This book reads like a tight hug from a good friend.

Inspiring, comical, and warm, Super Bloom had me fall in love with all the characters. Tady writes about heavy life matters but in an engagingly soft way. Losing a lover at the start of a romance is depressing, and working in an industry that is hard financially and physically is too. But Tady finds a way to write realistically about grief and hardship that doesn’t send you into a pit of depression or make the book something to turn away from.

I was privileged enough to get an advanced copy to put in my Little Free Library, and I can’t wait for the next person to discover it. Such a gem.

Super Bloom is a novel about second chances in love and life. It’s about finding purpose and following your passions. All things I believe in and yet I couldn’t connect to Joan or her journey. I was quiet impatient with her inability to pull herself up out of her struggles, particularly with all of the support she had around her (if she would just open her eyes). Blinkered to all the good in her life, Joan preferred to remain a victim and I couldn’t gel with her “woe is me” attitude.

The addition of Carmen and the idea that she would pay Joan to dish the dirt about the massage/spa industry for a novel that she was writing, did nothing to bring me closer to Joan’s character, who came off as lazy, deceitful and utterly self-absorbed. It wasn’t until right at the end of the book that Joan started to redeem herself but for me it was too little, too late. The ending earning the upgrade to a 3 star rating when the rest of the book was merely a 2.

A couple of years after her boyfriend’s death, Joan is still having a hard time moving on with her life. She doesn’t love her job as a massage therapist and she makes no effort to make or maintain friendships. When things seem to be at their worst an arrogant and selfish author makes her an offer she cannot refuse. And things start to happen that she could not have expected. It’s funny, sad and hopeful- a great novel from a new author and Zibby Books, new publishing company. I’m looking forward to reading each new book they publish! Thanks to Netgalley for the E ARC.

When I heard SUPERBLOOM was set in a Vermont spa, I immediately had flashbacks to some less than relaxing memories from my own spa experience. Think aggressively raking out curly hair and asking if it is a wig, a palmar slap trifecta to the buns and heels and a resounding gong and curt yell, “FINISH” to mark the conclusion of the massage.

It was one for the books.

And speaking of books, this debut by Megan Tady is a charming one. Massage therapist Joan Johnston is trying to navigate life after her boyfriend is killed in a tragic accident. Joan feels stuck in a lackluster job and can’t seem to move forward in her personal relationships. When she is approached by a famous author to collect data on the secrets of the spa, Joan realizes that writing on her own terms might be the key to her next chapter.

I enjoyed the spa setting as well as the book within a book premise. Joan’s character ARC was satisfying as she learns to tap into who she is and where she is going. I’m eager to see where Megan Tady’s talents lead her!

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: May 2, 2023

Many thanks to Zibby Books and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Super Bloom
Author: Megan Tady
Zibby Books
Release date: May 2, 2023

Tady's debut novel, with a Vermont setting is a romantic comedy about a massage therapist, Joan. She had unresolved grief from the death of her boyfriend and needs to heal move forward. Tady writes with humor in her original plot featuring a cast of unique characters.

Thank you to Net Galley and Zibby Books for the advance reader's copy. My review is my own.

This was an interesting plot and location that I had never read before. Tady did a great job of exploring grief and the way it effects our lives long after what is deemed socially acceptable. I did find myself wanting a little more out of the story but I felt it was definitely worth the read.

From the first line through the last, SUPER BLOOM by Megan Tady is a rollicking joy of a ride with the remarkable, memorable Joan Johnston, a massage therapist still mourning the loss of her soul mate two years after his death. When the enigmatic, difficult romance novelist Carmen Bronze offers the only way for Joan to keep from losing her job--the only thing Joan has going for her as she mucks through grief and feeling lost--Joan accepts the challenge and plunges into a bizarre world with twists and turns and laugh out loud moments. I loved spending time with the plainspoken, exceptional Joan Johnston, seeing the world through her eyes and sparring with the unforgettable Carmen Bronze. A rollicking, whale of a great time, I recommend this to anyone wanting a perfectly pitched, wonderfully crafted, beautifully written escape. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

I think the premise of SuperBloom sounded great, but when I got into it, I found that it took me a really long time to warm up to Joan, our main character - I was empathetic to her situation, but I wasn't really enjoying being on her journey. Some of the elements that could have been relatable - the wrong job, trying to finally finish that novel, learning how to be yourself and show up for people after trauma - fell a little flat for me. That said, I did eventually come around to the story and the characters and I was more invested by the ending! Tady's writing style is lovely and I appreciated the cast of quirky side characters in Joan's life.

