Anderson in Bloom follows former child star Andy Ducharme, who escaped Hollywood six years ago, trading scandal and heartbreak for a quiet life as a small-town florist. She’s stayed hidden ever since—especially from her ex and former co-star, Nikki Price.
But when Nikki announces a tell-all memoir about their messy past on the Nik and Andy show, Andy’s carefully rebuilt world starts to crack. One impulsive text later, Nikki is standing in her flower shop, demanding answers and stirring up feelings Andy never fully buried.
Now, old sparks are flying, tempers are flaring, and Andy must decide: protect her peace, or risk everything for a second chance with the one woman she never truly got over?
Have you ever read a second-chance romance and actively rooted for the couple to not get back together? Because I have.
But let’s talk about the good things first.
The premise of the novel is exceptional, putting a spin on beloved tropes and with the gorgeous cover in mind, the juxtaposition of a life lived in Hollywood with the quiet, unassuming serenity of a flower shop just really worked for me. The setting truly feels like a home, not just because of Andy’s best friends in the novel that add a lot of comic relief and genuine support, but also because of how she is treated in this town by others.
Beyond the setting, my favourite part of the novel were definitely all the little glimpses and background tidbits we get from Nikki and Andy and their time in Hollywood. Stories about celebrities can be a bit of a hit or miss, but this aspect worked really well in the story.
It’s fascinating to peek behind the curtain of such an extraordinary world, and Dugan truly shines here. She offers sharp, insightful observations on how growing up young and impressionable— especially in Hollywood—can distort your sense of self, trap you in a manufactured identity, and warp your understanding of life beyond the spotlight. The juxtaposition of those memories with how Andy is now living her life and fearing to be back in the spotlight were handled so well and despite Nikki not getting her own POV in the book, we still learn about her time in Hollywood and the ways that has affected her choices, especially in terms of writing that tell-all memoir.
There is also undoubtedly chemistry between Nikki and Andy. If you ignore some of the underlying issues, the two of them really rocket up the heat whenever there are intimate moments. And even with what we learn about them when they were younger makes you think that there might have been potential for a true romance if the stars had aligned in their favour back when they were on the same TV show.
Now, I’m a huge fan of second-chance romances when they are done right and with Anderson in Bloom, I have to be honest, I just couldn’t connect with the romance. Don’t get me wrong, both Nikki and Andy work so well as individual characters. They’re intriguing, a bit catty, struggling with a lot on their own beyond their feelings for each other and overall just leave you wanting to spend more time with them—but again, individually.
The moment these two are on the same page, every interaction suddenly feels like a battle, and not in the good way that makes you kick your feet and giggle because you can tell it’s all a lead-up to one of the greatest romances of all time. There’s push and pull between them, yes, but it never really amounts to anything beyond more hurt feelings, more toxic behaviour or more altercations that do make you wonder how these two ever were together in the first place without actively plotting to plan each other’s murder. This is in part due to the fact that for Andy Nikki is the villain of the story whereas Nikki never seemed to harbour any antagonistic feelings toward Andy (despite some scenes that definitely make you as a reader question this). The middle part of the novel especially suffered from this lack of communication – and miscommunication on both parts – that just never seemed to end.
The thing that took away from my enjoyment here is that the characters themselves seem quite self-aware, yet it amounts to nothing in the grand scheme of things. At one point in the book, one of them even realises that this back-and-forth and the “relationship” in general is making her regress to some very toxic behaviour she thought she’d left behind her right with the other trappings of Hollywood. So Andy’s self-aware enough to understand that…but does not have the agency to do something about it, which just felt frustrating. Especially in Andy’s case I was also sad to see all the growth she had made after leaving Hollywood and all of that sort of flying out the window once Nikki comes back into her life. There’s a lot to say about show and tell in this book because Andy has such a different understanding of who she is and then the actions that actually make her completely go against those values because she’s led by her hurt feelings. It just amounted to a character that’s indecisive and led by the actions and words of others, which didn’t work for me, especially with how it placed her in relation to Nikki. Alas, I am known as a hater of the miscommunication trope and this was so present throughout the entire story (even with the obligatory third-act-break-up) that it might just be my own preferences that made the romance fall short and not one I could root for.
Nevertheless, I did have a good time reading this book. Dugan’s writing flows as easily as always and has you turning page after page without noticing how quick the time passes. So if you’re a fan of the miscommunication trope paired with a second-chance romance about former Hollywood co-stars falling back in love, then Dugan’s Anderson in Bloom might be the perfect fit for you!
Anderson in Bloom is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 3rd 2026.
Will you be picking up Anderson in Bloom? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis
From the author of Love at First Set, a hilariously sexy enemies-to-lovers, second-chance rom-com about a reclusive former child star turned florist whose quiet life is turned upside down when her annoyingly hot ex (and former costar) shows up in town, with plans to write a tell-all memoir.
Former child star Anderson “Andy” Ducharme is hiding—has been for a long time, if she’s honest with herself, which she isn’t.
When she suddenly cut off all ties and left LA six years earlier to work in a flower shop in coastal New England, she wasn’t just running away from toxic relationships, embezzling agents, and all the rest of her Hollywood life; she was running to something… sort of, if you squinted, and if you accepted that what she was running toward was little more than a vacation daydream she had made up with her (in)famous ex, and former costar, Nicole “Nikki” Price.
Then Nikki announces her plan to write a tell-all book about growing up in Hollywood and their tumultuous time on the Nik and Andy show, and Andy’s feelings of hurt and betrayal come rushing back. Emboldened by anger (and maybe one too many drinks), Andy does something very stupid: she texts her ex for the first time in years. No one’s more shocked than Andy when Nikki actually shows up to her small florist shop, looking for answers.
Andy is fully prepared to send Nikki away, but it seems Nikki has some unfinished business as well. Now that she finally knows where Andy’s been hiding, she’s not letting her go so easy. And with each passing encounter, Andy can’t deny the simmering physical attraction that threatens to boil over every time they get close.
But can the two of them really reunite without wrecking Andy’s carefully rebuilt life? Or is she setting herself up for a fresh heartbreak?
