I was hoping that this book would be more about Mr and Mrs Boot working together to form the recognisable brand it is today. Unfortunately it was a sweetly written but very slow love story between Jesse Boot and his wife to be, Florence. There was also very little about the establishment of the Boots empire by Jesse's father, only that his mother had taken it over when he father died and that she had also recently died leaving it to Jesse to run.

I enjoyed my advanced copy of this biography of Florence Rowe, until I realized quite suddenly at the end that it's part one of a series. The story about London's drugstore founder Jesse Boot and Florence Rowe of the isle of Jersey is compelling and quite adorably romantic; they are admirable characters concerned with philanthropy, courtesy, and community well-being. I'd never heard of the Wesleyan Church before, or wedding banns, and found it interesting that in the late 1800s one could simply marry in a Protestant church if your mom forbids you to do so at your own. I wonder whether the couples' letters presented here are fictional, or if author Deborah Carr actually found them?

Carr's description of the Jersey is colorful although I wish she'd given more examples of the local patois that she mentions. The Victorian-era dialogue was convincing enough, with the exception of Miss Lily Button, the poor waif whose cause Florence champions. I feel silly bringing up plot holes or lingering questions I have, since they will probably be addressed in subsequent books in the series. But I have to say it was irritating when Florence Rowe's mother was adamant about "not expecting rude behavior from" her daughter, and then went on to exhibit the rudest performance of anyone and for no defensible reason? If she was so fixated on becoming mother-in-law to her friend's son Albert, she should have pushed her younger daughter Amy towards him, rather than jeopardizing her relationship with Florence over it. I don't think I'll read the rest of this series but I do hope the retribution due Mrs. Rowe does arrive.

I have to say that my overriding impression having read this book is that it is was ok. Just ok, the author has clearly done her research but the story seemed a bit stilted to me, and nothing much happens. What I really wanted to hear about was their married life but the books ends then. It was a gentle romantic read but not one that I particularly enjoyed.

Enjoyable. The author was very good at describing the scenes and setting a sense of place for the reader.
It was the first time I had read Deborah Carr, but it won't be the last. There needs to be more historical fiction like this book.

Books like this one fascinate me especially as I didn't know anything about her or how boots started. It's an enjoyable read and I would like to read more about her later years as in the end of the book, the author gives a brief glimpse into her charitable donations back to Jersey where she grew up. I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the book to review and the opinions expressed are entirely my own views and are completely unbiased

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book, but as I am from Nottingham, I was looking forward to finding out more about the wife of one of the most famous local businessmen.
As a historical fiction novel it was interesting, but lacked something to give it substance. It was just a gentle, nice story but there was no drama, no twists & turns, no jealous would-be-suitor
I did enjoy finding out about Florence's early life in Jersey, which I believe is based on strong research not just a fictional story, but I was quite disappointed to find that the story stopped as Florence & Jesse married - I had totally expected to find out about some of the early days of their married life & am left feeling somewhat deflated after finishing the book ...
Overall, I am glad that I read the book, but it's not one I would particularly recommend
Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book free via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
Having read the poppy fields and absolutely loved it was delighted to get this as an early copy
Sorry to say did nothing for me.

This book was ok. I liked the idea behind the story, but had a hard time getting into it. I usually love historical fiction books and generally devour them, but it took me quite a bit of time to read this one. The character's were so formal throughout the whole thing that it was sometimes hard to read and connect with the story. Some things would often be repeated a couple times in a row, which I did not enjoy reading. The first half of the book was a little boring, but I became much more captivated in the second half of the book, waiting for the day when Jesse and Florence would be reunited. I am interested to learn more about the character and would be willing to read the second book in the series with a little better editing. Thank you NetGalley for my advanced copy.

This is an interesting historical read. I enjoyed it but I struggled to keep reading in some places.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I didn’t know what to expect from this book. It took me a little while to get into it, but once I did, I devoured it. It’s the sort of book I’ve thought about often since I finished it, especially Mrs. Boots. She was formidable in her own way. Think this would be a good pick for a bookclub!

I voluntarily read this ARC for an honest review - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased

I normally love and devour historical fiction but this didn't quite grab me

It is a sweet book, but not very dynamic and I felt me focus was not kept

Not really for me

The blurb says," Inspired by the true story behind the Boots empire" I don't remember reading much at all about Boots. There was a paragraph on how Jesse's father started it and his mother took over using herbal medicine and then Jesse took over and was expanding the business.
The whole story was about Florence who lived in Jesrsey not being given her parent's permission at the age of 24 to marry Mr Boot. Then we had letters back and forward between them telling the same things we have just read that happened in their daily life.
I'm afraid this book is boring and could have been reduced to a few chapters then got on with the story of what Florence did when she actually was Mrs Boot.
I don't usually give bad reviews but the formality of the characters in this book was excruciating.
I see there is a second book to be published I can only hope the story moves on a bit faster.
I had already downloaded another book by the author before I read this one. I hope it's better.

Florence lives on the channel island of Jersey in the late 1800s. She is the daughter of a stationery shop owner. She and her sister Amy are assistants in the shop. She is 23 and has planned not to marry, but to one day have a shop of her own. Enter Mr. Jesse Boots, an older man who has worked with his father and mother to develop his chemist/pharmacy business. He is here on vacation on the recommendation of his sister who had visited Jersey the precious year. Florence and Mr. Boots have an instant connection which is developed as Florence shows his some of the sites of the island before he is called home on business. But Mr. Boots returns and asked for Florence to marry him. Her father gives permission, but her mother coerces him into withdrawing his permission. They require Florence and Mr. Boots to wait until the next summer before he can propose again. In the meantime, they may correspond.

The majority of the book is about their correspondence. Florence helps a girl, and gets her Dad to hire her in the shop. She writes to Jesse, He writes back. The reader hears about activities three times -- when it happens and in each of their letters. All of this repetition gets a little tedious. The Mother's stubbornness and refusal to even attend the wedding, it a bit much. The book ends abruptly and makes me think there will be a sequel. If there is one, I probably won't read it.

I was allowed to read Mrs. Boots by Deborah Carr on NetGalley.

Mrs Boots was an okay book. I enjoyed reading it, but it wasn't very exciting. It was mostly about a guy that meets a girl, they fall in love, but her mother doesn't approve. She insists that they wait a year to marry. So they communicate by writing letters for the ten months they are separated. An okay story, just not an exciting one. Sweet, though.