The Inn on Harmony Island (Sweet Tea and a Southern Gentleman, #1) by Anne-Marie Meyer

The Inn on Harmony Island (Sweet Tea and a Southern Gentleman, #1) Reviews

• 
  Ash

  TikTok books are a trap. An absolute trap. I watched a few tiktoks that the author posted of scenes from this book. It sounded amazing, especially the scene where he says he needs to protect both of them in the same house. But ugh this book was so incredibly disappointing. Absolutely nothing that happened made sense. The entire book took place in about 5 days worth of time, yet somehow none of it made sense. There was zero character development, I felt absolutely no connection to either of the main characters. And we had POVs from a completely unrelated character. I typically don't bother finishing books that I can't stand the plotline or the timeline, but like I said, I was waiting for that one TikTok scene and it didn't happen until about 90% of the way through the book, and was honestly nothing compared to what the author's posts made it seem like it was going to be about.
  
  She also made it seem like there was going to be this huge connection between Shelby and Belle, when she literally only babysat her like once, yet in the middle of the book she's saying she loves her more than anything and will do anything for her after knowing her for mere days.
  
  So incredibly disasappointing. Really wish I didn't waste my time on it and just DNF'd it like I usually do. 2 stars for this book is generous, but I really don't like giving books 1 stars.
• 
  One chapter more

  As many here, I came from TikTok and am quite disappointed. I felt like a lot was said but we’ve learned nothing. So… no thank you, I won’t be continuing this journey. And that scene everyone came to read about? Not as meaningful or sweet as the videos were showing us. Also it did look slightly different
• 
  Katelyn O’Brien

  So bad it doesn’t deserve a review. The only positive was the lack of grammatical errors. It takes a lot for me to dole out a one star and this book gets it.
  
  The lack of cohesion in the story, the unrealistic and repetitive actions of the characters, descriptive words that don’t even make sense…yeah. It’s that bad. Every single page was a “wait, what?”, followed by a laugh of horror and disbelief at the sheer idiocy of this story.
  
  Shelby’s character is just soooo damaged. She has major PTSD, crying, falling to the floor and losing her sense of hearing every time she’s triggered (which is at least twenty times a day). The events that caused it were never explained fully and leave you with a sense that they aren’t really all that extreme. Her boyfriend cheated on her and now she ducks every time she hears planes fly over. Geez Louise.
  
  Don’t even get me started on the nonverbal three year old who only eats cheerios, plays with toys, and takes four naps a day, never needing or interrupting adults.
  
  Yeah, this is not something I could ever in good conscience recommend someone to read.
  
• 
  shauna ☽

  well, I regret buying that book…
  I couldn’t get into the story, I didn’t care about the characters… Also, the not exactly incest but ambiguous and complicated thing (parents used to date/be married when they children so they grew up together) is really not to my taste
• 
  Holly

  Do not recommend this book. I thought it was going to be based off Shelby and Miles but then Abigail had her own chapters about her love life. I felt like it was hard to connect to the characters. Shelby was super annoying with her poor me attitude. It was a lot crammed into a small book and it was a cliffhanger and next book is may 2023. That’s such a long time especially since the book isn’t that memorable
• 
  Bookaholic Lens

  1🌟
  
  This is one of the worst books I have ever read. The book has ended and I still don't know what happened between Shelby and Miles in the "past". How the romance even happened I couldn't tell you because one minute she hated him and the next she has feelings for him. There was barely any reasoning for their actions and I just couldn't enjoy it as I hoped. Not sure if I'll even read the second book.
• 
  Lana H

  Oh my god! I didn’t realized how good this book was going to be! It was a Tiktok find and let me tell you ! I freaking LOVED it! I felt the girls heartbreak! And the small town first love !. I can’t even describe how much I love this book! I’m dying that I have to wait a year for the second book 😞 . If u could give this book more then 5 stars I would!
  
  I loved the fact the author wrote the story about About Miles an the love he has for his daughter, and the patients he has for the love of his life and made sure to tell her he will be there for her when she is ready to leave the bad in the pass and to finally be happy !.
  
  The cliffhanger is a doozie! And don’t get me started on Abigail’s life an how it’s going to end! Or even begin ! I hope Abigail will find love in one of the two guys that she’s interested in and the Miles won’t give up on Shelby and choose her an show her what love is like and she can lean on her to heal and not be the broken girl who’s use to !
• 
  Jenni Pugh

  This book…was not good. I saw it on tiktok and thought I’d give it a try.
  
  Too much trauma without explanation and too many ends left untied. It’s like she forgot about her whole life before she headed back to her hometown.
  
  I’m also so confused about why there are so many POVs rather than them having their own books(maybe they do but I’ll never find out).
  
