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Anna E. Collins
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A Life in Bloom Kindle Edition

by Anna E. Collins (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 56 ratings
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High school teacher Kristin Caine has a black belt in settling for less and a dying mother who doesn’t mince words when it comes to voicing how disappointed this makes her. But when Kristin’s status quo is rocked by an unexpected pregnancy and the consequent breakup with her less-than-enthusiastic boyfriend, things change. Suddenly, agreeing to help her overbearing mother complete a bucket list before the big C wins seems not the worst thing in the world—despite their many differences and Kristin’s fear of traveling.

But Kristin’s sense of self-preservation is strong, and if not for the compassion of Lily Landon, a friendly airport stranger with a tissue to spare, the first leg of the trip might have been over before it even began. Lily is like no one Kristin has ever met—a globe-trotting photographer full of joie de vivre who is on a first-name basis with the flight crew—and in her presence, the impossible suddenly seems… well… possible.

As a journey of physical and emotional adventures, belated mother-daughter bonding, and unexpected romantic feelings for Lily ensues, Kristin must challenge preconceived notions of motherhood, love, and what it means to live life fully, one bucket-list checkmark at a time. Only if she succeeds will she be able to create a new future free of self-imposed limits, for herself and her unborn child.

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  1. Print length
    334 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    July 4, 2023
  5. File size
    1147 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A Life in Bloom is the heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting story of a woman on the verge of finding herself in the midst of a life that's falling apart. To fulfill her mother's dying wish, Kris embarks on a funny, moving, and deeply satisfying journey that ultimately teaches her how to live. Like wildflowers that grow from cracks in the sidewalk, Anna E. Collins shows that joy, humor, and new beginnings can be found in life's most challenging moments." - Melissa Wiesner, author of His Secret Daughter

"A Life in Bloom is a perfect example of a book that explores deep emotions and contains meaningful characters that give the story new life. [...] Anna E. Collins is a very talented author." - Midwest Book Review

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C2QGGL2T
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Red Adept Publishing LLC (July 4, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 4, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1147 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 334 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 56 ratings

About the author

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Anna E. Collins

Anna E. Collins

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Anna E. Collins is a Seattle-area author who writes stories about the lives and loves of women. Once upon a time she was a teacher, and she has a master’s degree in educational psychology. LOVE AT FIRST SPITE is her first novel.

Website: aecollinsbooks.com

Instagram: @aeccreates

Facebook: facebook.com/aecollinsbooks

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
56 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Wendy
5.0 out of 5 stars great read
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2024
The book was great! A sad subject, but a lovely and wonderful story. Looking up Anna Collins books now! Hopefully more books to read!!
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paws.read.repeat
4.0 out of 5 stars An Engaging Read
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2023
I received an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

Main character Kristin Cane is living her best life until her universe is turned upside down with the news that her mother, Jane has terminal cancer with 4 short months to live. Knowing her time is limited, what she wants most is to complete her bucket list with her daughter.

The story dives deeper when we learn that Kristin is pregnant, unsure if she loves the dad who is less than enthusiatic at the idea of becoming a dad. Given this, they break up. Kristin agrees to accompany her mother.

Upon embarking on this journey, Kristin quickly realizes she wasn't living her best life as a matter of fact she feels like she was floating along doing what was expected and not really thinking about her decisions. While on this journey, Kristin also meets somone new, quickly developing feelings while realizing what motherhood, unconditional acceptance, and what living her best life actually means for her.

My favorite aspect of this book is that this journey between mother and daugher teaches Kristin how to live withouth him mother. This book is well written and full of empathy while dealing with a heavy topic as genuinely as possible. I throughly enjoyed this book and it gave me all the feels. I look forward to reading more from this author!
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Viktoria- BookBaddies4Life
5.0 out of 5 stars Emotional Growth
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2023
✨️📚 Book Review📚✨️

Thank you to Kate Rock Book Tours for allowing me to receive an ARC for this book. What follows is my honest opinion.

This book was a huge it with me. Reading Kirstin's grow through all the obstacles that is thrown her way makes you relate to her on a personal level. She learns that sometimes you have to conquer fears to be able to live life and love living it. From a relationship that was going nowhere to a medical diagnosis for her mother you get to see all the grieving processes. This is a very real book for me and I highly recommend it to those who want a true story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

@AECcreates @KateRockBookTours @RedAdeptPublishing
#AnnaECollins #AlifeInBloom #WomensFiction #RedAdeptPublishing
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Karenb
3.0 out of 5 stars Emotional and interesting
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2023
Emotional and interesting story
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hazel
4.0 out of 5 stars A great read!
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2023
[may contain spoilers]

Kristin Cane has a good life and is happy just the way it is- right? Well, everything gets turned upside down when her mother tells her that she is dying of cancer and has 4 months left to live. With the time she has left, her dying wish is to fulfill everything on her bucket list with Kristin.

As if that wasn’t enough, Kristin just found out that she is pregnant and isn’t sure if she even loves the father of the baby anymore. When she finally tells him, he is less than enthusiastic about being a dad and they decide to break up.

Kristin agrees to go on this crazy adventure with her mother and realizes that she wasn’t as happy as she thought- she was just taking the easy, comfortable way out and not really enjoying her life. While she is on this trip, she meets someone unexpectedly, and starts to have feelings for them and discovers what motherhood, love, and living life to the fullest really mean to her.

I enjoyed this book. The writing was great and it is a very character driven, self discovery, family bonding, emotional story. Kristin was a likable character and I was rooting for her the whole way!

I haven’t read anything else that this author has written, but I would like to!
This is a lovely story of diving into the unknown, taking adventures, and self discovery.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from Kate Rock Book Tours and the author. All opinions are my own.
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Katie
5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant Story
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2023
"My mother taught me everything except how to live without her."
I once saw the above quote on a meme, and it was running through my mind while I read A Life in Bloom by Anna E. Collins. Like the quote, the story of Kristen and her mom, Jane, resonated with me, as I'm sure it will with most people who have lost their mother.

What struck me the most about this book was that for Kristen, the above quote isn't true. The list her mother set out for them to complete was her mother's way of teaching Kristen how to live without her. It was more than just forcing her to face her fears and step out of her comfort zone. It was about creating a full life, a meaningful life.

This was a beautiful story of forgiveness, acceptance, and learning to open up despite of the potential pain, because the reward is so much sweeter. The complicated mother/daughter relationship was real and poignant, giving further depth to Kristen's journey.

I highly recommend this book. I received an ARC for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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B. Murphy
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful journey from start to finish
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2023
This was the kind of book that I didn't want to end. Anna Collins takes us on an emotional journey in more ways than one. Kristin Caine is a wonderful character. She blossoms through the pages, leaving her fears behind and breaking through her self-imposed shackles to fulfill her mother's dying wish--a bucket list of things to be done before cancer wins the battle. What she doesn't realize is that the list is really a gift from mother to daughter that allows Kristin to realize the strength she didn't know she had. Along the way, she meets Lily, who helps Kristin take the first of many steps in her journey of self-actualization.

This was simply a beautifully written story, one that will stick with me for quite some time.
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