I'm disappointed I didn't absolutely love this. I think the writing style ultimately is what just didn't work for me. I never felt like I knew our character very well, even though we were constantly in her head. I also thought she kept making stupid decisions which is what led to the climax of the novel. Of course it had to happen but I wish we'd just gotten there in a different way. I enjoyed the last 15% and the first 20% but the middle just dragged on and on. The setting also wasn't as rich as I'd hoped. They're in historic Savannah but I never truly felt like I was surrounded by that history. I'd recommend this to people who like slow moving horror who don't need a strong MC to guide the story forward.

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!!

This was one of those weird, creepy thrillers, and I loved every second! Give me the weird and strange with a Savannah setting and goth goth gothic style, and I am happy!!

Holly recently lost her brother to suicide and she has been picking apart the possibilities, the reasons why, nonstop. When she begins thinking of Dane's girlfriend that he moved in with right before the tragedy, she feels not only suspicion but an attachment to this girl, Maura.

Holly soon finds herself interacting with Maura, trying to parcel together clues for her brothers sudden decline. However, when she decides to move in with her to further along her chances of figuring this out, everything seems to start slipping sideways. Maura seems to all at once to be in and out of control while Holly realizes she has stumbled into something beyond her understanding. Something so strange and unthinkable that she may follow the same path as her brother.

This was so fun! The author didn't hide that Maura was a suspect, so I really felt like I was being led into the finale very purposefully. But, the finale itself!!! I am so glad I got to dip into this author's creative and creepy mind! And, I'm looking forward to their next book!

Out February 7, 2023!

Intriguing, but ultimately a bummer of an ending.

I wanted more freaky flower facts and less running around being scared of feeling things.

Such Pretty Flowers was such a unique story. A bit odd, very dark, and with a gothic setting like Savannah, it proved to add to the overall eerie feeling of the whole book. With a cover that drew me in and a description that was a bit twisted, I was ready to see what this debut book had to offer.

The story starts with the suicide of Holly's brother, Dane. These two were very close, but over the course of the last couple of years, something changed in her brother and they kind of grew apart. Even with what their relationship was, Holly was concerned that Dane's death was not all that they were saying. And I agreed with her. Especially with how he died. It just didn't add up. She had to get to the bottom of it and the answers she was seeking seemed to fall in the lap of her brother's girlfriend, Maura.

This story was a trip. It was like nothing I expected and gave such a unique perspective to the setting and how a piece of nature could change who someone was. I don't want to say too much, but it is original and the cast of characters that surrounded Holly and Maura were definitely interesting. We never really get to understand who Holly was, but she did have some sort of unhealthy infatuation with Maura which made me nervous for her. I liked how their relationship slowly progressed, but I really wanted someone to come forward and give us some clues as to who Maura was and what her intentions were. We do get that, but later than I would've preferred.

This story will be for the readers that enjoyed Mexican Gothic. The atmospheric and eccentric storyline will definitely appeal to them, but I think the characters could've been fleshed out a little more in order to feel connected to them. Overall, I enjoyed the dark story, but still wanted more. 3.5-3.75 stars

Such Pretty Flowers is a spooky, eerie novel that takes place in Savannah, Georgia. The main character is Holly, who is trying to solve the mystery of why her brother committed suicide. She decides to move in with her brother's girlfriend, Maura, to find out what happened the night he died. I love horror novels, so the creepiness was a plus for me, but this is not one for the faint of heart. I enjoyed it though. It kept me guessing until the end and would recommend for those who love dark novels. The cover art is also stunning. Thank you to Bantam and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is an eerie and gothic book that involves a suicide that wasn't accepted by Danes sister. When she moves in with Danes girlfriend to snoop around there are many things that she may not want to know

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this ARC

TW: Sibling loss, suicide. This was a fast read, much more so that I was expecting. I liked the eerie, Gothic atmosphere of this writing, too. I think having Savannah, GA as the setting was also a good choice. My family is from around there and having grown up nearby I can confirm there are a lot of spooky, Gothic stories that float around. This book is definitely a bit weird, but I still enjoyed it. If you're looking for a fast, Gothic read following amateur detective Holly as she pieces together her brother's life and tries to figure out what happened at the end of his life, then look no further. I do think that the categorization of this book is a bit off, though--this work is advertised as a mystery/thriller, but honestly I think it should be considered horror as it leans that way a bit more with the gory details and ending.

Creepy atmosphere, realistic characters, and just overall eerie vibes! I thoroughly loved reading this one. The author's writing was enjoyable and made it an easy and fast read. The characters were perfectly flawed and relatable. I liked the creepy southern, gothic style and setting. There were a couple times I felt extremely unsettled and might even go as far as to say I felt scared. I personally felt like it was easy to predict where this was going and I was able to easily pick up clues and know how they would be important later. This did not take away from the overall enjoyment while reading though. I think if you liked 'Mexican Gothic' and/or 'House of Hollow' you may want to pick this one up. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Holly is shocked when she is told that her brother committed suicide. She is both shocked and surprised. She thinks that his girlfriend knows more than she is saying. This book kept me interested from the start.

3.5

The ideas are there and are well-intended. If only the execution was just a bit better. Overall, I was satisfied in the end, and that counts for something.

Who knew “Such Pretty Flowers” could cause such horrifying problems for the characters and such mind bending fun for readers.

