This book felt rushed and lacking in depth. It felt as though several book ideas had been crammed into one which resulted in a really superficial read. The characters were flat and unconvincing.

I felt the characters were unlikable and the plot was far-fetched. Not a read I would pick-up again.

The Poison Garden is a quick read with some great twists and turns. AJ Banner kept me on the edge of my seat and turning pages!

This. Book. Y'all. AJ Banner has done it again! I thought I knew where this story was going and it freaking twisted and turned SO MUCH!!! The start was a little slow but the info was so necessary that I can't be mad about it lol. If you want to read a marital thriller that YOU WILL NOT GUESS THE ENDING TO (trust me, you won't) I HIGHLY recommend this book!!!

I raced through this thriller in a long afternoon - that's how good it was. I adored the setting of an East Coast Seattle island. Ditto the charm of island life and the main character's botanical garden and shop. Of course everything isn't as it seems. . . Elise arrives home a day early to surprise her husband. The couple are due to celebrate their first wedding anniversary the following day. What she finds shocks her and it's then she rapidly begins to unpick what really happened to her late mother before she died. Is her husband really who he says he is? And why does neighbour Chantal take such an interest in the couple's life? Throw in an unstable ex husband and you won't put this thriller down. Enjoy - I did!

Many thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't love this book as much as I had hoped. The plot wasn't deep or believable and I really didn't relate or feel strongly about any of the characters. The excerpt intrigued me by the story bored me. The cover initially got my attention and I love books that have vivid geographical imagery, but overall, I wasn't as impressed with the overall story and plot. Aside from appreciating the descriptive nature of the surroundings, this wasn't a book that I loved.

5.0 out of 5 stars The twist and turns are killer!
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2019
I finished The Poison Garden, sometimes in the early hours of this morning. I know people say this all the time…BUT I literally couldn’t force myself to stop reading it. Superbly written with an intensely breathtaking plot, and the twist and turns are killer!
I honestly can't remember the last time I was so invested in a story. Don't miss this one!

I have had to adjust my review a couple of times as the more I think about this book the more I think it was better than my initial assessment.
I'm not sure where to begin with this book, I believe it had the potential to be amazing. The author definitely knows what twists and turns are but the execution seemed wrong to me. As the reader I felt like I did not have a clue what was going on in this book AT ALL! The beginning of the book introduces us to Elise Watters who is on her way to home to see her husband Dr. Kieran Lund, only to find him cheating on her in her childhood home in their bed! I will say that I immediately had to know what was going on and I did read this book in record time. But, I felt at times it was jumping all over the place with the characters. A part of me enjoyed the confusion of not having a clue what was happening next and I am usually a decent judge of character but in this book I could not tell the difference between who was good or bad. There were times where I questioned why a certain character was even in the book and what their purpose really was. So at the end of the day this was a weird read for me but it was a fast read so I can't be upset with investing too much time into it.
I would like to read more from this author to see if this book was a one off or this is their writing style.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Poison Garden is an unnerving, menacing, domestic thriller that delves into all the deep, dark secrets people keep even from those closest to them and highlights just how easily people can be psychologically and emotionally manipulated.

There were time I thought I had things figured out in this book, but found out I did not.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this as much as I hoped. The characters were barely fleshed out at all and the book just didn't live up to my expectations.

The Poison Garden is a quick read; a thriller with a questionable marriage between Elise and Kieran. Affairs, questionable pasts, and a small island sound like they would make for a good thriller, but this one just didn’t do it. The plot was a bit far-fetched and I’m thankful it was a quick read.

Definitely a page turner! Y’all are going to love this one. Doesn’t the title just scream ‘read me’?!

A mystery that was entertaining. I having trouble remembering details of story as I forgot to review right away. I think it was a good book but not a wow.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. A full review will be posted on Amazon and Goodreads

I expected more from this one. I think I've been in a thriller slump though where none have been great and this one had similar themes and concepts so I didn't find it ourstanding and really all that unique, unfortunately.

Thank you to #NetGalley for providing #ThePoisonGarden by AJ Banner in an exchange for an honest review.

The main character, Elise, easily won me over to her side from the beginning as she returns home early to find her husband in bed with another woman!

As the story unfolds, it becomes a mystery in which the reader has to determine who has done what along the way. I didn't expect that at the beginning of the story. There were several twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end.

There were times in the story where I was rolling my eyes due to the behavior of the main character. Wimpy would be a nice word. Definitely aggravating during certain times where the conversation between two characters became redundant. The rest of the story was interesting and the Pacific NW is always a great background. I wish there was a bit more of the area included in the story .

I absolutely loved this book! I was initially drawn in by the cover as well as the title as thought it seemed really intriguing. This book was fantastic, it was full of twists and turns that I did not see coming. I have never read a book by this author before and I can safely say I would definitely read more! Thank you netgallery and the publishers for the opportunity to read this amazing book.

The Poison Garden was my second book by A.J. Banner. My first was 2018's After Nightfall which I really enjoyed A LOT. So, I hate to leave a less than glowing review on The Poison Garden, but I was very disappointed in it. From all the convoluted twists that kept occuring around the main character, Elise, to the general wimpiness and poor character of all the others in the novel. Elise is prone to sleepwalking while under stress. At the beginning she faces extreme stress. The rest of the story is one person taking advantage of her mental weaknesses over and over again. I mean (mild SPOILER ALERT), practically our first introduction to her 2nd husband's character is in the first pages of the book when Elise talks about how she has just moved all her $5 million into both their names so that what was her is now both of theirs.....Ummmm, whether or not that is normal (which I am guessing for a person who marries quickly while grieving her mother's death and apparently not too long after her first divorce....wouldn't her lawyer, friends, or even her self-conscience and common sense warn her to wait? She can always share her money without turning over ownership.)

I like vulnerable characters, but they have to show some resolve, strength and intellect in combination with the vulnerability. Elise never did. She was just like a lost lamb looking for someone to solve her problems. How was she an independent pharmacist prior to the events of this book? How was it that every person in her life seemed to have ulterior, sinister motives?

Honestly, I think there was a lot of possibility for this story had the author made more well-rounded characters and maybe had some red herrings instead of every foreshadowing turning out to be really what was about to happen. Yep, this guy is bad. Yep, this guy is bad. Yep, this friend is not looking out for Elise. Finally, big pet peeve for me: female authors who seem to respect women but who continue to solely blame "the other woman" when cheating happens.

The poison garden was not exactly the novel I expected. While I was expecting a mystery/ thriller novel, I felt this one just didn't hit the mark.
While the characters are well written and so is the story, I just thought it gave everything away to quickly instead of the slow build you expect from a novel like this. I think if the novel had been a little longer, there could have been more of a back story to build the events for the reader. While I enjoyed the story, I just didn't love it.

I received an advanced copy through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love this one. So interesting. The cover is great too. Will recommend it to friends. What an ending!