Review: Garden Variety

Garden Variety by Christy Wilhelmi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars, rounded up. Will Goodreads never man up about the stars? I never thought that a community garden could have so much going on besides gardening! I'm not much of a gardener-if I garden at all, it is in pots on my deck, but this book made me want to go and really get my hands into the dirt and make some new friends. I did get a tad annoyed with the moaning about global warming, but I did find it fascinating to find out how gardening/planting differs throughout the country. Don't get me wrong; this book is more than just gardening advice (tho you do get a lot of that); it is a romance, a bit of a mystery, a laughing and crying book. It is a book about strong characters and shy characters---it just seems to have everything that pushed my buttons and allowed me to love it. *My thanks to William Morrow, NetGalley, and Ms. Wilhelmi.

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SYNOPSIS:"If you thought community gardening was nothing but pulling weeds and planting seeds think again. In this fresh and delightful debut, Christy Wilhelmi shows that there's more to gardening than merely keeping pests at bay ...

Each time Lizzie steps through the gates of the Vista Mar Community Gardens, she knows she's left the chaos of the outside world behind. Here, the rows are even, tools are properly stored, and each season brings new life. But even the shiniest apple can hide a worm, and behind the leafy green fa�ade there is hidden heartbreak, tomato hornworms, and inter-garden political powerplays.

And to make things worse--a long forgotten loophole enacted by a nasty neighbor brings the outside world crashing in. The members are feuding, Lizzie's budding romance is wilting on the vine, and the very existence of Vista Mar is threatened. Can Lizzie and her fellow gardeners fight to save their urban oasis while they struggle to stay grounded in this chaotic city?

Garden Variety is as much about growing food and flowers as it is about life's growing pains, and how a community rallies and comes together to save their own."