Our story follows Ivy Benton who is debuting to society. Her family, however, has been labeled outcasts due to her older sister's debut season and the controversy that surrounded her. Ivy wants to help her family get back into society's good graces and finds herself in a competition for the hand of the Fae Queen's son, Bram.

This was a delightful young adult fantasy that was fast paced and easy to understand. While this book doesn't necessarily provide anything new, I was captivated by the writing style and the world that Smith created. I thought the cast of characters was fantastic. Smith did a great job putting the characters in a setting where we don't like those around the FMC, but giving them the space to grow. By the end, I was rooting for all of the girls in the competition. Speaking of competitions, I do love a good one. I thought the trials that the girls had to go through was clever and well done. The only complaint I had was the romance felt a little under developed but I ATE UP that yearning. Give me more of that please.

Also that ending?? Need book 2 immediately please.

I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys The Cruel Prince, Bridgeton, and The Selection!

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

THIS IS THE YA BOOK OF 2025!!!!

I LOVED this book. I absolutely ate this up. I have been searching for a YA book for a long while and have FOUND IT. This is a wonderful mash up of The Cruel Prince, The Selection, and Bridgerton all rolled up in a nice bow. I love when fae are cruel, as I think it makes the the story much more interesting.

I was drawn in from the first page where we see an alternative history to the War of the Roses that involves fae. It does a wonderful job of setting up the alternative London that we are living in. The world building is subtle and very unique and you feel very eased into their high society and cutthroat world. The pacing is excellent and I was enthralled throughout the story because it blended magic and mystery so well. I could NOT put this down. I was riveted throughout the twists and turns and I didn’t know where the plot was going to take me.

The characters and their relationships were very well developed and relatable. Ivy is a fantastic FMC. She was clever, strong and was never afraid to do what was right. The book was mainly from her point of view and we watched her navigate through this tricky world. The story was interspersed with POVs from the other main girls in the story and it was a true delight to get their full backstory and their thoughts. Each character was unique and stood on their own, I never felt confused or mixed up the characters. These POVs enriched the story immensely and took The Rose Bargain to the next level. One of the most complex and interesting relationships in the whole book was between Ivy and her sister. Their bond is strong but also complicated and charged, which makes their relationship intriguing.

“Like you? Ivy Benton, I am obsessed with you. It’s going to kill me.”

The romance was PERFECT. There was pining, banter, tension, and it was the perfect combination of all of them. The chemistry was everything to me and it made the ending absolutely heartbreaking. You could call this a “light” love triangle and it was done well and it was very engaging to see Ivy caught in the middle of the competition but also being pulled another way.

Let it be known that I will be anxiously awaiting book two and book one isn’t even out yet. Thank you to NetGalley, Epic Reads, and HarperCollins Children's Books for this advanced copy! The Rose Bargain releases on February 4, 2025.

The Rose Bargain made me fall in love with YA books again. I haven't felt this way with a young adult novel since the Folk of the Air trilogy. I have seen many comparing the two and while I can see that I believe this novels stands in it's own lane and does it well.

I don't want to give away too much because I feel it's best to go in blind but I will say that Ivy is a strong main character who is willing to sacrifice everything for the people she loves. I loved that instead of changing completely, she grew into herself both in confidence and in cunning. I also quite enjoyed the cast of supporting characters, I felt the group surrounding Ivy really helped add to the story and the chapters in their point of view were some of my favorites. As for the romance in this book, at some points it felt like a subplot but it made it all the more sweeter when you got glimpses of it. It also kicks up quite a bit in the last 20% and I would advise more sensitive young readers to check content warnings for chapters 28 & 31.

Something else to note is that while there is fae and magical elements, the story is mostly based in regency era London with only a few passages of magic with the book hinting that . Also, (Non-Plot Spoiler) this book does end on a cliffhanger. These are minor details to be aware of but I don't believe that either of these things take away much from the book and it is still a very strong read.
Overall, I believe this book is a perfect read for any fan of both fantasy and historical fiction, It has aspects of The Cruel Prince, Bridgerton and even The Grace Year. I truly believe this has the potential to be the best YA book of 2025.

