This book was just okay. I wanted a bit more from a Jenny Proctor book.

Look, this book was super cute with a magical realism element, but it just fell a bit flat.

What I loved:
1. The characters. I thought Sophie and Peter were really Cute together. I did want them to end up together. Peter was an adorable nerd with his Lego obsession. Sophie loved her plants and her friends.
2. The setting. Very unusual to have a home that is alive. Almost liked Murders in the Building and Monster House combined lol.

Things I didn’t like:
1. I didn’t understand why all of a sudden Sophie needs to find her soulmate. It would have made sense if she was currently dating or wanting to find a partner. But it was just kind of sudden.
2. I don’t like that they fought their attraction so heavily. I get it, but the signs they both liked each other were pretty glaring.
3. Characters were a bit flat. I would have loved a couple flashbacks to their childhood. Showing versus telling, you know.

I’m a huge fan of Proctor, so I will be reading her books in the future. This one was just on the low bar of her books I’ve enjoyed.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

Ooohhh this was so good!
I loved every bit of Sophie and Peter.
I loved the whimsical aspects and how it just tied their relationship together so smoothly.

20/10 will read again

"Petals and Plot Twists" by Jenny Proctor is the sweet and clean, wonderful book with a bit of magic thrown in. There is some kissing and strong chemistry but it's a wonderful, engaging friends-to-more romance story.

I'm loving this series of books set at The Serendipity and this book is an excellent addition to the series. Sophie and Peter are the best of friends but both scared of turning their friendship into a romance. Enter a magical flower that only blooms when there is true love present, a woman determined to trust the flower to tell her what's real, and a man determined to not let a flower dictate his future and you have a wonderful story.

I liked the main characters and their friendship. They really bring the best out in each other and the dialogue between the two is great. Willa and Archer from the first book make their appearance several times in this one, and really are a huge part of the story so it's best to have read that one before reading this story. There are a few mentions of the couple in book 2, but if you haven't read that one it's not necessary for this one because the mentions are brief.

If you like HEA featuring the friends-to-lovers trope, this one is definitely for you. I loved the entire story and it was a very easy to read, enjoyable book.

I was able to read an ARC of this book via Netgalley and all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

great story but could have been resolved with communication. Also the magic was a little too much. but great story

A cozy, heartwarming whimsical best friends to lovers by one of the greatest names of closed door fiction.

Peter and Sophie have been best friends for most of their lives, but a magic flower and a temperamental building was the little push they needed to take their friendship to the next level.

One of the best things about this book was the dual pov. Because of it, we get to see Peter completely in love with Sophie from page one. He is one of the most adorable mmcs I've ever seen. I love him. In the beginning, Sophie has that side character syndrome, but throughout the book, she grows into a fierce leading lady.
I'd also like to point out that even though the book has some magical elements - like the flower that blooms in the presence of true love - the fantasy of it isn't overwhelming. Yes, you do need a little suspension of disbelief, but it makes this book a cozy whimsical romcom. As someone who usually doesn't read magical realism or anything like that, I really liked it.

By the way, this was my second friends to lovers by Jenny (Go read How to Kiss my Best Friend, it is great!!!) and few authors can develop this trope as well as her. It's almost like she is allergic to writing bad stories. She's one of my favorite authors ever.

I couldn't recommend Jenny's books enough, and Petals and Plot Twists now have a special place in my heart.

Thank you so much to the Netgalley and publishing team for access to this ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I adored this sweet read from the incredible Jenny Proctor! I am loving this series so far! IT is so magical. I am still fairly new to magical realism but I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and pacing of this one! It had roommates, friends to lovers, "it's always been you", and so many other great tropes! I loved the magical flower plot! Overall, this story was so wonderful!
all the stars!!

what a lovely romance. i honestly cannot believe that jenny proctor wrote this in less than 2 months?? this is easily one of the m0st unique romances i have read, and its superfun. i love love love a good friends to lovers, and the magic and the message around this magic are honestly the cutest.

thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review!

