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abrittlebee's review against another edition
1.0
The language in The Poppy and The Rose was very eloquent and poetic. It made reading the novel very pleasant because it was not overly descriptive or repetitive, but it did feel substantial and worth paying attention to every word. The way in which the dual narrative was handled also felt very directorial and unique. Being that half the book was historical fiction and the other half was a modern mystery, I knew right of the bat that one narrative was going to be more engaging than the other. This is something that is fairly unavoidable when a novel has two distinct narrative voices and plot lines. However, the fact that the modern protagonist, Taylor, was just as engaged with reading about Ava, the Titanic survivor and historical narrator, endeared me more to Taylor and therefor ensured that I was not trying to rush through the modern mystery sections of the novel.
The one major issue I had with The Poppy and The Rose has to do with how information was conveyed. It is very obvious that this book was very well-researched. However, the constant historical name dropping and complete references to historical events in the inner monologue and the dialogue was way too intrusive. I say "complete references" because, rather than a subtle hint at a historical event for context, there was instead entire sentences detailing an event, who was involved, and how everything panned out. These references and names would often come out of nowhere, and have little to no real impact on either plot line. As such, they read more as a textbook entry and would break the immersion of the story
The one major issue I had with The Poppy and The Rose has to do with how information was conveyed. It is very obvious that this book was very well-researched. However, the constant historical name dropping and complete references to historical events in the inner monologue and the dialogue was way too intrusive. I say "complete references" because, rather than a subtle hint at a historical event for context, there was instead entire sentences detailing an event, who was involved, and how everything panned out. These references and names would often come out of nowhere, and have little to no real impact on either plot line. As such, they read more as a textbook entry and would break the immersion of the story
onepageatatime's review against another edition
5.0
I have always been intrigued by the Titanic and how everything that happened was kind of the perfect storm. When I saw this book was a duel POV Titanic mystery novel I had to pick it up. I was kept on the edge of my seat the whole time. I was drawn in by the accurate portrayal of the families and the high society aboard the Titanic and Taylor's need to know more about Ava really drove the book onward. I enjoyed seeing the similarities in both Taylor's and Ava's lives and how they intertwined at the end in such an unpredictable way.
cossettereads's review against another edition
3.0
In 1912, socialite and photographer Ava Knight is departing for the Titanic with her father, when she’s approached by a strange lady with a horrifying premonition, and an even stranger soldier with a glass eye who promises to make her wishes come true, as long as Ava becomes his spy. Torn between figuring out who to trust, and what to do, Ava embarks on an investigation of her own.
In 2010, Taylor Romano arrives for a summer journalism program at Oxford, with the secret agenda of solving a mystery of her own: who is the lady in the photograph with her father? It’s not a question she can ask her father, who passed away in the war a few years prior, or her mother, who is still grieving. She’s invited to tea by a mysterious benefactor, Mae, who promises to tell Taylor about her father. Against better judgment, Taylor decides to skip out on orientation for the journalism program, and go to tea instead. What she doesn’t realize is that Mae passed away the night before, leaving Taylor with a single clue -- A Titanic survivor by the name of Ava’s memoir, with the words “Find Will” scrawled in haste script on the inside. With this memoir as her only clue, Taylor must take a trip into the past to find out the link between Ava’s and her father’s, as well as Mae’s death.
The Poppy and The Rose is told in two narratives -- Ava’s, which mostly takes place in 1912, and Taylor’s, which takes place in modern day. I felt like the two narratives were weaved seamlessly, and loved reading Ava’s story, how Taylor reacted to it, and how it was all part of the bigger mystery. While I’m not usually much for mysteries and thrillers, I’m a sucker for historical fiction, and more so, the Titanic. I’ve always been fascinated by the history of the Titanic, and absolutely loved that aspect of this book. I found Ava’s story incredibly compelling -- much more so than I did Taylor’s, even if I found Ava to be a little unlikeable at times. The three overarching mysteries: The woman in the picture, Mae’s murder, the happenings on the Titanic, were all captivating, although I was mostly interested about the Titanic, and felt like the woman in the photograph, and Mae’s murder were more so background side plots. Even so, I found myself holding my breath along with both Ava and Taylor, hoping that everything would turn out alright in the end, and being shocked again and again at all the different twists and turns.
I found The Poppy and The Rose to be a quick read, and didn’t want to put it down.
Unfortunately, I felt like everything was a little rushed near the end. As I’m not British, I can’t speak from experience, but I felt like a lot of stereotypes were used, and it felt inauthentic. Overall, I found The Poppy and The Rose an easy read, and would recommend it to any lovers of The Titanic, or anyone looking for a nice mystery novel!
