Book Review – Sweet Caroline by Rachel Hauck

Sweet Caroline by Rachel Hauck won the 2009 ACFW Book of the Year award.

Back cover copy :

When a Southern waitress inherits the Lowcountry cafe where she works, she suddenly has to balance more than just her next food order.

Caroline Sweeney has always done the right thing–the responsible, dependable thing–unlike her mother who abandoned her family. But when her best friend challenges her to accept an exciting job adventure in Barcelona, Spain, Caroline says “yes” to destiny.

Then, without warning, ownership of the run-down cafe where she’s been waitressing falls right into Caroline’s lap. While she’s trying to determine the cafe’s future, handsome Deputy Sherriff J.D. Rand captures Caroline’s heart.

But when her first love, Mitch O’Neal, comes back to town, fresh from the heat of his newly-found fame as a country music singer in Nashville, Caroline must make some hard choices about love and the pursuit of the sweet life.

With a combination of lyrical writing, southern charm and interesting characters, Rachel makes the town of Beaufort, South Carolina come alive. With a killer first sentence and awesome chapter endings, this is a book you can not put down! I loved how Mitch returned to town a celebrity, yet the townspeople don’t treat him any differently than the other people in town.

The chapter endings forced me to keep reading well past bedtime a couple of nights. The plot twists and turns nicely, not too much, just enough. The characters were deep and authentic. And the secondary characters were comical (especially the breakfast-club boys).

This novel made me want to move to Beaufort and taste Bubba’s buttery biscuits at the Frogmore cafe. Anyone up for a road trip?

Join me next Wednesday when Rachel drops by my blog to chat!