Under the Southern Sky: love and family in the most unexpected places

Under the Southern Sky by Kristy Woodson Harvey is a story about how love and family can be found in the least expected places and in the most unconventional ways. After discovering her husband’s secret, Amelia Saxton finds herself on the verge of divorce when she finds out shocking information. As a dedicated journalist, she accidentally discovers that frozen embryos belonging to her childhood friend Parker and his late wife Greer, have been deemed “abandoned” and set to be destroyed. Parker hasn’t been able to move forward since his wife died three years ago. In his grief, he had all but forgotten the frozen embryos. When Amelia reveals what she has discovered, he sees the chance to have a part of his beloved Greer back. Each dealing with their own private griefs, Parker and Amelia begin to find solace by the waters of their childhood home, Cape Carolina and in each other. They’ll soon discover that family, the one of birth and choice, is closer than they think. 

This book is my first one by Kristy Woodson Harvey. Under the Southern Sky is a story that tackles many deep and difficult topics: grief, cancer, infertility, and mental illness. However, Ms Woodson Harvey deals with these topics with realism, heart and no easy answers. However, I found it to be a bit predictable. And some details were incredulous and a bit eye rolling. While my heart broke for Parker and Greer, I found Amelia to be a little harder to love. At some moments I found her reactions to be justified and others I was shocked that she would be so angry and not understanding the implications of the situation. The love story between Parker and Amelia reminded me a bit of Bob and Gracie from Return to Me (2000). Overall, I enjoyed the story and was eager to see if Parker and Amelia would have their happily ever after or not. If you enjoy a love story with Southern charm, I recommend Under the Southern Sky. 

Under the Southern Sky is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook.