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lucyrider's review against another edition
4.0
New Beginnings at Seaside Blooms - Jessica Redland
Another Jessica Redland book - my brain is responding only to her work at the moment and I've been struggling to read much in actual book format, so I'm very grateful for @audible_uk to help me keep up with my "reading" whilst my concentration levels have been poor recently.
Synopsis from @goodreads
“When Sarah Peterson accepts her Auntie Kay’s unexpected offer to take over her florist’s shop, she’s prepared for a change of job, home and lifestyle. What she isn’t prepared for is the discovery of a scarily accurate clairvoyant reading that’s been missing for twelve years. All her predictions have come true, except one: she’s about to meet the man of her dreams. Oh, and his name is Steven.
Suddenly Stevens are everywhere. Could it be the window cleaner, the rep, the manager of the coffee shop, or any of the men she’s met online?
On top of that, she finds herself quite attracted to a handsome web designer, but his name isn't even Steven...
During this unusual search, will Sarah find her destiny?"
This was another book set in the fictional, but very easy to picture, Whitsborough Bay and has a classical tale of Sarah starting the story unhappy and based in London and ending up coming home, only to find things are very different to how she remembered. The Clairvoyant reading was an interesting tactic to drive the storyline, although there were several times I wanted to poke Sarah and tell her to ignore the words of a cold reader!
Sarah was a likeable character and her two best friends Elise and Clare were good counterbalances to her, at times, odd decisionmaking processes. The love and generosity of her Auntie Kay was perhaps a bit unrealistic, but without the gesture, we might not have seen Sarah back in Whitsborough Bay at all!
Lucy Brownhill was narrating this book and I love her narration. She is reassuring and fun with her tone and very easy to listen to. She also manages to navigate several regional accents and genders without being offensive to anyone (as far as I can tell!) and not making it jar you out of the flow of the story.
Once again, I raced through this novel and enjoyed it, although I'm sure it should (could have been) called "Desperately Seeking Steven" as a more appropriate title it gets a solid and satisfiying 4 stars!
#book #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #whitsboroughbay #bookreview #romancefiction
Another Jessica Redland book - my brain is responding only to her work at the moment and I've been struggling to read much in actual book format, so I'm very grateful for @audible_uk to help me keep up with my "reading" whilst my concentration levels have been poor recently.
Synopsis from @goodreads
“When Sarah Peterson accepts her Auntie Kay’s unexpected offer to take over her florist’s shop, she’s prepared for a change of job, home and lifestyle. What she isn’t prepared for is the discovery of a scarily accurate clairvoyant reading that’s been missing for twelve years. All her predictions have come true, except one: she’s about to meet the man of her dreams. Oh, and his name is Steven.
Suddenly Stevens are everywhere. Could it be the window cleaner, the rep, the manager of the coffee shop, or any of the men she’s met online?
On top of that, she finds herself quite attracted to a handsome web designer, but his name isn't even Steven...
During this unusual search, will Sarah find her destiny?"
This was another book set in the fictional, but very easy to picture, Whitsborough Bay and has a classical tale of Sarah starting the story unhappy and based in London and ending up coming home, only to find things are very different to how she remembered. The Clairvoyant reading was an interesting tactic to drive the storyline, although there were several times I wanted to poke Sarah and tell her to ignore the words of a cold reader!
Sarah was a likeable character and her two best friends Elise and Clare were good counterbalances to her, at times, odd decisionmaking processes. The love and generosity of her Auntie Kay was perhaps a bit unrealistic, but without the gesture, we might not have seen Sarah back in Whitsborough Bay at all!
Lucy Brownhill was narrating this book and I love her narration. She is reassuring and fun with her tone and very easy to listen to. She also manages to navigate several regional accents and genders without being offensive to anyone (as far as I can tell!) and not making it jar you out of the flow of the story.
Once again, I raced through this novel and enjoyed it, although I'm sure it should (could have been) called "Desperately Seeking Steven" as a more appropriate title it gets a solid and satisfiying 4 stars!
#book #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #whitsboroughbay #bookreview #romancefiction
aspiereads33's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, and Body shaming
Minor: Grief, Cancer, Death, and Car accident
lupick's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the first book in the series, it was such a chicken-soup-for-soul-read. Sadly, for me, this 2nd book in the series was not as enjoyable. I spent the first 3/4 of the book just wanting to smack some sense into the main character.
Luckily, the story tied up okay in the end, just barely enough to make me want to read the next book in the series - which, by the way, just 30 minutes in, is already a HUGE improvement.
