Bless Your Heart, Rae Sutton by Susannah B. Lewis Review

 Good Morning Friends :)

I pray today finds you all doing well, and that your week is off to a great start. Mine started out a little earlier than I planned, as neither of my cat's wanted to let me sleep, but that's okay, as it just means I have more time to get my list of things done for today.

One of the first items on that list is to tell you all about a new book that I just finished that's releasing at the beginning of May.

I'm really looking forward to today's review, as this book was really unlike anything I'd ever read before, and I can't wait to tell you all about it.

Keep reading below for my full review.

Bless Your Heart Rae Sutton by Susannah B. Lewis:

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Publication Date: May 3rd, 2022

Genre: Christian Fiction/Chick Lit

Synopsis:

Sometimes what your life is missing is an eccentric group of older ladies to take you under their wing . . .

When Raeley Ann Sutton’s mama passes away and leaves her the house where she grew up, Rae can’t imagine how the little old place might restore her broken life. Mourning the recent loss of her marriage, she takes the house and settles back in tiny, “one-horse Whitten” with her fourteen-year-old daughter, Molly Margaret, and their overweight dog.

There she’s embraced by her mother’s close-knit circle of friends, the Third Thursday ladies: Mrs. Fannie, Mrs. Dora, and Aunt Maxine. Though almost half their age and far less confident of positive outcomes, Rae joins their ministry-slash-book-club-slash-gossip circle and allows the women to speak wry honesty and witty humor into her tired heart. As a new career and a new romance bring their own complications, Rae relies on the unlikely family she’s found and begins to wonder if her future holds more hope than she ever could have imagined.

Known for her heartwarming stories and genuine Southern voice, Susannah B. Lewis dazzles with her latest story of women strengthening women.

“Settle in for an enchanting tale, featuring a delightful cast of characters. At turns humorous and heart-wrenching, Lewis’s novel delivers on themes of forgiveness and restoration. Wise, witty, and full of Southern charm, Bless Your Heart, Rea Sutton is as refreshing as a tall glass of sweet tea on a hot summer day!” —Denise Hunter, bestselling author of the Riverbend Romances


Sweet, witty, Southern contemporary women's fiction
Stand-alone novel
Book length: 80,000 words
Includes discussion questions for book clubs 

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Bless Your Heart, Rae Sutton, as Susannah B. Lewis is a new to me author, but I thought the synopsis sounded interesting, and I wanted to give it a try. I have to say that I was not prepared for just how much I was going to love this particular title, and I don't think I've ever truly read anything like it before.

This beautiful story focuses around grief, healing and redemption, and the reader feels like they are following right along with Rae Sutton as she navigates both her husband leaving her for another woman, and her mother's sudden death from cancer. I loved how relatable, well developed and likeable the characters truly were, and I adored the southern flair present throughout the majority of the story. As Rae struggles with everything dropped on her plate, she develops a strong friendship with three elderly ladies who her mom considered her best friends. They give her an escape from her loneliness, and encourage her back into the arms of the only one who can truly heal her heart, our Heavenly Father.

With beautifully written prose, a lovely small town setting, and characters that had me drawn into the story right from the opening pages, Bless Your Heart, Rae Sutton is definitely one of the best books I've read so far this year. It made me both laugh out loud, and genuinely tear up, and I loved the growth we see in Rae's character, and the way she truly resolves to have Jesus at the front and center of everything going forward.

This book felt both authentic and realistic, while still providing a nice escape into the literature world, and I love when books can manage to do both.

I'd highly recommend this one, and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

Final Rating: 5/5.

Thanks so much to Thomas Nelson for allowing me to advance read and review this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks so much for reading guys! I pray you have a great rest of your day :)