Home in Carolina

Eugh. So Tyler cheated on Annie not once, but a lot of times, and even knocked up one of these women. Yet he expects her to forgive him and take him back. Even when he treats her condescendingly and purposely invades her space when she tells him to buzz off. And this is supposed to be romance? Allrightythen.

This is the fifth book in the series but the first in this series and the first by this author that I've read. It started out slowly for me, but the characters are compelling and I found myself entwined in their lives. I was a bit let down when certain things were revealed near the end of the book--things that maybe I should have suspected, but that hadn't really been hinted at prior (at least not in this book).

There's a lot of history between characters in this book that I don't know since I hadn't read the previous novels. I did have trouble keeping Helen, Maggie, and Dana Sue's romantic histories separated. That may have been improved if I'd read their stories before reading this one. I did like their long-enduring friendships that show more have spanned years and many trials. I did like that the author is setting Annie, Raylene and Sarah up to be a second generation of "Sweet Magnolias". I wasn't crazy about the fact that margaritas are central to both groups get-togethers, as seems to be drinking to excess--though at least they are somewhat responsible in not driving after so much indulgence and the author does show the aftermath (hangover and regret) of having over-indulged.

I'm not quite sure why Ty made the decisions he did. I'm sure part of it was immaturity and peer pressure--maybe also enjoying the adulation of the baseball groupies--but in the end, he lost the woman he truly loved and ended up being a single father to Trevor.

Perhaps with all the emphasis on Ty's exploits, I shouldn't have been surprised to find out late in the novel that he and Annie had slept together long ago (before his affair with Dee Dee had been outed). And they do sleep together again before marriage in this novel (though it's not graphically described). I would have preferred if the author had let them wait for that until they were married. Annie apparently still hadn't settled her trust of Ty --not the best way to start an intimate relationship. I was ready to give the book an additional star until this plot point turned up late in the novel. show less

This book was in a basket of items won in a silent auction. So it is an unknown quantity for me It is a five star book for what it is: formula fiction romance. Couple together couple apart couple reunitesl Escapist fluffy fiction, but well done for the expectations of the genre. So not a great piece of literature three stars, but within just the genre a five. January 2025

This is the 5th book in the Sweet Magnolia series but I think that Sherryl Woods did a good job of bringing us up to date on what happened in the previous books. I'm confident that this book would fit into the romance genre, which I don't usually read, so please keep that in mind as you read my review.

Annie has moved back to her family home in Serenity after a bad break-up with her long time boyfriend Ty. When Ty's baseball career turned professional things got a bit out of hand helping to cause the events leading up to the breakup between the couple. Annie seems to be getting her life back on track and somewhat normal as she starts working in a spa that is owned by a couple of the Sweet Magnolias as a sports therapist. Things are about show more to change for Annie when Ty returns to town recovering from a sports injury.

There is a lot of drama within the pages of this book, as just about every woman that is introduced had a dirty, rotten husband or boyfriend that cheated on her. We learn that some were not able to get over their differences so there have been a couple of divorces in the past, while others were able to work through their challenges. As the new generation of Sweet Magnolias emerges, they seem to bring their own marital woes with them.

With Ty and Annie as the main characters of this book, the only question is whether they will be able to overcome the problems from the past and rekindle the love they once had. If you are a Sherryl Woods fan I am not going to ruin this book for you by telling you the outcome.

My book club won copies of this book, which I find interesting because I really don't think that it made for a very interesting discussion. I personally did not enjoy this book but I am curious to see what the other ladies thought of it. I found many inconsistencies within the story itself that made me think that the author didn't know her characters very well. I really do not enjoy writing negative reviews, but I feel this book could have been written much better if a bit more research went into it. If you are looking for a general romance without much to offer intellectually then you may enjoy this book. show less

Annie became too whiny, yes Ty cheated on her, but it was not an official relationship. I think Ty was OK if she dated when he was gone maybe would have woken him up sooner. DeeDee as groupie who got pregnant, was the only one to truly grow up. Ty was good for son but how much was the boy with the nanny. Still loved fathers Ronnie and Cal as well as Sweet Magnolia friendship group. Annie has a right to be leery of marriage and should wait to see how Ty behaves when traveling with team again. Until Annie has own kids not sure how accepting of split parenting she will be.

Sherryl woods is a wonderful comfort read usually for me. Im not sure I would have agreed with annie's choices. Looking forward to the sweet magnolias series on netflix.

This was a great book and i can't wait to review the rest of the series. The characters were very believable and I felt like I really was interested in following up on what was going to happen next.

These characters have real problems and I felt like i could relate.