too literary fiction for my liking
also with the times as they are, I'm not into dystopian fiction right now
would love the audio on a road trip
this was 100% a me thats the problem, not the book

I'm not sure where to start with this review. The premise grabbed me: 2 elderly sisters live in a walled garden (time and place unknown) and are secluded from the outside world. They spend their days planting crops, tending their beehives, and following instructions left by their mother.

One day, a boy (no name) shows up in their garden. Where did he come from? They thought there was no one and nothing on the outside of their garden.

I know that this book is in the dystopian genre. But it was a slog to finish it. There wasn't much action. The sisters acted like children, always bickering. The end leaves you hanging which I don't love. This one was just okay for me.

Thank you to Penguin/Putnam and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC of The Garden in exchange for an honest review.

I must be honest in that I’m truly struggling with how to explain or dictate how I feel after reading The Garden. I think this is in part because my primary adjective would be ‘confusion.’ While for the most part I understand the occurrences that took place within The Garden, I’m really struggling to grasp the meaning of the work as a whole and decipher what occurred in the last few chapters of the book.

To be brief without giving anything away, The Garden is set in an almost post-apocalyptic dystopian setting where the reader is unsure of the actual timeframe in which this story has occurred or geographically where the story is set. In a slow build, you spend most of the book piecing together what has occurred in the lives of our two main characters, Evelyn and Lily, in their walled off fortress/camp known to them as The Garden. Everything the girls have been raised to know will be tested when their fortress is breached by a boy from the outside, where they have been lead to believe by their deceased mother, that life no longer exists. Relationships begin to crumble as their faith in each other is quickly tested. However, they are going to need to learn to trust each other if they want to survive.

While there is no denying that The Garden is beautifully written and emotionally gripping, I spent most of my time reading in a suspended state of bewilderment. To be fair, I am not necessarily a reader that can just suspend all beliefs and go with the flow. I prefer a well laid out storyline that I can follow and justify in my mind. It either makes sense or it doesn’t. I like my ending to be concise and I don’t like to have to ask myself “WTF did I just read here?” If you are anything like me, you are going to STRUGGLE with this one. That being said, I’m well aware that this is a personal problem and there are likely many people not like me who are unbothered by the unravellings of this book. If you have read this book already, I’d be horribly curious to know how someone else interpreted the last few chapters and what they took from this read, because I’m not sure I could entirely explain that myself.

Understanding that this genre of book is not my normal cup of tea, I can appreciate the writing for what it is. The descriptions are beautiful and the complexity of the relationship between the sisters and that of their deceased mother is rather compelling. Also, completely unrelated to the storyline, the cover art for this book is absolutely beautiful and I have to admit, it’s initially what sucked me in. (Hats off to you for knocking that one out of the park). Being that this read was a bit outside of my grasp, I’m inclined to rate it as a 3.5/5, but rounding up to a 4 thanks to the interesting character dynamics and compelling visual descriptions throughout.

Now that I’ve got my thoughts out there, I’m eager to dive into the reviews of others to get their take on The Garden.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this advance copy of "The Garden."

I'm not really sure how I feel about this dystopian story about 2 sisters who have lived alone for decades in the kitchen of a large house on a great deal of property. They never venture into other parts of the house out of fear. Also, they have been keeping the expansive garden going on their own for nearly their entire lives. They are each other's only company.... until they discover a boy has entered their garden. That is when relationships change.

I gave this book a rating of 4, not because I liked it, but because it gripped me. I really wanted to give it a 3.5, but rounding down didn't seem right, especially for a book that kept me coming back. I had no idea how it was going to play out, so I kept reading. But I did not like it. It's disturbing throughout. So should you read it? That's up to you to decide.

Evelyn and Lily are sisters. Now elderly, they still live in their family home. They are as different as day and night. Each shaped by their mother.
Where is this house? No clue. Where is this garden? Again, no clue
What are the storms? No clue. Is this fantasy? No clue
All in all there were so many unanswered questions that it was a chore to get through.


