The Little Flower Shop by the Sea

By: Ali McNamara

Narrated by: Emma Powell

Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

The blossom is out in the little Cornish harbour town of St Felix.

But Poppy Carmichael's spirits aren't lifted by the pretty West Country spring. Inheriting her grandmother's flower shop has forced her to return to Cornwall, a place that holds too many memories.

Poppy is determined to do her best for the sake of her adored grandmother, but she struggles with the responsibility of the more-shabby-than-chic shop. And with the added complication of Jake, the gruff but gorgeous local flower grower, Poppy is very tempted to run away....

The pretty little town has a few surprises in store for Poppy. With new friends to help her and romance blooming, it's time for Poppy to open her heart to St Felix and to the special magic of a little flower shop by the sea!

Let Ali McNamara, author of the much-loved From Notting Hill with Love...Actually, bring some sparkling sunshine into your life.

©2015 Ali McNamara (P)2015 Isis Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"An endearing, romantic and fun read." ( Closer on Step Back in Time)

"An irresistible, feel-good story infused with infectious humour." (Miranda Dickinson)

"If you've got a soft spot for director Richard Curtis' romcoms, then you'll happily devour this book in one sitting.... Utterly enjoyable." ( Stylist)

Jake or Jack

I loved the story. BUT the narrator can't decide if the main character's love interest is Jake or Jack and she uses both names the entire story through. it drove me so nuts that it was distracting from the cute story.

Forgettable.

What disappointed you about The Little Flower Shop by the Sea?

It wasn't the narrative description of Cornwall I was hoping for.

What was most disappointing about Ali McNamara’s story?

Missing depth in the characters and descriptive scenery.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

"Jake" was called "Jack" on occasion. Very off-putting. The accent for the American character was nasally and weird.

Good story, but...

I enjoyed the story, though it was pretty easy to see where it was going...I still really enjoyed the characters and the book. My biggest complaint, however, is with the narrator. First, her American accent was painful to listen to and she kept interchanging Jake's name with "Jack". The first few times it happened I had to relisten thinking I'd missed something. As it kept happening, I just got annoyed.

Sweet story

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I listened to this when I had nothing else to listen to and it was OK to pass the time

Who was your favorite character and why?

The grandmother!

How could the performance have been better?

Please find someone who can do a good American accent - it was appalling! I cringed every time I heard it and it really put me off the book,

Was The Little Flower Shop by the Sea worth the listening time?

OK if you have nothing else to listen to. There was a certain charm to the story but it wasn't very well-executed, I'm afraid.

Good chick lit. A fun read.

light and entertertaining. a good summer read but certainly not literature. it was fun nonetheless

Great and fun story.

Fun story. Narrators need help with accents though. Horrible American accent! Why do Brits think all Americans have hick accents? Annoying!

Cute story and great narrator

One of McNamara’s best. Love the characters and the narrator does a great job bringing them to life.

Just what I expected

This book was light and some what predictable. Like everyone else I was also a bit annoyed that the narrator called the one of the main characters jack instead of jack several times. Just wonder how no one noticed that when the recording was being done.

Another good book from this author

Loved this book after hesitating if I would like it but kept me totalling loving it until the end. Love all her books except Step Back in Time

fun book

too a couple tries to get started but in the end i enjoyed it a lot

Good listen

Would you consider the audio edition of The Little Flower Shop by the Sea to be better than the print version?

only had the audio version

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Little Flower Shop by the Sea?

Just overall a good listen

What aspect of Emma Powell’s performance might you have changed?

I think it was a shame that she got the main male characters name wrong several times and by the end of the book it started to irritate me. Jack and Jake are quite different!

a bit too much

What disappointed you about The Little Flower Shop by the Sea?

The story was a bit too much, it got worse and worse as the story went on.

Would you ever listen to anything by Ali McNamara again?

I don't know. I enjoyed Breakfast at Darcy's and thought that this could be as a good one.

Any additional comments?

As I normally listen to at least one book in a week, I have plenty of good ones that I listen again and again.. This is one that I'll never listen to again. Pity i cannot return it.

very confused narrator

the story is ok but the author used too much description of who was speaking at first when the narrators voice should have told the listener. The narrator also kept getting the names wrong, she kept calling "Jake", "Jack".

Great holiday read

This is a great story, with characters you can relate to. Plays with the emotions so keep the tissues handy! Narration enhances the book rather than getting in the way of it.

enjoyable

a nice story. it was my first audiobook, but the accents of the reader were sometimes questionable!, as was Jake becoming Jack on many occasions.

beautiful

i loved this book what a wonderful story to listen to and very well read

Aaahhh! Loved it

Loved the setting and felt like I could smell the sea! Beautifully written and retold to keep you wanting more

Easy listening

Loved this book, loved all the meanings of flowers would live a posy of flowers from their!

Good, but very very bad American accent

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Its a book that you dont need to concentrate on and that you can just listen too whilst doing other things. I wasnt engaged but it was enjoyable and easy listening

How could the performance have been better?

The American accent is just terrible. It sounds like the cornish accents that the narrator does.

Do you think The Little Flower Shop by the Sea needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, I think that tje story was comeltely exhausted as the story-line was just so random

An easy listen

What did you like best about The Little Flower Shop by the Sea? What did you like least?

The setting was by far it's best feature. I found the fact that the reason behind the main characters issues was alluded so many times was both irritating and unnecessary. It didn't add to the story in anyway and made the character more irritating and immature.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I can't say the narrator was my favourite but it was listenable. For some reason she kept intermittently calling the character Jake, Jack. The first time it jolted me as I wracked my brains of a character called Jack and towards the end it happens more frequently.

Did The Little Flower Shop by the Sea inspire you to do anything?

No.

Any additional comments?

Typical formulaic "chick lit" story but better than most. Not my usual type of listen but enjoyable. The male characters could have been cooked up for a wistful teenage audience, they are very two dimensional and bland. The main character is slightly irritating but I found it to be an easy listen.