Lovely and Refreshing, ‘Sweet Tea Tuesdays’ Restores Our Faith in Friendship [REVIEW]

They thought they would be friends forever. Meet Georgia, Midge, and Lula in Ashley Farley’s Sweet Tea Tuesdays. (Photo by Torrey Wiley, Flickr)

During Charleston’s long, languid, sultry summers, the heat can be so oppressive even the family dog doesn’t want to move from his spot in the shade. But three women find a way to survive, year after year: with laughter, friendship and iced cold refreshments in Ashley Farley’s delicious new novel, Sweet Tea Tuesdays.  

Leisure Time Books

Georgia, Midge and Lula have been neighbors and friends for 26 years. For all that time, they always made a point to get together on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. to laugh, commiserate, and lift each other up. In many cases, they’ve been one another’s biggest cheerleaders and support system, pushing each other through marriage and motherhood and all the many emotional moments that come with them.

It seems like nothing could ever divide these three women, each one different than the other, and yet irrevocably drawn together. Then one Tuesday, Georgia drops a bombshell that stops their weekly gathering and threatens to end one of the most treasured friendships any of them has ever had.

Sweet Tea Tuesdays is heartfelt and optimistic and the perfect introduction to Ashley Farley’s work. Populated by deftly drawn characters we quickly come to adore, these women are so realistic they could very well live next door to us. That’s why the story packs such an emotional wallop and makes us cheer these three friends on, hoping that they can overcome adversity one more time and keep their teatime tradition alive and well.

Another thing Farley does well is that she so vividly captures the heady romance of the South and brings to Charleston to life, whether the reader has visited the city before or not. In fact, this book serves as such a lovely introduction to South Carolina, it just may raise airline ticket sales as people decide to sample the beauty of Charleston for themselves.

Women will undoubtedly connect to Farley’s characters on an emotional level, and just might need a box of tissues at the ready. Fans of Dorothea Benton Frank and Georgia Bockoven will devour this book too, and will likely clamor for more. If you enjoy books filled with humor, empathy and love, Sweet Tea Tuesdays will leave you feeling good and believing in the power of friendship.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ashley Farley

Ashley Farley writes books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues. Her goal is to keep you turning the pages until the wee hours of the morning. If her story stays with you long after you’ve read the last word, then she’s done her job.

After her brother died in 1999 of an accidental overdose, she turned to writing as a way of releasing her pent-up emotions. She wrote Saving Ben in honor of Neal, the boy she worshipped, the man she could not save.

Ashley is a wife and mother of two young adult children. While she’s lived in Richmond, Virginia for the past 21 years, part of her heart remains in the salty marshes of the South Carolina Lowcountry where she grew up. Through the eyes of her characters, she’s able to experience the moss-draped trees, delectable cuisine, and kind-hearted folks with lazy drawls that make the area so unique.

To find out more about Ashley, visit her home on the Web, like her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

SWEET TEA TUESDAYS
By Ashley Farley
306 pgs. Leisure Time Books. $4.99

Purchase Sweet Tea Tuesdays on Amazon.

Sweet Tea Tuesdays is brought to you in association with TLC Book Tours.