This was a slow paced read and it took me a while to get through it, but I did like the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

The Sunshine Club introduces us to Gussie and Ina Mae, two of the three members of The Sunshine Club. The ladies, plus Blanche, have been friends since they were young, and when Blanche dies unexpectedly, they are devastated. Blanche's niece, Sissy, come to town for the funeral and to sell the house she has been left. Gussie and Ina Mae don't want her to leave so they hatch a plan. They are meddlers and are know to make matches, so they set their sites on Sissy and the new handsome preacher, Luke Beauchamps. The problem is that there are a few of the members, who are self-righteous and bigoted and will do whatever they can to keep Sissy away from Luke. Will Sissy find where she belongs? Will Luke lost his job if he dates, Sissy?

This was a heartwarming story with a lot of humor, friendship, sense of community with a Christian base. I really liked Sissy, Gussie, Ina Mae, and Luke. They were a great group who cared about others, their community, and the church while dealing with their grief. They supported one another and I loved the matchmaking that went on by Ina Mae and Gussie as well as what Luke and Sissy were doing for the ladies. There was a lot of humorous banter, and those older ladies were full of sass. There are a couple of ornery birds, a rooster and a cockatiel that are hilarious. With the self-righteous trying to do whatever it takes to keep Luke and Sissy apart, and Luke not willing to kowtow to them. There were a lot of emotions in this story, but overall, it was an uplifting read that I enjoyed.

I have always enjoyed reading this women's fiction author. With her fun and uplifting characters, her encouraging plots and feel-good characters what's not to love. I will always pick up one of her books to read.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. I good women's fiction novel. Love the cover.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Thank you for the ARC. Really enjoy reading this author. Most of her books will leave you feeling happy and refreshed.

A great book that will put a smile on your face. I lost myself for a little while in this lovely book about friendship by Carolyn Brown. This author never fails to impress me amd I recommend this one..

We've loved books by Carolyn Brown. It's only a matter of time before we include one of her lovely stories in our subscription box for writers. We would have loved to include this one but missed the print run. Next time!

~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~

Not only did I get a copy of The Sunshine Club from NetGalley, I also won a Goodreads Giveaway copy of this book!

Carolyn Brown is one of my favorite authors. I adore the eccentric and charismatic characters she creates. The Sunshine Club follows a trio of "mature" women (Blanche, Ida Mae, and Gussie) who make up the Sunshine Club. When Blanche passes away, her beloved niece, Sissy returns to Texas to take care of her affairs. Sissy has always had fond memories of her Aunt Bee (Blanche) and her friends. While she is in town, she finds more than she expected, including finding herself. This is a book of family, friendship, grief, healing, and love. I highly recommend this feels-good book full of both humorous and sweet dialogue and scenes- including a cockateal with a dirty mouth.

This sweet quote sums The Sunshine Club up for me: "I don’t believe that DNA stuff makes families. The heart is what makes folks kin to each other.”
And this LOL quote is my favorite: "You about scared the pee out of me. Next time my pucker power might give out, and I just got this suit out of the cleaner’s."

I just love Carolyn Brown's sassy, southern, female characters!!

The Bottom Line: I am, overall, very consistent in what qualities will cause me to DNF a book or series. I have little patience with a tremendously slow-paced book; I understand the need to build a background and build up to a story, but slow pacing will kill a good story for me and cause me to DNF a title. I am also a very character-driven reader and if I can’t find something, literally anything to like in a set of characters, I’m going to DNF a title/series. Particularly irksome are characters that are flat and seemingly have no real personality. I have often stated that good characters can mask a mediocre plot, but bad characters can kill a potentially very good plot.

The Sunshine Club – Oh, wow! It greatly surprised me when I realized I wasn’t going to get through this book. Carolyn Brown has never let me down yet there is, clearly, a first time for everything. I stayed with this book longer than I should have because of the author and my track record with her writing. Unfortunately, those things weren’t enough to overcome the weirdness of the story and my lack of interest in the characters.

