Thank you Netgally for this ARC for an exchange of an honest review.

Good book, I enjoyed it. Recommend it.

I love Ms Carolyn's books and this was no exception. Her books always leave me happy. She has the gift of writing beautiful romance books.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, which reminded me of a clean Hallmark movie. Sissy returns to a small town to say goodbye to her beloved aunt. Her aunt’s best friends and members of the Sunshine Club, Ina Mae and Gussie, share this story with her. This story was in part about them getting over her aunt Bee’s death and in part, about Sissy finding herself, including in the arms of Luke, the pastor. This was a slow paced story with humorous parts (the birds were a hoot) and some swoons. Lots of religious undertones (pastor, after all) Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an early read.

I just reviewed The Sunshine Club by Carolyn Brown. #TheSunshineClub #NetGalley
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I really enjoyed this book. It shows that family isn't defined by DNA, but by who loves and cares for you. The three women of the sunshine club are all successful women that have shared a lifetime together. When one of them dies they decide to be matchmakers for the niece of the deceased so they can keep her close by. The story includes a vodka loving bird that used to be a bar bird that adds levity to various situations. It's a clean small town romance. Enjoy!

Light hearted and quick read. Loved the 2 older female characters. Didn’t enjoy this book as much as her others but recommend it for a quick read to escape. Thanks for the advanced copy NetGalley. #NetGalley # SunshineClub

Thankyou to #NetGalley and #Montlake for an ARC of #TheSunshineClub by #CarolynBrown.

Blanche, Gussie and Ina Mae, have been best friends for over sixty years.
After Blanche sadly dies, her niece Sissy arrives to deal with her aunt’s affairs.
Gussie and Ina Mae, promptly set about match making for Sissy. While Sissy is also busy trying to do the same for both of them.
Add in Blanche’s pet bird who does an uncanny impression of his deceased owner, swears and drinks vodka and this book is really rather special.
A bit slow to get going, but once it did, it really was a great read. Funny, warm and inspiring.
These women have truely lived, and it was refreshing to read a book that celebrates mature women and everything they have to offer.

I loved the title and the pretty cover.
A very enjoyable 4 stars from me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication date 7/12/21

Returning to her aunts hometown for a funeral turned out to be a trip down memory lane revealing lots that Sissy never knew about her dear aunt Blanche and the rest of the sunshine club ladies Ida Mae and Gussie. All ladies in their seventies lived most of their lives together as wondrous friends. An eternal support group. Finishing each other’s sentences with ease. THE SUNSHINE CLUB offers a look into the sixties triggering lots of memories for me as well as I’m sure many readers will attest to. Dress codes. Antiquated ideas of propriety for young women. Well you get the picture.
In THE SUNSHINE CLUB Carolyn Brown amassed quite a cast of characters. Two amazingly intelligent spinsters, town full of nosy people, and a crippled rooster and alcoholic bird. Can’t fault this author for her ingenious character development and in this story, you will have to boost your humor quotient.
In the end it’s all about love. That’s what the sunshine club was all about, matchmaking. Their newest target is Sissy. Ida Mae and Gussie want Sissy to stay. Live in the house she inherited from her aunt Bee. They justify their intrusion into her life with an altruistic goal. This small town could really use a therapist. Hence Sissy.
But who to match Sissy with. Has to be someone above reproach. Clean record. For their girl no cheaters, alcoholics, bad seeds. Well there is really only one choice the preacher Luke.
Blanche aka aunt Bee must be turning in her grave. But the deed is done. Time for matchmaking to commence. Time is of the essence.
So we have a good-looking preacher and the only child of performers in a hippy rock band. There is that thing called attraction, and both are free of any emotional entanglement at the moment. Distance is an issue. Sissy has seen in her work with married couples that long distance relationships are ripe with challenges.
As a longtime fan of things Carolyn Brown I must admit that THE SUNSHINE CLUB reached a new level of excellence for this amazing creative prolific author. It showcases the inner strength of all folks. Belief in goodness, love and faith can absolutely shape lives. Such is the case of the most wondrous cast of characters that star in THE SUNSHINE CLUB. Of course there are challenges. It is how we meet those that determine the future.

