On the blog today I have a review of Judge’s Girls by Sharina Harris on book blogger tour for Suzy Approved Book Tours!

Release Date: October 27, 2020

Kensington Publishing Corporation

About The Book: 

”Written with powerful emotional honesty, warmth and humor, JUDGE’S GIRLS is a must-read.”

—Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author

Three very different women. Only one thing in common. But when their family patriarch dies and they must share his estate, the truths they discover will test them—and everything they think they know about each other.

Beloved Georgia judge Joseph Donaldson was known for his unshakable fairness, his hard-won fortune—and a scandalous second marriage to his much-younger white secretary. Now he’s left a will with a stunning provision. In order to collect their inheritance, his lawyer daughter Maya, her stepmother Jeanie, and Jeanie’s teen daughter, Ryder, must live together at the family lake house. Maya and Jeanie don’t exactly get along, but they reluctantly agree to try an uneasy peace for as long as it takes . . .

But fragile ex-beauty queen Jeanie doesn’t know who she is beyond being a judge’s wife—and drinking away her insecurities has her in a dangerous downward spiral. Fed up with her mother’s humiliating behavior, Ryder tries to become popular at school in all the wrong ways. And when Maya attempts to help, she puts her successful career and her shaky love life at risk. Now with trouble they didn’t see coming—and secrets they can no longer hide—these women must somehow find the courage to admit their mistakes, see each other for who they really are—and slowly, perhaps even joyfully, discover everything they could be.

Miss W’s Review:

Judge’s Girls by Sharina Harris tells the story of what happens when a center of a family passes away.

In Judge’s Girls, the judge was Judge Joseph Donaldson who was a fair Judge and respected by everyone in the community. The judge was a father to Maya and a husband to Jeannie and a stepfather to Ryder.

After he passes, its discovered that there is a caveat in the will that says that the three “girls” must live together for an entire year before they can inherit. The time frame for this book is that year.

The setting for the story is in the south, in Georgia. The story is told in multiple POV of each of the girls.

There are strong racial themes in this story. The Judge and his daughter Maya are black and Jeannie and Ryder are white. There are also themes of alcoholism, grief and family dynamics.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I mean LOVED. The author crafted complex, complicated yet well developed characters.

The dynamics of the family were well written. Amongst the serious tone, there were laugh out loud moments, I especially enjoyed the funeral scene.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves women’s fiction and stories that are diverse and real . This is a #ownvoices story not to be missed!

About the Author:

Sharina Harris, who also writes under the name Rina Gray, is the author of women’s fiction and contemporary romances. After earning her degree from Georgia State University, she first pursued a career in digital marketing and public relations before turning to writing. She is a Romance Slam Jam Debut Novelist of the Year nominee and her romances under the name Rina Gray were named Book Riot Must Read Romantic Comedies. An active member of RWA, she is the Director of Communications for the Georgia chapter of Romance Writers of America. When Sharina’s not writing, she can be found with her head stuck in a book, yelling for her favorite NBA teams, and spending time with friends and family. Sharina resides in Atlanta with her husband and son. Visit her at www.SharinaHarris.com

Until the next chapter,

Wilfrieda