Must Love Flowers by Debbie Macomber

As a long-time fan of Debbie Macomber books, I was delighted to see her return after a threatened retirement! Must Love Flowers didn’t disappoint—Macomber’s characters are not the run of the mill twenty-something romance novel heroines and heroes, but fully fleshed people with real problems.

The four main characters, Phil, Joan, Maggie and Nick have all experienced major setbacks in their lives and bond over their individual grief. Phil and Joan are in their 50s, Maggie and Nick are in their twenties. The fact that Maggie boards with Nicks Mother, and Nick works for Phil’s landscaping business, creates interesting situations and tangles that are so delightful to read. I also appreciate the lack of explicit sex in Macomber’s books—she artfully weaves the romance, including physicality, without overwriting it for her reader. It’s a great book, thoughtful and educational, especially where the processing of grief is concerned.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine for the advanced copy!