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Counting Flowers
At seventeen, Natalie Hewitt has her future mapped out. Graduate top of her class, get into an Ivy League School and along the way be a top athlete, the perfect daughter, and nice to everyone. It’s not easy living up to the pressure she puts on herself. Sometimes she feels overwhelmed with anxiety. So she has her quirks, like counting the flowers on her wall, to help her focus, help her get calm.Lately, it’s taking so much effort—and more counting—to meet those expectations. Nothing is the way it used to be. Her best friend is drifting away. Her brother is in trouble again. And her boyfriend Phillip is convinced there’s something going on between her and Owen Radlowski.That’s so not true. Owen is just a guy she tutors. A friend. Nothing more. And yet…she can’t stop thinking about him. He gets her—even the counting—and doesn’t ask for too much from her. Still, Owen is not Philip, which makes him the wrong guy for her. He has no place in her future plans.As her carefully arranged life unravels, her quirks don’t work the way they should, and Natalie has to face what is real. And learn to accept it might not be what she thinks it should be.
- GenresYoung Adult
400 pages, Paperback
First published May 21, 2019
14 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 1, 2019
I found Counting Flowers by reading a bite on Book+Main. This book hooked me from the first sentence. The character development was so well done. Natalie's humor and struggles are endearing. While she's the nice girl, she offers just enough snark to give her depth. My only complaint was being left wanting more. Since a follow-up book is planned, I'm OK with that and eager to get my hands on it.
May 23, 2019
Is there gonna be a sequel?
May 29, 2019
CASSIE'S REVIEW
This review is going to be hard to write as I absolutely loved the writing and character arcs until close to the end. I read the blurb for Counting Flowers and knew immediately I would be reading this book. I was so ready to dive into Natalie’s life. From the start it was clear that Andrew’s was a seasoned writer despite this being her first YA novel. Each scene was detailed and vivid. I felt like every character had a real purpose. I will get to the bad part later, but for now I am ready to talk about the three most central characters.
Natalie would easily be coined as the main character being that she was the voice of the entire story. I enjoyed her spark, sense of independence, and her cheery disposition. She had some mental health issues that were never “diagnosed” which I found interesting, but again with that later.
Philip Panos the “all American” boyfriend was not as bad as I had worried he would be. He was a little self-centered and a bit hypocritical, but he had a genuine young “love” for Natalie making it hard to dislike him. I felt like this was refreshing and enjoyed that I did not have a clear favorite between him and Owen. Speaking of
Owen, I enjoyed his character as well although I feel like we didn’t see much past HIS surface. We saw his family and he admits some feelings, but I feel like we dove more into Philip than we did him. What I do know of him though made me like him from the start. He noticed Natalies quirks, and that spoke volumes. He may be a bit resentful and slightly angry, but his heart was pure despite his less than ideal circumstances.
What really threw me for the loop was that not only did we never REALLY address her OCD/anxious tendencies… we also didn’t really get a win for either guy. In fact, everyone is just upset and heartbroken at the end. With this being a YA novel I can understand not getting both things tidied up, but it is hard for me to excuse both. This book felt truly left undone rather than a typical silver llining or HFN YA novels are known for today. I really wanted to love the story, but I couldn’t.
This review is going to be hard to write as I absolutely loved the writing and character arcs until close to the end. I read the blurb for Counting Flowers and knew immediately I would be reading this book. I was so ready to dive into Natalie’s life. From the start it was clear that Andrew’s was a seasoned writer despite this being her first YA novel. Each scene was detailed and vivid. I felt like every character had a real purpose. I will get to the bad part later, but for now I am ready to talk about the three most central characters.
Natalie would easily be coined as the main character being that she was the voice of the entire story. I enjoyed her spark, sense of independence, and her cheery disposition. She had some mental health issues that were never “diagnosed” which I found interesting, but again with that later.
