Anderson in Bloom: A Spicy Enemies-to-Lovers Romance of Love, Flowers, and Hollywood Secrets

by Jennifer Dugan

From the author of Love at First Set, a hilariously sexy enemies-to-lovers, second-chance rom-com about a reclusive former child star turned florist whose quiet life is turned upside down when her annoyingly hot ex (and former costar) shows up in town, with plans to write a tell-all memoir.

Former child star Anderson “Andy” Ducharme is hiding—has been for a long time, if she’s honest with herself, which she isn’t.

When she suddenly cut off all ties and left LA six years earlier to work in a flower shop in coastal New England, she wasn’t just running away from toxic relationships, embezzling agents, and all the rest of her Hollywood life; she was running to something… sort of, if you squinted, and if you accepted that what she was running toward was little more than a vacation daydream she had made up with her (in)famous ex, and former costar, Nicole “Nikki” Price. 

Then Nikki announces her plan to write a tell-all book about growing up in Hollywood and their tumultuous time on the Nik and Andy show, and Andy’s feelings of hurt and betrayal come rushing back. Emboldened by anger (and maybe one too many drinks), Andy does something very she texts her ex for the first time in years. No one’s more shocked than Andy when Nikki actually shows up to her small florist shop, looking for answers.

Andy is fully prepared to send Nikki away, but it seems Nikki has some unfinished business as well. Now that she finally knows where Andy’s been hiding, she’s not letting her go so easy. And with each passing encounter, Andy can’t deny the simmering physical attraction that threatens to boil over every time they get close.

But can the two of them really reunite without wrecking Andy’s carefully rebuilt life? Or is she setting herself up for a fresh heartbreak? 

TROPES

second-chancecelebritysmall townfwbformer exes

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, LGBT, Queer, Contemporary, Adult, Fiction

Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 3, 2026

About the author

Jennifer Dugan is a writer, geek, and romantic who writes the kinds of stories she wishes she had growing up. In addition to being a young adult novelist, she is also the writer/creator of two indie comics. She lives in New York with her family, dogs, and an evil cat that is no doubt planning to take over the world.

Reviews

[Fernanda (ivyfer_isreading) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes the rule of not going for a book based solely on its cover is true.(Will I make this mistake again? Absolutely.)
This was… not good. The idea was really good, but I don’t like the execution.
Almost everything boils down to the fact that I personally don’t think you can get better and heal if you are constantly around someone that reminds you of the worst part of your life. Especially not that soon and that fast after reconnecting.
The first 30% of the book was really fun, I have to admit that, and the characters' chemistry is fire, no doubts about that. Around 50% is when I started to get bored. 60% is when I realised they definitely shouldn’t be together and this would work perfectly as litfic and not romance. There’s a certain part where one of the characters says they are regressing to toxic behaviors and they are better off without being in a relationship and I have to agree.
I loved the part where we actually got to see a passage of the book, I wish we got more of that. It could really use flashbacks or something that gave us a better understanding of their situation, it’s a lot of telling and not enough showing.
I hate not enjoying arcs but I’ll always be truthful, and this one was definitely not for me.
Thank you Netgalley and Avon for the ARC.

[⋆｡°·☁︎ sydney ⋆｡°·☁︎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was really not for me.
The little dances these two played around each other left me with nothing but annoyance.
To preface, the cover of this book is the cutest. It was chosen off of cover vibes alone and nothing else.
Now onto the problems.
First of all, these two were toxic from the start. I found no redeeming qualities in their relationship, and I found that the sheer lack of growth was plain annoying. These two would never fit together. They couldn’t talk or function with any basic emotional awareness, instead they just bought each other coffee and PINED.
Only one thing can pull that plot off, and that would be Gilmore Girls.
Secondly, I somehow hated both of these characters and knew nothing about them.
Nikki, for starters, was just plain annoying with an appalling lack of boundaries.
Andy, was so frustratingly emotionally idiotic and self centered that my eyes spent most of this book rolling instead of reading.
Our side characters Regan and Johnny (?) carried, however, providing a nice refreshing reality check and a lot of cute moments.
Tysm netgalley for letting me give this one a shot!! Two stars.

