The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman + a Giveaway

It's been four years since Lili's husband died and while things have gotten easier, she can't imagine a day when she'll ever be over it. His death sent her spiraling out of control, leaving her two daughters under the care of her sister in the immediate aftermath. These days, it means they're closer than ever. But as her beloved sister encourages Lili to get out there and meet someone - to take the reigns and join the dating pool once again - Lili remains staunchly against it. Not until the kids are out of college, she promises (they're seven and five). 

When her job asks her to join a gardening class at the local botanical gardens, Lili isn't at all resistant. Not only does it sound like fun, and she can bring the kids, but everyone hopes it'll get Lili and the company in the good graces of the Bloem family, a huge new account for the publisher. And since Lili will be illustrating their new vegetable guides, it should be a great opportunity for research. But what Lili isn't counting on is falling for Edward Bloem himself!

Abbi Waxman's The Garden of Small Beginnings is fantastic! It's more than bit of a tear jerker but it's still light and funny when it needs to be (which is most of the time).

Loss and grief and moving on are tough topics to tackle. As Lili and the rest of the characters show us, each and every person is different in how they react and recover to loss. And Lili is lucky that she has her sister, Rachel, in her life. Her sister who stepped up and helped out when Lili needed it most.

While this is very much Lili's story, it's also Rachel's story, and it's Lili's kids' story. And it's the story of the gardening class - led by Edward - a group of people who might never have crossed paths in their day to day lives, drawn together and made friends over the act of bringing a garden of vegetable bounty to life.

Fair warning, it'll likely make you antsy to get your own garden going, if you have one!

I loved this book. I really did - tears and all. And it really was all I could do not to let the tears take over. Out of both sadness and joy, I might add. But again, this is actually a pretty hilarious read overall. Between Lili and Rachel and Lili's daughters, there are some definitely laugh out loud moments throughout. And really, the tears are minor in comparison. Heck, even Molly Shannon (you know, MOLLY SHANNON) blurbed the book!

The Garden of Small Beginnings is new out today and should be on every reading list for anyone looking for a fun and upbeat feel good read. Perfect for spring in every way!

Thanks to the publisher, I get to give away a copy of Abbi's debut today! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, May 15. Open US only and no PO boxes please.

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