The Bluebonnet Battle by Carolyn Brown - Book Review

The Bluebonnet Battle by Carolyn Brown

Publication Date: 8th March 2022
Genre: Contemporary, Family Drama, Romance 

4.2 Stars 

One Liner: Lighthearted and enjoyable.  

*****

Liddy Latham, a seventy-something woman, belongs to the Taylor family that owns more than half the land in Bonnet, a small town in Texas. She is cheery, determined, loving, and famous for arranging funeral dinners. 

Matilda Monroe comes from the Davis family that has a 30-year plus feud with the Taylor family. Matilda arrives back in Bonnet, intent on destroying Liddy’s life and family. While Liddy’s family backs and supports her all the way, Matilda doesn’t seem to find allies in her own family. After all, not everyone is stupid. That doesn’t deter her, though. 

As if the feud isn’t enough, Matilda’s son, Nick, and Liddy’s niece, Amelia, get attracted to each other. The relationship is doomed even before it begins. But hey, the heart wants what it wants. 

Can the families, especially the women put an end to the feud for their kids’ happiness? Can Nick and Amelia’s relationship survive when the town is busy snooping on them and betting on the result? 

• I’ve read books with Southern humor before, and this one fits perfectly. Even though the book deals with some heavy topics, it is still lighthearted and funny. 
  
  
• There are so many mentions of brownies, lemon pies, lemon meringues, tacos, and other food that I was glad to read it at night after dinner.  
  
  
• The characters are distinct and have their quirks. In a book with so many people, it gets easier to keep track of characters. 
  
  
• This is a dialogue-heavy book. People talk… a lot. This can be an advantage and a disadvantage, depending on the reader. 
  
  
• The first 20-25% is a little slow. Characters appear one after another, and the story starts with death. Once you get hang of the characters, the story picks up pace. 
  
  
• The writing style is casual and easy, but the formatting felt a little odd. More than a few times, I had to reread to understand who spoke a dialogue. 
  
  
• The story is kind of Romeo and Juliet retelling. Even if we didn’t guess it, the author made sure to use the reference at least a dozen times. 
  
  
• There are no mandatory twists or misunderstands for the sake of it. No checklist to adhere to. That’s another plus. 
  
  
• Nick is a great guy (and he loves cats). He is compassionate but knows his mother well. He doesn’t let her walk all over him. 
  
  
• Amelia is a cheerful and happy character with tiny hints of insecurities from the past. I like how she doesn’t spend hours dwelling on these aspects. 
  
  
• Liddy’s move at the climax was a surprise I enjoyed the most. The ending, too, is practical and a little mushy. 

To sum up, The Bluebonnet Battle is a lighthearted book that deals with some heavy topics without any drama. After all, a family feud is dramatic enough. ;) 

Thank you, NetGalley and Montlake, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.