It's devastating for a perfumer to lose her sense of smell but that's what happened to Poppy. And so she retreats from Paris to home- in the Napa Valley. Things are not as she remembered though and she must find a new path. I liked this for the family scenes, the characters , and the details of making perfume. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A delightful and easy read.

Perfume, tea, gardens and hilarious grandmothers. Poppy must return to her family home after being away for a long time. She has the pressure of a lot of expectations put upon her by her family. I was compelled by the story that starts in Paris and ends in Napa Valley and the family business. It takes some time for Poppy to unwind and start standing up for herself. Her Indian grandmothers helped her along the way and they were quite entertaining. The author was able to capture a lot of family dynamic while maintaining a light read feel to the book. I did think the romance in the book was a bit stilted. I did enjoy the ending and overall a good read!

First off, I absolutely love the cultural details! I grew up with an Indian best friend and I loved seeing some of her culture represented!!

This story follows Asha, an up and coming perfume maker. Except she ends up hitting a couple roadblocks in her career and is forced to go on a vacation. She ends up coming back home to spend time with her family and she realizes how lonely she has been since moving to Paris. She goes on a self love and discovery journey to find what makes her happy again.

I loved this story! I loved the family dynamics and the cultural details! I also am a huge tea lover so I adore how that was incorporated. I totally hope there’s a second book about Millie and her man that will give more beautiful details about Asha and her man.

I really enjoyed this layered story about
families, expectations, callings, and much more. I was drawn into the theme of the
power of the sense of smell and how much it enriches life. I also really enjoyed the themes of Indian immigrants and how the generations to follow make a life in the U.S.. Beautifully told!

A story about the struggle of finding one's own passion and path vs. family obligation and traditions, these are topics which all speak to me. To be an adult and unsure about what is it you want and how to move forward, to feel left out and left behind by friends and family when you move to another country are all things that I can relate to,

So after some initial struggle to get into the book, I found it an easy read, finishing in just a couple of days. I was slow to get into this book as I found the extensive descriptions and brand dropping of Poppy's outfits off-putting and quite unnecessary. But thanksfully this subsides after the first few chapters and only returns a little near the end of the novel.

I enjoyed the details about perfume making and the insights into the industry. It's really a topic I knew very little about. The descriptions about the beauty of Napa Valley would make any reader want to plan a trip there as soon as possible, it also gave me a hankering for Indian chai! Sadly the descriptions of Paris don't invoke quite the same urgancy to visit.

All in all, an enjoyable, thought provoking, easy read.


**Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

An absolute corker . . . totally engrossing and superbly written five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommend to all

"Scent of a Garden" by Namrata Patel is a captivating and enchanting novel. Set against the backdrop of Napa Valley, this beautifully written story follows the life of Asha "Poppy" Patel, a talented perfumer in Paris whose world is shattered when she loses her sense of smell.Poppy's character is beautifully developed, showcasing her growth and transformation throughout the story. The supporting cast, including her complex family and childhood friends, adds depth and nuance to the narrative.

Namrata Patel's novel is a heartfelt and evocative exploration of identity and family. "Scent of a Garden" will resonate with readers who appreciate lush descriptions, strong character development, and stories that inspire self-discovery and personal growth.

Loved this book about Asha who is a Paris perfumer who has a nose for scent and creates specialised perfumes for people. It is a great insight on how a perfume is created and how they create a certain kind of perfume.
When Asha loses her sense of smell she goes back home to the Napa valley where her parents run a successful hotel and her best friend Neel and her grandmothers who are in a group called the Nanis of Napa who are a wild bunch of older women having fun and I loved their adventures.
I really enjoyed the descriptions of the Napa valley and what is entailed in running a hotel, you feel part of Asha's rediscovery of her home and what the future holds.
Thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing for a ARC for a honest review.

This book lost my interest pretty early on, I’m sorry to say. The writing quality is nowhere near as good as with Meena Dave, which I adored.

I was so excited to get approved for this book! 🎉🎉🎉

I loved this story about Asha aka Poppy and finding her joy and passion in life. Asha was born with a gift and it helped launch her career in creating exquisite perfume. But when she got sick and lost the one thing she thought defined her, she went to the last place she was truly happy... She went home.

