Dandyflowers Book

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Erin had a happy childhood growing up with two loving parents. The announcement of her engagement to Jack results in some shocking surprises from her father. Much to her embarrassment, Erin's father, Jerry, insists she spend some time with him so he can give her what he calls his "love talk." The talk begins with a trip to the attic of the family home to retrieve a stack of his old journals and other mysterious treasures.

Jerry surprises his daughter with information about his previous marriage to his high school sweetheart. Erin never dreamed her father had been married before. By sharing his carefully kept journals, he reveals the details of a tender, loving relationship that began his freshman year in high school.

He met Laura the first day of school when she accidentally smacked him in the face with her locker door, and it seems it was love at first sight. The detailed journal entries tell Jerry's story of love. From the first date, to the first kiss, to the first prom, and finally marriage and a set of beautiful twins, Erin hears about a love that was pure and true.

DANDYFLOWERS paints a beautiful, honest picture of the tender development of young love. Author Jordan T. Maxwell takes readers into the intimate corners of the relationship between Jerry and Laura, at moments heartwarming and funny, and at times heartbreaking and emotional. Fascinated by the intense descriptions, there were times when I laughed and others when I wiped away tears.

I highly recommend this book to anyone involved with teen girls who may be dreaming of future romance. They would be lucky to have even half the experiences portrayed in DANDYFLOWERS.