title: So It Grows
author: Andie Burke
publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
publication date: September 22, 2026
pages: 336
peppers: 3 (on this scale)
warnings:
- suicidal ideation
- depression
- grief
- addiction
- violence against healthcare workers
- childhood abuse/emotional neglect (in past)
- chronic pain
- PTSD
- terminal cancer (not a main character)
summary: Felicity has inherited her aunt's flower and plant shop and likes the work, but not the neighborhood --> to be specific, Nic, the green-eyed chef at the adjoining, cow-themed restaurant. Unfortunately, as annoyingly omnipresent as he is, he becomes even more in-her-face when they have to work together to prevent a local real-estate mogul from turning the empty lot she needs for its sunlight into a four-story parking garage.
tropes:
- enemies-to-lovers
- forced proximity
- I'm bent not broken
- secret pining
- small business fights big tycoon
- town politics
what I liked:
- great dialogue
- humor
- secret backstory -- big twist
- clever book structure
- chemistry
- town politics
what I didn’t like:
- too many minor characters
overall rating: 4 (of 5 stars)
As always, you can click on the photo above if you want to buy the book.