My favourite characters were the Nanis of Napa! Oh what a joy to be so free and full of life. Not caring about what others think or others perceptions... Guess that comes with maturity and age! 😅😉

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful story!

Poppy is a perfumer in Paris who has a gifted sense of smell. However, when she loses that sense of smell one day, she goes back home to California. She discovers there the land she remembers is not the same. Poppy must rediscover who she is.

This one was just ok for me. I think it was mostly writing style, which is a personal choice. Others who have read the author's other book might enjoy this one more.

Imagine a dab of your favorite perfume. If you close your eyes, take a deep breath, can you imagine the scents? Can you peel back the layers, find the florals, the herbs, the spices, the musk? Can you distill each essence into its respective parts, weigh the quantities, the right mixture to make magic? Have you ever considered the people who do just that?

Poppy's elevated sense of smell has always defined how she moves through the world, now on a trajectory leading right to her dreams of becoming a renowned Master Perfumer. That is, until a bout of illness robs her of her most prized sense, and puts her dreams in jeopardy. With nowhere else to turn, Poppy returns to her grandmother's fragrant garden where she first found her gift to rediscover not only her sense of smell, but the sense of self and the family she no longer recognises.

This was a fascinating read, I've never really considered what goes into making a perfume, how to balance and layer scents to create something appealling and unique. It was also the first time I saw the panini integrated into a book, while not really being the focus of it. Yes it was the catalyst for the story, but it wasn't the centre of it, and it made me wonder if and how authors will address the past few years in future books.

Poppy herself was exasperating at times, I hated how she treated Neel at times. But her identity crisis and the complex relationships with her family gave her nuance that made me like her despite myself. I love a story with complicated family dynamics, so this was right up my alley. Poppy's family was interesting, but fingers crossed that we get to see Neel and Millie's family drama play out.

Also, shoutout to the Nanis of Napa, and wondering if they accept people under 35. Asking for a friend. This book was like one of Poppy's perfumes, heavier notes of deep hurt and identity buoyed by love, laughs and a healthy dose of business savvy.

Scent of a Garden
By Narmata Patel
Pub Date: June 13, 2023
Lake Union
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The author is an Indian American author who resides in Boston.
The novel was a slow start for me, although I did enjoy the pacing later in the book as I enjoyed the Womans self discovery in her dream, family and love,
3 stars

This book was a great escape into the world of scent and the various ways that our senses affect our quality of life. While appreciation for nature, herbs and flowers was the main theme, the story as a whole is a lesson in the generational struggles of immigrant and minority families in America.

While there weren’t really any surprises or a-ha moments in this book, it was enjoyable overall. Just the right balance of familiar and fresh!

Asha is a perfumer and works for International Flavors and Fragrances in Paris. When her sense of smell is lost, she returns to her home in California. It was in her grandmother's garden where she first realized her ability and was hoping that being back in the garden would help her regain a sense of smell. The book cover for Scent of a Garden is beautiful and captured my attention. Unfortunately, the storyline itself did not and I just couldn't get into the story. I could not relate to the characters. Thanks to the author, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Scent of a Garden by Namrata Patel is an absorbing story of family dynamics, friendship, ambitions, and self-discovery.

Scent of a Garden is a well-researched book. I loved reading all about perfumes and teas. Strong family dynamics lie at the core of this story, while Asha’s desire to succeed and carve a name for herself is the main underlying theme thread. I loved the Desai and Patel camaraderie, especially the extended family WhatsApp group, and the grandmothers who are breaking barriers. Kudos to Patel for steering away from stereotyping Indian Americans.

The story has three main female protagonists. Asha, Sapna, and Leela. All of them are strong and have their distinct voices. All these characters are relatable and well-sketched. Their varied family dynamics make the narration interesting. Asha’s relationship with her mother and grandmother is diametrically opposite and well described. Apart from them, the two Desai women play important roles.

Among the other characters, I loved Neel the most. I could go on and on about his laid-back attitude, sense of humour, relationship with his sister and grannies, cooking skills… Lemme just say… I will remember Neel for a long time.

