Lily Bloom (Blake Lively) moves to Boston, returning home to attend her abusive father’s funeral. Choosing to stay in the city to open her dream flower shop, Lily soon meets the hot-tempered tall, dark, and handsome neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni).

Based on the 2016 bestselling young adult novel, the movie ages the lead characters to suit the elite position of neurosurgeon. While the characters are a decade older than originally written, the romantic melodrama seems better suited to younger characters. However, the inclusion of Blake Lively will widen the audience.

Like Where the Crawdads Sing (2022), the love triangle consists of a beau who leaves the love interest to attend the military, leaving space for a cad to intervene and establish an abusive relationship. Lily’s childhood is populated with instances of abuse against her mother by her father. It is with Atlas that Lily finds a kindred spirit; the boy next door who faces his own challenges. Through her early relationship with Atlas, Lily establishes a foundation of love and safety that she carries with her, much to the frustration of Lily’s current love, Ryle.

The movie’s main strength is its commentary on abusive relationships: the insidious struggle of self-doubt, the astonishment of realising one is a victim, and the generational wreckage that may be wrought.

Verdict: A golden Mills & Boon romantic drama, elevated by its timely theme, and ability to provide an empathetic viewpoint of one living through a cycle of abuse. 3 stars.

Luke McWilliams, themovieclub.net. Viewed at Dendy Cinemas.