๐๐ฅ Meet Harriet. But don’t be surprised if she isn’t interested in meeting you๐๐ฅ Harriet Hates Lemonade by Author Kim McCollum Book Tour & Giveaway
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Harriet Hates Lemonade
Book Summary
Meet Harriet. But don’t be surprised if she isn’t interested in meeting you.
Harriet has life all figured out, and she doesn’t hesitate to inform others of their shortcomings. Though her attempts to become president of the homeowner’s association failed, that doesn’t stop her from berating “off-leash-dog-man” or reporting the neighbor who had the audacity to leave their easter decorations up an entire week past the holiday. The problem is, unbeknownst to her, Harriet’s rigid rules and judgmental opinions are not her own.
Her ordered life plunges into chaos when a twelve-year-old neighbor knocks on Harriet's door seeking help because the girl’s father is physically abusing her mother. Reluctantly, Harriet comes to her neighbor’s aid and, in the process, recognizes her own insidious abuse which has unwittingly shaped her isolated, rigid existence. To escape her crushing loneliness, she must learn to break free from the patterns of control and isolation that have defined her life and learn to connect with people she previously viewed as heathens.
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
ASIN: B0G2YPGWHV
ISBN-10: 1685137059
ISBN-13: 978-1685137052
Print Length: 312 pages
Purchase a copy of Harriet Hates Lemonade on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org.
Be sure to also add it to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Author
Kim McCollum graduated from Barnard College with a major in Japanese and was soon navigating the hustle and bustle of Wall Street. When her first child was born, she stayed home to raise her children. Once they headed off to school, Kim finally found time to pursue her passion for writing. Her award-winning debut novel, WHAT HAPPENS IN MONTANA, was published in January 2024, and her short stories have appeared in several publications. She lived in Bozeman, Montana, with her supportive husband, Brian, and their blended menagerie of five kids and three spoiled pets.
You can find her online at:
Her website: https://kim-mccollum.com/
Twitter: https://x.com/KFMcCollum
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimmccollumauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author.kimmccollum/?hl=en
Advanced Praise for HARRIET HATES LEMONADE McCollum delivers a touching and subtly powerful story about self-discovery and unexpected connection. When Harriet’s carefully ordered life is disrupted by a neighbor in need, she’s drawn into a journey that challenges everything she thought she knew about herself. What begins as a small act of kindness becomes a turning point, awakening Harriet to new roles, relationships, and possibilities. Here's what McCollum has done—she’s shown how even the most unlikely people can find renewal and purpose when they’re willing to break their own rules. —Cam Torrens, award-winning author of the Tyler Zahn mystery/suspense series. Harriet Hates Lemonade is a deeply important and captivating story that will have you questioning your own preconceived notions of unhealthy relationships. The theme of abuse is explored like never before with both overt and subtle plot lines weaving together to facilitate emotion, compassion and understanding. McCollum's voice is steady and impactful, hooking the reader into Harriet's regimented and quirky life. At first, Harriet presents with neurodivergent tendencies, her opinions and actions questionable and insensitive, but as the novel progresses, a deep understanding and compassion for her character forms, shifting your perspective. I laughed, I cried, and I learned. Although exploring difficult themes, the story is refreshing, realistic, and heartwarming. - Megan Jamieson, Author of The Ties That Bind Us Kim McCollum tackles the difficult subject of domestic abuse with sensitivity and unflinching honesty in HARRIET HATES LEMONADE. I rooted for quirky Harriet as she summons the strength to confront the past she’s kept so carefully buried, and learns to find joy in the messiness of life. A beautiful story set in breathtaking Montana with flesh and blood characters that kept me turning the page to the very end. -Linda Avellar, Author of Cassie Linden Finds Her Sweet Spot Bothered by everything and annoyed with everyone, Harriet’s cringeworthy people skills and outright grumpiness make it awfully hard to like her. And what’s more, Harriet doesn’t care. Or so it would seem. Which raises the question - what made her this way? When Harriet reluctantly gets pulled into a young girl’s harrowing existence, everything she thought she knew about herself turns inside out as she faces her own truths. Author McCollum has created a story where the crass heroine shocks you in a good way and the unlikeliest outcome happens. Harriet Hates Lemonade is a bittersweet read