Wallflower in Bloom by Claire Cook

Wallflower in Bloom Reviews

• 
  Book Concierge

  I’ve read and enjoyed chick lit. This isn’t one of those chick lit books.
  
  Deirdre Gibson is the personal assistant and social media genius behind her older brother, Tag’s, rise to fame and fortune as a new-age guru. She is unsure, lacks confidence, and is certain that any guy who shows interest in her must be just trying to get to her brother. When her brother interferes once too often in her personal life, she abruptly quits and in a vodka-fueled stroke of inspiration starts an internet campaign to get her voted onto Dancing With the Stars (where, of course, the producers agree, just to get her brother to come on the show).
  
  There is nothing likeable about these characters. Deirdre is obsessed with how fat and unattractive she is, and what mess she’s made of her “non-life.” Frankly, she’s right. She’s about 33 and riding her brother’s coattails. I wanted to shake some sense into her and tell her to grow up. Her brother isn’t much better, speaking in ridiculous platitudes and trying always to be the center of attention. Their sibling rivalry and dialogue is what I’d expect from 9-year-olds. A usual scene consists of his backhanded insult and her responding with “I know you are, but what am I?” Seriously … I’m not making that up; that is really what the dialogue is like in this book. Oh, and did I mention Cook’s penchant for dividing a sentence into individual words for emphasis. Drove. Me. Absolutely. Crazy! The “crisis” that leads to her epiphany is ridiculous and the ending is saccharine. Blech!
  
• 
  Jackie

  My personal harbinger of summer landed on my desk recently--Claire Cook's latest book "Wallflower in Bloom". Cook's strength is writing about women who, for one reason or another, are reinventing themselves. Humor is another of her great strengths, so her stories will first make you laugh, and then make you think "I could do something like that". It's no wonder she has legions of friends/fans who think of her like a sister.
  
  This time around, she introduces us to Deirdre, who works as a personal assistant for her motivational speaker/musician guru-esque and very charismatic older brother, constantly on the go and with no life of her own--she just makes his life seamless and smooth. The resentment about this has been growing for years, but overflows after an argument with her brother over a friend of his (who just happened to kiss her) and the news from her on again/off again boyfriend of ten years that he's getting married because his current girlfriend is pregnant. So one night she mixes herself up a blender full of Ben&Jerry's and vodka and signs on to her brother's social media sites (which she takes care of for him) and asks all of his fans to support her as a last minute replacement on Dancing With The Stars. And they do.
  
  This book is completely hilarious and pretty much impossible to put down once Deirdre starts her training. In between the slapstick, there are gentle touches on body image, weight, confidence, family and more. Once again, Cook tells it like so many women know it (only with more laughs), and this book will delight her fans, and no doubt earn her some more.
  
• 
  Beth

  I was lucky to get my hands on a pre-release copy of Wallflower in Bloom, and I read it in one day. Claire Cook knows how to spin a tale in ways that are as unique as her characters and their circumstances. This was a fun, wonderfully quirky read, and Cook’s trademark humor is at its best. It’s a story that proves how freeing it can be to break through the barriers of insecurity, take a chance, and dance to the beat of your own drummer.
• 
  Geri

  I got this book free through Goodreads First Reads. I love Claire Cook's books. They're alway a joy to read. Deidre Griffin was born a middle child. She always felt left out. Not very special. Invisible. After college she ends up working for her famous brother like the rest of her family. Until one day she's had enough of him controlling her not so great life and she quits. Getting a little too drunk while surfing the internet she reads that one of the guest stars from Dancing With the Stars has left the show and they need a replacement fast. She decides this might be her opportunity to change her life. And boy is she right about that. You've got to read this funny book to find out what happens next.
• 
  Karen

  'Once you get past the rocky parts, mid-life can really rock' this says it all, if you haven't read Claire Cook's novels before or are already a fan, you are going to love this one. Deidre Griffin is personal assistant to her famous guru brother, 24/7, so that she has no life of her own, until she drunk-posts herself, using her brother's huge online following which she created, and gets herself voted onto "Dancing with the Stars", hysterically funny, insightful and inspiring!
• 
  Louise

  Story Description:
  
  Touchstone|June 5, 2012|Hardcover|ISBN: 978-1-4516-7276-3
  
  From the acclaimed bestselling author of Must Love Dogs comes a winning and witty new novel about a woman who emerges from the shadow of her overbearing family and finds herself “dancing with the stars.”
  
