Such a wonderful read and Sarah Morgan at her finest. Family is never easy and it's much harder when you're deceased best friend tells you a secret that prays on your mind. Only the secret isn't a secret, only no one realised that anyone else knows. Highly recommended

4.5⭐️ I’m a big Sarah Morgan fan as I find her writing easy to get into with believable plot lines. The cover is one of the things that stood out to me, when I saw it on Facebook so investigated the story and am grateful to HQ and NetGalley for this ARC. 

I liked the story being told through Izzy, Flora and Clare. Secrets unfold slowly and as much as I wanted to know everything I appreciated the build up as I got to know the characters better. Morgan always does a great job of ensuring that her reader knows details about her main characters, which just makes her books that much better.

Any Sarah Morgan fan will like this one.

I loved this book, it’s a joyous love story and a story of two families blending together
Also a story that reminds us that people put on a pedestal don’t always deserve to be there
I felt every characters pain, fear and happiness 
In our uncertain times a beautiful book to transport you to a different place

This book was a little slow to begin with, and confusing as you tried to work out how each narrator is connected but once I got into it I really enjoyed it!

The book follows Flora and Izzy, with a little input from Claire. 
Flora works in a flower shop and is trying to work on pleasing people less when a beautiful man, Jack, comes into the shop. She can tell there is a story behind him and it turns out he is looking for flowers as a gift to his oldest daughter who turns out to be Izzy.
Izzys mum died suddenly last year and she is still trying to figure out life without her in her life.
Claire was Becca, Izzys mums, oldest and best friend and is struggling with the secret that she had hoped died with Becca.


As is expected, I think, Flora and Jack end up hitting it off and dating. However when Jack decides to bring Flora home to meet Izzy and her little sister the girls are less than impressed by the new woman in their lives. The book follows the family as Flora tries to figure out how to fit in and Izzy tries to figure out how to get through all the changes. She has been looking after her little sister and helping her father cope, but with Flora on the scene it seems like her role is slipping away and Izzy isn't sure where she stands in the family without it. 

The characters in this book are very well written. As you are reading you can feel and understand Izzy, especially her feeling of loss which made me want to jump into the book and give her a big hug! I also really enjoyed Floras character, as she develops from someone who will do whatever anyone asks to more of her own person, helped by being part of the family and not hindered by the developing relationship with Jack! 

Although some parts of this book are heartbreaking I think each characters story is beautifully woven together in a way that is both real and believable and this would be a wonderful read for anyone who enjoys womens fiction.

A very enjoyable book, with lots of emotion.

Jack is a father of two girls, Izzy 17 and Molly 7, and they lost their wife/mother a year ago very suddenly.  Then when buying flowers for Izzy one day Jack meets Flora, who works in the florist, and a romance starts.  Izzy has no family, having also lost her mother when she was young (8 years) and recently lost her aunt who took her in when her mother died, but was very unloving towards her and just put up with her all her life. 

Flora was a really lovely character, although a bit too much of a 'pleaser', trying to make everyone happy, sometimes to her detriment.  But this slowly changed as the book went on and she became slightly more assertive, but still keeping the lovely caring person that she was.

Jack, whilst obviously a loving father and nice guy, was clueless and did irritate me quite a bit.  He had absolutely no idea what was going on in his daughters lives, especially Izzy who was really struggling but had stepped into the mother role and was acting perfectly, as if everything was really under control, to keep everyone happy.

But then Flora got together with Jack and things started to get interesting, as another woman coming into the mix was bound to cause friction with Izzy.

There are secrets being kept by a few people that come out as the story progresses and are eventually resolved, most revolving around the deceased wife/mother, Becca, who still seemed to be controlling everyone even after her death.

A really enjoyable read that got better and better as the book went on, with the story definitely revolving around all the female characters, with the male characters taking more of a back-seat.

This book was a real roller-coaster. I laughed, I cried and I wanted to scream at some of the characters. Sarah Morgan paints a picture of love and grief within a family unite perfectly. You could feel the hurting pouring from the pages. Very powerful stuff.

