NATIONAL BESTSELLER Glitter Guide’s “Must Reads for April” PopSugar’s “Ultimate Summer Reading” “One of the hottest new Southern writers.” –Parade.com 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 … 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.more
This book was charming escapism at its best. Southern town. Mother, sisters. Love, family, and decorating. I can’t wait to read the next in the series!
I loved the setting of Low Country Carolina and how the sights, sounds, and smells played into the feel of the story. The author did a lovely job weaving the past into the present to help show the family’s journey through tragedy and how it shaped the characters into the women they become.
The two points of view are Ansley, the mother, and oldest daughter, Caroline, and they couldn’t be more different. Funny how events experienced by others don’t resemble each other depending on who you ask.
We are introduced to the town of Peachtree Bluff and its zany and Southern cast of characters. They are a fun bunch who help support Ansley’s family when things get sticky. And they do get sticky.
Romance isn’t the central storyline, but it plays a very important role in the past, and possibly the future for Ansley, as do secrets.
This book is about friends, family, and relationships, and how when things get tough, no matter how different we are, family sticks together and is the tie that binds.
I highly recommend this book!! It was a fun, heartfelt read.
Adored this book and can’t wait to read the next in the series. A perfect pool or beach read.
Slightly South of Simply by Kristy Woodson Harvey is most definitely a beach read! I’m glad I picked it up for the season. Not only that, but I can also see why readers describe her as a “major voice in southern fiction” and others say she IS the “queen of southern fiction.” All of this became apparent to me when I was reading. It feels southern, the mannerisms are southern, and I felt like I was on the beach in the south while reading. If you’re a fan of all this, then I recommend picking this one up if you haven’t yet! It’s the first in a 3 (or 4) part series and follows a mother and her three daughters. This particular book focused on Ansley (the mom) and Caroline (her daughter) as they navigate love, the potential for divorce, and family.
My one and only gripe with this book is that it FELT like there was some fat shaming. I don’t know if this comes from the authors personal views on a bigger lady or if she was simply trying to get us to understand Caroline on a deeper level, but it stood out to me and even bothered me a little. One phrase for example went something like this: “I don’t get why women think that just because they are older that their metabolism doesn’t work anymore. It’s simple, stop eating so much and work out more and you’ll be thinner.” I simply paraphrasing here as I can’t find the exact quote, but I thought this, and a few other things were distasteful. Readers may be turned off by the author BECAUSE of little things like this peppered throughout the book.
Other than that, this is a solid novel and I enjoyed reading it despite the smaller things that got on my nerves. I do hope this is rectified in the next book because while I’m really excited to read it (this one ends on a little bit of a cliffhanger) I won’t be reading more if there is any other fat shaming stuff within it.
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I loved this story of sisters and their mom. I always wanted a sister so I so enjoy reading books about the sister bond. Each sister was so different but they all loved each other so much and helped each other. Each character has own set of secrets and struggles.
Simply South of Simple is the first story in the Peachtree Bluff series by Kristy Woodson Harvey! It’s a story of love, sisterhood, secrets and loss and just a fantastic read! I am going to read the other two stories in the trilogy next so I can see what happens to these characters!
I ended up reading this series out of order and could just kick myself for it. I really wish I hadn’t know certain things before I went into Slightly South of Simple. The series is wonderful. It delves into the relationships of a mother and her three daughters, and also each romantic (or not-so-romantic) relationship of each of the women. Great read!
I had never read any books by Kristy Woodson Harvey and this book is the first in a three-book series. I really loved this book and found it hard to put down. It tells the story of the Murphy family, Mom Ansley and her three daughters, Caroline, Sloane and Emerson. The first book focuses more on Caroline’s story but you get a feeling for what is coming in the next two books for Sloane and Emerson. I enjoyed the author’s style of writing. It was a great story — with flashbacks to incidents in their childhoods which shaped them and changed Ansley too. Highly recommend and looking forward to starting the second book, The Secret to Southern Charm.
Fell in love with the Murphy women…had to read the rest of the series!
This is such a fun read, full of heartwarming characters and Southern charm. I particularly liked how the oldest sister, Caroline, is a flawed but likable heroine. The relationships between all three sisters and their mom is relatable and realistic– they love each other more than anything– yet they drive each other nuts! Looking forward to reading the next two books in the series.
Slightly South of Simple is certainly nothing like I’ve read recently. Two parallel stories dealing with mother, Ansley and daughter, Caroline tell the tale of family, heartache and secrets. Ansley has all three of her daughters and their families living with her now. Caroline has just left her cheating husband and is about to have a second child. The book is well written and projects each of the main characters emotional turmoil in detail. I especially enjoy the Southern romances.
Caroline a staunch New Yorker flees the City to the South to Peachtree Bluff and her Mothers house after her husband leaves her for a super model.( Did I mention Caroline is 6 months pregnant??) As it all three Sisters end up at Moms together. Great sisters reunion, so many great themes, sisters, mother- daughter, love, betrayal, forgiveness…great story…cant wait to read next book in series.
This is the kind of novel I long to read. I’m a huge fan of southern fiction and few authors craft a better story than Kristy Woodson Harvey.
“When I look back on my life, I know that I will remember my summers in Peachtree Bluff with the most fondness.” This is the first book of the Peachtree Bluff series & I thoroughly enjoyed “meeting” the Murphy family & look forward to continuing the journey with them (so glad I bought all three of the Peachtree books)! This was a great summer read & even though it was similar to several other beach reads I’ve enjoyed this summer, I found this to have a bit more “meat” to the storyline & not so fluffy which was a nice change!
Great book
This book is very good for a light read, and it has some interesting twists in the story line. I did enjoy the eclectic mix of characters and their interpersonal relationships as well. I just discovered now that this is a first in a series, which explains why the ending was a bit open. I think this might be more of a 3.75 for me.
Just couldn’t give it more than 3 stars. It could well be just me; but it came over as pretty schmaltzy and too Chick Lit. Seemed to try too hard in finding yet another theme to show how coming home to the south-east coast is magical; but I smile as that was what drew me to the book to begin with—LOL. But the story and the way it was told just didn’t click with me. I felt like I was being lectured to. Again, it may just be me. Lots of others have given it higher reviews.
I not only loved the setting of this book, but I greatly enjoyed the character descriptions. Kristy Woodson Harvey is one of my new favorite authors! I love her way of writing and the characters she brings to life. The focus on this first Peachtree Bluff book, was on the oldest sister, Caroline, as she was about to have her second child and dealing with her cheating husband. I enjoyed reading how she got through this and how Ansley’s life was affected having all three of her adult daughters visit with their own issues as she dealt with things in her life, too. I greatly enjoyed these women and their families, as well as the other characters that were a part of the town. I’m so grateful I get to keep spending time with them in Harvey’s follow-up, The Secret To Southern Charm, which focuses on Sloane this time around and I’m already reading!
Kristy Woodson Harvey has a way of pulling you into her stories with characters that are relatable and still so freshly drawn. Loved this book anc can’t wait for the next in the series!
I love, love, loved this book. The characters are so beautifully written, raw and honest. The storyline ebbs and flows from character to character seamlessly. A story of a mother’s love, sisters bond and overcoming tragedy. I lost myself in this book. My emotions all over the place. I felt everything Caroline & Ansley were feeling. This book is charming, witty, moving and everything in between. Do not miss!