  And this mystery cliff hanger? It’s no surprise, especially since it had to do with a druggie. Of course she’s going to show up and ask for money.
• 
  Maranda

  Definitely liked the premise of this book but it’s very short and felt rushed. The development of the relationship doesn’t seem very realistic at all and the ending doesn’t feel like an end. It’s not even a cliffhanger the story just moves onto a second book that should just be a part of this one.☹️
• 
  Mary Grace King

  i bought this book because i kept seeing that scene on tiktok and instagram where he’s like “don’t say you love my daughter like she’s your own” because i thought it would transition into some like really hot scene but it did not and i was genuinely so disappointed like this book is so not worth it.
  
  i feel like every scene was the same but nothing actually happened in any of them. there was zero character development and we never learned anything substantial about any of the characters. then the romance was finally starting to pick up but the book ended. like what? i feel like the only thing i know about shelby is that she has feeling for miles but she really doesn’t even know how she actually feels. and don’t even get me started on abigail’s chapters… they added nothing to the book and were completely unnecessary… and she’s not even a big character like i get she’s supposed to be friends with shelby but that relationship never developed. and what happened to missy? and the rest of the drama from 10 years ago? it was briefly mentioned in the beginning and then they kept making vague references to it throughout the book but all the conversations about it were like “miles i-“ “shelby don’t” and “shelby i-“ “miles don’t” so…
  
  i was initially going to give this book 3 stars and then i thought more about it and i was like why would i do that it was genuinely terrible so i gave it 2 stars. then i thought about how i spent $4 on this book on ibooks and that compelled me to give it 1 star because i only read free books or illegally downloaded epubs online.
  
  i would not recommend this book. also would like to add that i wonder how authors feel if they read the reviews and they are all calling their book bad… like i feel bad for them but also you wrote a bad book and these are the consequences. lol sorry not sorry
• 
  Stardust

  Story is all over the place.
• 
  glenda

  the s in shelby stands for stupidandimmature and the only likeable part of this was miles and his daughter. i have, once again, been betrayed by booktok.
• 
  Leonie

  It’s a BIG no for me. I bought this book because of TikTok - do I need to say more? I REGRET IT! It was supposed to be a story about a girl that has a crush on the single dad next door. But what nobody tells you is that they are “ex”-step siblings (parents divorced). That’s the first ich about this book. Then there is the alternating POV that switches between Shelby (MC), Miles (single dad) and Abigail (supposedly new bff of MC) almost every chapter. I was hella confused and couldn’t follow along for the first third to first half of the book. Later I found out it wasn’t a stand alone, as I had thought, bist just part 1 of a series.
  
  Shelby was just fired and wants to maintain this big, shining image of a successful woman (which she apparently is not because she needs to make a deal with a Ken-wannabe to be seen together in public and get publicity). Due to the will reading of her deceased grandma she ends up at Harmony Inn which is run by Miles. She just fucked me up. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to fuck her stepbrother or not. And then there is the repetitive mention of a miscarriage, an accident and an ex of hers. Somehow all those link back to Miles, which is a cause for her ‘undying’ hate for him. Fucking hypocrite gets drunk in the last chapter(s) and then almost jumps Miles…
  The book ends here…
  
  And don’t get me started on MILES. He is a walking RED FLAG. I mean the way he acts around Belle (his daughter) ist kinda cute but that’s where it ends. I’m his earlier days he supposedly had the attitude of a jock and changed since then. Little secret: he DID NOT!
  
  Just to show you what I mean when I say this man gives me the ick: Somewhere in the story he wants to blow off some steam and gets in to his self-build ‘gym’. He notices that Shelby is watching and:
  
  That realisation caused blood to pump through my veins. Suddenly, I needed to prove myself to this woman. Call it animalistic. Call it carnal. But I wanted her to see what I could do.
  
  As well as
  
  This garage. My wights. It was my connection to the man inside of me. (His response to the way he dresses his own daughter - in pink)
  
  And one time Shelby helped making breakfast for the guest at the Inn and got some flour on her cheek:
  
  “Taking care of people. Once a dad, always a dad.”
  
  Her train of thoughts after that were:
  
  He was a dad, and it was cute that being a dad wasn’t something he could compartmentalise. He was protective. And there was something about the way he insisted on being protective if me that made my whole body feel light. It was probably because I never had a dad in my life.
  
  CALL HIM DADDY ALREADY. Why fuss around it????
  
  I kinda liked Abigail but that’s it.
  
  
  I can only repeat myself. I regret buying this book and I finished it after I put it back on my bookshelf for the last 1,5 years.
• 
  Nyssa

  Shelby = Whiney; Miles = Whimpy; Abigail = Weak; Anders = Wild, and Bash = Wierd!
  
  None of them speak their mind, yet they all want the others to do so. The constant tension between the various couples got annoying! And, for the longest time (90% of the book), the story felt like it went... nowhere. Then, just as we edged toward some resolution, it ended on a cliffhanger. Why?
  
  The added drama felt both confusing and unnecessary. The core of this story has been so vague it doesn't warrant that ending. One would think that the second book would deal with another couple, but we haven't come to a checkpoint or resting point with the first.
  