Flora is a florist. Through living through her own challenges Flora has become a people pleasure, never saying no or putting herself first. As a result when she meets Jack a widower and with two young daughters, Flora does everything to "fit in" even as far as go on a three week holiday to Britain to stay with friends of Jack's late wife. Things aren't going smoothly as she had hoped, especially trying to get Jack's oldest daughter to accept her.

This book is as real as books can possibly get. It shows the stages of grief and loyalty. We never really know what is going on in a family dynamic. It is also a slow burner.

I would recommend this book.

Firstly, this is my first Sarah Morgan novel and although I am familiar with name, I have not yet have read her books until now.  The only thing is that I can say is that now, I know why this author has such good word of mouth and I am thoroughly and deeply impressed.

The novel is rife with deep emotion, empathy and understanding which is rewarding experience as the reader is able to experience the pain of passing and how each character is able to guide you through the many facets of the emotion.  The characters are all deeply written with a three dimensional concept that breathes life into them.  Dealing with death in a family and people on the outside looking in, Morgan does an exceptional job to explore the many levels of grief.

The plot flows at extremely good pace and the personal experiences found within the pages makes the novel even more engaging.  The many different aspects of the novel are fully explored giving the story an overall richness.  

Overall this is a fantastic read that should be experienced by everyone.  With its fully developed and realised characters to the exceptional way the source material is handled.  Morgan has deserved her crown of fiction and here she shows what her calibre is able to accomplish.  A must read.

I am a massive fan of Sarah Morgan, I have read many of her series of books, my favourite being her 'From Manhattan With Love' series. I've read a few of her stand-alone novels too and recently reviewed the wonderful 'A Wedding in December' so I pounced upon the chance to sample her latest work and I was not disappointed.
Families are a complex thing, no two families are alike yet I think we all have that idea in our heads of how a family should behave. In reality, there are no set rules and everyone has to find a way to make their family work, and joining a new family can be hard as our heroine Flora discovers. Her new man Jack recently lost his wife, Becca, less than a year ago and still bears scars naturally. Jack seems perfect but although he wants her in his life, he doesn't seem to include her in everything as she eventually discovers. Jack's two daughters are very different in their attitudes towards the newcomer into the fold, the younger daughter Molly's acceptance and the elder daughter Izzy's hostility. So it's inevitable things don't go to plan and a holiday with her predecessors best friend doesn't sound like the best idea, especially as Becca seemed to be the perfect woman.
One of the main messages of this novel is to be yourself. If you're trying to it in or putting on a different persona to your own then it's not long before things go wrong. By being true to yourself, by remaining honest with those you love, that's how you resolve problems and learn to live together happily. A good lesson for us all to learn.
Also set primarily in the Lake District setting which I love was a great pull for me and I loved the idea of the boathouse on the lake and all that lovely scenery on your doorstep. Sarah has a wonderful style of writing that just brings everything to life so vividly and clearly. And a bonus was that the dog's name was Chase, just like my sister's adorable bundle of fluff.

I’ve got to come out with it straight away. I can’t possibly talk about anything else before I come clean and tell you. I loved this novel so much; it was velvety smooth, beautifully written, meaty with fabulous content and characters that were special. It is almost as though I was within the story and I really care about what is going on. I turned each page with expectation and there was not an iota of it that I didn’t enjoy. I read on so happily, immersed in the storyline. I have to say I have always admired this very talented author and I have collected her novels obsessively. I always feel a sense of desolation when I come to the end and know I will have a long wait before I can identify with Sarah’s characters, stories and read a really enjoyable novel again. Yes, I’m a huge fan of hers. She has captured my loyalty and I relish each book I read.
Flora takes after her mother in her choice of vocations, picking a position she will enjoy and has a great knowledge about. She works in a florists shop and derives great pleasure from creating exquisite and bespoke bouquets for her customers. She has the flair and skills that ensure she is popular and customers always want her to make up her magical creations for them. One day a stranger comes into her place of work and tells her he wants a special bouquet made up for Izzy, his treasured 17 year-old daughter. He watches Flora’s nimble work and is thrilled to bits with her handiwork. Little does Flora know, but this man, Jack will change her life forever. This is the start of a rollercoaster courtship between the two of them. It’s not an easy pairing. Jack is a widower with two girls, Izzy and Molly, ten years her junior. His family are still traumatised by Becca, their mother’s, sudden death a year earlier which has devastated the family. This is the heart-warming love story of Jack and Flora.
Sarah tells her story with oodles of compassion and understanding. Her writing is like the most wonderful dream that you don’t want to end. She handles issues that arise during Flora and Jack’s tender romance brilliantly. These include jealousy, resentment, fear, anger, envy and lots more. I’m writing my 5* review fluently and easily because if I could give her higher marks, I would. I loved Flora and thought her handling of the two girls was full of empathy and insight. I was absorbed by the storytelling and loved the way Sarah carefully considered each character’s point of view so effortlessly. She has amazing creative flair which is at times poetic and lyrical. I thought Jack was caring, kind and it was so obvious to me that they were made for each other. There were shocking revelations and I loved the way the various story threads were seamlessly woven together into a very satisfying ending. Secrets tumbled out and mended this broken family, making sure that their future would be very bright.
I received this book through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher HQ in return for an honest review. Thank you for my copy. These are my own thoughts and I have read no other reviews before writing my own. I really loved this novel and thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it.