  Deirdre Griffin has a great life; it’s just not her own. She’s the around-the-clock personal assistant to her charismatic, high-maintenance, New Age guru brother, Tag. As the family wallflower, her only worth seems to be as gatekeeper to Tag at his New England seaside compound.
  
  Then Deirdre’s sometime boyfriend informs her that he is marrying another woman, who just happens to be having the baby he told Deidre he never wanted. While drowning her sorrows in Tag’s expensive vodka, Deirdre decides to use his massive online following to get herself voted on as a last-minute Dancing With The Stars replacement. It’ll get her back in shape, mentally and physically. It might even get her a life of her own. Deirdre’s fifteen minutes of fame have begun.
  
  Irresistible and offbeat, Wallflower in Bloom is an original and deeply satisfying story of having the courage to take a leap into the spotlight, not matter where you land.
  
  My Review:
  
  Chick-lit at its best! Claire Cook’s Wallflower in Bloom makes for an easy, fun, quick, beach or vacation read.
  
  This story is the best example of one I’ve read where a woman totally loses herself in the service of others, mainly her family. How many of us women are guilty of this very thing? Completely losing ourselves, putting our desires, needs, wants, and wishes aside for the sake of everyone else. I myself am guilty of this obligatory commitment I feel to ensure everyone else is okay and has what they need at the risk of in the end being too worn out and tired to fight for myself because I feel I don’t deserve it. My service is to others.
  
  In Wallflower in Bloom, Deirdre literally runs her famous, New Age Guru brother, Tag’s life. She is on call twenty-four-hours-per-day. She lives in a converted sheep shed on his large New England seaside compound.
  
  Deirdre one day decides she is sick and tired of living in Tag’s shadow, being his personal assistant and decides to change things by signing up for ‘Dancing with the Stars’! She’s just had enough, and more than her fill of being his personal assistant, his social media guru, and managing both his personal and business lives.
  
  After a night of drinking very abnormal cocktails made with Tag’s very, very expensive liquor, she hops on his social media site and encourages Tag’s thousands of followers to vote for her as the wildcard replacement on ‘Dancing With the Stars’.
  
  Soon Deirdre finds she’s really not cut-out to be a dancer, carries a bit too much weight but can’t stop indulging herself in some of her favourite fattening foods when she gets frustrated or put down by Tag. However, Ilya is a marvelous, professional dancer who is able to help her learn. He has the patience of a saint. Deirdre realizes with five to six hours of practising the same dance steps over and over and over every single day that she must somehow forget the “wallflower” part of her personality and really “bloom!” or make a total laughing stock of herself.
  
  The term “chiasmus” is used a lot in the story and if you don’t know what it is now, you will completely understand it by the end of the novel.
  
  Claire Cook has always had a great sense of humour and it shines through bright and glittery in Wallflower in Bloom! I can’t wait to share this one with my friends.
  
  
• 
  Nancy

  Why have I not read Claire Cook's books before? Why is she not be best friend?
  
  The protagonist, Deirdre Griffin, has third child syndrome. She has a golden child oldest brother, a perfect and outgoing older sister, and the adorable little sister referred to and called throughout the book "Joanie Baloney." If a caboose child had been added to this family, I might have related a little bit better. Still, she has the third child syndrome down pat. She's overlooked, feelings get hurt, feels overshadowed by not only her rock star type brother but the other sibs, too. With a small breakdown, she makes a rash decision and finds herself Dancing With the Stars!
  