For some reasons I almost went with ⭐️⭐️⭐️’s, and for other reasons ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️’s so because…..ummm…….hmm…..um…..wow! That was something unique……uniquely strange, warped, messed up, creepy, gory, colorful, very colorful and the atmosphere drawn was very vivid and that ending!!…….I’m going to go with ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2’s…….plus endless ⭐️’s for that cover and the title.

Will review in full soon. With some trigger warnings, which really need to be shared, but for right now, just after closing the book, I just want to be with it first. If you like the strange and warped, macabre against a backdrop of “Such Pretty Flowers”, then definitely, you must read this!!

Thanks a million to NetGalley, Random House, Bantam, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this stand out, horrifying work of insanity and depth, early!! I will repost a full review here, Goodreads, Amazon and B&N, shortly.

Such Pretty Flowers by K. L. Cerra - 4/5

When on the hunt for answers to her brother's apparent suicide, Holly is out and about stalking the person she things is guilty when she finds herself falling her prime suspect - her brothers' girlfriend.

This book is sexy, seductive creepy and addicting. This is a quick read that grabs your attention, and you cannot put it down. I love detective/mystery stories and Holly's detective capabilities did not disappoint. The characters were intriguing, and I loved that the story didn't drag on.

A haunting last message from her brother and an opportunity to learn what happened to him from his strangely captivating fiancée draws a young woman’s curiosity to investigate in K. L. Cerra’s Such Pretty Flowers.
Holly’s brother Dane sent her an odd text shortly before he cleaved himself open in an effort to get out what he thought was growing inside of him. Though his death was ruled a suicide and he had a history of mental illness that would corroborate that finding, Holly’s convinced that there was something larger at play that involves his fiancée, Maura, and a game Dane said she wanted to play. Determined to learn the truth, Holly quickly finds herself stalking Maura, consumed with a need to know more about her; with an opportunity to move into Maura’s townhouse Holly seizes it for the chance it provides to snoop for clues. Drawn in to a darker, unsettling reality lurking beneath the shining surface, Holly soon realizes that there’s an attraction between her and Maura despite Holly not fully trusting her. Compelled to uncover the truth, Holly sticks with her investigation and battles her developing feelings, becoming entangled in Maura’s eerie world to the point of following in her brother’s footsteps, though she has an advantage of being able to heed her dead brother’s last warnings and breadcrumb clues that might just help her survive his unfortunate fate.
In a darkly creeping, and creepy, premise, an intriguing and consuming story unfolds that incorporates vivid and detailed floral and botanic descriptors to convey the essence of Maura’s existence, which entices and compels Holly as she investigates her brother’s death further while grieving his sudden and surprising loss. A gothic and haunting atmosphere playing in to and leaning on an already established haunted city of Savannah is well-developed, yielding an underlying unsettling feeling throughout; though much of the narrative is slowly moving and closely focused on the minutiae of a person’s words or behaviors without building out the depth to the character that minutiae relates to, the story obscures the truth to maintain mystery for so long that the reveal is ultimately both satisfying, as a why is finally made known, and unsatisfying, as it is a bit too much too quickly to tie things together without a fully developed background for the why being offered.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
This was a quick and easy Gothic read. Eerie and surprising plot unlike anything I have read before.
"Get it out of me"
This was the last text Holly received from her brother, Dane, before his suicide. The story follows Holly as she deals with her guilt of not answering this text in time. Holly is suspicious of Dane's fiance, Maura, so Holly befriends her and eventually moves into her Gothic townhouse. As creepy things start to happen, Holly starts to wonder if the same will happen to her as Dane, but she will not stop until she finds answers

A kind of gross suicide and a quirky librarian are at the heart of this book which was intriguing. I liked the setting of Savannah, GA, that is such a creepy place a story like this seems fitting. I like an amateur detective and Holly didn't disappoint. I enjoyed reading about her piecing together her brother's life with his girlfriend Maura and trying to figure out what actually lead to the suicide. Interesting characters and stayed on pace.

#SuchPrettyFlowers #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out!

If you are looking for a quick, exciting read, this is it. I finished this one in just a few days. It was captivating but a little on the weird side for me. Definitely a good choice if you are in a reading slump.

Holly has been a wreck since her brother, Dane’s, suicide. When she starts spending time with Dane’s ex-girlfriend, more questions come up than answers, to the point where Holly is determined to get to know Maura better and do some investigating on her own, even if it means her own sanity and life are both in danger. Told in a gothic-style in Savannah, this spooky book has a very strong start. Unfortunately, it goes off the rails a bit toward the end and we’re still left with some questions. Lots of potential here, so I’m not completely writing this one off---I couldn’t put it down, and when it was good, it was very good!

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such Pretty Flowers was an interesting read. I feel somewhat conflicted about it now that I've finished. On the one hand, I LOVED the setting in Savannah. I lived there for several years, and the city comes to life in this book - it's almost a secondary character. The characters are interesting - Maura is certifiably creepy. However, some of their motivations for doing things are really odd and unrealistic to me. For example, if she wasn't already friends, why would Holly choose to move in with her dead brother's fiancé? Especially if she thinks she might have something to do with his death? The book was also advertised as a mystery/thriller, but it bordered on horror for me with some of the gory details and the entire ending with Holly and Maura.

Basically, I think this book could be good, but it really wasn't for me. I did like revisiting Savannah though, so definitely worth it if you love the city!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Such Pretty Flowers is such a pretty title for such a twisted book! I loved it and all of the craziness! I’ll never look at flowers the same !!!