Her Little Flowers from Shannon Morgan is a gothic thriller - in modern times. That said, removing a few small details would make this almost a time-less story.

Francine has lived in Thwaite Manor her entire life. As far as she can remember, it was always her, her sister Madeline and their mother. Their father drowned in her youth and they grew up as the town pariah. Her mother was the town "witch" and her sister Madeline was the town...well, she was the town tramp.

Francine has also been a friend to the many ghosts that live in the manor, from the tabby cat that sleeps next to her every night, to the young girl who keeps her company.

When her sister returns to Thwaite Manor after five years, something changes in the atmosphere, and evil enters the house.

Together the sisters, and Francine's lodgers, dig into the family history to discover the awful truth of the Thwaite family.
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When I say that this story is timeless, I mean when it actually takes place. In the first few chapters (because I wasn't paying attention to the date in the intro), this read as turn of the century, late 1800's. It took until the mention of "mobile phones" to make me look into the era bit further. Her resistance to technology and modernization helps set the scene and this entire storyline in motion AND that's why I really enjoyed this. Francine is a woman from another time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this fabulous debut.

I’ll preface this review by saying that, while I enjoy the horror genre, both in books and in film, I often find that it is difficult to execute in a way that is realistic and frightening. It can be difficult to capture a situation that is intense enough to cause a bit of apprehension without it being too unrealistic (and therefore unenjoyable). That being said, this book did it, and it did a great job of it. The author does a fantastic job narrating a story that envolves elements of human meanness, weakness, and confusion with the paranormal.

I really enjoyed this story. The main protagonist of the book was impacted for years by something that happened to her family 50 years previously. This tells the story of her working through her family history and solving an old mystery.

For her debut Morgan uses the language of flowers adding a layer to the story. A layer of passion towards nature, a layer of being part of our surroundings.

Her protagonists are marvellously middle aged in the middle of a ghost story, a story of family, love and hate and consequences and new beginnings.

I wouldn't label this as a horror story, rather a story with ghosts.

An ARC gently provided by autthor/publisher via Netgalley.

This is the perfect book for readers looking for a slow-burn mystery with beautiful prose and lots of descriptions. Unfortunately, that is not me. I liked how the old manor and gardens are depicted, but at some point, in between all the dialogues about the language of flowers, I lost interest in the plot. Francine can see ghosts and she is especially close to a small girl named Bree. When her sister comes back after another failed marriage and she’s forced to take two lodgers, things start to go bump in the night. It wasn’t scary or even creepy, so it will appeal to sensitive readers. I liked Bree, but I didn’t care for the rest of the characters. Francine is not just unlikable, but rude to everyone, including people who are trying to help, so I just couldn’t connect with her. This is not a bad novel, I’m just not the right reader.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Kensington!

A mother surrounded by her littles in the garden paints such a magical portrait. A place of safety and love but this portrait has danger lurking home at any moment. The mind can be a powerful thing at a young age to lock away traumatic life events. Francine has learned just that as she goes on the journey to uncover what happened the night that changed everything. This was a heart string puller for sure. Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC!

Pub Date: July 25, 2023

"Readers of Eve Chase, Kate Morton, and Anita Frank will devour this bewitchingly atmospheric, melancholy modern ghost story set in the lush hills of England's Lake District. There, a solitary women's quiet life spent in her crumbling ancestral manor house with the company of a child's ghost is dramatically interrupted when her estranged sister returns to share a horrific story of cruelty and desperation from decades earlier...

Francine Thwaite has lived all her fifty-five years in her family's ancestral home, a rambling Elizabethan manor in England's Lake District. No other living soul resides there, but Francine isn't alone. There are ghosts in Thwaite Manor, harmless and familiar. Most beloved is Bree, the mischievous ghost girl who has been Francine's companion since childhood.

When Francine's estranged sister, Madeleine, returns to the manor after years away, she brings with her a story that threatens everything Francine has always believed. It is a tale of cruelty and desperation, of terror and unbearable heartache. And as Francine learns more about the darkness in her family's past - and the role she may have played in it - she realizes that confronting the truth may mean losing what she holds most dear.

As moving and poignant as it is chilling, Her Little Flowers is a story of grief and enduring love - and of the haunting regrets only forgiveness can dispel."

Are the ghosts people murdered by the family!?! I can't be the only one thinking that!

I haven't read a ghost story for a while, but the cover and title of Her Little Flowers caught my attention. Fifty-five-year-old Francine lives in a manor in England’s Lake District, not alone, but with several ghosts of course. The story is about sisters, family secrets, reading tea leaves, and ghosts. But nothing that would keep you awake at night. I liked how the author referenced the use and meaning of various flowers throughout the novel. This book is not in my usual genre but it held my attention. Mystery loves will enjoy reading this book. Thanks to author Shannon Morgan, Kensington Books, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to preview this book in exchange for an honest review. I have conflicting feelings about Her Little Flowers by Shannon Morgan. It is a gothic, haunted house story told in two timelines; one current day and one when the owner was a child living there. The childhood flashbacks take place mostly on one day and are incredibly suspenseful. We know that something bad is going to happen, just not exactly what or how. The suspense is what really kept me on my toes and interested in continuing.

