It All Started With You by Debbie Howells is a book that made laugh out loud and then later cry.

The story of Frankie, a person who had to try on many different job hats until she realized she wanted to be a florist. During her journey to finding herself and a career, we are taught life lessons, learn the value of friendship - with both adults and children, and about love.

As Frankie grew in character in this book, I found myself rooting for her to get everything she deserved - love and happiness!

It took me a bit to get into the book, but once I did I couldn’t put it down and I finished it in about 24 hours. A story about finding yourself, believing in yourself, friendship, and love, this book took me through all the emotions from laughter to tears.

This book was definitely a slow burner! It did take me a while to get into and there were a lot of characters introduced at the beginning which was a bit confusing, but stick with it, folks, it is worth it :)

I have to admit that I didn't particularly like the friendship that Frankie and Honey had (and Honey in particular rubbed me up the wrong way) but then the reasons for that were revealed and Honey evolved. Frankie also evolved, which was lovely to see.

Frankie is an accidental florist, she was bullied into making wedding flowers for her best friend and it kind of went from there. She has an interesting assistant who really adds a bit of much needed brevity into the book.

Honey is a high-powered lawyer who is incredibly bossy. I have had friends like this too and you have to be careful that they don't just steamroller you! She has a lovely husband, Johnny, who loves Honey despite her bossiness. Honey spends a lot of time trying to matchmake Frankie and ordering her to come to dinner and meet the latest match. This gives us a bit more lightheartedness as these matches are not fabulous, in different ways. I loved what Frankie did to Josh, in the end!!

Along the way, Frankie meets Lulubelle and her son Cosmo. Cosmo is seriously ill and Frankie ends up helping Lulubelle in all sorts of ways and spending time with them both. I won't spoil the plot here but there were some incredibly touching moments especially when Frankie went to Briarwood, a respite house for seriously ill children.

This book is all about female friendships, growing as people and what happens when people strike adversity. There is romance here as well, but it was more as a secondary thing than the main event.

I really enjoyed it. It was a gentle and yet powerful read.

5 stars from me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books.

It all started with you book is such a surprisingly sweet and yet sad read for me. I almost DNF this book at the start as its quite confusing on what the book try to deliver. But for like 30% of the book, I start to get hooked. This book is perfect for people who love Slice of life genre.

It all started with you is about Frankie, our accidental florist that specialize in wedding flowers, when she thought everything is in her control, life is still have so much to offers. I absolutely in love with Frankie job, her little flower shop and the description about the flowers they used for the weddings. You can definitely imagine how they look like and imagine how they smelled, Frankie character is very unlikeable at first, but the way she grew as a great person is so satisfying to read. I love how she always try her best, so thoughtful and caring about her friend. I genuinely dislike her friendship with Honey at first as both seems like they didn't like each other that much. But they actually super adorable. Honey character also grew a lot as a character that known as 'bossy' but are willing to change. Both her and Frankie is on a journey of self-discovery, but also slowly deepened their friendship too. I love that.

This book is so heartwarming, its touching, its funny and charming. A book about life, hope, friendship, to truly appreciate life and cherish those around you while they still here. Thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy!

Debbie Howells has the skill of writing a seemingly simple, friendly, fun plot about a group of friends; and then wrapping inside it some really thought-provoking elements to get the reader emotionally involved.

In this book we meet Frankie, the main character, who seems to be having a bit of a disaster on all fronts. She is a scatterbrain and her best friend Honey, a real force to be reckoned with, seems to be firmly ’helping’ Frankie along.

After a slow start, the story gathers pace, as Frankie begins to develop her own life plans. It’s not long before the tables turn and Frankie finds the roles reversed, being needed to support her friend. There are a few ‘Bridget Jones’ moments which may have you chuckling and squirming with embarrassment.

Watching Frankie learn the craft of floristry was both eye-opening and fascinating. I enjoyed learning about the importance of different kinds of flowers and posies, the way Frankie could create designs to suit different brides and settings. A reflection I’m sure of Debbie Howells earlier life as a florist.

There is a tough thread in the book, which deservedly raises the emotional stakes, heartbreakingly delivered with empathy.

This is a heartwarming, life affirming tale about friendships and support, new beginnings, inspiring events and seeing the difference kindness can make. As always, a great read.

Frankie used to be a bit of a flake. Never been able to hold on to a job for more than six months. That is until her friend Honey pretty much forces her to do the flowers for her wedding. Frankie has found her new calling.

Three years later Frankie is in her stride dealing with bridzillas and their mothers during working ours, trying to help her friends through break ups and other hard times.

Entertaining.

I'm puzzled about the title.

This was such a super read, I didn't want it to end I was enjoying it so much. The well written characters blended so well into a beautiful story that had every emotion you could name, superb!

This book was so good! It was sad at times but so worth it. I absolutely loved this book so much. It really get to you and draws you in. 6 stars if I could.
I just reviewed It All Started With You by Debbie Howells. #ItAllStartedWithYou #NetGalley
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I have read and loved three other books by this author. In this one, our main character, Frankie, opens up a flower shop and learns some lessons along the way. Frankie really grew as a character and a human being in this story. I loved her friendship with Honey (I have a cousin by that name!) and how they supported each other. Honey too goes on a journey of self-discovery and changes some things she doesn't like about herself...Strong women helping strong women, I loved that!

As I mentioned, Frankie opens a flower shop and I enjoyed the way the flora was described, I could picture the way they looked and imagine how they smelled, it was visceral. The author is obviously very knowledgeable about the running of a flower business and the plants themselves. You could tell she once did this for a living.

