I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Beachside Flower Stall by Karen Clarke Also by this author: The Beachside Sweet Shop, The Beachside Christmas, The Bakery at Seashell Cove, The Christmas Cafe at Seashell Cove
Series: Beachside Bay #2
Also in this series: The Beachside Sweet Shop, The Beachside Christmas
Published by Bookouture on 113th April 2017
Genres: Chicklit, Love & Romance, RomCom
Pages: 334
Format: eARC
Source: from Netgalley
Goodreads
Amazon Kindle, Audible
Roses for romance, daisies for hope, daffodils for unrequited love… Drop by The Beachside Flower Stall for friendship, family and a beautiful bouquet.
Carrie Dashwood fled Dorset when her best friend Megan stole her first love, Tom Hudson. Now ten years later, Carrie is back to help run her aunt Ruby’s flower stall in the beautiful seaside town of Shipley.
Ruby’s Blooms is a gorgeous little haven bursting with character, but Carrie is in for a real shock. The stall is also arranging the flowers for Megan and Tom’s wedding.
Determined to keep her emotions in check, Carrie finds herself going to great lengths to avoid the happy couple. Soon she’s crawling under the stall to hide and ‘accidentally’ inventing an imaginary boyfriend…But how long can she keep it up before she comes face to face with the boy who broke her heart?
Can Carrie keep her cool, save the stall, and find her very own happy ever after?
Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley. I really enjoyed the first book in this series so when this book was put on Netgalley I had to get it. While this is the second book in the series you can read it as a standalone.
Carrie was in love with Tom but after Megan muscled her way in and ruined everything Carrie couldn’t stay in Shipley so she moved to Manchester the very next day. Ten years have passed and Carrie returns to Shipley to help her aunt on her flower stall.
Carrie never really got over her feelings for Tom so when she finds out he’s marrying Megan she’s more than a little wounded. When Carrie see’s Megan again she is transported back to her teenage self and feels the need to impress her.
Carrie discovers that her Aunt has been keeping a secret for many many years. This part of the story is so heart breakingly sad. I really felt for Ruby and can’t imagine being in her situation.
This is such a sweet story. I knew quite early on how it was likely to end but this didn’t ruin he enjoyment of the story at all. If you enjoy chicklit then you will have no problems spending the day wrapped up in Karen’s world.
About Karen Clarke
After giving up her job as a library assistant, Karen now writes full-time. She’s had over 300 stories published in women’s magazines in the UK and abroad, and has written three paranormal romantic comedies, published by Little, Brown/Corsair. When she’s not writing she reads avidly, walks dogs at her local rescue centre, and is eagerly awaiting the next season of The Walking Dead. She lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband and three grown-up children.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Goodreads Challenge (2017)
- Netgalley Challenge (2017)
@bookouture Thanks for the lovely review, Emma x