Evie runs a flower shop with her assistant, a Goth teenager, who proclaims that all men are “gits”. Evie hopes to buy the flower shop, but her finances may not allow that to happen.
Scott is caring for his Mother who is an invalid from a stroke. Scott is also the guardian of his teenage nephew, Ben. He makes his living as a plumber and his work is the way he meets Evie. The store's boiler is near failure and Scott attempts to do repairs and keep the boiler operating.
Ben is planning on marrying Amy. Although the majority opinion is they are too young, they plan to go forward with their plans. Amy's parents are Patricia and Richard. The relationships in this family are nearly non-existent.
Laura runs a bridal salon and her husband Mark works in finance. The two of them have a marriage which is circling the drain. Both are working long hours and spending very little time together. Neither one seems truly willing to listen to the other.
This story is about relationships, both romantic and family relationships. Some of the relationships start out as “what not to do.”
Scott is a very good man. He has sacrificed his life to care for the people he loves. His kindness and consideration are amazing. In the beginning, Evie is rude to Scott in epic proportions. She is willing to think the worst of him at every turn. Her history includes family members who appear disconnected from her and a former boyfriend who was less than ideal.
Patricia has determined that having a life of wealth is worth her self respect. Richard is an absolutely disgusting person.
Laura and Mark live as though they do not speak the same language. Communication is mostly each defending themselves and never listening to their spouse.
This story has its ups and downs. At times, I wanted to slap several of the characters. They were not behaving as I wanted them to behave. In short, it was rather like real life, people do not always behave in what I consider a sensible manner.
The book draws the reader into the lives of people who become like friends. My general feeling was that I hoped for the very best for nearly everyone. And I fell in love with Marlon, the dog that Evie adopts. That act alone is a perfect illustration of who Evie is. She is a kind hearted woman who sees the best in everyone, even a scruffy rescue dog.
The story is fast moving and can hold the reader's interest.
I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are my own.

3.5 Stars

What a lovely story, focused around three main families and a lovely flower shop. It's a gentle story of relationships, but family and romantic, and is just a really relaxed book to read.

There is Evie who would like to buy The Forget-Me-Not Flower Shop, if only she can raise the funds, the last thing she wants in her life is a new man, but there is just something about Scott the plumber that gets under her skin.

Scott is struggling, he has a problem that he tries to hide from everyone, and is looking after his mother who is disabled from a stroke, as well as his 18 year old Nephew, Ben. Ben has fallen in love but not everyone agrees with his relationship with Amy.

Amy's parents have a horrible dynamic in their relationship and I really feel sorry for Patricia, her mother. No-one deserves to have a husband like David. Patricia plays tennis with Martin, who is married to Laura. Laura is Evie's best friend, and runs a wedding dress shop, but isn't too happy in her marriage either.

The chapters either focus on Evie, Laura or Patricia and it took me a while to fully work out the relevance of where most of the characters would encounter each other, and I've only mentioned the basics!

It's the story of how peoples lives interrelate, and although at times I was slightly confused, I did really enjoy what I was reading. I found myself on numerous occasions frustrated that the characters hadn't got together sooner.

I enjoyed this book, especially all the flowers and also Evie's new dog who has a real bit of character to him. However my favourite things in the book overall was probably Evie's shoes, I loved the creativity of the different novelty shoes she was finding as bargains on Ebay, or in charity shops. They were quirky and just added a new facet to her personality.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Really enjoyed this. Sad in places but had me laughing too. Good combination. Fantastic first book. Looking forward to others, maybe even another one incorporating these characters 😉