Ooh it’s so creepy and good. Fantastic story telling, quirky, fresh, and dark. This book will likely be featured on a future episode of Your Rainbow Reads podcast.

If this is this Authors debut novel, what an awesome start. While some of the premise of this book seemed unreal to me and while I wanted to shake some sense into the main protagonist, I still found myself rooting for her. This book had everything in it, love, family, creepiness, what seems like sinister intent and most definitely a psychological thriller roller coaster of a read.
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House-Bantam and the Author K. L. Cerra for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hard to put this story down. Holly is devastated over the suicide of her brother Dane. His last text message to her leaves many unanswered questions and regret for not responding to him. Holly becomes the new roommate of her brother's girlfriend in an effort to find out what really happened. Dane had been psychotically depressed and having episodes of seizures. Then he killed himself in a horrible way. His girlfriend, Maura runs hot and cold with some personality changes. Holly is determined to discover the truth, while getting emotionally involved with Maura. Now is Holly's life in danger too? Was it murder?

I always love a thriller book, and especially love reading one of these books when the length of the novel, itself, is just the right length. Not too long and not too short. Such Pretty Flowers by K.L. Cerra kept me hooked from start to finish and I am so appreciative of my advanced reader access. I am thankful to the author, NetGalley, and Random House/Ballantine Books.

*3.5 stars, but rounded up to 4. I was immediately drawn to this book as soon as I saw the cover. I was worried that It would not live up to such a dark/spooky cover, but for the most part it did! It was dark and gothic with some great surprises and interesting characters. The story was unique and felt different then anything I've read before (which I feel like isn't easy to do anymore) and kept me guessing until the very end. There were a few times I did feel like the story felt a little disjointed and the ending felt a bit rushed. Overall an enjoyable, creepy and entertaining read.

Thanks NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was ok. It wasn’t my favorite. It wasn’t as dark as it could be. Holly’s brother Dane dies by suicide. His body looked as if he was trying to get something out of him. In fact he tried to do it with a steak knife. Enter Dane’s creepy girlfriend, Maura. Holly and Maura feel a connection and soon Holly is Maura’s roommate. Sex follows and it leaves Holly feeling conflicted. Maura is also fairly mercurial and that keeps throwing Holly off. Holly looks thru her texts from Dane and soon she is convinced that Maura and her weird botany has killed him. At one point, Holly reads a text from Dane and finds a clue in her mother’s garden. The book doesn’t seem to know what it wants. It’s not really scary. The ending is predictable. The characters aren’t deep. The prose is ok. If you have something else to read, do that.

Such Pretty Flowers was so unique and I was really enraptured by the story.

When Holly's brother Dan succumbs to his insanity, Holly is determined to find out the truth. To do so, she puts herself directly in his shoes - moving in with his ex-fiance and even falling for her.

This book had me yelling at Holly constantly. I was so angry with her but also couldn't get enough of her terrible decisions and overall immaturity and naivety.

Maura was a complex character and I was totally under her spell - just like Holly. She was smart, manipulative, and totally unhinged.

There were red flags ALL OVER THE PLACE but Holly just kept letting herself be lured deeper and deeper into Maura's trap and I was totally there for it.

This was a fun one and very unique. Even though you have a general sense where it's going pretty early on, the ride is a good one.

I listened to this novel on audio and there were multiple narrators. I didn't always love the inflection Maura's narrator used but it worked. Overall the audio was great for telling the story and made it feel really cinematic.

Thank you to Bantam Books and NetGalley for the copy.

I have a confession…

I requested this book solely based on the cover. It’s absolutely stunning !

I had never heard of K.L Cerra (probably because this was a debut) but I was eager to dive right in.

Such Pretty Flowers, was highly recommended by Gillian Flynn. Flynn, is by far one of my favorite authors so I knew if she was recommending a book it was sure to be a hit .

Wow!

I could never have anticipated the punch this book packs . I was on my back, stunned, before I even knew what hit me! Holy plot twist!

Want to know what I’m talking about? Well you are going to have to pick up a copy for yourself!

Teaser:

“Get it out of me.”

It was the last message Holly received from her brother, Dane, before he was found cleaved open in the lavish Savannah townhouse of his girlfriend, Maura. Police ruled his death a suicide sparked by psychosis, but Holly can’t shake the idea that something else must have happened—something involving another message he sent earlier that night about a “game” Maura wanted to play.