[SJARR ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge thank you to Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager and author Jennifer Dugan for providing me with the eARC of “Anderson in Bloom”, in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: March 3rd, 2026

I ate this up!
Let me start off by saying that “Anderson in Bloom” is one of my most anticipated releases of 2026, and it did not disappoint! An absolutely stunning cover, a fun plot AND written by Jennifer Dugan?
Sign me up.

Perfect for lovers of:
- Sapphic romance
- Second chance romance
- Celebrity romance

This story follows Andy. A former actress that has left Hollywood after a devastating split with her ex-girlfriend, Nikki.
Andy had sworn off contact with Nikki and wants absolutely nothing to do with her.
Until, in a moment of drunk weakness- she sends an angry text after discovering a new project she is working on.
What she doesn’t expect is a response…or for Nikki to randomly show up at the floral shop she is working at the next day, asking for her help.
Once to two reconnect, they must decide if they can fix everything- or if some things are better left broken.

I loved this. I just loved it.
I love Andy, I love Nikki, I love Andy and Nikki together.
This had all the intensity and tension that I would expect from a story like this one.
I was actually thrilled by their reconnection, and I was on the edge of my seat every time they had an almost-romantic encounter.

Their fights? Devastating. Consider me heartbroken.
I was begging two fictional characters to please just love each other again.

I love their stories and reading about their struggles with their previous relationship and individual Hollywood experiences.
This is one of those books where I really felt bad for both of them equally.
They both were hurting, being hurt by other people, and hurting each other all at the same time.
I was so glad they were able to get some healing.

Overall, this is for me. This is my thing. I am SO happy to have gotten to read and review this early. I will be patiently waiting to get a copy of this in March. Always looking forward to reading more Jennifer Dugan in the future!

[Lesbereading · Rating 4 out of 5]

The description had me very intrigued, and the first third and last third had me engrossed in their story. In the middle I was getting a bit tired of their lack of communication and started skimming some because I still very much wanted to know how things would end up. With the story being singular pov I was really glad we were able to understand Nikki’s side of things. To be honest, Nikki was the stand out character for me. The growth she had was incredible and had me rooting for her. Overall, I’d give this one 3.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

[jenny reads a lot]

This cover!!!!!

| IG | TikTok |

Thank you Avon for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

[megan ◡̈ · Rating 2 out of 5]

as an absolute lover of second chance romances i am extremely bummed to say this was NOT for me at all. in all honesty i spent the majority of the book wanting to dnf it but decided to just stick it out, i cant say im happy i did but i can say that i did like the ending.

i liked the way this book started but it quickly lost me after nikki was introduced. these two were so toxic and not in the fun way. as a lover of toxic romance reads i think that says a lot lol. these two should not have tried to be together again, after all the time spent apart and what seemed like growth on both ends as soon as they tried to talk about anything real is was like they were completely different volatile characters. and this lasted through out the entire book… so when they came back together after the 3rd act breakup and everything was poised and mature it felt extremely unbelievable (no matter how much i liked how it ended, it wasnt believable).

the cover is beautiful, the writing is great, however the characters were just too immature and toxic which is a shame because i was so excited for a sapphic second chance 😭

2 stars feels too high but 1 feels too low because there were some enjoyable parts lol.

[RachelH · Rating 2 out of 5]

These two should have NEVER gotten back together.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

~thank you to the publisher, Avon, Jennifer Dugan & NetGalley for giving me an arc of this in exchange for an honest review~

I didn’t love it but I also didn’t hate it. The story was cute. The characters were mostly all love-able. I hated Nikki in the beginning but grew to love her as the story played out. I liked Andy in the beginning but then hated her and thought she was a b*tch but then ended up liking her at the end. So many feelings. Regan & Johnny were cool too. Nikki and Andy’s relationship was interesting to say the least. I truly don’t understand why they even broke up in the first place and what was so “toxic” about their relationship in the past. Something about what Nikki did was “so bad?” But I can’t even tell you what it was …. I feel like the story didn’t make it very clear. And Andy just up and leaving Nikki with no goodbye ?? I don’t get it. I feel like it could’ve been explained better but oh well. It had a good ending so.