Be careful what you wish for.

In England, every citizen is granted one bargain from their immortal fae queen, with rosy-cheeked debutantes using their wishes, or “Rose Bargains” to attract prized suitors and climb higher in society.

Ivy Benton’s debut season brings an unexpected twist: a competition to win the heart of Prince Bram, the queen’s fae son. Marrying the prince could save her family from financial ruin and free her sister from her own devastating bargain. But beneath the glamour of the contest lies a sinister scheme, the whole contest too “sickly sweet, like rotted fruit.”

There’s a truly incredible Grimm’s fairytale-esque vibe to this book that kept me at the edge of my seat, reading it into the late hours of the night. The villain reminds me of the witch in Hansel and Gretel. You never know if she plans to grant you your heart’s desire or stew you in a pot over the fire. As was alluded to several times, “she does love to play with her food.”

My sole criticism was not digging into the brothers’ contrasts earlier in the book. I had a hard time distinguishing between their personalities until much later in the book, whereas the introductions of the debutantes painted very clear comparisons which helped me to keep the cast of characters straight.

I need the next book immediately, pretty please and thank you.
I am so grateful to NetGalley, Sasha Peyton Smith, and Harper Collins for this advance reader copy of The Rose Bargain in exchange for an honest review.

I saw that Stephanie Garber loved this title, so with that racing review, I knew I needed to read this. It started off very well, and I could not put the book down. I found it get much like a cross between The Selection and The Cruel Prince and some Stephanie Garber world vibes. To be honest, this type of read is very much like a guilty pleasure. It may not be the strongest new story, but I couldn't stop reading it. There was a bit in the middle that was a tad but bogged down. I also didn't always live the decisions the characters made, but it strongest bring down my enjoyment level. I will absolutely be reading the sequel if there is one. Either way, this is an author that has made my radar.

The Rose Bargain
by: Sasha Peyton Smith

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This story truly is The Cruel Prince meets The Selection, and it is delicious! The Rose Bargain offers a fresh take on what happens when faeries and humans collide by adding a historical element to the narrative.

Our female lead, Ivy Benton, is easy to root for as a reader. She is strong and caring, if a bit morally grey. She enters the contest to become the prince’s bride entirely for the benefit of her family, but the lessons she learns while in the contest may just help her save her country from an evil they don’t know is lurking nearby.

There were some elements that I felt were lacking- I wanted more tension between Ivy and the main love interests, but the plot itself was compelling and kept me hooked. Overall, I enjoyed this book, which is the first in a duology.

A must read if you like:
🌹 Bridgerton Vibes
💍 Strong Female Lead
🌹”She’s Not For You”
💍 Kissing Lessons

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As always, thanks to HarperCollins for sending me this ARC. This was one of the ARCs I was crossing my fingers and toes to have sent to me!
Bridgerton + The Cruel Prince + The Selection...romantasy...enemies to lovers...fae...does it get any better than that!?
I'm pretty sure this book checked every single box of a perfect YA story! I stayed awake til 4am flipping the pages, I couldn't close my yes until I was finished. I absolutely can not wait for the next book because the plot only gets juicier!
There were 2 things that kept this from being a 5 star for me. The first was the imagery wasn't as vivid as I would have liked. I could kind of picture everything but it took a little effort. The second was the singular chapters that the other girls got thru out the story. I don't think any of those chapters helped me to understand those characters any different because everything was beautifully told or found out thru discussions amongst the girls. Those chapters were quite short tho so it didn't keep me from the exciting stuff for too long.

