Flowers in July by Anna Maynard is a wonderful, heart-warming romance. It is a story of family relationships, self-discovery and change.
Mary Roberts is disciplined and very good at her job. She thought she had her life planned, as she had moved to Hobart with her long-term boyfriend Felix to finish her medical degree, leaving her sister and mother back in Sydney. Mary has been heavily involved and supportive with her sister, who is a single mum, as well as her mother, who has alcohol problems.
On discovering Felix has been cheating on her again, she finds the courage to move out.
There are not a lot of affordable rental options available, so Vivian’s “Granny Flat”, which is within walking distance of the hospital, seemed a good option. Mary books it sight unseen. But, it turned out that the wind chimes, prayer flags, dream catchers, in fact, just about everything with the “Granny Flat” was entirely not her thing.
Another problem for Mary is that she and Felix work at the same hospital. To avoid Felix and her disappointing rental accommodation, Mary signs up to help run a wilderness expedition medicine course.
The course is run by Mary’s boss, Abel Sutherland. Her previous working encounters with Abel, whom she thinks is weirder than she is, have been unsettling.
Felix, in an effort to reconnect with Mary, has gate-crashed the course.
Mary discloses to Abel the disasters of her relationship and the reasons for coming on the course. Flippantly, Mary asks Abel if he wants to help her make Felix’s trip hell. Abel’s response was “Yeah. I’ll help you with that, Mary.” Abel devises a fake relationship with Mary to annoy Felix.
In the beautiful Tasmanian wilderness, Mary has to step out of her comfort zone. The course covers rock climbing for high rope rescues, all sorts of outdoor rescue situations, difficult for someone who is not a fan of the outdoors.
Mary and Abel develop a strong friendship as they get to know each other. Abel is not at all what she had expected. What exactly does the future hold for Mary and Abel when they return to their lives in Hobart?
The story is so easy to read and told with so much humour. The characters are easy to relate to.
Mary’s journey of self discovery and allowing for change is emotional. There is so much to like in this story; the relationships keep you engaged and guessing at the outcomes for all the characters.
This book is an excellent read. Five stars.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading Flowers in July by Anna Maynard. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.
Flowers in July by Anna Maynard ( Echo Publishing) is a thoroughly enjoyable read with very relatable characters and an emotionally powerful yet entertaining plot.
Mary Roberts, in her final year of training as an emergency doctor, is dedicated and focussed, always putting other people’s needs before her own. This is probably why she has stayed in a relationship with fellow doctor, narcissistic Felix for so long. However when she finds another woman’s G-string ( yukkk!! ) in their bed, she has finally had enough.
Mary had moved with Felix from Sydney to Hobart to complete her training so when they break up she feels very isolated. Alone in a new town, with no friends or family close by, Mary is forced to come face to face with her own insecurities. And while at times you will find yourself shaking your head at Mary, you will also find her very relatable.
Then, into the chaos of Mary’s upturned life, comes Abel, the surly emergency retrieval doctor who at first seems quite intimidating but in reality is just what Dr Mary needs. With Abel, Mary is able to step outside her comfort zone and discover things about herself and the way she responds to situations, that she has never realised before.
This book is as much about Mary’s own personal growth and development, as it is a romcom (although the slow burn of Mary and Abel’s relationship is very … engaging). This book will definitely keep you engrossed from the first page to the last – a great read.
I absolutely loved this book – Flowers in July written by Anna Maynard and published by Echo Publishing – 5 Stars.
Why is this one of my favourite reads of 2026:
Firstly, the cover is just stunning and yes, I am a sucker for a beautiful cover – the pink with yellow and the beautiful flowers is mwah (chef’s kiss).
Secondly the blurb on the back and the fact it was set in Tasmania plus throw in a wilderness expedition medicine course. Yes, it was the setting initially that hooked me, but it was Mary’s journey that sounded heartfelt and why I wanted to read this book.
Mary Roberts is finishing her training as an emergency doctor in Hobart – she is in control, disciplined and has a plan. She feels like she needs to support and provide for her mother and sister who live in Sydney. Most of the time she feels in control of her life.
Until she finds a G-string in her bed which does not belong to her – Felix her boyfriend has cheated on her again but this time she moves out and states she is done with him.
I loved that Mary had faults and to me she seemed relatable – often we try to juggle and care for everyone often to the detriment of ourselves. Mary is determined to not go back to Felix so signs up to escape from the hospital (where they both work) whilst acting as a leader on a wilderness course – she is totally out of her comfort zone with rock climbing, cold plunges and sharing a room with a grumpy hot retrieval Doctor Abel (new Book Boyfriend thank you). Meanwhile Felix shows up and causes chaos.
This book was engaging and I could not put it down, I liked that it was different, and I really enjoyed Anna Maynard’s writing style – yes, it was a romance, but I felt it was so much more. I felt Mary was discovering what she wanted from life, what made her happy and how she could serve others/let people in but be true to herself.
I plan to read Anna’s first book now, Dancing with Bees as I really enjoyed Flowers in July. Thank you to Beauty and Lace Magazine, Echo Publishing and Anna Maynard for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I love Mary’s character, in “Flowers in July” Mary wears her heart on her sleeve, I love the segue from the Emergency Hospital setting indoors, to the outdoor Emergency scenarios in the wilderness.
When Mary’s ex Felix throws a curve ball leaving Mary a little off balance, Mary hatches a plan of her own to settle the score. Not to say Mary’s plan isn’t without hiccups along the way, and Mary and Abel’s on again, off again connection will keep you guessing till the very end.
A huge thank you to Echo Publishing and Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read and review Flowers in July by Anna Maynard, a romantic story with such strong unbreakable family connections and a heart of gold, I’m sure you’ll absolutely love it.
Flowers in July
Many thanks to Beauty and Lace and Echo Publishing for my copy of Anna Maynard’s book.
The cover got me straight away. I absolutely love the colour and design. Once I opened the book I was hooked. I loved the characters at once.
Mary Robert’s has moved to Hobart to complete her training as an emergency doctor. Her boyfriend, Felix, of 6 years is the only other person she knows.
One morning while changing the sheets she finds a G-string that definitely does not belong to her. That begins the next stage of Mary’s life. She is pushed out of her comfort zone time and time again. Signing up for a wilderness expedition medicine course is only the beginning.
Watching Mary become her true self throughout the book was extremely addictive. Then there was the gorgeous Abel, the grumpy retrieval doctor.
A love story, but also so much more. A story that shows how to push ourselves through our limits and out of our comfort zone. To truly live and love.
Last year I was lucky enough to read ‘Dancing with Bees’ by Anna Maynard and I really delighted in her writing. I’m pleased to say that Anna has done it again with ‘Flowers in July’.
In ‘Flowers in July’ Mary Roberts is one of those people that take on the worries of the World and places everyone else and their problems as being far more important than her own. Being an elder sister she took on the role of back up parent to her younger sister as neither of them could depend upon their mother who was often coping with life by drinking. Now that Mary and her sister Ebony are adults Mary still takes on that role. She knows Ebony needs help financially as well as emotionally as she is a single Mum. Mary has things she would love to do herself but she feels she cant because she must put caring for Ebony and her Mother higher up the list than anything she may want.
When Mary’s relationship with Felix comes to and end she finds herself thrown in the deep end when she ends up on a Wilderness Expedition Medical Course and that’s where she meets Abel and life is about to change. Over time Mary learns that its ok to care for others but you cant lose You in the process. You are important also.
Anna Maynard has a wonderful way of writing and creates a love story that is warm and fuzzy without the mush.