A Bouquet of Dreams

A Year of Flowers #2

by Suzanne Woods Fisher

With the future she planned in jeopardy, the past may be the only place to turn . . .

Claire Murphy has always had a dream to run her own flower shop. So when her bosses hint at retirement, Claire sees her chance to take over Same Day Delivery. But life takes a twist when they send her off to a customer service seminar to refine her supposedly lacking people skills.

Navigating "customer service rehab" isn't easy. And just when Claire thinks things couldn't get more complicated, her high school crush pops back into her life, hand-delivering a letter from Rose, the wise flower shop owner from Sunrise, North Carolina, who once believed in her potential.

Then comes the gut Same Day Delivery gets sold to a rival company. Claire feels like her world is spinning out of control. In the midst of all this chaos, the pull to return to Sunrise, where it all began, grows stronger.

But facing Rose--and her friends--whom she let down years ago? That's a whole other challenge Claire isn't sure she's ready to tackle.

Kindle Edition

Published June 18, 2024

About the author

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling, award winning author of fiction and non-fiction books about the Old Order Amish for Revell Books, host of the radio-show-turned-blog Amish Wisdom, a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazine.

Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, who was raised Plain. A theme in her books (her life!) is that you don’t have to “go Amish” to incorporate the principles of simple living.

Suzanne lives in California with her family and raises puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To her way of thinking, you just can't life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone's underwear in its mouth.

Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com

Reviews

[Heidi Morrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic Contemporary Christian fiction book in the series. I love flowers myself, and I learned so much from the FL about the "language" of flowers! The story was believable (and the mystery of "that night" years ago eludes the reader), and the characters heartwarming. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series! I was able to read a copy of this book via Overdrive, but it did not in any way affect my review. All opinions are my own.

[Lisa M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
this is a novella--so you won't get the *whole story*. Each of these novellas is tied to the other. So It helps to have read the previous ones. This one goes with the second girl in the flower shop--Cassie. Cassie can't hold her tongue to save her life. She's super talented, but if she thinks something should be done differently than what you want as a customer--well she's going to steamroll you. And then get mad if you don't like it! That's how she ends up in Customer Service rehab. And that definitely doesn't end well for her. You get another piece in the puzzle of the past...but there is no closure. So you have to just wait for the next book.

[Christi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second novella in the A Year of Flowers series, A Bouquet of Dreams, is Cassie’s story, which was my least favorite of the series. It wasn’t horrible, but it didn’t hit as hard as the other books in the series.

There are more pieces of the overall puzzle that snap into place, but there is no resolution. I hated seeing Claire get the rug pulled out from under her, but this story shows that just because you don’t get what you want, it doesn’t mean that it will not lead to what you need.

Reading this novella leaves more questions that I can’t wait to see answered in the future novels.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another short story towards the book that will eventually be A Year of Flowers. This is Cassie's story. Since it is a novella more so than a full book, it can feel a little sparse on details , but as the second book in the series it helps that we already heard part of the story in the first book. I was surprised that Chris Reid has already made an appearance in the story. It was nice to get more details about what caused the girls to leave Sunrise, but still waiting in suspense for the rest of the story.

[Paula Shreckhise · Rating 5 out of 5]

When her plans to own a flower shop fall through, Clair returns to Sunrise, North Carolina where she reconnects with Ruth who mentored her years ago. She matures in her faith and finds her true calling and some romance. I liked the list of characters and the floral glossary. And the flower descriptions had you picturing their beauty. The story does not end here so be sure and read all four novellas.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Revell through Interviews and Reviews via NetGalley. All opinions are mine alone.*

[Elizabeth Eckmeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claire ran away from home after a sequence of bad events. She ended up in Georgia and just happened to run into a woman who owned a flower shop!
As Claire is set to take over the flower shop she works for the rug is pulled under her when she finds out the shop was sold to someone else.
While attending a conference to improve her customer service she gets a blast from the past. She must figure out how to forgive and move forward. This was a sweet story!

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Revell through Interviews and Reviews via NetGalley. All opinions are mine alone.*

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really enjoying the 1st part of the book, particularly the MC's stint in remedial customer service training, but once a person from the past appeared it just seemed like the author wanted to finish things up in a rush.

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of hope and change

Claire is an average woman who hates change yet forges on despite setbacks. Change can be daunting but forging ahead demonstrates integrity, character and maturity. I wanted more of the story.

[Angelica Meade · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this novella was rough with a lot of "anyhoos" and "soooo", but the last half was honestly incredibly beautiful in its message.

Believing in God is not the same as trusting in God. We can believe in God but trust in ourselves, and we will reap the consequences of such.

[JaTara · Rating 5 out of 5]

We cannot do it on our own. Claire learned that and Chris was able to help teach that. I hope book 4 brings it all together. Each book left a lot unsaid. Can’t wait to read it.

[Amy Roelant]

Claire is feisty- customer relations boot camp? Looking forward to book 4 to complete story.

[Ifeoluwa Shobande · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a side to every story, not just your side alone. Don't always trust your own eyes.


Thank you, Suzanne Woods Fisher.

[Parkland Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)
Read: November 2024

Series: Year of Flowers, #2
Format: ARC of the compilation book of all 4 novellas and e-book borrow from Everand

Book #127 of 2024:
Have you ever read a book where the main character is someone you know in real life? That's how it was for me with Claire. It was a little weird....

Sometimes there are people who are very unaware of how they come across to others, OR they do and don't care. I respect that Claire had a moment of clarity and chose to take the fork in the road.

These novellas end without the loose ends being tied up. These fourth novella will be the bow around the bouquets. Pun fully intended.