Great quality audiobook and narration! However the story is disturbing. Story would have been great without all the unnecessary and violent DV. The garden “protects” her yet keeps letting it happen. 😒

Thank you RBmedia for granting me an ALC!

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the chance to listen to this audiobook!

This was such a unique story, and the audiobook brought it to life. Anna Burnett’s narration added so much depth and emotion to Harriet’s journey, making it easy to get lost in the 19th-century London setting and the mysterious magic of her garden.

The story is captivating, blending historical drama, mystery, and a touch of fantasy. Harriet’s character is strong and determined, and her connection to the garden feels vivid and a little haunting. While the plot had a few predictable moments, the magical elements kept me engaged from start to finish.

This is a great listen if you’re into stories about resilience, mystery, and a touch of magic. Highly recommend the audiobook for the immersive experience!

Loved this whimsical, fantastical book! I loved the setting and the plant aspect of it and thought the narrator did a great job with this audiobook.

Yoooooo I was not expecting to like this so much!!

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts slow and gloomy, with a broody main character who constantly has to keep her emotions under wraps. We as readers understand from fairly early that her emotions are tied to her garden, but we don’t have much other information. Harriet obviously has had a troubled childhood and not a single good man exists in her life. The first half of this book had me raging. Red flags as far as the eye could see, but then I’m pretty skilled at picking up on those subtle cues. I know Harriet is a very naive youth without much social interaction, so she takes every breadcrumb of kindness offered to her, even when there are signs early on everything isn’t what it seems. Christian seems perfect and sweet, but she has no idea.

Female rage. The second half of this is female rage and I am SO here for it. From Harriet, to Amelia’s mother, to Eunice. I loved this ending and I love Harriet coming into herself. I love the final chapter. 👌🏻

This is what I wished Mexican Gothic was. Subtle things to make the whole story seem very realistic, but written in such a way that is pleasing and flows.

Excellent. Only not a 5⭐️ read because the first half of the book kept me irrationally angry and worried for Harriet. Definitely intentional, though.

I did listen to the audiobook of this one, so if names are misspelled, forgive me. The narrator was fantastic!

A wonder world of fantasy! I could have listened to the descriptions of the gardens forever, it made me want to lie down in the moss and curl up in tree leaves. Beautiful imagery!
Poor Harriet discovered early on that people suck and then gets conned into a marriage that is worse than any life she could have imagined. The destruction and devastation of her garden that were laid, and just to hurt her. Well, I guess I approve of the garden's repercussions.
Highly recommended for those who enjoy magical realism and karma.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Recorded Books for my advance copy of this audiobook

I want to start this by saying that Anna Burnett did a great job with her narration. I went into this thinking it would be more along the lines of a fun cozy fantasy, with a little bit of mystery and a sentient garden (man is wish i had a garden that reacted to my emotions, wants and needs), but it was not. I have a hard time enjoying book where the FMC is preyed upon and abused by the men in her life. Though Harriet does find her freedom in the end, it was too little to late for me as a reader for her to grow into a strong woman to stand up for herself.

This does need a trigger warning for readers who do not want to read anything with trama from childhood abuse, domestic abuse, and sexual assault.

The Peculiar Garden Of Harriet Hunt, by Chelsea Iverson, after a lifetime of abuse by her father he disappears in Harriet is free to do what she wants. The only problem is habits die hard and she isn’t comfortable, leaving her house, but especially her special magical garden. it doesn’t help that local villagers look at her as a crazy lady. With the help of her cousin and her maid. she’s going to need their support because there is a lot that happens. She marries a man, but he’s just like her father, the police come around looking for her father and she feels as if they think she’s done something to him also there’s a strange man name, Mr. Davies, who keeps trying to contact her. I just want to say I read the beginning of this book before a hospital. Stay and read the rest when I got out and so a lot of details of fuzzy what I do know is, I loved the ending of this book. I love found family stories those who get their come upins in this book has all of that. They have so many great characters from Harriet to Greenwood to her cousin and her “made“ Amelia I loved the narrator Anita Burnett. there’s so many great scenes in this book but there’s also some sad and heartbreaking ones as well but it all makes for one heartwarming ending that I totally loved.#NetGalley, #ArcMedia, #ChelseaIverson, #ThePeculiarGardenOfHarrietHunt,

DNFd at 40%. I was extremely bored and could not get into this book. I tried so hard because I really wanted to love it but I honestly just wasn’t enjoying myself.