  It's frustrating. I want to know how couple #1's story plays out, but I don't know if I want to delve deeper into the others, at least not yet. It's a good enough ploy to get readers to continue the series unless they really hated this one.
  
  I'm willing to give it a go, but I won't promise a third. It has to get better.
• 
  Marissa

  underwhelming
  
  This book had some hype so I was excited for this when I pre-ordered but the writing felt very Wattpad to me and the storyline… so much nothing happened for a 231 page book. Maybe it just didn’t resonate with me but I felt like the whole storyline was empty and just filler scenes with a little plot in there and I felt like the writing let the story down too. Also maybe it’s just me but even ex step siblings is weird for me.
• 
  Sara

  I absolutely loved reading this book! The relationship between Miles and Shelby sent shivers up my spine. I was disappointed to see the book end on a cliffhanger, but at the same time I cannot wait to read the second book to see what happens between them! :) And oh, I cannot forget about Abigail and Anders & he's "creepy" roommate. I hope they have a cute ending as well.
• 
  Alaina

  RTC
• 
  bailey

  This was good minus the cliff hanger and the other pov of someone who isn’t apart of the couple.
• 
  Quinn's Quippy Quotes

  This was just ok but to be honest, I was looking for just ok. It was fluffy with some decent angst to keep it interesting but I have no plans to continue with this series for now.
• 
  Amber Novoselac

  Her books are cute but lack any sort of depth. The plots holes are so big a semi truck could drive through.
• 
  Erica Glaskin-Clay

  All things aside, the fact that this was about a step sister-step brother “falling in love” is weird and gross. Other than that, it’s absolutely disappointing. I got pulled in from the Insta ads and fell for it. Mentioned in other reviews, the ad focused on one “intimate” scene from the book. I kept reading to find it but finally got to it near the end and was too determined to finish it hoping that it would be good. Just like the book starts, it ends flat. There is zero character development, some scenes are incomplete and lacking any evidence of research, and just feels like a mess of a storyline. Characters are introduced, very sloppily described, and then quickly ignored.
  
  It’s understandable that as part of a series, you want some cliff hangers but it’s hard to create tension when you’re not invested into the web of half baked characters and stories. Serious review aside, the authors overuse of the word “startled” drove me nuts and ignoring everything else that I disliked about it, would be the sole cause for me to not read another book from her. Generously gave it two stars.
• 
  Sonya Wasden

  Shelby and Miles have history and not all of it is good. When Shelby is called back to Harmony Island six months after her grandmother's funeral, she is at a low point. She had just lost her job in New York but knows there is no way she can stay in Harmony Island. There is just too much bad history with the townspeople, and especially with Miles.
  
  Miles is Shelby's ex-stepbrother. They had always gotten along well until he helped destroy her life one night. Shelby just can't forgive him for ruining her life. Miles has loved Shelby for years and he knows she was hurt by his actions but he only wanted to protect her and make her happy. He could see things she couldn't see.
  
  I liked this story and I want to know more but I am really not a fan of books that end on a cliffhanger drawing you to the next book in order to finish the story. I prefer the story to be somewhat resolved and, if I choose to, I can read the next book in the series to learn more.
  
  I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.
• 
  Ebony Watson

  Almost there
  
  I’d rate this a 3.5.
  
  I did enjoy this book. The relationship between the main characters definitely left me with questions. It’s a weird one to say the least.
  
  I like the small town setting with local gossips and hidden pasts, budding romances. Single hot dad trip etc.
  
  I think there was something familiar about the plot and writing but none the less I was sold on most of the story.
  
  However just when it was getting to the juicy bits after a slow burn it ended suddenly. I felt it could have continued further but I guess I’ll have to wait for the next instalment.
• 
  G

  2.5 ⭐ if goodreads had a half star system.
  
  This has all of the makings of a Hallmark movie in book form if you're into that. Don't get me wrong, I love romance novels but this one has no real plot to speak of besides the romance and the beginning which prompts the main female character to head back home
  
  Half way through the book I was still confused as to who the main love interest was and it was unclear if Shelbly found him to be her ex-stepbrother or a potential romance partner.
  
  There is also a secondary romance in the background concerning Abigail which seems to come out of nowhere and has no clear direction besides romance.
  
  The ending is ubrupt and feels unresolved by the end.
• 
  Emily Andrew

  This book was not great but could have been easily improved by getting rid of Abigail’s POV. If the author started integrating her POV into the sequel, that would have made way more sense. That aside, the characters were incredibly underdeveloped and I feel absolutely nothing towards them. Disappointing.
  All of that being said, clearly the author knows how to sell a book because I was easily influenced. So points there I guess.
• 
  Becca Ramsey

  This book has so much potential, but it is so hard to get through. There are to many character POVs and it makes it hard to get any type of character development. It’s following two different love stories and changing between 3-4 characters.
  
  When you do start so see them come together it’s just a roller coaster and hardly ANY romance. If the author would have followed one story line and gave the characters some well developed story lines this story had so much potential.