Rating: 3 stars

Vivien Armstrong Gray came from a politically ambitious, well-bred Georgia family. Her younger sister Melanie was a pleaser and rarely rocked the boat. Melanie met her politically-aspiring husband, JJ (Jordan Jackson Jr.) in college, had two kids and settled down in a well-to-do Georgia suburb. After JJ was killed in a hunting accident two years ago Vivien practically left skid-marks to get away from her sister’s pain.

After spending years clawing her way up through the ranks of investigative journalism, Vivien saw it all come to an end after she was shot in the butt during an FBI sting; the video of the incident became number one on YouTube. To add insult to injury, Vivien returned to the office to find a hot, young blonde poised to take her job. One major spike in pride coupled with a hormonal surge and Vivien was out of a job. Unsure of how things suddenly spun out of control, Vivien would soon get her answer—she’s pregnant.

With few options available, Vivien lands a job with a local gossip rag writing snarky articles on suburbia. So, it’s off to Georgia to live with Melanie and gather intel for her columns, while she figures out how to break the news of her pregnancy to her family and her boyfriend. Despite her selfish reasons, Vivien’s intentions are good; although, she manages to create even more chaos and damage that she will have to atone for.

Magnolia Wednesdays was an entertaining read. Wendy Wax painted the perfect picture of suburbia and the trappings that come with it. With whispers of Gone With the Wind hovering in the background, Wax created a modern day story with interesting characters that felt very honest and real.
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Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade; 1 edition (March 2, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0425232354