There are three things men can do with women: love them, suffer for them, or turn them into literature.
Stephen Stills
If I had to pick one thing that stuck with me as I read this book, it is the quote cited above. Fordham Price is a single mother who lives with her ten-year-old daughter and spirited mother. She has had a series of dating disasters, and her relationship status is still single. Her life ends up getting more complicated as a colleague at work gets pregnant, and Fordham is entrusted with the task of editing the latest book in the Flowers from the Heart series (equate this to a Chicken Soup for the Soul series). She wades through various submissions as she sets out to identify the best online love stories. One of the submissions she receives is a story from a widower whose story touches her heart and soul. The novel is Fordham’s journey as she discovers true love and then some more.
The book’s plot was predictable, and I could predict it halfway through the book. That depleted my excitement for the ending. I could predict Fordham’s choice, but the question that persisted with me was how would she make the choice. I loved most of the characters in the novel. Abe and Dorie hold a special place. Even though the ending was predictable, the characters were likable and relatable. The author successfully manages to make you hate and like the right characters.
Fordham and her dad’s backstory is well developed and her struggle as a daughter to respect her father’s memory, while acknowledging his flaws is touching. Fordham’s ten-year-old daughter is portrayed to be extremely mature and outspoken, which came across as unbelievable. Luck and fate seemed to play too strong a role in the story displacing the predictability and fun in the plot.
I would rate this 3/5 stars. While I loved the characters and enjoyed the book, I disliked the predictability of the plot. It sucked out the fun for me. I received an advanced review copy for free from Booksirens for a voluntary review. The novel is published by Red Adept Publishing and has 344 pages.