5B69B1B8-0BDD-483A-BEAE-16854E7E855B

Can you hear me cheering all the way from North Carolina? Under my Carolina moon?  If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you’ll know Kristy Woodson Harvey is one of my faves. Not only do we share a beloved alma mater, but her writing is what I’ve termed “book comfort food.” Read on for my review of Kristy’s newest book, now available from Gallery!

Cover reveal for Feels Like Falling.

Review of The Southern Side of Paradise.

wp-1588101950014.jpg

My Thoughts:

A shiny, new summer standalone from one of my favorite authors of summer reads? Yes, please! Set in my home state on none other than the Crystal Coast, a place I once called home? Absolutely, sign me up! I have a feeling I’ll lose you if I keep listing its strengths this way! 😂 

I was honored to be asked by Goodreads to pick the book of summer, read or unread, and I chose Feels Like Falling a couple months back, before I picked it up. I’ve been reading Kristy Woodson Harvey’s books since her very first one, Dear Carolina, and each year, I look forward to reading her newest. I have dubbed her stories “book comfort food.” They are exactly what I want to read when I ease into a story and get completely lost. Nothing that overwhelms me emotionally, but with plenty of depth and warm characters. Every time, she delivers.

Feels Like Falling is the story of Gray and Diana, an unlikely pair of friends who have different starts in life. It’s a story of friends as a family and how friendship can help us heal from immeasurable loss.

It’s also a story about starting over, that one can begin again at any age for a chance at happiness. Gray and Diana are characters with hearts of gold I adored, and so much individual growth happened within these pages. They support each other through thick and thin, as do the supporting female friendships present. It was refreshing to see women’s friendships portrayed in this way.

I also have to mention the chapter headings- I love when Kristy does this in her books! I feel like I’m searching for an Easter egg, hunting down the connection to each chapter.

Overall, Feels Like Falling is another warmhearted story from my go-to for summer reads. I hope it’ll be your book of summer 2020, too!

I received a gifted copy (and preordered my own copy). All opinions are my own.

About the Book:

From “the next major voice in Southern fiction” (Elin Hilderbrand) and the bestselling author of the Peachtree Bluff series comes an odd couple tale of friendship that asks just how much our past choices define our happiness.

It’s summertime on the North Carolina coast and the livin’ is easy.

Unless, that is, you’ve just lost your mother to cancer, your sister to her evangelical husband, and your husband to his executive assistant. Meet Gray Howard. Right when Gray could use a serious infusion of good karma in her life, she inadvertently gets a stranger fired from her job at the local pharmacy.

Diana Harrington’s summer isn’t off to the greatest start either: Hours before losing her job, she broke up with her boyfriend and moved out of their shared house with only a busted Impala for a bed. Lucky for her, Gray has an empty guest house and a very guilty conscience.

With Gray’s kindness, Diana’s tide begins to turn, but when the one that got away comes back, every secret from her past seems to resurface all at once. And, as Gray begins to blaze a new trail, she discovers, with Diana’s help, that what she envisioned as her perfect life may not be what she wants at all.

In her warmest, wittiest, and wisest novel yet, Kristy Woodson Harvey delivers a discerning portrait of modern womanhood through two vastly different lenses. Feels Like Falling is a beach bag essential for Harvey fans—and for a new generation of readers.

Where to Order:

About the Author:

Kristy Woodson Harvey is the bestselling author of DEAR CAROLINA, LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE, SLIGHTLY SOUTH OF SIMPLE, THE SECRET TO SOUTHERN CHARM and THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF PARADISE. Kristy is the winner of the Lucy Bramlette Patterson Award for Excellence in Creative Writing, a finalist for the Southern Book Prize, her work has been optioned for film and her books have received numerous accolades including:

Southern Living’s Most Anticipated Beach Reads
Southern Living’s Best Spring Break Reads
Southern Independent Bookseller Association’s Okra Pick
Parade’s Big Fiction Reads Every Book Club Will Love
Entertainment Weekly’s Spring Reading Picks
Us Weekly’s Sweet Reads for Right Now
Woman’s WorldBest Books
PopSugar’s Ultimate Summer Reading
USA Today Happy Ever After’s Best Women’s Fiction
New York Live’s “Ashley’s A-List”
Deep South Magazine’s Summer Reading List
Raleigh News & Observer‘s “The Best Reads of Summer”
Charlotte Observer’s “Summer’s Best Books”
Bustle’s Books to Read and Discuss With Your Mom and Grandma
Huffington Post’s Summer Reading: Women’s Fiction Style
She blogs with her mom Beth Woodson on Design Chic about how creating a beautiful home can be the catalyst for creating a beautiful life. Design Chic is the inaugural member of the design blogger hall of fame, sponsored by Traditional Home, and winner of Amara’s Best Luxury Blog, as chosen by Roberto Cavalli. She also loves connecting with readers on kristywoodsonharvey.com.

Harvey is a Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s school of journalism and holds a master’s in English from East Carolina University, with a concentration in multicultural and transnational literature. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications and websites, including Southern Living, Traditional Home, Parade, USA Today, Domino, Our State and O. Henry. She has been seen in Today.com, Women’s Health,The Washington Post, US News and World Report, The Huffington Post, Marie Claire’s The Fix, Woman’s World, Readers’ Digest, Bustle, New York Live and North Carolina Bookwatch, among others.

She is a proud member of the Tall Poppy Writers, serves on the board of Beaufort Historical Association, and is a member of the University of North Carolina’s Women’s Leadership Council. She is a frequent speaker at fundraisers, book conferences and private events. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and seven-year-old son where she is working on her next novel.

20190910_121835.jpg20190910_121244.jpg20190910_121746.jpgIs Feels Like Falling on your TBR? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR