Sometimes you can tell when an author loved crafting a novel. You can feel the care given to every word. There is so much depth in FLOWERHEART--it is full of fleshed-out characters and well-designed stakes and a world that feels bigger than what is purely shown on the page. I love reading books like this, because they feel so alive. If you enjoy stories with Disney/Studio Ghibli vibes, particularly in terms of the light-but-dark tone and vivid world-building, I highly recommend FLOWERHEART!

Clara Lucas cannot control her magic. Flowers erupt throughout her father's house erratically and sometimes objects explode around her for no reason, but her magic is harmless. That is until one day, she accidentally causes poisonous flowers to sprout in her father's chest. Feeling hopeless and out of control, Clara accepts help from her childhood friend, Xavier. However, in their years apart, Xaiver has become cold and distinct and exacts a steep price for his help.

Desperate to save her father, Clara accepts the cost and makes a vow with Xavier. In return, Xavier promises to teach Clara how to control her magic and takes her away to live to be his apprentice. Every day, Clara must help Xavier run his family's shop, where they sell potions for any type of ailment. As Clara learns more about her magic and how to control it, she also learns that Xavier is guarding a darker secret that could threaten the queendom.

This book is a balm for any reader looking for a sweet, cozy, and low-stress fantasy novel. The characters are both loveable and intriguing as Clara struggles to master her powers and Xavier fails to hide his growing admiration for his 'apprentice'. This story also nicely touches on mental health issues as Clara struggles mentally with self-doubt, which affects her magic. The main conflict also deals with how magic cannot heal matters of the heart and how curative elixirs are too good to be true.

If you're looking for a cozy fantasy with strong cottagecore elements, this book will melt your heart and tickle your fancy.

Flowerheart is a story best read sitting in a spring garden sipping on floral tea and munching on lemon scones. It's a cozy story about second chance friendship to love, finding self confidence in adversity, and breaking away from others' expectations.

We follow Clara, a witch who has failed all her past apprenticeships and fears she'll never be inducted into the Council. Her magic is uncontrollable and frightening, causing many accidents. Clara is faced with dire circumstances when her magic attacks her father and blooms flowers from his heart. Clara suffers from self doubt and fear throughout the book as she struggles to reign in her dangerous and wild magic. Her personal growth is the focus of the story as she learns to accept herself and her powers. Her inner turmoil feels raw and genuine, pulling at your heartstrings as she battles her inner demons to save the people she loves.

I've seen this compared to Howl's Moving Castle and can see the comparison in the soft fantasy setting and the dynamic between Xavier and Clara. This story is very much a warm escapist fantasy, a palette cleanser for some of my more regular dark high fantasy reads. I'd recommend this for fans of Allison Saft and Margaret Rogerson.

Flowerheart follows Clara, a teenage girl who struggles with her flower magic. Her mom is an evil witch that she has no contact with. The council wants to take away Clara's magic because it is destructive and one day she accidentally hurts her dad. Her childhood friend offers to help. While this is all happening there's a dangerous potion going around causing people great harm and she gets involved in helping with the cure as well as figuring out who is behind it. I love the casual LGBT+ rep in this book! There's an apprentice with uses they/them pronouns, and their mentor is transgender! There were also a few same-sex couples mentioned! I also really liked Clara's character arc and learning control over her magic. I didn't feel the romance so much but like the childhood friends to enemies to lovers vibes we got. The thing that was most interesting to me was the unique flowers and what they represented! Can't wait to see what else this author writes!

The cover for this book drew me in instantly, as I'm a sucker for all things cottagecore. The book itself wasn't quite what I was looking for, but I still had a pretty great time reading it.

Flowerheart was a lovely book. Bakewell creates a beautiful, atmospheric world and lovely characters to match it. The cover really does an excellent job representing the world/mood/tone of the book. Unfortunately, I was not overwhelmed by the actual plot of the book. The set-up for the main story was excellent, but the delivery was lacking. I love stand-alones, but part of me wishes that this story had been more developed and spread across two books. That being said, if a sequel were to exist for this book involving the same world/characters but a new plot, I would definitely pick it up. Also, this is the author's first young adult novel, so this is definitely an author to keep on one's radar. This book is a good recommend for people who liked Uprooted, Caraval, and Sorcery of Thorns.

FLOWERHEART is a lovely YA fantasy with a lush atmosphere and beautiful writing. More of a slow-burn, it balances a heartwarming romance with deep familial love as well as self-acceptance. The description is rich and magical, and it would be difficult not to root for Clara and Xavier. Overall, it is a light and enchanting YA fantasy that will leave readers both satisfied and still hungry for more.

I really enjoyed this book. I found the writing to be lovely and I adored all of the references to flowers and their meanings. The magic was a playful even when it was misbehaving and the pure and unconditional love that the characters had for one another made this book a true joy to read. I found both main characters, Clara and Xavier, to be likable and was easily able to root for both throughout the book (especially for their little romance).