  One complaint about the story - Deirdre does a dance turn in the hotel. Because she is allowing her inner dancer to shine! Cook ignored Murphy's law. When MY FRIEND was singing Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and dancing a groovy move, she did it while waiting for the elevator which opened when her back was turned. This resulted in MY FRIEND turning during a groovy move, seeing the shocked faces in the elevator, and moonwalking out of their eye sight. Nobody saw Deirdre pirouette. That's just sad.
  
  Why I loved the book was the quirky but relatable family members, the relationships, the protagonist who is an epic third child, and the humor. I loved to read this one! I can't wait for the next Cook book!
• 
  Cheryl

  I got my copy of this book by winning a sweepstakes to go to Lake Austin Spa & Resort in Austin, TX. While there, I got to meet Claire and attend a Garden Book Party to celebrate the launch of the book. So, you might think that makes me biased. Maybe it does.
  
  I have read all of Claire's books. This one really speaks to me, as I identify with Deidre. No, I don't have a famous brother who drives me crazy, or a family like hers. But we all have insecurities, especially women. And most of our insecurities involve our weight. I am no exception. This is a battle that I have fought for many, many years. In Deidre, I found a kindred spirit. As the book went on, I found myself rooting for Deidre, and hoping that everything turned out well for her. It was easy to see myself and my fears in Deidre.
  
  Again, Claire does a masterful job of taking readers inside a character who is finding her way, reinventing herself.
• 
  Amy

  I hope none of you are surprised when I say this book is fantastic! But aren't all of Claire's books fantastic? Through out the story I was rooting and cheering Deidre on, hoping her story would turn out to be a happy ending. In order to find this out you have to read it.
  
  Even though I'm an only child, many times in my life I didn't feel like I fit in. In grammar school there was this one girl who always got the As, always behaved well, always got along with everyone, and overall was just perfect. My mom would constantly ask why I can't be more like her. That being said I can definitely relate to how Deidre feels this way about her brother Tag.
  
  All I can say is Wallflower in Bloom must be made into a movie!
  
  You must add this to your list of summer reads. I promise you won't regret it!
• 
  Kelly Gomez

  I won this book as a First Reads on Good Reads and I couldn't put it down. I have never read anything by Claire Cook before and I am adding all of her books to my to-read list! I was actually late for work because I was hooked after the first few chapters. Call it my youngest child-syndrome but I related perfectly to the main character. It was an easy and amusing read. It gave me hope and inspiration for the light at the end of the tunnel.
• 
  Christine

  My first Claire Cook and perhaps my last. This is more Danielle Steele than Danielle Steele, which I've never been into. Couldn't wait to finish this sappy, 'it's all about me' drivel. Sorry this is harsh but just not my cuppa. One star for effort but barely. :/
• 
  Kristen

  This book was okay. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. It's a quick read that doesn't take a lot of brain power, and sometimes we need that! I preferred Must Love Dogs by Cook.
• 
  Angel Shears

  Another great book by this author. I think many of us can relate to the stories she tells. We all blame others for everything these days this book is about discovering maybe the only person stopping you is truly yourself and that taking a risk even if it may be embarrassing is worth it.
• 
  Amy

  I think I have another girl crush. And Claire Cook, I'm talking about you, sister.
  
  Before we begin this review, please stop what you're doing and get yourself a copy of Wallflower in Bloom. You're welcome.
  
  Deirdre Griffin is approaching middle age and doesn't have a whole lot to show for it. Her life is consumed by her brother, Tag, an advice guru (as Deirdre puts it, "Think Deepak Chopra meets Bono") with millions of followers happily paying to hear such chiasmi slogans as "You don't have to be a winner to start, but you have to be a winner." When Tag thinks of - or, more frequently, hears - a chiasmus, he tells Deirdre to write it down, because it might come in handy. (A chiasmus, by the way, is an inversion of a parallel structured phrase.)
  
