This book was good, but it took me a while to finish. The different timelines were hard to keep up with at first, but eventually settled into a rhythm. I was unable to identify with the characters, which always a bummer for me when reading.

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*

If I see that a book revolves around the Titanic, I am pretty much immediately on board. In addition to the absolutely beautiful cover, the plot synopsis was what drew me to this book. I have been a giant Titanic nerd since I was a very young child (before the movie came out, by the way. I am a Titanic nerd of the highest order ;) ). I get inordinately excited when I discover any new fiction revolving around the tragedy.

The dual timeline in this novel was quite intriguing. At first, I really had no idea how the two tied together. This is fairly unusual in historical fiction, in my experience. It took a while, but the storylines gradually wove together in such a way that was quite gripping and which I ended up enjoying.

Something that surprised me about this novel was that I was more interested in the modern storyline at the beginning of the book. Taylor's investigation into the reasons why Lady Knight wanted to speak with her before her untimely demise drew me in more than Ava's story. I think part of this was because, at the beginning of the book, Ava was quite the entitled brat. It really turned me off to be quite honest. I was a bit concerned that this would carry on throughout the novel, but I am glad to say that her character had quite a bit of growth as the story carried on.

I enjoyed learning more about the various historical figures and historical movements that Cowles talks about in the novel. I had never heard of the Black Hand (a Serbian military society), and knew very little about the spiritualism movement that was popular in the early 1900s. The addition of these elements gave the story some extra layers beyond your traditional Titanic historical fiction novel.

The romances that colored each storyline added just enough warmth to the story. I liked that they were not the main focus. Each of the main characters went on a journey of self-discovery, finding out who they were and what was most important in their lives. The romances were a side note that just brought a bit of color to a somber set of events.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a fun historical mystery. The eventual tying together of ends was very satisfying. I had a bit of a hard time liking one of the main characters, which is what brought my rating down a bit. Despite this, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical mysteries, especially about the Titanic.

I gave The Poppy and the Rose 3.5 STARS!

(I will come back to add the link when this is posted on my blog on 12/14/2020)

The Poppy & the Rose by Ashlee Cowles is a young adult historical fiction and mystery novel set in World War II times with the element of Titanic and mystery behind it. I did not know what to expect from this book when I started reading it, but as the story went by I was fully engrossed in the mystery in the characters.

We see two timelines - 1912 & 2010.
1912: Ava Knight, a teen heiress, boards the Titanic to escape the shadow of her unstable mother and to fulfill her dream of becoming a photographer in New York. During the journey she meets three people who will change her life: a handsome sailor, a soldier in the secret Black Hand society that will trigger World War I, and a woman with clairvoyant abilities. When disaster strikes the ship, family betrayals come to light.

2010: When Taylor Romano arrives in Oxford for a summer journalism program, something feels off. Not only is she greeted by a young, Rolls Royce-driving chauffeur, but he invites her to tea with Lady Mae Knight of Meadowbrook Manor, an old house with a cursed history going back to the days of Henry VIII. Lady Knight seems to know a strange amount about Taylor and her family problems, but before Taylor can learn more, the elderly woman dies, leaving as the only clue an old diary.

How are these two characters linked to each other? We see a lot of layers unfold in this book but all of them are done at the perfect timing and that's what brings beauty to this book. A lot of family dynamics are explained in this book, along with some hint of royal British England rich families and their secrets.

I liked the concept in which Titanic is used in this book. Titanic was the reason I picked up this book and it truly did not disappoint. I liked how the story progresses and we see step by step solving of puzzles. I liked the character of Taylor Romano as well as the concept of that Lady Knight's house. All these small small things bought the perfect vibe as well as took be back to that era.
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Thank You to NetGalley and Publisher - Owl Hollow for sending me an eARC in exchange for a honest opinion.

I mainly requested this book due to the main character and I sharing the same name and the Titanic mentioned. I really ended up enjoying this.

This book seemed to have an interesting plot; a mystery, historical fiction that also takes place on the Titanic? Sign me up. But I feel like the plot kind of fell through for me. Most of the plot twists I was able to guess, which happens sometimes when I read a mystery novel and usually this is okay as long as the plot is also exciting but that was not the case for this book. I was a fan of the dual timeline, it reminded me of Truly Devious . In terms of the plot, I feel like a whole lot of nothing was happening at the beginning and near the end is where the pace picked up. Overall, I gave this book a 2 stars out of 5 because although the description of the plot first caught my eye, it didn't live up to my expectations.

As much as I wanted to like this book, I eventually DNF'ed after trying multiple times. I could not connect with the characters and was unpleasantly surprised by their attitudes.
1/5
Due to the fact that I did not finish, I will not be posting on my blog.

I received this book from NetGalley as an eARC in exchange for a review.

The Poppy and the Rose follows two timelines, one set on the titanic and one in modern day.

I found this book to be way more interesting than I originally anticipated on rereading the summary. I am not normally a HUGE fan of historical fiction but I like mystery, so it did a good mix of including both to keep me hooked.

I was first intrigued by the beautiful cover of The Poppy and the Rose. This story follows two story lines, one in present day and one starting in 1912. I highly recommend this wonderful book. I don't usually like historical books, but the combination of history with a present day story line was very well done..

I have always been intrigued by the Titanic and how everything that happened was kind of the perfect storm. When I saw this book was a duel POV Titanic mystery novel I had to pick it up. I was kept on the edge of my seat the whole time. I was drawn in by the accurate portrayal of the families and the high society aboard the Titanic and Taylor's need to know more about Ava really drove the book onward. I enjoyed seeing the similarities in both Taylor's and Ava's lives and how they intertwined at the end in such an unpredictable way.