i loved this. it had everything you need in a romance. at first i thought it was going to be one of those "lighter" romances. dont get me wrong they are still the ones i cherish and love. but you know what i mean, they are lighter on your heart,lol. and because of the theme of a magic flower i did think this trope would follow. but somehow the whole book held magic. it was just so lovely. but not sickening or silly. its never felt cliche or like it was just fluffy. the relationships felt real. they felt like they were deep enough to really root and get engrossed in.
but they did it in a way that made you smile. made you want to see these two together because it would make everyone so dam happy!
this is a friends to romance read. and its done so lovingly. their relationship would have been one of such great love whether that be in friendship or on to more than that. and i really felt that all the way through. it never felt like it had to turn into romance just for the plots/trope/themes sake.
Peter was smart. and he wasnt a jock which was refreshing. he had his gaurd up at times because he really did want to be our fmc friend and never wanted to ruin that. but he did, he did love her.
sophie was guarded. and i think putting her belief in the magical flower was her way of showing that fear. she was relying on something other because shed lost the belief in herself.
this book felt good. but thats not to mean it lacked depth. it seemed to somehow have it all. and that is a talented author who can do that.
i cant wait for more from this author if this book is anything to go by.

I love a good friends to lovers romance and this one was so sweet. And if you've been with me for a minute you'll know I love a pining MMC, and Peter was just so cute! I'm a sucker for a nerdy and slightly awkward MMC. Reading his first chapter was delightfully gratifying because I was cheering for Sophie and Peter right from the beginning. I totally get the reluctance he had with sharing his feelings, I would have been that scared to change the friendship. And though it took a while for him to get up the courage to say anything about his feelings, this actually felt more realistic to me.

I love the way that Peter and Sophie had conflicting fears and goals. I mean, that just makes for great story tension, doesn't it? Peter was afraid of the flower not showing that they had love potential, but Sophie tried so hard to get him up to the roof garden. Peter wanted Sophie to trust her own feelings and make her own decisions but due to her history, she felt she couldn't trust herself and wanted someone or something else to tell her when she could trust in love.

I really enjoyed the way the magic was handled in this story (a magical flower that only blooms in the presence of romantic love or the potential for love). It wasn't used as an excuse to make the story easier, and the fact that Sophie believed in the magic and Peter was very skeptical helped with that. He didn't want the magic to make the decision for them. And the conclusion that they come to is a beautiful view of self-agency, taking control of your own destiny and the choice to love.

Tropes and themes:
*Only Magic in the Building series (interconnected, stand alone)
*best friends
*friends to lovers
*nerdy MMC
*forced proximity
*magical flower
*he falls first
*dual POV

Content warning: parental abandonment (past), divorced parents
Intimacy level: 2 (make outs, groan with kissing)

Thank you to Netgalley and Jenny Proctor for a complimentary copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily and the opinions expressed are completely my own.

“If my life were a romantic comedy, I’m not sure I’d be the main character. I have more of a quirky sidekick vibe.”

Read For:
Best friends to More
Opposites Attract
Matchmaking Flower
Temperamental Lights
Finding Yourself
Found Family
Friendship
Laughter and Fun

“Peter definitely has main character energy.”

Sophie takes care of the rooftop garden and lives in the building. Her best friend Peter also lives in the Serendipity, but doesn't quite believe in the magic of the building, despite what has happened with other residents.

“The love flower in my garden is going to help me find my soulmate.”

These 2 have such a fun friendship and they made me laugh. Although it drove me a little crazy how dependent Sophie wanted to be on the flower...I loved her growth ARC in the story. Peter is seriously the sweetest and best guy, gotta love a nerd, a buff one at that.

“I haven’t changed, Sophie. Maybe you’ve just never noticed.”

The story intentionally has the whimsy, magical element, so a lot of things make sense. I adored watching Peter and Archer start a friendship. If you haven’t read all Jenny’s books, you might not think this is hers, but it does remind me of her earlier books.

“I smile, then kiss him again. Because making his wishes come true is exactly what a main character would do.”

Thank you #netgalley for another great read.

I really enjoyed seeing the characters progress in this story. The story was well paced and well written. I was hooked from the beginning and devoured it in just a few sittings.

