I was so excited to get the notification that I’d been approved for Sarah Morgan’s latest book, Family for Beginners, and I downloaded and set to reading it immediately. Wow, I was not disappointed!!
From the off this wasn’t the normal Sarah Morgan book, it wasn’t a straight forward happy go lucky boy meets girl, falls in love, bump in the road and they all live happily ever - all of which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed in the past. This book went so much deeper, it is full of past tragedies, raw sorrow and deep emotions.
Set between Manhattan and The Lake District and following his wife’s sudden death, Jack meets Flora. What follows is her introduction to his two daughters, Molly his seven year old and Izzy his seventeen year old with a dark secret who is also determined not to accept her fathers new girlfriend. When they all visit the Lake District, staying at his wife’s best friends house, everybody is forced to revisit their pasts and their secrets are revealed. 
I could not put this book down, it was absolutely fascinating and so well written! Can not wait for more - fingers crossed for a return to Jack and Flora?
Thanks for the advanced read!

Not only has Sarah Morgan done it again, but Family for Beginners may just be her best book yet. 

Set in the gorgeous Lake District, and vibrant Manhattan and Brooklyn, Family for Beginners is a book about secrets, grief and second chances. The aptly named Flora works in an upmarket  Manhattan florists where she watches rather than experiences life and, after a day in the shop she returns to her tiny damp apartment where she lives alone. Warmhearted Flora yearns for acceptance and love after being raised by an aunt who made no secret of the disruption Flora made to her life. That need for acceptance means Flora can be too much of a chameleon, changing herself to try and mould herself into the perfect friend or girlfriend to fit in, to be wanted. So when she meets Jack, a gorgeous widower and father to two children, teenager Izzy and the much younger Molly, she tries not to get to drawn in. Jack's been widowed for less than a year and the girls are still grieving. Izzy, who is struggling with her own place in the family and identity, makes it very clear that Flora has no place in her family and their beautiful but sterile home is full of reminders of the perfect Becca, the kind of woman Flora could never replace, no matter how much she tried.

When Jack and Molly invite Flora to join them on their usual summer holiday, spending three weeks with Becca's oldest friend in the Lake District, her first instinct is to refuse. Determined to try and move on from her past, she accepts the invitation. But with Izzy more hostile than ever, and faced with a house full of people who knew and loved Becca, how can she ever fit in? How can she ever be enough? Will she ever learn that just being herself is all she needs to do?

family for Beginners is a rich, romantic read full of unforgettable characters, beautiful landscapes and emotional journeys. Highly recommended.

Yet another fantastic book from Sarah.
Very relatable story. Was hooked straightaway
Loved the characters and plot
Would definitely recommend as always with Sarah’s books

Sarah you’ve done it again. Another brilliant read, would recommend to everyone. 
Clare and Becca are lifelong friends, Clare lives in a luxury property Lake Lodge in the Lake District with her husband Todd and son Aiden. Becca died last year and told Clare a secret just before she died. Clare has been carrying this secret she wished she’d never been told for a year, she wished the contents had died with her. 
On the other side of the world Flora was working for Julia in her florists, Flora saw the reasons for buying flowers with a hopeful approach, Julia thought people always had dark reasons for sending flowers. 
Jack who’s the widow of Becca and Dad to Izzy and Molly has just started seeing Flora, he invites her to spend their summer vacation with Clare, Todd & Aide. in the Lake District after a disaster at her apartment when the upstairs flat floods into hers. She needs somewhere to stay but is she ready for living with a ready made family in Becca’s shadow.

I saw this book being talked about on twitter and it jumped out to me straight away. Thank you to the author and HQ Stories for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Description 🔖

Flora has spent most of her life wishing for companionship and a loving family, but the reality is that she has mostly been lonely. When she meets and falls in love with Jack, not only does she have to win over his two daughters, she feels she has to compete with Jack’s dead wife; Becca. Flora only becomes more stressed when she is invited to spend the summer with Jack’s family and friends who were Becca’s best friends. Flora soon starts to realise that changing herself to feel like an insider with this family isn’t the answer, but how can she make sure she doesn’t always feel like the outsider?

General Thoughts 🤔

As soon as I started reading this book I was hooked. I didn’t have to try to like it, I just liked it. The story is SO relatable for me as my partner has two children from a previous marriage and coming into that as an outsider is terrifying. Thankfully I’ve been very lucky and I haven’t had the same experience as Flora.

I really enjoyed the easy breezy flow of this book. Although there are tense moments between characters, the book is generally very heart warming and made me feel so grateful for the shape and size of my own little blended family.

