With a title like Once Upon a Time in Dollywood, most romance readers are going to pick this one up quickly. I mean most of us love Dolly Parton so it’s a no-brainer.
Coupled with the book’s gorgeous cover, this one feels like it was made for us but the book does beyond that. While we’ll get into the plot in a second, I wanted to share a few notes before starting.
This book deals heavily with infertility and miscarriages so if that’s something you’re sensitive to, be sure to take care of yourself first. Additionally, the main character’s grandmother has passed away so she’s also dealing with some grief from that.
The title might have thinking one thing but this book is much deeper than the title might suggest.
Once Upon a Time in Dollywood is an emotional romance.
This story begins with Eve who is reeling after another miscarriage and can’t seem to figure out what’s going on in her life. To try to figure things out, she calls off her engagement and goes to Tennessee to work on her next play. At first, she isn’t sure what to do or how to feel until she meets Jamie.
Jamie owns the cabin next to her grandmother’s and Eve doesn’t want to trust him or be around him. She doesn’t know why her grandmother would want some white boy in her home. At first, Eve is very standoffish but she quickly warms up to Jamie.
While the two are frosty at first, their attraction is undeniable and they end up starting to sleep together. Once things get more serious, Eve is ready to back off as she’s not sure if she’s ready to meet Jamie’s son. However, things come to a head for Eve all at once and we witness her falling apart which isn’t easy to read.
If anything, Ashley Jordan doesn’t shy away from the more uncomfortable parts of Eve’s breakdown. Even so, seeing Eve work on herself and get better is so satisfying. The same can be said about Jamie as he’s learning to co-parent with his ex and his life isn’t sunshine and rainbows either. These are two people dealing with a lot who have to be apart before they can fully be together.
As you might guess, the highlight of this book is their trip to Dollywood which felt so romantic and something out of a movie. I could just imagine this and it seemed so vivid. As long as you can handle the topics featured in this book, I think it’s worth a read but it is a heavy and emotional read at times so be prepared.
Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan releases on August 5th.
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