Full Bloom is a richly layered story that blends romance, suspense, self-discovery, and a hint of magical realism—all centered around a fascinating and original premise involving a mysterious, custom-made perfume. Iris Sunnegren is a relatable and endearing protagonist, stuck in a rut after a breakup and feeling left behind as her friends move forward in life, but her journey toward confidence and empowerment is both moving and inspiring. I loved the quirky and lovable cast of characters (especially Gabe, her best friend Hannah, and even her complicated neighbor), as well as Iris’s unique career as a lighting designer and the sweet bond with her dog. The novel's structure—tied to the layers of a fragrance—added a thoughtful, creative touch, and the writing was vivid and immersive throughout. With its surprising twists, emotional depth, and exploration of what it really means to bloom, this was a truly enjoyable and satisfying read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the advanced reader copy.

Iris Sunnegren, on the cusp of turning thirty, is finding that her life is far from what she thought it'd be at this point. While she has her dream job as a lighting designer, she can't seem to rise in the ranks of her company no matter what she does. And her boyfriend, Ben, who she thought was going to be her fiance, instead breaks up with her saying that he "needs more." When her neighbor, the enigmatic Frenchwoman Rapacine gives Iris a signature perfume and warns that it will make the people around Iris "want her" Iris figures she has nothing to lose--besides, the perfume smells divine. Wearing the perfume changes Iris' life. She finds that men flock to her, she finally gets a big project for her company, and she feels more confident about herself all around. But is everything that's happening--including a new romance with a handsome artist--because of her newfound confidence or the perfume? Iris starts to realize that wearing the perfume, getting everything she wants, comes at a cost. Is she willing to pay it?

This was a much more successful book than Serritella's first solo endeavor. I found Iris to be just the right balance of externally passive but internally desiring so much, that when she gets the perfume and sees it's effects, you can easily believe how it changes her behavior. The secondary storyline, about a housing project blowing up (affecting Iris' friends family), and the tertiary, about Rapacine's fight against her landlords, nested seamlessly into the main storyline. The book was well paced and I was sucked into the story, staying up late to get to the end. There were a few moments that dragged the book down, where the author clearly got to do some research into perfume, flowers, art, etc. and felt the need to info dump that in conversations between characters. But, otherwise, this was an excellent sophomore book and a great read.

Full Bloom comes out August 5, 2025.

Iris receives a one-of-a-kind perfume made specifically for her. The moment she wears it, she becomes undeniably captivating to everyone around her. But the true magic of the perfume lies not in its effect on others, but in the powerful self-discovery it leads her to

Wow. Thank you NetGalley and Ballentine Books for this ARC. What a freakin’ treat this was! Beautifully written, unpredictable, and so unique. I was glued to this story right from the start. At times, it felt a tad wordy, but not enough to diminish this as a whole. A must read if you enjoy a story about discovering oneself, with a few twists.

Let me begin by saying there are a lot of moving parts to this book, but I LOVED it. Iris Sunnegren feels like life is passing her by. Her longtime boyfriend broke up with her. Her friends are getting married and having children. Her career is stuck in neutral.
As a gift from a French neighbor skilled in the creation of perfume, she receives a special fragrance just for her.
Soon, she finds herself with men interested in her. She lands a huge account at work. She begins to make solid decisions for her future. Even though these positive things are happening, the doubt is still present. What happens when she doesn’t wear the perfume? Will these powerful ways simply go away?
This novel is for those who love a strong protagonist whose growth is evident, enjoy a bit of mystery, a dash of love story, and an exciting finish. Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

This concept was really interesting and it definitely drew me in. I was very hopeful. I enjoyed the book overall, but I felt like it almost had too much going on.

I enjoyed Francesca's debut novel, The Ghosts of Harvard, and hoped I would like this one too.
I loved it!
My review does contain spoilers!!!

It had some romance as well as some unexpected suspense!

I loved Iris and all her "self-imposed" flaws. I loved the neighbor who gave her the perfume, her best friend Hannah... and all the other characters in the book (even Mike) and especially Gabe. I love how Iris's confidence grew. It may have wavered, but I felt she finally believed she WAS good enough and she did have what it takes to make it in business and was deserving of love and success. There were so many subplots in the book - i wasn't sure if I would get lost in trying to keep up with who is who. I did not and love how it all came together by the end... and I did not see the Jonathon twist coming at all!

