Book Review and Giveaway: Save the Date

By Gail Allison

**Giveaway is now closed**

Cara Kryzik is living a balancing act. She's struggling to keep Bloom (her flower shop) afloat, to keep her bills covered, to keep her father placated (he's appalled that she owed him money, needs more, and thinks she should give up and close up shop), and to just find time to breathe! She barely has time for a relationship with her dog, much less a man. Luckily, ever since her husband cheated on her and she kicked him out, that suits her just fine. When Cara is offered the chance to not only do the flowers for, but plan an entire society wedding, she knows that this may just be the moment she's been waiting for. The commission will get her out of debt, get her father off her back, and prove to the world that she can do anything she sets her mind to.

Enter the inevitable road blocks: an overbearing step-mother who views this wedding as a society event, and not a marriage. A bride who doesn’t know what she wants, and doesn't care to decide any time soon. The assistant at Bloom who's acting more and more squirrelly and proving again and again that maybe he can't be counted on as much as Cara initially thought. The new, hip florist in town who's schmoozing the society ladies and luring away Cara's loyal clients. And the attractive restoration specialist who keeps bumping into Cara in the oddest places.

I'm a huge fan of Mary Kay Andrews, so when I heard she had a new book coming out for the summer, I was immediately hooked. I devoured this one in two days. It was so good. I love how she writes believable yet whimsical chick lit that doesn't take itself too seriously, but at the same time doesn't come off as frothy or lacking in plot or character development. Save the Date did not disappoint on any of those fronts. I felt immediate empathy for Cara, and couldn't wait to see what happened through all her clients and adventures. As a florist she was dealing with a number of different characters and the way she went over and above to make their special days as wonderful as she could really made me want to like her even more. As well, the amount of detail that Ms. Andrews put into describing the flowers and the arrangements throughout this novel was amazing. She never got too technical, but provided enough description that I could see everything perfectly in my mind's eye. At times I could practically smell the flowers wafting out of the book. It was a wonderful read.

Even the minor characters were well-developed, and I really didn't find this book to be missing any crucial pieces. As always, the loose ends were wrapped up tidily, and all the good guys got their happily ever after, but that wasn't the best part of the book. The best part was the simple story woven throughout of a girl trying to make her dreams a reality. Those dreams got a little tangled in places, and reality snarled them up into a bit of a mess at times, but Cara never looked around for a prince to save her. She was determined to do it herself, and I love that quality in a protagonist. There's nothing better than a character who wants nothing more than to be self-reliant. At times Cara could seem prickly, but not without good reason.

Save the Date was a fantastic read, and is coming out just in time for summer. Pick up a copy, pack a picnic, and go find a spot next to some lilacs or peonies…something that smells like summer. Let yourself get carried away in the story…I sure did! This one's definitely in the re-read pile for me.

Thanks to Tandem Literary for the book in exchange for an honest review. They also have one copy for a lucky US reader!

How to win:
Tell us a crazy or funny story involving a wedding (your own or someone else's).

One entry per person.

Please include your e-mail address or another way to reach you if you win. Entries without contact information will NOT be counted (and we do not count Google + as contact information).

US only. Giveaway ends June 18th at midnight EST.

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