The reason I couldn't rate this higher was that there is violence towards women and girls that was hard to get through. The Thwaite family women/girls were severely mistreated and abused by their patriarch, and it was brutal to feel their trauma and fear towards him. That fear lasted long after his death and the trauma inflicted on them as children affected them the rest of their lives.

Overall, I needed to know how this ended, so I stuck it out. I recommend this to fans of gothic and ghost stories that aren't overly sensitive to childhood trauma.

I thought that this was a good gothic read. It had all the necessary elements and a good storyline. Was it anything special? No. Was I mad about that? No.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

A Gothic story with all the right elements. Ghosts, creepy houses and weird people. The story is set in present day while reaching back to the 1960's and further.

An okay read. Telling the story in duo timelines brings my rating down a notch because this method (IMO) is so incredibly overused and cliche.

3.25☆

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very good atmospheric read. The cover is beautiful and caught my attention as did the synopsis. A gothic horror that pulls you straight in and doesn't lose its grip on the reader. The only thing I can say bad about it without giving away too much, is that the timeline and setting was a bit off which kind of made the experience of the story not too enjoyable. But, in it's own way, was a pretty decent read.

“Her little flowers” by Shannon Morgan is a gothic thriller told in two timelines about missing sisters and their ghosts.
Initially, I enjoyed it immensely, but the ending seemed forced and almost a whirlwind of twist. Overall, I will give this a 3, but was a bit disappointed.

People love this book..and I just can't get into it. I don't like Francine as a character or her sister Maddie. The old Victorian woman this 53 year old woman is acting like doesn't fit with Todd. The time line and background seem all over the place.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

A wonderful gothic mystery with plenty of ghosts, red herrings and family secrets to keep you entertained until the end. This one got off to a slow start for me, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down.

Francine isn't the most likeable main character you'll ever meet, and it's never quite clear what Todd sees in her, but she's interesting and she's everything a good Victorian spinster should be. The problem with that is that this isn't a Victorian ghost story. That's my biggest issue with this book -- it really comes across as Victorian, but it's not. It's set in the present day. So I'm reading along, enjoying the gloomy setting of the Lake District, picturing Francine in a long dress with a full skirt and Todd in a bowler hat, only for Todd to say something about the internet or his cell phone. Every time it happened it took me a moment to recalibrate and get back into the story, and in no time I was back to picturing Victorian characters. Very annoying, really.

The other issue is that it's a bit too long, but that's not a huge big deal. About the time it starts to drag and you're wondering "when is this gonna go somewhere?", it does.

Keefe is a bit of a cipher as a character, and Madelaine is neither here nor there -- she's just there to give Francine a reason to figure out the mystery. But Bree is fascinating, and I loved her relationship with Francine. The house itself is a great character as well, and I loved learning a bit about the language of flowers. Overall, one of my favorite ghost stories. This is Shannon Morgan's debut novel -- I look forward to seeing what else she comes up with.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was an engaging enough supernatural mystery, though I was hoping for more horror and a bit less old-fashioned British lady. It was fine, but I didn't super love the narrative voice, and that made it hard to keep my attention.

A haunting story !

Francine Thwaite has lived her life in her family home. At 53, she is known in town and studiously avoided. Francine is unbothered by this as she has her spirit friends and the strict rituals that guide her daily life in her family manor.

Her delicate balance is disrupted when her wayward sister returns home after ending a marriage. Madeleine has discovered some secrets about the home and the Thwaite family that will put every Francine holds dear at risk. Does Francine have the courage to face these new truths? #herlittleflowers #ShannonMorgan #kensingtonbooks

4.5 stars. This is a near perfect tale of horror and sadness. Gothic home and grounds with a poison garden; a family accident that lead to tragedy; a local abandoned asylum; oh, and fucking ghosts galore. This book will scare you and make your heart weep. There is hope sprinkled in the book as well so you're not completely depressed after reading it. The only thing I didn't care for were the flashbacks of the children, they seemed especially slow in the first half of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for my free-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In Her Little Flowers, we embark on a heart-wrenching journey with a family that has endured both loss and survival. Shannon Morgan's narrative is delivered in dual timelines that seamlessly blend the past and present.

We follow Francine, the protagonist, as she navigates her way through life, surrounded by the ghosts of her family's past. The lush gardens, which Francine has cultivated with her green thumb, provide an idyllic backdrop for the eerie manor and the woodland behind it. Morgan's descriptive writing adds an extra layer of tension that keeps readers on edge.

The language of flowers is a central theme in the book. The way in which they convey emotions and messages is fascinating. Memory, too, plays a significant role in this story as we witness the human mind's ability to block out trauma. It's a heartbreaking revelation when everything is finally unveiled.

But at the core of Her Little Flowers is the bond of sisterly love. The story shows how this love transcends life and death and how sisters will do anything to protect their loved ones.

As a reader, I found myself emotionally invested in the characters, particularly the young sisters whose mother's attempts to shield them from harm gutted me.

Overall, Her Little Flowers is a creatively written book.

I did mostly enjoy this book. The atmosphere is the best part of the novel and I also really enjoyed the characterizations of both sisters and their relationship. What missed the mark for me was the situation culminated in a scene that was ultimately anti-climactic and slightly ridiculous, and when you write the kind of story where everything sort of hinges on the resolution, it ended up taking away from my overall enjoyment of the book. I am interested in this author's future works but this one is solidly in the "meh" category for me.

Secrets and plant lore, the language of flowers. I loved it.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.