Book Reviews | Flowers on Main, by Sherryl Woods

Another Make-You-Feel-Good Story for Romance Lovers

A book about reconnecting and rebuilding while finding the love of your life

Sometimes, all you want is a make-you-feel-good story. Uncomplicated, heartwarming, delightful. That’s what Chesapeake Shores brings its readers time and again. It’s one of my favourite series at the moment, and I love to read these easy-to-digest stories.

Flowers on Main is the second book in the series. If you haven’t read any of the books, I recommend you read my review of the first one, The Inn at Eagle Point to be introduced to Chesapeake Shores without the risk of finding a spoiler.

Not like the TV show at all

My first encounter with Chesapeake Shores and the O’Briens wasn’t actually through The Inn at Eagle Point, but in the Hallmark series. I watched all seasons and fell in love with the adaptation, the lovely characters and the town.

I was surprised when the first book deviated so much from what I knew from the show. Even more surprising was that the differences weren’t exactly a bad thing. I usually like the books more than their adaptations, but this wasn’t the case with Chesapeake Shores. However, I wouldn’t say I like the TV show best, either. They’re similar but different stories, and I can’t choose which one I like the best. I very much enjoyed both versions of the O’Briens and their stories.

So, I shouldn’t have been surprised when the same thing happened again in the second book, but I was. Flowers on Main is very different from anything in the show, even more so than in the first book. The main protagonist, Bree, is almost a completely different character. Apart from her love for writing plays, everything else is distinct, even the business she opens up in town.

It’s the middle sister’s time to find love

In Flowers on Main, we return to the idyllic town of Chesapeake Shores and the O’Brien family. The story starts exactly where the first book left off: Bree is back at Chesapeake Shores, and nobody understands why. The surprise is even bigger when she decides to open up a flower shop on Main Street. Her whole family is worried about her; after all, she was a successful playwright in Chicago, so why would she leave it all behind to open a flower shop in the small town where she grew up?

As an added burden, she has to deal with Jake. He may be handsome and charming, but the two have a past that is less than ideal and far from uncomplicated. Apparently, Jake is not over the events of so many years ago. But he’s also the best flower supplier in the region. For her business to thrive, Bree will have to work with Jake. And those feelings stirring inside her will have to get under control.

Like the first instalment of this series, or other series like Sweet Magnolias and Virgin River (both lovely series that I also recommend!), Chesapeake Shores is set in a small town and book by book, a character is snatched by the love bug disease. Of course, it isn’t as simple as finding the person you love, otherwise, there would be no story. So of course, Woods creates some obstacles, builds complicated pasts for her characters, and delights us with how the fools deal with everything. At no moment does the book get too heavy, though, so it’s exactly the kind of romance to read and forget about life.

Confession time: At some points, Flowers on Main riles me up. I can’t let go of the perfectness of everything, including the problems the characters face at some moments. Life isn’t like that, and nobody should expect it to be. I can’t help but get a little angry that it’s depicted that way. It makes me wonder if reading this type of story is setting people up for disappointment, by making them believe life should be a certain way; and their messy, and much more real, lives are therefore less desirable or worthy.

That’s only one side of things, though, because with the next breath, I’m enjoying the uncomplicated story. It’s so nice to see the characters living their lives, getting their wins, and falling in love. What can I say? I’m a normal human who enjoys being over-complicated for no reason whatsoever. Reading these make-you-feel-good romances is a great pleasure, even if such pleasure isn’t unblemished.

The O’Brien family is the real star of the series

It is so intriguing how the Irish-American characters still consider themselves very much Irish and always mention it in the books. I’m not Irish by birth, but my heart is full of Irishness. So for me, it’s an added bonus that Chesapeake Shores is a series about the O’Brien family.

Don’t be fooled… even though you get a new protagonist for each instalment of the series, the family is the real star of the show. Book by book, we get better acquainted with the extensive lineage. Some characters have almost as much space in the story as the protagonists. I'm talking about Mick and Meghan, the O’Brien parents. I love how their story is very much a part of each of the books. Their love story is a very complicated, and rather messy, one. It’s quite interesting to see how their relationship with each other, and with their kids too, slowly develops and unfolds.

I do know there are 14 books in this series — so I will be enjoying Chesapeake Shores for quite a while. I’m sure we’ll see a book for each of the five siblings. Although I’m rather curious as to how there will be space for one of the siblings who made a swift appearance with their snap decision in this book. And of course, I expect Mick and Meghan to get their own volume too. After that, will Sherryl Woods write about other people in town or perhaps the extended family? I don’t know… But I appreciate her style, how easy these books are to read, and how lovely the stories are.

Flowers on Main is a quick read, light, heartwarming, escapism at its best. I definitely recommend the Chesapeake Shores series. I’m looking forward to the next book already!

If you enjoy reading, check out my previous reviews: