My Review and Reflections
A Year of Flowers is a series of novellas that follow the journey of three former friends from the night they all left Rose’s Flower Shop in Sunrise, North Carolina, as teenagers to the night they return in their mid-twenties. Each story focuses on one friend: where they currently are in life, their reflections on the past that drew them to their current location, and their eventual return to Sunrise. Jaime, Claire, and Tessa are all relatable and likable characters. They are Christians, but more in the “He served me at one time in my life, and I still believe—or kind of believe—sort of way.”
A Year of Flowers Review and Story Overview
Jaime left Sunrise and went to college, where she found her Instacrush in the floral design business and followed him to New York, eventually landing a spot on his team. If there is one character I did not like, it would be Liam McMillan, the owner of Epic Events and the man Jaime secretly loves. Woods Fisher does a great job of explaining Liam’s character through his conversations with Jaime, but, eh, I just don’t get it.
Claire’s personality is the one I related to the most. She has a temper, can be direct, and isn’t afraid to share her opinion (which, like mine, is always right). This trait doesn’t sit well with others. Because of this, Claire’s boss at Same Day Delivery, a floral shop, sends her to a customer service seminar commonly referred to as a “customer service rehab clinic.” While there, she has a run-in with Christopher Reid, Rose’s nephew. Christopher, strong in his faith, wants to help Claire find her way back to Sunrise. He is the one who delivers the note from Rose that prompts Claire’s return.
Faith Friendship and Personal Growth in A Year of Flowers
Of the three women, Tessa is the only one who has never lived in Sunrise full time, but her parents owned a summer home there. Although she didn’t need to work, Tessa took a summer job at Rose’s flower shop, which is how she got to know Jaime and Claire—and, of course, Rose. Tessa is a can-do woman whose love of flowers is different from Jaime’s and Claire’s. Instead of becoming a floral stylist like them, she prefers farming. She discovered this passion during a class with Dawson Greene, a sustainability instructor. When Tessa saw a flower bloom in a compost heap, the idea to own a flower farm took root and stuck. She even hired Dawson to help enrich the soil on her farm.
Tessa’s story is where I really felt God’s words connect. Sometimes, stories outside of the Bible help one truly put things together, and this one did that. If you are not a Christian or a religious person, Woods Fisher incorporates these elements into the story seamlessly. You shouldn’t shy away from the story if you don’t share these beliefs—you can still enjoy it.
In the final story, when all of them come together again—although a little begrudgingly in some instances—we learn more about Rose and Christopher and gain insight into everyone’s perception of the events that drove them out of Sunrise. The story also teaches us how important it is to sit back, listen, and take notes before jumping to conclusions. Life is too short to let mistrust and pain guide us.
Why A Year of Flowers Is About Friendship More Than Romance
While A Year of Flowers does have romance, and each woman has a love interest (in case it wasn’t clear, Christopher is Claire’s), the story is just as much—if not more—about friendship. Outside of my sister, I have not had this type of friendship in my life because, quite frankly, it’s just as scary—if not more so—than romantic love. Friendships are fragile and can break over the smallest things. People get scared, there are misunderstandings, and they drift apart. Unlike romantic relationships, the reasons to work through friendship issues aren’t always as compelling. Especially when you’re teenagers, like Jaime, Tessa, and Claire were the night that drove them from Sunrise for what they thought was for good.
I found all these elements in this story. But I also found hope, love, and reasons for repairing the kind of friendship that these three had—and still have.
If you like flowers, you’ll also learn quite a bit about them in this book. Each novella begins with a cast of characters as well as some floral terminology. Some of these are repeated because each novella was also released separately, but many are new. I had no idea floral arrangement competitions were a thing! Competitions are a major draw for Claire, and even Jaime has won a big one.
After everyone receives their letter from Rose and returns to Sunrise, the last novella showcases Rose’s personality. She is truly a mentor and friend to these young women. By this point, you understand why each of them felt they had to leave Sunrise and never return. However, it makes you wonder why they didn’t stay, talk it through with Rose, and move on. Don’t get me wrong—it was a really significant event that drove them out (do you want to read it now?), but it’s so sad how much time they missed together. Teenagers, after all, are not the clearest thinkers.
The focus on friendship and rebuilding trust really spoke to me in this set of novellas. It made me long for the days when friendships were like flowers: sweet, blooming, and full of life. If you enjoy sweet, clean romances, stories of friendships lost and found, and the bond of a mentor, then A Year of Flowers is for you. It’s a book I would read again—and I suspect I would discover new nuggets of wisdom with each reread. Reading this felt like being part of the friendship and made me wistful for a mentor like Rose.
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