Determined to discover the truth, Holly begins to stalk Maura, a magnetic, black-eyed florist with a penchant for carnivorous plants. But what begins as an investigation quickly veers into a fixation that lures Holly into the depths of Maura’s world: Savannah high society, eerie black roses, and a whisper of something more sinister. Soon Holly is feeling a dark attraction to the one woman she shouldn’t trust. As Holly falls deeper for Maura and her secrets, she’s left with only one choice: find out what happened to Dane or meet the same fate.

On the surface, Such Pretty Flowers is a standard thriller; Holly is mourning the death of her brother, Dane, and it seems like his eccentric girlfriend, Maura is hiding something. Holly becomes suspicious, starts investigating Maura and Dane’s relationship, and uncovers something shocking.

But it is the “something shocking” that sets this novel apart. Maura is a florist, with a strangely god-like reputation, and the further Holly is dragged into her world, the darker things become. Holly also finds herself attracted to Maura; how long can she resist?

Such Pretty Flowers is an unapologetically weird book, but very accessible. I loved the enigmatic character of Maura, and I enjoyed reading about Holly’s terrible life decisions (For example, why would you move in with someone you suspect of murdering your brother?! Why, Holly? Why?!).

There are lots of twists and turns in the novel, and certain sections did seem to drag on. But at the same time, I would have loved more character development in places. But the final section was incredibly thrilling and tense.

Such Pretty Flowers is a dark, fun read. A very promising debut.

Some advice? Don’t sleep with your dead brother’s girlfriend. Don’t move in with her. Don’t trust her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

This book is …. bizarre. I like dark psychological thrillers, and this certainly falls into that category. It’s unlike anything I’ve come across.

Holly’s brother Dane moved in with his girlfriend after only knowing her a couple months. When he commits suicide after struggling with mental health issues, Holly is convinced there’s more to the story based on text messages, and she’s determined to discover what really happened.

She may have good intentions, but when Holly is in a position to uncover information about Dane’s death, it quickly becomes evident she doesn’t have a plan. Numerous opportunities are wasted, and she ambles about and spends more time fawning and obsessing over Maura, Dane’s fiance. I also didn’t get a good feel for Holly’s character other than her occupation, information about her family, and her living arrangements.

Savannah is arguably the most haunted city in America, and I’d hoped it would figure more prominently in the story. A couple areas are mentioned, but that’s as deep as it went. With Maura being a florist, it’s clear the author did extensive research on flowers and toxins. I was fascinated by it.

This novel ventures into some dark, disturbing places, so I’d advise checking trigger warnings before reading it. Although I wasn’t the biggest fan of the MC, I wouldn’t hesitate to read future novels by this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is billed as a Southern gothic thriller so I was incredibly intrigued... only to be quickly disappointed with a bizarre story that morphed into a ridiculous plot with frustrating characters who became exaggerated stereotypical caricatures. Basically, this became a hate read for me.

Holly's brother Dane is found cleaved open (literally) in his girlfriend's bathtub. Police say it was a suicide sparked by psychosis. Oooookay.

Holly begins her search for answers with Maura, Dane's girlfriend. Suddenly Holly's moved in to the extraordinary Savannah townhouse where her brother died and Maura is a creepy florist growing some weird plants in her greenhouse while seducing the sister of her dead boyfriend.

Seduction, secrets, and gaslighting of epic proportions plays out in implausible eye roll inducing ways.

Ugh.

Thanks to Bantam and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Such Pretty Flowers was released February 7, 2023.

A solid 4 star read for me. If it wasn't for the fact that the main character had ZERO personality, I probably would have enjoyed this so much more. The spooky atmosphere of the house and my love of flowers are what kept me invested. I really just wish Holly had had more of a personality and a reason for being aside from avenging the brother she ignored.

How fun was this one?!

Holly is living in Savannah and grieving the recent suicide of her younger brother. She is looking for answers, spurred by the last texts she received from him, and her distrust for his girlfriend. She becomes intertwined in a very interesting exploration and gets in too deep.

I started reading this right before I visited savannah for the first time, which really heightened this for me. This kept my attention the entire time and I enjoyed the two main characters. I could totally identify with Holly who is kind of a mess in her early(?) 20s, but is so realistic!

The ending was fun (although not very probable) but suspending my sense of reality kept me hooked! All and all would recommend.

I wanted to like this because a gothic horror novel sounds amazing but I couldn't get passed the character of Holly. I thought she was portrayed in a very flat way and even though the plot was engaging, it distracted me from enjoying it completely.