Sissy’s only relative Aunt Blanche has passed away and Sissy reconnects with Blanche’s two lifelong best friends, Gussie and Ina Mae at her funeral to follow her wishes to the letter.

Sissy grew up travelling from place to place in her musician parents’ RV and being homeschooled. Her aunt’s home was her centre of being, especially when both parents passed away at the same time.

Sissy is having as hard a time dealing with the loss of Aunt Blanche as Gussie and Ina Mae are. The three friends have been there for each other and their community their whole lives.

Only Blanche was married for six disastrous weeks, but the other two never married. They have been busy matchmakers though and decide that Sissy can do with some help, as can the attractive preacher Luke.

Sissy knows what they are up to though and decides that two can play at that game.

This is a sweet Southern story (lots of sweet tea and country music references) with a bit of chaste lust, religion and meddling parishioners thrown in the mix. Happily ever afters guaranteed…. 📚❤️

I have read a few books by Carolyn Brown so I was excited to read this one. This book is about two life-long friends moving forward after the death of their best friend, Blanche. Blanche's niece, Sissy, arrives and becomes close with her aunt's best friends and also befriends the local preacher. This book fell flat for me and I was very bored. I love dialogue, but there was WAY too much of it and it felt unnecessary. The characters had very little character development throughout the story. Unfortunately, I was just not interested or connected and had to skim to the end to get this one finished.

The Sunshine Club
by Carolyn Brown
Gussie, Ina Mae, and Blanche have been best friends for more than sixty years. From their humble beginnings of founding the Sunshine Club when they were girls to becoming the matchmaking queens of Newton, Texas, these three were inseparable. When Blanche passes away, Gussie and Ina Mae feel the best way to honor their dearly departed is with a shot of whiskey, some good music, and making a match for Blanche’s niece, Sissy.
I loved the ladies. Yes, they are church-going women who drink, swear and love the sunshine club. They were tough ladies, they take over Siddy after her Aunt Blanche passed away suddenly during the Christmas holiday. They want Sissy married with kids and work their magic., but in the end they find some match-making from Sissy.

If books were deserts then this would be a big slice of homemade apple pie with lashings of cream. Just delightful from beginning to end. My from rat foray into the works of Carolyn Brown but certainly won't be my last! Loved the journey

The Sunshine Club is a heartwarming story about three old friends, Blanche, Ina Mae, and Gussie who have seen each other through good and bad times. The worst of times being the untimely passing of Blanche, always considered the strong one. It’s also a story about Blanche’s niece, Sissy, who inherits not only the estate, and the remaining two friends, but also a rooster and a cockatiel with a rather colorful vocabulary. In the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas Ina Mae and Gussie decide to play matchmaker in an attempt to keep Sissy in town. Carolyn Brown understands the dynamics of small towns and the personalities that inhabit them so her stories always ring true. This one is a joy to read. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

I’ve always loved reading Carolyn Brown, but this one was not one of my favorites. Too much dialogue back and forth and not enough character development to have me care about any of them. Except Blanche. She was sassy and independent and a formidable lady, albeit dead, you hear her voice through the thoughts of the characters. When Blanche’s niece comes to this small town for her Aunt Bee’s funeral, she is embraced by the Blanche’s friends Ina Mae and Gussie, fellow members of the Sunshine Club. Fast friends since childhood, they have a history of doing good and yet also getting into trouble. They also keep a scrapbook of their matchmaking successes and they set their sights on matchmaking Sissy with the town preacher to keep her in town permanently. Although it a feel-good story, it was very predictable. I was hoping for so much more. This is a fast read of a story of celebrating one you’ve loved and lost and a story of hope.