Filled with lush imagery of the nature she finds, The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt is a must-read story about resilience and full of twists and turns, this novel keeps readers hanging on until the very end!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, the authors and editor, for my audio of this book.

This audiobook is an absolute gem! Set in 19th-century London, it takes you on a captivating journey through the life of Harriet Hunt, a strong yet vulnerable woman who finds solace in her garden after her father's mysterious disappearance. The narrator brings Harriet's emotional turmoil and determination to life with such depth that you can almost feel the weight of her struggles. The blend of historical fiction and magical realism creates an immersive atmosphere, and the garden itself becomes a character, responding to Harriet's emotions in a way that's both eerie and fascinating. As Harriet uncovers the dark secrets surrounding her father's disappearance and tries to break free from the oppressive men in her life, the stakes are high, and the tension builds beautifully. The pacing is spot on, and the plot twists keep you on the edge of your seat. This audiobook will pull you in from the first chapter and keep you hooked until the very end. A must-listen for fans of historical fiction with a touch of magic!

This story seemed a little more niche than I imagined and I don't know if it will appeal to general readers. Then again, I said that about Lost Apothecary and it blew up.

Though it dragged a bit, and was stressful to witness Harriet's abuse, I found this book mostly riveting. I couldn't stop, and found myself listening it while at work because I needed to know what happened. I loved the inexplicable magic that happened with the garden and appreciated that the author didn't try to give it some arcane or empirical reason. I wanted it to remain a mystery. The book was well-written, the audio was fantastic, the twists were great, and the assaults were harrowing. Probably not ideal for certain audiences, but it was compelling and had a satisfying ending.

This is a beautifully atmospheric novel that blends Victorian charm with magical realism. Harriet Hunt, a solitary woman whose garden holds untamed power, is a captivating protagonist as she uncovers dark secrets surrounding her father’s disappearance. The vivid descriptions of her magical garden and the slow-building tension make for an immersive, if occasionally slow-paced, story. Harriet’s journey of self-discovery and empowerment is poignant, though the plot sometimes lags. Overall, it’s a richly atmospheric and satisfying read for fans of character-driven fantasy! I loved the narrator so much that I’ve been searching for more audiobooks narrated by her. Solid 4.25 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an advanced copy of this audiobook in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Harriet Hunt is a young woman with a scar on her face and a peculiar garden that have both been the speculation of little passers by for years. Those who do know if Harriet are her sweet cousin Eunice (who is moving away to care for her husband’s dying aunt) and her father… who has been missing since New Year’s Day. He isn’t really that missed though - he would beat Harriet and his disappearance was a good thing. That is, until Inspector Stoke’s comes snooping around wondering where her father is. While Harriet tries to handle being investigated, and selling off her household possessions for food, A charming Mr Comstock comes into her life and woos her into a new type of life. Harriet is left to navigate the world around her and protect herself from the creatures that lurk in the world.

This book started out very interesting and then turned into an 1800s domestic violence story. I liked how Iversen used the garden as a picture of the human spirit and tangled in hopeful moments. Throughout the audio, you could hear the reader’s stomach growl, hear her take breaths loud breaths, awkward pauses, and some noises in the background - it was not terrible, but definitely noticeable enough to take me out of the story. The unrealistic thought processes that were exemplified through Harriet were kind of annoying - in that if a child experiences extensive abuse as, and then as an adult experiences more, they are not going to magically believe that they are worthy or that what is being done to them is wrong. The mystery was easy to figure out in the beginning - but overall, it was enjoyable to listen to - just nothing to write home about.

Content Warning: Unconsensual sex, 2 attempted rapes, domestic violence, death, manipulation, entrapment.