with an impactful ending! —Lucille Guarino, award-winning author of Elizabeth's Mountain For years, Harriet’s entire adult life had revolved around her husband Les, who died of ALS a few years back. She has no friends—because the two of them only needed each other. And besides, the outside world was full of rule breakers and idiots. But now, having broken her ankle (because one local resident didn’t follow the neighborhood association rules about keeping their dog on a leash!), she can no longer function by herself. As difficult as it is for her, she needs some assistance, especially when she can’t drive. A new family moves in next door, and unaware of Harriet’s reputation for being the neighborhood pain in the you-know-what, Robyn Carter does the neighborly thing by bringing Harriet a pan of lasagne and offers to help in any way she can. Harriet is barely civil to her but after seeing Robyn is in an abusive marriage, she does what she can to help her and her daughter. After all, that is the right thing to do. For the first time in decades, Harriet not only sees a future for herself that is less lonely, but also realizes the life she had been living may not have been the one she had wanted for herself. Kim McCollum’s new book, “Harriet Hates Lemonade,” was a wonderful read. Even though it dealt with some rather heavy topics, I laughed and I cried throughout the whole thing. I loved Harriet’s transformation and my heart went out to her and to her newfound friends. I am so fortunate to have received an ARC of this novel and my opinions are my own. -Diane Hawley Nagatomo, author of Finding Naomi and The Butterfly Cafรฉ. Author Kim McCollum’s second novel is an inventive, humane, uplifting book rich in love, loss and personal transformation. Harriet is a brutally honest, bitter, lonely widow, who after breaking her ankle is forced to interact with a wonderful cast of characters including her neighbor Robyn and her pre-teen daughter, Audrey. The cast of characters force Harriet to face her emotionally narrow life, and realize the inherent value of her own being. This novel is a powerful story of abuse, survival and eventual freedom from the past, with laugh out loud moments thrown in. McCollum excels in capturing Harriet’s slow realization that her marriage was defined by emotional abuse. The multi-layered novel’s greatest pleasures are its glimpses into how the all-too-human female characters deal with a difficult Harriet, and the abusive relationships they feel forced to live with. “Harriet Hates Lemonade” is both devastating and uplifting. A beautiful, entertaining story that is honestly hard to put down. -Diane Dickinson, Author of Final Transaction In Harriet Hates Lemonade, Audrey—a modern-day version of the orphaned “Anne with an E”—meets Harriet, a cranky and opinionated Olive Kitteridge-type stuck in a self-imposed existence of isolation and rigid rules. When the two are thrown together by tragic circumstances, Harriet must re-examine all her firmly held values and beliefs of the last 30 years. Can she free herself from the past? Can she come to accept that abuse takes many forms? And can she learn to embrace the joys of “found family’?
Author McCollum serves up a flavorful brew of tension, humor, uncertainty, and high emotion. Keep a box of issues handy! You’ll need it for this engaging and ultimately heartwarming story. -Ruth F. Stevens, award-winning author of My Year of Casual Acquaintances In the tradition of A Man Called Ove and Olive Kitteridge, HARRIET HATES LEMONADE brings us another cantankerous but loveable character whose isolation is shattered when a new family moves in across the street. Harriet’s self centered view of the world widens and she finds herself first helped by, and then helping, a mother and daughter stuck in an abusive relationship. Kim McCollum’s newest novel shines a light on the dangers of love bombing while simultaneously giving us a heartwarming story of how women come together to help each other. -JB Harris, author of THE IMMIGRANT'S WIFE In her second novel, Harriet Hates Lemonade, Kim McCollum treats the heartbreaking issue of abuse with sensitivity and an empowering focus on what supporting each other through tragedy can teach us. She gives us a memorable and unlikely heroine in Harriet, a middle-age widow with a strong penchant for following the rules, who is both exasperating and loveable at the same time. Through Harriet’s journey of realization about her past, foisted upon her by the needs of her new friend, Robyn, and the messiness of her neighbor’s lives, McCollum showcases the blessings and beauty of human connection, the rewards of helping others, and the redeeming power of being resilient and open to change at any age. And she even makes us laugh while doing it! -Liz Wanic, author of Under Cover of Darkness
GIVEAWAY Harriet Hates Lemonade by Kim McCollum: Blog Tour & Giveaway | WOW! Women On Writing Blog
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