The Shop On Blossom Street

I read this book for my book club at the public library and while I wasn't expecting it to be a deep, introspective piece of fiction, I was still disappointed. I had read a romance or two by this author and they were fine, nothing special --but they were ok. This book? Bad. It's one of those "women's" novels, where an unlikely group of women (each with a specific problem, such as infertility, a rough childhood, or being incredibly snotty) bonds in a unique setting (such as a book club or this case, a knitting class) and they grow to like and respect each other and ultimately help each other solve their problem (and much faster than usual, to quote Homer Simpson). Bleah. One of the ladies in my book club commented that if the book were music, it would be Lawrence Welk and she's quite right. The book is bland (her troubled childhood character was arrested for marijuana possession but the author makes it abundantly clear IT WAS HER ROOMMATE'S because otherwise she'd just be too horrible for readers to care about) unrealistic, (incredibly snotty is mean to her daughter-in-law for most of the book, but the daughter-in-law just keeps acting like Mrs. Snotty is her best friend) and totally simplistic (all problems solved by the end of the book (ooh spoiler alert) Yes!). And great news, there is a sequel!! yay!.