  Deirdre not only is Tag's manager and personal assistant, she lives in a house he pays for, travels with his credit card, and is responsible for his life. Her two sisters also are tied financially to Tag (one as his housekeeper, one as his art dealer), as are their parents and even Tag's ex-wives. All of them live in a sort of commune on Tag's property.
  
  But then one day, Deirdre decides she's had enough. A school friend of Tag's, Steve Moretti, happens upon Tag, Deirdre and their parents in Austin, where Tag is giving another one of his personal appearances. Steve is a landscape designer, and when Tag catches him kissing Deirdre, he humiliates his sister, telling Steve that he didn't need to make out with Deirdre in order for Tag to consider doing business with him. Convinced that, yet again, she is being used, Deirdre quits Tag, heads back to Boston, where she runs into her on-again, off-again boyfriend, who announces that he's (a) getting married because (b) his girlfriend is pregnant. Marriage and fatherhood are two things he told Deirdre he did not want, so clearly he did not want them with her.
  
  Tired of being the family wallflower, Deirdre enters herself in a contest to be a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.
  
  Yes, she will cha cha and rhumba her way to freedom, a freedom she explains to Steve that has been difficult to achieve.
  
  

  "Because every time I quit, he offers me more money? ... Because his business owns the house I live in? Because my family is like a giant soul-sucking octopus, and once they get their tentacles on you, there's nothing you can do to get away?"

  
  
  What bothers her is her dependence on her brother and her inability to forge a life apart from him. She recalls various episodes of her life, all of which seem to point to Deirdre being the forgotten member of the Griffin household. Dancing with the Stars may be the only way she can break free.
  
  Only it isn't, because her getting on the show is tied to Tag's popularity.
  
  To combat her sense of hopelessness, Deirdre frequently turns to food. And this is one of the reasons why I love Claire Cook - it's her ability to accurately reflect the battle that many of us have with food.
  
  

  It was the story of my life. When in doubt, eat. When in eat, doubt. I ate when I was anxious about something. But as soon as the food was in my mouth, I realized I didn't really want it, so I didn't even enjoy it. Or sometimes even taste it. Maybe I should just start carrying a spittoon with me wherever I went.

  
  
  Perhaps getting on a show that depends on skimpy costumes and vigorous dance steps is not exactly the salve for Deirdre's tortured soul, but we can understand why it's important to her and why she needs it.
  
  Deirdre is so wonderfully written. You will love her beyond words, and you will want her to cast off her wallflower-ness and embrace all of the things about her that you love. But there are times when her self-help bent gets a bit much, especially when her self-awareness seems to come too easily. Then again, with Tag around all these years, perhaps it's easy because it's been there all along.
  
  Read Wallflower in Bloom and enjoy Claire Cook's witty, moving and delightful writing. And most of all, enjoy Deirdre Griffin.
  
  Published on
  cupcake's book cupboard. @VivaAmaRisata
  Thanks to NetGalley for the preview.
• 
  Cheryl

  Deirdre Griffin has the job that lots of women would kill for. Deidre is manager for her brother, Tag. Tag is a famous guru. Women all over are falling for Tag and his words of wisdom. Deirdre is meeting with an event manager for her brother, Tag. While at the hotel, Deirdre receives a unexpected surprise. A man walks into her hotel room, whie Deirdre is in a stage of undress with her granny panty style under wear, brushing her teeth, looking like a rabid dog foaming at the mouth. As if things could not get worse, the man is drop, dead handsome. The man is none other than Tag's friend, Steve Moretti and he is standing right in front of Deirdre.
  
  I never read Must Love Dogs but I did see the movie adaption from the book and thought the movie was funny. I knew that I had to give Ms. Cook a chance but just never found the time until now. OMG...Wallflower in Bloom will have you laughing and crying at the same time. The words of wisdom that Tag would impart was hiliarous. It would make me do a double take and sometimes go "huh". Of course, sadly but after you reading the saying again and thought about it, it made sense in a round about way.
  
