I was initially drawn to the cover of this book, Iris is very near and dear to my heart. They were one of my mother's favorite flowers. I chose to want to read once I read the summary about Sara the main character was learning how to navigate the loss of her sister. Right there I knew I needed to read this because I have been there with losing my mom. Throughout the story, Sara learns healthy ways to deal with pain and not push people away. Then enter Jack the main male character who wants to be there for Sara no matter how much she pushes him away. I wish I could meet a guy with a personality like Jack who simply wants to be there for you no matter how awful you are treating them. Overall the flow of the sorry was good and easy to follow. I enjoyed all the side characters and how they contribute to the story. I will be honest when I picked up this book to read I had no idea that it is book two of a series. With that said I do believe that you can read it as a stand-alone. I do plan to read the first one. I plan to keep an eye on this author to see what else she has in store.

good read review post 5/3/2024
Amazon/B&N review post 5/3/2024
Instagram review by 5/5/2024

From the Ashes by Athena Barnum is a book of two extremes -love and tragedy. How can a sister lose her best friend and become a mother to her daughter? For a little girl never to have a mother and then lose her father also and to remain to be a sunny, and happy little girl. Sarah puts up walls after her sisters death and allows no help or love from others. Jack who is Sarah's brothers friend is determined to break down those walls waiting for seven years. Thank you to Net galley for allowing me to read this novel prior to its publication.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While I liked the synopsis, plot, main themes and MMC, this book fell flat for me. I didn't get enough of a picture of the FMC to actually like her. The relationship didn't seem solid enough, and I didn't understand why Jack was in love with Sara.

I think the author worked very hard at diving into the various ways we show grief, and I loved that the book was set in Ontario, Canada.