The Blue Iris - by Rachel Stone (Paperback)

About the Book

A high-achieving postgraduate puts her career and engagement on hold to work at a run-down flower market bearing a mysterious connection to her late mother, and a dysfunctional crew on a collision course with hard truths of their own.

Book Synopsis

"Such a unique and heartwarming story about found family..." -Tracey Lange, NYT Bestselling Author of We Are The Brennans

Sometimes, uprooting the thorn-filled past is the only way we bloom. . .

Tessa Lewis is set to embark on a Big-Time Career and marry Toronto's fastest-rising lawyer, who loves her to pieces. But when a visit to a flower market from her childhood sparks memories of the mother she lost too soon, Tessa puts her bright future on hold to work there, determined to come to terms with her past.

At the Blue Iris Flower Market, everything is blossoming except the rag-tag crew, each hiding deep scars of their own. When Sam, the beloved but troubled man in charge, takes off and leaves the market reeling, Tessa and her unlikely new friends come face-to-face with their most uncomfortable truths, uprooting lives carefully cultivated-and just maybe, unearthing everything they've ever wanted.

Told from multiple perspectives, The Blue Iris is an intricately woven exploration of love tested beyond its limits, chosen family, and the beauty that grows in letting go.

Review Quotes

"Such a unique and heartwarming story about found family. I thoroughly enjoyed diving into these well drawn characters, and watching their fears and hopes converge in a wonderful flower shop I wish I could visit." -Tracey Lange, NYT Bestselling Author of We Are The Brennans

"A gorgeous literary novel with a nostalgic aesthetic and themes of complex friendships, family trauma, and healing through self discovery. Stone's writing is rich and evocative, digging right to the difficult emotions under the surface, offering real emotional depth for characters of both genders." -Booklife by Publisher's Weekly (Editor's Pick)

"A story of found family, impossible romances, and the ghosts of the past, The Blue Iris is a riveting page-turner as stunning as the blooms that fill the shop at the heart of the book. Haunted and haunting, it keeps you guessing even as you cheer for Tessa and the broken but irresistible makeshift family she builds for herself. A story of growing up and deciding who you really are, it's an unforgettable tale of roots in more ways than one."-Grace O'Connell, Author of Magnified World

"A captivating read full of humor and heart." -Kirkus Reviews ("Get It" Pick)

"Deeply moving, tender, and original. Stone imbues her characters with such depth and personality that by the time readers turn the last page, they feel like they really know all of them. Heightened emotions, palpable romance, and just the right amount of tension keep the pages flying. Stone is a writer to watch."-BookView Review (Gold Recommend)

"Riveting, soul-searching, and full of heart. A spectacularly told story." -The Prairies Book Review

"A narrative that touches both the mind and the heart, carried along by some of the most memorable characters I have encountered--complex, relatable, and very, very human." -Greg Fields, Award-Winning Author of Through the Waters and the Wild

"A stunning portrayal of found family, love, and the bravery required to forge one's own path. Readers cannot turn the last page without immense grief at having to say goodbye." -Superstition Review

"Readers will fall in love with the Blue Iris Flower Market and the vibrant cast of characters they meet there." -Stacy Bierlein, Author of A Vacation on the Island of Ex-Boyfriends

"Hope, love, disaster and sadness mingle through the pages, pulling on all of the readers' emotions. A genuine, tender, and absorbing read." -The International Review of Books

"Must read for many reasons...you will be transported into a world where past influences present, past and present collide, and hope can be re-planted in the heart. Often novels offer to lift readers up, but this one actually does." -Reader Views (Reviewer's Choice)