Book Review: Sweet Tea Tuesdays by Ashley Farley

Three friends met every Tuesday for twenty-six years. And then they stopped.

From the author of the bestselling Sweeney Sisters Series comes a novel of friendship, family and hope….

When new next-door neighbors Georgia, Midge, and Lula first assembled on Georgia’s porch in Charleston for sweet tea, they couldn’t have known their gathering was the beginning of a treasured tradition. For twenty-six years they have met on Tuesdays at four o’clock, watching the seasons change and their children grow up, supporting each other in good times and in bad. With their ambitions as different as their personalities, these best friends anticipate many more years of tea time.

And then, one Tuesday, Georgia shares news that brings their long-standing social hour to an abrupt halt.

And that’s only the beginning as unraveling secrets threaten to alter their friendship forever.

GENRE: Contemporary Women’s/Southern Fiction
PUBLISHER: Leisure Time Books
RELEASE DATE: May 3, 2017
PAGES: 306

“Blame it on the cancer.”

Ashley Farley is one of my go-to authors for southern fiction. Her words grace the pages with warmth and life, and her stories emphasize the bond of family. I love that her novels focus on older main characters who are living life and all that comes with it. She’s not afraid to tackle tough issues but it’s always done with grace, dignity, and discretion.

In Sweet Tea Tuesdays, friendship is explored alongside family and the ways the two worlds intersect. Lula, Georgia, and Midge are in their fifties and have been meeting every Tuesday on Georgia’s front porch for sweet tea and conversation. They consider themselves to be best friends. And then life begins to change for all three of them, and when it comes to a head one summer evening, all the sweet tea in the world can’t make it better.

Tough questions are raised on this pages. What do you do when you know something that would shatter a friend’s world? Do you tell her? Or do you keep it to yourself to cause her less pain? What do you do when a friend shuts you out just when they need you most? Do you respect her wishes or do you march back into her life and stand your ground? What do you do when life turns out differently (and shorter) than you planned?

Bottom Line: Sweet Tea Tuesdays is warmly written with a drawl of the south and a bouquet of freshly cut hydrangeas set for Sunday brunch.  This novel is a bit of a spinoff from the author’s popular Sweeney Sisters series, and I loved seeing Heidi and Annie throughout this story. (It’s not necessary to have read the other series to enjoy this book.) Sweet Tea Tuesdays is simultaneously inspiring and heartwrenching, so make sure you have a tissue box close at hand! Lean in close and you’ll come away with an important life lesson too 🙂

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)

My Rating: 4 stars / Love it!

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Reviewer’s Note: Readers may want to be aware that this book has a few mild curse words as well as discrete references to intimate behavior.

Ashley Farley writes books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues. Her goal is to keep you turning the pages until the wee hours of the morning. If her story stays with you long after you’ve read the last word, then she’s done her job.

After her brother died in 1999 of an accidental overdose, she turned to writing as a way of releasing her pent-up emotions. She wrote SAVING BEN in honor of Neal, the boy she worshipped, the man she could not save.

Ashley is a wife and mother of two young adult children. While she’s lived in Richmond, Virginia for the past 21 years, part of her heart remains in the salty marshes of the South Carolina Lowcountry where she grew up. Through the eyes of her characters, she’s able to experience the moss-draped trees, delectable cuisine, and kind-hearted folks with lazy drawls that make the area so unique.

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Other Books by Ashley Farley

What about you? Who is one of your most cherished friends?