Philip Panos the “all American” boyfriend was not as bad as I had worried he would be. He was a little self-centered and a bit hypocritical, but he had a genuine young “love” for Natalie making it hard to dislike him. I felt like this was refreshing and enjoyed that I did not have a clear favorite between him and Owen. Speaking of
Owen, I enjoyed his character as well although I feel like we didn’t see much past HIS surface. We saw his family and he admits some feelings, but I feel like we dove more into Philip than we did him. What I do know of him though made me like him from the start. He noticed Natalies quirks, and that spoke volumes. He may be a bit resentful and slightly angry, but his heart was pure despite his less than ideal circumstances.
What really threw me for the loop was that not only did we never REALLY address her OCD/anxious tendencies… we also didn’t really get a win for either guy. In fact, everyone is just upset and heartbroken at the end. With this being a YA novel I can understand not getting both things tidied up, but it is hard for me to excuse both. This book felt truly left undone rather than a typical silver llining or HFN YA novels are known for today. I really wanted to love the story, but I couldn’t.
September 1, 2019
Big fan of this one. The Subtleness in this book is what stuck out to me. This author was excellent at showing and not telling. So I am taking a page out of her book (pun not intended) and letting you find our for yourself why I was hooked from page one. Can't wait for the second book. Such a great, unexpected read with a lot of powerful stuff going on.
May 2, 2021
Waiting on the next book in this series. I loved the characters. When will the next book come out?
November 23, 2024
In my opinion I think this book was left on a really bad cliff hanger, causing the four start rating.
I really enjoyed this book overall, it was entertaining, intriguing, a book you just couldn't put down. Natalie in my opinion made some really bad choices in friends, relationships, and decisions.
First, her best friend Phillips sister wasn't actually her best friend you could just tell. She was addicted to her phone most of the book, wouldn't try to fix her relationship with Natalie and then complain about it. She was annoying and changed herself for a guy (little tip of advice NEVER change yourself for a guy, If he really likes you he will like YOU not the person your trying to be.) She also never stood up for Natalie. But thats also just my opinion.
Second, Natalies relationships. Yes Phillip was a good person in my opinion, he stood by her side and believed her about not liking Owen, even when she said she did like him he still wanted to be with her. I admire that about Phillip, but there are also a lot of bad things about him as well. He was a hypocrite and made his rules only for Natalie, he would guilt trip Natalie, he thought popularity was everything, and I hate soccer (its not relevant but I just dont like it.) But in all honesty he never really saw Natalie as her true self. Natalie even said it her self, she said Phillip would think it was weird if he ever saw her doing her little quirks. Phillip isn't my favorite character but there are good things about him, but also some bad things too.
Third, HER DECISIONS! Oh my goodness, Natalie made the worst decisions in the world!!!! If she started falling in love with another guy she should have just broken up with Phillip instead of going out of her way to cheat on him. I know it wasn't like kissing cheating, but it was technically an emotional affair. I know throughout the book she would make a decision to love Phillip to only think about Phillip but how many times did she actually stay through with that plan?? Natalie in my opinion is the protagonist and the antagonist, yes she was fighting with some kind of mental disorder (my guess being OCD but dont self diagnose, she could have also had anxiety.) Natalie is a good character and she always strove to do the best for other people, she never wanted to hurt Phillips feelings but by keeping her emotional affair a secret made it worse. Phillip isn't the best person in the world but neither is Natalie, yes she's polite and always uses manners, but by keeping it a secret instead of breaking up with him and telling him the truth she made it worse by lying.
On to Owen. I dont really have anything bad about Owen but I also dont have anything positive about him... He was rude but not in a mean way, he lied but was open about his feelings, he was a reason Natalie broke up with Phillip but he also wasn't the reason. He wasn't my favorite character but he also wasn't my least favorite. He was nice when he needed to be and stayed away because Natalie asked him to. I respected him at the end of the book because he didn't jump into Natalies arms and start dating her after she came to him home. (kinda creepy though that Natalie did that.) I respected that he kept his boundaries with her and didn't give into her neediness of affection. But I also wish she and him got together because Owen would have helped with Natalies OCD things and would have been supportive the whole time. But I am glad that they didn't end up together.
