Adult Review – A Year of Flowers – contemporary romance

Guide to Categories – Adult Review – review of books for adults – may or may not be appropriate for a school library

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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 Adult Review

Fisher, Suzanne Woods. A Year of Flowers. Grand Rapids, MI: Revell, 2024.

A Year of Flowers is a collection of four novellas. Woods chose to write a novella about each of the three characters found in the fourth novella. 

These three women worked together as teens in Rose’s Flower Shop in Sunrise, NC. A tragedy occurred, which caused all three to flee to different locations. In the first three novellas, we discover what each of them has done with their life and how they have used what they learned from Rose. Something happens in each of their lives that causes them to return to Sunrise and Rose.

In the fourth novella, we learn how their lives once again merge into a team.

The underlying theme in these novellas is facing your wrongs and understanding the “why” behind the actions of others. Forgiveness is also a big theme in the book. 

Readers will enjoy getting to know Jaime, Claire, and Tessa. I’d love to see full-length novels about what happens after the stories told in A Year of Flowers. 

While A Year of Flowers is an adult anthology, nothing would prevent it from being added to a K-12 Christian school library. It is appropriate for eighth grade and up.

I received a complimentary copy of A Year of Flowers. This is my honest review. 

About the Author – Suzanne Woods Fisher

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 Woods Fisher

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

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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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