CLP Blog Tour: Elly in Bloom

Welcome to my stop on the Elly In Bloom tour hosted by CLP Blog Tours. This novel by Colleen Oakes was sweet and sassy and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Here’s the synopsis:

Surrounded by lush flowers and neurotic brides, chubby 32-year old Elly Jordan has carved out a sweet little life for herself as the owner of Posies, a boutique wedding florist in St. Louis. It’s not bad for a woman who drove away from her entire life just two years ago when she found her husband entwined with a red-headed artist.
Sure, Elly has an embarrassingly beautiful best friend, a terribly behaved sheepdog and a sarcastic assistant who she simply calls “Snarky Teenager”, but overall her days are pleasantly uneventful. As a bonus, her new next door neighbor just happens to be an unnervingly handsome musician who has an eye for curvy Elly.
Just when she feels that she is finally moving on from her past, she discovers that an extravagant wedding contract, one that could change her financial future, is more than she bargained for.
With the help of her friends, staff and the occasional well-made sandwich, Elly bravely agrees to take on the event that threatens to merge her painful history with her bright new life, and finds herself blooming in a direction she never imagined.
Elly’s voice, both charming and hilarious, will appeal to those readers who have been looking for a new voice in chick-lit, and will give women of all sizes the realistic heroine they’ve been waiting for.

As much as I enjoyed this novel, it did take me a little while to really get into it...and I’m not entirely sure why. It could possibly have been the fact that I was, well, perhaps embarrassed on behalf of Elly for all the things she was going through. She seemed to have a knack for getting into uncomfortable situations and I wished I could help her out of them. Eventually, though, I was hooked on Elly and her story. I think I started to like her a little bit more once she gained some self esteem and started becoming the strong woman I knew she could be.

There’s a wacky set of supporting characters in this story and they provided for some really entertaining scenes. I think my favourites were the ones with Snarky Teenager (also, I love that that was how she was referred to) because we got to see a real range with her – her typical snarky self as well as a softer, more protective side. The scenes where she’s interviewing for floral designers are hilarious as well.

Elly in Bloom by Colleen Oakes is a must read for chick lit fans, especially those who enjoy Jennifer Weiner’s novels. Make sure you check back on April 1 for a fabulous guest post from Colleen. Seriously, I love it!

Happy reading :)

*A copy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.*