After having read so many thrillers, Stephen King horrors, and vampire books lately, I was expecting every turn of the page of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman to bring something terrible. But, I was pleasantly surprised. Not to say that bad things did not happen to Ceecee Honeycutt. They did, in spades, but the title of the book is Saving Ceecee Honeycutt, after all. Without giving too much away, I will try to inspire you to read this book, because it will make you feel good all over.

Ceecee’s mother was a Southern Belle of the 1950s, married to an older man and spirited across the Mason-Dixon to the uncivilized Northern wilds of Ohio. She missed her home state desperately and struggled with mental illness. As her loving daughter, Ceecee tried to live with her mother’s foibles and eccentricities, but they took a toll on the young girl.

Enter her Great Aunt Talulah, Oletta Jones, Mrs. O’Dell, and the eclectic mix of ladies in Savannah, Georgia. One summer they take on the task of saving a young girl who is lost and tangled in the tatters of her life. The South offers hospitality, warmth, humor and love. There were several scenes that brought a tear to my eye.

This won’t be a long review because I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone, so suffice it to say that I highly recommend this book. It is a light read that had me coming back for more every day. The book doesn’t delve too far into racial tensions in 1967 Georgia, but if you are looking for a happy ending, this is the book for you.