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sheiltheshell's review against another edition
2.0
Rating: 2.5 stars
So, here’s the thing. I started reading the book because I thought the show was pretty good. But disclaimer for anyone who watched the show first: all the characters are white. Literally all of them.
To have a book of primarily white characters is an issue. The author also perpetuates some problematic stereotypes throughout the book; two main ones include:
1)Fatphobia: the idea that weight and diabetes are directly related is false. It promotes the idea that all bodies have to look the same way, and that is not okay.
2)Eating Disorders: Eating Disorders are a health risk at any stage; people who have them should be provided with medical attention and mental health assistance. The idea that ignoring a disorder because someone is a “good kid” is dangerous and endangers the person suffering from an ED. Also, eating disorders do not just present as someone being underweight. Also, anorexia is not the only eating disorder, so the author’s portrayal of ED is limited and damaging to readers who suffer from an ED.
3) Portrayal of relationships between women: Women do not solely live through reactions to men’s words or actions. Women’s lives do not revolve around men. They can have meaningful relationships and make decisions independent from men’s perspectives. Stop pitting women against each other because “a man chose one over the other”. That is not realistic in the long term and it’s demeaning.
Other issues with the book that were problematic (misogyny, etc.) are addressed a little bit at least. The two I mentioned above and the lack of BIPOC characters is generally ignored or imbedded in the author’s writing.
Overall, the plot was ✨there✨ I guess but it wasn’t well-developed enough.
So, here’s the thing. I started reading the book because I thought the show was pretty good. But disclaimer for anyone who watched the show first: all the characters are white. Literally all of them.
To have a book of primarily white characters is an issue. The author also perpetuates some problematic stereotypes throughout the book; two main ones include:
1)Fatphobia: the idea that weight and diabetes are directly related is false. It promotes the idea that all bodies have to look the same way, and that is not okay.
2)Eating Disorders: Eating Disorders are a health risk at any stage; people who have them should be provided with medical attention and mental health assistance. The idea that ignoring a disorder because someone is a “good kid” is dangerous and endangers the person suffering from an ED. Also, eating disorders do not just present as someone being underweight. Also, anorexia is not the only eating disorder, so the author’s portrayal of ED is limited and damaging to readers who suffer from an ED.
3) Portrayal of relationships between women: Women do not solely live through reactions to men’s words or actions. Women’s lives do not revolve around men. They can have meaningful relationships and make decisions independent from men’s perspectives. Stop pitting women against each other because “a man chose one over the other”. That is not realistic in the long term and it’s demeaning.
Other issues with the book that were problematic (misogyny, etc.) are addressed a little bit at least. The two I mentioned above and the lack of BIPOC characters is generally ignored or imbedded in the author’s writing.
Overall, the plot was ✨there✨ I guess but it wasn’t well-developed enough.
jojodoug55's review against another edition
4.0
"Stealing Home" is the first novel in the "Sweet Magnolias" book series. It is a contemporary/domestic fiction/romance that takes place in a gossipy, little town in South Carolina. It centres itself on a mother in her 40s who is trying to deal with an unexpected divorce from her husband. With the help of her two best friends, among select others, she learns how to not lose herself in the mess, but rather grow and see what flowers may bloom in the process of her growth. There are themes of love, romance, grief, healing, parenting, divorce, identity, voice, perspectivism, humility, and so much more.
I read this book after having watched the first two seasons of the show on Netflix. Since I absolutely loved the show, I thought I would explore its original source material.
I must say, they did an excellent job adapting this book to the small screen. It remains nearly 100% true to the story of the book (which few film adaptations are able to do); only a few details have been changed, and they're not bad ones. In fact, reading this novel after having seen the show makes these small changes seem interesting and fun.
