Forget-Her-Nots

Laurel Whelan is not expecting anything special to happen when she presents to her English class on the language of flowers. Her mother had loved flowers, and all the women in their family are given floral names. But when Laurel demonstrates how to make a tussie-mussie (a bouquet of symbolic flowers), she feels power rushing through her. She gives the bouquet to her teacher, and at lunch she notices that the long-time spinster is flirting with a visiting professor. Did Laurel make that happen? And can she do it again? Forget-Her-Nots is a lovely story. Laurel is grieving following the death of her mother, and though she wanted to go to boarding school since her father is never home, she struggles to make friends once there. When she discovers her affinity for working with flowers, it gives her a purpose and a means of connecting with her fellow students. But as with any gift there is a price, and Laurel makes mistakes along the way to understanding that gift. I especially liked that the characters in this book are complicated. Her new friends want to support her, but they don't know how and so they sometimes do it wrong. The adults are also imperfect, and both Laurel's father and her grandmother have let her down following her mother's death. Laurel is herself flawed, especially when she starts using flowers to manipulate her own emotions. One thing that sets this book apart from many current titles is that it isn't edgy. There are some older students who making some bad choices, but Laurel herself is still pretty innocent, as many 9th graders are. While that puts this book at the younger end of the YA spectrum, it's still complicated enough for older students to enjoy. I liked this book a lot; it's a refreshing story that I know my students will enjoy.

I picked up this book finally after spending over in hour looking through every book in the teen section of Borders attempting to find a nice Fantasy book to read for school. I'm not really a big fantasy person, Harry Potter being the exception. I like typical teen books. Friends, romance, and fun. In this book Laurel is girl with a special power that includes her being able to "do things" with flowers. I think the idea for this book is fantastic. It's not some over the top magic and what not. It's really cool! There is an ongoing mystery including her dead mom and the flowers throughout the book that keeps you interested and excited. I love how modern this book is, even though the teen slang gets slightly annoying at times. I really recommend this for any girl because it's a combination of all the things we like in a book.The only down-falls of this book is the poor character development.There are too many different girls mentioned and most of them are not very explained. But trust me, the plot is great and you won't be able to put the book down. I had fun reading this for school and it was a very quick read! Trust me, I will never look at a flower the same way!

I loved this book! I really liked the way the author used the beauty of flowers throughout the book. It has a great story-line ~ magical and believable. Laurel was a very like-able character. As a 14 year-old girl, I could totally relate to her. And I loved the ending ~ it was perfect. I liked this book so much, I read it again a few days later! I hope this author has another book on the way!!

This book is really sweet! First of all, I think the cover is gorgeous! The cover is a bit girly and pink, but I still really love it. I think it depicts the book really well. Amy Brecount White wrote a really beautiful book. It made me really conscious of all the different flowers that there are. I absolutely devoured this book. I started reading it the day I got it and finished reading it within 24 hours. This book was written really well, and very gracefully. I heavily recommend this book.

I'm one of the lucky ones to have been able to read this pre-published. It is a unique fantasy that will delight all readers with a compelling mystery and lots of fun romance! You will also come out learning a lot about the Victorian meaning to tussy mussies (or flower bouquets) that has stayed with me ever since I read the manuscript. If you love historical romance as well as contemporary YA plotlines, this is the book for you.