I so wanted to love this one more but unfortunately if just wasn't for me.

It felt too much like a cozy mystery read to me and unfortunately it's not really a genre I enjoy, I always find I get bored really quickly. Unfortunately that's what happened here, there just wasn't enough substance to hold my attention.

Don't let my thoughts put you off though, there's lots of wonderful reviews for this book.

Our protagonist, Saffron Everlight is a botanical assistant at the University of London in 1923. At a college party between professors, researchers and people involved in the upcoming trip to the Amazon, she witnesses a poisoning and the prime suspect is the his mentor, Dr. Maxwell. Saffron will work together with Alex Ashton to clear her friend and find the real culprit.

Very frankly, I was expecting something different… something more compelling and with more botany. Instead the culprit is quite deductible and the information on botany, biology and chemistry is evidently written by someone who is informed, but does not work in that field. (Example: the protagonists are both botanists, at some point they are faced with a problem that can be solved with chemistry, quite simple (from what I remember) and both found themselves in difficulty because "They are not good with chemistry", matter which is theoretically included in the course of study)

Also, from how it was described, I was expecting less romance and more mystery, or at least more logic given that the two protagonists go on in luck.

But it must be said that the protagonist, Saffron, and her best friend are not as bad as characters, they know what they want and are able to assert themselves. Additionally, the book explores issues such as being a woman in a male-dominated workplace and workplace harassment.

In conclusion it has some flaws and the way in which the plot was handled is not in my taste. (But I have to admit that the cover is beautiful!)

This book sounded really interesting to me because I enjoy murder mysteries and historical fiction. It takes place in the 1920’s in London, where our protagonist Saffron Everleigh attends a dinner party that ends in murder. The main suspect is her dear mentor, so she conducts her own amateur investigation to clear his name. It’s a common plot but still should have been an entertaining read. The problem is that it wasn’t. It took me so long to get through it because I just found it all to be rather plodding and dull. I wasn’t invested in the characters, the romance was very forced and lackluster, and the ending was not surprising. It’s not terrible, just not my cup of tea. The cover is gorgeous though.

I found this book tedious. The first chapter was a confusing jumble that did a poor work introducing the characters and the situation. Just because a book should start where the action does, doesn't mean a reader should be left behind. After that, I managed to read a few chapters during several months, until I finally admitted that the book isn't for me and gave up.

This was a really quick, fun read. I practically zoomed through it -- the mystery was engaging, the characters were funny ... I wanted to know whodunnit and why and couldn't wait to get to the next chapter each time I stopped.

I love seeing strong female friendships in books, smart and capable female leads, references to mental health and wellness and I have to mention botany! Always a cool topic to read about.

One of the main male characters has PTSD after wartime and utilizes breathing techniques to help them stay calm. I thought that was neat.

And expected publication 2023 for A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality, the second book in the set? Can't wait!

A fast read of mystery. Definitely a pick for Halloween season!

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read this!

This is such a fun mystery! "A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons" takes you back to the 1920s in an academic setting that isn't often portrayed from a woman's perspective. Saffron Everleigh is the heroine, and she's whip smart. When her mentor is accused of murdering another professor's wife, she springs into action to prove his innocence. The characters are memorable and engaging, and the story is non-stop. Reading this book is time very well spent.

This book, though enjoyable, failed to hold my attention. It took me quite some time to get through as I wasn't needing to return to it.

Love the cover, and the blurb caught my attention. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite for me.

I enjoyed this one, didn’t love it.
It had historical mystery vibes with some romance sprinkled in!
This book follows Saffron as she works with a colleague, Alexander Ashton to find out who could of poisoned Dr. Henry’s wife. She uses her knowledge in botany to try and uncover the truth and clear her mentors name.
Saffron and Alexander share in some fun banter as their attraction grows!
I did like the Agatha Christie feels, and thought the historical thriller/mystery was put together well!

What I Loved:

The Setting. Ala mid-Agatha Christie era, 1920s England is bustling and full of change. Saffron is one of the only female botanists at the college and has to claw her way into her position, the women’s rights movement is boiling in the background, post-World War I technology and society is booming, and the UK is at its most glamourous. I love watching Saffron navigating her world, her interactions with Alex and Dr. Maxwell, and how it is all coloured by the time. I also loved the place – the house parties, beautiful college halls and dusty labs.

The Characters. Kate Khavari writes a great, complex character. Saffron is spunky but quiet, stubborn but meek, and impetuous but viewed as too careful. Alex is broody and dreamy but with demons, Dr. Maxwell is a man worthy of inspiring the utmost loyalty, and even the “bumbling policemen” and richly imagined. It is easy to like (and at times dislike) each character and understand their complexities.

The Mystery. Without getting into spoiler territory, the mystery was the perfect blend of hard to solve but also solvable if you pay attention. Very Christie.

What Didn’t Work as Well:

The Amount of Characters. While each character worked in their own right, there was simply too many to keep up with, especially in a “closed door” mystery. The director, the wife, the mistress, professors and assistants, and various other suspects / stakeholders, it was a bit much to keep track of and made the mystery more convoluted than necessary.

The Pace. While Botanist’s Guide was generally engaging and exciting, the middle dragged while Saffron and Alex were investigating and going through a series of misunderstandings between them. I get frustrated with the miscommunication trope, and the contributed to the slow pace

I want to thank the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for granting me access to this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I gave this book 3 1/2 stars because the idea and the story were good, but there was something that made me read really slowly.

It was a fascinating book because of the plot but I couldn't connect with the characters as I would've wanted to.
I liked the way it deals with serious stuff like sexual harassment and PTSD, but definitely check the TW before reading!

*4 Stars*

ARC kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

This was an interesting read with good characters, and I liked the ending.