[☆Laura☆]

1⭐


Cinco años después de desaparecer del ojo público, Andy Ducharme, exestrella de una serie juvenil y ahora florista bajo el nombre de Annie, lleva una vida tranquila en un pequeño pueblo costero de Maine. Alejada del caos de Hollywood y del corazón roto que le dejó su exnovia y coprotagonista, Nikki, Andy por fin ha encontrado un poco de paz… hasta que descubre que Nikki planea publicar unas memorias que podrían arrastrarla de nuevo al centro de atención.

Cuando el reencuentro entre ambas ocurre, Andy debe enfrentar heridas no sanadas, recuerdos dolorosos y sentimientos que creía enterrados. ¿Puede realmente dejar atrás el pasado si Nikki está empeñada en invadir su presente? ¿Y cómo proteger su nueva vida sin volver a perderse a sí misma?

---

Todo es sobre lo que Nikki quiere.

Se supone que Nikki lastimó profundamente a Andy. Estuvieron separadas por cinco años en los cuales jamos pensó en buscarla y disculparse. Y cuando escribe sus memorias, piensa que está bien utilizar a Andy para que la ayude. La tonta de Andy la acepta muy fácilmente porque sigue amándola. Nikki actúa como si nada hubiera pasado y como si fueran mejores amigas.

Nikki es una infiel traicionera y roba papeles, no merecía otra oportunidad. Ella dice que si otros la besaban o la tocaban no contaba como infidelidad porque nunca tuvo sexo con esas personas.

Andy tuvo que aguantar que Nikki se volviera adicta al alcohol y a las drogas, mientras los medios pintaban a Andy como la persona que la había metido en eso (cuando no fue así), o como si ella hiciera escándalos (tampoco era cierto: solo iba a recoger a Nikki, y los dramas los hacia N porque estaba drogada). Y, por supuesto, Andy fue la que cargó con todo. Sin olvidar que tuvo que ver videos y fotos de su novia con otras. Y al final, ¡ella misma se culpa por no haber cuidado mejor a Nikki! Me enoja, porque lo único malo que hizo fue esperar años para irse.

Y para terminar con broche de oro, cuando por fin hablan, Nikki sale con que tenía tres señales para saber si debía seguir intentando que Andy la perdonara, y que si se cumplía alguna se iría porque no quería perder su estabilidad. O sea, todo fue pensado en ella y en protegerse a sí misma. Pero le valió cuando Andy intentó alejarse (aunque duró poco, al menos lo intentó). Es decir, no cambió: solo ve por su bienestar. Andy sí o sí tenía que perdonarla, ¿qué más daba si su presencia lastimaba a la mujer que decía amar? ¿Qué importaba si Andy no quería verla? Ella la obligó a hacerlo y a reunirse, sin importarle la salud mental de Andy, pero A tiene que preocuparse y tener cuidado de lastimar a N.

Que Nikki haya trabajado sus adicciones está muy bien, y es importante. Pero eso no la hace una buena pareja, mucho menos para Andy. Al final, me molestó profundamente que la narrativa empujara al perdón como si fuera la única opción, cuando Nikki claramente no merecía otra oportunidad.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest

[Mar 🧡🤍🩷 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

DNF at 60%
Reading this book felt like a punishment. Definitely not what I want during this holiday season. Anyway, let’s get into the reasons that I gave this book two stars.