4.25 stars! This was such a creative premise for a book, and i was totally hooked from the start. FULL BLOOM follows Iris Sunnegren, who’s still healing from a recent breakup and struggling to get the credit she deserves at her job, while also dealing with the aftereffects of past trauma. When Iris’s mysterious neighbor gifts her a unique perfume, everything seems to change, and suddenly everything seems to be unfolding perfectly for Iris in terms of her work, personal, and love life. But is getting what you wish for really all it’s cracked up to be?

As mentioned, the concept of the story, its focus on fragrances and the roles they can play in people’s lives, was so creative and fascinating! Francesca Serritella clearly did her research in this area. I loved the inclusion of some quotes about the art of fragrances and the formatting choice of dividing the story into 3 parts, each centering on a different “note” in perfume and what each one means/how it relates to Iris’s journey. In general, I really enjoyed the writing style, too! It was so detailed and evocative, I could picture Iris’s life in NYC and everything she was experiencing. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where a character is a lighting designer, so it was especially interesting to read about her career. Plus, I loved the scenes with Iris and her dog—Serritella talks in the acknowledgements about how her special bond with her own dog inspired their relationship, which was super sweet and meaningful!

I also liked how the story blends so many different elements: there’s a little romance, self-discovery, mystery, magical realism, etc. With the magical realism aspect, I appreciated how it was kind of ambiguous, in a sense. The readers and Iris are constantly questioning if the perfume really has special powers, or if it has just inspired that confidence in her to go after what she wants (or both).

If there’s one thing that didn’t entirely work for me, I feel like the ending was a little bit rushed and like some plotlines were wrapped up a bit too quickly. It didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story, but I felt like certain things could have been expanded on a little more. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more from Francesca Serritella! Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

This is a "romance" but so much more. Iris is passed over for a promotion, her boyfriend cheats on her and she is trying to harvest eggs so she can someday be a mom. A lot of heavy things happen, but wow, this is so well written. I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

Am I missing something? With so many glowing reviews, I truly expected to love this book—but I honestly don’t even know what I just read. It had so much potential, but it tried to tackle too many themes at once and completely lost me in the process. Perfume, housing issues, real estate, fertility struggles, glass blowing, childhood trauma… I kept waiting for it to all come together, but it never quite did. What was the actual focus?

I was really disappointed by the direction this story took, especially given how promising it seemed at the start.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

Wow! This book was all over the place but in a good way. Iris, the main character is a 35 year old, recently single. Her boyfriend of five years broke up with her. She feels alone and dejected. She works as a lighting engineer for a company who promotes men quicker than women. She decides she should freeze her eggs because who know when she will be wanting to start a family. She has had trauma in her life with her parents dying in a house fire that her cousin managed to get her to safety. She grew up with a grandmother and Aunt. She has a best female bestie and a gay male bestie. An older French neighbor make perfumes and decided to boost Iris's spirits by giving her a special scent she can call her own. When Iris wears this scent she attracts men. She feels beautiful and sexy. It opens up a whole new world for her. But does it really? Maybe all she needed was some self confidence and self worth. Along the way, there is romance (by a number of fellows), job opportunities, friendships and a thriller mystery. The book is so well written and described that you don't even realize that it was 416 pages until you are finished and wish it was longer. It will definitely keep you turning the pages way into the night.
Thanks to #netgalley, #ballentinebooks and @fserritella for an ARC of this great read. All opinions are my own.

“Most bad things that happen to us are completely out of our control, it is dumb luck. And then some bad things happen to us because we are not claiming the control we do have, you give your power away or lay waste to it with worry and self-doubt. You must learn to tell the difference of you won’t make it.”

Iris is newly single and struggling to get the credit she deserves at work. When her neighbor gifts her with perfume, a perfume that is made specifically for Iris, she begins to notice how quickly things change. Suddenly men are running to talk to her, and she lands a high profile, important client for work. Does any of this have anything to do with Iris though? Or is the perfume putting everyone under a spell?

4.25 stars! This book hooked me from the very start and I read the first half in one sitting while trying to fall asleep! I quickly devoured the rest and truly loved every second. The only thing that brought this one down .75 of a star was that the end felt like it was a bit rushed and I needed more info as everything wrapped up. It was one where I saw I had 10% left and had no clue how we would wrap everything up in that time. That said, This book was truly a fantastic read! I saw someone else say they weren’t sure if the perfume really had magical qualities, or if Iris just felt more confident wearing it, and I think I am leaning toward her confidence, but would love to chat in the comments if you have read this one!

Thank you to @BallantineBooks for my gifted copy of this book!

