MarkAlan

A lovely book - heartwarming, challenging, and a few other things. I related almost immediately with the main character, Missy (Melissa). I was also shy and introverted (still am), though with the advantage of also being very good at sports. 

It's also coming-of-age, though Melissa is 35.But she's chosen, in a way, to never grow up, even though she's a partner in a very successful money management firm. 

It's a love story, but with many crinkles. It's also about bullying, recovery and all sorts of other things. It was the sort of book I put down, did other stuff, but kept thinking about.

Here's the blurb:

Book-smart Melissa Fletcher lives a predictable life in her hometown, working behind the scenes for her charismatic father in a financial career that makes perfect sense. But when her dad is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Missy is forced to step up and take over as his primary caregiver and the principal of the firm.

After her father's death, Missy finds a letter from him in which he praises her for being a dutiful daughter but admonishes her for not taking any risks in life.

Devastated, Missy packs her suitcase and heads for Italy. There she meets a new friend who proposes a radical idea. Soon, Missy finds herself in impoverished India, signing away her inheritance and betting on a risky plan while rekindling a lost love.

The Light of Hidden Flowers is a deeply felt story of accepting who we are while pushing our boundaries to see how much more we can become. It's a reminder that it's never too late to pursue our dreams.

One thing that irritated me was that I could only get by buying a print copy second hand. I don't do Amazon, and the ebook is only available there, as far as I could tell. The print book was available elsewhere, but cost a fortune. So I ended up buying a paperback second hand online.