Once Upon a Time in Dollywood: Reese's Book Club

Thoroughly enjoyable read, the characters were so well-written and I couldn't put it down. A brilliant debut!

I went into reading this book with minimal expectations, like I pretty much went into it completely unbiased when I got accepted to receive this advanced reader copy. But I mean it when I say I liked it a whole lot more than I expected I would. I wouldn’t call it the traditional romance comedy/romcom by any means!This is my first time reading any of Ashlee Jordan’s work so I didn’t come into it really knowing anything about what I could expect in terms of her writing style/how she goes about writing contemporary romances. But one thing I will say is that she does a really GOOD job at showcasing true yearning on the page, and I don’t think a lot of authors can do that well or in a way that’s truly relatable or believable.One of my favorite things to read whenever I am reading contemporary romance, is including characters that are truly flawed and realistic because in reality you will come across that way more often than you’re perfect happy go lucky characters.Once upon a Time in Dollywood is funny, relatable, and just the right amount of spicy. It explores self introspection, grief, infertility, generational/familial trauma and the importance of self love and self advocacy. It was a beautiful story about going after what you want and what you deserve, because even people that are hurting deserve love.The topics are heavy but definitely going to the story with an open mind and you can definitely find what you’re seeking.4⭐️’s

I really enjoyed this book and thought the author took me to a different perspective on life and romance. To start, Eve was a very different personality than mine, so I found her character very interesting. It’s always good seeing another person’s perspective. She had some big walls built up from some deep wounds. With an abrupt move from NYC to her deceased grandmother’s cabin in Tennessee to get away and try to heal. Her family didn’t understand why she was leaving everything behind. Then she meets her grandmother’s neighbor, Jamie. He’s too friendly and tries to be helpful, but all Eve wants is to be left alone! But romance can blossom in the most unexpected places, and love can be a wild and thrilling ride. Can she ever find healing from her past? This book delves into some heavy topics like divorce, adoption, miscarriage, and diversity. It touches on a range of emotions, making me laugh, cry, and feel all warm inside. This book was from Reese’s Lit Up Book Club. Thank you, Berkley Romance and Goodreads, for my advance copy of the book! I really enjoyed it!

“Still beaming, Eve shrugged. “I’ve done it before.”” I quite literally CACKLED at that last sentence.This book took me through it! And I thoroughly enjoyed the ride!Dual 3rd person POVYearningSloooowww burnMore emotional rollercoasters than Dollywood and Disneyland combined🤣🤣🤣You’ll gaspYou’ll cheerYou’ll…probably feel read for filth🤣🤣HEA guaranteed

Thanks so much to Berkley Publishing Group for the free book! #BerkleyPartnerOnce Upon a Time in Dollywood is an ambitiously deep and compelling debut.Eve and Jamie are two people drawn to each other in extremely challenging times in their lives and they're able to plant the seeds for a beautiful relationship that is not without its challenges. With that said, this is genuinely one of the most romantic books I've ever read simply for the fact that it is so incredibly romantic to be scared and fight to do the hard thing anyway, especially when it comes to learning to be loved for the first time in the way you know you deserve. Jamie is a single father learning boundaries with his ex and the mother of his child while he comes into his own, and Eve is grieving multiple losses while birthing the career she wants to have doing the work she wants to do.I will say that this book contains multitudes in terms of the spectrum of how Jamie and Eve relate to one another. In the same way they are both capable of loving one another in the way they need, they are also capable of hurting each other deeply. I actually really enjoyed the messiness of this; the necessity of sitting in your wrongness and correcting harm done in order to heal and move on.I loved Eve's journey with therapy. I loved the way Eve got to be messy and imperfect and unlikable and then claw her way out of that while someone gave her the space and grace to grow. I loved the way Jamie was a solid, good man, and that he didn't pretend to fully understand Eve's plight as a Black woman, but remained committed to being there by her side to support her.I laughed, I cried. I held my heart and ached for Black womanhood, Black motherhood, and the secrets family forces you to keep. I loved Eve being in her mid-thirties and still figuring it out.Ashley Jordan's writing is beautiful, engaging, and breathtakingly bold. This is a story that needed telling.5 ⭐️s1.5 🌶️