Characters 👫👭👬

The characters are what made this book for me, with my favourites being Flora and Izzy. The relationship between the two characters isn’t easy but the small moments of connection between them are beautiful.

The relationship I probably didn’t feel THAT invested in was Jack and and Flora. Not because I didn’t believe in it or think it genuine, I just didn’t feel like it was the most important relationship in the book. The family dynamic and building the family was what interested me more.

Writing Style ✍🏽

I really loved the simple, efficient and clear writing in this book. It’s not often I read a book with a straight forward, linear storyline so it was such a nice change for me. I guessed the secret that both Izzy and Clare were sharing which I’m sure most would, but it wasn’t supposed to be a grand reveal. It was the reactions of the characters to the discovery that made it awesome.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖

I couldn’t put this book down once I had started and I loved all of it. It’s real, honest and I love the way that it talks about the difficulty of blending a family. Family isn’t always the “perfect” 2:1 and it is often whatever we make it, however that may present itself. A great story, told through great writing.

This is a romance between Flora and Jack. Jack is a widow, but is he hiding a bad marriage? His wife, Becca seems perfect but is she all that she seems? Flora has never felt liked she belonged. Her mum dies and now she is trying to blend into Jack's family. This book addresses the insecurities of becoming a part of a blended family. Izzy, the teenager is struggling with the arrival of Flora. Flora, Clare and Izzy were strong characters but I couldn't warm to Jack because he didn't feel real and didn't have the usual Sarah Morgan hero sparkle. Otherwise a super romance. Another brilliant book by Sarah Morgan. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

Another absolutely brilliant book by Sarah Morgan! Her characters and relationships are always so real and this book is no different. Flora, our main character is so likeable, wise and brave - with far more patience than I could ever have. The storyline is beautifully crafted, taking us through highs and lows and dealing with love, loss, friendship and grief, without ever becoming too downhearted and sad. I enjoyed every minute of it and am now off to find others books by Morgan that I may have missed! 
Thank you to netgalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Family For Beginners, Sarah Morgan

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  General Fiction (Adult), Romance

I've read and enjoyed several of Sarah's books, her writing style matches what I want to read. She doesn't just do a romance, but a story that has lots of sub plots, plenty of other things going on, and characters that feel so real. That's what I want to read, real lives but with good things in. A story that has more than just A meets B and they have a few drama and lived HEA. 

I loved Flora, such a hard life she'd had and of course we are what life shapes us. Flora has become one of life's Pleasers, hates conflict and always tries to help, subjugating her own needs to make others happy. I hate conflict too, and I recognise facts of Flora in my own character, and understood her actions. 
Jack, ahhh Jack. What a wonderful guy, loved his family, tries so hard after the unexpected death of his wife, and yet he's a bloke and of course they see events and things differently. I so felt for Flora when she felt “outside” the family, and yet I understood too why Jack couldn't see what his actions were doing. 
The kids too, poor confused Izzie, teen years are tough but add in a dead mum, a grieving little sister, and a dad who seems to be getting close to his new girlfriend, and no wonder she was obnoxious at times. Molly, her little sister, was a real gem and provided some fantastic light when it was needed. 

Of course there's more to the story than we first know, slowly secrets come out and have repercussions. A little ripple turned into some pretty big waves. 
I enjoyed the story and the pacing, the way what seemed clear kept changing as more things were revealed. I enjoyed Clare and the family in the Lake district too, some fabulous summer days played out there. 

Stars: Five, another wonderful read from Sarah, with real people and plots, to make a story that's totally absorbing. 

Arc via Netgalley and publishers

I completely fell in love with this book and the characters, even the ones with a spikey personality. This book is so beautifully written.and also with a such a sense of feeling and knowledge. The book has it all, loss, grief, secrets and lies, family dynamics, friendships old and new but most of all, true love. A totally engrossing  story that I heartily recommend.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It shows the feelings of the characters really well. The grief shown by the girls and not wanting to accept another woman in their dad's life. Heartfelt,sorrow,love,loss and new friendships.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and to date I think it is the best one I've read from Sarah Morgan.  The characters are totally believable and the essential essence of the book, bereavement and grief, are sympathetically dealt with and how family and friendship dynamics change over time with many peaks and troughs.  The difficulties encountered with moving forward, which are shown in a positive light, maybe all a bit too glib for some readers but there is an uplifting feel good factor in the book which does make it not all gloom and doom.  Thoughtfully and well written.