How could anyone fail to be intrigued by a book called 'A Botanists Guide to Parties and Poisons'? Sadly, I found the book didn't quit live up to the great title. Slow paced, and yet still somehow a little chaotic. I didn't really connect to any of the characters and found their suspicion jumped from one character to the next too often, it was so hard to keep up with. I also found it all a bit too twee, there didn't feel like there was any really danger or suspense.

The best part of this book was the protagonist Saffron- a great, strong female lead who kept the men folk on their toes. The side plot romance was also lovely and probably the thing that kept me reading.

If you love historical fiction and a cosy mystery, this one could be a winner for you.

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons was such a fun, intriguing and high stakes mystery that I'd absolutely recommend.

Kate Khavari made these characters so likeable, I found myself stressing at times when I thought something bad was going to happen! It flowed well and had good pace, a little bit of suspense but it wasn't dragged out at all. I did guess a little at the ending but I think it was pulled off really well so I didn't at all mind it.

This is one I'd be interested in owning my own physical copy of and recommending to other mystery readers. I look forward to reading other published works from Khavari in the future :)

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons.

I was really looking forward to this story but it ended up being very slow and just ok. The characters were not interesting enough to carry my attention through the slow story line.
2.5 stars

Saffron Everleigh is more than just an assistant, she's also a botanist and amateur sleuth. Or at least she becomes an amateur sleuth the day that a professor's wife is poisoned in the middle of a party and the finger of blame points to Saffron's mentor. With biologist and Alexander Ashton, Saffron sets out to clear her mentor's name and catch the real culprit.

While I enjoyed A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons, it didn't grip me as well as I would have liked. The characters, while engaging, felt slightly flat. The writing reminded me of Agatha Christie with it's varied suspects and fast-paced mystery. In all, it was an enjoyable read, though I found it hard to get into at first.

A relatively quick read that includes: mysterious poisons, embezzlement, historical showing of women being looked down upon, university professor culture, and an adorable little love story.
There's nothing too special here per say but if you like simpler mysteries or want something that won't bend your head around twenty times (the way some mysteries do today) this is a good choice.

There is not a lot of the 'thriller' genre here. A few briefly intense moments, including an almost sexual assault attack that left me feeling not only disgusted by the man in question; but also reminded that I am lucky we have any of the supports in place today (even if they are inadequate still) and aren't subject to whatever any man wants like back in the 1920's. Lots of chauvinistic pompous academia comments from men towards our leading lady. I do think it's a good representation of what it was like back then to struggle as a female scientist. And I do like that not all the men are portrayed as awful. There are at least two, probably more like four that have our leading girls best interest at heart and are trying to do what they can to watch out for her. Keeping in mind that "doing what they can" within the confines of respectable society (and that which will protect their own butts and careers) may not seem like much to some; however, it is again what was at least some sort of support back in the day. Our leading lady graciously notes this many times so as to remind the reader that the men of this time and place don't have to do anything for her (sadly).

Overall a good beach read; and a great little break to take between epic novels (if you’re like me and need that). A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons is a quicker read that should satisfy the average reader for a weekend or so. It is also fairly safe to lend out to others and recommend as it's interesting enough (who doesn't like learning about poisons!) without having too many trigger warnings like a WWII historical novel might.
I’ll certainly read the next in the series and would be interested in more starring our leading lady Saffron or other publications by Kate Khavari.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced digital copy, this is a late-review yet still a fun packed story.

Saffron is a reseach assistant for an esteemed botanist. The book opens with Saffron at a dinner party to which results in her mentor arrested for murder. Saffron teams up with fellow researcher Alexander in a quest to clear her mentor's name.

Reads as a cozy mystery with a science forward look at botany.

A Botanists Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari was such a rich story! I read a ton of mysteries and was pleasantly surprised to not see the solution coming. It had a bit of a love story and a lot of girl power!

Saffron Everleigh is a botanist, who is working to achieve a professional position once she gains her graduate degree. She's been hired by Dr. Maxwell, as his research assistant. She loves the job and is thankful to Dr. Maxwell for allowing her to prove herself academically. Unfortunately, women are only just being allowed in as students, her male colleagues think she got in on her father's reputation as women don't have the mental capacity to do science – or so is the popularly held belief of most of the men in the department.

Dr. Maxwell feels she needs to interact more with the other researchers and professors and asked her to attend the dinner party given to celebrate the formation of the university's expedition to the Amazon. So, Saffron attends hoping to have some interesting conversations but finds things not much different from the high society dinners she's attended. However, the excitement begins when there is an argument between several of the senior members of the department, one of the wives drinks from a glass handed to her, and essential appears to have died within minutes. There's a major uproar. She finds herself talking to Alexander Ashton, who she'd met earlier in the evening—they appear to be the only people who believe it was murder, not a heart attack.

The next day, Saffron learns that it was a murder attempt and her mentor, Dr. Maxwell, has been arrested. She is determined to prove his innocence, but to do so she needs help and Ashton seems willing to believe her concerning Maxwell so the duo begins to pool information and investigate to find the real criminal.

The author manages to set the historical scenes regarding the issue of women moving into the academic areas quite accurately. The scenes between Saffron and Alexander are those of two professionals who are thrown together to solve a problem and along the way become friends as they end up sharing information about themselves, their family, background, and standing on many of the issues of their times.

There are a number of potential suspects, roadblocks to their investigation, thrilling encounters, investigation into the properties of poisonous botanicals in the greenhouses, search for connections, and risks to their potential careers as well as their lives. There's plenty of action to keep the pages turning, lots of clues for the reader as well as our two investigators, and some surprising twists and narrow escapes.

If you enjoy historical mysteries with strong, independent women give A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari a try. I'm hoping this is the start of a series.