Book Review: The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman

About the book:

Lilian Girvan has been a single mother for three years—ever since her husband died in a car accident. One mental breakdown and some random suicidal thoughts later, she’s just starting to get the hang of this widow thing. She can now get her two girls to school, show up to work, and watch TV like a pro. The only problem is she’s becoming overwhelmed with being underwhelmed. 

At least her textbook illustrating job has some perks—like actually being called upon to draw whale genitalia. Oh, and there’s that vegetable-gardening class her boss signed her up for. Apparently, being the chosen illustrator for a series of boutique vegetable guides means getting your hands dirty, literally. Wallowing around in compost on a Saturday morning can’t be much worse than wallowing around in pajamas and self-pity. 

After recruiting her kids and insanely supportive sister to join her, Lilian shows up at the Los Angeles botanical garden feeling out of her element. But what she’ll soon discover—with the help of a patient instructor and a quirky group of gardeners—is that into every life a little sun must shine, whether you want it to or not…

My thoughts:

Oh my word.  I can’t remember the last book I read that made me laugh out loud as much as this book did!  Though the tale is super sad and tragic, Abbi Waxman works wonders making you fall in love with the characters with her humorous take on things.  Her writing style is thoroughly engaging and entertaining.  I don’t know how many times I had to stop reading to explain to whoever was around why I was giggling.  The Garden of Small Beginnings is truly one of my favorites books this year…a real gem!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.