In 2010, Taylor Romano arrives for a summer journalism program at Oxford, with the secret agenda of solving a mystery of her own: who is the lady in the photograph with her father? It’s not a question she can ask her father, who passed away in the war a few years prior, or her mother, who is still grieving. She’s invited to tea by a mysterious benefactor, Mae, who promises to tell Taylor about her father. Against better judgment, Taylor decides to skip out on orientation for the journalism program, and go to tea instead. What she doesn’t realize is that Mae passed away the night before, leaving Taylor with a single clue -- A Titanic survivor by the name of Ava’s memoir, with the words “Find Will” scrawled in haste script on the inside. With this memoir as her only clue, Taylor must take a trip into the past to find out the link between Ava’s and her father’s, as well as Mae’s death.
The Poppy and The Rose is told in two narratives -- Ava’s, which mostly takes place in 1912, and Taylor’s, which takes place in modern day. I felt like the two narratives were weaved seamlessly, and loved reading Ava’s story, how Taylor reacted to it, and how it was all part of the bigger mystery. While I’m not usually much for mysteries and thrillers, I’m a sucker for historical fiction, and more so, the Titanic. I’ve always been fascinated by the history of the Titanic, and absolutely loved that aspect of this book. I found Ava’s story incredibly compelling -- much more so than I did Taylor’s, even if I found Ava to be a little unlikeable at times. The three overarching mysteries: The woman in the picture, Mae’s murder, the happenings on the Titanic, were all captivating, although I was mostly interested about the Titanic, and felt like the woman in the photograph, and Mae’s murder were more so background side plots. Even so, I found myself holding my breath along with both Ava and Taylor, hoping that everything would turn out alright in the end, and being shocked again and again at all the different twists and turns.
I found The Poppy and The Rose to be a quick read, and didn’t want to put it down.
Unfortunately, I felt like everything was a little rushed near the end. As I’m not British, I can’t speak from experience, but I felt like a lot of stereotypes were used, and it felt inauthentic. Overall, I found The Poppy and The Rose an easy read, and would recommend it to any lovers of The Titanic, or anyone looking for a nice mystery novel!
georgilvsbooks's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars.
With this being about the Titanic I knew I needed to have this!
However, the story just didn’t grip me.
If you are a fan of historical fiction you might like this.
With this being about the Titanic I knew I needed to have this!
However, the story just didn’t grip me.
If you are a fan of historical fiction you might like this.
vanessa_issa's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to Owl Hollow Press for ARC!
This book tells the story of Taylor Romano, a girl searching for answers about her past.
She sees a woman (who's not her mother) holding her father in a picture. So she wonders: who's she? Where were they? What happened? Did he have another family?
Back in 1912, Ava Knight, a young English aristocrat, boarded the Titanic. She met some incredible people there, and her life was changed forever. Now, in 2010, Taylor needs to read this story in order to know her own.
It was a good read!! I really like stories that take place on ships, especially the Titanic. It's the kind of book you might think you already know the ending, but you'll probably be surprised. I certainly was!
This book tells the story of Taylor Romano, a girl searching for answers about her past.
She sees a woman (who's not her mother) holding her father in a picture. So she wonders: who's she? Where were they? What happened? Did he have another family?
Back in 1912, Ava Knight, a young English aristocrat, boarded the Titanic. She met some incredible people there, and her life was changed forever. Now, in 2010, Taylor needs to read this story in order to know her own.
It was a good read!! I really like stories that take place on ships, especially the Titanic. It's the kind of book you might think you already know the ending, but you'll probably be surprised. I certainly was!
anxietygirl89's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
quolwy's review against another edition
2.0
With a promising description, I was certain I would like this book! Between a rendition of the sinking of the Titanic, and a mystery, jumping between timeline, it seemed like it couldn't fail, but yet I was somehow wrong.
While the beginning was promising, an interesting set up with likeable characters and sprinkling mystery elements into the narrative, I was pulled into the story pretty quickly. It wasn't until getting about 30% in that the story started to fizzle out for me. I found myself feeling reluctant to pick up the book, and only reading a chapter a day for the final 2 weeks of working on it.
Somewhere in the middle the plot got a bit convoluted, and just when I would begin to feel interesting in a timeline the chapter would end and it would switch, making me lose interest all over again. The twists and turns also needed a bit of refining, so overall while I though I would give this at least a 3.5* upon further reflection I feel sorry to say this ended up being a 2* for me.
Thank you Netgalley for giving me a free copy for an honest review.
While the beginning was promising, an interesting set up with likeable characters and sprinkling mystery elements into the narrative, I was pulled into the story pretty quickly. It wasn't until getting about 30% in that the story started to fizzle out for me. I found myself feeling reluctant to pick up the book, and only reading a chapter a day for the final 2 weeks of working on it.
Somewhere in the middle the plot got a bit convoluted, and just when I would begin to feel interesting in a timeline the chapter would end and it would switch, making me lose interest all over again. The twists and turns also needed a bit of refining, so overall while I though I would give this at least a 3.5* upon further reflection I feel sorry to say this ended up being a 2* for me.