Sarah Morgan has done it again! This book captures all of the complexities of family life: hurt, distrust, secrets, love, hope, ambition, friendship, security and strength. It is another fantastic addition to the Sarah Morgan bookshelf!

Another great read from Sarah Morgan! I read this in one sitting, completely engrossed in the characters. I was rooting for Flora, Izzy, Molly and Jack from the very start. Such a good read and I actually feel like I know Flora after reading this!! Loved it!

This is the second book by Sarah Morgan that I attempt to read - and  whereas I could not finish the first one, at least I managed to get to the end of this one. The book is perfectly well written, but I am sorry to say it is really not my cup of tea. I found the story boring and superficial, and so are the characters. Dialogues are often too long and the story develops without anything actually happening. We are supposed to believe the main characters fall in love, fine. But how? When? Do they even have anything in common? A lot of 'story' is missing, to make the events believable. I am sure Sarah Morgan has several loyal readers that loved this title, but as I said, it is really not for me.

With Family For Beginners, Sarah Morgan has surely added another bestseller to her ever-growing list.
The story flows beautifully with deep secrets gradually unfurling and while you might have ideas about what’s coming, I was still surprised.
It perfectly explores various themes including single life in our modern world, grief, human nature, blended families and love in its many forms.
As ever, the writing is first class. Even though the point of view switches, Sarah seems to understand the complexities of navigating life for different generations. I felt Flora’s loneliness, the pressure building in teenage Izzy was palpable, the guilt and anger in Becca’s best friend soul destroying.
In short, this book was a delight from start to finish and reading it made me sigh with pleasure.

I loved this book so much, it was beautiful. I don’t know what else to say! I loved the characters, and their development, the way they all slowly learned the true meaning of family, and acceptance. I loved the fact that they all fought for each other, and particularly that Flora didn’t just go storming off when she was upset. Sarah Morgan’s writing just seems to get better and better. Highly recommended.

I was given a free copy of this book. My opinions are my own (as always).

What a very intuitive book, somewhat different from many of Sarah Morgan's. Dealing with family dynamics, relationships, 'blended' families, this touches on so many issues. 
Flora is a delight, a lovely florist , shy and a bit of a people pleaser. Meeting Jack, over a bouquet of flowers, brought a new dimension into her life, one that she wasnt really sure how to deal with..
 Izzy and Molly, Jack's daughters,are beautifully portrayed.
Unputdownable (is that a word?)
Thanks to NetGalley for  a review copy which I enjoyed reading.

Family secrets are best kept, or are they?

Clare lives in the Lake District with husband, Todd, ironic as she's afraid of water. She grew up there, moving back to be near her mother. Her best friend, Becca, has recently died, leaving Clare with a secret she'd rather not have known. Clare flies out to New York for the funeral and to comfort her god-daughter, seventeen year old Izzie. Then she invites them for a return visit, hoping to give them a relaxing break.

Flora (great name as she's a florist) lives a lonely life in NY until she meets Jack, who is Izzie's father.

Izzie herself is keeping secrets, grieving for her feisty, dazzling mother and trying to take care of her young sister, Molly. She resents Flora's new place in her family. 

Love the way family dynamics change and grow as the story unfolds. This is one of Sarah Morgan's best. Enjoy!

Family for Beginners is a wonderful read. Flora a florist meets Jack a widower with two girls, he is trying to find a birthday present for his eldest daughter Izzy, his wife Becca having died suddenly 12 months earlier. They connect instantly and slowly the relationship develops, when Jack introduces Flora to his two girls it doesn’t quite go to plan, the youngest still openly missing her mother and Izzy having taken on her mothers role and still grieving badly but silently feels threatened by Flora.
Every year Jack and the family fly to the Lake District from the USA to spend time with Beccas best friend’s family, this time Jack takes Flora. So begins an emotional journey of epic proportions for all involved. With the dynamics between the two families the emotions pour off each page, the characters and dialogue are brilliantly executed. Each starts to heal in their own way, but not without much heartbreaking honesty between them all.
A story of healing, love, pathos and friendship.....fabulous I didn’t want it to end.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

What a fabulous book, I raced through it in an afternoon. Beautifully and thoughtfully written, looking at coping with bereavement, loss and building new relationships with a partner who has children who have been through a lot. It also looks at female friendships and the complexities of friendships that you have had since childhood and how people change over time. I really liked the characters too, all dealing with different issues. I’ve read a lot of Sarah Morgan’s books now and I think this is one of my favourites so far. Thank you for letting me review this book.