NetGalley/ Penguin Group/ Putnam February 18, 2025

Dystopian fiction isn't hard to find. But I thought the execution of this book was outstanding. I was hooked on the story from the beginning. It had such a weird, evocative vibe from the beginning, so that you know there's something gone very wrong in the world of the two elderly sisters, Lily and Evelyn. Their enclosed Garden (and their kitchen) is their entire world, and they spend their days tending to the garden, to the bees, their chickens, their vegetables. And they *never* consider what is outside their garden, and refuse even to look over the walls. They also live entirely within their kitchen, despite the fact it's pretty clear they live in a large manor house. But the house is forbidden to them. This has been their lives for so long, they barely remember their privileged youth living in the house, with the parties their family hosts, and their friends. As far as they know, they are the entirety of the world.

Then one day, the unthinkable happens. A boy (we never do learn his name) shows up in their garden. And it throws their entire world into chaos. His existence forces them to reckon with the possibility that their Garden may not be all there is in this world. And as they get to know the boy better, memories come back to them.

I don't want to say much more because spoilers. But I will say there were moments in this book I honestly didn't expect or see coming, and that's such a rare occurrence for me! The writing is so effortlessly descriptive, I felt the fear and claustrophobia the sisters were feeling. I won't lie, I also spent a good chunk of the book really not liking either sister. I tried to step back and place myself in their shoes, and that was a hard thing for me to do, which I actually appreciated.

Overall, what a great book. It's not common these days for me to just sit down and read a book straight through, staying up late to see what happens. And I did with this book.

4.5/5 ⭐️
Even though I knew from the story’s description that this was a dystopian, I loved how you forget it is. It is such an intimate story kept to one place and to three people. Well sort of four. I loved how the story revealed itself. Steadily it revealed more of our setting. Steadily we got breadcrumbs revealing it is a dystopian. Or I suppose utopia. Steadily, everything became revealed. And in all honesty, I think the closest comparison I have for this book is We Have Always Lived In A Castle by Shirley Jackson.
While there is a small collection of characters, the two sisters are the main focus. Over the course of the story we get to witness their dynamic. Their love. Their secrets. Their grudges. And everything is cracked open with a mysterious newcomer.
This story was hauntingly beautiful. So much, I was tearing up at the end. I think what I loved most was the sisters dynamic and how intimate of a dystopian this was. Usually dystopians are grander and interacting with a full society. This series in so close on one tiny corner of the world. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

This was an interesting read, one I'm still digesting hours after having finished it. I didn't have any knowledge of the story going in, and it took some time to figure out the dystopian/sci-fi/fantasy angles to the tale. Slow-moving yet eloquent, this is not an action-packed adventure; rather, an introspective look at a different world through the "innocent" eyes of older sisters.

I liked this, and I'll probably like it better tomorrow after having slept on it. Will I read more from the author? Yes.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

I was given an advance reader copy of this title by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This was a very creative well executed premise. Very talented writer who successfully created suspense and surprise.

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC of THE GARDEN by Nick Newman in a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and healthy 2025!

thank you to netgalley and penguin group putnam for allowing me to read this advance copy. i really loved this book. i've gotten hooked on dystopian novels and this one does not disappoint. nick newman has painted a beautiful story inside of a scary dark one. about sisters. about gardens, about the vulnerability of life itself. there were moments of confusion for me and i decided i didn't need to understand every last connection. instead i allowed myself to be carried along with evelyn.

Thanks to Negalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF 30%-Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me. I liked the idea of the plot about two older sisters living on an estate in distant future that seems to be impacted by climate change and other factors, but between the dynamic of these older women acting like children and not a lot going on, it was difficult to be interested in the story. From the other reviews I've read, I'm a dissenting opinion on this one, but unfortunately I'm not huge into stories like these any longer so it really takes something intriguing to keep me interested.

