Book Review: The Scent of Cherry Blossoms

The Scent of Cherry Blossoms

by Cindy Woodsmall

Annie Martin loves the Plain ways of her Old Order Mennonite people, like those revered by her beloved grandfather. Retreating from a contentious relationship with her mother, Annie goes to live with her Daadi Moses in Apple Ridge.

But as spring moves into Pennsylvania and Annie spends time among the cherry trees with the handsome Aden Zook, she wishes she could forget how deeply the lines between Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite are drawn.

Can Annie and Aden find a place for their love to bloom in the midst of the brewing storm?

- text taken from the back of the book's cover.

I recently re-read this book by Woodsmall and fell in love all over again with the rich text. For a moment, I was transported into Apple Ridge again. Having read another book by Woodsmall in regards to the quaint Amish town, it was a pleasure to catch up on old characters while being introduced to new ones.

From the moment I began this book, I instantly drew parallels from my own life to Annie's. Annie has a difficult relationship with her mother and I with my father. It almost felt as though I could be Annie. She faces immense struggles as she is reintroduced to an old friend from summers past. Both are unsure of what the future will hold as they creep into treacherous territory of becoming more than friends.

To make matters worse. Annie's grandfather holds the power to turn Aden and his family out of their job and home. While both families mean well, neither side can possibly understand the struggle of forbidden love.

I won't spoil it, so I'll say no more. I did enjoy this book more this time around. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Amish fiction. I often forget just because I see someone dressed Plainly doesn't necessarily mean he or she is Amish. This book is well written to address those differences between Mennonite and Amish. I hope Woodsmall continues to write about the characters of Apple Ridge as she left the book open-ended for another sequel. I'm interested in learning about Aden's brother, Roman and his budding relationship with the outspoke Marian Lee.

I rarely give a bad review and I'm pleased to have added another successful read to my book list.

Up next are some library rentals that I can hardly wait to begin!

until next time,

keep reading!

I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review.