Flowers and Gemstones by Alaina Erdell had me enthralled from the first page.

Hannah is a CEO of a thriving jewellery business. When her partner, Bren, dies in a tragic accident, she was curious who the stranger was at the funeral. The chance meeting with Vanessa, a florist, and business owner, was about to change both of their worlds.

Alaina's skill in world-building and creating affable characters pulled me right into the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the older main characters, who in their late forties had rich and relatable pasts that added depth and complexity. This is one book I could not put down and found myself absorbed and emotionally invested in every twist and turn.

Thank you to Alaina Erdell and Bold Strokes Books for providing an advance reader copy for my honest review.

What an amazing opening scene!! It’s fair to say that one doesn’t expect a MC’s introduction to be when she’s contemplating the day she’s finally going to break up with her gf, who she should’ve broken up with ages ago. But then, with the deed ready to be done, finds out that Bren, said gf, has died in a tragic accident. Next MC introduction? Vanessa, the florist who is going to fill a flower order for a funeral and sees it’s for who? The ex who dumped her at the altar 5 years ago, Bren. After meeting at the funeral, there’s a journey taken where our 2 MC’s navigate not only through their own secrets as it comes to their individual relationships with Bren, the secrets Bren kept from them, but their growing feelings for each other.
A wonderfully complex love story.

Flowers and Gemstones was such a fantastic read and just fueled my admiration for Alaina Erdell even more. I honestly loved everything about this book, even the parts where Vanessa and Hannah were driving me crazy. The story starts with a devastating moment for Hannah when she’s informed that the girlfriend she’s been trying to build up the nerve to break up with suddenly dies. This throws all of Hannah’s plans out the window. Not only is she racked with guilt about being put in the “grieving widow” role, but she’s hit with the realization that all of the suspicions she had about her girlfriend Bren are actually warranted. She enlists Vanessa to help her uncover the truth. Vanessa, despite having been burned by Bren in the past and wanting to keep her past with Bren in the past, she feels for Hannah and agrees to join her on this journey of truth in hopes that Hannah gets the closure she’s seeking. What neither woman account for is their growing attraction to one another.

I loved everything about this book but the chemistry between Hannah and Vanessa from the moment Hannah chases Vanessa down at the funeral was off the charts and really stuck out to me. The author is so good with dialogue and banter and creating compelling characters that I was totally invested in. And using the PNW as the setting was an awesome choice that really made the story come alive. My favorite parts of the novel were the road trip down to San Francisco, and watching Hannah really learn who Vanessa is as a person. Hannah gets to see the duality of Vanessa’s personality – her relationship with her best friend and her relationship with her mother – and how they’ve made Vanessa into the person she is. (It’s also interesting to see Vanessa reconcile her past and her dreams for the future.)  It was also interesting to see how Vanessa’s crappy mother has impacted how Vanessa relates to other people. She absolutely adapts her mother’s tendency to speak harshly to people who love her (namely Hannah) but she eventually comes around, thankfully.

Hannah was the gem of this story (no pun intended – lol). Her character arc is what really sells the book for me. Hannah’s loyalty and dedication shine through in all aspects of her personality. She falls so completely in love with Vanessa, and it changes how she sees the world. Even if she doesn’t get Vanessa in the end, Hannah puts in the work to be better and sticks to it.

Erdell’s skill at writing such rich, complicated, and complex characters is incredible. Cannot wait to read more from her.

What a beautiful Tapestry of a story that Alaina has written. Five years ago Bren left Vanessa at the alter and she hasn't heard from her since. Today Hannah is going to break up with Bren, but when she gets home is informed by police that Bren died in an auto accident.
Vanessa is a florist and is commissioned to do a flower arrangement for Bren's funeral. She decides to go to it.
After the funeral, Hannah notices Vanessa and the two women talk, they strike up a kinship. They find out that Bren had a secret, and go to explore it.
This is a beautiful and complex love story. A FAVORITE! Worthy of more than 5 stars!!

Another great read from Alaina Erdell. Its is fascinating how she describes the whole setting, the scene, the smallest details that transports the reader to that place.
Beautiful story and beautifully narrated. Keep it up! Would love more from you.

The emotional ride this book took me on was both challenging and exhilarating. The writing was simply incredible. Honestly, Hannah and Vanessa demonstrated remarkable resilience in their ability to communicate and evolve when faced with immense difficulties and genuine problems. Despite the numerous obstacles that continually threatened to tear them apart, their love story unfolded at a slow and gradual pace. I found myself unable to put the book down because these characters had such a profound impact on me; I shared in their joys and sorrows. The writing was absolutely wonderful.

I enjoyed every minute of this book and I am not particularly interested in flowers or gemstones.
The characters have an unusual meet point - there is sorrow and emotions flying about everywhere.
The 2 women have plenty in common - they are both successful, established and wealthy - and it is always good to read stories that feature women in their 40s or older.
Although you know (or presume) where the story will end there were many points in this story when I didn't know which direction it would go in.
There are several, to me, laugh out loud moments. I mean 'slapped the air until she found the light switch' - you can just picture that in your head.
There is plenty of research evidenced in the story - gardening and flowers - who knew there was so much to learn! And the jewellery business of course. And of course the impact of living your whole life with an abusive, angry, resentful mother.

There is of course an epilogue.
This showed not only that their relationship had progressed but with a jeweller involved there had to be a ring.

This was such an amazing mature love story about two mature women. This is a must read during 2025!

The start of the book is so different with Hannah planning to finally break up with her secretive and distant girlfriend Bren, the same day she finds out she has died in an accident. Moving on from that is challenging, but she finds Bren's ex Vanessa that also has a lot of baggage, and they can work on understanding themselves and Bren’s story together. The growth to get to their HEA is so angsty and complex, but fantastic to read about and no stupid misunderstanding and 3rd act breakups. It is so much more; the attraction is there but they need to change to finally find the love they deserve, 2>1.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Alaina Erdell is an extremely talented author that I have on my must purchase author list. There is a realism that she portrays with her characters and in her books that grabs hold and won't let me go.
Erdell takes the time to resolve issues and doesn't sugar coat the consequences, even though it is a romance, realistic consequences occur. She will completely satisfy the resolution, in a timely manner, explaining the MC's hang-ups of what is necessary for a remedy.
The characters are well developed, with unforeseen chemistry that they were unsure of, they slowly start by becoming reluctant friends. From there, the MC's relationship grows slowly. The secondary characters are a wonderful addition, a good support system for both MC's.
This book was angsty from the start. I enjoyed reading this book. I look forward to more books by this author in the future.
Thank you netgalley for a copy of this book, for an honest review.