- The main character, Andy, was extremely unlikable. She didn’t know her own mind, constantly crossed her own boundaries, would say one thing and then do another, was completely baffled by the consequences of her poor choices, and yet somehow thought she was a healthy, happy person. In reality, she was toxic and annoyingly indecisive. Instead of facing her problems she was constantly running away from them.
- The love interest, Nikki. Nikki had a little more potential. She seemed to know that she’d fucked up in the past and wanted to do better. But on principle, I find people who are still in their twenties writing books about themselves very annoying. Your life still has a long way to go and you are still maturing. Maybe wait a bit and see where you end up first. Nikki also tended to ignore Andy when she asked her to stay away from her and was invasive and toxic in much of her behavior.
- The romance. It can’t even be called a romance. It’s more of a codependent relationship neither one of them has made any real effort to move on and heal from, mixed with nostalgia for the days they were close and things were simpler, and some good old-fashioned sexual attraction which does not mean you are romantically compatible. These two certainly are not good for each other and yet it’s probably best they stick together so they aren’t inflicting their toxic behavior on other unsuspecting, innocent people.
- I didn’t particularly like the plot either. I love rekindled romances but this just wasn’t enjoyable or romantic. And I’m not a big fan of stories involving celebrities. They all seem to follow the same sort of formula. This also says it’s an enemies-to-lovers story which is not true. It’s only ever Andy that sees Nikki as an enemy. Nikki never sees Andy as that.
- I also could not stand Andy’s friend Johnny. He reminded me of those men who call themselves feminists but have never worked through any misogynistic feelings they have towards women and secretly can’t wait to find a ‘bad’ woman to hate and treat poorly. The way he treated Nikki was gross. Also, he literally said ‘Human beings are not inherently worthy of respect and kindness.’ Like excuse me? Wtf. Yes, they are. Who makes you god that you think you get to choose which humans are worthy of basic respect and kindness? Our world would be a much better place if more people treated those around them with kindness and respect. We are all humans and none of us are better than anyone else. Anyway, I digress.
- I also found the sex scenes cringy but that’s neither here nor there.

What I did like:
- The setting. A flower shop in a small town in Maine is a delightful spot for a story.
- The cat, Gouda. I love cats.
- Andy’s best friend, Regan. She was a good friend and seemed to try her best to help Andy.
- The cover of this book is lovely.

All in all, I definitely didn’t find this book worth the read but I’m sure someone else will.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

After finishing The Ride of Her Life: A Novel yesterday, I was still jonesing for a good, solid romance that didn't rely on non-communication as a plot device. I wondered if deciding to jump into Anderson in Bloom right away was a massive mistake. Would my opinions be tainted by the less than stellar previous book? After looking around at other books on my ereader (my new Kobo Libra Colour - bye Kindle Color Soft) I couldn't decide on anything else. So Anderson in Bloom it was.

I ended up reading much later last night than I had anticipated and, had it been Friday night instead of Wednesday night I wouldn't have stopped at all. (This will be posted on TBR Reviews on the anticipated publication date so hello from the past!)

I'm not gonna lie, there were a few times when I thought we were going to have the same "run away instead of dealing with issues" thing from The Ride of Her Life but, in the end, it was sort of the opposite of that. We got maturity and communication. I don't think that's a spoiler and it didn't happen right away.

This was a story I could relate to after spending over a year apart from the love of my life. We were also very young when we got together and also had to hide because we were in the military. Not exactly the same but close enough for me to draw parallels and feel for both young Andy and Nikki and their current day counterparts.

Without going into much detail because you'll want to read it for yourselves, this was a second-chance romance that definitely makes it on my re-read list.

A nice bouquet of daisies for Jennifer Dugan. (Daisies are a cheerful and innocent flower that symbolize forgiveness and new beginnings.)

A huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley!

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Avon and Harper Voyage, for the ARC!

Annie used to be a beloved child star. Her costar, Nikki, was more than just a friend as they aged. Annie, known as Andy then, navigated Hollywood and her queer identity while being overwhelmed by her relationship with Nikki. Andy left Hollywood, and Nikki, behind without even a goodbye. Five years later, she finds out Nikki is writing a tell-all book. Unblocking her number for an impulsive angry text, Andy suddenly is getting a phone call from Nikki. Andy isn’t sure how she feels about it and wrestles with her feelings while trying this new thing called boundaries.

What I enjoyed was the beauty of watching people learn to accept love and learn how to love in return. The writing felt authentic and believable. I did not feel like it was just a fluffy read. I enjoyed the depth of feeling conveyed by the author. I was able to believe that this kind of second chance romance was worth the time and effort for the characters. While I think that people don’t usually hang on as doggedly as these characters, especially after 5 years, without moving on with their lives and new partners, I think we would all like to believe that they would. This is the love story that we hope for with second chance romances. I also appreciate that queer love stories are important and that their struggles did not come from their queer identities in this book.

