Crickett Rumley

After being kicked out of her umpteenth boarding school, Jane Fontaine Ventouras is back in her small southern hometown of Bienville, Alabama. At the behest of her grandmother she has also ended up on the Magnolia Maids court (the local beauty queens/ local community promotion brigade), the last place Jane really wants to be. Now she has to figure out how to walk in a giant Scarlett O'Hara dress, negotiate the dynamics of the group of girls who make up the maids, and figure out if Luke Churchville, the best friend she left behind five years ago, even cares that she's returned.

Funny, sweet, and heartbreaking at any given point in time, this novel delivers all of the humour you'd expect from the title. Jane has a sarcastic narrative voice that had me laughing out loud. All of the characters are well-drawn and while Rumley interacts with Southern stereotypes, she never descends to them. Exploring themes of friendship and family in amongst the Alabama setting, Rumley works hard to keep the novel current, peppering it with pop culture references which are amusing but will date the novel in a few years. A delightful read that will charm you far better than any Southern belle ever could.… (mere)