Many thanks to #netgalley #carolynbrown #the sunshineclub for allowing me to read and review this book.

This was a heartwarming story about family and friends, and about finding love after loss.

Blanche, Ina Mae and Gussie were part of the Sunshine Club and were long time friends. Blance suddenly passed away leaving behind Ina Mae, Gussie and her niece Sissy. Ina Mae and Gussie decide to play matchmaker to help deal with their grief while Sissy decides to do her own matching.

For me, this story started out slow, the first chapter felt especially slow, but I quickly got wrapped up in the story, and even though it was a bit predictable at times, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The Sunshine Club by Carolyn Brown is a contradictory story. I know. That is a strange way to describe a book. But let me explain. The Sunshine Club. is really about death. It starts with a funeral. And death is discussed throughout the entire book. It is filled with heartbreak and tears. But it is contradictory because the Sunshine Club is really a sweet, happy story about love and family.. And there actually is a Sunshine Club. We meet Sissy who is grieving the loss of her precious Aunt Bee. Left to mourn Aunt Bee are also Aunt Bee's two best friends Ina Mae and Gussie. The book makes me sad that I did not have an aunt Bee and a Gussie and Ina Mar growing up. See what I mean by contradictory? After the passing of Aunt Beethey are all left to try to continue and keep her memory alive. While struggling to do this they learn to come together and form a new family and a new future without Aunt Bee. I definitely encourage everyone to read this book and to take the lessons that Carolyn Brown imparts throughout each page. Never take a day for granted, never take a loved one for granted and be grateful for family whether it's by blood or by love.
I voluntarily received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

Heartbreak, love, laughter, friends, family…. this book has it all. This one started a little slow for me, and it wasn’t my favorite, but it still delivered everything I’ve come to expect from a Carolyn Brown book.

Thank you #netgalley and #montlake for the eARC.

Gussie, Ina Mae, and Blanche have been best friends for more than sixty years. From their humble beginnings of founding the Sunshine Club when they were girls to becoming the matchmaking queens. Lovely setting and easy characters to relate.

I DNF’ed this book before the romance really got started (at a little over 20%). I couldn’t get in to it.. partly because the conversations and flow felt a bit stilted, but I also has a few specific issues with the story. The heroine, Sissy, thinks of herself as two different people - Sissy, the ‘common as dirt’ side who’s a bit fun, and ‘Martina’ the professional psychiatrist side. Which doesn’t seem like a healthy psych profile to begin with. Also it referenced COVID at the beginning, but overall felt old-fashioned ~ she was shocked at her aunt smoking weed in the 70s, said she could lose her license if she was caught skinny dipping, they made it a point to repeatedly say they didn’t drink too much. I’m not sure if that was because it was rural Texas, but it was pulled me out of the story.
In edition, some of the background info is repeated multiple times but in a way that ps clear it’s to explain to the reader and it makes it feel stilted. About the aunts and her friends jobs, through the first 20%, and the family history and short lived marriage, when all these characters would have been aware of this all but are explaining it to the reader via awkward and repetitive conversations.
In the end, I couldn’t get past that part to what may have been a good romance. Hoping it works out for others who read further.

I'm a huge fan of Carolyn Brown, so I was very grateful to receive an ARC of this book. I could not put it down. When Aunt Bea (Blanche) died unexpectedly, her niece Sissy was left to pick up the pieces, along with Beas two best friends, Ina Mae and Gussie. I loved everything about this book. Ina Mae and Gussie took Sissy under their wing like she was one of their own. Aunt Bea's cockatiel, Danny Boy, made me laugh out loud with his crazy outbursts. The 2 women are trying to play matchmaker with Sissy and the young attractive pastor named Luke, but Sissy is wise to what they're up to. This book has a great small town family feel, and makes you want to get to know these characters and visit this small town where everybody knows everyone, which isn't always a good thing when you've got a nosy town gossip to keep the rumor mill going.
What a great read!! Carolyn Brown does not disappoint!