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jo_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published in four individual parts, this is the novel in full and in my opinion the best way to read it.
Anna's life takes a massive turn when she is dumped by her fiance and then moves to a house on the edge of Wildflower Park. A private park for residents and one only accessible by key and location of house.
Determined to concentrate on her career, Anna wants to put all thoughts about men out of her head. That is until she literally bumps into her new colleague and then starts getting mysterious flirty texts from a random stranger.It seems that Anna is not going to be able to avoid men, but it also means she is going to have to face the past that she has also been avoiding.
Sophie, Anna's neighbour, colleague and closest friend is frustrated with being a mum and a wife and no one is treating her as Sophie. Pregnant with her third and dealing with all sorts of problems, Sophie makes some radical choices and tries to show how much she does.
I was unsure of where this story could go and whether it would take the all too familiar path and whilst you could say on the surface it does. Bella Osborne makes her characters face their fears. She handles the sensitive issues with tact and confidence and you feel time and thought has gone into the portrayal and how the characters and ultimately the readers will react.
This is a really strong book with characters who are relatable, humourous and who you can not just sympathises but also empathise with.
A story of the strength of friendship and how no matter how wild life gets - your friend will be the flower you always rely on to keep blooming.
Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Anna's life takes a massive turn when she is dumped by her fiance and then moves to a house on the edge of Wildflower Park. A private park for residents and one only accessible by key and location of house.
Determined to concentrate on her career, Anna wants to put all thoughts about men out of her head. That is until she literally bumps into her new colleague and then starts getting mysterious flirty texts from a random stranger.It seems that Anna is not going to be able to avoid men, but it also means she is going to have to face the past that she has also been avoiding.
Sophie, Anna's neighbour, colleague and closest friend is frustrated with being a mum and a wife and no one is treating her as Sophie. Pregnant with her third and dealing with all sorts of problems, Sophie makes some radical choices and tries to show how much she does.
I was unsure of where this story could go and whether it would take the all too familiar path and whilst you could say on the surface it does. Bella Osborne makes her characters face their fears. She handles the sensitive issues with tact and confidence and you feel time and thought has gone into the portrayal and how the characters and ultimately the readers will react.
This is a really strong book with characters who are relatable, humourous and who you can not just sympathises but also empathise with.
A story of the strength of friendship and how no matter how wild life gets - your friend will be the flower you always rely on to keep blooming.
Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
thisandthatwithkaren's review against another edition
4.0
Life’s not always a walk in the park…
Anna thought she’d found The One – until he broke off their engagement exactly a year before their wedding day. Hoping new surroundings will do her the world of good, she moves in to a place of her own on the edge of gorgeous Wildflower Park.
With the help and friendship of her neighbour Sophie (a stressed-out mum whose children a regular source of newly-invented swear words and unidentifiable sticky surfaces), Anna quickly settles in and pledges to focus on her career, but a handsome new colleague seems determined to thwart her attempts at every turn. And when she receives a text from a mystery man, it looks as though an unlikely romance is on the horizon…
Is Anna about to be swept off her feet by someone she really shouldn’t be falling for? Or could this be the new start she needs and deserves?
A great summer read. I found the characters to be well developed, and multi-dimensional. There were lots of twists and turns and multiple sub-plots to keep you engaged and interested in the outcome.
I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Avon and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Anna thought she’d found The One – until he broke off their engagement exactly a year before their wedding day. Hoping new surroundings will do her the world of good, she moves in to a place of her own on the edge of gorgeous Wildflower Park.
With the help and friendship of her neighbour Sophie (a stressed-out mum whose children a regular source of newly-invented swear words and unidentifiable sticky surfaces), Anna quickly settles in and pledges to focus on her career, but a handsome new colleague seems determined to thwart her attempts at every turn. And when she receives a text from a mystery man, it looks as though an unlikely romance is on the horizon…
Is Anna about to be swept off her feet by someone she really shouldn’t be falling for? Or could this be the new start she needs and deserves?
A great summer read. I found the characters to be well developed, and multi-dimensional. There were lots of twists and turns and multiple sub-plots to keep you engaged and interested in the outcome.