This is all my opinion on the book, there were some parts I would have changed but over all it was a good book that I couldn't put down. You might be disappointed in the ending like I was but everyones different.
I really enjoyed this book overall, it was entertaining, intriguing, a book you just couldn't put down. Natalie in my opinion made some really bad choices in friends, relationships, and decisions.
First, her best friend Phillips sister wasn't actually her best friend you could just tell. She was addicted to her phone most of the book, wouldn't try to fix her relationship with Natalie and then complain about it. She was annoying and changed herself for a guy (little tip of advice NEVER change yourself for a guy, If he really likes you he will like YOU not the person your trying to be.) She also never stood up for Natalie. But thats also just my opinion.
Second, Natalies relationships. Yes Phillip was a good person in my opinion, he stood by her side and believed her about not liking Owen, even when she said she did like him he still wanted to be with her. I admire that about Phillip, but there are also a lot of bad things about him as well. He was a hypocrite and made his rules only for Natalie, he would guilt trip Natalie, he thought popularity was everything, and I hate soccer (its not relevant but I just dont like it.) But in all honesty he never really saw Natalie as her true self. Natalie even said it her self, she said Phillip would think it was weird if he ever saw her doing her little quirks. Phillip isn't my favorite character but there are good things about him, but also some bad things too.
Third, HER DECISIONS! Oh my goodness, Natalie made the worst decisions in the world!!!! If she started falling in love with another guy she should have just broken up with Phillip instead of going out of her way to cheat on him. I know it wasn't like kissing cheating, but it was technically an emotional affair. I know throughout the book she would make a decision to love Phillip to only think about Phillip but how many times did she actually stay through with that plan?? Natalie in my opinion is the protagonist and the antagonist, yes she was fighting with some kind of mental disorder (my guess being OCD but dont self diagnose, she could have also had anxiety.) Natalie is a good character and she always strove to do the best for other people, she never wanted to hurt Phillips feelings but by keeping her emotional affair a secret made it worse. Phillip isn't the best person in the world but neither is Natalie, yes she's polite and always uses manners, but by keeping it a secret instead of breaking up with him and telling him the truth she made it worse by lying.
On to Owen. I dont really have anything bad about Owen but I also dont have anything positive about him... He was rude but not in a mean way, he lied but was open about his feelings, he was a reason Natalie broke up with Phillip but he also wasn't the reason. He wasn't my favorite character but he also wasn't my least favorite. He was nice when he needed to be and stayed away because Natalie asked him to. I respected him at the end of the book because he didn't jump into Natalies arms and start dating her after she came to him home. (kinda creepy though that Natalie did that.) I respected that he kept his boundaries with her and didn't give into her neediness of affection. But I also wish she and him got together because Owen would have helped with Natalies OCD things and would have been supportive the whole time. But I am glad that they didn't end up together.
This is all my opinion on the book, there were some parts I would have changed but over all it was a good book that I couldn't put down. You might be disappointed in the ending like I was but everyones different.
May 29, 2019
i love the book, i was heartbroken but kinda disappointed because it felt like a cliffhanger, i thought they would really be together ( nat and owen ) 😥
May 20, 2019
4.5 Cranky Stars
We all have quirks. Things we like done a certain way or things that get us through our day and help us cope. Some of us have anxiety so bad it’s a daily struggle to make it through the day and it makes everyday things like driving hard to do. I know someone who is deathly afraid to get behind the wheel and has never done it a day in her 80 years on earth. I personally get anxious going to crowded places alone and love things in even numbers. This isn’t about me but it’s about Natalie Hewitt and counting the flowers on her wall (not like the song) and trying to maintain her perfect façade until it all comes crashing down.
