The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
melissagurner's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
memull17's review
3.0
I liked the story but I just didn’t feel the connection between Harper and Luke so I wasn’t really rooting for them. There was no angsty longing or secret hand brushes or stolen kisses or those moments that get your heart racing. They literally went from being annoyed and hating each other to magically being friends and instantly in love without having kissed. *Head scratch*
I think this series would be a good fit for a lot of people but it just wasn’t the right fit for me.
Thank you @grandcentralpub & @readforeverpub for this gifted finished copy.
I think this series would be a good fit for a lot of people but it just wasn’t the right fit for me.
Thank you @grandcentralpub & @readforeverpub for this gifted finished copy.
haleighmw's review
5.0
This book was so sweet that I couldn't put it down and I was shocked at how quickly I flew through it! Pretty much right away I found myself rooting for Harper and Luke separately and then together. This books made me super happy, the best part about reading romance!
pagesofglory22's review
3.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I would rate this book 3.5/5 stars. The Magnolia sisters by Alys Murray is a heartwarming love story. I found parts of the book to be unrealistically written. The two main characters claim to hate each other, yet don't act like it. Their attraction is instant and yet they deny it, and not in a plausible way. The story was quite predictable, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was light and easy to read. The romance between Luke and Harper was beautifully written, and I fell in love with the small town and farm in which the book takes place. Although I am not a fan of overly soppy romances, I did find myself wanting to read more about Luke and Harper and their blossoming romance. Overall, I found it entertaining and enjoyable.
i_hype_romance's review
4.0
This was a wholesome, poignant family saga inspired by Lizzie and Darcy.
Harper manages her family's flower farm. It's all she thinks about and worries about. She's consumed by it, and loves every single step of the process- from sowing to harvesting.
When an arrogant Los Angeles billionaire proffers a blank check in an effort to convince her to let his sister use her farm for a wedding, she is disgusted. And then he shows up as her newest farm hand.
She's determined to show him that he doesn't have the chops or staying power for all of the chores. But Luke meets every challenge with grim determination. He accepts all of her curve balls and hurls them back.
He's never felt more physically battered in his life. And she's never had to try so hard to keep someone from getting under her skin. They're exactly like oil and water.
This enemies to lovers story gave me a warm glow and made me long for a quiet afternoon picnic in a field of flowers.
Plot & Setting: 4 ⭐️
Characters: 3.5 ⭐️
Steam:
Harper manages her family's flower farm. It's all she thinks about and worries about. She's consumed by it, and loves every single step of the process- from sowing to harvesting.
When an arrogant Los Angeles billionaire proffers a blank check in an effort to convince her to let his sister use her farm for a wedding, she is disgusted. And then he shows up as her newest farm hand.
She's determined to show him that he doesn't have the chops or staying power for all of the chores. But Luke meets every challenge with grim determination. He accepts all of her curve balls and hurls them back.
He's never felt more physically battered in his life. And she's never had to try so hard to keep someone from getting under her skin. They're exactly like oil and water.
This enemies to lovers story gave me a warm glow and made me long for a quiet afternoon picnic in a field of flowers.
Plot & Setting: 4 ⭐️
Characters: 3.5 ⭐️
Steam:
whiskeyinthejar's review
3.0
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
He was entranced. And he wasn't sure he'd ever been entranced before.
Growing up with parents that couldn't be bothered with them, had Luke Martin dropping out of school and working hard to care for his younger sister Annie. He managed to build up his own tech firm in LA and become very close to a billionaire. So when Annie falls in love with someone who lives in a small town in CA and wants her dream wedding at a flower farm, Luke will do anything to make that possible.
Harper doesn't have time for the rich guy from LA and even though their family farm is struggling, the blank check he hands her to have a wedding on the farm, only makes her more angry.
Luke's plan to work on the farm and show Harper he's more than his bank account might give him blisters but it also has Harper opening up her heart.