I would recommend for fans of Ashley Herring Blake and Abby Jimenez. I plan to keep reading more by this author.

[Rikki Ziegelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really charming, fun, very layered and unexpectedly sexy read. I really appreciated the nuance in Andy/Anne & Nikki’s relationship, and I thought they both did a lot of growing both together and apart. I think my only issue was that I felt like once they finally figured things out, everything was perfect and dandy and rainbows and sunshine - which usually works in a campy romance but in this case it felt unrealistic given how much history these 2 characters had and how much they still needed to work on. They spoke so much about progress and healing not being linear... but then they had linear progress and healing lol. But I still really enjoyed it and I appreciated what a good communicator Nikki was!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC!

[Cam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Avon Harper Voyager for this eARC! This was a fascinating read with a lot of emotional layers. There was clearly so much hurt between Andy and Nikki and since we were in Andy's head, it was genuinely really hard to forgive Nikki, even as Andy felt herself falling back into her. It's always hard to disagree with the main character but I felt that happening for a good bit, but that didn't stop me from practically inhaling every chapter hoping I would change my mind. Then the hard work kicked in and I was SO happy to see them talk and fight and get it all out. It worked to make Andy, Nikki and me feel so much more open to this relationship. This was a really Un-Put-Downable read that made me want to get another flower tattoo.

[Brinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gets an extra star because the MC was a florist and also the cover was adorable. Seriously. Give me more books with flowers and plants and hobbies!! Because this was so cutesy. And the romance was so sweet and it was the perfect summer book. And the title reference at the end??? Im swooning. Me when they're in love and living happily <3

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Mimi · Rating 2 out of 5]

have you ever read a second-chance romance and actively rooted for the couple to *not* get back together? because I have 🙃

[Kimberly Del Cid · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting spin on child stars, it kind of reminds me of Sam and Carly from iCarly, except they date and they both need an insane amount of therapy. It took me some time to love Nikki because of how she hurt Andy but in the end I felt like they both took steps they needed to be together again. Their growth throughout the story is beautiful but difficult.

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley and Avon, for the ARC.

Anderson in Bloom completely stole my heart and my sleep. I read the entire thing in less than 24 hours, and I have zero regrets.

Andy, a former child star who disappeared from the spotlight after things spiraled, is now trying to quietly rebuild her life. Enter Nikki, her former co star turned ultra famous actress, who’s writing a tell all memoirone that includes the messy, beautiful, complicated truth of the time she fell in love with Andy.

Their reconnection? A total disaster. And yet, it’s impossible to look away. What unfolds is a raw, emotionally charged journey between two deeply flawed but painfully relatable women who are still figuring things out about love, about themselves, and about what it means to be honest when the past still hurts.

The side characters in this book feel like the kind of friends who’ll help you bury a body and tell you you’re being an idiot when you need to hear it. The emotional beats are spot on: I found myself cheering, yelling, sighing, and grinning like a fool. Jennifer Dugan has a real gift for writing imperfect characters you can’t help but root for.

This is, hands down, the best book I’ve read this summer. If you love second chances, emotional chaos, and queer romances full of heart, Anderson in Bloom is a must-read. 100% recommend just maybe don’t start it at night unless you're okay with being sleep-deprived.

[Tris Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

**3.5**

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC!

You should read this book if… you’re looking for a second chance, sapphic celebrity romance
Genre:Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Celebrity Romance, Second Chance Romance, Enemies to Lovers
POV: First Person

Favorite Quote: “There’s space enough for my past and my future. I get that now.”


My Review:
I love a sapphic romance, and the cover for this book drew me in immediately. While it didn’t end up being my favorite read, I did enjoy it to an extent.

The plot had an interesting premise, and there were things about it I really enjoyed. The small town setting combined with a Hollywood past made it intriguing, and I enjoyed that a lot. For the romance itself, the “will they, won’t they” was pretty fun for a while, but I will say that it got tedious and repetitive at a certain point. The spice was well-written, and I feel like there was the perfect amount. Ultimately, I did like the ending of the book.

