—“”I’d learned that lies have a scent too.”
This novel, by Erica Bauermeister, is a captivating story with a good descriptive title about a loving father and his daughter Emmaline and how their life on an isolated island came to be.
Sense of smell ranging from grass, saltwater and tobacco to perfume catches your attention. And all those bottles stored on the wall! Along with the good comes the bad. We encounter a wonderful loving couple and another family with an abusive husband and father.
How the book ends is sort of left to the imagination..
The author provides good characterization and vivid descriptions.
Will be a good read for bookclubs.

I've read all of Erica Bauermeister's books and this one was definitely my favorite. The power of scents to evoke emotion and memory is powerful and it is this idea that is at the core of this story. I was entranced by the life that Emmeline and her father live on an isolated island and then the power of love as this life unraveled. It was a beautifully told story.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

I requested this book because the description was so intriguing and unique. The beautiful cover was also a plus. However, after the first couple of chapters, I had to put it down. I just was not feeling the setting, characters, or plot. This genre and style is different than what I usually read, so it’s probably just me. The concept of the story is good, and maybe after a while, I might pick it back up.

The Scent Keeper weaves a magical story web that is sure to capture and hold the imagination of any reader who likes young-adult, realistic fiction. Erica Bauemeister paints a uniquely vivid picture of the world as told through the sense of smell of a young girl. The Scent Keeper manages to tell a story that is both magical and realistic at the same time (no small feat). From the first page, I was hooked and did not stop reading until the very last page. The only disappointment for me in this story was in the closing. I'm still thinking about it, which maybe was what the author intended after all. I will be recommending this one to every reader I know!

I Tried on three different occasions to read this book. For some reason, and I read a lot of books, I simply could not get interested in this particular novel. The story was too fantastical and simply did not interest me. I apologize but this will be a did not finish for me.

Good story but different from her previous books. Interesting story of a girl coming to age on a remote island with her dad. Vivid details giving the reader insight to this magical world

I have been waiting forever for a new book by Erica Bauermeister. This book was definitely worth the wait. As her previous books weave magical realism with food, this one does with scents. Memories, longings, emotions. Beauermeister is a wonderful writer, her stories are lush and imaginative. My heart was broken through much of it, the story was just sad and sweet and lovely. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I loved it.

The Scent Keeper is a story with a unique premise. Emmeline lives on an isolated island with her father. They explore the world of scents. She is forced to leave the island. During this time, she wants to find out more about how she got on the island in the first place, and a love interest is introduced. The story line is intriguing. It's the way a certain smell can transport you to another place and time. It's well and beautifully written. The characters are engaging and dynamic. I enjoyed the story. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this wonderful book. The descriptions in this book were beautifully written, transporting me to the scents and locations being described. I very much enjoyed this novel. While the ending, to me, felt a little rushed and unsatisfying, the rest of the book was so well done.

Emmeline lives on an isolated island in British Columbia with her father, as both of them focus on the scents of the natural world around them. After a series of events forces Emmeline off the island, she seeks the truth about how she ended up there and who her family really is. While adjusting to a new way of life, Emmeline meets Fisher, a relationship that impacts her choices. Well written with a unique story line.

So beautifully written a literary novel that kept me engrossed from first to last page.Another wonderful book by Erica Bauermeister .A book about coming of age family history and the part scent plays in our lives our memories. #netgalley #thescentkeeper #st.martinsbooks.

I found this book slow and a little hard to get into but did enjoy it overall. The idea of using scent as a way of understanding the world is an interesting one and the lyrical imagery made the prose quite beautiful at times. The ending was far too abrupt for my liking, I felt it jarred with the slow sensual atmosphere that was previously created.

This starts off a bit slow but as Emmeline's world changes, the plot picks up. Who is she and where does she come from? As she slowly untangles all the mysteries, she learns about herself and her unique talent for scents. This is a book about the senses, where Bauermeister's penchant for magical realism makes a welcome appearance. The ending is disappointingly abrupt.

3.5 stars.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

I have always loved Bauermeister's work and I was so lucky to receive this as an ARC from NetGalley.
This is a story that lingers with you long after it is over and it has made me sense and smell differently than before.
The way the landscapes were described is so lyrical and made me want to go there just so I could soak in all the scents myself.
Emmeline is a character who grows and changes as things force their way in and out of her life. The aspects of this book as just so alive and amazing. I couldn't put it down in want to know what happens but I didn't want to leave these characters and places either.
Such a beautifully special book.

I was provided an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am thoroughly enchanted by this book. It's like a fairytale wrapped in all the scents of home and love with a few of the dark scents of bitter emotions that plague life. I couldn't put it down. I would have gone 5 stars, but I would have liked it to be longer, more description, more of an ending. It was lyrical and haunting all at the same time.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Scent Keeper. I was glued to the novel through the hard ans sensitive introductory chapters, to the middle growing pains of love and reality, and into the realization filled last chapters. It is a novel filled with a young girl’s growing, learning, collapsing and coming to terms with the realities of her entire life.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital ARC. Put this on your May TBR. Fans of Where The Crawdads Sing and The Great Alone will especially like this one. But while a coming of age story where a child lives alone in remote land (this one with her father), this is a uniquely original story. The writing is beautiful and vivid. I didn’t want this one to end.

I was thrilled to receive an early copy Erica Bauermeister's newest book - I am a huge fan! The Scent Keeper is a magical book. Written in Ms. Bauermeister's signature lyrical style, she shares a story both uplifting and heartbreaking. I loved every word.

'The Scent Keepe'r by Erica Bauermeister is a beautiful story about discovering the sensory depths of love. The descriptions of the scents wafted through its pages intoxicating me with their tones of heartache, loss, and survival. I thought the characters were beautifully flawed and relatable. The story-line about a family who collect scent memories was unique and magical. This book reminded me of 'The Perfume Collector' by Kathleen Tessaro although more enchanting and quirky. I never knew something like scent branding existed, and so I finished this book wanting to learn more about this obscure practice. The story ended with many unanswered questions but I believe this was intentional. I have a new-found appreciation for scent and its power to reveal the truth.

Emmeline lives on an island with her father, seemingly the only two people on it and definitely the only two people in Emmeline's world. Her father collects scents and keeps them in tubes which are then locked into drawers. When the inevitable happens and Emmeline is thrust into the "real" world, she is unprepared to say the least. Eventually using scents she makes sense of her world.