Ain't She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Well, it's that time of month again. Yes, it's time for HEA Book Club. This months choice is Susan Elizabeth Phillips Ain't She Sweet?. Here is the reminder that all are welcome to join the chat all you have do is just join us even if you haven't gotten a chance to read the book. You can visit Harlequin Junkie January 23rd at 6pm PST/9pm EST.  Okay, I'm done with my pitch for HEA Book Club Live Chat. Here are my thoughts on the story:

First off, I loved Ain't She Sweet?. I thought it was beautifully done about a former Queen B, who has fallen on tough times and decided it was time to go home. Sugar Beth Carey never had any intentions of return to Parrish, Mississippi. It's not like she got a welcome wagon when she return home. Actually, I'm really surprise they didn't grab their pitchforks and try to run her out of town. No, they tried to do it subtly. Anyway, Sugar Beth is just trying to find the one item and get the hell out of dodge before she can inflict any more damage. However, life isn't that kind.

What makes this story is character dynamics. Once Sugar Beth realizes she's not leaving anytime soon, she works hard to avoid the good people of Parrish. However, the people love to use Sugar Beth as their scapegoat instead of dealing with what is really going on in their lives. Sugar Beth makes herself an easy target, because she just doesn't have the will to fight anymore. The new Queen B happens to be her archenemies Winnie Davies. Winnie has a hard time letting go of the past which makes her a vindictive bitch in the story. I completely understand why she's the way she is, because she was terrorize by Sugar Beth. However, Winnie had the one thing Sugar never had and that was there father. So, Sugar was lashing out at Winnie because their father for being an asshole.

However, Winnie wasn't the only one that felt the wrath of Sugar. Oh no, a former teacher got in the line of fire and lost his job. So, Colin Byrnes has decided to take Sugar done a peg or two. When he realizes that he can't knock someone down who is already down, he starts to see that Sugar had change over the course of time.

Honestly, I cried through most of the book, because of the treatment of Sugar. Yes, she did rotten things in high school and she realized she was wrong. However, old wounds are hard to close, especially in a small town. Majority of the story is about learning how to forgive others and moving on from the past. I loved Ain't She Sweet?, because there are so many levels that go into a small town dynamics. Overall, I loved the book. While I was reading Ain't She Sweet?, it reminded me of a grown up version of Mean Girls. I'm not going to go into too much detail on how. Anyway, fantastic book for my first Susan Elizabeth Phillips book, and I could probably go in extensive detail why I loved the story. Thou I can't, because I might actually spoiled the story. So, if you are looking for something new to read, you might want to give Ain't She Sweet? a go.

Favorite Quote:

"We're all works in progress, honey. And believe me when I tell you that I've had to work harder than most"

Copy provide by Harlequin Junkie.

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