A big thank you for the digital advanced copy of The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. I received this ebook for a fair and honest review. I loved this story. It was brilliantly written with well developed characters. This was a novel of beautiful, magical-realism. A poignant, immersive coming-of-age story that explores the depths/boundaries of self-discovery and love. The book showed how scent can evoke memories, change and shape life. I didn’t want put this book down.

Book Synopsis: Emmeline lives an enchanted childhood on a remote island with her father, who teaches her about the natural world through her senses. What he won’t explain are the mysterious scents stored in the drawers that line the walls of their cabin, or the origin of the machine that creates them. As Emmeline grows, however, so too does her curiosity, until one day the unforeseen happens, and Emmeline is vaulted out into the real world--a place of love, betrayal, ambition, and revenge. To understand her past, Emmeline must unlock the clues to her identity, a quest that challenges the limits of her heart and imagination.
Lyrical and moving. The Scent Keeper explores the provocative beauty of scent, the way it can reveal hidden truths, lead us to the person we seek, and even help us find our way back home.

The Scent Keeper centers around a girl (Emmaline) who lives with her father on a remote island.

They spend their days foraging for food, telling stories and discussing scents. Once a season, Emmaline's father takes out a machine and creates a scent on paper with it. Emmaline loves when her father opens one of the many jars and lets her smell it.

Things go awry when Emmaline is close to age 13, and she ends up living with a couple who runs a seaside getaway business. Suddenly she's thrust into a world with people and it's hard for her to adjust.

As the story goes on, Emmaline starts learning more about who her father actually was, and makes a lot of discoveries about who she is along the way. I found this story to be enchanting. It felt magical when her father told her mermaids had parties on the beach and left them gifts (supplies they needed). Her father wove magical stories throughout her childhood and while she was enchanted by them, I was too. I can see why it'd be so hard to leave that life behind. And I can see why Emmaline would want to go back.

The scents in this book were described so beautifully, it was almost as if I could smell the scents right along with the characters in the story. I've never read a book before on the power and magic of scents and I found this to be such a unique read. There's a definite arc from magical to scientific concerning scents in this story. I loved how Emmaline approached understanding smells. She let the scents tell her their stories and I loved it.

The ending was felt pretty open for me. I wish I had a little bit more closure and I actually flipped the page a couple times trying to see if there was more story there.

The Scent Keeper is one of those magically unique books that I loved reading and can definitely recommend!

As Emmeline grows up with her father on an island all their own, she doesn’t even realize that there are other people outside their little world. As she grows up she learns from her father that smells can be nearly magical triggers for memories of all kinds, her own and others

After a tragedy changes her circumstances greatly she is suddenly thrust into a new world where she has to learn to trust others. As she seeks the truth about herself and her family she learns what really matters.

Certain smells can bring me immediately to long lost memories, so i was intrigued by this story and look forward to reading other stories by this author.

Erica Bauermeister is a masterful writer and storyteller. Her evocative descriptions and exquisite prose kept me fully engaged from beginning to end - something that I find not quite so common these days. I shall put her on my watch list.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel kept me up all night. Emmaline was raised by her eccentric father on a deserted island. He wove tales of mermaids and other mystical things and created a solitary but enchanted childhood for her. When she began coming of age, Emmaline challenged her father's authority with disastrous results. She then began a journey to find out who she was and why her father had taken her to the remote island.

Great characters and a compelling story line.

This is a beautifully written book that grabs you from the very first words of its prologue...

"We are the unwitting carriers of our parent's secrets, the ripples made by stones we never saw thrown. If I close my eyes and breathe, I can still smell the sparkling, brittle moment my father broke my trust, and with it his heart. I can still smell the honey of my mother's promises."

That is simply damn good writing.

This book consists of three sections. The first, where Emmeline is living on an a deserted island with her father, is more mystical and magical feeling. The second portion focuses on Emmeline's life in The Cove, after the island, and is more of a straight-forward coming of age/fish out of water story. The third consists of her search for her love and her mother in the city.

While the theme of scent is obviously huge in this book, (and makes for beautifully descriptive passages throughout) it is not the sole focus of the story. Scent is more of a magical element in the first section, takes a back seat to the story in the second, and is scientifically-approached in the third.

In other words, scent colors in the story and the main character's life/journey, but doesn't entirely drive the narrative (which, personally I liked.) Instead this is more of a character-driven story about a girl who grew up isolated and a little odd, and her attempts to figure out who she is and what she wants for her life. Thankfully, those characters are really interesting in this book, offering a unique window into world we don't see every day.

This was close to a five star book for me, but I'm docking it a bit for the ending, which is a bit abrupt. I think it was an interesting choice, and it does enabled you to imagine a sequence of events in which things are tidily resolved, but I can also see where some readers would have preferred to see those things resolved in the text itself.