For as long as they can remember, sisters Lily and Evelyn have limited their existence to their kitchen and garden. Not daring to go into “the outside,” they struggle in their older age to be self-sufficient. When a boy shows up in their garden and disrupts their lives, the sisters start to question each other and all they thought they knew.

A deeply claustrophobic dystopian story about two elderly sisters trapped in a garden where all is not as it seems. I enjoyed that characters of Evelyn and Lily and enjoyed the design of the narrative, which follow them asynchronously across their lifetime. Newman does a good job of building tension, as it slowly becomes clear that a catastrophe has unfolded in the world beyond the garden's walls. I wish the catastrophe hadn't been so vague and ill-defined: it allows Newman to zero in on the relationship between the two sisters, but prevents us from fully experiencing the stakes of their captivity. I wish the action had picked up closer to the middle of the story, rather than near the end. Otherwise, a compelling read with reflections on climate change, aging, and memory.

This was a breath of fresh air in the adult dystopian genre.

Once I got into it, I couldn’t stop reading. This story revolves around two elderly sisters Lily and Everlyn, that live their lives in their kitchen and their garden. The rest of the world has been apparently devastated and I was hooked, wanting to find out what happened and what the future holds, particularly after a mysterious visitor arrives.

It was a worthwhile read and the end was sad and satisfying for me, even though I didn’t have all the answers. I highly recommend to those interested in dystopian fantasy, mystery and tales that are a little dark. It’s very different from anything of the like I’ve read before and that always gets high marks in my book!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

The garden by Nick Newman was hard to put down once I got into it. I loved the idea and the setting for the novel and found it a compelling story with well written characters. My only complaint was that the ending felt a little rushed and I wish some more things would've been explained. Would recommend rating 3/3.5 stars. I want to thank PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an absolute page-turner. I read two thirds of it in one day; I couldn’t put it down. There were so many unexpected twists and turns that I never saw coming. It felt immersive, secretive, and mysterious with so much heart and lovable characters. But it was still a horror novel? I don’t know how the author managed to carefully craft all of that into one stunning novel but I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my arc in exchange for my unbiased review.

"The Garden" by Nick Newman is a weird dystopian-like novel that follows a pair of elderly sisters at the edge of a world and what happens when they discover a little boy in their garden.

I really struggled with this one. I thought it was really boring to be honest, and it just really dragged. I feel bad because I found the synopsis initially interesting, but it did not end up being actually interesting. Even when the "action" picked it up, I was still falling asleep while reading it.

Overall a disappointing read for me.

4.5 stars to Nick Newman's The Garden!! Set in an apocalyptic world of sand and ruin, Evelyn and Lily spend their days caring for Mother's garden. The sisters are careful to follow their mother's rules for planting, beekeeping, and all other elements of life. The garden is all that they have. It is all that exists, and everything beyond its walls is an evil poison. Nothing must be allowed in. But strange things are happening in the garden, and Evelyn fears that the monsters of the outside world have finally made it inside. But despite their mother's rules for outsiders, and the tales of the monsters beyond the wall, the sisters discover that their new monster is not as dangerous as their mother warned. The boy is strong and willing to help care for their home. But other monsters are following him. And they may not be as kind to them, or to the garden.

What I liked:
- the relationships (they were genuine and full of emotion)
- the setting. The garden in its sprawling wonder, and the abandoned house with its many mysteries and buried secrets.
- Evelyn's flashbacks to her childhood. These were incredibly insightful, and it was interesting to see her interpretation of events as a young girl.

What I didn't like:
- the ending felt rushed. So much happened and then it was just over. To that point, the ending is definitely not what I expected, and I'm glad it ended on a happier tone than that of my imagining.

The Garden is a beautifully haunting, surprisingly cozy story. I definitely recommend this book to lovers of apocalyptic or psychological fiction, or anyone looking for a good story.

This was a strange little book and I loved every minute. I do feel like the ending was abrupt and I still had questions, but I'd still recommend!