Natalie is the perfect student, daughter, best friend and girlfriend or so she wants everyone to believe. She begins each day with counting the tulips on her wall before she can even get out of the bed and plaster on her pageant worthy smile, but it doesn’t stop there she has to check everything three times before even leaving the house or leaving her car. It starts to slowly consume her life and that will eventually cause her to break right? Her best friend Astrid is slowly pulling away and Astrid’s twin which is Natalie’s boyfriend Phillip thinks she’s seeing someone else that someone else is Owen Radlowski. She is grasping at all the strings in her life as they slowly unravel and make her realize it’s exhausting to pretend. Her plate is full with extra curricular activities on top of parents who don’t have the time to spend with her and her brother who is an addict but hiding it very well. When she decides to tutor Owen she doesn’t realize this will turn her carefully constructed perfect world upside down and make her question everything about herself.
I liked Natalie. She was harsh on herself and when the cracks started to show she spiraled. She just tried too hard. I was screaming at her to please relax and let go you are 17 have some fun. I wanted to like Phillip but he was too much for me. Maybe just a typical teenage boy which I haven’t’ dealt with in ages. He wanted to make rules but only for Natalie and at one point I wanted her to just punch him and walk away. Owen Radlowski (seriously you have to call him by his whole name) was an enigma and not much was said about him other than he was a grumpy hard-working high school hockey player who apparently hated to read The Catcher in the Rye. I think he shook Natalie’s world to the core, and she needed someone like him. Astrid meh I could do without her. She’s the one best friend that we once had who bailed at a moment’s notice and blamed their crappy attitude on you. This is book would be perfect for someone around Natalie’s age who needs to feel not alone with trying to be the perfect everything and is struggling with mental illness.
We all have quirks. Things we like done a certain way or things that get us through our day and help us cope. Some of us have anxiety so bad it’s a daily struggle to make it through the day and it makes everyday things like driving hard to do. I know someone who is deathly afraid to get behind the wheel and has never done it a day in her 80 years on earth. I personally get anxious going to crowded places alone and love things in even numbers. This isn’t about me but it’s about Natalie Hewitt and counting the flowers on her wall (not like the song) and trying to maintain her perfect façade until it all comes crashing down.
Natalie is the perfect student, daughter, best friend and girlfriend or so she wants everyone to believe. She begins each day with counting the tulips on her wall before she can even get out of the bed and plaster on her pageant worthy smile, but it doesn’t stop there she has to check everything three times before even leaving the house or leaving her car. It starts to slowly consume her life and that will eventually cause her to break right? Her best friend Astrid is slowly pulling away and Astrid’s twin which is Natalie’s boyfriend Phillip thinks she’s seeing someone else that someone else is Owen Radlowski. She is grasping at all the strings in her life as they slowly unravel and make her realize it’s exhausting to pretend. Her plate is full with extra curricular activities on top of parents who don’t have the time to spend with her and her brother who is an addict but hiding it very well. When she decides to tutor Owen she doesn’t realize this will turn her carefully constructed perfect world upside down and make her question everything about herself.
I liked Natalie. She was harsh on herself and when the cracks started to show she spiraled. She just tried too hard. I was screaming at her to please relax and let go you are 17 have some fun. I wanted to like Phillip but he was too much for me. Maybe just a typical teenage boy which I haven’t’ dealt with in ages. He wanted to make rules but only for Natalie and at one point I wanted her to just punch him and walk away. Owen Radlowski (seriously you have to call him by his whole name) was an enigma and not much was said about him other than he was a grumpy hard-working high school hockey player who apparently hated to read The Catcher in the Rye. I think he shook Natalie’s world to the core, and she needed someone like him. Astrid meh I could do without her. She’s the one best friend that we once had who bailed at a moment’s notice and blamed their crappy attitude on you. This is book would be perfect for someone around Natalie’s age who needs to feel not alone with trying to be the perfect everything and is struggling with mental illness.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews