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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me access to the audio ARC of this book!
The Alchemy of Flowers by Laura Resau is an atmospheric and touching novel centered around many themes of loss. Each character we meet has had their own hell to deal with in life, and has come to Paradis to get away from whatever it is that plagues them.
The main character Eloise leaves behind a life in Denver in order to have a new start in an idyllic French chateau tending to the garden. As the story progresses, we come to learn more about each character’s unique backstory, like a bud opening up to become a flower. With a hint of magi-realism, this book covers some very heavy topics, so please be careful when reading.
This book was definitely more than it seemed. I anticipated it being more care-free but at the end it took a mysterious turn. It was very good, and had a lovely message about healing, and how no two journeys are the same.
If you are feeling lost or broken, I hope you find your own Château du Paradis to heal in
slow-paced
Give me a magical realism story set in France and filled with nature writing any day! The writing was very vivid, allowing me to imagine the French countryside filled with gorgeous flowers. There is an air of mystery threading its way through the story and also a love story that is a sub plot making this a fun genre mashup. While I haven’t read The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, this book had me thinking about picking that one up all throughout.
Rating:
I liked it
What you’ll find:
Magical realism
Wood sprites
French setting
Food writing
Second chance love
Rating:
I liked it
What you’ll find:
Magical realism
Wood sprites
French setting
Food writing
Second chance love
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion. The story was and intriguing premise but ended up not able to finish this book.
The premise, healing from heartbreak, escaping to a castle, and uncovering its hidden secrets, immediately intrigued me. The slow build in the first 20% focused on lush garden scenes, mysterious disappearances of previous workers, and whispers of a goddess’s favor and wrath. I especially liked the touch of magical realism with Eloise’s ability to hear flowers.
The premise, healing from heartbreak, escaping to a castle, and uncovering its hidden secrets, immediately intrigued me. The slow build in the first 20% focused on lush garden scenes, mysterious disappearances of previous workers, and whispers of a goddess’s favor and wrath. I especially liked the touch of magical realism with Eloise’s ability to hear flowers.
Where I struggled was in connecting with the characters and pacing. By halfway, the relationships still felt surface-level, and a particular scene reflecting on Eloise’s infertility journey pulled me out entirely. While I understand that grief can bring up complicated and sometimes unflattering emotions, the comparison made in this moment struck me as deeply off-putting, and I couldn’t bring myself to continue.
Others may connect more with Eloise’s grief journey and find the slow-burn mystery rewarding. Sadly, this one just wasn’t for me.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This summer, I found myself utterly enchanted by The Alchemy of Flowers, a debut that blooms with magic, mystery, and the quiet power of second chances.
📚 At a Glance: Eloise Bourne arrives at the secretive French gardens of Le Château du Paradis, where strict rules guard hidden wonders. No gossip. No dusk wanderings. And no children... until a mysterious girl appears among the vines. As Eloise unearths the estate’s secrets, she rediscovers her capacity for hope, healing, and fierce love.
✨ Why I Adored It:
Fairytale Realism: The prose glimmers like morning dew, each bloom feels alive under Lucy’s pen.
Garden as Character: From rose arbors to moonlit greenhouses, the setting pulses with secrets you can almost smell.
Heartfelt Growth: Eloise’s journey, letting go of past hurts and opening her heart, will stay with you long after the last page.
Perfect Pacing: Gentle suspense and lush description balance in a story that feels both timeless and wholly fresh.
🎁 Gifted copy from @lauraresau & @uplitreads - All opinions are my own!
📚 At a Glance: Eloise Bourne arrives at the secretive French gardens of Le Château du Paradis, where strict rules guard hidden wonders. No gossip. No dusk wanderings. And no children... until a mysterious girl appears among the vines. As Eloise unearths the estate’s secrets, she rediscovers her capacity for hope, healing, and fierce love.
✨ Why I Adored It:
Fairytale Realism: The prose glimmers like morning dew, each bloom feels alive under Lucy’s pen.
