- Netflix’s new romantic series Sweet Magnolias premiered May 19.
- The show, which stars Joanna Garcia Swisher and Jamie Lynn Spears, is based on a series of books of 11 parts of sheryl. Woods.
- We list the books below, in order, and share how they differ from the Netflix series. (and what spoilers can we extract from them!)
god bless our hearts, we can’t get enough sweet magnolias. Netflix’s new romance series starring Joanna Garcia Swisher, Heather Headley and Brooke Elliott is the television equivalent of a nice, refreshing glass of sweet tea. The ingredients include three strong-willed best friends, lots of attractive men, a cozy small town, cheating exes, and plenty of southern charm.
and if you’ve already enjoyed all 10 episodes of the series and are eagerly awaiting the announcement of season 2, we have some news: there may be something holding you back. Sweet Magnolias is based on an 11-part book series, yes, 11, by romance novelist Sheryl Woods. the first novel, steal the house, was published in 2007, while the eleventh, the tip of the swan, was published in 2014.
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“Stealing Home,” the first book in the series, will be back on sale May 26 in a new edition linked to Netflix. books 2 and 3 will be republished later this summer. season one draws a lot from those books that introduced maddie, helen and dana sue,” woods wrote on twitter.
To save you the search, we’ve included a complete list of books in the sweet magnolias series (in order) below.
If the netflix show continues to adapt heavily from the books, we take a look at some of the possible outcomes for the series’ biggest cliffhangers. Will maddie give bill a second chance? do we feel any chemistry between helen and erik? And who the hell was in that car with Tyler during the accident? we have some possible spoilers below.
the housebreaking book reveals who maddie ends up with…
On the show: Despite recently signing divorce papers and being dumped by Noreen, still pregnant with their child, Bill begs Maddie to take him back. But Maddie, who is dating ex-pro baseball player Cal Maddox, is unresponsive due to Tyler’s accident.
in the book, rob house: if you’re #teamcal, it’s your lucky day. Maddie chooses her new love and stays with “coach”, officially shutting down her cheating ex.
a little piece of heaven reveals dana sue’s romantic future.
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on the show: even though she kicked out her ex ronnie years ago after finding out he cheated on her, dana sue calls him back to town during the finale to help her save her restaurant. There is clear sexual tension in the air as Ronnie makes it clear that he wants her back. but dana resists; Plus, she’s seeing that handsome new farmer in town.
in the book a little piece of heaven: ronnie returns to serenity to help dana while her daughter annie suffers from an eating disorder. he simultaneously fights to get his ex-wife back from him. and guess what? Dana forgives her adultery and they meet again. so if the show does the same, we’ll see a lot more of ronnie in season 2.
feels like the family is giving us a glimpse into helen’s life…with erik.
on the show: after breaking up with her childhood sweetheart, ryan, because he doesn’t want children, helen is determined to have a child on her own, with or without a man. And though they don’t get together during Season 1, sous chef Erik comforts Helen through her heartbreak. the pair clearly have chemistry.
It feels like family in the book: If the series follows the novel, Helen could end up getting married and having a baby with Erik. and you, we need a serenity wedding.
home and carolina focuses on annie and ty’s steamy love story.
on the show: is a classic angsty teen story: girl loves boy, boy is not ready to love girl, girl drunkenly declares her feelings, boy freaks out , girl and boy fight, girl and boy look longingly at each other at prom while out with other dates.
Okay, it’s not that simple, but we’ve seen a million versions of this steamy love story before, and it never gets old. so basically? Annie and Tyler clearly love each other, but they have no idea what to do about it. so what will come for them?
in the book house in carolina: if the show is set to follow the book, annie and ty will find themselves on a wild ride. The young couple ends up together, staying strong in their young adult lives when Ty becomes a professional baseball player for the Atlanta Braves. But all that comes to an end when it is revealed in a public scandal that he cheated on her with a group of groupies, and even got one of them pregnant. (yes, messy). while he fights for custody of her son, ty somehow manages to get annie back. how the hell could he do that? I guess we have to read at home in carolina.
however, the books don’t give us an idea who issac’s parents are.
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on the show: Throughout the episodes, dana’s kitchen helper, isaac, is seen suspiciously sniffing around serenity. he eventually reveals that he is adopted and searches for the birth parents of him.
in the book: This plot literally doesn’t exist in the novels, so no spoilers here. but that didn’t stop fans from having their own thoughts. a theory? “Isaac is Peggy and Ronnie’s son. That’s why Dana Sue has him on perpetual timeout.”
another: “i’m in the middle of the sweet magnolias and isaac has to be helen and ryan’s secret son. i feel it in my spirit.”
and one last one for the road: “i’m gonna predict that isaac is peggy & ryan’s son. the way he says ‘if you were my friend you’d know by now’ at the cafe…there’s a secret in there.”
and the car accident? that’s not in the books either.
On the Show: The cliffhanger finale of Season 1 left us with this big question, as we see Kyle being pulled out of a wrecked car with an unidentified passenger. is probably the biggest and most dramatic moment of the show.
in the book: we wish we had better news, but we don’t have an answer for this one. it appears that this particular story is exclusive to the netflix series. so we will have to wait for our answer in season 2, which has not been confirmed yet. (yeah, we’re freaking out too).
However, we can theorize. Before the accident, Kyle ran away from the after-prom party, leaving with several people in pursuit: his friend Nellie, Tyler and his date Cece, and Annie and his date Simon. so logically, the passenger could be any of them.
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