#BookReview: Working Class Hero by Kay Bratt
Not The Tale I Wanted. Bratt's Usual Excellence Anyway. Coming out of Ticket To Ride, I was *psyched* that it looked like we were about to get a tale that mirrored my own life in rural Georgia in at least certain aspects (moreso than the series already does, and an experience that barely one percent of the American public chooses to have). I thought Bratt was going to execute on a *really* fun version of this type of tale that stayed true to the series but also introduced a new wrinkle to it. Yeah... Bratt brushed by *that* story in about a paragraph, maybe less. Which, to be fair, she had already told me she was going to do when I told her how excited I was at the end of Ticket To Ride and what I hoped to see in this book. What we got instead was in at least some ways *even better*, while remaining even more true to the heart and soul of this particular series, as well as its overall storytelling style. This book raises a lot of complicated issues and questions, all with Bratt's usual small town charm and heart, and these serve to give even more depth to these characters both newish and foundational. And yes, yet again, for those who know of the things Bratt speaks even publicly about her own life... yet again there are a lot of mirrors here (or at bare minimum rhymes), and yet again these mirrors (or rhymes) serve to make the tale that much more real and that much more heartfelt. And, perhaps, this is exactly why this series has resonated so well with the audience that has demanded so many more stories here than Bratt had originally envisioned. (Always an awesome "problem" for an author to have!) Don't start with this book if you haven't been reading this series yet. The primary characters here were introduced at least a book or two ago, so you'll need those books at minimum. But seriously, start all the way back at Book 1, Hart's Ridge, and work your way here. You won't be disappointed, and you'll see what so many have already realized. This really is one of the better Southern Women's Fiction series going right now, and quite likely of the Millennium at minimum. Very much recommended.This review of Working Class Hero by Kay Bratt was originally written on June 25, 2026.