Patel uses many Gujarati references. While I enjoyed reading them, readers unfamiliar with the language and culture might struggle a bit.

The Napa Valley settings are really descriptive and transported me miles away from my bedroom. It’s a slow-paced novel, but that didn’t hamper my reading experience.

Patel describes the struggle of three generations of women, and I could relate with each of them. The Nanis of Napa Valley are a delectable bunch of senior women. Some serious life goals there! It was interesting to see Asha’s progression as she dived deeper into the search for her identity.

Overall, I enjoyed most of the novel, except for Asha’s behaviour around Neel. It was contrasting with her character sketch. The ending was as I expected, but for some reason, it was rushed. I would have loved it even more if the author had shed light on the changed family dynamics at the end. The narration is slightly repetitive in the middle and the novel would have been equally enjoyable even if it was shorter by more than a dozen-odd pages.

Scent of a Garden is a wonderful story exploring interesting themes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the arc of this book.

Wordsopedia rating 3.9/5

I genuinely enjoyed this story about a perfumer who lost her sense of smell during Covid.

As the daughter of Napa Valley hoteliers, Asha "Poppy" Patel has an important decision to make, or will she wait for her sense of smell to return? She leaves Paris, where she was working, to return home to California with the question lingering over her head.

This story was well-written, and I loved reading about her family. The dynamics were on point. She also has a family friend named Neel, who I hope the author will write about in future books about this family. Scent of A Garden is a feel-good story with enough drama to hold your attention. I enjoyed meeting some of her family members, who I hope to read about in a future book. These characters have more stories to give us.

Scent of a Garden by Namrata Patel is a heartwarming novel that explores themes of family, self-discovery, and the importance of taking risks. The book follows Asha "Poppy" Patel, a Parisian perfumer who returns to her California roots after losing her heightened sense of smell. Hoping to find solace in her grandmother's aromatic garden, Poppy discovers that the garden has been uprooted and destroyed. As she navigates family drama and childhood friendships, Poppy must find a way to chart her own path of rediscovery and heal from an unscented life.

The author does a great job of describing the scents and fragrances that Poppy encounters, making the story come alive for the reader. The characters are well-developed, and their relationships with each other are complex and realistic. The plot moves at a steady pace, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged.

One of the book's strengths is its exploration of family dynamics. Poppy's relationships with her parents, especially her mother, are complex and emotionally charged. The book also delves into the tension between pursuing one's dreams and fulfilling family expectations. These themes will resonate with many readers, making the book relatable and thought-provoking.

However, there are a few areas where the book falls short. The plot is predictable at times, and some of the conflicts are resolved too easily. The ending feels rushed, leaving some loose ends untied. Also, some of the secondary characters are underdeveloped, making their motivations unclear.

Overall, Scent of a Garden is a well-written and engaging novel that explores important themes of family, self-discovery, and taking risks. While the book has a few flaws, its strengths outweigh them, making it a worthwhile read. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a heartwarming story with relatable characters and complex family dynamics. I give it a solid 3.75/5 stars.

Scent of a Garden is a rather original piece. Its major draw lies in the heroine’s professional background and medical condition: she’s a perfumer suffering from a loss of her sense of smell due to Covid. A mistake she made in her job led her on a journey of self-doubt and inner reflection to figure out what she really wants in life. Basically, the novel centers on her relationship with her mother and extended family, as well as her past choices that led her to where she is. The writing style is rather pleasant, and the reading experience is agreeable overall (especially all the references to smells) but it does tend to drag on multiple times. It’s a nice, out-of-the-box piece with a diverse cast that felt natural and refreshing. This story made me want to read books about the art of crafting perfumes.

When she loses a unique skill that she spent nearly all of her life nurturing, Asha Patel is left to question her career and life path along with the expectations of those around her and her own as well.

This novel follows Asha's journey as she re-discovers herself and her passions, with the author creating a three-dimensional South Asian character who is allowed to be messy and make mistakes along the way. Scent of a Garden is a lovely story of family, home, and inner strength,

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.