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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I both listened and read this novel and I really enjoyed Cassandra Campbell's narration, especially because I don't speak French and don't always know how to pronounce French words. :) At times the story felt a little sappy or melodramatic, but I did like it overall and the characters were fun to get to know. The setting was vivid and incredibly detailed. I could easily picture myself in a medieval garden estate in Provence, and would love to smell such a place! I also enjoyed the sumptuous descriptions of food, tea blends, and aromatic lotions. The Gardens of Paradise were as important a character as Eloise and her friends. There was plenty of emotion, healing, drama, and a hint of magic in this book, and it was an overall enjoyable read.
Thank you NetGalley, Harper Muse/Harper Collins, and Harper Muse Audiobooks for an advanced copy of this book.
Thank you NetGalley, Harper Muse/Harper Collins, and Harper Muse Audiobooks for an advanced copy of this book.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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
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:
Complicated
Unique, mysterious, and also hopeful - The Alchemy of Flowers has been one of my favorite reads of the summer. If you love French culture, I highly recommend this book. Heavy on the them of infertility and miscarriage, so please keep that in mind if that is a trigger for you.
Thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. Opinions expressed are my own. This book was released today, 07/29/25.
Thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. Opinions expressed are my own. This book was released today, 07/29/25.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
The Alchemy of Flowers wasn’t quite what I expected as I went into it pretty blind; it leaned more into magical realism than fantasy, but it had plenty of emotional depth. It felt simultaneously witchy and therapeutic/reflective. It is set in the beautiful and mysterious Jardins du Paradis in the South of France, which is what initially pulled me into the title. The story is rooted in grief, healing, and found family. The themes of motherhood, nature, and rediscovery are present throughout.
While the poetic writing was beautiful and immersive, it slowed the pacing and was distracting at times; the French phrases were very charming for a while, but then started to feel a bit overused.
It won’t be for everyone, and while I didn’t fully connect, I can see how this could resonate with readers who share the main character’s grief and experiences.
TW: fertility struggles, grief
The Alchemy of Flowers wasn’t quite what I expected as I went into it pretty blind; it leaned more into magical realism than fantasy, but it had plenty of emotional depth. It felt simultaneously witchy and therapeutic/reflective. It is set in the beautiful and mysterious Jardins du Paradis in the South of France, which is what initially pulled me into the title. The story is rooted in grief, healing, and found family. The themes of motherhood, nature, and rediscovery are present throughout.
While the poetic writing was beautiful and immersive, it slowed the pacing and was distracting at times; the French phrases were very charming for a while, but then started to feel a bit overused.
It won’t be for everyone, and while I didn’t fully connect, I can see how this could resonate with readers who share the main character’s grief and experiences.
TW: fertility struggles, grief
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
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 review.
Ugh. I wanted to like this one. I really did. As someone who actively left home in Denver to chase a dream in Europe after a divorce this sounded amazing. However… the minor little things include an absurd amount of time spent on food descriptions, flower explanations, and goddess summaries, which all just felt like too much layered like it was on top of so little plot. The book could have been half the length and not lost much. However my biggest problem is that it’s SO focused not just on family (as I expected from the summary) but childbirth. Pregnancy. Infertility treatments. Bearing children. As someone who does not nor has ever wanted children I really wish I had known this would be a book in which the FMC believes that producing offspring is the only natural way that women’s bodies work, because then I could have avoided it.
Ugh. I wanted to like this one. I really did. As someone who actively left home in Denver to chase a dream in Europe after a divorce this sounded amazing. However… the minor little things include an absurd amount of time spent on food descriptions, flower explanations, and goddess summaries, which all just felt like too much layered like it was on top of so little plot. The book could have been half the length and not lost much. However my biggest problem is that it’s SO focused not just on family (as I expected from the summary) but childbirth. Pregnancy. Infertility treatments. Bearing children. As someone who does not nor has ever wanted children I really wish I had known this would be a book in which the FMC believes that producing offspring is the only natural way that women’s bodies work, because then I could have avoided it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Pregnancy
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
This story is grounded in reality with magical elements mixed in. The story is told from Eloise's perspective so the reader learns about the garden as she does. The reader gets stories from Eloise's life before the garden to understand why she would choose to live in such a secluded place. The garden and the characters really came to life for me while reading. I went in knowing very little about the book and it think that helped me enjoy the book more.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
The Alchemy of Flowers AUDIO by Laura Resau was on the one hand, intriguing, and on the other, a little too woo-woo for me. Eloise is broken, her husband gone and her dream of having a child, gone as well. She burned up her life in Colorado (literally) and accepted a job as a gardener at a mansion in France. There she finds three other people and the very odd representative of the Patron, her unseen employer. Slowly she heals, essentially due to the other people there, each of whom have their own stories, and the flowers and herbs in the garden, including the tisanes she brews and those brewed by her predecessor. As she rises out of her fog, she becomes curious about the garden and the very odd rules laid down for the residents by the Patron. The others seem to just accept the oddities but Eloise cannot and it gets her in trouble.
