Carolyn Brown is a favorite author I found through Net Galley. She writes endearing stories of emotion, family and connections with people. This is a charming story of a naive girl inheriting her Aunt's estate with more morney then she can imagine. As a reader the theme of most womens fiction of late seems to be inheritance and I feel it detracts from featuring main characters as independent and self made. This was a main character who did stand up for herself among the wealth she inherited and how she made a life that mattered in small town Texas. A sweet story of growth with a light romance touch. This is a nice read with Texas culture at the heart of the story

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.,

Do you wish you knew a secret? Maybe you would be better off if you didn't. Sometimes the thing you find out will change everything that you held dear. It could be the dark cloud hanging over your family, but someone is trying to protect you. It seems all families have secrets, but maybe you really don't need to know what they are. This book is a great read about trying to find out the family secret!

Lila Mathews has come home to Ditto, TX because her wonderful and feisty Great-Aunt Grace has passed away and has left her entire estate to Lila. Which included a house, a strawberry field and more money than she could spend in one lifetime. She also left behind a secret that she went to the grave with, and Lila will give it her best to figure it out with clues she finds when cleaning out the house.

The town has gossiped for years to figure out this secret and while Lila is trying to find the truth of all the gossip, she uncovers things about her aunt she never knew and just how strong and generous who aunt really was and all the people she helped through the years. Lila wants to be just like her. Lila also become friends with the grandson of the man who leased the strawberry fields and when she starts to have more than just friendly feelings, she has to figure out her own future first, before Love messes thing up.

Family secrets and closets full of skeletons make for a good story. When Carolyn Brown writes them it makes for a great story. She fills this story with her classic characters like Jasper, Davis and Aunt Gracie who you come to know while Lila is cleaning out the past to make room for the future. Lila and Connor's friendship and the path to their future will make you sigh and smile with each turn of the page. I read this book from start to finish in one day and was so sorry to see it end, I will have to read it again and I don't do that with a lot of books, but with Carolyn Brown's books I surely do.

I received a copy for this book publisher and Netgalley and have gave my honest review.

The Party Line is another fantastic book by the writing machine that is Carolyn Brown - she's got over 130 published books so far!

First things first, the party line has nothing to do with politics, but all to do with the old fashioned telephone exchanges where a real person operator would connect you to the person you wanted to speak with.

Small towns have their secrets, and Aunt Grace was supposedly the keeper of a very bid one.

In this warm and feel good story we get a bit of mystery, small town gossip, admiration and romance. All nicely mixed up to create an enjoyable story.

Aunt Grace has recently passed away leaving everything to Lila, the niece she treated like her own granddaughter. The neighbour, Jasper, was Grace's oldest friend and he was always like a grandfather to Lila, and he's providing great support to Lila as she deals with the loss of her aunt. Connor is another person who brings depth and extra meaning to the story.

Highly recommended.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Lila returns home and is noticing many changes in the small town. Her grandmother passed away with a secret that she held for decades. Luka tried to get information from her mom, but she had no idea of what the secret could be. An enjoyable read

Another fun story from Carolyn Brown. She makes the characters come to life with her writing and you find yourself wrapped up in the town and the story. I love seeing new books pop up as available to read. Carolyn's stories are great, and are a great escape. Thanks for the advance copy.

Really lovely story about friendship. Lovely characters and a nice plot. I also like that we get an epilogue for the ‘happy ever after’ finish. Beach day read

“The Party Line” is by Carolyn Brown. I’ve read a few of Ms. Brown’s books before, so I’ve come to expect a sweet story with a Southern flair, reminding me of summer days I spent visiting grandparents in the South. This book was no exception. This book is part romance and part mystery. It was a bit slow in the beginning but picked up as the story (and characters) were more established. I cannot say this was my favorite of all of Ms. Brown’s books, but if you like her writing, do pick this one up.

Carolyn Brown is such a great storyteller. I enjoy her works. She has such a talent for creating such rich characters.

Lila has inherited her great aunt’s estate. Apparently there’s some big secret surrounding aunt Grace estate and the party line where back in the day secrets were discovered that way. As she goes through aunt Grace’s belongings, it changes the course of her life.

This is such a sweet story and I love the small town description. There were a lot of interesting side characters, I really enjoy the relationship between Lila and Jasper.

Some romance, mystery, family, being supportive, and finding one’s place.

I love the romance between Lila and Connor, even though it wasn’t such a big part of the story it was still really sweet and I adore the epilogue.

pacing was a little bit slow at times so I did put this book down a couple times but overall, a really good read.

I struggled to connect with this story and I am not sure why. I’ve loved Carolyn Brown since I read The Ladies Room, so it might be me. I didn’t connect with the MC, and I didn’t feel invested in finding out the secret of the house. This was a DNF for me, unfortunately.

The party line by Carolyn Brown is a must read! The Party Line takes its readers through the many emotions of returning home and dealing with history, loss, family secrets, and new beginnings. The descriptive writing used by the author helps to paint the picture of this small town and makes it come to life for the reader. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish!

#NetGalley #ThePartyLine

This was such a fun, light read. Lovely characters, wholesome story and all about good feelings.
We all need a Miz Gracie in our worlds, folk like that make things better for everyone.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

Wonderful book about family—both blood and adopted. The small town and its characters are absolutely lovable. I enjoyed finding out more and more about Aunt Gracie along with Lila. I particularly liked that while there was romance it wasn’t the main plot. I also loved reading about young people taking care of their elders and listening to their stories.

A very good book and one I very much enjoyed.
Wonderful characters and a great storyline.
I finished this book in one day it was so good.
I enjoyed learning about the strawberries and sometimes just thinking about them made me drool. I love strawberries. Who doesn't?!
There were times that Jasper made me laugh. But most times I just SMH. Old codger. Lila definitely had her hands full.
I did NOT like Derrick. A very selfish person indeed. Richard too.
Just a wonderful story all the way around.
5 stars for keeping me entertained. I highly recommend.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

This is the first book I've read by this author, so I didn't really know what to expect. I enjoyed the story and liked the characters. However, it moved a bit slow for me. It was easy for me to walk away from, and I wasn't ever anxious to get back to it, so it took me several days to finish. I didn't consider not finishing it, though, so that's a win for me. Despite it not being quite the pace I prefer, it is well written, making it obvious that this is a seasoned author who knows how to develop characters and keep the plot focused.

I truly loved this book. Lila was amazing and learned so much about herself and her family. Don't forget falling in love as well.

My Thoughts

Small does not even come close when describing the town of Ditto, Texas.

For Lila Matthews the truth is that Aunt Gracie’s passing and the inheritance she left Lila comes with mixed feelings on her part, as does moving back to Ditto.

Those feelings are explored in depth as Lila finds out more about the dearly departed woman she loved so very much, things she is both amazed and amused by in turn.

The story we are told grabbed me right from its first chapter and never let me go.

What comes across loud and clear is that no matter what you think you know about someone you actually know very little except what they show you.

Once again family is explored and its members vary from blood relation to family chosen and what a group of characters those people turn out to be.

The romance is there as well but it stays secondary to Aunt Grace’s story as Lila learns along with the reader just how very special the lady really was.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
[EArc from Netgalley]
On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. I needed a change of pace after a very wordy book. This was just what I needed. Such a fun read. Makes a wonderful beach read.

Loved this book! Incredible story, wonderful characters. I am a big fan of this author’s work and was not disappointed. Would read this book again.