Clara’s magic is wild and has a mind of its own — one that often lands her in trouble. After spending most of her adolescence struggling to control it, and failing, the Council of Magicians is on edge, wary of Clara’s unpredictable power and the chance she might harm someone. Their concern is largely thanks to her infamous mother, who defied, then fled the Council when Clara was a child, leaving her daughter behind to grapple with the consequences of her dark legacy. Clara is nothing like her mother, only interested in helping others with her magic, but it doesn’t mean much when she can’t control it. The book kicks off with the Council giving Clara a choice — either they’ll bind her power, so they can limit it, or remove it from her entirely.

But before Clara’s magic can be muted, she does the one thing the Council fears she would do — accidentally cursing her beloved, magic-less father. If she doesn’t perform an act of the most advanced magic, he will die. And the only person who can possibly save her dad is also the last person she wants to see.

Before he went away and ghosted her entirely, Xavier was her dearest childhood friend. Now he’s back home and almost unrecognizable — the man who was once her closest friend is only willing to help her in exchange for something that will cost her dearly. What Clara doesn’t know is that Xavier’s got big secrets of his own, and she might be in for more than she bargained for.

A bewitching, whimsical read, Catherine Bakewell’s FLOWERHEART is the most fun I’ve had getting lost in a book in a long time. The relationship between Xavier and Clara conflicts well with the mystery around what Xavier is hiding, all building up to a sweetly satisfying conclusion. With compelling scenery, a fast-paced, enticing narrative and a protagonist who is easy to relate to, FLOWERHEART is flawlessly done. More than that, this is a story about overcoming self-doubt and the shadows of our past, while learning to embrace the parts of ourselves we fear. It’s an ode to the dreamer, the protector and the enchanter inside all of us.

*Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC of this book!*

I absolutely adored this book. What really stood out to me was the life lesson the main character learned. Believing oneself and confidence. Personally, I think adding the flowers and their meanings into the book was a nice touch. This book is perfect for all ages. The evolution of Clara and Xavier’s relationship was so cute.

Side note: I think the author did an amazing job adding transgender characters in the book. There was even a same sex couple in the book as well.

I think fans of studio ghibli and Eva Evergreen would enjoy this book.

Thank you to the author and publisher for letting me read this book. Opinions were my own.

tl;dr
A gentle book about magic and flowers with a soft romance and a hopeful message.

About
Clara's magic is wild and uncontrollable, a fact that has kept her from being granted the official title of Witch, a position that will grant her recognition amongst her peers and the community. When her uncontrolled magic nearly kills her father, she makes a risky bargain with her childhood friend Xavier - his help, in exchange for her magic. But Xavier is different these days, and her bargain might be more dangerous than she knows.

Thoughts
Well, I was going to read a few chapters before bed, and wound up reading the whole thing in one sitting. Oops (but in the good way). The writing flows very naturally from one chapter to the next, and the pacing make it easy to just keep going. Compared to a lot of YA fantasy, this is a fairly low-stakes book, but that didn't make me care any less about what was happening. The world building and magic systems are only lightly described, but clearly defined and easy to understand. Full descriptions of flowers and nature abound, perfect for anyone looking for some cottagecore threads. Clara is a multi-faceted protagonist with a lot of heart, and I appreciated that her flaws and strengths were both written with honesty. Her journey learning to accept herself and build confidence was a very hopeful one to read. Xavier is a nice opposite for Clara, and the chemistry between them was very natural. In the center of all of this is a surprisingly frank discussion about mental health. Although the exact words aren't used, Clara's anxiety is a major character unto itself, portrayed very honestly as an extra voice that whispers lies. A brief discussion about depression (or something like it), and society's reluctance to face it, is also present, and appreciated. Overall, a very pleasant story in a beautiful magical setting with some likable leads.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this book. However, I found it boring. It felt as if I was reading a high school creative writing class assignment. It lacked true personality. I thought the concept was solid and I believe with some further editing it could be a decent book. I just expected more.

I really liked this book!
Loved the magic, the world-building, and especially the characters—Clara and Xavier fairly leapt off the page they were so dimensional and realistic,
I’d recommend Flowerheart to any fans of well-written books full of magic and great characters.
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a really well done book, I loved the use of flowers in a fantasy novel. It's interesting to me because flowers and plants can be something deadly so for a person to have plant powers it could be a deadly combination. Overall I really enjoyed going on this journey it almost had a noir feel to it and I really enjoyed reading this. I felt for Clara as she didn't ask for her power, and the rest of the cast is well written as well.

"A desk chair was edged out slightly. On the desk was a small sprig of yarrow, about the length of my forefinger. The red blooms were beautiful, but slightly damp. Yarrow for love. For healing. For courage. There was a thunderous bang, like a firework had exploded in the library."

A lovely coming-of-age story about managing self-doubt and regulating emotions told in a gorgeous cottagecore, magical realism setting. The ending felt rushed and the story a bit heavy-handed, but the vibes were immaculate.