Dear Carolina

Hi there friends! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and time with your loved ones.  My Mom and sister are here visiting from Buffalo, and I seriously couldn’t be more content.  Our son is home from College too.  Of course, he walked in with a huge basket full of laundry for his Momma to do.  I gladly accepted:)

Today is not the usual crafty, home decor, or recipe you typically see here.  

I read a book! I know shocking for me.  To be able to sit down long enough and actually read is not the norm for me.  I am embarrassed to say it has probably been about 6 years since I have had the interest or time to sit down to read an actual book.

When Kristen Woodson Harvey, the author of Dear Carolina, reached out to me and asked me if I would like to read her book, I turned to my husband and asked him what he thought.  

Kristy Woodson Harvey (Author of Dear Carolina)

He chuckled and said “can’t you get one of your friends to read it and then they tell you all about it”?  Of course, he was joking because he knows me all to well. I simply never take the time for myself just to sit and curl up with a good book.  

I am happy to say, I did just that.  Every evening before bed, I read until my eyes just slipped away into la la land. Some nights I fought it, because I was really getting into it.  It has probably been the best week or two of sleep I have had in a very long time.  I may be onto something:) This definitely inspired me to read more books again.

Dear Carolina is a Southern fiction book written in part in a southern tone. It’s an endearing story of the love for a child,  (baby Carolina) that was brought into this world by Jodi an 19 year old alcoholic that comes from a pretty rough background.  Jodi is uneducated, yet very bright and talented. Kristy Woodson Harvey writes Jodi in her “true” voice, grammatical errors and Southern slang included.  Jodi raised by an alcoholic mother, and father who died of pancreatic cancer, that in turn sent her into the tailspin of turning to the bottle, or as Jodi called it the 40.  No money, no education, and a man who is an abusive alcoholic that leaves her when he finds out she is pregnant.

The chapters go back and forth in character between Jodi and Khaki.  

And then there is Khaki. Frances Mason, (Khaki) has a wonderful life. After the father of her son passed away she’s found her childhood love again. Graham (Jodi’s cousin) is a kind and loving man. Khaki has two amazing homes, and a thriving interior design business an apartment in New York and a farm in North Carolina. What more could she possibly ask for?

 Another child.

The story, although somewhat predictable is so well written it just flowed from chapter to chapter.  No worries, there are some twists that surprised me along the way.  It was the perfect chick book for me.  I love sweet and endearing stories, that have a happy ending. Not to mention some humor along the way.

The book is written to baby Carolina.  Little did baby Carolina know that the world she was brought into would bring two  extremely different women together as one. This is a story that proves that life circumstances shape us but don’t define us—and that families aren’t born, they’re made. 

The best take away is “You can never have too many people in your life to love you”. This book will tug at your heart strings. It certainly did mine. It in fact made me reflect on my own life at times.  My Mom was very young when she had me. I felt the character Jodi’s conflicting emotions as a mother.  I wondered how my own Mother must have felt at the time at such a young age.  You always find your way, some how.  

Dear Carolina, is a great read. If you are in a book club, an avid reader, a Southerner, a Northerner, or in my case, a half back.  Every woman can relate to this story.  Hang in there Northerners, at first Jodi’s Southern slang may get to ya…but after a chapter or two, you simply fall in love with this beautiful character.

Thank you Kristy for the opportunity, to relax, curl up, sleep tight, and enjoy a superbly written novel.

**This post is sponsored. However, the opinion of the book is an honest review**

Considering it is black Friday, I thought you may be doing a little on line shopping.  This is a perfect little stocking stocker!

Find Dear Carolina on Amazon (affiliate link)

Dear Carolina