Blog Tour: We, The Wildflowers: L.B. Simmons
We, The Wildflowers
L.B. Simmons
Release Date February 11, 2020
“Their strength and ferocity stem from below the surface where their roots are forever tangled, interwoven in such a way that for the remainder of time they bloom together …”
Genesis
Adam
Chloe
Lukas
No one loves them, no one cares about them, no one even sees them until they end up in Mary Rodriguez’s home, an outpost for Sacred Heart’s troubled youth program. It is within these walls that the four teens forge unlikely friendships. They experience the intensity of first loves, share secrets, and suffer losses, vowing to make the world a better place in spite of their personal battles with addiction, depression, loneliness, and abuse. But when the unthinkable happens, those friendships are tested in ways they never could have imagined.
Will they find strength enough to survive or will their bonds be too fractured to heal them yet again?
Change is quite possibly one of the most difficult things to accept. Many find security in routine, regardless of the damage it can cause. Instead of breaking a destructive cycle, whether internal or external, most will allow it to continue because it’s constant and therefore, to some degree, comfortable. And when you’re trying to find something, anything, to hold on to while your world is spinning out of control, it’s easy to anchor yourself to the familiar, no matter how terrible it might be.
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Change is quite possibly one of the most difficult things to accept. Many find security in routine, regardless of the damage it can cause. Instead of breaking a destructive cycle, whether internal or external, most will allow it to continue because it’s constant and therefore, to some degree, comfortable. And when you’re trying to find something, anything, to hold on to while your world is spinning out of control, it’s easy to anchor yourself to the familiar, no matter how terrible it might be.
As a forewarning, make sure you have stock in tissue. You’ll need them, plenty of them. I suggest the ones with lotion so you can avoid the red, sore nose that comes with being a blubbering mess.
Next up, We, the Wildflowers is NOT for the faint of heart. And, it is most definitely not for the judgmental heart. This book and its characters will open your eyes to a myriad of sensitive, yet very important subjects:(view spoiler). I added the triggers in a spoiler, if you come from a broken past or even a current one, I strongly suggest you look at them. The topics within are presented in a raw, absolute telling. L.B. Simmons does not hold anything back. If you’ve read any of her other books, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
This novel will take a toll on your emotional and mental state. You will not walk away without being affected in some shape or form. No lie, LB will WRECK you, repeatedly. Buckle in because your emotions will be all over the place; you won’t be able to control the direction or intensity of them. There are parts that will utterly break you. I was a train wreck of a mess. A sobbing, emotional mess. I didn't see how Simmons' would put me back together. My heart physically hurt. I couldn't breathe from the pain. I just wanted to crawl into a hole of denial. Pretend all this never happened. Leave off on Chapter 18, where things had a semi-balance of happiness and promise.
I don’t know what I expected when I started this journey, but it wasn’t that. As a huge fan of Simmons’, I should've known better. I should’ve known she would take my world and flip it upside down. I should’ve known I wouldn’t walk away unscathed.
These four teens were me on a multitude of levels. Genny, Adam, Chloe, and Lucas touched me. I connected with these characters beyond just the words on a page. Reading this book threw me right back into a world I’m very familiar with. And for that reason, I felt an overabundance of despair, rage, grief, compassion, love, hope, sympathy, empathy, and pride. Their failures and successes, their strength and growth, their healing, their loyalty and relationships, their self-discovery, their paths became personal to me. I viewed them through the eyes of a survivor; in turn, making me root even harder for their coveted HEA.
With that said, We, the Wildflowers was not a perfect book. It had flaws, but I was able to look past them. The story line and its characters kept me riveted. I didn’t mind the language/way of communicating between the teens. Yes, I agree, it could get very philosophical and preachy, at times. I don’t know many adults who have their *ish* together, or who talk like these characters did. Therefore, it was sometimes hard to realistically believe that these teens thought/talked the way they did, even with having a maturity and exposure to a life most will never experience.
Also, I know some talked about the over dramatic bits that felt out of place or over the top. As someone who is familiar with the world of foster care, I didn’t have the same view on this. At any given time, as a ward of the state, your life can change that drastically, and you can be placed with some vile predators, even some as cartoon-ish as these may have seemed. For me, this aspect did not affect my reading or take me out if the story. It just showed how genuine Simmons’ kept it.
Once again, L.B. Simmons built a captivating and poignant world. Proving why she is one of my all-time favorite authors and an automatic buy. Her writing never fails to hit me directly in the soul. And, as long as she keeps writing books of this magnitude, I'll keep devouring every single word.