2.5 Stars

This book had so much potential to be magical and portray a strong female character that had been broken down by abusive men in her life bit came out on top. But unfortunately this book was not that. It mostly consisted of events happening to Harriet, she was very passive and never took actions unless prompted by someone else or was forced to react to the situation at hand. This is including her own magic which she didn't really explore until the very end. I understand that a lot of her traits/flaws are caused by the trauma she had endured but unfortunately this resulted in a somewhat flat character and the side characters stood out more in my opinion with their strong motivations for doing the things they did and going after the things they wanted.

The magic system, though not really explained was beautiful! The ivys are my favorite thing about this book!
I liked the way the book explored the themes of loneliness, trust and friendship.

The narrator did a fantastic job!

Content warning for domestic violence.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an audio-arc in an exchange for an honest review.

The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt is a magical and heartwarming story. Harriet has a talent with plants and has grown a wild and robust garden that holds many secrets. Harriet has been treated horribly her entire life and when he father disappears under mysterious circumstances, she becomes the object of the town's scrutiny and the prime suspect. But all is not lost, when a seemingly charming man comes into her life. But things aren't always what they appear....

I enjoyed this story and Harriet's quirky and eccentric character. She's terribly sweet and I enjoyed the cast of characters that supported her.

Ok. I didn’t expect to like this book once I started it.
It was hard to follow, and I didn’t always know where the author was going. That’s being said, towards the end, I changed my mind.
This story is different and weird but so special.
The characters are diverse and complicated and Harriet is so dang loveable.
When plants are a character, you know you’re in for a wild ride.
Thank you netgalley for the AAC.

I really tried to like this more but I just didn't vibe with this one. It started out interesting but halfway through it failed to hold my attention and I just found it boring and tedious. Sorry, I'm probably not the right audience for this one. The audio narration is ok though .

1 star for me for finishing it.
1 star for the narrator who did an excellent job.

I'm afraid this really wasn't for me. The first half of the book could have been condensed into a couple of chapters following, as it does, Harriet's complete lack of faith in herself. There was so much procrastination that I began to fast forward quite early on.

The story itself could have been really interesting but it only really gets going in the last quarter.

I always try to look for some good points in every book I read so the story was interesting but ruined by repetition and the narration by Anna Burnett was excellent. The production was also good on the audio.

Thankyou to Netgalley and RB Media for the audio advance review copy.

After a life of trauma living under the oppressive and abusive thumb of her father, Harriet finds solace in her wild and overgrown garden. She is questioned and ostracised for living alone in 19th Century London, when a marriage could save her house and her social status. But is her husband any better than her father?

The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt explores trauma. And I mean A LOT of trauma (Massive trigger warnings for SA and DV). I was initially interested in this book, because the marketing made it sound very fantastical, whimsical, and witchy. However, after listening to this, the marketing is done all wrong. This was essentially, “How many traumatic things can I do to this poor girl?”
The garden itself played a very small role in the book, and right from the beginning the magic was so understated that I thought the author was being metaphorical, or making a juxtaposition between Harriets life and the small solace she gains in the garden. Don’t get me wrong, the descriptions were beautiful.I could almost feel and smell the garden from my headphones. It was just very understated.
There were also some plot points and characters that were forgotten about, namely Nigel Davies, which the author could have done so much with. The mentions of him culminated in one scene at the end, which felt like a cop out to end the story.
The Audio was fantastic though, and I think the narrator was great for this book!

This had the potential to be a beautiful and unique story, with a magical garden, the mystery surrounding her father (which wasn’t wrapped up), and the potential for incredible character development. Unfortunately, the book missed the mark on all these points.

Unfortunately, I would not recommend this to most of the people I know that are interested in Fantasy or Magical Realism. I do however recommend this as an interesting book club book.

In the end, while I felt that this was generally well written, there were some plot holes and forgotten plot points, and I think it was marketed wrong as a fantasy. For this reason I have given this a 3 star rating.
Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for the Advanced Listener’s Copy (ALC) of this book. All opinions are my own.

While I was reading this book it felt reminiscent of a different story but I couldn’t put my finger on which one and I’ve just figured it out a week later. It feels similar to We Have Always Lived in the Castle but not at all the same.

I LOVE when a man chooses to gaslight the wrong woman. It really tickles my feminine rage in such a satisfying way.

There were parts of this book that felt a little redundant but overall I really enjoyed it, especially the fact that the garden was like the best friend willing to do what had to be done.