BOOK REVIEW: Where Wilted Flowers Bloom by Johanna Rojas Vann

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Where Wilted Flowers Bloom by Johanna Rojas Vann
Published by Random House on August 25, 2026
Genres: Fiction / Christian / Women, Fiction / Hispanic & Latino / General, Fiction / Women
Pages: 320
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley
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From the multi-award-winning author of An American Immigrant comes the story of a woman walking through paralyzing grief and the unlikely friendship that might unlock a path to healing.

When Sandra and her family move from New York City to East Nashville for her husband’s job, she is hopeful for a fresh start. While she will deeply miss her tight-knit family and thriving career, she is desperate to leave behind the city that holds her greatest loss.

But Sandra quickly learns that moving into a new home she designed and having the freedom to be a stay-at-home mom for the first time is not what she thought it would be. Sorrow still follows her, and no new place can fix it.

When she meets her next-door neighbor, Mark, who is an elderly, widowed, retired pastor, an unlikely friendship quickly forms. His humor, spiritual wisdom, and affinity for gardening—a skill he was forced to learn when his wife passed away—brings a welcome distraction from Sandra’s suffocating grief, giving her hope for the first time since her tragic loss. Will this friendship be just what she needs to heal her broken heart? Or will unexpected news leave Sandra with even more heartache?

Ya’ll, I almost passed on this book. I wanted to read it as the premise caught my attention. I saved it to read, but then things just got a little crazy, and I was running out of time. And I almost didn’t read this book. Remember, I wanted to read it but didn’t think I’d have time. I’m so glad I lied to myself and picked it up anyway. While there were things that threw me a little bit, there was so much more that embraced me into this book, and that’s what I want to talk about. I read this in two nights, ya’ll. Floors may or may not have been swept, dinner may have been a microwave affair, and bare-minimum dishes done because I just kept reading. For those not in the know, I typically complete tasks and reward myself with chapters. Yeah, there were no ‘chapter breaks’ here as I was just that drawn in.

This isn’t the right wording, but it’s what I feel, so that’s what you get. This book really starts as a slow burn. You know there’s some trauma there; the synopsis tells me so. But you are several chapters in before you really get told about it, gently with no fanfare and no details. I’d pieced it together before then, but nobody told me until later. And honestly, how refreshing, like real life. The average person doesn’t go around trauma-dumping their life to new folks. The average couple doesn’t talk in trauma language if they even talk about it at all. The average person doesn’t trauma-dump themselves with their inner monologue. There are exceptions, of course, but not this time. I’m a person who always wants more, wants the depth and details, but this book unfolded in such a way that I really connected with. I didn’t get it all at once, but the way it built was so perfect for me and kept me reading through the dishes. I was drawn into the more, and that built depth like nothing I expected.

Something I struggle with in faith-based fiction is the representation of faith. It’s either so subtle that it could be mainstream, feels like an afterthought, or is blasted in your face. This book hit differently. It’s subtly in your face. It’s not an afterthought, and it’s not something tossed around to make sure you know it’s Christian Fiction. It’s real life. Mark, the retired pastor, just oozes faith without proselytizing. He doesn’t need to prove his faith or force you into his faith; it’s just so natural and loving. An invitation without expectation. Then you have Sandra, who was raised with faith but was ambivalent about it. Like it was optional and there when she felt she needed it, but then an afterthought the rest of the time. To the point that when she did need it, she really didn’t know how to access it. Good gravy, but that felt targeted. I think most of us fall on a spectrum between Mark and Sandra. I know I walked away wanting to be more like Mark. I could legit pick this book right back up, read it again, and find even more things that resonate to my life. I could go on and on about more things about this book I loved, but no one wants to read a novel about a novel, and I don’t necessarily have time to write a novel about a novel. But I can say don’t sleep on this book. Make the time to read it because it will resonate with your soul on so many levels.

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