Title: The Alchemy of Flowers
Author: Laura Resau       
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy    
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

"Here lie the bones of those who broke the rules . . ."

There are many rules those who wish to live and work behind the mysterious walled gardens of Le Château du Paradis must follow. One must not gossip. One must not leave their room during dusk.

And most importantly for the newest gardener, Eloise Bourne, children are forbidden.

Although she's locked inside the castle grounds and subjected to strange rules, Eloise's new home enchants her with otherworldly lodging and magical flowers. Best of all, her co-workers--who are also retreating from the world--spark her to heal both body and soul. And she feels surprisingly drawn to the intriguing handyman, Raphaël.

But when she starts glimpsing a mysterious child in the trees, she reels. Is this a human girl? Or a woodsprite? Is it her imagination, or is this place truly enchanted?

As the summer unfolds, Eloise begins to fear the child is in danger. It's not until she breaks the rules and risks her heart that Paradise becomes a prison. Eloise must unearth the gardens' secrets, fight for her newfound family, and ultimately, claim a second chance at happiness.

Who wouldn’t want to run away to a peaceful, magical, hidden garden…and live in a treehouse? This book felt like magic, and I truly enjoyed it. Life there sounded so simple and, frankly, too good to be true. There was enough mystery throughout to keep me engaged, and the magical surroundings kept me reading. I enjoyed the characters and learning about their histories, while rooting for their futures!

Laura Resau is an award-winning author. The Alchemy of Flowers is her adult debut.

(Galley courtesy of HarperCollins Focus/ Harper Muse in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 7/30).

I really did enjoy this story. The magical realism and setting is absolutely dream worthy. The mystery and plot was mildly confusing, but intriguing. This story was centered around the FMCs difficulties with child bearing, and was over done. How the characters backgrounds tied them all together was sweet and the found family was beautiful, but I could’ve done with less ruminating on the ‘broken womb’ aspect. The audio narration was really well done and kept me going even when the story lulled.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for the opportunity to read this story in return for my honest feedback.

Resau's "The Alchemy of Flowers" blooms with contradictions—a paradise that imprisons, a garden that heals while harboring secrets. Le Château du Paradis seduces with its Victorian splendor and magical flora, yet the strange rules cast shadows across its sun-dappled grounds. Stay inside at dusk. Don't ask questions. And absolutely no children allowed.

Into this beautiful cage steps Eloise, raw with grief over her lost dreams of motherhood and failed marriage. Her relationship with the gardens provides the novel's most tender moments—fingers trailing through lavender, whispered secrets to roses, the earth itself seeming to respond to her pain. This connection feels almost primeval, as though the soil recognizes something in her that others cannot.

The mysterious child glimpsed between ancient trees transforms the narrative from simple healing journey to something more haunting. Each sighting pulls Eloise deeper into the château's mysteries, each broken rule bringing consequences that ripple through the story with quiet devastation.

What lingers most powerfully is how the found family dynamic emerges organically from shared brokenness. These wounded souls seeking refuge create something precious together—a fragile community where healing becomes possible. Antoinette, the enigmatic overseer and antagonist, carries depths that are never fully realized. Her character, suggesting entire histories just beyond our reach, would have added depth to the unfolding story, since her experience of motherhood seems to be as dark and profound as Eloise's.

Campbell's audiobook narration breathes distinct life into each character, her voice capturing both Eloise's brittle defenses and gradually unfurling hope.

The novel's exploration of second chances doesn't offer easy answers—some wounds leave permanent scars. Yet in the marriage of magical elements with raw emotional truth, Resau creates a story that settles into your consciousness like soil under fingernails—impossible to brush away completely.

Special thanks to Harper Muse and NetGalley for providing the free e-book and audiobook for review, though all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

The writing and the premise were great. The initial instances of magical realism were engrossing but eventually became undeveloped. The summary for the book feels a little misleading which may have contributed to some of my misgivings about the book. It felt as though there were too many genres crammed into too little space.

I will definitely give this author another shot as I enjoyed her structure and the way she built characterization. The subject matter of this one just wasn't for me.