The thing that almost made me DNF the book at 10% was the main character. The entire book is from her POV, and there was so much self-pity and selfishness on her part, it was truly astounding at certain points. Towards the end of the story, she did have some good character development, thankfully. The love interest, I really liked. The two best friends were also pretty well written.

In terms of pacing, I feel like it could have been better. The beginning felt like it dragged on and on, but other parts of the book flew by too quickly. There were some small time jumps as well, but they made sense.

The writing style was good, and I do genuinely enjoy first person POV stories for romance. The only thing that bothered me is that I know this is an uncorrected advance copy, so there will absolutely be errors. But the amount of typos in this arc really took me out of the story and was way higher than most arcs I’ve read. Looking past that, though, I enjoyed the writing.

Overall in terms of my personal feelings for this book, I didn’t enjoy the first 10%, flew through it until around 70%, got irritated for a bit, then enjoyed the ending.

This is a book I’m glad I read, but I probably won't read it again, and it probably won’t be my first recommendation for sapphic romance. It was enjoyable, though, and there were things I genuinely enjoyed. I’d be more than happy to read more from this author because this was an overall enjoyable read.

[Kytsia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc.
I (mostly) loved this. It's a cute, sexy romcom that doesn't take itself too seriously. Even if sometimes you kind of wish it would.
I loved Andy and Nikki. They felt real, and their conversations, though at times frustrating, felt realistic too. They are two children who had to grow up too soon, so I didn't even find their behavior childish at all. The resolution of their conflict, especially since it was really only internal, took a little too long for my liking, but the lighthearted writing made up for it. I've found their development as characters rather satisfying. They truly committed to fixing all of their issues and did so, at least Nikki, in quite a mature way. Andy's actions irked me a lot, but I still couldn't bring myself to dislike her.
Something I noticed was how focused the story was on just the two of them. Besides Andy and Nikki we barely meet other characters. There are Andy's friends, which are lovely, but were mainly there to move the plot forward, so on that part they fell a little flat.
The story partially sits on the miscommunication between the main characters and that comes with certain flaws. Some things I just don't believe they wouldn't have discussed, or that it wouldn't naturally come up in conversation. Unless they didn't talk, of course. And the failure to communicate makes for a very predictable storyline. No surprises as to where this went.
What I wish there was more seriousness about is the addiction related to one of the characters. It was an important factor in their relationship at a certain point and I feel like it deserved some more attention. It did get some, naturally, a good amount at that, but it just wasn't really enough for me personally. I understand that would shift the tone of the novel though.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this. Practically flew through the story. It was romantic. I love dramatic girls who love each other just as dramatically. It was funny. Honestly felt like a perfect 00's romcom movie with how light and sweet it was. Loved it!

[Evangeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off I want to say thank you to Netgalley & Harper Collin’s for giving me a digital arc in exchange for an honest review. I genuinely loved this, I kept imagining the show ‘Sam & Cat’ for some reason but regardless I did enjoy this book. I could feel their longing and remaining love but I could also feel the turmoil. I will say I was originally going to give this 4.5 stars but the ending dropped my overall rating in the end. I liked how Niki was clearly wrong and accepted that and I liked how Annie was reflecting in her own ways and the concept handled that beautifully. However towards the end Niki plays off her bad behavior by ‘taking care of things’ and while I understand that angle I just feel like it needed to be played out better or not have been put in at all. Niki’s character was better with her being a faulted and growing person. Not a grey hero. I felt like the flower language was beautiful and I would’ve loved to see more of that. This is so romcom coded, I had such a good time reading this one!