Thank you Netgalley for giving me a free copy for an honest review.
trin_ney18's review against another edition
3.0
3/5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing this book for review for me. This in no way influences my thoughts or opinions
Well, this was unexpected.
This book does take a little bit to get into which kind of sucks because it is a shorter story. I love the blending of the past and the present as we unravel the mystery from both timelines.
Parts were to be expected and by that, I mean someone who isn't as inclined to correctly guess endings could probably pick up on some of the twists coming their way.
However, I could not fully account for how everything unfolded and it definitely drove the rating up for me and made the waiting game worth it.
I don't have any strong feelings for this book either way. It's a great story and I enjoyed myself. I will have to give a content warning for the Titanic sinking. The mass death really got to me and it is told from a survivor's point of view which makes it hard.
I will definitely keep an eye out for this author in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing this book for review for me. This in no way influences my thoughts or opinions
Well, this was unexpected.
This book does take a little bit to get into which kind of sucks because it is a shorter story. I love the blending of the past and the present as we unravel the mystery from both timelines.
Parts were to be expected and by that, I mean someone who isn't as inclined to correctly guess endings could probably pick up on some of the twists coming their way.
However, I could not fully account for how everything unfolded and it definitely drove the rating up for me and made the waiting game worth it.
I don't have any strong feelings for this book either way. It's a great story and I enjoyed myself. I will have to give a content warning for the Titanic sinking. The mass death really got to me and it is told from a survivor's point of view which makes it hard.
I will definitely keep an eye out for this author in the future.
martw4e's review against another edition
5.0
This book took my breath away. It wove together the story of a girl who doesn't know why she's been summoned to a manor and the story of a young woman on the Titanic, and their paths cross in the most inexplicable ways. As a reader, it felt like a mystery; some things I could figure out ahead of time and other I never quite puzzled out until the end of the book. There's an underlying urgency that's present throughout the book that weaves it's way into both the past and the book's present (speaking of which, those transitions were seamless).
As an avid fan of historical fiction, this book was perfect. There were so many nods to historical figures who were on the Titanic, and a good portion of Lady Ava's story was based on real historical evidence. The story was so intriguing that I genuinely hoped it was true. It was so easy to get lost in Cowles' writing that I could spend hours reading without realizing it.
There were so many profound messages in this book about the meaning of life and the lessons we learn from war, death, and tragedy. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone interested in the early 20th century, anyone who loves a good mystery, and any who likes to be invested in the books they read. This really was a fantastic story and I don't think I'll ever forget it.
As an avid fan of historical fiction, this book was perfect. There were so many nods to historical figures who were on the Titanic, and a good portion of Lady Ava's story was based on real historical evidence. The story was so intriguing that I genuinely hoped it was true. It was so easy to get lost in Cowles' writing that I could spend hours reading without realizing it.
There were so many profound messages in this book about the meaning of life and the lessons we learn from war, death, and tragedy. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone interested in the early 20th century, anyone who loves a good mystery, and any who likes to be invested in the books they read. This really was a fantastic story and I don't think I'll ever forget it.
kookie9200's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.
When Taylor Romano arrives in Oxford for a summer program, she doesn't expect to be met by a Rolls Royce. The old woman she meets inside is a surprise as well, and Lady Mae, the woman, is ready and willing to tell Taylor a story about her deceased father. That is, until Mae unexpectedly dies, leaving behind a memoir from Ava Knight, a survivor of the Titanic. How can the mystery Ava finds aboard the Titanic link back to Taylor's father?
Here's my problem with this book. The Titanic descriptions are great, but it feels like every bit of it is pulled from the movie. The wording, the people highlighted, all of it. It was weak storytelling that relied far too heavily on actual events to move a story forward. Second, the Taylor chapters were just her reading this diary of Ava's and every once in a while having an "Ah-ha!" moment. It's less mystery than show and tell. I wanted to like it, but the pieces just never fully came together for me, and it became predictable very quickly.
When Taylor Romano arrives in Oxford for a summer program, she doesn't expect to be met by a Rolls Royce. The old woman she meets inside is a surprise as well, and Lady Mae, the woman, is ready and willing to tell Taylor a story about her deceased father. That is, until Mae unexpectedly dies, leaving behind a memoir from Ava Knight, a survivor of the Titanic. How can the mystery Ava finds aboard the Titanic link back to Taylor's father?
Here's my problem with this book. The Titanic descriptions are great, but it feels like every bit of it is pulled from the movie. The wording, the people highlighted, all of it. It was weak storytelling that relied far too heavily on actual events to move a story forward. Second, the Taylor chapters were just her reading this diary of Ava's and every once in a while having an "Ah-ha!" moment. It's less mystery than show and tell. I wanted to like it, but the pieces just never fully came together for me, and it became predictable very quickly.