The Little Flower Shop By The Sea

Published: 2015
Author: Ali McNamara

Bright, breezy fun – hold on to summer

We’re now well into October and the weather has unsurprisingly taken a turn towards the autumnal. In fact it’s a bit cold at times. Time to be planning those long nights in with hot chocolate and a good book. I’ve got a wee pile of Christmas themed books to read and review over the next few weeks, but for the moment I’m clinging on to the last of the summer with a review of a book that I read while on a lovely weekend in Newquay. Ali McNamara’s The Little Flower Shop by the Sea was the ideal book to read under the last of the Cornish sunshine.

Poppy’s family business – obsession – is flowers, even down to their names the whole family is flower crazy. Except Poppy, she can’t stand flowers – they bring back the worst memories and make her physically ill. Unfortunately Poppy has just inherited her grandmother’s flower shop in the Cornish town of St Felix and has to face her fears. Can the magical flower shop work its magic on Poppy? And will handsome widower Jake find a place in Poppy’s heart?

I loved this book, it was great fun and really well-written. There’s a delightful cast of characters from heroine Poppy, who has her issues and moments but remains likeable throughout to baking couple Ant and Dec whose cream horns are the delight of the neighbourhood (yes, it’s absolutely fine to snigger – compulsory in fact). St Felix is the kind of town we’d all like to live in, with residents who happily help each other out. Of course as a girl from the big city I have problems with too many people knowing my business so in real life it would be horrendous, but on the pages of lovely book it’s warm and welcoming. But St Felix and its inhabitants aren’t completely shielded from real life – a couple of the storylines are actually quite moving and offer a little glimpse of sadness in the unrelenting brightness of the town.

There’s everything here that any lover of bright and breezy romances will enjoy. A feisty heroine that you are happy to cheer on, a pantomime baddie and the promise of redemption and a happy ending for more than one character.

If you’re already missing summer and are in desperate need of a hit of cheery sunshine, this is the perfect book.