Title: Full Bloom
Author: Francesca Serritella
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine/Ballantine Books
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: August 5, 2025
My Rating: 3..6 Stars
Pages: 416

Iris Sunnegren finds herself stuck, disconnected, and lonely in crowded New York

Iris Sunnegren is thirty-five years old and finds herself a rut. She has .reached a level at work and is waiting for a promotion. She is lonely have having a bit of an identity crisis. She is seriously looking into the process of having her eggs frozen however not sure how she can paid for it. She is hoping for have a lifetime of happiness just as many of her friends are experiencing.

Then one day, her quirky, French, neighbor Mireille Rapacine who is somewhat older and Iris calls her Madame Rapacine involves Iris that she is a retired fourth-generation ’nose’ a master perfumer. She gives Iris her own unique perfume. It is soon finds her life has changed and seems magical! Life is great as long as she wears this perfume. She loves it and soon has difficulty with what is real and what is the result of the perfume.

About the Author ~ Francesca Serritella is the New York Times bestselling author of Ghosts of Harvard, nominated for Best First Novel by International Thriller Writers, and a nine-book series of essay collections co-written with her mother, author Lisa Scottoline, based on their Sunday column in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Serritella graduated cum laude from Harvard University, where she won multiple awards for her fiction, including the Thomas T. Hoopes Prize. She lives in New York City with her eighteen-year-old cat and her new puppy.

I read and loved her first novel " Ghost of Harvard"!
A lot going on in this story that was fun – some not so much ~ Have to admit I did try the lighting a candle by lighting the smoke.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine/Ballantine Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 5, 2025.

This book was well written. The main character, Iris was flawed but in a good way that made you root for her. i went into it not knowing what to expect and it turned out to be a beautiful, love story. Very personal and enjoyable.

very vibing and i love the detailed perfume description. the setting is well done and the characters are absolutely intriguing. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

The premise of this is so cool and had such great potential. I found the pacing a bit difficult. It was hard to stay hooked because I feel it lost its own footing along the way. I felt it slowed down as it was trying to figure out its overall tone and message.

"Full Bloom" by Francesca Serritella offers a truly intriguing premise, blending elements of magical realism, romance, and mystery around the transformative power of a mysterious perfume. The prose is often quite lovely and evocative, especially when delving into the sensory world of scent and its connection to memory and emotion. Iris, the protagonist, embarks on a compelling journey of self-discovery, and it's easy to root for her as she navigates newfound confidence and ambition. The exploration of how scent influences our perceptions and desires is a unique and thought-provoking aspect of the novel.

However, while the concept is fresh and the writing has its moments of brilliance, the execution sometimes felt a little uneven. There were instances where the narrative seemed to linger a bit too long in certain sections, causing the pacing to drag. At times, the story felt like it was trying a bit too hard to hit every emotional beat or thematic point, which occasionally pulled me out of the immersive experience. While Iris's journey is relatable, some of her decisions or the unfolding of events could be a little frustrating, even if they ultimately served a purpose in her growth.

Overall, "Full Bloom" is an absorbing read with a fascinating central idea and beautiful writing in parts. It's a solid effort that will appeal to readers looking for a story about empowerment with a touch of the fantastical, but it didn't quite reach its full potential for me to be a truly unforgettable experience.

This was an interesting one! I went in thinking it was just going to be a fun romance (shame on me for not reading the description that much lol) and it was… not? I mean there was romance but it was a lot all in one. There was mystery, and romance, magical realism, intrigue, and some hot button topics like gender in the workplace and what not. As well as the added storyline of fertility. It was just.. a lot?

While I was entertained I also wasn’t DYING to reach for the book.. by the end there were also so many conflicts and plot twists it just felt like.. my gosh when will it end. All in all it was good but not life changing.

This is a tough one for me because I enthusiastically loved Ghosts of Harvard and I've been on the lookout for Ms. Serritella's next novel since then. By comparison, I was disappointed in Full Bloom. Perhaps if I'd gone in blind I might not feel that way, but this novel was a bit all over the place for me.

It started out as a pretty straight forward romance so I missed the complexity of her first novel since this felt very basic in comparison, so from the start this book felt somewhat insignificant to me.

But then things take a turn and get darker and then darker still -- it felt quite a jarring shift from the simple romance and magic perfume we started with. Essentially the balance of the shifting tones did not work for me. Others may see it differently but I felt like the book was all over the place and didn't know what it wanted to be so it tried to be everything and didn't succeed at any of it.

I will say most of the writing is strong and I would read more from her in the future.

This is an amazing novel with heart and soul along with doubts and insecurities. A seemingly magical, personally curated perfume changes the trajectory of a woman. It gives her so much, yet causes more doubts.
The ultimate chapters are intense.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.