  I wanted to hate Tag because he seemed so self-centered but at the same time, he was kind of ike a lost, sad puppy, who you could not stay mad at for very long. Deirdre was fun but she was like a wallflower. You would not remember her in a crowd. However, she did blossom in the end but very slowly. I wanted her to make a bigger transformation. One let down that I did have with this book was that I thought there would be more dancing or at least more focus on DWTS than there really was. Deirdre was suppose to have this dream of being a dancer but I did not get to see her dance but once during the living show and in practice. RIP...Fred and Ginger...may they live in the great big ocean of life. Wallflower in Bloom is a summer read that blooms to a perfect ending.
• 
  Bill

  Don't look at me like that. Sure, 3 stars means I did like this book, and I'm not even in the target demographic (a bit too male). I'm allowed to read something different once in a while. And enjoy it. So there. Besides, I like Dancing with the Stars.
  
  What worked for me: The deadpan voice of the first-person narrator. Given her messed up personal situation and her hapless reactions, she could have some across as whining. By keeping her reasonably level-headed, the author makes it possible for us to stick with her. And by not making her too empowered or snarky, we don't get put off, either. Beyond that, the prose, dialog, settings, and descriptions are all first-rate. There is nothing to complain about in terms of basic writing skills.
  
  What didn't really work for me, once it occurred to me, is believing that this powerful, effective personal assistant for a popular pop figure is so easily reduced to a hapless, clueless shlub. I was also put off by the completely inane relationship she has with her brother and the rest of her family. Sure, this is the source of conflict for the story. But this is one of those conflicts that could be resolved in about two minutes if just one of the participants would act like a grown up, instead of a thirteen-year-old.
  
  As for all of the rigmarole dealing with Dancing with the Stars and Hollywood: this is reasonably believable and mostly fun. In some ways, I wish it could have been richer. Just as it all seemed to get rolling, everything is resolved. This is perhaps due to the short length of the book. I read it in only a few hours, spread over several days. This will be a fun beach read for those in its target audience. As for the rest of us, you may like it, too (especially if you are a DWTS fan, like me).
  
  Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review.
• 
  Kathleen

  In this novel, her ninth, local author Claire Cook manages to connect contemporary pop/social media (e.g., “Dancing With the Stars,” Facebook, Twitter, one dimensional self-help gurus), and our fascination/addiction to them. Holding the plot together is a “family” business, a motivational speaker, selling his message using a grammatical format, which is part of his family’s tradition and catches the ear of his audience. The parents’ commitment to insert “chiasmus” (the reader may need to do a bit of research on this as I did, but for our purposes here know that Mae West’s line ‘It’s not the men in my life, it’s the life in my men’ is a good example) throughout their day is almost a prayer for them; it certainly acted as “Grace before meals”! The family details are sometimes wildly hilarious, sometimes reveal annoying, selfish qualities and behaviors, and often reveal poignant epiphanies. Deirdre is the main character; her perceptions about herself evolve throughout the novel as she extricates herself from the family business and digs deeply to find herself as she competes in DWTS (initially begun as a lark and a bit of revenge against her brother.)
  The women Claire Cook writes about could be your sister or good friend. As Deidre does, they sometimes eat unhealthy food, drink too much, misjudge situations, feel sorry for themselves, take a few steps backwards, but they are warm, funny, kind and generous. I love when they get a happy ending.
  
• 
  Lisa B.

  My Thoughts
  
  
  Deirdre is surrounded by family whose lives all center on her guru brother Tag. Along with that, everyone she encounters wants to use her as their way to get to Tag. Does anyone like Deirdre just for herself and not her connection to her brother? Her stepping out to do DWTS is going to be a true test of who she is and who she might become.
  