This coming of age story adds magical realism to the mix, perhaps a reflection of its initial similarity to Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” It begins on an unnamed island and is narrated by Emmeline, who lives alone on the island with her father, a magician of sorts, or so she believes. Using a magic machine, he captures scents in little glass bottles, which he stores in little drawers that line the walls of their cabin. The scents carry with them memories; it is, as it is later explained, analogous to a Polaroid Camera. You may not be able to visualize a day, but the scent will bring it all back to you and enable you to hold on to the moment again.

When Emmeline is twelve, her life changes, and she is forced to leave the island. Life with people all around is a big adjustment for her, but eventually she adapts. Nevertheless, she remains obsessed with her father and his secrets. She finally finds out a bit of it, and a little more about who she and he really are. But then, the story ends astoundingly abruptly.

Evaluation: Emmeline is so self-absorbed, it’s hard to like her. She is surrounded by kindness, but doesn’t seem to know how to reciprocate except to further her own interests. I didn’t love this book as I have loved others by this author.

Captures a very realistic magic with the capturing of scent and the way scents can evoke such beautiful memories. Author writes with the detail of Sarah Addison Allen, using the sensory to draw the reader in. I was fully captivated until the abrupt ending, but that small disappointment is fully worth it to have taken the journey through such a descriptive and resonant experience.

Emmeline lives on an island with her father. It sounds beautiful, and it is, but it is secluded...as in they are the only people on it. Emmeline is only a child when her father teaches her how to live off the land and use their senses to survive. Her father has drawers built in their house along the walls containing bottles of scents, scent paper to be exact printed from a machine, but that is all the explanation she will get from him. After a devastating accident, Emmeline must find her way in the real world off the island. She must find her way in an unfamiliar world, with no idea of who she really is and where she belongs.

This book is broken up into three different sections, reading it, I felt this would have been better off being three different books, possibly a trilogy of short stories. While Emmeline is the main character of each section, and they each did have to do with each other, I just felt as though they were thrown together and didn't really fit.

I would like to thank Netgalley and St Martins Press for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful and mystical story. Words cannot due it justice; it can and must only be experienced by the reader.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Highly recommended.

What a transformative and evocative story.

This book is sectioned into 3 parts, the first introducing us to the isolated island belonging to Emmeline and her father. This section is probably my favorite because of the absolutely stunning detail and romanticizing of island living. It’s the perfect representation of the PNW balance between forest and ocean. Living in Seattle myself, I felt right at home in this book. Fans of PNW writing will love reading this simply for the environment described.

I don’t want to go into detail about the next 2 sections as it would give away the story, but you’ll be along for a good ride. From navigating a foreign world to discovering what’s it means to be family, the reader gets to walk alongside Emmeline for every up and down.

For her partnership with Fisher, it was really strong point of the book for me. I loved how they complimented each other in a very unique way that only the other could understand. I appreciated how strong his own story was, while not taking over the main storyline.

While I wasn’t disappointed with the ending, it was extremely abrupt. The author walks us through every thought and experience with the main character, and to have it end so suddenly was a little disappointing. I guess that’s a sign of a good book through, right? You don’t want it to end.

Overall, I was definitely emotional at times and on the brink of tears at the end. The middle part was a little slow going for me, but the book had a powerful beginning and end. It’s unique subject matter and poetic descriptions made this a joy to read. I’m very glad I was invited to read this book by the publisher and given access via netgalley, so thank you!

One of my all time favorite books! the story is so compelling, I could not stop reading! MY house is a mess!!! An amazing journey through the life of a young woman.

This book was so beautiful and filled with just enough magical realism. The imagery was amazing and all of the scents were so well described, I felt like I was in the room with them. The idea of scent holding memories is very fascinating and I really love the way the author captured it throughout the story. This was all combined with a heartfelt coming of age story, which I am sucker for. This was a very engrossing read - I highly recommend! Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

The Island is all Emmeline has ever known. Her father teaches her about magic and the world of scents and how they are tied so closely to our memories.

Since she was a small child she has believed in the magic of the island. How mysteriously things appear when they need them. The walls of small drawers in their little cabin full of tiny pieces of paper from the mysterious machine that can capture a memory with scent. She believes it all.

As she gets older and begins to question her father and his actions, she finds her own answers and feels betrayed and angry. When tragedy occurs, she is suddenly removed from her island and enters the real world. A world that is ugly and mean and one she wants no part of.

She sets out on her own to find who she is and why she is so different from other people and in doing so will find out about family, loyalty and betrayal by the ones you love the most.

This may be the most beautiful piece of writing I have seen in a long time. I was left with a beautiful ending and had tears streaming down my face.

This is a must read!

