Couldn't put it down. Not always comfortable but not off-putting. Lovely descriptions of food, scenery and friendship.

DNF at 30%. The towering insecurity of the MC is unbearable to read.

I love Barbara O’Neal’s characters. If you’re in the mood for a kind novel, go for it!

3.5 stars, rounded up. Easy light read, I enjoyed the characters and their personalities. Felt very predictable and some things were a bit much.. so one character starts a cake blog and all her friends and family hate her for that? Seems weird.

This is the fifth O'Neal book I've read. I really enjoy her "chick lit," made better with recipes. All of the characters were likable and relatable, and the inclusion of smart dogs and cats made the story line even better. A touch of magical realism - or perhaps you'd call it ghostly intervention. All-in-all, a lovely and surprisingly current book. The only thing that made me a bit uncomfortable were the sex scenes - something I'm sure appears in her romance novels as Barbara Samuel, but I haven't really found in the O'Neal books. To me, the story line could have been as compelling if they were implied rather than detailed. Felt a little more rushed than her other books.

I was provided a free copy by the publisher in exchange for a review. I'm assuming the couple of typos and the one disconnect will be corrected in the final version. Luckily, they weren't the kind of typos that ruined the story, or disrupted the rhythm of the book.

Edit 3/4/14 - I've realized that my discomfort with the intimate scenes has faded completely (until I re-read my own review), but the characters, particularly Lavender, have stayed with me. Have you ever had a book character that you invoke saying "How would so-and-so handle this situation?" I've caught myself thinking of Lavender in that way a couple of times. I like that.

I thought I would love this book. It was good but I found the characters a little more annoying than endearing.

Also, is backblogging really a term for a one who regularly comments on a blog? Because I find nothing on the internet referring to that term. Why not call them blog readers?

I also don't think the title matches the storyline.

This is O'Neal at her best.

Added after the second time I read it: I see some of my friends in these women and it's interesting how time changes perspective.

Great, easy read/listen. Nice contemporary fiction.

The review reminded me of the Donna Ball's series Ladybug farm. I was hoping Lavender Farms would bring me the same joy. Sadly it didn't. It was a meandering story of four woman who whined their way through life complaining about almost everything. I don't even care how it ends.

The corny title and cute book cover in a sense do an injustice to this novel which takes a serious look at some common women's issues. Four women from across the country have bonded online and now plan to meet at the eldest woman's organic farm in Oregon. One is young and pregnant, one is middle-aged who finds herself in a deeply unsatisfactory marriage, another recently lost a husband and two children in an accident and has another angry child who needs coping skills, and the host knows she is dying but wants to leave an important legacy behind. Interwoven with this is a young man with PTSD, greedy land developers, and a general interest in vegan and organic fare. This is a warm examination of how people process emotions and eventually find their stride.