When Jancy Wilson's car burns up in Pick, Texas, she gets a job and a home in the small community. Her grandmother lived here all her life, and the people quickly adopt Jancy and make friends with her.
This is not a romance per se, but a book more in the style of Robyn Carr's Virgin River series that covers a lot of people. It's a sweet story where everyone gets along and takes care of each other.
There's one caricature of a villain, a con-artist developer who wants to buy up the town for a suburb community, but no one is interested and he pretty much fades away. Otherwise, it's just church and festivals and picnics, and so on.
The one little caveat I had was despite all the church-going, it seemed like every woman in the book was single and pregnant, some in a line of generational motherhood. I don't object to premarital sex but did no one in Pick know about birth control? ( )

A sweet tale of young love, small town, and second chances. ( )

A charming and warm story about accidental acquaintance in a small town called Pick, Texas!
Jancy Wilson is driving through the town she and her parents grew up in to visit her grandma’s grave but as she is driving out to go visit her cousin in Louisiana, her car catches fire outside the Strawberry Sweetheart Diner. No car, no money and no where to go, Jancy takes the job at the diner to save enough money to get out and move on but after spending time with the people she knew as a child, she is quickly falling in love with Pick and the locals not to mention Shane Adams who she had a major crush on in school.
Loved this book. The ups and downs of life, the way a community sticks together through good and bad. New love and just plain old contentment. The characters show they stand by what they believe and won’t let anyone take what they built. This story shows a strong community that will stick together through good and bad!! ( )

You can't read a Carolyn Brown novel without getting attached. Her characters have a way of thawing out the coldest heart. The Strawberry Hearts Diner is another inspirational tale that worms it's way into the heart and makes a reader take notice. Jancy is a wanderer. She seems to have wanderlust in her blood, but her reality is much different. She longs to settle down and make a home for herself, permanently. Yet, circumstances continue to make that goal hard to achieve. When an unexpected turn of events introduces her to small town living and welcoming people she may have to rethink her loner ways. Can a woman used to life on her own, allow her heart to guide her home? In my opinion, it's impossible for Ms. Brown to write a bad tale. She leads with her heart and that love shines within each tale.
( )

I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I became invested in the characters in this sweet romance. Jancy Wilson wasn't planning on staying in Pick, Texas after visiting her grandmother's grave. But after her car actually bursts into flames, a help wanted sign in a nearby diner seems heaven sent. The diner is run by longtime friends Nettie and Vicky, who along with Vicky's daughter Emily round out the strong female characters in this story. I liked how the sweet romance developed between Jancy and Shane, and how the wonderful characters in this small town banded together against outside developers. Just a wonderful read. ( )