A tender tale of motherhood, family, and loss, and a sudden chance to experience the ‘what-if’ of your life having taken a different path. Two years after the death of Libby, one of her four daughters, Celine is still unable to fully deal with the grief that has consumed (and propelled) her. She is unexpectedly thrown into a parallel world where Libby is still alive. She is also surrounded by her other three daughters and key figures, but not with the same relationship connections. Will the parallel world, with different relationships but a still-existing daughter be preferable to the real world and facing her grief?

Novels built on the premise of seeing two parallel life options based on one choice being different are ripe ground for nuanced character building and character exploration, and Marcelo does just that. It’s captivating to think about one change carrying such significant impact on story outcomes for a character. Marcelo does a phenomenal job with crafting detailed settings that make you feel you are right there next to the characters. If I closed my eyes, I swear I was able to reach out and touch the walls of Sampaguita.
I am a huge fan of Little Women, so while I was drawn in by the reference to Celine’s life mirroring Marmee’s, I didn’t see this theme play out as strong as I would have liked. I wish we could have spent more time outside the ‘what-if’ parallel world. I want to better understand how Celine’s daughters came to work for her in greater detail; what baggage do they carry around Libby’s death? Same with at the end; more time post ‘what-if’ and building out Celine’s life more fully.
Overall, a great read to pick up when you want something reflective and full of heart with a bit of emotional nuance.

I received an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book was nowhere near what I expected it to be. I was expecting a lighthearted story about flowers based on the cover and boy, was I surprised. It was a good surprise though. Marcelo takes the reader on a journey through beginning to process grief through the plot of this novel by showing an alternate world where the MC chose everything differently in her life, helping her to appreciate the life she has more. I don't want to keep going because I don't want to potentially spoil any of the plot, but this was a great read. I give it 4.5/5 stars only because the ending felt rushed.

Definitely a book worth reading when it comes out in the coming weeks!

This a delightful story of self discovery. Slightly paralleling Little Women, it tells a story of Celine, a mother of four and self help coach extraordinaire hitting a wall as she tries to move past the grief of losing her daughter. Hiding the pain causes her to abandon her family emotionally until it catches up to her. She wonders if she made a different choice, what would the outcome have been. It’s a self help book within a book about a mom who can’t and won’t deal with the passing of her daughter and the guilt she feels because she couldn’t be there for her.
It’s a sweet motivational story.

A great story about Celine who is greivejng the loss of her daughter. This contains the emotions around that and is definitely a good story. Thank you lake publishing and Netgalley!

A heart wrenching story of Celine a mother who is grieving the death of her daughter.Her daughter passed away two years ago.and she is suffering.So well written so emotional so moving.#netgalley #lakeunion

Two years since Celine lost her daughter Libby, she throws herself into her work to escape her grief. A shocking intervention leaves her an impossible choice, confront her grief or risk losing her family. Wondering what her life would be like if she chose her first love instead of her husband and all the pain, she wakes up the following day to the what-if reality.

This novel explored the possibility of what-ifs becoming a reality. In this new world, her daughters were co-workers, Libby was alive and renting out her home, Sampaguita.

This second chance she got was met with confusion. I'd imagine being confused at the new reality, and having to muddle through whilst trying to get back home.

She had a lot to work through, and this experience helped her realize just what she was missing out on by living in denial. I loved seeing her find her way home to her loved ones. Beautiful story 💚

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC.

After her daughter dies unexpectedly, Celine Lakad, a successful life coach throws her self completely into her work and building her brand, unable to deal with her grief. Worried about her, her family stages an intervention that takes an unexpected turn and catapults Celine into an alternate reality world of 'what if' and the road not chosen. As she deals with this new reality, it's like if Celine has been given a second change to reconnect with the people she loves and heal from the trauma and grief of her real life.

I'm a sucker for a pretty cover and this one is so gorgeous that I just couldn't resist it. A light, easy breezy read that unfortunately lacked the emotional, tug at the heartstring moments I was expecting from this type of storyline. I was in the mod for a tear jerker and this one just didn't deliver.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing an advanced digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

Fans of women's fiction should definitely enjoy Tif Marcelo's new release. WHEN JASMINE BLOOMS is a very emotional story about a mother dealing with grief after the loss of her child. Readers should relate to Celine's inability to deal with her tragic loss, instead throwing herself into her work as a life coach. When Celine gets the opportunity to explore an alternative "what if" scenario, she is able to reconnect with her departed daughter, Libby. I enjoyed how we were able to get to know both Celine and LIbby. The author did a great job at crafting multi-layered and realistic characters. The ending is also very well done and tugs at the heart strings. The theme that we need to leave the past in the past and appreciate what we have in the present is such an important one, and it's lovingly and gently conveyed in the novel. Ultimately this is a beautiful story about a woman's difficult but redemptive journey.

The story is about a mother grieving over the death of one of her daughters. I know I wouldn’t be able to deal if one of my children passed away. I Know be heartbroken. I felt really awful for the mother.

