Review: Save the Date

I was recently in a reading slump. *cue the horror music* I wasn't interested in anything I had to read (part of the problem, really, is that I have to read certain books for review...but that's a post for another day). I picked up two different books and put them down before finishing them (rare for me). I read another that I just wasn't thrilled with. But why does any of this matter to you? Because Mary Kay Andrews' Save the Date was the book that got me out of my slump. Woohoo! It was exactly what I needed to read...light, but not mind-numbing, with likeable, real characters.

Here's the synopsis:

A Savannah florist is about to score the wedding of a lifetime—one that will solidify her career as the go-to-girl for society nuptials. Ironically, Cara Kryzik doesn't believe in love, even though she creates beautiful flower arrangements to celebrate them. But when the bride goes missing and the wedding is in jeopardy, Cara must find the bride and figure out what she believes in. Maybe love really does exist outside of fairy tales after all. 

It's no real surprise that I enjoyed the wedding aspect of this book. I almost always love books that centre around weddings because I find that those occasions lend themselves well to chick lit and women's fiction novels. But this novel isn't all wedding all the time. I think that's because the heroine, Cara, isn't the one getting married. Instead, she's providing flowers (and sympathy and advice) to the brides of Savannah. In the novel, the weddings provided a way for certain characters to meet. Also, Cara's shop wasn't just there to provide flowers for the brides in the story. It had a lot of drama surrounding it because of the problems she was having (I don't want to give anything away since the synopsis doesn't even hint at those struggles) and I liked that. This leads to another thing I liked about this novel...

One of the things I like about women's fiction and chick lit is that they're not just about the romantic relationships. There almost always is one, and, let's be honest, I love that, but I need more from my romances. So, I was really happy that Cara's career and her shop played such a large role in the novel. I mean, I'm not happy that Cara was struggling so much but it was great to see her tackle the problems head on and learn from those struggles. She grew as a character, and a person, and I always love seeing that it the novels I read.

Of course, the romance was an important part of this book. When Cara and Jack meet, they're both very anti-love. Both of their last relationships ended badly and neither were looking for another. Plus, they didn't exactly meet under the best circumstances. I'm not telling you how they met but it's pretty amusing and unique. Definitely a good meet-cute! I was rooting for them throughout the whole story. I think the reason they had problems was pretty stupid, especially on Cara's part, and it felt too much like a plot device, but I'm glad they worked it out!

Overall, I really enjoyed Save the Date. Mary Kay Andrews' latest novel isn't groundbreaking but it was exactly what I needed to be reading so I liked every minute of it. This is a novel to read if you're looking for a feel-good story (you definitely get the HEA in this one!) with good characters and a good story-line.

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