One moment. That's all it took for Adrian's world to change. One moment took her husband, son, and daughter from her. With the unexpected help of her estranged brother she begins to rebuild her life and move forward, right into the arms of her brother's best friend. Over time, Adrian learns how to live the life she still has, and how to love once more.
'Of Dreams and Daffodils' is quite a lovely story in essence. For the times it sounded stilted or forced, there were enough to make me cry. It was honestly a roller coaster and I'm still not sure what to think about it. At its core, Blackman has written a heartbreaking story of a woman who has lost it all and must rely on a brother she had lost all faith in. She goes through survivor's guilt, and endures the trial of her family's murderer. A lot of it seemed to be surface material, like I was looking through a binoculars. I could see what was happening at a distance, but I didn't feel like I was part of it. Except for Hannah.
When Adrian dreamt of her daughter, every dream sequence brought me to tears. That was the heart of the story. That was where I felt Adrian was an actual person. Much of the dialogue outside the dreams was stilted (very few contractions, which is strange in dialogue if you actually listen to how people speak. One person, sure, but not everyone all the time.) but when Adrian was with Hannah, it was so natural. If I looked into it, I could say that it was intentional, that it was so realistic because when she was awake, Adrian wasn't really alive, not without her family.
Her relationship with Hunter evolved quite quickly, not just romantically but as friends as well. The book is advertised as a romance novel, but to be honest that part of it could be cut out and left until the very end. This is a novel about a woman who learns how to live, learns what her life is all about, and learns who she is. It has a strong message about the bonds of family and to never take a single moment for granted.
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