Family for Beginners
Ratings3
Average rating3.3
15
Ratings3
Average rating3.3
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.
Reviews with the most likes.
2.5 stars.
That extra 0.5 star is purely because the last 1/3rd of the book was a great improvement upon the first 2/3rds. This book was frustrating for a few reasons:
1. Flora spent most of the book without a backbone. It's truly surprising she was able to walk anywhere without one. But well, miracles do happen.
2. Jack is probably the most of oblivious man that ever lived. His obliviousness is second only to Flora's spinelessness. There were multiple times in the first half of the book where his daughter was unforgivably rude to Flora but he still insisted that his daughter liked Flora
I think it's safe to say by now that Sarah Morgan can't write a bad book and this was no different.
This one explores grief and the impact it has on a family, but it's not heavy handed and the story still has a fun and light tone.
I will say I found some of the dialogue saccharine at times but it wasn't a big issue.
The narration by Katherine Fenton was brilliant.
