A Year of Flowers Review: On Tour with Celebrate Lit

A Year of Flowers Review

About the Book

Book: A Year of Flowers

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release date: November 18, 2024

In this collection of four heartfelt novellas, three former friends have found success in the floral industry, but happiness–and love–remain elusive.

In An Apology in Bloom, wedding florist Jaime Harper is on a meteoric rise, working for an event company led by a successful and way-too-handsome boss. When a letter arrives from her past mentor with an offer too good to pass up, will she stay or head back to her hometown?

In A Bouquet of Dreams, Claire Murphy has always dreamed of owning a flower shop, and when her employers hint at retirement, she believes her moment has arrived. But first she must confront her past–and the man who caused her to flee her hometown years ago.

In A Field of Beauty, Tessa Anderson has found an acre of farmland to start her flower farm and forget the past. She’s grateful for the help of two men–her boyfriend, Tyler, and a quiet soil specialist named Dawson. But as the farm finally starts to bloom, Tessa will discover something that challenges everything she’s built.

In A Future in Blossom, Jaime, Claire, and Tessa return to their hometown, finally ready to face each other and their beloved mentor, flower shop owner Rose Reid. As they unite to pull off an extraordinary wedding, amid the flurry of preparations they just may find their way to forgiveness.

 

Click here to get your copy!

MY A YEAR OF FLOWERS REVIEW:
First, I love the premise of this novella collection. Four novellas tied together through three women who are connected through their love of flowers, the flower shop they were mentored in during high school, and their perceptions of one horrible event. I enjoyed reading of where life after that event had taken each woman and how they dealt (or didn’t) deal with the situation. Then, bringing them together in the fourth and final novella provided the perfect ending to their journey.

While I enjoyed An Apology in Bloom, I think my favorite of the four novellas was A Field of Beauty. My least favorite was A Bouquet of Dreams. Usually, I wouldn’t even mention that, but I do now because of the reason it was my least favorite. When I got to the final novella and read each woman’s reason for and way they left their mentor, I felt some of their reactions were really over-the-top. Leaving the area? I can see it. Doing it the way some of them did? It didn’t really seem as believable to me. I can overlook that though because I know there have to be people out there who might react that way. I don’t know any, but I’m sure they exist. Reasons and methods aside, I enjoyed the characters. They were likable and relatable. I especially liked the hero in each story. The author did a great job of letting us really get to know each one, and I’d be happy to spend the day chatting about flowers with each one. Except Claire. The author still did a great job showing her character, but I had a hard time finding anything to like about her. She was so clueless to her faults and unlikeable that I struggled getting through her story. Again, the author did a great job presenting her clearly, Claire and I just didn’t mesh well.

While the main characters were estranged from each other, the author does a great job allowing the reader to feel their past connection. It isn’t hard to see the impact their mentor and their time together had on each one. It’s present in every decision they make and in who they have become. This provides the base we need as all four reunite for the final novella.

The author also did an amazing job describing flowers, growing, and the business of flower arranging. Each character’s passion for the business came through clearly and with enough detail to make the reader excited about it as well. The descriptions were detailed but not overwhelming and not detracting from the story. In fact, they made the story that much richer. As a reader, I could picture and almost smell each of the flowers as they were discussed.

All in all, this was an enjoyable novella collection. I give it four stars.

 

About the Author

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a Christy finalist, a Carol and Selah winner, a two-time ECPA Book of the Year finalist, and the Publishers Weekly and ECPA bestselling author of more than forty books. Her genres include contemporary and historical romances, Amish romance, and women’s fiction. She and her husband live in a small town in California, where everyone knows everyone else, knows what they are doing and why. Most friends act a little nervous around Suzanne because they usually wind up in one of her novels. She has four grown children and enough grandchildren to keep her young.

More from Suzanne

A Year of Flowers: Friendships in Full Bloom

If you’ve ever tended to a garden, you know that flowers and friendships have a lot in common—they both need a bit of love, attention, and sometimes, a good pruning. That’s the heart of my novella collection called A Year of Flowers, stories of three teenage girls who bonded over bouquets and blossomed into best friends under the guidance of Rose, the wise and wonderful flower shop owner.

But life, much like a garden, doesn’t always go according to plan. On one sweltering August day, something dreadful happens in the flower shop, and the girls, who once shared everything, suddenly vanish from each other’s lives.

Seven years later, we find out where each girl, now a young woman, has gone. Their love for flowers is still in full bloom. Jaime’s taken her talent to the big city, working as a floral artist for a high-end event agency in NYC. She’s turning heads with her extravagant designs, but something’s missing—maybe it’s the simple joy she once found in that small-town flower shop.

Claire has run off to Savannah, Georgia, where she’s knee-deep in blooms, working in a flower shop with dreams of running the place one day. She’s got her eye on the prize, but she’s also discovering that you can’t outrun the past, no matter how far you go.

Then there’s Tessa, who’s found solace in the soil of Asheville, NC, where she’s started a flower farm. It’s a peaceful life, but even in the quiet of the mountains, memories of that summer day haunt her like the mist that rolls over the hills.

As each story unfolds, we see that, like flowers, friendships need TLC. They can wilt easily without care and attention. And sometimes, a good pruning is necessary, to help it grow stronger.

In the final novella, the three young women are drawn back to where it all began—the flower shop, and to Rose. It’s time to dig up the past, clear out the weeds, and see if their friendship can bloom again. After all, just because a garden has been neglected doesn’t mean it can’t be revived with a little care and attention.

So, if you’re a fan of flowers, friendships, or happy endings, get a copy of A Year of Flowers. It’s a reminder that with the right care, both flowers and friendships can flourish, no matter how long they’ve been left untended.

Blog Stops

Vicky Sluiter, January 11

lakesidelivingsite, January 11

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, January 12

Book Looks by Lisa, January 12

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, January 13

Simple Harvest Reads, January 13 (Guest Review from Marilyn)

She Lives to Read, January 14

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, January 14

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 15

For Him and My Family, January 15

Locks, Hooks and Books, January 16

By the Book, January 17

Wishful Endings, January 17

Texas Book-aholic, January 18

Pause for Tales, January 18

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 19

Cover Lover Book Review, January 20

Lighthouse Academy, January 20

The Avid Reader, January 21

Stories By Gina, January 22 (Author Interview)

Jeanette’s Thoughts , January 23

Blossoms and Blessings, January 23

Batya’s Bits, January 24

Holly’s Book Corner, January 24

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Suzanne is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54129

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16 Comments

    The Conversation

  1. Suzanne Woods Fisher says:

    Thanks for being a part of “A Year of Flowers” blog tour, Heather. I know it’s a lot of work. Warmly, Suzanne

    • Heather Greer says:

      I was glad to be part of it. I’m a person who would love to be surrounded by flowers, but I do not have a green thumb at all. So, I got to be surrounded by them through the stories at least until I got to the end.

  2. Rita Wray says:

    Thank you for the review.

  3. Jcp says:

    Thank you for the review

  4. Doris says:

    I can’t wait to read this book.

  5. kim says:

    Thank you for the review. It makes me want to read the book even more now.

    • Heather Greer says:

      I did enjoy it, especially the flower aspects. Some of the things mentioned, I’d heard before. Others were new to me.

  6. Amelia says:

    Thanks for sharing!

  7. Kelly M says:

    Sounds like a beautiful read, I lime that it has different points of view and follows the girls seven years later to see where there lives have gone.

  8. MICHAEL A LAW says:

    This looks like an excellent novel. Thanks for sharing.

  9. Judith Martinez says:

    Thanks for the review! I think this sounds like a lovely series.