I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Avon and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
henrismum's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
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
3.25
Audiobook (All of my entries on The Story Graph are audiobooks.)
#3 by Bella Osborne (I read my first book by Ms. Osborne in August 2022.)
Will I read other works by the author?Probably Not Maybe Definitely
This is book three by the author. I liked the story, but I'm unsure if I want to commit to Ms. Osborne's catalog. I think I will put the author on the undecided shelf and let it sit for a while.
Comparison to books by the author:Not as good About the same Better
I liked the twist at the end, but there was a lot of wining from the characters.
The narrator was Candida Gubbins. I enjoyed her reading. I can't recall if she narrated the other two books of Ms. Osborne that I've read.
Source: Brooklyn Library
#3 by Bella Osborne (I read my first book by Ms. Osborne in August 2022.)
Will I read other works by the author?
This is book three by the author. I liked the story, but I'm unsure if I want to commit to Ms. Osborne's catalog. I think I will put the author on the undecided shelf and let it sit for a while.
Comparison to books by the author:
I liked the twist at the end, but there was a lot of wining from the characters.
The narrator was Candida Gubbins. I enjoyed her reading. I can't recall if she narrated the other two books of Ms. Osborne that I've read.
Source: Brooklyn Library
kimberlycarrington's review against another edition
3.0
[Gracias a Netgalley por el ebook! Las opiniones de esta reseña son mías y totalmente libres]
Bueno, ha estado mejor de lo que esperaba.
Son las historias de dos amigas, cuyos puntos de vista vamos alternando. La de Anna me interesaba más, por ser soltera y esperar la trama amorosa principal por su lado. La de Sophie es interesante básicamente por ver la maternidad desde su punto de vista y cómo una pareja estupenda se puede desgastar por el paso del tiempo y de dar todo por sentado.
Creo que se nota que fue publicado por partes, ya que no desvela sus cartas y estás en vilo en varios aspectos hasta el final. Reconozco que tiene partes divertidas y me ha gustado cómo escribe Bella Osborne, con situaciones graciosas y buenas interacciones, pero me gusta leer estos libros porque, aunque no sean novelas románticas, sí que suelen tener una historia de amor central, y aquí me ha faltado. Por mantener el misterio, nos perdemos flirteos y desarrollo amoroso (y yo me he perdido mucho de Hudson, que me tenía conquistada desde el principio).
El giro final me sorprendió bastante pero lo vi totalmente fuera de lugar, la verdad.
De todos modos, ha sido entretenido y no me ha disgustado, así que leeré más libros de Bella Osborne si tengo la oportunidad.
------------------------------------
[Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]
A sweet and enjoyable book but little depth and a surprising final twist. Whilst I enjoyed the overall story, I found it a little disjointed. Maybe it's because this was previously published in parts but I couldn't find a rythm and I had a hard time getting into the reading. But I must say that I mostly enjoyed it when I finally could connect with the story.
When there are two different stories in the same book, I always read one of them with more enthusiam. In this case, I was hooked by Anna's story but not so much by Sophie's (although I could see its appeal later). I know this is chick lit but I needed a little love story and the author is constantly playing with us in this aspect.
I think this book is full of lovely and interesting characters but we can only see glimpses of their real depth (I really liked Hudson and I was hoping to see more of him).
But the writing is charming, with some funny situations and dialogues. I think it's a good comfort reading if you're looking for a chick lit book, with humor but without a strong love story.
I will read more books from Bella Osborne.
Bueno, ha estado mejor de lo que esperaba.
Son las historias de dos amigas, cuyos puntos de vista vamos alternando. La de Anna me interesaba más, por ser soltera y esperar la trama amorosa principal por su lado. La de Sophie es interesante básicamente por ver la maternidad desde su punto de vista y cómo una pareja estupenda se puede desgastar por el paso del tiempo y de dar todo por sentado.