This book took me by surprise. I knew the basic story line, and at first I found myself wondering how we were going to go from
Joan being unhappy and full of grief, to her deciding to write a book that she was initially helping someone else write. All of the ideas I had in my head were wrong! I am so glad they were.

This book takes the reader on quite the entertaining journey with Joan. We get to know her coworkers, parents, and best friend. Everyone seems to be tired of Joan’s grief. However, any of us who have ever experienced grief over someone we loved will be able to relate to Joan. Grief is such an individual journey, and Joan is such a great example of that.

Joan is one strike away from losing her job when we meet Carmen, an author. She knows Joan is about to be fired so she decides to make a deal with Joan. Carmen is one of the bluntest, craziest characters I have encountered in a while. What she brings out in Joan is so good, and watching both characters grow is part of what made this book such a joy to read.

If you are looking for a different read, with unique characters and a beautiful setting, I recommend this one.

Thank you to Zibby Books for the copy of this book. All views are my honest opinion.

Are you looking for a book to read on self care days?
Massage Therapist
Adrift in life
Author Proposition
Finding Purpose

You really just want to root for Joan as she is having the hardest time. But also, you just want to tell her to get over it already!!

Thank you Zibby Books for the ARC!

“She passes it to me, and I rest the book on my knees, running my hands over the image on the cover, a desert mountainside in full bloom.”

The cover is reminiscent of a fun, breezy read, and the humor inside adds to that feel, yet this is a book with a lot of character growth and big feelings. Joan is a character that I could not relate with at the beginning, but when I was able to see the grief that was the reason behind the choices she was making, I was entered to her and rooted for her.

I am a sucker for books inside of books and journal entries and other forms of mixed media in books, so this structure worked so well for me.

Lastly, the title comes from a phenomenon in deserts where wildflowers which have been dormant for years all come to life after a major rainfall. This was the case where I live this year so the timing was perfect!

Rating:
4.25 stars

Read if you like:
Peeking inside the mind of massage therapists
Books inside books
Journal entries
Vermont settings

<quote>“Maybe it’s not too late for me. Don’t we all have dormant potential coiled up inside of us? Greatness lying within, waiting to be tapped? Just like Samuel’s super blooms. Seeds holding out for perfect conditions: soil, sun, rain.”</quote>

It’s apropos for [book:Super Bloom] to be coming out just as one of these incredible phenomena is popping up in California after a hellish season of winter rains. For a book that’s so much about romance novels, in the strictest sense, [book:Super Bloom] is not a romance novel (though it’s being marketed as one). That said, [author:Megan Tady]’s debut is not one to miss.

Joan, a mediocre massage therapist at a fancy spa in Vermont, is struggling as the two-year anniversary of the death of her boyfriend approaches. Running out of strikes at her job, Joan gets stuck with a notoriously tricky client, famous romance novelist Carmen Bronze, who is unimpressed by Joan’s body working skills but willing to cut her a deal – share notes all the juicy behind-the-scenes details of her job, which is to be the setting of Carmen’s next bestseller. Along the way, Joan has to discover what she really wants, who she really wants to be, and who she wants to be with.

There is a budding romance happening, but the more important love stories are between Joan and Carmen, Joan and her family (and found family), and of course, Joan and herself as she works through her grief of Samuel’s tragic loss. The richly drawn cast of characters – Joan’s quirky colleagues, Carmen, her parents, her best friend – add depth and brightness and keep the story from wallowing the way Joan often does.

[book:Super Bloom] by [author:Megan Tady]
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
🫑 Like Joan’s novel, it’s pretty vanilla
🧣Carmen’s scarf is practically its own character
🥓🥪🥞 Lots of action at the diner and the deli counter
💆‍♀️ Great, now I want a massage.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Zibby Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This book was so much fun to read!

A funny and heartwarming story about grief and love and the challenges of being a bodyworker! I loved this book, which dealt with heavy themes, but with such a light hand. Megan’s beautiful descriptions of Vermont and of the Super Bloom made me want to be inside the story, seeing those places for myself, and her characters made me feel the same way. This is a super-enjoyable, uplifting read. Strongly recommend!

Synopsis:
In this sparkling, heart-warming debut set at a luxury Vermont spa, massage therapist Joan Johnston is wallowing in grief over the accidental death of her boyfriend, Samuel, and it’s now seriously jeopardizing her job and her friendships. Will she ever be able to move on?


