Review: Elly in Bloom by Colleen Oakes

Elly in Bloom by Colleen Oakes

Publisher: CreateSpace

Pages: 324

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  What would you do if you had to design your lover's wedding?

Surrounded by lush flowers and neurotic brides, chubby 32-year old Elly Jordan has carved out a sweet little life for herself as the owner of Posies, a boutique wedding florist in St. Louis. It’s not bad for a woman who drove away from her entire life just two years ago when she found her husband entwined with a red-headed artist. 

Sure, Elly has an embarrassingly beautiful best friend, a terribly behaved sheepdog and a sarcastic assistant who she simply calls “Snarky Teenager”, but overall her days are pleasantly uneventful. As a bonus, her new next door neighbor just happens to be an unnervingly handsome musician who has an eye for curvy Elly. 

Just when she feels that she is finally moving on from her past, she discovers that an extravagant wedding contract, one that could change her financial future, is more than she bargained for. 

Kritters Thoughts:  The sweetest book about a character that had me roped in from the very beginning.  Elly endures a major life event and reacts in the most extreme of ways and abandons her life to find a new one.  She makes a home in a small town in Missouri and is finally getting her feet under her when a turn of events takes her down to her knees.  

There were quite a few moments where I wanted to knock some sense into her which I love because it means I cared for her so much!  Not only was Elly the main character, quite a fantastic one, but her band of characters to accompany her were beyond enjoyable.  Most employees of the floral shop, so many scenes took place in this magical little place that Colleen Oakes described to the reader with great adjectives.  

The ending was thankfully gratifying, while leaving moments for the sequel to come!  I may still be squealing because this book was everything I love about the "chick lit" genre and why I stay a fan of these books.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2013 Challenge: 68 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Booksparks PR.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.