“Wise, warm, witty, and charmingly full of hope, this story celebrates the surprising and unexpected ways that family, friendship, and love can lift us up.”—Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Four Winds
Joan Sample is not living the life she expected. Now a widow and an empty-nester, she has become by her own admission something of a recluse. But after another birthday spent alone, she is finally inclined to listen to her sister, who has been begging Joan to reengage with the world. With Emmie’s support, Joan gathers the courage to take some long-awaited steps: hiring someone to tame her overgrown garden, joining a grief support group, and even renting out a room to a local college student. Before long Joan is starting to feel a little like herself again.
Across town, Maggie Herbert works mornings as a barista, tending to impatient customers before rushing to afternoon nursing classes. She lives with her alcoholic father, ducking his temperamental outbursts and struggling to pay the household bills. But her circumstances brighten when she finds a room for rent in Joan’s home. In the unexpected warmth of her new situation, Maggie finds a glimmer of hope for a better life. But will Maggie’s budding attraction to one of her favorite customers ruin the harmony she’s only recently found with Joan? Meanwhile, what is Joan to make of the mysterious landscaper who’s been revitalizing her garden—a man who seems to harbor a past loss of his own?
As Maggie and Joan confront difficult life choices, they draw strength from this new friendship in surprising ways—discovering in the process that “found family” is often the very best kind.
“Wise, warm, witty, and charmingly full of hope, this story celebrates the surprising and unexpected ways that family, friendship, and love can lift us up.”—Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Four Winds
Joan Sample is not living the life she expected. Now a widow and an empty-nester, she has become by her own admission something of a recluse. But after another birthday spent alone, she is finally inclined to listen to her sister, who has been begging Joan to reengage with the world. With Emmie’s support, Joan gathers the courage to take some long-awaited steps: hiring someone to tame her overgrown garden, joining a grief support group, and even renting out a room to a local college student. Before long Joan is starting to feel a little like herself again.
Across town, Maggie Herbert works mornings as a barista, tending to impatient customers before rushing to afternoon nursing classes. She lives with her alcoholic father, ducking his temperamental outbursts and struggling to pay the household bills. But her circumstances brighten when she finds a room for rent in Joan’s home. In the unexpected warmth of her new situation, Maggie finds a glimmer of hope for a better life. But will Maggie’s budding attraction to one of her favorite customers ruin the harmony she’s only recently found with Joan? Meanwhile, what is Joan to make of the mysterious landscaper who’s been revitalizing her garden—a man who seems to harbor a past loss of his own?
As Maggie and Joan confront difficult life choices, they draw strength from this new friendship in surprising ways—discovering in the process that “found family” is often the very best kind.
Critiques-
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May 15, 2023
Bestseller Macomber (The Best Is Yet to Come) delivers exactly the type of sweet and squeaky clean small-town romance that fans expect. Four years after Joan Sample’s beloved husband died suddenly from an aneurysm, the 54-year-old widow is still struggling to come to grips with her loss. A bit of a shut-in, she’s pulled from her rut by her sister, Emmie, who encourages her to get some human contact by taking in a boarder. Meanwhile, the local homeowner’s association sends Joan a reprimand for her poor lawn maintenance. These coinciding events bring two fresh faces into Joan’s orbit: struggling young barista Maggie Herbert, who moves into Joan’s spare room, and strapping lawyer turned landscape architect Phil Harrison. Maggie’s grieving her late mother and burdened with caring for her alcoholic father, while Phil is haunted by the death of his daughter. Together, these three wounded souls work through their pain, offering mutual comfort and support and encouraging each other to embrace life—including romances for all three. With skillful plotting and believable characters who tug at the heartstrings, Macomber’s latest does not disappoint. Her vast and loyal readership will eat this up. Agent: Theresa Park, Park & Fine. -
June 9, 2023
Macomber's latest (after The Christmas Spirit) is a poignant novel about two women lifting up and supporting each other as they try and begin anew after suffering losses and struggles. Joan Sample, a sudden widow, spends years lost in her grief and reclusion. Finally ready to start living again, Joan decides to join a support group and tackle her loneliness by renting out a room in her house. She also hires a landscaping service (which happens to be run by a very handsome and caring gentleman) to tame her overgrown yard. Maggie Herbert is ecstatic to rent the room in Joan's house, especially after the loss of her mother and having to live with her abrasive father who is addicted to alcohol. Maggie is working and scraping by to afford and attend nursing classes with the dream of building a career and bettering her life, but it is never going to happen if her father keeps wasting her money and leaving everything on her shoulders. VERDICT Ultimately, this is a heartening read with just the right touch of romance as the women work on healing their sorrows and difficulties while embracing new lives.--Bridgette Whitt
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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June 15, 2023
A 54-year-old widow who has barely left the house in four years creates a new life for herself. Joan Sample was destroyed when Jared, her husband and soul mate, died unexpectedly of an aneurism six months before the Covid-19 lockdowns began. Then it was suddenly four years later, and she found herself spending all her time on her own--scared to go out; ordering her groceries to be delivered; barely talking to her adult sons, Nick and Steve; spending hours and hours on puzzles. After an angry letter from the homeowners association about the state of her yard, Joan finally decides to start making changes. She gets a haircut, hires a landscaper, starts going to counseling and a grief therapy group, and opens up her home to boarder, nursing student Maggie Herbert, who's trying to create some boundaries with her alcoholic father. When Nick drops a puppy off at her door, the complete reversal of the cloistered existence she's been leading since Jared's death is complete. Readers looking for an uplifting story focusing on character growth and newfound happiness will find solace here. The characters and situations fulfill the expectations of a fairy tale: Men are gruff and don't know how to communicate; women are forgiving, understanding, and hard-working; people are paired off after finding true love; houses are repaired with hard work and yards made glorious with flowers. A gentle story of rebirth that focuses on love and partnership as the antidotes to loneliness.COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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July 14, 2023
Joan never quite recovered from the death of her beloved husband just over four years ago. Despite her sister's encouragement to step outside her comfort zone, and her adult sons' concerns about her reclusiveness, Joan seems set to stick to her solitary lifestyle until she receives a letter from her HOA threatening a heavy fine unless her eyesore of a yard is restored to its former appeal. Embarrassment finally pushing her hand, Joan reaches out to ask for help with yard maintenance from Phil Harrison, who responded to Joan's request for a lawn service that ""must love flowers."" Joan also takes on a room boarder, Maggie, a young woman also dealing with loss and needing a supportive place away from her alcoholic father. Through various circumstances Joan, Phil, and Maggie begin to help each other work through grief and build new, loving relationships that demonstrate hope and courage in starting over. Must Love Flowers is a sweet, tender, classic Macomber story, and would be a touching read for someone experiencing heartbreak or grief.COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