Regarding what I thought of the book, I would say that it is quite well written (though it could have gone through the editing process one more time in order to remove a few spelling mistakes). There is a great balance between dialogue and scene description that really makes the story flow naturally, making it a quick read if you are in the mood for some realistic fiction. I also enjoyed the way the author wrote how each character spoke–the language is quite diverse, yet natural. The characters are also well shaped, as their personalities are made quite clear from the beginning and their development takes place in an organic and believable manner. I would say, though, that their physical descriptions are lacking creativity. Pretty much everyone is blonde in this book, which seems rather odd. It is also the only real descriptor that is used to describe a character, apart from one character who is frequently observed as being muscular and impressive. Other than that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I audibly laughed, I teared up and even cried... It was thoughtfully written and provokes many emotions. Also, I appreciate that the romance is not overtly erotic, but rather sentimental.
If you are a fan of the show, then you should be aware that this book is the summation of season 1, and you will enjoy reading it just as much as you enjoyed watching it. If you have not seen the show, I would recommend this to you if you like realistic, contemporary fiction with a splash of budding romance.
I read this book after having watched the first two seasons of the show on Netflix. Since I absolutely loved the show, I thought I would explore its original source material.
I must say, they did an excellent job adapting this book to the small screen. It remains nearly 100% true to the story of the book (which few film adaptations are able to do); only a few details have been changed, and they're not bad ones. In fact, reading this novel after having seen the show makes these small changes seem interesting and fun.
Regarding what I thought of the book, I would say that it is quite well written (though it could have gone through the editing process one more time in order to remove a few spelling mistakes). There is a great balance between dialogue and scene description that really makes the story flow naturally, making it a quick read if you are in the mood for some realistic fiction. I also enjoyed the way the author wrote how each character spoke–the language is quite diverse, yet natural. The characters are also well shaped, as their personalities are made quite clear from the beginning and their development takes place in an organic and believable manner. I would say, though, that their physical descriptions are lacking creativity. Pretty much everyone is blonde in this book, which seems rather odd. It is also the only real descriptor that is used to describe a character, apart from one character who is frequently observed as being muscular and impressive. Other than that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I audibly laughed, I teared up and even cried... It was thoughtfully written and provokes many emotions. Also, I appreciate that the romance is not overtly erotic, but rather sentimental.
If you are a fan of the show, then you should be aware that this book is the summation of season 1, and you will enjoy reading it just as much as you enjoyed watching it. If you have not seen the show, I would recommend this to you if you like realistic, contemporary fiction with a splash of budding romance.
hlflosser's review against another edition
4.0
Very unrealistic very predictable but so very cute loved it
heidipolkissa82's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
rlisaacs's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this. Read some of the reviews and was nervous. It seems to be that either people loved it, or they hated it, which is always a bit worrisome. But I really did enjoy my time here. Part of that is because, maybe, there really weren't any dragging moments in my opinion. From the very beginning until the end of this book (including the epilogue), something is happening. Some of it good, some of it bad, some of it in a grey area in between. But there's no really long sections of just descriptions or lulls in activity.
WARNING! Spoilerish type stuff ahead! (If you've read my reviews before, you know what to expect. But yeah, I talk about enough here that if knowing how the book is going to end (if you somehow don't already know) is going to bother you, then you should maybe skip this. If you're cool with that though, keep on trucking!
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One thing I read in some of the negative reviews were about how some of them couldn't stand 'the kid' in the book.. And while I can understand how some people could be annoyed at him... I'm sorry, but his behavior didn't ruin the story for me. If anything, even while occasionally annoying and certainly childish... I don't think the story would've been any good at all if he'd just stayed a perfectly wonderful boy after all the crap his father ends up putting them through. He's the oldest of the children, and I think some people expected him or would've preferred him to be the example setting one. But he's still just a kid. A sixteen year old kid, but a kid nonetheless. He's a teenager, and they're unruly. (I swear, when we hit that age, even the most well-behaved of us, it's like a switch gets flipped and we experience at least a little form of rebellion.) Ty is a good kid who has had the rug swept from under his feet. He acts out. He's still a good kid, but he starts acting out, and that shouldn't really be a shock to anybody. So no, Tyler didn't annoy me to the point of wanting to smack him. He annoyed me sometimes, for sure, but I still love him and his loyalty to his mom and... yeah, I like the children.
Maddie; I love her too. She has a tendency to cling to her doubts about herself, and at the start has an exceptional ability to continue seeing the downside of everything. We slowly see her get pulled out of that though, by two amazing friends, and our leading man, Cal. Not gonna lie, Maddie also has a tendency at some point to flip-flop between caring too much what her town thinks, to not giving a damn at all about all the gossip. That was a bit annoying, but it was also made acceptable by the fact that it was never her own reputation she was really concerned with. It was how the gossip about her might affect the people around her she cared about, such as her kids, Cal, her friends, the Corner Spa, etc. I don't think even once she really paid any attention to what damage the gossip might do to just her and her reputation. She was solely concerned with the people she loved around her, and that made me love her all the more.
Bill is a piece of crap. I think the story at some points tries to make you feel a little, just tiny bit, sorry for him. To it's credit though, it doesn't try too hard. It really just tries to show you his perspective a little bit, more so you can just understand why he ends up doing half the crap he does. Which honestly just made me hate him even more. He's cocky, arrogant, proud, and not in the good way that sometimes a man can be. These aren't necessarily bad qualities when applied correctly and in moderation, but Bill just thinks that he can do whatever the hell he wants, and the world will line up and fall into place regardless of whether he was right or wrong. He seriously has little to no care at all about the consequences his actions might have on others. In that, he's such a contrast to Maddie that I have a hard time fathoming why she ended up marrying him in the first place... but I digress.
Cal is just a wonderful human being. He really does just start out wanting to help Tyler, his star player, get out of his funk. Yes, there's a bit of attraction there, but he wasn't letting that rule his decisions. He wanted to be a helping hand, an extra pair of eyes, an assist where needed, because he understood. He understood how having your world flipped upside down might affect things and make everything seem to hard, or sometimes just pointless. He became a friend and extra pair of hands. He became even more of a mentor. He never once really cared about the gossips in this small town. And he treats Maddie the way she deserves to be treated. He never once backed down, not really.
Dana Sue and Helen are the other two-thirds of the trio that is the Sweet Magnolias. (I think I'd like an explanation of where that name came from, but it's alright, I don't have to have one.) They are with Maddie all the way. They are her support system from start to finish. And it was never in question, at all. Soon as Bill pulled his crap, Helen was there taking care of legalities, Dana Sue was swooping in with meals. These girls are more family than friends even if there's no blood between them. Even when they don't agree or are snapping at each other, you never once are worried that they might drift apart. No, these women will survive thick and thin together, and will probably manage not to spill even a single drop of their margaritas in the process.
A few nitpicks I have are as follows:
1- Yeah, the age thing between Cal and Maddie is brought up quite a bit. Honestly, it's not that much in my opinion. It's not like it's mentioned every other chapter. And it's not like Maddie is the only one who keeps bringing it up, cause if that was the case, yeah, I'd be annoyed. It just comes up in different scenarios for different reasons. So while pushed a bit too much at us, I'm not really all that peeved at it.
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3- Bill was never punched. Literally, this bothers me so much. Not meaning that this ruined the story for me or anything. I just really think somebody at some point should've hit him hard enough to rattle his teeth around in his head a little bit. Never happened.
All in all though, I love the Sweet Magnolias. Can't wait to keep digging into this series.
WARNING! Spoilerish type stuff ahead! (If you've read my reviews before, you know what to expect. But yeah, I talk about enough here that if knowing how the book is going to end (if you somehow don't already know) is going to bother you, then you should maybe skip this. If you're cool with that though, keep on trucking!
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One thing I read in some of the negative reviews were about how some of them couldn't stand 'the kid' in the book.
Spoiler
I can only assume they are referring to Tyler here. Of the three main children we get to know here, he was the one who became the center of the most dramaMaddie; I love her too. She has a tendency to cling to her doubts about herself, and at the start has an exceptional ability to continue seeing the downside of everything. We slowly see her get pulled out of that though, by two amazing friends, and our leading man, Cal. Not gonna lie, Maddie also has a tendency at some point to flip-flop between caring too much what her town thinks, to not giving a damn at all about all the gossip. That was a bit annoying, but it was also made acceptable by the fact that it was never her own reputation she was really concerned with. It was how the gossip about her might affect the people around her she cared about, such as her kids, Cal, her friends, the Corner Spa, etc. I don't think even once she really paid any attention to what damage the gossip might do to just her and her reputation. She was solely concerned with the people she loved around her, and that made me love her all the more.
