Blossom Street Series by Debbie Macomber

What I like about the Blossom Street Series:

• Blossom Street is described in a way that makes me want to shop there as it sounds lovely.
• Excellent character development
• The deep friendships among the women on Blossom Street
• Realistic story lines
• Surprising friendships

I truly want to live, shop, and work in the cozy environment of Blossom Street. I long for the friendships the characters share. I would love to have my own shop on Blossom Street. What would I sell? Books, of course.

What I dislike about the Blossom Street Series:

• The first book, The Shop on Blossom Street, repeats over and over that Lydia's character has had cancer twice. It's as if the author thinks the readers will forget from chapter to chapter.
• The change in tone in the second book. The first book is cozy and flows. The second book, A Good Yarn, is stilted and awkward. It seems as if two different authors wrote the two different books.
• The endless repetition in A Good Yarn that Lydia's character has had cancer. One or two reminders is sufficient for readers who may have forgot since the first book or for those who did not read the first book.
• That so many new characters are introduced in A Good Yarn.

My concept of a series of books is that it follows the same characters through the changes in their life, both good and bad. I understand that new characters need to be introduced periodically to keep the storyline fresh and to help the original characters develop. However, in the second book in the Blossom Street Series, many of the characters in the first book are hardly mentioned. It made me miss those characters. Fortunately, some of these characters return in Back on Blossom Street.

The entire Blossom Street Series in order per Debbie Macomber's website:

• The Shop on Blossom Street
• A Good Yarn
• Christmas Letters
• Susannah's Garden
• Back on Blossom Street
• Twenty Wishes
• Summer on Blossom Street
• Hannah's List
• A Turn in the Road

So far, I have read The Shop on Blossom Street, A Good Yarn, Christmas Letters, and Back on Blossom Street. Christmas Letters did not make any sense as it only mentioned the other characters from the series in a few sentences. The author did not make it clear why the familiar characters were not involved in this story. Instead, this story revolved around characters readers had never met before. It seemed strange. Again, I wondered who was doing the editing and if a ghost writer was being used.

Since I am of German descent, I am stubborn enough to read every book in this series just to see what happens to each character even though the books are irritating at times. I also want to see if each book has a different tone.

If you want books that are quick to read and take your mind off of the real world, then these books are for you. If you are irritated by details that do not add up, do not read these books. I fall into the category of being irritated with these books but I am determined to see this series through. I will see you in my next Debbie Macomber hub.