Sissy was all torn up by the sudden passing of her aunt. The trip down memory lane at the funeral with her aunt's besties only brought about the sad truth she had no more living relatives around. Reminiscing down memory lane for Sissy was good cause it also brought new memories and insights about her dearly departed aunt, whom she thought she knew very well. Finding love at such a traumatic function as a funeral was not tasteless, but it could be considered the budding of a new beginning.

THE SUNSHINE CLUB is a slow burn contemporary story that I was pulled in to from the very first page. To be honest, look at this cover that screamed at me to read it! How could you not see it and want to be in that field of wild flowers? I knew I would read it anyway, because I love Carolyn Brown, but the cover really pulled me in. I loved everything about this beautiful story and I’m excited to recommend it to my reading friends. Carolyn Brown always has a way of grabbing her readers and she never lets us go. There’s much to love about THE SUNSHINE CLUB. The small-town setting where everybody knows your name, the highly developed characters, including my favorites, a pair of feisty, sassy old friends who have Sissy’s back, life-altering tragedies, and redemption.

THE SUNSHINE CLUB really takes a turn that will have you unable to put this beautiful story down. Neither Sissy or Pastor Luke are looking for a relationship, but they can’t seem to ignore their growing feelings. So here we have these two crossing paths and each time, there is a pull to see more of each other. This causes all sorts of rumors, jealously, and gossip. Dealing with rumors and jealousy is not the only thing Sissy is gonna have to face. Sissy is already dealing with tons of grief with her Aunt Blanche’s passing. She doesn’t think it would be right to be happy about a new love interest. Still, she can’t help being attracted to Luke. It was cute watching these two dance around their feelings for each other.

THE SUNSHINE CLUB is filled with twists and turns and had me like a woman on a mission to finish! I had to know where Carolyn Brown was taking us and what would happen to Gussie and Ina Mae. I really loved how the whole community came to Sissy’s aid and only wanted her to feel loved and realize that she was home. There is so much heart in Carolyn’s writing that I’m always left with a huge smile on my face and my heart very happy. I could totally see THE SUNSHINE CLUB becoming a Hallmark movie and I would run to see it. All of the characters are very interesting and believable, so much so that I felt as if I’ve known them for a long time. I would love to hang out with Ina Mae and Gussie. I’m sure they could teach me a thing or two and I know they would keep my laughing all day long! I love how Carolyn does that to me each and every time.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.

This was such a great book with a unique storyline! I loved getting lost in the characters' lives and seeing how things came together in the end! <3
5/5 stars! Thanks to the publisher for the e-ARC!

I love Carolyn Brown and I know I'll have a great read no matter what title I pick up. This one is another keeper. Sissy returns home to bury her beloved Aunt Blanch. She is quickly mothered by Blanch's 2 life long friends, Gussie and Ina Mae. They are retired matchmakers but are sure they have one more match for Sissy to keep her in town. When Sissy meets the local preacher, Luke at Blanch's funeral it doesn't look like the matchmakers will have to work too hard. But a local busy body is out to sabotage their romance with threats to have him removed from the church. Not preachy or religious, this is a perfect read for a cold evening. Sweet and happy. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The MCs were all relatable ; I loved the laughter in their tears. I loved the hero & heroine's honesty & strength. I loved the pace and texture of the story & the real lives they "lived". But I was disappointed in the quality of their faith & walk at the end. I found it worth the read but wouldn't recommend it for young people. Language & adult challenges abound even though it is a mostly clean read.

Loved reading this book and author. If you haven't read it yet I highly recommend her and her books. Happy reading and enjoy

The Sunshine Club is a sweet, small town romance . I enjoyed Sissy and Luke's story.
I really live Carolyn Brown's style of writing.
This book put a smile on my face

Best book of the season. But I think I write this on all Carolyn Brown books. I want in. Into the book. I am a senior and relate to the seniors. I feel this book will be enjoyed by both the twenty something to sixty something readers. A must to read and a must to recommend and give a copy as a gift.

