After reading all the great reviews of “Saving CeeCee  Honeycutt” by Beth Hoffman, I knew I had to get it from the library and read it right away. It sounded like the type of book I’d love. It did not disappoint!

“Saving CeeCee Honeycutt” starts with twelve-year-old CeeCee living and trying to deal with her mentally ill mother (who constantly relives her crowning glory as Vidalia Onion Queen of 1951). CeeCee learns to handle her mother’s mood swings and instability by hiding in books, while struggling with the fact that her father is never around and, with the exception of the kindly next door neighbor, most people laugh or make fun of her mother and her. When her mother dies in an accident CeeCee goes to live with her great-aunt Tallulah (Tootie) and her cook/housekeeper Oletta in Savannah. What follows is a summer of healing and growth for CeeCee as she learns to find herself, to grieve her loss, and to live life for the first time.

I loved this charming book. It was an easy read and often a “laugh-out-loud”. CeeCee’s character spoke to the resilience of young people. You couldn’t help but cheer for her. In some ways, though, I wanted the book to be longer. I would have loved even more character development of some of the other characters in order to understand what made them tick.

I would give this book 4 Stars!