REVIEW : The First Buds of Spring - Woodlanders Tetralogy #1- Hermione Lee

Title: The First Buds of Spring
Series: Woodlanders Tetralogy #1
Author: Hermione Lee
Genre: Teen, Young Adult Ages 13-18
Publisher: Independently Published
Release Date: June 20, 2022
Format: Kindle
Pages: 429
Source: Amazon

A 2022 August Literary Titan Gold Book Award Winner

Seventeen-year-old Azalea Wood is everything the girls at Lakebay High aspire to be—popular, beautiful, and perfect. Yet deep down, she desires someone who adores her for whom she truly is rather than the façade she displays on the outside. Fortunately, the arrival of a new boy by the name of Bruce Green flips her fate. Creative, caring, and considerate, he is everything Azalea has wished for. Embarking on a rocky journey of friendship with more than its fair share of bumps and bends, the two of them soon become more than friends. As their relationship solidifies, however, Azalea finds herself dealing with conundrums and dilemmas she never imagined she would be facing. When the revelation of the Greens' family secret propels her to confront a difficult truth, Azalea learns to grasp and appreciate the meaning of love and makes a decision that will change her life forever.

Review by Madison Davis

Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team

High school student Azalea Wood is everything, young ladies ever dream of. She’s beautiful, popular, and belongs to the coolest at Lakebay High. Everything seems perfect. But below the gorgeous surface, she knows, she’s an entirely different person than the one she lets ‘her crowd’ see. She craves for someone who sees her and loves her for the person she truly is. When a new boy arrives at school, and is almost naturally bullied, Azalea knows what’s right and wrong and stands up for him.

After that event she loses her status as the most admired girl in school. But her friendship with the new boy, Bruce Green, makes up for the ‘loss’. Azalea enjoys being herself now, and with Bruce, she can be her true self.

Azalea and Bruce become friends. Not only do they share some classes, they share interests in the arts. Azalea is a phenomenal sketcher and painter while Bruce is an excellent writer. Together they enjoy not only their school time, but also their free time. And soon they find themselves more than friends.

Azalea’s aunt, with whom the girl lives after her parent’s death, is delighted that her niece is in love and she fully approves of the caring, creative and considerate Bruce. It takes his parents a little bit longer to accept Azalea as their son’s love interest. However, it’s not entirely hopeless. His siblings accept Azalea. Despite being a little bit of troublemakers, Bruce younger brother and sister take their own part in the story.

When Azalea visits Bruce, he takes her on a tour of the house, and Azalea stumbles across the Green family secret, that threatens to destroy her relationship with the love of her life. Azalea has to make a few decisions, and they will change her life forever.

The first buds of spring is a cute, entertaining story about the intensity of the first love. Azalea and Bruce are a wonderful couple, in love, and against all odds they have each other’s back. Not even a deep and profound secret can tear them apart, more the opposite. Both characters give each other strength and support during a particularly tough and challenging time, and they grow closer and fonder of each other by the hour. I usually pick my favorite characters in a book, this time I have a hard time to decide between Azalea, Bruce, or Bruce’s younger siblings. If you read the book, I’m convinced, you’ll fall in love with the story and the characters as well.

The First Buds of Spring is the first book in the ‘Woodlander’s Tetralogy’, and I hope very much, I will be able to review the following books in the series as well!

I recommend this book to YA readers who love a bit of fantasy, and bit of romance, and a thrilling, entertaining story!