What if? What if Celine had made different choices? That's the premise behind this unusual novel about a woman's overwhelming grief at the loss of her child. Celine is able to motivate others but Libby's death put her in a hole and now she's thinking of an alternate universe where she made different choices (such as who to marry and so on). It wasn't what I expected and, to be honest, the Little Women connection didn't really work but over to others to decide for themselves. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC.

When Jasmine Blooms tell the story of a mother lost in her grief over the death of one of her daughters. While the premise is quite realistic, the journey into her alternative world/life lost me. If a time travel/alternative world type book appeals to you, you would like likely enjoy this book a bit more than I did.

Grief will make you do many things. Celine has never really gotten over her daughter Libby’s death. She buries herself in her work until one day her family stages an intervention.
They kinda give her an ultimatum which causes her to think about what if things had been different.
She falls and wakes up to a life that is a bit different than what she had.
This book turned out to be a little different from what I was expecting.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

An emotional story of a mother losing a daughter and her journey to escape her grief.

A way to view 'alternative realities', which provides readers with life lessons and 'what ifs'.

I thought the story was well written and engaging, sometimes I look for 'easier' reads to have a break from my usual thriller-style books, and this did just the trick.
I dipped in and out of this book at times when I needed escape, and it provided just that- an escape.

I would recommend this book, and I have added some other books from this author to my TBR pile.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!

This book broke my heart into a million pieces and then put it back together again. I liked the premise of what if and the road not taken. Once I was in Celie's parallel universe I felt the pain of the characters. The book was inspired by Little Women the only two connections I noticed were a mother who loses a daughter who is also a military wife. Tif Marcelo made sure that Celine was a character in her right and not a copy of Marmee.

I loved how Celine grew as a person and a character. She learned from her situation and her mistakes. She really tries to change by healing herself and her family. Even though the book deals with grief and other mental health issues it was a joy to read and be on Celiens's journey. Even though I would have loved to see more about the happenings of Celine and her family when she returns to her true world (or even more of the past before the loss of her daughter) I enjoyed this book a lot.

"When Jasmine Blooms" by Tif Marcelo is a beautiful and moving story about family, love, and the power of culture. The novel follows two main characters, Lindsey and Abby, as they navigate their lives and relationships amidst their Filipino heritage.

Lindsey is a successful lawyer in New York City who has never fully embraced her Filipino roots. When her father passes away, she is forced to confront her grief and her family's expectations of her. Meanwhile, Abby is a Filipina-American nurse who is struggling with her own family's expectations as she navigates a new relationship with a non-Filipino man.

The writing in "When Jasmine Blooms" is both evocative and emotionally resonant, painting a vivid picture of the sights, sounds, and flavors of the Philippines. Marcelo does an excellent job of exploring the complex relationships between family members, and the novel is at its strongest when delving into the intricate dynamics of the characters' families.

Overall, "When Jasmine Blooms" is a heartwarming and thoughtful novel that offers a glimpse into the complexities of cultural identity and family relationships. Marcelo's writing is both beautiful and insightful, making this a book that is sure to stay with readers long after they turn the last page.

celine lost her daughter two years ago and can't get on with her life, her friends try an intervention to see if that helps. interesting book.

This book definitely has a strong market, but it wasn't for me. I didn't find the characters particularly likeable, and the plot seemed to drag out a little. I think my expectations were high, following the comparison to Little Women, and so I ended up disappointed. I'd have enjoyed it more without the Little Women reference

Celine has lost her daughter, Libby, and throws herself into her writing and books to help with the grief. She loses herself so badly in her work that her family puts together an intervention. The intervention puts Celine in a weird other world. Where she lives out her what if moments.

I'm not sure about this book. I wanted to love it because of its tie in with Little Women, but I feel like it's not complete. The ending feels rushed. I didn't feel a connection with any of the characters.

The author's writing style was great, the story line was great, I just feel like something is missing.

My dislike for the main character drove me to finish this novel. It took every ounce of me to flip each page, the FMC Celine is extremely unloveable and so stubborn it’s borderline annoying. The storyline is extremely slow moving with little progression until the back half of the book and the random snippets of Little Women adds more confusion.

Celine is a participant in a club that no mother wants to join, the loss of a child. It is never the right trajectory of life to lose your child, but that is exactly what has happened to Celine and her husband, Quinn. Celine has thrown herself into her work, leaving her family behind. While she is successful at helping many others worldwide with their lives, as a motivational speaker, she is unable to help herself. Her family and close friends stage an intervention, with alarming results. Celine is transported to the past and can envision what her life would have been like. I enjoyed the character development of Celine throughout the book (in her current life and what could have been). I would have enjoyed more character development of the rest of her children. While we were able to get quite familiar with Libby, we really did not get to know her other children, which I feel would have added more to the story. I liked the characters, and felt for Celine’s family as they were trying to draw her out of her grief and make her face it. I would have enjoyed more story development after Celine returned to her “current life” to really envision how her time travel impacted her current life. I feel that the book sort of dropped off after she returned to her current life. With that being said, this was an easy, delightful read. This book’s theme focused on family and grief. I did enjoy this book and will look for more by this author. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.