I always go by publication date to avoid spoilers and experience the author's growth. Her first novel was 'Dear Carolina', a beautiful standalone. The Peachtree Bluff books came later and are her most popular series. Her newer standalones like 'The Wedding Veil' are fantastic but exist in their own world.
For completists, publication order. For casual readers, whatever's at the library. For fans of southern fiction, you really can't go wrong with any of them. Her voice is consistent—optimistic, descriptive, focused on family and home. That's the real through-line, not a plot order.
Reading the holiday books first is like visiting a charming small town for a festival without knowing its residents. You'll have a great time, but you won't know why everyone at the bakery is smiling at the woman buying a pie. Reading the trilogy first is like moving to that town, learning everyone's stories, then enjoying the festival with full context. Both are fun trips.
I had to look this up myself when I started! It's 'Slightly South of Simple'. I was confused because sometimes series have different titles in different formats, but that's the unambiguous Book One.
It focuses on Caroline, the eldest daughter, coming home to Peachtree Bluff pregnant and with her life in upheaval. The way her sisters' stories weave in is really engaging. Starting with this one gives you the context for why the town is so important to the family in the later books.
Just chiming in to say I adore the Paws & Claws setting. The idea of a pet-friendly tourist town is genius. Reading them in order lets you see the town grow and new shops open. It's a lovely, gentle progression that you'd miss if you read randomly. Worth the effort to track them down sequentially.
This is a task for Goodreads librarians. They maintain the official book data, including original publication year. If you go to Kristi Ann Hunter's author page on Goodreads, click on a book, and look at the 'Details' section, it shows the first published date. Do that for each title and compile your own list. It's labor-intensive but authoritative.