Enter Carmen Bronze, a hotheaded bestselling romance novelist and the most demanding massage client Joan’s ever faced. When Carmen offers Joan a chance to pay down her debt and save her job, it’s hard to say no—even though it means funneling Carmen inside dirt on the spa for her next novel.


The task unexpectedly reawakens a dormant talent in Joan, and she’s irresistibly drawn to writing her own romance novel based on her relationship with Samuel that stretches into the bright future they didn’t get to share. Writing proves to be the therapy Joan desperately needs, and her heart begins to open to new romance... and even the possibility of becoming a successful author herself. But none of this is easy, not with a lunatic like Carmen breathing down her neck and threatening to steal Joan’s manuscript.”

Thank you to @netgalley @zibbybooks and @megtady for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. #SuperBloom #NetGalley

Super Bloom is Super Cute! I didn’t know till reading this, that Super Blooms are an actual thing??

One you can easily burn through in a couple sittings. Joan is a massage therapist at a Vermont spa and deals with unreasonable clients, low pay and is grieving the death of her boyfriend.
She is assigned a VIP and told that a low rating of her massage service will result in her finding a new job. Carmen is a famous writer who is…difficult. (Putting it nicely) She will generously give Joan a high rating and a whole lot of cash in exchange for her notes on working in a spa and all the behind the scenes drama of working in the industry as research for her newest novel. Joan picks up her pen and journal and is off making notes. Easy! Or is it?

I really like how Tady balanced humourous moments in Joan’s everyday life through interactions with her friends, parents, inner dialogue and heartwarming ones that she wrestles with through grieving and trying to rebuild her life. Her boyfriend had a fascination with Super Blooms, - those “explosions of wildflowers that have lain dormant but blossom in magnificent displays exceeding typical spring blooms.” It’s through her experience with Carmen, and learning to work through her grief that Joan is able to “blossom” and move forward with her life.



*many thanks to @netgalley and @zibbybooks for the advance copy of #SuperBloom in exchange for an honest review.

With an opening line like: "I harbor a secret fantasy to go apeshit at work." Followed by: "Maybe today's the day." Who doesn't want to read on? Haven't we all had that feeling? What is causing it? What is going on? From the jump, Megan Tady pulls me in to the life of Joan Johnston and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Her writing is fast-paced and witty with fabulous descriptions throughout. I loved it! The only fault is how absolutely perfect Joan's first draft of her novel appeared to be. But of course, it had to be that way. I loved the twists and turns throughout as well as the resolution. I finished it last night and I'm already missing Joan and her friends.

In short: Joan is working at a luxury spa in Vermont at a job she hates as a massage therapist. She’s drowning in grief from the unexpected loss of her boyfriend when she takes on a celebrity client that sparks her joy and path to finding her purpose again with a special project.

What I liked:
🧖‍♀️Setting off a luxury spa in Vermont.
🧖‍♀️ Strong, quirky female character.
🧖‍♀️Exploration of grief and the growth
🧖‍♀️Book within a book

Final thoughts: This was a fun, enjoyable read! Love, loss, finding a new path, new friends, happiness, this explores it all. I thought this book handled grief & the aftermath well. I enjoyed the behind the scenes snippets and the journey Joan took towards her new beginning.

This was a fun book, even though the premise starts out on a sad note. I really loved Megan Tady's writing and felt connected to the characters from the beginning.

This was an enjoyable read! Thank you NetGalley and Megan Tady. I enjoyed this. Written so great!! Very much a delightful book! I 10/10recommend!

I adored [book:Super Bloom|60522892] by [author:Megan Tady|22270065]! It was a fun, refreshing story that I connected with from page one. Heart-breaking at times, but whole-heartedly playful and spunky in nature, this is a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary fiction with a strong female protagonist, and some quirky side characters. More, please!

Joan is a massage therapist at a luxury spa in Vermont. She lost her boyfriend unexpectedly and house been drowning in grief, affecting her ability to do well at her work. She meets a demanding author client who asks her to work on a special project collecting interesting tidbits and spa stories for her to use in her writing. This special project lights Joan's creative energy on fire and next thing you know she is writing her own book, making some new friends and opening her life up to new possibilities.

This was a great second chance at life. Joan is able to do work on herself and ultimately get herself to a much happier and productive place. I was also interested to learn about body workers, the physical and mental demands of the job, the lack of consistent pay, etc. This was very interesting to me.