The characters, personalities, and backstories of the three other residents slowly reveal themselves and they open up as Eloise opens up to them. One of the rules disallows children and yet she sees a small, almost feral child, and eventually gets to know her. The mystery of the place gets solved quite by accident and in a pretty dangerous way, but it continues the healing process for all of them. It is a curious mix of danger and calm. The characters are all interesting and well-developed. The mystery is truly a mystery and for what reason? Are there bodies involved? Yes. Are all of them explained? Not really. Had to keep listening. I was mesmerized.
The narrator is Cassandra Campbell, who made the whole thing eerier with her calm and almost monotone reading, although she did come alive as things got solved. An interesting voice to a very interesting story.
I was invited to listen to The Alchemy of Flowers by Harper Muse Audio. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Negalley #HarperMuseAudio #CassandraCampbell #LauraResau #TheAlchemyOfFlowers
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
I didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book. I enjoyed the majority of it, and I liked its messages. I wish there was a little more polish, but it held my attention, and I wanted to know what happened next, so it was entertaining.
This book is very light on the magical aspects, which I found disappointing. I wish the author had expanded more on Eloise's flower magic and why this garden was so special. I liked that there was mythology around the triple goddesses and the Furies, but it ended up being more mundane than I wanted. Genre-wise, this barely qualifies as magical realism.
The heart of the story is about healing and found family. Eloise struggles with infertility, and the others who work in the garden have their own traumatic history. Each person working there has to go through their own journey towards healing themselves. But they have each other for support and slowly grow together as a family.
The story changes from a slow read to a deeper mystery and then to a crazy, chaotic ending. I liked the happily ever after, but I wish the writing were more consistent. I liked the mystery part more than the beginning, but I found the ending rather disappointing. It's a little rough around the edges, but I did enjoy the book
This book is very light on the magical aspects, which I found disappointing. I wish the author had expanded more on Eloise's flower magic and why this garden was so special. I liked that there was mythology around the triple goddesses and the Furies, but it ended up being more mundane than I wanted. Genre-wise, this barely qualifies as magical realism.
The heart of the story is about healing and found family. Eloise struggles with infertility, and the others who work in the garden have their own traumatic history. Each person working there has to go through their own journey towards healing themselves. But they have each other for support and slowly grow together as a family.
The story changes from a slow read to a deeper mystery and then to a crazy, chaotic ending. I liked the happily ever after, but I wish the writing were more consistent. I liked the mystery part more than the beginning, but I found the ending rather disappointing. It's a little rough around the edges, but I did enjoy the book
Tucked far away in the south of France stands a castle surrounded by Les Jardins du Paradis. This magical garden is off limits to children and electronics, one of the main reasons Eloise chooses to seek employment in an escape from her old life in Colorado. Among the flowers she finds solace, she speaks to them and they talk back.
All is well as long as one follows the rules. But when bizarre things start to occur, Eloise starts asking more and more questions. It starts to take a dark turn hinting something wicked is going on. While growing closer with her companions they try to convince her to let it all go and follow the rules so she isn’t forced to leave.
Overall I enjoyed The Alchemy of Flowers. I felt some of the pacing was off and some parts became major info dumps, but the writing was beautiful. I had some suspicions throughout as to what was going on. And I felt the ending wrapped things up pretty nicely.
The Alchemy of Flowers is a whimsical read that took me back to The Secret Garden which is one of my favorite books growing up. It is a story of loss, of healing, and of found family. There are dark and suspenseful moments which is really what kept me going.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for this ARC opportunity. This is an honest and voluntary review.