Eloise answers an advertisement for a gardener in France. She is recently divorced and has lost several children to miscarriage. She finds the gardens magical and finds herself healing with the help of the other workers who have become friends. Beautifully written including tales of goddesses, potions, talking flowers, and romance.

I enjoyed tis book from the beginning until the end. The story flowed and relaxed me with the language of flowers, friendship, community and love. The mysterious weaving of goddesses and magic felt real and heartwarming. Second chances and hope is there if you believe and reach out to others. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Recommend!

Beautiful story about love and redemption and restoration set in the most enchanting gardens ever. I would love the chance to visit the treehouse and smell the lavender. The only thing better would have been recipes for the teas and tinctures!

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Muse Audio and HarperCollins for a copy of this audio & eARC.
Thinking back on this book has been so enjoyable, it really hit so many markers of what I, personally, love as an avid reader. You’ve got exploration of grief & guilt, found family, healing, a lil romance, daring escapes with an eerie mystery lurking in the corner.
I truely loved the experience this book gave me, it was such an easy read story wise but still held so much depth to the character & plot development. I admit there were some moments where I would’ve loved aspects to be further explored; i.e. the triple goddess and magic system, but I loved it nonetheless!

I was completely captivated by the heartfelt beauty of this story. The setting blooms with vivid descriptions of flowers, nature, and small town charm. It’s like stepping into a living watercolor. The heroine’s gentle strength and passion for healing through plants create a soothing yet emotionally rich journey. The relationships, both romantic and familial, unfold with warmth and authenticity, bringing a sense of hope and renewal that feels deeply comforting. If you crave lyrical writing, a touch of nature’s magic, and characters who grow alongside the garden they tend, this book is a graceful joy to read.

I was excitied to read this book as I had heard it was a retelling of the Secret Garden, which I loved as a child. It was just okay, found it quite slow and didn't remind me of the Secret Garden. Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Focus for ARC.

In many ways this book is beautiful, especially considering it is such a vulnerable telling and processing of the author’s own personal experiences. For that it should be commended. At the same time, I struggled to be drawn in by the plot and characters. Too many elements of the story felt random and out of place leaving me confused and disconnected from the story. Similarly, both the situations characters found themselves in and their reactions to those situations felt unrealistic, which distracted from the deeper themes of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book took me back to the secret garden which is one of my favorite reads and got me into reading. I loved the setting and world development in this book. I was drawn to this book by the blurb and beautiful cover. I'm so glad I got the chance to read this story. Each character has its own secrets and this story has a bit of mystery sprinkled into it.
I did feel the story was a little drawn out but overall a great read.
Thank you to the author and Netgalley for gifting me a complimentary copy to read. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

The Alchemy of Flowers by Laura Resau is a charming, atmospheric novel that invites readers into a world where gardens hold secrets and blossoms have healing powers. I was immediately drawn to the lush, enchanting setting—Resau paints a world that feels both grounded and magical, and the floral imagery was nothing short of delightful. The whimsical nature of the flowers and their gentle influence on the characters’ lives gave the story a soft, almost fairytale-like quality that I really enjoyed.

The scattering of French phrases throughout the book added a lovely cultural touch, enhancing the romantic and dreamy tone. The sweet romance that blooms in the background was tender and believable, and I appreciated the slow, careful journey of healing that the female main character undertakes. Her growth felt genuine, even when it was subtle.

That said, the story didn’t fully come together for me. As the plot reached its conclusion, the pacing felt rushed and the narrative slightly chaotic. The unexpectedly dark turn in the ending also felt at odds with the cozy, hopeful tone that had been carefully built throughout, which left me feeling more disoriented than satisfied.

Grief-stricken American Eloise takes a mysterious gardening job in France after she literally burns down her life at home, a garden that promises to heal. She meets three other damaged souls in the gardens of a creepy castle, with work that fills her soul with beauty-- so long as she ignores "les bizarries" -- strange figures that haunt the grounds at dusk. Can beauty and newfound friendship and love be enough for Ellie to heal and make a new life? Or will "La Patronne" end her first when Ellie starts breaking rules? Gorgeous and atmospheric prose.

This book didn’t grab me the way I hope it would! It has everything I was looking for but I think the writing style was not for me.

First, thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley for the chance to read The Alchemy of Flowers in exchange or an honest review.

All in all, I feel like the blurb was not entirely representative of what the book was about. Whilst it properly hints the background of the main character, this book really is about dealing with infertility, child-loss, and other dark topics that I wasn't expecting-- I can't relate to these topics in a way other readers might. That said, I feel like it needed to be explicitly stated before you venture into this book because it's a topic that comes up on literally every other page.

I was looking for a story with more magical elements, and a greater focus on the fact she could speak to flowers. Instead, it's used more as a way for Eloise, our main character, to get information as the story continue because no one ever tells her anything.

That said, there are positives: the prose was great (no, like, genuinely. It's why I gave the book three stars last night before rereading the blurb once waking up this morning and immediately feeling betrayed because I thought I missed something.), the setting was great, and the French was integrated decently well (and so unlike Emily in Paris).

I don't like the romance; forced proximity has always seemed icky to me given the whole "forced" of it all, but it really didn't help that Eloise has no chemistry with the love interest. I also struggled with Eloise's friends, because their entire relationship is vaguely trauma-bond-eque, but I also admit to having to skim bits and pieces in the second half of the book.

There's also an underlying theme (with like 20 other themes, mind you. Why were there like 10 stories happening at once.) that rubbed me the wrong way. Due to the very frequent mentions of infertility, it felt like I was constantly being told that one's job as a woman was to create, which I understand is how Eloise feels but it was still a little too heavy-handed as the reader.

I also couldn't continue with the audio book after the awkwardness of the phrasing of "au-to pay" and "my stom-ach tight-en-ing" like five minutes into the audiobook.

All in all, I didn't have a good experience with the book. It took me almost a month to read, and though I can say the pacing sped up in the latter half, the general chaos of themes and plots, the mediocre and chemistry-lacking romance, and the semi-predictable conflict, I can comfortably say this book was not for me.

Thanks for the advanced reader copy from Netgalley.

I enjoyed this storyline and the mix of French and English.
The gardens seem like a magical place.

Summary: The Secret Garden for adults—a romantic fantasy brimming with magical realism and eerie undertones.

Recommend if you’re in the mood for: That feminine urge to burn down your old life and start over as a gardener in the South of France.

I am a sucker for the ‘broken woman heals in a beautiful new place with a beautiful new man’ schtick and The Alchemy of Flowers delivered. This lushly floral escapist fantasy was ultimately about healing and forgiveness, and dealt with heavy topics such as grief and infertility with compassion.

The love story fell a bit flat for me (the miscommunication was frustrating—your problems can be solved by a five minute conversation), and there was more telling than showing, but the healing journey of each of the characters—some beautiful, some tragic—gave this book a lot of heart.

If you want guidance on growing fleurs from merde (or if you also have a lifelong dream of living in a treehouse), I recommend The Alchemy of Flowers.

This book was beautiful. The writing was so deep and emotional and in equal measure was stunning in the visuals description. This book is amazing example of being empathetic with something you haven't experienced. This book felt deeply rooted in the female experience both the highs and lows of life. Such an amazing cozy and deepy emotional read.

The Alchemy of Flowers is a modern adult reimaging of The Secret Garden, with loose elements of fantasy and mythology. In truth, I was seduced by a cool cover and promises of magical flowers.

While there is a strong sense of whimsy and enchantment, there wasn't really magic in the way I was expecting. The main character had an unexplored ability to speak to flowers, but it's hardly ever used except as a way to give her plot-related answers.

I found this to be very predictable, but the mystery is really more of a catalyst to Eloise's development. I am unfamiliar with issues pertaining to infertility or reproductive health, motherhood, body image and sexuality, all which is a major focus of the story and Eloise's character arc, so I maybe didn't connect in the way another reader will.

The writing felt a flat at times to the point where I was skimming sections here and there in the middle, but I enjoyed the descriptions of the teas and tisanes. I also wasn't completely sold on the romance, something about Raphael came off as lacking.

In essence, this book was not for me despite the pretty writing--I am not the target audience. I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher Harper Muse. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.