Title: Family for Beginners by Sarah Morgan
Publisher: HQN Books
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
USA TODAY bestselling author Sarah Morgan returns with a life-affirming exploration of love, loss, and how families come in all shapes and sizes…
New York florist Flora Donovan is living the dream, but her bubbly optimism hides a secret. She’s lonely. Orphaned as a child, she’s never felt like she’s belonged anywhere…until she meets Jack Parker. He’s the first man to ever really see her, and it’s life changing.
Teenager Izzy Parker is holding it together by her fingertips. Since her mother passed away a year ago, looking after her dad and little sister is the only thing that makes Izzy feel safe. Discovering her father has a new girlfriend is her worst nightmare—she is not in the market for a replacement mom. Then her father invites Flora on their summer vacation…
Flora’s heart aches for Izzy, but she badly wants her relationship with Jack to work. As the summer unfolds, Flora must push her own boundaries to discover parts of herself she never knew existed—and to find the family she’s always wanted.
Review:
Family for Beginners by Sarah Morgan is a poignant novel of healing, family and love.
Florist Flora Donovan is effervescent, compassionate and intuitive but she is also emotionally scarred. A people pleaser due to her childhood with an indifferent aunt, she avoids confrontation and easily gives in during conflict. Flora is delighted by her burgeoning romance with widower Jack Parker and although they are not rushing their romance, she does meet his grieving children, seventeen year old Izzy and seven year old Molly. Molly quickly warms up to her but Izzy is prickly and standoffish. Flora knows Izzy’s reaction comes from her pain, but is there more to the teenager’s defensiveness than mourning her mother’s loss?
Jack is a genuinely nice man but he is a little clueless when it comes to his oldest daughter. He is a bit of a helpless single father who is trying to balance taking care of his grieving children and a demanding career. Jack is sensitive to his children’s need to mourn their mother’s death, but he is also beginning to have feelings for Flora. Their relationship is becoming more serious so when it is time for his family’s annual vacation with his deceased wife’s best friend Clare, neither he nor Flora are looking forward to spending three weeks apart. Jack invites Flora to join them, but how will Clare feel about the new woman in his life?
Izzy is not exactly coping well with her mother’s death. But she is also not willing to talk to anyone about exactly what is troubling her. Izzy is exhausted but she is also does not plan to give up any of her responsibilities. She makes no effort to hide her animosity towards Flora and she does everything she can to push her away. But once they are on vacation together, can Izzy continue to contain her growing anger and frustration?
Family for Beginners is a heartfelt novel with a marvelous cast of characters, realistic issues and an idyllic setting. The characters are vibrantly developed with wonderful qualities and relatable flaws. The storyline is engaging and moves at a brisk pace. With unexpected revelations, Sarah Morgan brings this touching novel to a heartwarming and uplifting conclusion. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this fabulous novel to readers of contemporary fiction.
