A JOURNEY TOWARD FULL-BLOOM — A REVIEW

 

Elly Jordan is a funny, quirky, and delightful character who transformed this story of one woman’s journey through pain and disappointment into a whole new life and the joy of being Elly In Bloom.

Finding her husband in bed with another woman could seem like some kind of bad cliché, but this kind of thing does happen in real life.

I liked Elly’s story of driving away from that old life and starting a new one miles from her Georgia home to one in a St. Louis suburb, where she starts a flower shop. Her first best friend Kim helps support her emotionally on this journey. Other characters fill up the pages and kept me reading, like the gorgeous Isaac, who helped her feel beautiful again; and the deli owner Keith, who seems to be waiting in the wings for her.

I also liked that Elly, a bit on the plump side and a little klutzy, finds true enjoyment in food, designing, and her friends.

What I didn’t love was the one-dimensional character dubbed Snarky Teenager. At first the name was kind of funny, but ultimately, this character seemed like a caricature that depicted every stereotypical teen behavior: smirking, eye rolling, and furious texting. And the fact that she had no actual name annoyed me.

However, I did like finding out what would happen to Elly and her crew when they took on their biggest job ever. What price would Elly have to pay for accepting this job that would turn into her worst nightmare ever? What will Elly learn about herself in the process?

Despite the engaging parts of the story, the numerous editing/grammatical errors did interfere with my reading pleasure at times. Therefore, 3.5 stars. However, there were many reviewers who liked or even loved everything about this book, so potential readers should check out what they have to say.