She wanted to hate him. She wanted an excuse to push him away and hold him at arm's length, to spend so much time despising him she had no room in her schedule for thinking anything else about him. But she couldn't. Not anymore. And she didn't know how to feel about that.
First in a series about three sisters who grew up and work on the family flower farm in a small town in CA, The Magnolia Sisters started off with Pride and Prejudice vibes. Readers get to know the Anderson family, older sister Rose, middle sister Harper, and youngest May, along with their gossipy energetic mother and quietly but lovingly dealing with it all father. Harper starts off a bit hardhearted and cutting her nose off to spite her face with her constant rejection of Luke and his money but her wall slowly starts to crumble as she spends more time with him. Luke, for his part, is instantly drawn by Harper on an almost metaphysical level but has moments of struggling mightily with her attitude on earth.
As she sat there, close enough to touch him but afraid to even breathe in case it knocked them out of this spell, a realization dawned on her. Slowly at first, but with all the rushing energy of a star bursting within her very heart.
She'd been falling for him this entire time, and she didn't even know it.
Harper and Luke are pretty brittle towards each other but at the half-way mark they start to thaw as they learn their preconceptions were wrong and they want to learn about each other. Their coming together is hampered by Luke's sister Annie engaged to marry Harper's sister's ex-highschool love. It's an obvious series baiting plot, readers never even get to see this fiance, Annie doesn't really seem into him, and much is made about how May never told the story of the night she and the ex broke up. It's there, like I said, to intrigue for future books in series, but also gave some manipulated, easy to reach for angst towards the end when Harper turns heel a bit to stick up for her sister and provide a wedge between her and Luke when her feelings scare her. The secondary characters work to fill out the world but there were times I wish we could have gotten more focus with emotional depth scenes between Harper and Luke.
This was very much a Hallmark movie in written form and when the I love yous come it at around the 75%, they were lukewarm. P & P vibey beginning, irritability between leads that masks some fear of attraction feelings, a sweet family/small town setting, and a warm romance.
He was entranced. And he wasn't sure he'd ever been entranced before.
Growing up with parents that couldn't be bothered with them, had Luke Martin dropping out of school and working hard to care for his younger sister Annie. He managed to build up his own tech firm in LA and become very close to a billionaire. So when Annie falls in love with someone who lives in a small town in CA and wants her dream wedding at a flower farm, Luke will do anything to make that possible.
Harper doesn't have time for the rich guy from LA and even though their family farm is struggling, the blank check he hands her to have a wedding on the farm, only makes her more angry.
Luke's plan to work on the farm and show Harper he's more than his bank account might give him blisters but it also has Harper opening up her heart.
She wanted to hate him. She wanted an excuse to push him away and hold him at arm's length, to spend so much time despising him she had no room in her schedule for thinking anything else about him. But she couldn't. Not anymore. And she didn't know how to feel about that.
First in a series about three sisters who grew up and work on the family flower farm in a small town in CA, The Magnolia Sisters started off with Pride and Prejudice vibes. Readers get to know the Anderson family, older sister Rose, middle sister Harper, and youngest May, along with their gossipy energetic mother and quietly but lovingly dealing with it all father. Harper starts off a bit hardhearted and cutting her nose off to spite her face with her constant rejection of Luke and his money but her wall slowly starts to crumble as she spends more time with him. Luke, for his part, is instantly drawn by Harper on an almost metaphysical level but has moments of struggling mightily with her attitude on earth.
As she sat there, close enough to touch him but afraid to even breathe in case it knocked them out of this spell, a realization dawned on her. Slowly at first, but with all the rushing energy of a star bursting within her very heart.
She'd been falling for him this entire time, and she didn't even know it.
