Must Love Flowers by Debbie Macomber Published by Random House Publishing Group on July 11, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Clean & Wholesome, Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Women
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Source: Library
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Two women at different stages of life find themselves on a journey of renewal after undergoing hardships in this uplifting novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.
“Wise, warm, witty, and charmingly full of hope, this story celebrates the surprising and unexpected ways that family, friendship, and love can lift us up.”—Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Four Winds
Joan Sample is not living the life she expected. Now a widow and an empty-nester, she has become by her own admission something of a recluse. But after another birthday spent alone, she is finally inclined to listen to her sister, who has been begging Joan to reengage with the world. With Emmie’s support, Joan gathers the courage to take some long-awaited steps: hiring someone to tame her overgrown garden, joining a grief support group, and even renting out a room to a local college student. Before long Joan is starting to feel a little like herself again.
Across town, Maggie Herbert works mornings as a barista, tending to impatient customers before rushing to afternoon nursing classes. She lives with her alcoholic father, ducking his temperamental outbursts and struggling to pay the household bills. But her circumstances brighten when she finds a room for rent in Joan’s home. In the unexpected warmth of her new situation, Maggie finds a glimmer of hope for a better life. But will Maggie’s budding attraction to one of her favorite customers ruin the harmony she’s only recently found with Joan? Meanwhile, what is Joan to make of the mysterious landscaper who’s been revitalizing her garden—a man who seems to harbor a past loss of his own?
As Maggie and Joan confront difficult life choices, they draw strength from this new friendship in surprising ways—discovering in the process that “found family” is often the very best kind.
My Review
I just have to say it I am through and through a massive fan of Debbie Macomber and oftentimes run out to get a copy of her newest book. This book, however, when it came out, I struggled with whether or not I wanted to read it. You see, Reader, I grew up with an alcoholic father who often had temperamental outbursts, as described on the back of the book, which made me hesitant about this one. I do not often like to read books that have abusive alcoholic parents in them for obvious reasons. One day, my husband and I were wandering in the library, and I came across this book and the cover, I have to say, is stunning. I reread the back of the book and decided that I would give it a go, and if it ended up being too much for me, I would simply stop reading it. I am so happy I picked this one up because it truly was an incredible story. Reader, if you have the same fears I had with this one, please set them aside and try anyway because I think you will be happy you did.
We are following Joan, a widower of four years. Her husband suddenly passed away from a brain aneurysm right before the pandemic. Joan was thrown into a deep depression, one that her two sons were not able to get her out of. Even Joan’s sister Emmie could not shake her out of it, but she never stopped encouraging her to seek help. It wasn’t until one day after she received a letter from the HOA and spent another birthday alone that she woke up to her life and who she had become. Joan realizes that she has let the yard go and don’t even get started on her appearance because she knows something has to change. She gets her hair cut for an upcoming outing with her son to make up for him missing her birthday yet again. She learns from the hairdresser of a young woman who is searching for a room to rent and how, sadly, she had to turn the girl down. Joan leaves the salon and has dinner with her son, where he decides to talk with her about how he is worried for her and how she makes him feel. She is shocked by what he has revealed and feels terrible that she has made him feel that way. Later on in their conversation, Joan decides to tell him about her conversation at the salon and asks for his thoughts on her taking in a boarder. He informs her that he does not like the idea, and she thanks him. Once at home, she reaches out to Maggie, the girl looking for a room to rent, and invites her over the next day to look at the room. Oh, and at some point, she also has reached out to a lawn service to get her yard back in order. The only requirement is that the lawn service must love flowers.
Maggie is an exhausted college student who lives at home with her alcoholic father. She works at the local Starbucks in the mornings and attends nursing classes in the afternoon. Her father, at some point, injured himself at work years before and collects disability. He is not the nicest of men and spends his days hanging out at the bar or watching the television. His life has not always been like this, just since his wife and Maggie’s mom died years before. Needless to say, he manages to drink all of his money away, so it is up to Maggie to keep the bills paid and food in the house without even a simple thank you from her father. The man does not even encourage her in school or show her that he is proud of her, let alone grateful. He often lets his temperamental outbursts get the best of him, making it so that Maggie does not even want to be at home. I forgot to mention she also tutors two small children in their reading when she isn’t working or attending classes. She is not your typical college student. She has no free time and carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. She has decided enough is enough and has found a new place to live. She loves her father but can no longer continue with how things are going. Little does she know her life will change when Joan reaches out to her.
Joan and Maggie hit it off really well. They seem to be precisely what the other needs. Joan needs someone in the home with her for company and to bring her out of this funk she has fallen into, and Maggie needs a safe place and a friend. As the days go on, Joan manages to get a counselor and join a grief group, while Maggie manages to enjoy her life rather than just work and worry her way through it. They both have managed to make friends and maybe even find their own love interests. Everything is going smoothly for the most part until Maggie receives a call from Al, her father’s drinking buddy, and well, her life is about to change once again.
If you are looking for a story where you want to root for the characters and watch them dig their way out of the ruts they are in, then please pick this one up. This story is about grief, healing, finding yourself, friendship, love, and found family. I very much enjoyed getting to know Joan and Maggie throughout the book. I really felt for them in their difficulties and found myself rooting for them the whole way through. The characters felt real to me, and the story is full of hope. I hope, Reader, that you pick this one up, and if you do, please let me know. Until next time, Happy Reading.
Trigger Warnings:
- Alcoholism
- Death
- Money Troubles
- Grief