Bill is a piece of crap. I think the story at some points tries to make you feel a little, just tiny bit, sorry for him. To it's credit though, it doesn't try too hard. It really just tries to show you his perspective a little bit, more so you can just understand why he ends up doing half the crap he does. Which honestly just made me hate him even more. He's cocky, arrogant, proud, and not in the good way that sometimes a man can be. These aren't necessarily bad qualities when applied correctly and in moderation, but Bill just thinks that he can do whatever the hell he wants, and the world will line up and fall into place regardless of whether he was right or wrong. He seriously has little to no care at all about the consequences his actions might have on others. In that, he's such a contrast to Maddie that I have a hard time fathoming why she ended up marrying him in the first place... but I digress.
Cal is just a wonderful human being. He really does just start out wanting to help Tyler, his star player, get out of his funk. Yes, there's a bit of attraction there, but he wasn't letting that rule his decisions. He wanted to be a helping hand, an extra pair of eyes, an assist where needed, because he understood. He understood how having your world flipped upside down might affect things and make everything seem to hard, or sometimes just pointless. He became a friend and extra pair of hands. He became even more of a mentor. He never once really cared about the gossips in this small town. And he treats Maddie the way she deserves to be treated. He never once backed down, not really.
Spoiler
Briefly near the end he tried to step back, and I can't really decide whether I agree with it or not. But he was letting Maddie make her own choice there, and I can't argue with him about that.Dana Sue and Helen are the other two-thirds of the trio that is the Sweet Magnolias. (I think I'd like an explanation of where that name came from, but it's alright, I don't have to have one.) They are with Maddie all the way. They are her support system from start to finish. And it was never in question, at all. Soon as Bill pulled his crap, Helen was there taking care of legalities, Dana Sue was swooping in with meals. These girls are more family than friends even if there's no blood between them. Even when they don't agree or are snapping at each other, you never once are worried that they might drift apart. No, these women will survive thick and thin together, and will probably manage not to spill even a single drop of their margaritas in the process.
A few nitpicks I have are as follows:
1- Yeah, the age thing between Cal and Maddie is brought up quite a bit. Honestly, it's not that much in my opinion. It's not like it's mentioned every other chapter. And it's not like Maddie is the only one who keeps bringing it up, cause if that was the case, yeah, I'd be annoyed. It just comes up in different scenarios for different reasons. So while pushed a bit too much at us, I'm not really all that peeved at it.
2-
Spoiler
The wedding. Not that it happened, because I was happy for that, I was. But the fact that the reason it happened as big as it did, is because Maddie reaches the conclusion that her friends deserve this. I'm sorry... it's Maddie's wedding, but her friends deserve to be able to make it as big and expensive as they want? I get that they always stood by her and were always supportive of her and Cal, and they're great friends. No denying it at all! But it's MADDIE'S Wedding! And I'm sorry, but if the bride wants a small wedding? If that's what will make her happy, being a good friend means you hop on board that train and support her in that too. So yeah, that ticked me a little bit.3- Bill was never punched. Literally, this bothers me so much. Not meaning that this ruined the story for me or anything. I just really think somebody at some point should've hit him hard enough to rattle his teeth around in his head a little bit. Never happened.
All in all though, I love the Sweet Magnolias. Can't wait to keep digging into this series.
briana513's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Okay story line but kind of dragged on at points. Felt like the conflict was cliche and overdone. Ending also felt a bit rushed. Overall just okay.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Pregnancy
Moderate: Eating disorder
emma3of6's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
daniellem1's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tamsin_emma's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Lighthearted, heartwarming romcom set in a small town. An enjoyable, easy read. Some feminist themes could be seen in the character development of Maddie but it's mostly about traditional values which might not be everyone's cup of tea.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder and Misogyny