The Sunshine Club by Carolyn Brown is another novel with a women’s fiction foundation with a bit of contemporary romance thrown into the mix. The story is one that is told by changing the point of view between the characters as it goes on.

Gussie, Ina Mae, and Blanche met as children and have been in each other’s lives ever since. The three formed their own little group known as the Sunshine Club when they were young and lived by their rules of the club for the past sixty years and have become matchmakers to those around them in that time.

The time has now come for Gussie and Ina Mae to say goodbye to Blanche though as she suffered a heart attack and passed. Sissy has taken leave from her job when she got the news that her only living relative, Aunt Bee, had passed and come to Newton, Texas to also say goodbye. Gussie and Ina Mae aren’t too sure they want to also say goodbye to Sissy yet again and go about a plan to introduce her to the local preacher Luke Beauchamp to give her a reason to stay.

The Sunshine Club by Carolyn Brown was a lovely combination of friends, family and heartwarming times along with a little romance woven in. I loved that the older ladies were involved and enjoyed all their matchmaking antics while also enjoying getting to know Sissy and Luke and seeing them together. With that great small town vibe I’m drawn to and great characters it was definitely a story I became totally engaged and didn’t want to end.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Carolyn Brown writes friendship, small town, and relationships with simple country charm that invites the reader to slip into another world and wish they could kick off their shoes and stay awhile. Her latest women’s fiction tells a cross-generational tale of friendship, family where you make it, small town incidents, a dab of romance, and a dash of winter holiday cheer.

Sissy has just lost her beloved Aunt Bee and feels all the loneliness of no more living family. She has a thriving family and marriage therapy practice back home in Louisiana, but she is in her aunt’s Newton, TX for the next six weeks and her determination to leave is severely tested when her aunt’s best friends in the Sunshine Club work devilishly hard to give her a reason to stay. Sissy adores Gussie and Ina Mae, her aunt’s house with its old furnishings and quirky pets, and she even starts to love Newton and its small town oddities. However, she works hard not to fall for that handsome blue-eyed, kind-hearted preacher man who Gussie and Ina Mae determine as her perfect match. In fact, she might help Luke with the church Christmas program and enjoy helping with his parishioners in her work capacity and spending time with the man so that resistance is faltering, but she determines to turn the tables on those two scheming old ladies with a bit of matchmaking of her own. She’s not Blanche Ducaine’s niece for nothing, right? Meanwhile, the Christmas spirit and a little lesson about family not always being blood and Sissy might have found a reason to stay.

The Sunshine Club is quintessential Carolyn Brown from her feisty older ladies, close friendships and small town gossips, to her down home heartwarming, cozy book vibes. I enjoyed the rich history of friendship and memories that come out as Ina Mae and Gussie share their grief at losing a best friend alongside Sissy.
I didn’t realize this one was set during the holiday season until I started reading because I rarely read the blurbs anymore when it comes to her books. Loved the south Texas small town setting and fun to have the love interests all tied to their little local church.
I thought it was neat that Sissy was a relationship therapist for families and couples when she sees herself as all alone. And, yes, the author humorously has Sissy realize that what she advises for others might be the best advice she can take for herself. There is always the hilarious townsfolk and in this case a bossy, hypochondriac leads the pack and then, Blanche’s rescue pets- a disabled rooster and a discarded crotchety cockatiel steal the scenes.
While there is a romance, whew boy, is Luke a bit of sexy something for a preacher, but the focus is definitely healing from grief, friendship, and family. Oh, yes, and a couple side romances for Gussie and Ina Mae to show older gals and guys aren’t on the shelf yet.

All in all, it was comfy and engaging. It doesn’t jump into the story, but slips in and slowly builds momentum. Those who want something easygoing, low angst, and downright fun should give this women’s fiction holiday charmer a go.