Creo que se nota que fue publicado por partes, ya que no desvela sus cartas y estás en vilo en varios aspectos hasta el final. Reconozco que tiene partes divertidas y me ha gustado cómo escribe Bella Osborne, con situaciones graciosas y buenas interacciones, pero me gusta leer estos libros porque, aunque no sean novelas románticas, sí que suelen tener una historia de amor central, y aquí me ha faltado. Por mantener el misterio, nos perdemos flirteos y desarrollo amoroso (y yo me he perdido mucho de Hudson, que me tenía conquistada desde el principio).
El giro final me sorprendió bastante pero lo vi totalmente fuera de lugar, la verdad.
De todos modos, ha sido entretenido y no me ha disgustado, así que leeré más libros de Bella Osborne si tengo la oportunidad.
------------------------------------
[Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]
A sweet and enjoyable book but little depth and a surprising final twist. Whilst I enjoyed the overall story, I found it a little disjointed. Maybe it's because this was previously published in parts but I couldn't find a rythm and I had a hard time getting into the reading. But I must say that I mostly enjoyed it when I finally could connect with the story.
When there are two different stories in the same book, I always read one of them with more enthusiam. In this case, I was hooked by Anna's story but not so much by Sophie's (although I could see its appeal later). I know this is chick lit but I needed a little love story and the author is constantly playing with us in this aspect.
I think this book is full of lovely and interesting characters but we can only see glimpses of their real depth (I really liked Hudson and I was hoping to see more of him).
But the writing is charming, with some funny situations and dialogues. I think it's a good comfort reading if you're looking for a chick lit book, with humor but without a strong love story.
I will read more books from Bella Osborne.
robinwalter's review against another edition
Very few contemporary romcoms gel with me and this was not one of those very few.
vikkiew87's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC of this book from @avonbooks and @Netgalley in return for an honest review. I loved this book!! There are so many twists and turns you don’t see coming throughout this book.
This is a really strong story, which contains both likeable and hilarious characters. This is a story of the strength of friendship which I think most people can relate to. This is my first book by @bellaosborneauthor , already I can’t wait to read more.
This is a really strong story, which contains both likeable and hilarious characters. This is a story of the strength of friendship which I think most people can relate to. This is my first book by @bellaosborneauthor , already I can’t wait to read more.
anjana's review against another edition
4.0
Starting this second half of the book with prior notions, I was taken by surprise and realised I was not only chuckling with a lot of scenes, there were unexpected twists as well!. Anna gets her life back together as well as epiphanies about what she wants from it. Her meetings with Bert made her all the more endearing. Sophie and Dave get a little sensible about how relationships work and Hudson is always rushing to the rescue. Connor and Liam (also Anna's entourage) did make interesting appearances. Now, these four separate bite-sized pieces of the book are being published as a complete book and I would recommend it based on the second half alone!
This fourth part rounds up the whole story in a very effective manner and makes the entire reading experience worth it.
This fourth part rounds up the whole story in a very effective manner and makes the entire reading experience worth it.
alwaysneedmorebooks's review against another edition
3.0
Part two of this series continues with Anna making her way through life, newly single. Ex-boyfriend Liam who is back on the scene working with Anna's company, admits to her at the team building session that he has made a mistake and wants her back - but not in a romantic, genuine way. To make things easy for her, hunky American colleague Hudson is on hand to pretend to be her boyfriend to get him off her back. Anna, believing Hudson to be gay confides in him and starts to get on with him really well.
Anna also has an ongoing flirtation with a mystery male who after a mistaken text, has started chatting to her and suggests they might meet.
Meanwhile, Anna's best friend Sophie, is still suffering. Pregnant for the third time, with demon children and a next to useless husband, she continues to obsess over Hudson.
This is a sweet read - fluffy and comforting, with lots of great characters. Perhaps a little predictable (I don't think there are going to be any major twists or surprises) it is a charming read and I look forward to Part 3.
Anna also has an ongoing flirtation with a mystery male who after a mistaken text, has started chatting to her and suggests they might meet.
Meanwhile, Anna's best friend Sophie, is still suffering. Pregnant for the third time, with demon children and a next to useless husband, she continues to obsess over Hudson.
This is a sweet read - fluffy and comforting, with lots of great characters. Perhaps a little predictable (I don't think there are going to be any major twists or surprises) it is a charming read and I look forward to Part 3.
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