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A review by saram618
The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio
3.0
In this historical mystery we have 2 timelines going on. One is the present day and is narrated by Addison, who has some secrets in her past that unfold throughout the course of the book. Addison and her husband go to England to stay in his parents' newly purchased estate. Here is where we overlap with the historical storyline narrated by Flora. I will pause here to say that it was overkill to name a character Flora in a book with flowers as the main theme. Anyway, Flora arrives at this same estate in 1940 and gets caught up in the family (as their nanny) and the mysterious death of the lady of the house, Anna.
I really liked that as one part of the mystery developed in the past, the characters in the present day were also finding clues to this same mystery. I didn't really love the present day "mystery" Addison was dealing with. It felt forced and over-the-top. I got that it was meant to link the two story lines together, but it wasn't needed. Also, the constant mention of the camellias was a little much, but I get why it was there. That being said, this book was very engaging. I picked it up planning to read a few chapters and the next thing I knew I was 150 pages in (and ended up finishing it in one day). I'd recommend it to someone looking for a quick and entertaining read!
Side note... is/was flower thievery an actual thing??
I really liked that as one part of the mystery developed in the past, the characters in the present day were also finding clues to this same mystery. I didn't really love the present day "mystery" Addison was dealing with. It felt forced and over-the-top. I got that it was meant to link the two story lines together, but it wasn't needed. Also, the constant mention of the camellias was a little much, but I get why it was there. That being said, this book was very engaging. I picked it up planning to read a few chapters and the next thing I knew I was 150 pages in (and ended up finishing it in one day). I'd recommend it to someone looking for a quick and entertaining read!
Side note... is/was flower thievery an actual thing??