#SRC2014 Review: Elly In Love by Colleen Oakes

Title: Elly In Love
Author: Colleen Oakes
Format: Paperback
Publisher: SparkPress
Publish Date: June 24, 2014
Source: Summer Reading Challenge

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "Curvy wedding florist Elly Jordan has had quite a year. First, she had to design her ex-husband’s wedding to the mistress who split them up, and then she broke up with the hottest musician this side of St. Louis. Three months have passed since then, and now Elly is primed for what promises to be the best wedding season of her life.

Helped by her loyal friends, Elly is on the verge of opening a chic flower boutique uptown when BlissBride, a popular wedding reality show, asks her to design the wedding of a famous—make that infamous--celebrity. Elly is about to get everything she’s ever wanted, when a stranger shows up at her store with a request that changes every aspect of her life--including her budding relationship with deli owner Keith. As she struggles to stay calm in the midst of growing chaos, Elly will learn the true meaning of love and sacrifice.

Filled with the heart, humor, and horticulture that made Elly in Bloom a bestseller, Elly in Love welcomes readers back to Elly’s big, beautiful, and messy life."

My Two Cents:

Elly thinks her life has been turned upside down after she has to do flowers for her ex-husband's wedding. When "Elly in Love" opens, she can't imagine that her life could get any more chaotic or strange. Life has a very different idea. This is the second book in Elly's story but this one can definitely be read as a standalone book with no problem. I actually have not read the first book but I enjoyed this one so much that I really want to go back and read the first book.

Elly has a lot going on in this book. She is falling in love with Keith, the mysterious deli owner who is hiding a big secret. She has a brother that she never knew about who comes into her life in a very intrusive way. Oh, and one of the biggest Hollywood ladies comes to have her wedding in St. Louis and it's up to Elly to make sure the flowers are perfect. This book could have gotten tangled very easily but Oakes was able to make the book exciting with so much going on without making the book overwhelming.

I loved the characters, especially Elly. Even though she has already been through a lot, she seems to have her game face on for facing everything that she takes on in this book. She is strong and resilient and only seems to lose herself to everything going on at first before she picks herself up and dusts herself off.

This was a really fun book and would be a perfect summer pick!