An intriguing blend of two mysteries of different eras featuring the paranormal, family drama, and a little bit of romance, The Poppy and the Rose does not disappoint. Taylor Romano, an American journalism student in the Oxford summer program finds herself in the middle of mystery that keeps getting bigger at every turn. The Poppy and the Rose features genuinely surprising twists I never saw coming, making it uniquely thrilling.

this is my very first time reading a book by this author, and i have to say -- ashlee cowles certainly didn't disappoint !

i liked the way she linked the past and present narrative together, and some of the sentences in ava's narrative were so beautiful, so moving, that i found myself reading some of them over and over again.

as the author has mentioned in the author's note at the end, some of the characters were inspired by real people who were aboard the titanic that fateful night. i think that's one of the things that appeals to me about this book -- it gives us a connection to people who actually lost their lives in reality as well. you realise that the people aboard the titanic ( in the book and real life ) weren't just spoilt, rich people but that there were others who were denied a chance at life due to their relatively lower class. you realise that the people who lost their lives that night weren't just a nameless, faceless swathe of humanity, but individuals with their own lives, hobbies, eccentricities, mannerisms, philosophies.

i really do appreciate this book and while the manner of linking both the past and present was deft enough, i also do think taylor's narrative was rather redundant. for me, her narrative wasn't really as gripping as ava's was, but it may serve as a breathing space for readers who usually prefer contemporary novels over historical fiction.

also, it doesn't make sense to me that taylor's college didn't make a bigger fuss out of the fact that she was missing for so long. one might say that dahlia was questioned about taylor's whereabouts, but what could she have possibly said that was so convincing ?

all that being said, i also felt like taylor and nathaniel's little romance was redundant. it didn't seem to add anything to the storyline, in my honest opinion.

would recommend if you're looking for a book that incorporates contemporary and historical fiction storylines based on the night the titanic sank -- all written in lyrical prose.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the chance to review this story !

Such a disappointing read.

The synopsis seemed to be really interesting and I was really expecting so much of it but it ended up disappointing me.

Most of the events in the story bored me and remained that way until like halfway towards the end and it just started going okay but ended up disappointing as well and nothing really strikes me the most and because of that it was kind of forgettable as well. I wasn't able to relate much to any of the characters, both Ava and Taylor annoyed me at some point and to the story overall despite atleast a good writing style an interesting concept and it just irks me.

I just wished that the beginning wasn't that dragging and the characters were much more well written and likable and it would be so much better tbh.

This book had such an interesting premise and the art of the cover is beautiful. The plot wasn’t uninteresting per se, I just had some troubles getting into it, and I was able to predict most of the ‘plot twists’ fairly easily. The characters felt a bit plain, and even though it is a 300-page novel, the plot felt rushed.

I like that the novel is divided in two storylines, and even though we, as readers, already know the faith of the titanic, there is still an element of intrigue. Taylor’s storyline had a few clichés that weren’t my cup of tea, but it kept me curious enough to continue reading.

Overall, this was not a bad novel, it just wasn’t for me.

Read on the suggestion of my friend Cossette, this wasn't bad! Smaller-scale than I thought it would be but still a breezy and easy story.

This was a captivating novel right from the beginning. Taylor’s story has you in present time with her secretly trying to find out about a mysterious woman who is in a picture with her deceased father. Ava’s beautiful adventure takes you on a trip on the Titanic. The twist and turns both stories take you on keeps your curiosity peaked. And it all came to a beautiful ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The Poppy and the Rose had a interesting premise - Dual timeline. Titanic story. Mysteries deaths. However, the execution just wasn't what I wanted it to be. The writing was OK, but at times it felt forced and overwritten. I liked the idea of the story, as I'm always a sucker for a Titanic story, but I just didn't connect with this one. At times the plot was confusing and didn't have a great flow. The elements of magical realism were interesting and I wish she would have explored those more. I do think some of these issues could have been worked out in the editing process. So, overall, this was a fine story that was entertaining, but it just lacked some elements to really make it a great read.

While I thought this was an excellent premise, the execution left something to be desired. The author's writing style is so lush that I alternated between being stunned at the beauty of the words and being confused as to what was happening. I would read these beautiful crafted paragraphs and then look up and think, What just happened?

There was too much going on (after a rather boring beginning) that I think distracted from the story. I would have preferred either a simpler, more clear writing style or a single point of view. The alternating viewpoints did not help me clarify what was going on.

The Poppy and the Rose is historical fiction set both in the present and in 1912 told in lyrical prose and using some spiritualism topics, following the mysteries behind an old photography revolving the Titanic sinking.

This was a bumpy ride cause the book felt so rushed in some parts and so unbelievably slow in other parts of the story, both times to the book's detriment. The use of the dual-POV is well done and the characters fell three-dimensional so that's at least a plus.

It's my first time reading a Titanic retelling and I wasn't disappointed but something was missing. Maybe it was that I enjoyed more one of the two narrators over the other and the conclusion of some mysteries felt anticlimatic.
The setting's quite good, actually, and it shows the author did a lot of research. Very atmospheric and gothic.

I think the multi-timeline element really worked for this story - I was equally invested which is incredibly hard to do. I think Cowles writing and characterization remain excellent with complex characters and who's lives and histories intersect in interesting ways.

I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review
The premise of this book was incredible but the writing style was a fail for sure.