This novel is poignant, very touching and laugh-out-loud funny at times. There is much sadness in the plot but in the end also some healing and a lot of hope. Frankie finally learns what's really important in life thanks to her new friend Lulubelle and her son Cosmo. I really connected to the characters and felt their pain as my youngest son was ill when he was little and spent a lot of time in the hospital. I enjoyed reading about Frankie as she slowly becomes self aware, it's a wonderful trait for a person to have. I look forward to reading The Shape of Your Heart by this author, it was released in February and is sitting on my "to be read" shelf.

I absolutely adored this book. The plot is magnificent, I loved the florist aspect of the plot as well as the many different plot threads that Howells masterfully weaves. There is a lot of love in this but also an unbearable amount of sadness that brought tears to my eyes. Ultimately this is a book about hope and what a book it is.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy.

This is such a truly heartwarming book about overcoming your battles and creating meaningful relationships with the people in your life. I found Frankie's character to be very relatable and I found myself empathizing with her from the very beginning and rooting for her until the very end. Debbie Howells did an excellent job writing this story, especially with all of the character development that ties everything together to create a beautiful message. I loved getting to watch Frankie grow from rock-bottom all the way to a confident, inspired woman. The character development in this book is outstanding!

I definitely recommend reading this one, as it is such a heartwarming story that everyone can enjoy! It starts off a bit slow, but it picks up towards the middle!!

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this free arc in exchange for my honest review!!

This was almost a DNF for me. In the first few chapters, I found Frankie such an unlikeable protagonist that I almost gave up. She came across as superficial, flighty, and self-centered. However, I am happy that I stayed the course because subsequently, this novel was full of inspiring, heart-warming events and relationships. Part of the enjoyment was watching Frankie’s transformation. The supporting characters are relatable and provide depth and insight to this emotionally touching story about friendships and the support these women give to each other in the face of marital discord and, quite poignantly, a child with a terminal illness.

Another interesting dimension is Frankie’s business as a wedding florist. The descriptions of the flowers, the floral arrangements, and the challenges of dealing with brides and their mothers were entertaining and kept me engaged.

Overall, after a slow start, this novel turned out to be a gem of a story.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

A really well written book. Which is really easy to relate to because it deals with every day issues and so you feel very connected to the characters. It is a touching heartwarming storyline that will tug at the heartstrings as well as make you feel warm and fuzzy too.

This was truly a love story. Not only the romantic kind but also the friendship kind of love.

The author did a wonderful job weaving together the stories of all the characters.

Frankie is the main character but she'd be nowhere without the wonderful cast of characters she surrounds herself with.

Honey, in particular, may be bossy, determined and hard to be around at times, is the kind of friend we all need. She's hard on you when you need it (even if you hate to admit it) and also surrounds you with love. To think she kind of bullied Frankie into being a florist and everything bloomed from there. Haha

Mrs. Orange was a total hoot! You never knew what she was going to say or do and I truly loved that about her.

While Lulubelle and Cosmo might not have been part of the original crew they add so much to this story. Lulubelle with her courage and strength, and Cosmo with his fight, energy and smile.

Cosmo brought out the best in all of them and hopefully he knew it.

I would absolutely recommend this book!!

This was a real emotional read but I enjoyed it! It touched upon real life struggles that happen and how difficult they can be. I really liked the main character, Frankie and found myself enjoying reading about her growth and journey!

There are some tough issues in this book that would lend well to discussion groups. I liked the message reminding people that even the smallest gestures can make a difference in someone's life. It was fast paced and entertaining.

Frankie has had a series of disasters both in her personal life and in work much to the angst of her friend Honey. When Honeys wedding flowers don’t make an appearance Frankie steps up and so begins an idea which turns into reality with Honeys help of a wedding flower shop. Frankie makes changes to her life and starts running and in doing so literally runs into Lulubelle and her young son Cosmo. Small chats exchange snippets and Frankie finds out that Cosmo has leukaemia and Frankie does what she can to support Lulubelle, realising in the process what the most important things in life are.

I really enjoyed this, it's a life affirming read and how sometimes it's the smallest gesture that can change someone's day for the better if we are willing to reach out a hand. There’s drama, and a little romance and lots of smiles along the way. Of life's ups and downs and when life throws you lemons add gin! (or make lemonade). An uplifting, wonderful read I highly recommend.

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This book is truly heartwarming as it reiterates the fact that life is precious and each day should be celebrated. Cosmo certainly epitomized that in his presence and spirit filled with love, goodness and hope. Frankie became a very successful florist but she always knew that it was not the day but rather the relationship that was to be celebrated. She was a very giving person as evidenced by her relationships with Honey, Charlie and Nina but I was so glad to see that she opened herself up to receiving love herself. It was definitely a tear jerker at times when she and Lulubelle were together but the overall message of the book itself was inspiring and beautiful.

A really nice book, dealing with some really hard and heartbreaking topics. It was very fast paced and at some times did feel slightly rushed, and you didn't get enough time to connect with the characters that were sipposed to have the biggest impact but the story overall was really good. Thank you for the chance to read.

This was a really sweet yet at times sad read about an accidental florist who specialises in wedding flowers but is still trying to figure out much of her life. Along with her lovely friends and colleagues this makes for a heartwarming read and does a great job of looking at the priorities in life whilst sprinkling a little magic of flowers into the mix.