Title: Sweet Tea and Sympathy
Author: Molly Harper
Series: Southern Eclectic #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Contemporary romance
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2017
You know a book is going to be good when it starts with a massive event that goes belly up because there are flamingos trying to eat the centre-piece. Amongst other shenanigans. It certainly makes for an incredibly easy and fun read. One that I enjoyed far more than I had anticipated. Mostly because I had never heard of Molly Harper and had absolutely no idea what to expect. Turns out I should expect some lovely romance, some wonderful southern culture (which I still know next to nothing about) and a whole lot of random enjoyment.
One of the aspects I always enjoy in fish-out-of-water stories is the fact that you get to discover a never before understood world right alongside the main character. It lets you bumble into a world that you literally know nothing of, and discover all of the intricacies along the way. Margot’s discovery of the family that she never knew and a world that she never knew she wanted does this perfectly. Plus, the whole family vibe immediately makes her fit in, even when she doesn’t quite. Plus, there’s the whole getting to know her family that you get to do alongside her. And what a unique and quirky bunch that is! Again, I absolutely adored this.
This was kind of one of those insta-lust romances. It wasn’t insta-love (thank goodness), but there was still that immediate moment of petting between Margot and Kyle as soon as the story starts. Considering this is something that I don’t always love, I found it quite pleasant. I mean, who hasn’t seen some irresistible hunk and just thought… yummm?? The fact that it just gets continuously more complicated as the story unfolds just made me sink deeper and deeper into the relationship. This was one of those ones that I most definitely emotionally invested in. Not something I necessarily do with all of the romances that I’ve been powering through lately.
I love how this story finished with the couple wanting to see how the relationship unfolds and looking to a future. Indeed, love isn’t even mentioned throughout as anything but a future possibility. It’s not a given, and it’s not seen as the ultimate goal. Instead, there’s a sense of potential, happiness and contentment at the end of the tale. It’s sometimes frustrating how every romance finishes with a wedding and happily ever after feel. This felt like the steps that go towards obtaining that goal. I’m sure in the next few books in this series, I’ll probably find out that Margot and Kyle, do, in fact get their marriage and happily ever after. But I love how it doesn’t feel completely like a given.
Earth and Skye 
2 thoughts on “Sweet Tea and Sympathy by Molly Harper”