Family for Beginners, by Sarah Morgan, is the story the heartwarming story of Flora, who is working at her dream job and who is seemingly a optimist. She really is a happy well adjusted woman but she does have a sad past and secrets she keeps from everyone. Until she meets Jack.. he comes to her flower shop and asks Flora to create a unique bouquet for his daughter. With this bouquet starts a wonderful friendship. Jack is a widow and he starts to have strong feelings about Flora. They meet daily for all kinds of dates but she has to meet his daughters. As well as meeting his daughters she finds herself telling Jack more and more of her past. She hasn’t wanted to share her past.. so there must be something very special about Jack. Things are going smoothly and Flora finally meets the girls. As you might expect, things don’t go so well. His daughters aren’t so eager to make friends with Flora. They miss their mom terribly and Izzy, his oldest daughter has her own secrets. The family trip to the Lake District in England is coming up and Jack wants to invite Flora.. This is going to be the trip that makes them a family or destroys them. Will the secrets kept, wreck them? This was such a sweet story. Each character was so endearing. They all had their faults but each one grew in great ways. This was a four star read for me. Overall I enjoyed, this quick read. I want to thank the author and Netgalley for my copy for an honest review. It was my pleasure to read and review this book.

New to me author but definitely won't be last. Thoroughly enjoyed this story. Thanks Netgalley and to the publisher for letting me read this advance copy.

I am a huge fan of Sarah Morgan. I loved this book. Second chance romance and a heartfelt story. I also liked seeing alternate chapters and seeing different perspectives. You need to read this book!

Sarah Morgan can do no wrong for me, her books are always just lovely and I finish feeling happy and warm. Loved the use of alternating perspectives and found this to be such a delightful read

Sarah Morgan always takes the heartwarming part of found family and writes about it so well. Flora was an orphan, so watching her navigate a new relationship with a man with children, in particular Izzy was very special.

This read was so great!! I fell in love with Flora immediately!! I loved the storyline of this one and really connected with it. Jack and Flora’s love story was so sweet and genuine! Did not mind the lack of steam in this either! 4.5 stars

This story isn't a romance story, although there is a little bit of romance in it. This is the story of a grieving family, a father and his two daughters, and how they have to work hard to move on after the death of their wife/mother. This book is full of messy family dynamics and learning to cope with sadness when it pops up, but it is also filled with hope and love. Flora is Jack's new love interest, and the growing pains this family experiences while they move into their new normal felt realistic and heartfelt. Ms. Morgan is one of my top favorite authors in terms of writing wonderful, warm, believable relationships and her choice of a lakeside setting made everything feel larger and more alive. There were a few times when some of the dad's choices or his daughter's behaviors made me cringe, but everything worked out well as the story progressed. I think this story is a great example of how change can be uncomfortable in the beginning and also how good things are worth the extra work.



Thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book so I can review it here for you guys. These thoughts are my own!

This was a delightful novel about the joys and trials of family. I really enjoyed the characters in this book. Flora was a great example of a character that frustrated me at first, but when she showed growth, I really cheered for her. Little Molly was sweet, and Izzy was a completely believable teenager, who was struggling with so much and had no idea how to let others help her handle it.

The settings were enjoyable as well. Part of the novel was set in New York City, and the rest was at a lake retreat in rural England. I'm already looking forward to lake days this summer, so the descriptions of scenery and activities there were so inviting. 

Other thoughts... This was a bit slower paced, but I tend to expect that of stories focused on families. There were moments at the beginning of the novel where a secret was hinted at... I did guess what that was before the reveal, but I still enjoyed the depictions of how everyone dealt with the fallout from it. And Sarah's writing tends to draw me into the story and keep it flowing smoothly.

This was a wonderful, heartwarming book I'd rate at 4.5 stars. I'm definitely looking forward to continuing to read more by Sarah Morgan. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a complimentary digital review copy of this title. All opinions are my own.

In recent years I’ve turned into a huge Sarah Morgan fan, especially when it comes to her women’s fiction novels. They are always full of intricate family dynamics, hardships and love. So you can imagine my excitement when I cracked open FAMILY FOR BEGINNERS. Ultimately, this was a good book but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations based on her previous work.

Our main protagonist, Flora, works at a flower shop (which I thought was cute LOL) and she starts dating a widower with 2 daughters. One a teenager and one younger. They are all still rattled because of the death of their mom and Flora has to navigate her place in the family if she wants their relationship to flourish.

I usually connect with Ms. Morgan’s protagonists right away, caring and wanting to peel back more of their layers and rooting for them to get an HEA. In this case I didn’t get that immediately. As the story progressed, the spark of interest in knowing some of the secrets that lurked in the background. But ultimately I wasn’t in love and passionate about either of the main characters or them as a couple.

