Romance is in Full Bloom for Hallmark Channel’s ‘A Season to Blossom’ – Review Hallmark Channel‘s Spring Into Love is in full bloom, and ‘A Season to Blossom’ is a delightful tale of resilience, courage, childhood crushes, and bookstore magic.
‘A Season to Blossom’ tells the story of Elise, a drifting aspiring writer who returns to sell her late grandmother’s bookstore, but its traditions – and her childhood crush – help her rediscover her voice, her roots, and a love worth staying for.
Emily Tennant and Carlo Marks star as Elise and Max. Laura Soltis and Mark Humphrey star as market owner Winnie and Max’s dad, Earl. Rounding out the main cast is EaeMya ThynGi as Molly, bookstore employee and baker.
Max makes cider at his family’s Whitman Orchard. He’s looking to expand and get a wider distribution. His dad wants to stick with what they are already doing. Max tells him, “It’s good to get out of your comfort zone.” This is the running theme throughout. Have courage, be resilient. Elise is full of self-doubt. She finds her gram’s notebook, and it’s full of encouragement.
Max and Elise haven’t seen each other since their teen years. They have a typical meet-cute. She is swatting a bee and bumps into Max, spilling cider all over him.
Elise comes to town to sell her grandmother’s bookstore, but the town is pulling her to stay a while and participate in the annual Apple Blossom Festival and run the book nook at it. She decides to help and put on the Books and Blooms events. But this makes her nervous. Max offers to help her in exchange for her help in writing a story about his flavors for the distributors.
Max and Elise fall into a very comfortable and easy routine. She realizes that she’s in her own way and admits to having had a childhood crush on Max. Between Max and Gram’s words, she starts to bloom, herself.
The tree swing scene is pure Hallmark Channel romance. You can feel it. Carlo Marks exudes an easiness. He plays the sweet romantic exceptionally well. Emily Tennant plays the wide-eyed, doubtful woman to a tee. You believe both of them have their strengths and weaknesses. They have an almost kiss that turns into an awkward hug. You can feel the awkwardness. I’ve always been a Carlo Marks fan, and this does not disappoint.
There is a storm that destroys the apple blossoms and ruins the festival and Max’s batch of cider. Together, Max and Elise turn it around and make the festival happen, and his cider is saved. They name the batch, Resilient Blooms. Max says to Elise, “What survives the storm shapes the story moving forward.”
The writing in this movie is inspiring. The movie is a slow burn. It’s a slower-paced story but packs a wallop of encouragement. My favorite part of the story is Gram’s words of wisdom, passed on through her writing in a book.
- “New beginnings grow best when nurtured together.”
- “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
- “Life may feel bare and empty sometimes – but that’s just winter doing its job. Make tea, open a book, and plant something anyway. There’s always a chance to start anew.”
- “Let your faith guide you on the journey…it knows the way.”
- “Courage isn’t the shout of certainty…it’s the whisper that says try anyway…some of the best things I ever did started before I was ready…Falling in love…Becoming a mother…and opening this bookstore. The scariest things cracked my soul open…so take the leap again and again.”
‘A Season to Blossom’ is written by Hallmark Channel newcomer, Jennifer Wolfgram. I hope Ms. Wolfgram has more to say because this movie was pure sweetness and optimism. Terry Ingram, the prolific Hallmark Channel director, directed this movie. The settings and locations are all gorgeous. I want to walk among those blooms and hang out in the bookstore with the bookstore cat, Clover.
Bookstore magic and childhood crushes came alive for Elise. Her courage soars with the help of Max, Winnie, and Gram’s words. There is no real conflict in this story, just sweetness. This is a 4.75 popcorn bucket movie for me. There’s nothing really wrong. No notes. It’s a slow-paced romance. I can see if you’re more into fast-paced stories, that this isn’t for you. For me, this works on a lot of levels. A perfect spring movie. Spring Into Love continues to bloom.
Romance is in Full Bloom for Hallmark Channel’s ‘A Season to Blossom’ – Review
