Loved loved this novel.
Wonderful characters and a fantastic plot.
I especially loved the 1910 setting of California. I was able to "visualize " it and felt like I was there.
I really enjoyed in getting to know Catherine.
I'm giving this 5 stars for keeping me engaged throughout this novel.

It’s 1910, and Catherine Ogden is aching to live a creative and meaningful life. That’s not easy to do when her aunt and uncle—and all of New York society—consider a good marriage to be the pinnacle of feminine achievement. But when Catherine visits Oakview, the Northern California estate of handsome bachelor William Brandt, she thinks that it might be possible to satisfy her family’s hopes as well as her own. In that beautiful place, she finds the promise of a new start and the opportunity to use her artistic gifts in designing the garden. But as Catherine is drawn into William’s hidden life, as well as the secrets of his estate staff, she discovers that Oakview holds both more opportunity and more risk than she ever imagined. It will take all her courage—and the lessons of some shocking revelations from the past—to choose the path that leads to real freedom.

𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨!
I love going into books blind with no expectations and end up with a big surprise, that was the result with this beautiful story.
Beautiful setting, beautiful writting, fantastic characters and a story that will capture your heart.

Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours for this tour invite.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 by @moyerginny released May 9, 2023.

I enjoy this story of a woman trying to find her place and her path in early 20th century California. I hadn’t read anything by this author before so didn’t know what to expect, but I thought the characters were particularly well portrayed. They are all very real humans with strengths and flaws, and they drive the story along in a compelling way. The ending is satisfying without being unrealistic, and I enjoyed reading a book set in a time and place that seem less typical fare for historical fiction. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

From the start I thought I knew where this story would go, but it did not include all the twists and heartbreak it would include. Because of the author's writing, I took a trip to a local botanical garden to read - to be surrounded by the colors and smells Catherine in her daily walks and time in the dirt.

Really liked this book. Cathrine is a fun-loving young woman with plenty of ambition. Hoping to please her aunt and uncle, Cathrine stays at the estate of William Brandt a handsome young bachelor. However, Cathrine quickly learns there is more than meets the eye with not only William but his estate. Can she unravel the secrets and find her true self in the process? I enjoyed this book. It was well written and was full of mystery and secrets waiting to be unraveled. I would absolutely recommend this book to any friends and family.

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for the advanced copy of The Seeing Garden in exchange for an honest review of the book.

One of my favorite time periods about which to read, The Seeing Garden is set in the early 20th Century United States. It is a coming-of-age, rags-to-riches story of a young woman, Catherine, and her quest for self-discovery at a pivotal period in her life. Catherine learns to find love and contentment beyond the expectations of those who raised her, in the end arriving at a place she has always hoped to be.

The book was a well written, easy and engaging read. The plot, if not predictable, was enjoyable and satisfying. This was a book that I could have continued reading for another 200-300 pages, if the story had continued.
Although a wonderful story, I didn't find it to be entirely unique or a full-on page turner. Some plot points felt drawn out. However, overall it was a lovely story and I am glad to have read it.

I’m only at 60%, but I am really enjoying this historical fiction. As a gardener, I’m easily lured (and usually disappointed) with books that have “garden” in the title, but The Seeing Garden in corporates the design of a new garden wonderfully into the story line.

Updated. Completed The Seeing Garden. Kudos to the author Ginny Kubitz Moyer on the publication of her first novel!

Thank you to this new-to-me author (and everyone else) Ginny Kubitz Moyer, the publisher She Writes Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review the advance read copy of The Seeing Garden in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is May 2023.

I enjoyed this novel, but the Author's Note at the end of the book additionally helped me appreciate this work of historical fiction.

Nineteen-year-old Catherine Ogden appears to have everything: youth, wealth, birth, breeding, and beauty. No one in New York high society is surprised when she attracts the attention of William Brandt, an up-and-coming business tycoon from California. It’s 1910, and the job of women like Catherine is to marry well and make their families proud.

At her aunt’s urging, Catherine agrees to visit the Brandt estate near San Francisco. There she falls in love not with her prospective groom but with his beautiful, sun-filled house and, most of all, the extensive gardens that surround it. When he proposes marriage, she accepts.

Yet Catherine is not quite the society heiress her appearance suggests. The daughter of a wealthy man who gave up his fortune for art and love of her mother, Catherine grew up in a household that valued emotional fulfillment more than status and pride. So she can’t ignore the prickles of concern that arise during her conversations with William. For a while, she distracts herself by designing a beautiful garden of her own, but as the wedding day draws closer, a series of surprises force her to confront what she most wants in life.

As noted in her bio, Ginny Kubitz Moyer lives and gardens in the area where she has set her novel, and it shows. The exquisite descriptions of the landscape and its effect on Catherine could carry the novel, but they don’t have to. Catherine herself—with her combination of innocence and self-awareness, her unexpected past and its contrasts with her very different present—is the heart of the story. And although we can predict where she might be heading, Moyer keeps us guessing almost to the end as to how her heroine will get there. All in all, a very satisfying read.

I will be interviewing this author for the New Books Network (link below) sometime this summer.

Catherine Ogden is an orphan, raised by her aunt and uncle after her parent's death. Her aunt is emphatic that she needs to marry well in return for them raising her. Catherine is struggling and then she meets handsome bachelor William Brandt from California. Soon she's on the way to see his estate and finds so much more. She falls in love with the views and the gardens. Using her artistic skills, she helps the head gardener design a special section of the garden. And then secrets start unraveling and romances change.

Enjoyable story with well crafted characters. The descriptions are rich and lush and enhance the storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Set in California in the early 1900"s, the reader is introduced to Catherine, who has moved there to be close to her fiancé and their upcoming wedding. In the past as a small child, she is raised by her parents( her father, an artist from a wealthy family and her mother, a former maid and an artist's model ). .Tragedy separates her from her parents and she is raised by her father's brother and wife. With the expectations of the time and her family , she is expected to marry (and to a wealthy family). A wonderfully written love story; the descriptions of the early California is interesting to read. Also, Catherine's love of gardening , makes me want to start my own garden. A highly recommendable novel.

The Seeing Garden by Ginny Kubitz Moyer is a wonderful historical fiction that takes us to Northern California in the early 20th century.

Catherine Ogden is a stunning MC. Her coming of age story is so beautifully depicted and described. The way the author blends the colors, textures, sights, and emotions through multiple avenues and mediums truly makes this novel a work of art.

Add in the historical contents of society and social expectations, aspirations, and limitations…and the reader can be fully immersed in a book that engages and tests all of your senses.

I loved the location, time, threads of romance and also independence, the pace and progression, and I loved the conclusion.

The journey to finding one’s purpose and passion within oneself, as well as within your surroundings, is something that I think every reader can resonate with. It is something fundamental that surpasses space and time.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and She Writes Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 5/9/23.

I really enjoyed getting to know Catherine Ogden as a main character, she was interesting and worked with the environment around her. I enjoyed the story itself and getting to go through this book. The rest of the cast worked well with Catherine and I wanted more. Ginny Kubitz Moyer does a great job in telling the story and having it be a great written novel. It had what I was looking for from this type of book and I enjoyed the journey.

“Of course you may, if you like.” He stopped and bent to kiss her, ducking slightly to bypass the brim of her large hat. Pleasant as it was to be kissed by him, part of her still felt self-conscious, as if her aunt were watching censoriously. “Do whatever you want with the garden,” he said, as they strolled on. “I’ll talk to Thomas, the head gardener. He’ll be here for a few more months. Plenty of time to get it done.”