I received this book in exchange
for an honest review from NetGalley.
The book begins by taking you back to when Ruby Jewell,
the book's main character, struggled with a deep depression
over the loss of her sister, Daisy.
The first thing I thought was 'this is going to be a very sad
and depressing book; I'm not sure how far I will continue on with it.'
The book continues with how on one early Spring day the leaves of ivy, the hydrangea bush, crocuses and many other flowers outside of Ruby's window, awaken her to begin to move out of her depressed state. Ruby was a law student, but this particular Spring day led her to a new business venture of becoming a florist. As she tells people who ask about her business "The flowers saved me."
The book is filled with the expertise Ruby has gained about flowers and their healing powers. She specifically chooses flowers by what type of 'healing' she believes each person needs in their life at that particular moment. Whether it be cancer, a gift for an anniversary, wedding, ladies luncheon, birthday, funeral, etcetera. Ruby is in tune with her customers in the small town of Creekside and she is in some ways a therapist to her customers. She listens to them and decides which flowers would be best for their situation.
As the story progresses, you can see how much of a giver Ruby is.
To a fault, she is filling everyone else's life with happiness and forgetting about her own needs. She's never fully healed from her sister's passing and is afraid to get close to anyone.
There are many characters in this book, from Nora and Jimmy, Ruby's assistant and the delivery man for the shop, Will, the boy who walks Ruby's beloved dog Clementine, John Cash, the new veterinarian in town and Captain Dan Miller, PhD, and the town astronaunt/Phd. These are just a few of the many characters you will meet in this lovely book set in the town of Creekside.
I was pleasantly surprised by the reality of this story.
I'm not sure if all florists are as involved with their customers as Ruby is with. hers, but it was very nice to read about the connections she had with them and how caring and considerate she was towards them all.
The only part I could have done without was the in-depth descriptions of the flowers. I personally didn't even know what half the flowers were that I was reading about. I guess the author felt if you're a florist, and a passionate one at that, this is how you'd think about flowers while you're deciding what arrangement to create for the specific occasion.
This was the first book I read by Lynne Branard and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
When you look by other books from Lynn, please be mindful that she also goes under the name Lynne Hinton.
Some other books I plan on reading by this author are:
Visit Lynne Hinton's website and
on 
About the Author
