herself pregnant, again. Could this be Matthew and Alissa's second chance?

Right there, that is what I came for. I am total trash for second chance romances, and this one was one I really wanted to happen. Matthew and Alissa were each other's first loves, and the idea that they never lost that loving feeling is one I adore. Their past was tough, and as they began to deal with their future and a new baby, they unravel their past, discovering a lot along the way.

Making this story even more fun was a great cast of supporting characters. You know weddings mean family and friends, and I loved meeting them all. There was a bit of mayhem and some antics which had me laughing, but it was the love and affection that kept me smiling. I also am keen on the idea that we can change and can get second chances.

Overall: This book was a delight from beginning to end.

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Slightly South of Simple by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Published by Gallery Books on April 25, 2017
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Goodreads

From the next “major voice in Southern fiction” (New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand) comes the first in an all-new series chronicling the journeys of three sisters and their mother—and a secret from their past that has the potential to tear them apart and reshape their very definition of what it means to be a family.

Caroline Murphy swore she’d never set foot back in the small Southern town of Peachtree Bluff; she was a New York girl born and bred and the worst day of her life was when, in the wake of her father’s death, her mother selfishly forced her to move—during her senior year of high school, no less—back to that hick-infested rat trap where she'd spent her childhood summers. But now that her marriage to a New York high society heir has fallen apart in a very public, very embarrassing fashion, a pregnant Caroline decides to escape the gossipmongers with her nine-year-old daughter and head home to her mother, Ansley.

Ansley has always put her three daughters first, especially when she found out that her late husband, despite what he had always promised, left her with next to nothing. Now the proud owner of a charming waterfront design business and finally standing on her own two feet, Ansley welcomes Caroline and her brood back with open arms. But when her second daughter Sloane, whose military husband is overseas, and youngest daughter and successful actress Emerson join the fray, Ansley begins to feel like the piece of herself she had finally found might be slipping from her grasp. Even more discomfiting, when someone from her past reappears in Ansley's life, the secret she’s harbored from her daughters their entire lives might finally be forced into the open.

Exploring the powerful bonds between sisters and mothers and daughters, this engaging novel is filled with Southern charm, emotional drama, and plenty of heart.

All the Murphy girls have returned to Peachtree Bluff.

Eldest daughter Caroline was running from the fallout of her husband's affair. Middle daughter Sloane was seeking company following her husband's deployment, and youngest daughter Emerson was in Georgia to film her first starring role. Their mother, Ansley, was happy to have all her children and grandchildren under one roof, but she wasn't quite prepared for the return of someone else from her past.

I love family dramas, and this was a good one. The family dynamic was actually wonderful. These women were very close. Maybe due to the loss of their father on 9-11, or maybe for other reasons, but they shared a genuinely strong sisterly bond and were there to support each other in their time of need.

This installment focused on Caroline and her marital woes which were interspersed with Ansley's admissions about parts of her past as she confronted her first love Jack. Caroline was great, and I wasn't sure how I would react in her situation, but it was Ansley's story that stole the show for me.

She was keeping quite a few major secrets from her girls. I guessed one, but was still not disappointed when it was fully revealed. It was a game changer, for sure. I didn't realize these were not companion books, but lean more towards a series. Matters were not fully resolved at the end of this book, and a new storyline involving Sloane was introduced towards the end. No bother though because I am definitely interested in continuing this warm and wonderful tale of secrets, family, and love.

Do you enjoy family dramas?
Let us know in the comments!