Dear Carolina

A moving debut novel about two mothers - one biological and one adoptive - from a compelling new voice in Southern women's fiction.

One baby girl.

Two strong Southern women.

And the most difficult decision they'll ever make.

     Frances "Khaki" Mason has it all: a thriving interior design career, a loving husband and son, homes in North Carolina and Manhattan - everything except the second child she has always wanted. Jodi, her husband's nineteen-year-old cousin, is fresh out of rehab, pregnant, and alone. Although the two women couldn't seem more different, they forge a lifelong connection as Khaki reaches out to Jodi, encouraging her to have her baby. But as Jodi struggles to be the mother she knows her daughter deserves, she will ask Khaki the ultimate favor...

    Written to baby Carolina, by both her birth mother and her adoptive one, this is a story that proves that life circumstances shape us but don't define us - and that families aren't born, they're made...

Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey
Page Count: 320 pages
Genre: Realistic fiction, Adult, Chick Lit
Series? No

I was offered the wonderful chance to review Dear Carolina by the lovely Kristy Harvey! Sadly, the plan to get this review done earlier did not work out completely like I had planned. With a few computer problems and plenty of school work to keep me busy the release date came and passed before I could get this published. But, now I have finally been able to get this here, so lets get to the book!

Being a person that lives in the South, I always enjoy a good book set close to home. While this book was not exactly in my backyard, the feeling of home was there. This is just one of the many reasons I adored Dear Carolina.

Kristy Woodson Harvey has created a wonderful debut story to hook a readers attention. Adoption can be a tricky subject to write about, but I am a sucker for a good heart warming story like this. The emotions that are written into the story was so real, I felt like I was personally hearing from the characters of this story. Reading the description for this story, I knew a little what to expect while reading it, but I still was not prepared for what I received.

Kristy added a unique element to the story by switching up the way stories are written. While a story that alternates between characters and points of view is not hard to find, getting a chapter written by the character itself, is a completely different matter. Each chapter alternates between the two leading women, Jodi (the birth mother) and Khaki (The adoptive mother) as they tell their daughter Carolina her story, as well as shedding light on their own life. Each chapter is read as letters written to their daughter, and each chapter will leave you wanting to read more.

Something that I always enjoy about a well written story is even if I know how the story ends, I can't stop reading! Kristy was able to pull this off exceptionally. Starting this story you already know what is going to happen, but the story still keeps you wanting to know more! Seeing how the story plays out and learning how everything came to be is just as entertaining as if I didn't already know the outcome.

Dear Carolina was a very heart warming story, and if anyone is ever in the need of a quick read I would recommend this book! If Kristy Woodson Harvey can continue to write stories like this one, I know she will have a great future in the book world! I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars!!

Here is a little information about this lovely new author!

Kristy Woodson Harvey is the author of Dear Carolina. She blogs at Design Chic about how creating a beautiful home can be the catalyst for creating a beautiful life and loves connecting with readers at kristywoodsonharvey.com. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's school of journalism and holds a Master's in English from East Carolina University. She is a regular contributor for The Salisbury Post, Domino magazine and Houzz. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and three-year-old son.