A review by bookrecsbyjess
Petals and Plot Twists by Jenny Proctor

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thank you to the author for the ARC of Petals and Plot Twists by Jenny Proctor. All opinions are my own. 

I’ve read several of Jenny Proctor’s books in the past and absolutely loved them, so please take that into consideration that my thoughts on this book are not critiques of how great of a writer she is (because she’s fabulous) but more just my preferences of tropes and plot points. 

What I loved about this book:

Peter was an absolute dream for a main male character. He was sweet, thoughtful, and just such a kind friend to Sophie. I also appreciated that he had a normal job instead of a stereotypical romcom career. His love of Legos was so fun, and I liked how he had such a close friendship with Sophie but that he also made an effort to get to know Archer. 

I also really liked how good of a friend Willa was in this book. Her friendship with Sophie was great, and I really appreciated their conversations. A lot of times in romcoms, the best friend seems to give bad advice, but I think Willa had a lot great things to say to Sophie without being mean. 

Why I didn’t rate this book higher:

My biggest issue with this book was Sophie and her insistence on making choices based on the magical flower. Even though she could see that Peter would be a perfect boyfriend for her, she allowed some magical flower (that she just recently learned about) to make her final decisions regarding who to date. Her willingness to trust in some magical object instead of her longtime friendship with Peter was so frustrating. 

While I absolutely love friends to lovers stories, I have a hard time when the main character continues to date a bunch of people while the love interest is hurt over and over again. I know some people don’t mind this type of plot, but it’s very hard for me to read and not get upset with the main character. If they’re going to date a bunch, I prefer it to be more in the past. 

Overall, this was a cute romcom with the sweetest main male character. I think some readers will love it, but it just wasn’t for me. That being said, I will absolutely read anything Jenny Proctor writes!