Friends to lovers, he falls first romance.

Sophie has bad luck with men. When she identifies a flower in the rooftop garden of The Serendipity that only blooms when in the presence of true love she thinks this is her chance to finally find the one.

Peter has been in love with Sophie since high school but keeps missing his chance. Now that she is determined to keep dating until she finds the one he will need to tell her or lose her forever.

This book was adorable. I loved the banter and closeness between the two main characters. It was also nice to see cameos from the other books. I was So happy with the ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Jenny Proctor Creative for this title. This is my honest review.

This book was super cute. Pretty standard friends to lovers storyline. I expected a little more magic after reading The Serendipity, but it still worked out really well. This was also a super easy read as I finished it in one evening.

I will share this title on my instagram on Friday, March 21st at www.instagram.com/robinashleyreads

Petals and plot twist

This book is third book series called Only Magic in the Building. There’s 8 books total and you can meet some of the characters from other books already in this book. You can still read it as stand alone. I reviewed the first book of the series previously.

I got this book via @netgalley as eARC and heres my thoughts about it, which are all mine.

Best friends sense high school falling in love to each others. He’s little nerd with LEGOS and she’s easy going who loves gardening rooftop garden in their apartment building.
This book was funny in its sweet way! I could see all the charters in my mind how life their were written. If you’ve heard or read book of this series, or not, I recommend to read it.

4/5

Sophie and Peter have been best friends for the past 10 years but he is secretly in love with her . Sophie is a landscape architech and in the building she and Peter are living has turn the rooftop as a garden and when she discover a new flower that only blooms when true love is in the vicinity she is ready to find her soulmate . Peter want her to choose him not because of a love flower but because she loves him . What will she do ?
I received this book from netgalley , the author and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

The garden is her happy place and when a mystery flower that only blooms in the presence of true love Sophie takes it as a sign. She doesn’t know much about love so if this flower could help her find her soulmate it’s worth a shot. After an unexpected kiss with her best friend she cant help but wonder if shes been looking for love in all the wrong places.

Petals and plot twists is a whimsical friends to lovers romance where Sophie and Peter fall hopelessly in love after a little nudge in the right direction. I adore everything about it.

Peter and Sophies connection is so genuine, you cant help but root for them. No matter what the magical flower and building has to say about it. It’s understandable why Sophie is hesitant to jump into a relationship. I loved watching her character growth throughout the book.

If possible this novel made me even more excited to dive into this series. Love the light touch of magic and sweet HEA.

Read this if you like
🌸Friends to lovers
🩵He falls first
🫶🏼Sweet romance
✨Dual pov

I am ABSOLUTELY loving this series so far!!!! Every book is so cleverly done and something new. I love love love the friends to lovers trope so this one was extra exciting for me. I read it in a few hours. Jenny Proctor is one of my favorite authors and her story telling in the story is amazing as well.

This book is one of the best friends to lovers I have ever read! Peter and Sophie's relationship is so sweet, and all they needed was a little magic to become more than friends. Sophie struggled with love after her parent's divorce, and I was glad that she talked to her mom about her feelings. Overall, this series has been so fun to read, and I can't wait to see what magic The Serendipity has in store for the next couple!

Friends to dating, mysterious magical plants, characters figuring their lives out is what you've signed yourself up for in reading this book. I read it while sick and it was just what I needed to make me feel better. It would make a good Hallmark movie.

This book is part of the 'Only Magic in the Building' series which is tied by a magical apartment building. The magic is always mild and you don't have to have read the previous stories to read this one. I will note that prior characters do show up so you may want to backtrack and read the rest of the series if you haven't already.

I receive complimentary books for various sources, including Netgalley, Authors, and other such sources. I am not required to write a positive review and have not received compensation.

THIS BOOK WAS PRECIOUS OMG! I loved the first two in this magical, whimsical series, and this one was no different; I loved it oh so much! Sophie & Peter were adorable & their chemistry was off the charts from the very first chapter. I love the friends to lovers trope, and this one just became one of my very favorites. This was my first book by this author but definitely won’t be my last! 5 stars all around!