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zaineylaney's review
4.0
✨ The Title/Cover Draw:
I had been following the author on Tiktok and since I have a love for The Secret garden, I had to read this. Thank you to Turn the Page Tours and Lorelei for allowing me to read this ahead of publication to share with you all!
I had been following the author on Tiktok and since I have a love for The Secret garden, I had to read this. Thank you to Turn the Page Tours and Lorelei for allowing me to read this ahead of publication to share with you all!
abooklikeyou's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
4.0
*First read in May 2022, Reread in April/May 2024, and I loved it just as my as the first time I read it and still agree with my original 4-star rating. This book is truly a beautiful Secret Garden retelling and picture of grief and hope. My review below still stands!
🌷This was a beautiful retelling/reimagining of the Secret Garden! I think if that’s a classic you enjoy then you should definitely consider giving this one a try.
🎨 I loved the way grief was explored here and seeing how it affected people through color/graying!
💕 The cover is really what drew me into this one initially, but the beautiful writing kept me hooked!
💛 I enjoyed being able to bring the lessons in this story back to my faith. I’m not sure if it was intentional or not, but I felt like there were some great Christian messages that could be pulled from this story and I loved that!
🌪 I thought I had everything figured out, but I sure didn’t see that twist coming! I loved it!
🌷This was a beautiful retelling/reimagining of the Secret Garden! I think if that’s a classic you enjoy then you should definitely consider giving this one a try.
🎨 I loved the way grief was explored here and seeing how it affected people through color/graying!
💕 The cover is really what drew me into this one initially, but the beautiful writing kept me hooked!
💛 I enjoyed being able to bring the lessons in this story back to my faith. I’m not sure if it was intentional or not, but I felt like there were some great Christian messages that could be pulled from this story and I loved that!
🌪 I thought I had everything figured out, but I sure didn’t see that twist coming! I loved it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
jenprit13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lindseyswan's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
briannethebookworm's review
5.0
“Clement, what if we can be so sad it hurts sometimes, but still also have a future?”
Synopsis: When Lottie tragically loses both of her parents, she is given an opportunity to leave her current life to stay with her estranged Uncle Henry in a world between the living and dead. If she chooses to stay with her uncle, she will need to abandon her life in Vivelle but in exchange will have the opportunity to potentially be reunited with her parents.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Lorelei Savaryn does it again! This was a beautiful story with imagery that made me feel like I was reading a fairytale. It’s a story about the power of grief and the need for human connection that will resonate with young readers and adults alike. I loved the symbolism throughout the book, but I especially liked the characters turning into the “Living Gray” as they suffered the hardships and losses of life. Clement’s father was a heartbreaking example of how being a victim of grief can cause you to isolate yourself and abandon the people still present in your life. If you’ve lost someone, the story will speak to you and make you feel understood. I switched between the physical copy and audiobook for this one, and I highly recommend the audio! If you haven’t already, check out her first book, The Circus of Stolen Dreams and visit her page @thebutterflybookshop.
Synopsis: When Lottie tragically loses both of her parents, she is given an opportunity to leave her current life to stay with her estranged Uncle Henry in a world between the living and dead. If she chooses to stay with her uncle, she will need to abandon her life in Vivelle but in exchange will have the opportunity to potentially be reunited with her parents.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Lorelei Savaryn does it again! This was a beautiful story with imagery that made me feel like I was reading a fairytale. It’s a story about the power of grief and the need for human connection that will resonate with young readers and adults alike. I loved the symbolism throughout the book, but I especially liked the characters turning into the “Living Gray” as they suffered the hardships and losses of life. Clement’s father was a heartbreaking example of how being a victim of grief can cause you to isolate yourself and abandon the people still present in your life. If you’ve lost someone, the story will speak to you and make you feel understood. I switched between the physical copy and audiobook for this one, and I highly recommend the audio! If you haven’t already, check out her first book, The Circus of Stolen Dreams and visit her page @thebutterflybookshop.
blackthorn2221's review against another edition
4.0
This was basically a retelling of the secret garden. It talked a lot about grief and learning to heal afterwards. The imagery was really good.
therobinwrites's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sierra_color's review against another edition
3.0
I like the concept of this book and how it uses color to symbolize grief and happiness. I also like the interesting premise of people who have lost everything/ are struggling are grey, whereas those who have healed, or who have had happy lives are colorful. I like how color, and being to see it and appreciate it represents wonder and the vigor to live.
