Poor Jessie's life has turned full circle and she once again finds herself single after a long and what she felt a happy marriage. After being replaced by a younger model, Jessie resolves to get her life back on track and that means resurrecting her love life and her career. In her 40's that now seems like a daunting task! A once very successful lawyer, Jessie had let her career take a back seat so she could raise her daughter. However, now Hannah has flown the nest for University, Jessie has realised that life is passing her by. Jessie even resorts to placing a lonely hearts advert in a local paper but that doesn't quite turn out the way she expects it to. Her ex husband William is pushing for a divorce and wants her out of the marital home. Jessie finds herself with a fight on her hands. However, a chance encounter with Owen, a younger man soon has Jessie realising that actually life isn't so bad after all and she opens up her heart once again and lets Owen be part of her life. She feels blissfully happy and invigorated even if William is constantly interfering.  But, is heartache on the horizon for Jessie and will her feelings for William further complicate things? Has is soon coming to realise that his new life isn't as rosy as he thought it was going to be and he soon starts to miss Jessie. But, he feels himself trapped in an impossible situation and his anger and frustration are evident. All too often he takes this out on Jessie, reacting to these feelings.

When reading the Flower Seller its easy to forget that it is a debut novel from Ellie Holmes. Its a stunning piece of writing. The story flows exceptionally well and the characters are interesting and at times lead very complicated lives. I could relate so easily to Jessie and often wondered if Ellie Holmes had insider knowledge of my own experiences from many years ago! Sometimes it was like reading about myself! The author has explored the heartache of infidelity and the fear of starting over again sensitively and with real feeling. Throughout the story Jessie is portrayed as someone who on the outside is strong and will bounce back but the reader gets to glimpse her vulnerability and the facade of coping she puts on sometimes slips at times. Behind her battle face lies a woman who is nursing a broken heart and struggling to understand a whole range of feelings. She is confused. Often her desire to get what is rightfully hers leaves her with feelings of dissatisfaction and upset and an overall feeling of finality. How had her life got to this point? How had the love she'd had for one man not be enough to save their marriage. William is very good at piling on the guilt with Jessie, making her feel that it was her fault that he had strayed. This frustrated me terribly! Sometimes I wanted to scream at both Jessie and William for their foolish behaviour.

An excellent book that I highly recommend. I cannot wait to read more Ellie Holmes in the future. An amazing debut for a very talented author. Look out for that twist at the end of the book! Brilliant! And who could fail to notice that stunning book cover too!