Harper and Luke are pretty brittle towards each other but at the half-way mark they start to thaw as they learn their preconceptions were wrong and they want to learn about each other. Their coming together is hampered by Luke's sister Annie engaged to marry Harper's sister's ex-highschool love. It's an obvious series baiting plot, readers never even get to see this fiance, Annie doesn't really seem into him, and much is made about how May never told the story of the night she and the ex broke up. It's there, like I said, to intrigue for future books in series, but also gave some manipulated, easy to reach for angst towards the end when Harper turns heel a bit to stick up for her sister and provide a wedge between her and Luke when her feelings scare her. The secondary characters work to fill out the world but there were times I wish we could have gotten more focus with emotional depth scenes between Harper and Luke.
This was very much a Hallmark movie in written form and when the I love yous come it at around the 75%, they were lukewarm. P & P vibey beginning, irritability between leads that masks some fear of attraction feelings, a sweet family/small town setting, and a warm romance.
meg728's review
4.0
I will say first off thinking about these fields of beautiful flowers decided in this book made me happy in an uncertain time. I enjoyed this romance story that had its ups and downs as love usually does. I found the beginning a bit slow but the second half was fabulous!
mishale1's review
3.0
Harper works on her family’s flower farm. There’s no doubt that the property is gorgeous. When Annie sees it, she literally throws the brakes on her car and insists that she must have her wedding there. She shows up on site with her brother Lukes and tries talk Harper into letting her use the site as a wedding venue.
Luke is very wealthy and his sister is the most important person in the world to him. He wants her to have whatever she wants for her wedding. Unfortunately he goes about it all wrong, he basically offers Harper a blank check, the check gets crumpled up and thrown in his face after Harper feels he’s insulted her.
For both Harper and Luke, their family is the most important thing.
But Luke practically falls in love at first sight with Harper. And Harper basically falls in disgust at first sight.
She feels like she knows his type. She thinks he’s a heartless rich guy who doesn’t care about her family’s business.
Luke decides to work on Harper’s farm for free. Her dad is quick to accept the free labor. Harper works Luke very hard at first. He tells his sister he’s working there to try to convince Harper to let them use the site for the wedding. But she has a feeling he also wants to be around Harper.
Harper starts to lighten up to him a little bit when she realizes her wild cat actually likes him.
To add another level of complication to the situation, Luke’s sister Annie is engaged to marry the ex boyfriend of Harper’s sister.
Of all the characters, I definitely liked Luke and Annie best. Sometimes Harper was frustrating. She was really hard on Luke.
I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thanks!
Luke is very wealthy and his sister is the most important person in the world to him. He wants her to have whatever she wants for her wedding. Unfortunately he goes about it all wrong, he basically offers Harper a blank check, the check gets crumpled up and thrown in his face after Harper feels he’s insulted her.
For both Harper and Luke, their family is the most important thing.
But Luke practically falls in love at first sight with Harper. And Harper basically falls in disgust at first sight.
She feels like she knows his type. She thinks he’s a heartless rich guy who doesn’t care about her family’s business.
Luke decides to work on Harper’s farm for free. Her dad is quick to accept the free labor. Harper works Luke very hard at first. He tells his sister he’s working there to try to convince Harper to let them use the site for the wedding. But she has a feeling he also wants to be around Harper.
Harper starts to lighten up to him a little bit when she realizes her wild cat actually likes him.
To add another level of complication to the situation, Luke’s sister Annie is engaged to marry the ex boyfriend of Harper’s sister.
Of all the characters, I definitely liked Luke and Annie best. Sometimes Harper was frustrating. She was really hard on Luke.
I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thanks!
bitchcocktail's review
2.0
DNF
I was really excited about this release but it’s just not working for me. I don’t care about any of these characters and the pacing isn’t great. I don’t think the author did much research about flowers or farming, either, which is probably not a problem for most readers but significant errors stuck out hard to me.
I was really excited about this release but it’s just not working for me. I don’t care about any of these characters and the pacing isn’t great. I don’t think the author did much research about flowers or farming, either, which is probably not a problem for most readers but significant errors stuck out hard to me.