Luckily, the story tied up okay in the end, just barely enough to make me want to read the next book in the series - which, by the way, just 30 minutes in, is already a HUGE improvement.
kbomkelly's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to the audiobook version and I think the narrator did a good job! This is a fun, light and happy story to read when you need just a quick pick me up. Like a little cup of sunshine. For those that need spice/smut, this is not the book for you. If you want a book that focuses on friendship this is a good fit. A bit silly but in the good way. Like when you choose a cheesy Netflix romcom kind of silly. The lead character is a bit misguided but not in a frustrating was so that was really nice. And I am now ready to move to Whitborough Bay!
Rating: 4.5 stars
Rating: 4.5 stars
ianmcnamara's review against another edition
5.0
Another great book in this series. Nick and Sarah’s story was really lovely. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
ellerose21's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
emmalux1991's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mahjabeen_alam's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
murrayviolet's review against another edition
4.0
Score: 4/5
After Sarah Peterson broke up with her boyfriend, she quit her job and moved back to her parents at Whitsborough Bay. While packing her stuff, she found a record of a clairvoyant reading many years ago. So far, all the predictions have been true. The only thing that has yet to happen is Sara will have a soulmate named Steven. Suddenly, every man around her named Steven. Plus, Sara's aunt, Kay, decided to give the flower shop to Sara. Which Steven will be the Steven for Sara?
I bought this book on Kindle after I read a synopsis. It costs me only A$2.59. This genre was not my preference. However, I decided to give it a go because I wanted to read something else other than horror books. Plus, when I read many horror books for a long time, my mind started getting weird. When I finished reading it, I found some pros and cons. I really liked the story when Sara hadn't found her prophecy. It was very lively and fun. I laughed out loud and couldn't put the book down. The chemistry between Sara and her friends was good. My favorite character is Clare. She is one of Sara's friends. Clare is a confident woman who speaks her mind and is not afraid of haters. Her personality is similar to mine. That's why she is my favorite.
The part I didn't like was when Sara found the fortunetelling. She believed in the prophecy so much to the point that she ditched every man whose name wasn't Steven. Even though she knew what her heart wanted, she still followed the prediction. Anyone who is not Steven will never ever have a chance with her. I don't understand why she adopted this idiotic idea. Another thing is the aunt willing to give her flower shop to a granddaughter. It's not believable.
In the end, New Beginnings at Seaside Blooms has some good and bad. Whoever reads my review and thinks this book is your cup of tea, go for it. Before I end the review, I'd like to share my favorite quote from the book.
"In honor of my firefighting career passion, Elise bought me a firefighter Christmas calendar for four or five years in a row when we were teenagers. At the end of each year I ripped out my favorite clothes to look at during the low times."
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After Sarah Peterson broke up with her boyfriend, she quit her job and moved back to her parents at Whitsborough Bay. While packing her stuff, she found a record of a clairvoyant reading many years ago. So far, all the predictions have been true. The only thing that has yet to happen is Sara will have a soulmate named Steven. Suddenly, every man around her named Steven. Plus, Sara's aunt, Kay, decided to give the flower shop to Sara. Which Steven will be the Steven for Sara?
I bought this book on Kindle after I read a synopsis. It costs me only A$2.59. This genre was not my preference. However, I decided to give it a go because I wanted to read something else other than horror books. Plus, when I read many horror books for a long time, my mind started getting weird. When I finished reading it, I found some pros and cons. I really liked the story when Sara hadn't found her prophecy. It was very lively and fun. I laughed out loud and couldn't put the book down. The chemistry between Sara and her friends was good. My favorite character is Clare. She is one of Sara's friends. Clare is a confident woman who speaks her mind and is not afraid of haters. Her personality is similar to mine. That's why she is my favorite.
The part I didn't like was when Sara found the fortunetelling. She believed in the prophecy so much to the point that she ditched every man whose name wasn't Steven. Even though she knew what her heart wanted, she still followed the prediction. Anyone who is not Steven will never ever have a chance with her. I don't understand why she adopted this idiotic idea. Another thing is the aunt willing to give her flower shop to a granddaughter. It's not believable.
In the end, New Beginnings at Seaside Blooms has some good and bad. Whoever reads my review and thinks this book is your cup of tea, go for it. Before I end the review, I'd like to share my favorite quote from the book.
"In honor of my firefighting career passion, Elise bought me a firefighter Christmas calendar for four or five years in a row when we were teenagers. At the end of each year I ripped out my favorite clothes to look at during the low times."
Connect with Biblioteca di VIolet via:
YouTube
22rachel22's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0