Review: 'Coming Up Roses' by Rachael Lucas (2015)

Would-be gardener Daisy can’t believe her luck when her parents announce they’re off on a midlife crisis gap year, leaving her in charge of their gorgeous garden. After a turbulent few months, a spot of quiet in the countryside is just what she needs.
A shoulder to cry on wouldn't go amiss either - so when Daisy comes across Elaine and Jo, she breathes a sigh of relief. But her new friends are dealing with dramas of their own…
As Daisy wrestles the garden into something resembling order, her feelings for handsome Irishman George begin to take root. Daisy’s heart’s desire − her parent’s garden − is under threat, and Daisy's forced to confront nosey neighbours and fight greedy developers. Village life is turning out to be far from peaceful.
Last month we were treated to quite a number of amazing new releases and I can't wait to read all of them! One of these fabulous releases which I have been looking forward to picking up is Rachael Lucas' 'Coming Up Roses', which hit the shelves on the 21st of May. As soon as I saw the lovely cover with the pretty colours and the flowers, I added the book to my TBR-list and luckily enough I managed to receive a review copy through NetGalley! I really wanted to read Rachael Lucas' debut novel 'Sealed With a Kiss' but never actually got to it, so as soon as I had 'Coming Up Roses' at my fingertips I sat down with it and hoped it would live up to my expectations!
Daisy has gone through a difficult and sudden break-up, so when she's asked by her parents to house sit the family home, Orchard Villa, in the small village of Steeple St. John while they travel through Asia, Daisy can't say yes quick enough. She wants nothing more than to hide away from everyone and everything for a while, just spend her time gardening in her parents' wonderful big garden, and Steeple St. John seems just the place to get away from it all. However, before Daisy knows it she has met a few people in the village with whom she gets along, such as elderly man Thomas, headmaster's wife and lifestyle blogger Elaine, and single mum Jo, and she's suddenly a part of several of the town's committees and events. Will Daisy be able to get past the heartbreak and start anew or is Steeple St. John perhaps not the place for her after all?
Over the past couple of months, gardening seems to have become quite a hot topic within the world of chick lit and I have to admit I'm definitely a fan, even though I'm one without green fingers of her own! 'Coming Up Roses' is a truly wonderful read with a captivating storyline written in a really comfortable and well-paced style, and with a great group of characters, at its core. Heroine Daisy has been through a rough time and finds herself in the lovely village of Steeple St. John to try and get her life back on track. While Daisy's story is a great and interesting one, readers are also treated to some extra storylines involving two other women from the village: Elaine, a dedicated lifestyle blogger, and Jo, who is raising a teenage daughter all by herself. I straight away fell in love with not just Daisy, Elaine and Jo, but also the other villagers such as Thomas, Flora and Ned. 
Both the characters and the setting won me over in seconds, and I loved being able to step into the world of Steeple St. John after a long day at work. Rachael Lucas really managed to create a wonderful setting and I would love to read more about the village and its inhabitants in the future (fingers crossed for a sequel!). Sometimes you pick up a novel which you just can't get enough of and adore from start to finish and that is what 'Coming Up Roses' was to me. This is a thoroughly wonderful, lovely rural, and warm tale about friendship and village life which I can't recommend enough to any chick lit/rom com fans, or anyone who's looking for a great read!

Rating:10/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.