[Jen Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Massive thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this e-ARC! I’m so grateful to have read this beautiful story.
4⭐️ this book is everything you want from a true sapphic romance book. The second chance romance trope of it all beautifully allows angst, pining, yearning, and depth in this story of two childhood actresses and their stories as a couple and as individuals. Dealing with self image, codependency, youth in the spotlight, and addiction are just some of the struggles that were fleshed out in this book. The characters are complex and compelling. The love story made me gush and blush somehow entangling adorable and steamy scenes in a captivating way. The side characters and friends were an incredible addition to the FMCs journey and the book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this love story, however there were a few small issues I had with plot pacing and a trope a don’t like made an appearance. Which held this book back from 5 stars for me. Still a very enjoyable read!

Read if you like
- sapphic romance
- second chance romance
- yearning and angst
- messy and real characters
- cozy towns in Maine

[Alex Levine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just really think second chance & enemies-to-lovers is NOT for me. Aside from a few a typos (this was an ARC so there’s chance for recovery), I could not get past how self centered the MC is. She projects constantly and can’t see past her own experience, can’t see other perspectives, can’t grant benefits of the doubt, always assumes the worst and wallowed in self-pity. It was just so frustrating and not fun for me to so clearly see what’s going on while she refused to. Even when they eventually reconcile (not really a spoiler, that’s the whole point), it was all in a few lengthy conversations that acted as a one-stop reconciliation, resolving all issues in one clean unrealistic go - major eye roll. Even her two friends (and her parents who seemed forgotten in the second half) were equal parts enabling and distant; they were so weakly developed beyond just repeating her own thoughts or acting as an unsubtle plot-mover with minimal actual effort of plot-writing.

[Shannon H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anderson in Bloom by Jennifer Dugan is a charming read with a lot of heart. I especially loved the floral shop setting, which added a fresh, vibrant atmosphere to the story and served as the perfect backdrop for the emotional moments that unfolded.

That said, the second chance romance, while sweet, felt a bit rushed. I was hoping for more time to see the relationship develop naturally, especially given the emotional weight behind their history. It left me wanting a deeper exploration of their reconnection and the complexities that come with it.

Still, I really enjoyed the overall vibe of the book. It’s cozy, heartfelt, and the kind of story that’s easy to get wrapped up in. Even though I wanted more from the romance, I’m glad I read it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys character-driven stories with a lot of charm.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sapphic second chance romance set in a flower shop…this was truly a magical read 💐

I really enjoyed this story, and found myself rooting for Andy and Nikki very early on. There was a lot of emphasis on the mistakes they made years ago and how their personal growth contributed to the women they are now. And I loved the inclusion of flowers and what they symbolize! Overall this was a sweet 5 star read for me.

Enormous thanks to Avon Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for this honest review. “Anderson in Bloom” releases on 3.3.26 and this is one I am definitely recommending!

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[Sacha Skogen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been looking for a sapphic romcom for so long that didn’t give me the ick… and omg did I find everything I was looking for in this book!! The longing and yearning, the real life relationship problems that are so relatable. This!! This is how you write a sapphic romance novel!! Anderson in Bloom is going to be the perfect springtime romcom. Thank you to Avon Books and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read an early copy of this beautiful love story🫶🏼

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for early copy for review*

So something about me is that I love second chance romances. This one, however, was not for me. I don't believe Andy had a good enough reason to leave her life behind for five years and she felt very selfish. Not liking the inner voice of the one telling the story made it hard for me to like the reconnection of the couple. Hopefully others end up liking this more.

[Lindsay Ottens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!! I admit to putting this off longer than necessary. I really really enjoyed this! A quick, funny, and emotional read!! Nikki and Andy were so beautiful together. Between the hurt and the rebuilding of their relationship, you witness these two women mature on page!! I would love to read more on them!!

[Brandi Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderfully adorable and poignant book about childhood stardom, second-chance romance, and how there are absolutely two sides to every relationship. Dugan had me giggling and crying throughout the book. I loved that everything wasn’t completely predictable and perfect, just like real life. Now I’m going to be daydreaming about a quiet costal life yet again!

Thanks to Harper Collins & NetGalley for this ARC!

[tessa dandridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2

the concept of this story kind of bothered me!! im real iffy when it comes to ex redemption butttt i didn’t mind this! it just felt kind of rushed like their story could have used some more time to breath but other than that very sweet and lovely story as always! Jennifer Dugan will always be on of my favs!