  Every once in awhile I want to just read a simple, fun book and boy, did this one fit the bill. It was light, fluffy, airy - and I mean this as a compliment to the author. Deirdre has a very dry wit and sometimes things come out of her mouth that are just laugh out loud funny. I liked how the author prefaced each chapter with little mantras - sayings that Tag was so well know for i.e. “You don’t have to be a winner to start, but you have to start to be a winner”. She would then fit the saying into the context of that chapter.
  
  Very nicely done, Ms. Cook. Very nicely done.
  
  Thank you to Simon & Schuster, along with Netgalley, for allowing me to read this for an unbiased review.
  
  Publish date: June 5, 2012 (this means you can get it NOW!!!!!)
  
  My rating: 5 out of 5
• 
  Zen

  Deirdre has always lived in the shadow of her family, especially her brother, Tag: musician slash new age guru slash It guy. So when she finally loses it at one of their confrontations, she quits her job as his personal assistant. Using her brother's fame, she volunteered herself to be a replacement contestant for Dancing With The Stars. Thus begins her journey as a wallflower ready to bloom.
  
  The story was okay, the pop culture references was expected since it talked a lot about social media and all the ways one can benefit from it. It was a simple plot with unique details but the characters seemed a bit flat. The thing about Tag was that if he was my brother I'd probably hate him, too. But that's just me. And in the end, the author revealed his redeeming qualities so he didn't seem so bad.
  
  Bottomline: it was a pick me up kind of book and the chiasmus (chiasmi? chiasmuses?) were pretty clever. I'm glad Dee finally got the guts to stand up for herself since it was the only thing that stood in her way of living the life she always wanted.
• 
  Christa

  I enjoyed this book, and found it to be a very sweet and touching story. I loved the character of Deirdre, and I liked reading about her quirky family. The storyline kept me interested, and I enjoyed the moments of humor. I'm very glad that I read this one.
  
  Deirdre Griffin is tired of being overshadowed by her guru brother, Tag. She has spent her life as his personal assistant, and her boyfriend has just left her for someone else. While imbibing in Tag's vodka, Deirdre comes up with a plan to have herself voted as a replacement on Dancing With the Stars. Deirdre's life is about to change drastically in ways she never expected as she wins a spot on the show and begins to prepare and train for this new life.
  
  Wallflower in Bloom was a charming book, and Deidre was a refreshing character. I loved the story, and couldn't put it down. It was wonderful to read about Deirdre fulfilling some of her dreams. I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley.
• 
  Joy

  Cook has written a hilarious, enjoyable book. It's not often a book makes me laugh but I did get a few chuckles out of this one. Deidre is tired of living in her brothers shadow, tired of being her personal assistant sister. She decides to change things and that she does! I really enjoyed the Dancing With The Stars challenge she takes on, her character begins to bloom and you like the person she's becoming.
  
  
  A wonderfully written story that you won't want to put down. It gets 5 stars from me.
• 
  Janet

  What a fun read! Have you ever felt invisible? Everyone take you for granted? Well, that's the story of Deirdre who works for her famous brother Tag.
  
  Fan of Dancing With the Stars? You'll love this...our Deidre gets mad, gets drunk and manages to land on the show.
  
  The story is good in you root for her to be free and to work things out. I couldn't wait to see what happened.
  
  Enjoy!
  
• 
  Robin

  This is a quick light story for anyone who enjoys Jeanne Ray and other stories of middle-aged woman finally finding their way in life. I never really warmed up to the main character's jerk of a brother but the rest of the story, while predictable, was a fun read.
• 
  Shelly Bell

  Really looking forward to reading and reviewing this book!
• 
  Shannon

  This is an extremely quick fun read!!! I loved this book! It sucked me in and kept me going to the end!!!
• 
  Teresa

  This book was very enjoyable. It held your attention and had a nice flow to it.
• 
  Angela

  totally perfect as always.
• 
  Wendy T

  I really enjoyed this book. This book was sad but funny as well.