There's been an influx of 'flower horror' lately and it's odd but pretty cool. I like the idea of plants and flowers being either sentient or a tool for evil deeds. On that front, this book had a lot of that content and was my favorite part of reading the story.

The main character Holly is what I didn't like about the book. I can understand being wary or even afraid of a sibling after they've been diagnosed with a mental illness, especially one that can manifest violently. The way Holly almost shunned Zane got to me. He asked for help, told her things weren't right, and still she ignored him. It was only after his death that she bothered to look into things.

Then, Holly can't see what's happening with Maura because she's infatuated with her. This girl obviously has shady things happening, but Holly keeps forgetting because she just can't get over liking her deceased brother's partner. WTF.

I still enjoyed the horror aspect, though I wanted the plant's uses to go deeper and learn more about them.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Bantam and NetGalley for the copy

Such Pretty Flowers, is an adult thriller story following the perspective of Holly. It has been a couple months since Holly’s brother committed suicide, she is struggling with accepting facts surrounding his death, including his seemingly perfect girlfriend, but Holly does not by it, especially since the voice mail he left her the night of his death leaves her with a lot of questions, so she begins to dig a little deeper and decides to keep a close eye on his ex, Maura.
The introduction of this thriller was great, pulling you in with mysteries and horrifying circumstances of her brother's death. I wanted to know what the hell was going on and what could push someone to do that to themselves. I thought the use of sinister plants was a great twist and added an unsettling psychological aspect to the story. The writing was ok and easy to follow, after the introduction the story was pretty straightforward, there were no unexpected twists or throwing the reader with misdirection. I still enjoyed reading the story and the journey but knew the outcome. So, the main character Holly, I had a lot of problems with her decision-making skills, some of them I understood why she made them, plus she was having a hard time grasping and dealing with a lot in her life. Other decisions I just could not wrap my head around and they made no sense and left her horrible vulnerable. The cover is beautiful, so eye-catching, I loved the colors, and the dark shadows. It was a pretty good read but did not blow me away, it is still a solid read.
Trigger warning: Suicide, drug use, kidnapping
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

This book was so interesting! The concept was very intriguing and I kept flipping the pages to find out what would happen next. Thank you for the early copy!

I gave this a three out of five stars. I enjoyed it but wasn’t my favorite. I don’t think I was in the right headspace to read. I think if I read it at a different time it would be a higher rating. I like the main characters and I wish I could read from her brothers pov of before the events in this book.

Such Pretty Flowers by K. L. Cerra had an exciting premise horror thriller focusing on botanical elements. In ways, that book lived up to this, but it also didn’t quite do it for me. Continue reading to get my fuller take on this new release.

Characters
Honestly, I did not like any of the characters in Such Pretty Flowers. Holly, the main character, made so many bad decisions that it was unbelievable to a certain point. And Maura just felt like such an obvious villain. Granted, her motives were not actually all that obvious until later revealed, but I was pretty over the sexy irresistible villain thing mid-way through. Other minor characters seemed to appear and disappear. These characters just slipped through my fingers and I could not tell whether or not they added to the overall book. I would have liked these characters to either be more fully situated in the narrative or removed/combined with others. Unfortunately, the characters were too one-dimensional to be interesting to me as a reader.

Plot, Pacing, Themes
I thought the overall plot was pretty compelling. I love plants, I love some gothic horror, what is not to love from the summary? When reading Such Pretty Flowers it was up and down with the pace, starting slowly. As a result, it was difficult for me to be immersed from the beginning. Putting pacing issues aside, Cerra has good bones for a creepy psychological thriller. Unfortunately, the follow-through was not there. If there was less focus on the ill-begotten romance between Holly and Maura, there would have been more time to fully delve into the southern gothic horror that seemed to be the draw for many readers. There were some, what I would describe as side-quests, that Holly used to investigate her brother’s death; these were not explored enough to be actually helpful for the plot and seemed tangential. Again, decrease the repetitive description of how Holly doesn’t trust Maura, but still gets sexually involved, and increase aspects of the novel that actually build up the plot.

Overall
I’m always here for a good gothic horror novel with Sapphic romance. Such Pretty Flowers does not hit that mark very well. The romance is obviously wrong as Holly doesn’t trust Maura since she thinks she was involved with her brother’s death. The execution of the plot did not lend itself well to being gothic horror or psychological thriller as much as it could have. Granted, I’m hoping that Cerra releases more as their career continues!