Book Review: Gone South

Age Appropriate For: 13 and up

Best for Ages:  15 and up (themes, and reading level)

Description: Leaving frosty Michigan for the Deep South was never a blip in the simple plans Tish McComb imagined for her life, dreams of marriage and family that were dashed five years earlier in a tragic accident. Now an opportunity to buy her great-great-great-grandparents’ Civil War era home beckons Tish to Noble, Alabama, a Southern town in every sense of the word. She wonders if God has given her a new dream— the old house filled with friends, her vintage percolator bubbling on the sideboard. When Tish discovers that McCombs aren’t welcome in town, she feels like a Yankee behind enemy lines. Only local antiques dealer George Zorbas seems willing to give her a chance. What’s a lonely outcast to do but take in Noble’s resident prodigal, Melanie Hamilton, and hope that the two can find some much needed acceptance in each other. Problem is, old habits die hard, and Mel is quite set in her destructive ways. With Melanie blocked from going home, Tish must try to manage her incorrigible houseguest as she attempts to prove her own worth in a town that seems to have forgotten that every sinner needs God-given mercy, love and forgiveness.

I had seen that one of my Goodreads friends was reading and loving Gone South so I decided to get it to review.

I loved Tish from the start. She had a chaotic childhood (always moving about and a father who was always changing careers) yet she chose to embrace not blame those years. She has a good relationship with her mom, which was so refreshing. Most of all, I loved her because she loved people like Meg who everyone had given up on.

Meg tugs at your heartstrings. No one wants to give her a chance. She has done wrong in the past, but also has been misunderstood. She wants to do better and Tish, the hated outsider, is the only person who will help her.

The story is not light or fluffy. However, they didn’t discuss anything that made me blush or even uncomfortable. The story really made me think about how I am treating the “bad” people in my life. It made me want to love them more and reach out to them.

My only complaints about this book are 1. The use of the word y’all didn’t feel southern and 2. The ending left a few minor things untied. It was still satisfying.

I highly recommend this book those who love books that make you think, stories about forgiveness, and tales set in the south.

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I received this book from Multnomah Books in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.