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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
When Forty Blooms was everything I didn’t know I needed. The second-chance romance between Simone and Jackson was tender, messy, and deeply emotional. Jackson’s love for Simone was undeniable—like he couldn’t stop loving her no matter how much time had passed or how complicated things got.
What truly set this book apart for me was the raw honesty in how it handled mental health—anxiety, vulnerability, and even self-harm—topics that are rarely explored so openly in Black stories. It was refreshing, powerful, and deeply moving.
I listened to the audiobook, and Wesleigh Siobhan’s narration was phenomenal. She brought Simone’s voice and inner world to life with so much nuance, and the way Jackson’s voice came through during his dialogue made it feel like he was right there. The performance added even more depth to an already unforgettable story. This book felt like a warm, necessary conversation—and like healing.
What truly set this book apart for me was the raw honesty in how it handled mental health—anxiety, vulnerability, and even self-harm—topics that are rarely explored so openly in Black stories. It was refreshing, powerful, and deeply moving.
I listened to the audiobook, and Wesleigh Siobhan’s narration was phenomenal. She brought Simone’s voice and inner world to life with so much nuance, and the way Jackson’s voice came through during his dialogue made it feel like he was right there. The performance added even more depth to an already unforgettable story. This book felt like a warm, necessary conversation—and like healing.
If I could rate this based on solely on the insufferable FMC, it would be 2 stars. But I’ve read other books by this author and loved them. This one just wasn’t it for me.
I get that this is a story about healing from trauma, hurt, past love, second chances etc. This could have been such an amazing story capturing all of that without her being such an annoyance. For me, all of that is lost in my disdain for Simone.
The positive in this was I liked the way Jackson put himself and his feelings first in reference to her. He had all the right in the world not to trust his heart with her. This is one book that here I wished they didn’t get back together. He deserved better.
I get that this is a story about healing from trauma, hurt, past love, second chances etc. This could have been such an amazing story capturing all of that without her being such an annoyance. For me, all of that is lost in my disdain for Simone.
The positive in this was I liked the way Jackson put himself and his feelings first in reference to her. He had all the right in the world not to trust his heart with her. This is one book that here I wished they didn’t get back together. He deserved better.
emotional
reflective
slow-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
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I lovedddd this book. So raw and real! There were some grammatical errors but that really didn’t affect my reading the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Self harm, Death of parent
slow-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
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was very excited to get a new offering from this author. I’ve read her entire catalogue and appreciate her voice and view in the romance genre. I love the cover and the plot of focusing on a woman turning forty discovering what makes her happy and rediscovering love. There’s definitely a strong archetype to most of her characters: emotionally vulnerable and slightly (sometimes highly) unstable woman falls deeply and earth-shatteringly in love with a emotionally steady and committed man, but usually after he falls first and/or hardest. And that’s not a criticism, necessarily. I actually quite enjoy the trope of the MMC falling first lol. But based on the blurb of this book, I was hoping for something that differentiated itself a bit more from her previous works. Simone could have been any of her past FMC, the main distinction was that she was turning forty, and how that was the catalyst for certain things unfolding in the plot. Same goes for Jackson. A plus of her writing based off her strong archetypes is that it lends itself to a certain type of world building because her characters are all people that would exist in the same social and networking circles. The biggest critique I have is that within the strong outline and archetypes she tends to follow, I’d like to see more unique nuance in the storylines and character backstories. I counted at least 4-5 character quirks/themes that have appeared in previous stories, and I think that’s a big part of why it feels like the same kind of girl and guy every time. More minor were the more than a handful of grammatical errors that started really adding up. I liked that the secondary storyline with Caleb and Tiana reminded me of the Forever Netflix series; young Black teens navigating first loves amongst normal teen life and sometimes more tumultuous circumstances and enjoyed seeing Simone and Jackson having to navigate parenting through this. The author may have been teasing a future story between two of the secondary characters and I’d definitely read it even if I am itching for more variation in her characters, because she does a great job of telling the story with the lens she uses and the expression of the type of characters she’s written, so I’m looking forward to more stories and growth from her. 🤎
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this. This is a second chance romance that explores the impact of toxic parental relationships on the current relationship or lack thereof. Also enjoyed the therapy scenes. The sex scenes were well written, too! I would've enjoyed more if we had the MMC's POV.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
🚨 ALC Review 🚨
📚 Book Title: When Forty Blooms
✍🏽Author: Jacinta Howard
🎙️Narrator(s): Wesleigh Siobhan
📕 Format: 🎧
⭐️ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶 Spice Level: Medium = 🌶️🌶️🌶️
🕑 Quick Take:
Simone Harris, 39, is the owner of Sage Sports Agency and is approaching her fortieth birthday. As a divorcée, she finds herself needing encouragement from her friends and ex-husband to take a much-needed vacation to celebrate this milestone birthday on February 29th, her leap year birthday.
Her ex-husband, Jackson, is a sports journalist who still has feelings for Simone. Although their marriage ended due to the stresses and pressures of life, the question remains: how long can they resist their love for one another?
💕What I Loved:
I enjoyed Simone’s plan to fully show up for herself. Additionally, I appreciated that the story spotlighted how Black women must work twice as hard to be treated fairly, especially in a male-dominated industry. The story displayed how Simone made her best efforts to juggle parenting and running a business.
Simone, like many people, struggled to express what she truly wanted. I particularly appreciated her statement about “stewing in indecision while pining for him.” I loved how she realized that her issues with her family of origin affected her judgment and expectations, and how she learned to manage her own relationship.
When Simone and Jackson decided to rekindle their love, they made an effort to allow it to redevelop slowly and naturally without forcing it.
Finally, I appreciated that Simone could see herself in Caleb’s girlfriend, Tiana. What Tiana is now is what Simone was in the past.
Tropes:
- Second Chance
- Slow Burn
- He Still Loves Her
- She’s Ambivalent
⚠️ Heads Up (Trigger/Content warnings):
- Mental Health: Panic Attacks, Depression, Acute Stress Reaction
- Divorce
- History of self-harm
- Childhood exposure to intimate partner abuse (emotional/psychological)
🎭 Narration:
Wesleigh’s narration? Is there any question about her delivery? She consistently performs and exceeds the mark every time. She’s the best to ever do it! Her narration is engaging, making you feel the story, specifically feel Simone.
The novel included flashbacks (which took me a while to pick up on) that give context to the factors that led to their divorce and how they “fell apart.”
💭 Final Thoughts:
This is my first book by Jacinta Howard. The writing was engaging. It was a deep, emotional, and complicated love story. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The story gives off vibes similar to "Before I Let Go" by Kennedy Ryan.
There were a couple of themes and elements that would have benefited from further development. First, there was an attempt to show how Simone's struggle with plants 🌱 symbolizes her life not blooming. Additionally, I loved how she goes to therapy and journals to unlock, unpack, and release her deep-seated emotions. While we continuously saw her growth from participating in therapy. Her journal entries could have been more consistent, which would have made them more impactful in the story. Overall, I would recommend this read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced listener copy.
#WhenFortyBlooms #JacintaHoward #WesleighSiobhan #NetGalley #Bookstagram #RomanceReads #BlackRomanceReads #ContemporaryRomance #WomensFiction #BookReview #BlackBookstagram #ChrysieZReads
📚 Book Title: When Forty Blooms
✍🏽Author: Jacinta Howard
🎙️Narrator(s): Wesleigh Siobhan
📕 Format: 🎧
⭐️ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶 Spice Level: Medium = 🌶️🌶️🌶️
🕑 Quick Take:
Simone Harris, 39, is the owner of Sage Sports Agency and is approaching her fortieth birthday. As a divorcée, she finds herself needing encouragement from her friends and ex-husband to take a much-needed vacation to celebrate this milestone birthday on February 29th, her leap year birthday.
Her ex-husband, Jackson, is a sports journalist who still has feelings for Simone. Although their marriage ended due to the stresses and pressures of life, the question remains: how long can they resist their love for one another?
💕What I Loved:
I enjoyed Simone’s plan to fully show up for herself. Additionally, I appreciated that the story spotlighted how Black women must work twice as hard to be treated fairly, especially in a male-dominated industry. The story displayed how Simone made her best efforts to juggle parenting and running a business.
Simone, like many people, struggled to express what she truly wanted. I particularly appreciated her statement about “stewing in indecision while pining for him.” I loved how she realized that her issues with her family of origin affected her judgment and expectations, and how she learned to manage her own relationship.
When Simone and Jackson decided to rekindle their love, they made an effort to allow it to redevelop slowly and naturally without forcing it.
Finally, I appreciated that Simone could see herself in Caleb’s girlfriend, Tiana. What Tiana is now is what Simone was in the past.
Tropes:
- Second Chance
- Slow Burn
- He Still Loves Her
- She’s Ambivalent
⚠️ Heads Up (Trigger/Content warnings):
- Mental Health: Panic Attacks, Depression, Acute Stress Reaction
- Divorce
- History of self-harm
- Childhood exposure to intimate partner abuse (emotional/psychological)
🎭 Narration:
Wesleigh’s narration? Is there any question about her delivery? She consistently performs and exceeds the mark every time. She’s the best to ever do it! Her narration is engaging, making you feel the story, specifically feel Simone.
The novel included flashbacks (which took me a while to pick up on) that give context to the factors that led to their divorce and how they “fell apart.”
💭 Final Thoughts:
This is my first book by Jacinta Howard. The writing was engaging. It was a deep, emotional, and complicated love story. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The story gives off vibes similar to "Before I Let Go" by Kennedy Ryan.
There were a couple of themes and elements that would have benefited from further development. First, there was an attempt to show how Simone's struggle with plants 🌱 symbolizes her life not blooming. Additionally, I loved how she goes to therapy and journals to unlock, unpack, and release her deep-seated emotions. While we continuously saw her growth from participating in therapy. Her journal entries could have been more consistent, which would have made them more impactful in the story. Overall, I would recommend this read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced listener copy.
#WhenFortyBlooms #JacintaHoward #WesleighSiobhan #NetGalley #Bookstagram #RomanceReads #BlackRomanceReads #ContemporaryRomance #WomensFiction #BookReview #BlackBookstagram #ChrysieZReads