Another heartwarming and rollercoaster read by Sarah Morgan. I have really enjoyed this, but not as much as I liked wedding in December. Unfortunately this has been missing something for me so I feel unable to give this one five stars. However this is definitely an enjoyable read and I am looking forward to more by this author ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another heartwarming and rollercoaster read by Sarah Morgan. I have really enjoyed this, but not as much as I liked wedding in December. Unfortunately this has been missing something for me so I feel unable to give this one five stars. However this is definitely an enjoyable read and I am looking forward to more by this author ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a heartwarming read that makes you laugh, smile and feel all warm inside.
My thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Family for Beginners follows Flora as she navigates her way through a new relationship with widowed Jack and his daughters. Throw in the annual family trip to the Lakes to stay with his late wife’s friends and plenty of family secrets and Flora begins to wonder whether this family is right for her....

A quick, engaging story which I think would be a perfect summer beach read. I enjoyed the switching narration between Flora, Izzy and Clare and the descriptions of family life and the way in which we try to present ourselves how others want to see us.

Sarah Morgan knows how to write a heartwarming read.  For me personally, although this was a nice story, it didn’t quite hit the mark and didn’t really hit its stride until about 2/3 of the way through the book.  Also wondered what hold Becca had over everyone when its clear that she really wasn’t a very nice person.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Flora has been lonely for the whole of her life, after her mom dying when she was eight years old and forced to live with her auntie who didn’t want hot look after her sisters baggage. She meets Jack when she comes into the florist where she works to get a bouquet of flowers for this daughters birthday. She falls in love with Jack but will his two daughters accept her into their family when it has only been a year since their mom died. 
Great book of love, family and relationships. Another brilliant book from Sarah.

The contents of a mysterious letter teases the reader in the prologue of this story  Are all families as they seem?

When Becca dies she leaves behind a broken family and devastated friend.  All hiding secrets from each other.
.
Eventually husband Jack meets Flora, and she must face the ghost of Becca, the perfect wife, mother and friend.

As the characters develop we see all sides of their emotions and are soon privy to some shocking home truths.

I found this a little confusing to start but I soon  felt a connection to the characters and willed for a happy ending.

I have read several of Sarah.s books and love the way that she makes her characters seem real.

Flora is a people pleaser, working in the same Florists her mother worked in, always trying to please. One day Jack comes into the shop looking for flowers for his daughter. 

A relationship begins and a beautiful story is told.

Another amazing book from Sarah Morgan. If You’ve ever been part of a family you will laugh and cry at some of the antics of this family  as they get to know each other afresh as Flora joins them. We all have either skeletons in the cupboard or secretes and this family is no different. Although an American family they travel to the Lake  District to join close friends for their annual 3 week holiday and encounter fun, scares, and the beginning of a life ahead. 
Thanks Sarah and NetGalley.

Another fantastic book by this author it was a saturated storyline and would definitely recommend to others  and give this a four star rating

This book will warm your heart as the aptly named Flora the florist tries to integrate into a family deep in grief following the sudden death of Becca. Izzy the teenage daughter dislikes Flora but Flora is determined to try and win her over.The journey is a long and trying one. I could not wait to find out the secret about Becca. Sarah Morgan has done it again.