4 stars.

I was hesitant to read this book because it's not part of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood series. But hey, its still a Rebecca Wells book, but really there was nothing at all different. The characters are as fun as ever but still has that emotional element to them.

You know how they say that the hair is the crowning glory of a woman? Well, this was exactly it. At book about a hairdresser was nothing I've read before, but honestly I kind of thought it was such a shallow topic. I didn't wan ti think of it that way, but I guess it was the impatient side of me. See, I've gotten so used to reading YA books that are action-packed that I forgot how adult books can be just a chill one sometimes. It was so laid back it got me giddy sometimes. I kept waiting for something exciting to happen that I forgot to identify with the characters and feel what the book was trying to say to its reader. So I had to stop reading it for a little while and started reading another book to calm myself a bit. So I read TFIOS once again. That sure got the feels back again.

I picked up The Crowning Glory once again, and really felt it... and I was mesmerized. That feeling that got me to reading avidly the Ya-Ya Sisterhood books, I felt that once again. The close-knit family ties, being with your 'girlfriends,' that sweet euphoria of first love, the little town scenes; every character just entranced  me. I've always loved reading/watching about small towns and the community in it. That's what got me so hooked to Gilmore Girls. I love Star Hollows. Clearly I have a new fictional town in my list of favorite places - La Luna! With a town full of people so loving and caring for each other, if a such a town exist, wouldn't you think that there is hope yet for humanity and the world?

I feel like such an airhead to think that this book was all about hairdressing and styling. It was, in fact, from start to finish, all about healing. It took me until the last chapter to realize this, but thank goodness I come to this realization. I felt so light right after reading it. It's like I was also swimming (although I don't know how to swim) with Calla Lily on that river, calm and tranquil.

The culture - it was like the setting was not in an American state. I don't claim to know many things about America and I'm not generalizing it. But the portrayal of the settings in this book was just so glorious. I devoured every description of La Luna, especially about the parties. The New Orleans scenes were kinda crazy for me but I still loved every detail about it. It always made me wish I was there in their parties, the dances that Calla Lily's parents have every first Saturdays, and just wanna sink it to all those sceneries. But I had to make myself content from pictures I see in google images. What is this "cajun?" I still don't understand much about it, but I'm willing to read up on it someday.

I would love to go to Louisiana or New Orleans and hopefully the kind of culture that I saw in The Crowning Glory is still very much alive.

I love Rebecca Wells' books and I love the world that she shares to her readers. I would want a life something like that.