We've been bonded by pain, but together, we're rooted in resilience.
We are four.
We are the Wildflowers.
I felt for these characters and what they had been through. I was touched by the bonds they formed and how important this self-made family became to each of them. Four high school students basically tossed away or left alone who ended up together at Sacred Heart and bonded in their pain, understanding, and need for acceptance. Each has struggled and hit rock bottom. And now with the help of their new friends are trying to find their way, heal, and grow.
Chloe...meek and empathetic....has a strong need for acceptance and does not stand up for herself.
Genesis...brash and bold...tough on the outside, but just as broken on the inside.
Adam...Charming and fun....but being his true self cost him everything.
Lukas...quiet, direct, and a bit dark...plagued by his own guilt and perceived failure.
I loved how they could see under the others' facades, share, and be vulnerable together. But then could stand together in support and find more strength. But even together, they cannot predict future challenges.
I liked the characters, the premise, and the relationships. The subject matter is not easy and is pretty raw. There are catalysts of change and beacons of hope. They all try to find their way and realize their strengths and gifts. There are villains and obstacles. As they dance between darkness and light, it was intense, emotional, heartbreaking, and inspiring.
One issue I did have with this book was the language. It seemed very mature and too philosophical for high school kids. I have an eighteen-year-old now in Honor's college and they do not speak this way. So sometimes it took me out of the story, especially in the first half. But the second half had me riveted. One of their biggest challenges almost too over the top dramatic, it did keep me interested and propelled the plot, and did completely affect their lives in both good and bad ways ultimately giving us what we needed.
It takes on tough topics and is current, especially in relation to young adults growing up these days. I really loved the messages about the importance of acceptance, forgiveness, self-worth, unconditional love, and paying it forward. It has a little romance in it, but it is mostly about loving yourself, your friends, and those you feel are family...and helping others feel the same way.
One issue I did have with this book was the language. It seemed very mature and too philosophical for high school kids. I have an eighteen-year-old now in Honor's college and they do not speak this way. So sometimes it took me out of the story, especially in the first half. But the second half had me riveted. One of their biggest challenges almost too over the top dramatic, it did keep me interested and propelled the plot, and did completely affect their lives in both good and bad ways ultimately giving us what we needed.
It takes on tough topics and is current, especially in relation to young adults growing up these days. I really loved the messages about the importance of acceptance, forgiveness, self-worth, unconditional love, and paying it forward. It has a little romance in it, but it is mostly about loving yourself, your friends, and those you feel are family...and helping others feel the same way.
L.B. Simmons
After graduating from Texas A&M University, L.B. Simmons did what any biomedical science major could do. She entered the workforce as a full-time chemist. Years later, never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined herself a USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance author as well.
What began as a memoir for her children, ended up being her first self-published book, Running on Empty. Initially it was written to chronicle their actions, their phrases, and their silly arguments so that when they were older, they would always have those memories. The memoir soon began to take on a life of its own, morphing into the story of a single mother with three little girls finding love when she least expected it. Soon after, her girls were given reoccurring roles in the remainder of what became the Mending Hearts series.
That's how her journey as an author began, and she hopes to God it never ends.
L.B. Simmons doesn’t just write books. With each new work, she attempts to compose journeys of love and self-discovery so she may impart life lessons to readers. Several novels later, she’s tackled suicide, depression, bullying, eating disorders, as well as physical and sexual abuse, all the while weaving elements of humor into the storylines in effort to balance the difficult topics. Often described as roller coaster rides, her novels are known for eliciting a wide range of emotions in each story she tells.
What began as a memoir for her children, ended up being her first self-published book, Running on Empty. Initially it was written to chronicle their actions, their phrases, and their silly arguments so that when they were older, they would always have those memories. The memoir soon began to take on a life of its own, morphing into the story of a single mother with three little girls finding love when she least expected it. Soon after, her girls were given reoccurring roles in the remainder of what became the Mending Hearts series.
That's how her journey as an author began, and she hopes to God it never ends.
L.B. Simmons doesn’t just write books. With each new work, she attempts to compose journeys of love and self-discovery so she may impart life lessons to readers. Several novels later, she’s tackled suicide, depression, bullying, eating disorders, as well as physical and sexual abuse, all the while weaving elements of humor into the storylines in effort to balance the difficult topics. Often described as roller coaster rides, her novels are known for eliciting a wide range of emotions in each story she tells.
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