But, I do think that I can only give this book three stars. Due to the fact that it went by pretty fast. And not in a way where it's like, "oh I read that fast!" but in a way of "oh.. that was rushed."
The relationship between Lottie and her cousin was rushed, they bond immediately. This book is inspired by the [b:The Secret Garden|2998|The Secret Garden|Frances Hodgson Burnett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327873635l/2998._SY75_.jpg|3186437], and what makes that book stand out is the fact that it's about two ignored/n neglected children learning to love someone besides themselves, while also learning to love themselves as well, and learning that life has more to offer than riches.
This book is about two children learning to combat and heal from their grief, and while I really like that story, the book, even though it's 300 plus pages long, doesn't give the reader enough time to see that. The story is like, 'oh we're hanging out in the garden and healing!'
And I dunno, it just felt rushed, especially near the end!
Speaking of the end, the villain was disappointing? I loved the magic in this book (by the way, I don't think this is magical realism? More so fantasy? Idk?) but, I think labeling some magic as "bad" and "good" really defeats the entire purpose of the story, and I think it would've been more interesting to represent magic as a sort of wibbly-wobbly thing that can be good, or bad, or both, or neither. And just.. Mrs. Hale, and her whole "ohhh! I'm the villain and I'm coming to destroy you ohoho!" bit was boring. It really made my interest in the book plummet completely! Because of course she's like that! Like, come on! I want more from her! I dunno, and she was just a cliché villain overall, I think she could've been interesting, but then she just quickly faded into being forgettable and boring. Which, just made me lose interest in Lottie in her story, by the last few chapters, I was forcing myself to read it and just.. be done with this boook!
So, this is a three star book for me. I was a bit cautious about this book at first, but if you're having one of those days where you need an easy, chill read, than this is it. I like it, but don't LOVE it. I'm not absolutely gaga for this book! And that's because of the pacing, the lack of realistic character development, and especially the villain. I feel like more time being dedicated to the cousins getting to know each other, and learn about each other, would've been nice, and more time to see them heal and learn to cope with their grief would've been good too. It's a nice retelling of the story it's based on, but the original has the maturity, pacing, and relationships that most people are looking for.
All in all, a nice book, but I don't think I'll pick it up again any time soon.
But, I do think that I can only give this book three stars. Due to the fact that it went by pretty fast. And not in a way where it's like, "oh I read that fast!" but in a way of "oh.. that was rushed."
The relationship between Lottie and her cousin was rushed, they bond immediately. This book is inspired by the [b:The Secret Garden|2998|The Secret Garden|Frances Hodgson Burnett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327873635l/2998._SY75_.jpg|3186437], and what makes that book stand out is the fact that it's about two ignored/n neglected children learning to love someone besides themselves, while also learning to love themselves as well, and learning that life has more to offer than riches.
This book is about two children learning to combat and heal from their grief, and while I really like that story, the book, even though it's 300 plus pages long, doesn't give the reader enough time to see that. The story is like, 'oh we're hanging out in the garden and healing!'
And I dunno, it just felt rushed, especially near the end!
Speaking of the end, the villain was disappointing? I loved the magic in this book (by the way, I don't think this is magical realism? More so fantasy? Idk?) but, I think labeling some magic as "bad" and "good" really defeats the entire purpose of the story, and I think it would've been more interesting to represent magic as a sort of wibbly-wobbly thing that can be good, or bad, or both, or neither. And just.. Mrs. Hale, and her whole "ohhh! I'm the villain and I'm coming to destroy you ohoho!" bit was boring. It really made my interest in the book plummet completely! Because of course she's like that! Like, come on! I want more from her! I dunno, and she was just a cliché villain overall, I think she could've been interesting, but then she just quickly faded into being forgettable and boring. Which, just made me lose interest in Lottie in her story, by the last few chapters, I was forcing myself to read it and just.. be done with this boook!
So, this is a three star book for me. I was a bit cautious about this book at first, but if you're having one of those days where you need an easy, chill read, than this is it. I like it, but don't LOVE it. I'm not absolutely gaga for this book! And that's because of the pacing, the lack of realistic character development, and especially the villain. I feel like more time being dedicated to the cousins getting to know each other, and learn about each other, would've been nice, and more time to see them heal and learn to cope with their grief would've been good too. It's a nice retelling of the story it's based on, but the original has the maturity, pacing, and relationships that most people are looking for.
All in all, a nice book, but I don't think I'll pick it up again any time soon.
meghantrainer's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5