The Violet Hour by Victoria Benton Frank

The Violet Hour by Victoria Benton Frank
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Violet Adams is the perfect, youngest child in a family of loud, passionate women on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. As the sweet, traditional one, she’s always been the steady hand in her family but after a sudden breakup and subsequent tragedy, she doesn’t know who she is anymore.

Aly Knox, Violet’s best friend, is a young influencer still struggling with the loss of her mother and adjusting to joining Violet in Southern living. With her best friend’s help, Violet is determined to break out of her shell—and who she thought she was—no matter what. And what better place to look for success, meaning, and possibly love than the Lowcountry of South Carolina?
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This was a bit of an uneven book for me. I am a huge fan of Lowcountry fiction, and the description of the setting made me feel like I was right there on Sullivan's Island. I also love women's fiction and books that feature sisters, so the friendship between Aly and Violet and the relationship between Maggie and Violet were both really enjoyable to read about. However, there were some plot points that seemed a little rushed or forced, and when I reached the end, I didn't feel quite that same sense of [deep sigh] satisfaction I did at the end of the first book in this series. I did read an advanced copy of this book, so it's possible that some of the continuity issues got cleaned up before final publication, but overall, this one was a good read for me but not quite as good as My Magnolia Summer. I did find the story of Aly's mother's death to be very touching and couldn't help but think of Dorothea Benton Frank's untimely passing and wondered how much of that was autobiographical in nature. I know that her readers miss her, and I can't even imagine how difficult that loss has been for her daughter. I do look forward to reading more in this series and hope to see more from this author in the future.

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