Would this still be a nice beach read? Yeah, absolutely. If you are looking for something a little more slow paced and understated this has the perfect setting and vibe. Plus family and secrets make for a great beach read. But I think my expectations were just not quite met. That being said, I’m still anxious for her next book!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. This pains me to write because I typically love Sarah Morgan stories but I just could not get into Family for Beginners. I don't know if it's just not the right time or what but I found myself skimming chapters so I ended up not finishing. Hope to have better luck with her next novel!

i really enjoyed reading this, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the plot of the book. I look forward to more from the author.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I just love Sarah Morgan’s books- and Family for Beginners was def not an exception to my Sarah Morgan love!

What I Liked:

That cover *insert ALL the heart eyes!*

The dynamic between Flora and Izzy. Yes, Izzy was being a pain during most of the book- but she had her reasons. Yes, Flora was at times misjudging her for her behavior. But I liked how they worked together- and their issues with each other felt very real- not just contrived for conflict.

How forgiveness and yet growing beyond a friendship seemed to be a theme of this book. A best friend is a wonderful thing- but some friendships run their course and it’s not a bad thing. Sarah explores this in a gentle yet probing manner and I loved that angle.



Bottom line: For me, this was a good book. Very enjoyable family drama.



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

What a lovely story - i know i was very hopeful throughout reading that things would work out for Flora. She works in a flower shop - and is lonely. She meets Jack who is recently widowed. The two begin this beautiful relationship but Jack's teenage daughter does not want to have Flora in her life - she wants to be the one to take care of her dad and younger sister.

I usually love, love, love Sarah Morgan. BUT i have tried reading this book 3 times and could not get into it. Started out good but once I got about 50 pages in I lost all train of the story. Hoping her next story is her speed of writing.

There's something about seeing the Harlequin logo that has me one-clicking, ready to indulge in a great romance. And this author definitely brought me that. This story really got to me.

An emotionally charged story of starting over! FAMILY FOR BEGINNERS by Sarah Morgan revolves around a man who lost his wife, his teenage daughter who took the world onto her shoulders as her way of coping and the new woman who's beginning to become the light of his life. The story line is quick to hook the reader and the characters keep our attention throughout. I really enjoyed it!

Jack Parker is a bit obtuse but easy enough to like. He sees his children through the filter that his eldest daughter has developed and doesn't see the subtle nuances that reflect the chaos below the surface. He's beginning to feel like Flora could be the love of his life and can't believe there could be anything wrong with those feelings.

Isabella Parker has programmed herself to be perfect and won't stand for letting her father down. She knows a secret that eats at her soul and that and her very existence are weighting heavily on her actions. She can't let this new woman come in and take the only place she has left.

Flora Donovan is delightful. She's kind and understanding and has no idea of what she's walking into when she begins to date Jack. She sees herself in the eyes of his teen and can feel the despair she tries so hard to hide.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys family drama as a setting stone to overcoming odds and finding happiness. It's fast paced and full of emotion.

Flora lost her mother when she was just 8 years old and she has felt lonely almost just as long. When she meets Jack, the connection is immediate. Jack is a widow and is raising his two daughters. Jack's oldest daughter, Izzy, has taken on a huge role since the death of her mother. Now, a year later, Flora comes into their lives. Will they be able to build a relationship or will Flora have to go back to loneliness.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was a cute emotional story about love and loss. I could empathize with Izzy. When my father got remarried, it was a difficult transition. Fortunately, I still had my mother, so I didn't have to take on that role, but I didn't want anyone to disrupt what had already been disrupted in our family.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. There were parts of it that dragged along which made me bring my rating down some. IF you like family stories, or stories about love after loss or divorce, you will enjoy this book.

Ms. Morgan is one of long time favorite authors. I love the mix of witty dialog, deep love story and interesting characters to be found within the pages of her stories. For some reason I had a hard time with this book.
Flora is a lonely young man who starts up a conversation with a widower Jack who is struggling with his daughters sorrow and adjustment after the death of his wife. As he gradually falls in love with Flora and introduces her into his family she is the outcast and cannot do anything to shine against the memories of the perfect mother, wife and home maker.
As it happens the perfect woman doesn't exist and and as the various characters come to terms with their feelings of betrayals to finally come together at the end of an emotional journey makes for a great read.
This is no lighthearted romance and perhaps that is what took me the time to come to terms with and actually finally finish the book.

I love Sarah Morgan’s writing style... never fails to pull me right in to the story. This book was no exception. Love the sincerity Morgan brings to each of the characters, especially flora and Izzy. This book of love, loss and grief is one that will stay with me for a long time. The family dynamics and realistic relationships built among grief and tragedy are truly special.

An excellent, lovely and delightful story that was like a warm hug!

I absolutely adored this feel good family drama story and highly recommend it.