4 really solid stars. Ok ok, I'm going to be honest-- I definitely requested this book on netgalley in large part due to the cover. I can't remember if I even read the blurb, but regardless, I'm so glad I requested this! I think this book is going to be really big-- perhaps even one of the biggest fantasy/ romantasy releases of 2025. The Rose Bargain is part The Selection, part Bridgerton, part The Cruel Prince, with also some very heavy Stephanie Garber vibes thrown in for good measure. And given that this book has all of that going on for itself, there's no way it won't be popular.

Basically, The Rose Bargain takes place in England in the 1800s; however, England is currently being ruled by a fairy queen. Every year, the fairy queen allows each girl making their society debut to make one bargain with her. But anyone who has ever read a book about fairies knows that you should literally never bargain with a fairy. But the thing that makes this year's season so different is that this is the year the fairy queen's son will choose a bride... aka, the future princess. But being a fairy, the queen decides to have a bit of fun and turns the quest for the prince's hand in marriage into a competition. And given that these are a bunch of mortals playing at fairy games, literally nothing is as it seems. And oh yeah, the queen also has another son, and it becomes pretty apparent pretty quickly that there's a sort of love triangle going on between Ivy (the main character) and the 2 princes. Ivy's reasons for entering the competition are pretty compelling, and the complicated family dynamics (Ivy's family, but also between the 2 princes and their family) are some of the best aspects of the book.

I would personally consider The Rose Bargain to be romantasy, since the romance is basically the main plot driver of the story. But, it's not terribly steamy, like most recently published romantasy books tend to be. So if you want steam, this won't be the book for you, given that this one is YA (but a mature YA) with almost no steam.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It was a very quick and easy read. There were no moments that lingered and I truly was invested in seeing how everything played out. And based on that ending, I am 100% clamoring to read book 2. Thank you so much to Smith, Harper Collins, and netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely DEVOURED this book. It was everything I hoped it would be. I loved the setting of the alternate version of Victorian England, the dynamic friendships, the complicated relationships the protagonist had with both of the princes, the political intrigue, the mystery... for me, this one hit all the notes, and I am DYING for the second book. Peyton knocked it out of the park with The Rose Bargain.

*Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I haven't finished a book this quickly in a long time. I think The Cruel Prince meets The Selection with a bit of Bridgerton is a perfect way to describe this book. The stakes got higher and higher as the book went on which kept me engaged. I wasn't completely sold on the love triangle until the very end and overall, I'm looking forward to see how the next book will play out.

The Rose Bargain is a lush fantasy novel woven with tension, suspense, and romance. I really enjoyed the idea of England ruled by a faerie queen in the 1840s, and the story itself was excellent.
I loved the characters and the romance between Ivy and Emmett was nicely done as well. I wish that we had seen more of the games, though, and the narrative style felt a little juvenile compared to the dark and lavish world that the story takes place in.
I absolutely cannot wait to read the sequel, and I think fans of The Selection and A Fragile Enchantment will love The Rose Bargain.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the eARC!

I am exhausted as I write this review for Sarah Peyton Smith’s The Rose Bargain—and why am I so tired you might ask? Because I could not put this book down. I read this in one night, staying up til literally 3:30 AM to do so. I loved it! Every citizen of England is granted a bargain from their immortal fae queen—for a price—and Ivy Benton’s season has just started with a twist: a competition to marry the Queen’s fae son, Prince Bram. And to save her family and rescue her sister from a bargain that destroyed her, Ivy will do anything to win. Oh this was good. I liked the competition element, I liked the romance pieces. Prince Emmett (Bram’s brother) and Prince Bram were so good as male leads. It’s historical romance and fantasy, like a Bridgerton meets a Caravan vibe. There is some rushing when it comes to the romance, one section I had to go back through to make sure I didn’t miss something cause it just felt abrupt, but otherwise, the pacing was so good. I was invested in the contestants of the competition and their growth as a group was really great and I loved how this book was written. And Ivy is so brave and her heart is so big. I was just truly rooting for her. Plus, the twist at the end and the political intrigue was engaging. It has a real fairytale feel and I’m really excited to what comes in book 2!