Garden as Character: From rose arbors to moonlit greenhouses, the setting pulses with secrets you can almost smell.
Heartfelt Growth: Eloise’s journey, letting go of past hurts and opening her heart, will stay with you long after the last page.
Perfect Pacing: Gentle suspense and lush description balance in a story that feels both timeless and wholly fresh.
🎁 Gifted copy from @lauraresau & @uplitreads - All opinions are my own!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Pregnancy
A beautiful, emotional tale of a woman’s quest to heal from her past. Retreating after pregnancy losses, divorce and a change in her work life, Eloise seeks solace at a working French chateau in their gardens, where she hopes the flowers can restore her hope and purpose in life. There are rules she and her co-workers must follow too—children are forbidden being the most odd of all, especially after Eloise sees them at the property. Real life and magic start to merge, where Eloise gets assistance from Raphael, the handyman, to navigate the difference. The author showcased raw reflections on endometriosis and pregnancy loss, but wove them together with the language of flowers (grief, remembrance and calmness, gratitude and friendship, love and romance) to create a story of hope, love, and second chances.
I read the first half of this book and finished on audio—both are great ways to experience this story. Cassandra Campbell, the sole narrator, held my attention as her voice was clear and easy to understand: as well as portrayed a wide range of emotions respectively.
Thanks to the author. HarperMuse and Uplit for the gifted physical copy, eARC and ALC.
I read the first half of this book and finished on audio—both are great ways to experience this story. Cassandra Campbell, the sole narrator, held my attention as her voice was clear and easy to understand: as well as portrayed a wide range of emotions respectively.
Thanks to the author. HarperMuse and Uplit for the gifted physical copy, eARC and ALC.
To be published July 29, 2025- Thanks to Netgalley for the early ARC.
Eloise takes a chance, she's in desperate need of a change when she comes across a work advertisement in a magazine to tend to a secretive French Garden. It's magnificent, quiet, and while the rules seem a bit strange- Eloise is relieved to be there.
Eloise is enchanted, by the flowers and the company and is healing from the life she left behind. The groundskeeper is cute and they keep sneaking moments, the master of the house is strange and keeps repeating the no children rule, which Eloise can follow-until she thinks she starts seeing a small child running through the woods. Things start to shift into a magical realism kind of vibe at this point and Eloise starts looking for clarity.
It quickly becomes a found family, cozy book for awhile with some excitement at the end. Slight violence but nothing too gory.
The narration was magnificent and kept up well with the flowery writing style.
This would be a great pickup for anyone who loved the Secret Garden as a child.
Eloise takes a chance, she's in desperate need of a change when she comes across a work advertisement in a magazine to tend to a secretive French Garden. It's magnificent, quiet, and while the rules seem a bit strange- Eloise is relieved to be there.
Eloise is enchanted, by the flowers and the company and is healing from the life she left behind. The groundskeeper is cute and they keep sneaking moments, the master of the house is strange and keeps repeating the no children rule, which Eloise can follow-until she thinks she starts seeing a small child running through the woods. Things start to shift into a magical realism kind of vibe at this point and Eloise starts looking for clarity.
It quickly becomes a found family, cozy book for awhile with some excitement at the end. Slight violence but nothing too gory.
The narration was magnificent and kept up well with the flowery writing style.
This would be a great pickup for anyone who loved the Secret Garden as a child.
mysterious
medium-paced
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Very slow moving, but a beautiful world was created. The elements of world building/character building & the tense/conflict/horror elements felt unbalanced. There really didn't feel like a driving issue until 75%ish through the story- definitely a slow burn.
Thank you to Libro.fm for a copy of this audiobook through the Librarian ALC Program.
Thank you to Libro.fm for a copy of this audiobook through the Librarian ALC Program.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this one! The setting was so unique in a magical garden in France. The struggles and growth that the main character goes through with infertility is so raw and refreshing as I feel this is a topic that is largely underrepresented in women’s fiction.
Thank you NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4⭐️/5
Thank you NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4⭐️/5