NetGalley/ St.Martin's Press May 21, 2019

The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister was a completely engrossing novel that I had a hard time putting down. It was a coming of age story with a beautiful mix of family dynamics and mystery. I love how Bauermeister incorporated the sense of smell into her writing and it was such a powerful part of this novel. I enjoyed the beautiful storytelling about Emmeline and her father on the island and especially the moments with Cleo which were just so heartwarming.

I thought the story moved well as Emmeline's life evolved and changed and she experiences so much loss. You can also feel the difference in the narration as you move to the next sections of the book because Emmeline is now a young woman and I think this was handled perfectly.

Emmeline's life in the city was detailed so well that I could just picture the scenes and the dramatic shifts from her life on the island. I enjoyed that the ending didn't wrap everything up with a tidy bow and there was much to be pondered at the end of the book. The open-ended ending caused me to really reflect on each of the characters and how they all play a part in Emmeline's path to find her own identity. I highly recommend this book and I can't wait to read Bauermeister's other work now.

This is my first book by author Erica Bauermeister but I don't think it will be my last! If you like books that practically sing to you, you will love The Scent Keeper. I have experienced the draw of a scent back to its memory, so I was captivated from the very beginning.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

From Amazon:

Erica Bauermeister, the national bestselling author of The School of Essential Ingredients, presents a moving and evocative coming-of-age novel about childhood stories, families lost and found, and how a fragrance conjures memories capable of shaping the course of our lives.

Emmeline lives an enchanted childhood on a remote island with her father, who teaches her about the natural world through her senses. What he won’t explain are the mysterious scents stored in the drawers that line the walls of their cabin, or the origin of the machine that creates them. As Emmeline grows, however, so too does her curiosity, until one day the unforeseen happens, and Emmeline is vaulted out into the real world--a place of love, betrayal, ambition, and revenge. To understand her past, Emmeline must unlock the clues to her identity, a quest that challenges the limits of her heart and imagination.

Lyrical and immersive, The Scent Keeper explores the provocative beauty of scent, the way it can reveal hidden truths, lead us to the person we seek and even help us find our way back home.

I was pretty young when my first scents became memories. When my brother was born, I was able to help my mother with his care often which included diapers and baby powder. When he died unexpectedly, I used to dust a bit of baby powder on me to recreate his smell. To this day, I can remember his giggly self full of pumping feet when I smell that soft baby powder smell.

The prologue starts us with... We are the unwitting carriers of our parents' secrets, the ripples made by stones we never saw thrown... and ends with... Let me tell you a story. Let me tell you everything.

The author has a writing style that evokes emotion on all levels. There were times when I was moved to tears and others when I couldn't catch my breath. I would be thrilled and devastated. To some the book may move slowly at the beginning, but take note of the descriptions and slow down and enjoy. As the plot thickens, the pace picks up and you won't want to put it down! The storyline is original and its uniqueness encourages you to keep reading, even though you know you have to work tomorrow!

When I read the synopsis for this book I was a bit concerned about whether or not I could possibly enjoy a story that revolved around scents. It just did not seem like something up my alley. But because the book was getting some really positive reviews, I decided to take a chance on it, and I am so glad I did. And guess what? I really grew to love the role scents and people's sense of smell played in the book. It was a fascinating read.

Emmeline has been raised by her father on a remote island, secluded from the rest of society. To say he is obsessed with scents is putting it mildly. He has a machine that creates different scents and he has stored a whole bunch of them in their house. The older Emmeline gets, the more she has this feeling that something else is out there although given her upbringing she is absolutely unprepared when certain events thrust her into the real world.

I apologize this review is pretty vague but I do believe this is a story that is best enjoyed the less you know ahead of time. You just have to trust me when I say it is a journey worth taking. For quite awhile near the beginning of the book, I still had doubts but soon everything started to fall into place and I was hooked. The way scents and the sense of smell was weaved into the story was just brilliant. I ended up finishing the book in just one night which goes to show how much I liked it.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to read something a bit different. I know this book has been compared to Where the Crawdads Sing, and there are a few similarities between the two, but this one definitely stands on its own two feet. This was a unique story and one worth reading. Take a chance on it like I did!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a powerful story about the hardships of life. Some themes in this novel are not for the faint of heart and may lead to anxiety. I loved it.

This book had a very interesting story around the sense of smell. Many times I found it captivating & couldn't wait to read more to see how the story unfolded.

I do admit that the scenes around the abuse were hard to read at times. This is something that some people should be aware of, in case this is a trigger for them.

The book had a strong theme going throughout the entire story, but the ending was very abrupt, disappointing and leaves you hanging.

A beautiful, evocative, engrossing novel. Such rich, lush descriptions. I read it slowly so I could savor it. Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.