Book Review: Save the Date by Mary Kay Andrews

Title: Save the Date
Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Source: Library (by way of my mom)

Goodreads Summary:

A wedding florist finds love and trouble in this delightful new novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Ladies' Night

A Savannah florist is about to score the wedding of a lifetime—one that will solidify her career as the go-to-girl for society nuptials. Ironically, Cara Kryzik doesn't believe in love, even though she creates beautiful flower arrangements to celebrate them. But when the bride goes missing and the wedding is in jeopardy, Cara must find the bride and figure out what she believes in. Maybe love really does exist outside of fairy tales after all. 


My thoughts:

I am a big fan of southern cities. Such a fan, that my husband has asked that we please go west or or east or anywhere but south again on our next vacation. Every trip we take is somewhere southern. But I can't help it - both of my parents are southern vacationers as well. Since I don't live down south or get to vacation there as much as I wish, I have to get my fix sometimes through books, and Mary Kay Andrews is a go to author for me. Her books are fun and like candy, a special treat.

This book was no exception. Cara Kryzik runs her own floral shop, selling bouquets over the counter as well as doing the flowers for special events like weddings. She lives above her shop with her golden-doodle Poppy, and is recently divorced. Everyday she deals with brides and their mothers, planning their dream weddings, from big to small, from bridezillas to the bridechillas. (ok I made that word up) Despite being surrounded by love, Cara is a bit jaded as a result of her failed marriage, and she and her assistant have a game of predicting the odds that the couple will remain married. Her business however has been financed by her father, the Colonel - who is insisting on being repaid back in full immediately. Unfortunately that kind of repayment is out of Cara's reach at the moment, until Marie walks in her door. Marie's daughter Brooke is getting married, and wants Cara to do the flowers. If she can pull this off, she will have more than enough money to keep her business going and to pay off her father.

But of course, things can't go that smoothly. Cara struggles and fights against the odds herself, battling a new fancy florist in town, landlords, disgruntled brides and mothers'of the bride, amongst other things. And of course, there is a hot guy, who has a golden-doodle as well, that helps to heat things up.

One of the things I loved best about this book was the interactions between Cara and her dog. I am a huge animal lover, and have four pets myself, including a goofy English Setter rescue. So I understand where Cara is coming from sometimes. There was a part that I totally got, having to do with Poppy that made me teary! Although, Cara does do something at the end that I would never have gambled on. Overall though, I love how Andrews incorporates animals and animal welfare into her books. It gets a thumbs up from me.

I really enjoyed this book, as I have all Andrew's work. The few complaints I had are minor, and don't detract from the rest of the story.  It was the perfect read for a warm summer day, even better if read while relaxing on the porch, sipping iced tea.