5 stars!!!

Thank you so much to HarperCollins & Netgalley for the eARC!!!

ok first off, WOW. This book is absolutely incredible. I devoured it in almost one sitting. I was a huge fan of the Selection series growing up, so I had high hopes for this one and it did not disappoint! I thought the world building was amazing and unique, I loved the backstory of how Queen Mor came into power and the history of her bargains. I really enjoyed the pacing & all the twists near the end? I was sat!

Ivy was the perfect FMC and I loved getting to see her perspective on the events in the story, but also the other contestants and her sister's.

& for the romance? you know i ate it up. the chemistry, the pining!! i love when there is a small love triangle, but i was absolutely rooting for one of the princes the whole time. i love them together & i can't wait to see what happens in book 2!

If you are a fan of fae based fantasy romance but also love the marriage competition & love triangle elements of The Selection, you're going to love this book!!!

I demolished this book in less than two days. Honestly the story was captivating from the very first page. Our FMC is probably one of my top 5 favorite FMC. She’s realistically strong, has a likable personality and was easy to follow as our main character. And don’t even get me started on the swoon worthy romance *insert heart eyes*. Everything about this was perfect and I could not recommend The Rosa Bargain if I TRIED.

Im not gonna lie, I wanted to read this because of this being promoted as being perfect for fans of Bridgerton and The Selection. Sadly i didn't enjoy this as there was a bit too much telling rather than showing. I liked the premise but the ploy just felt a little predictable throughout the whole book.

DNF for now as this wasn't what I expected - a bit too YA and a bit too much telling rather than showing.

I'm not a fan of the bachelor but if you are then you might enjoy this book. I guess I should pay more attention to the blurbs but I like giving books a chance even if the blurbs aren't completely up my alley. There was also an author that really praised it so I went ahead and requested, but it was such a chore to read through. I never felt like the stakes were high. The romance could have been so good but there was no tension. The characters overall felt really flat. Nothing gripped me at all. I had high hopes but alas it was meant to be a match.

This book tricked me! I got it as an ARC read from Netgalley, and I really did not expect to like it after the first chapter. I WAS WRONG. This book had me sucked in completely after the first few chapters. I binged it in two days....

This might make no sense until you read it, but take the social structure of Bridgerton, add the competition of The Selection, and the cruelty of the Fae in The Cruel Prince or even Amarantha's trials. It is such an intriguing idea and the author does a beautiful job in weaving them together to create a visceral experience for the reader.

This is a romantasy that’s truly like the bachelor meets Bridgerton! The last half was a lot more engaging and had me hooked compared to the first half.

Overall really enjoyable and I’ll be recommending! It had an interesting premise and different twists and games from other “trial” based books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advanced copy of "The Rose Bargain".

I initially requested this book on a whim off of netgalley. There were a lot of key words triggering me to do it, specifically that it was kind of a fae version of "The Selection", which was one of my favorite series as a teenager. I didn't pick it up for awhile until I heard someone on TikTok raving about it and BOY were they correct. I don't want to say too much about the plot of the book because discovering those things is the most fun part of this read. The Fae are so tricky and the premise of Regency England and the Fae Queen who has been ruling for 400 year finally putting her son on the marriage market for the season is insanely clever. It will hook all the correct readers. But then, having to swear to the queen that if you are putting yourself forward as a suitor, you are also swearing that you will not ever marry, even if you are not chosen to be the prince's wife. On top of this there is the intrigue of the bargaining system: all citizens can make one bargain with the Fae Queen in exchange for a fair "price", no fingernails, no hair, only able to turn Right forever, etc. It is all so cleverly done and will suck you in with story. I could not put this read down. Please have this on your radar for pre-order!!! It is only going to be a duology which is a more manageable series for me, so I am excited where the second book will take us!