This book is pretty entertaining! The plot is so unique and I genuinely enjoyed the descriptions of scent and sight. It's so hard to write scent descriptions and I think Serritella did a wonderful job. I gave this a sold 3/5 because a LOT of the dialogue served as explanation for characters' actions instead of natural conversations. I felt that there were way too many side plots and side characters that Serritella didn't have enough time to fully foreshadow anything or develop any of the relationships to a satisfying point. The last quarter didn't make much sense to me because there was so much to wrap up and while it didn't feel rushed, it didn't feel like it was done right. Everyone kind of just resolved everything in their own heads and the reader didn't see much of that at all. Overall, not bad because it was very unique!

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine books for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review of this book.

I loved this! Such a unique way to write a romance, with a hint of magical realism and a quirky old lady character. Loved the writing, sometimes I was laughing and sometimes I was swooning!

Iris Sunnegren is having a miserable time. She just broke up with her longtime boyfriend, she thwarted from moving forward at work like she had been promised and she finds out her fertility is precariously low. Iris' french neighbor is a nose, trained to make perfume, and gifts her with a scent that will make her the "object of every man's desire." Things start to turn around for Iris as she gains confidence but will she be overpowered by the desires of herself and others?

Full Bloom is a beautifully layered story that starts with the sense of smell and uncovers Iris' habit of not trusting herself and not believing she is worthy, leading her to hold herself back in personal and professional settings. The perfume allows her to face her fears head on and ultimately change her life.

Author Serritella masterfully probes the layers of doubt that often color the human experience. Interwoven throughout are notes about perfume and the layers of scent that make smelling it a unique experience.

It doesn't escape notice that Iris has a very visual job as a lighting designer. She relies heavily on the sense of sight to create emotion while her experience with the perfume is all dependent on sense of smell. Iris is also at a heightened emotion because of the hormones on her fertility treatments. Learning to accept the sense of smell completely changes Iris' life and she eventually comes to a happy medium-- a place where she learns to trust herself. 4.5 stars for this clever, inventive plot and beautifully written novel.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I adored “Ghosts of Harvard” so was excited for a chance to read and review “Full Bloom.”

Iris reminded me a lot of myself when I was a bit younger. Her last relationship fizzled, she fears she won’t be able to have children before her eggs expire, and she’s not getting the recognition she deserves a work. When her neighbor gifts her special perfume, her life changes in all sorts of unexpected ways.

I am not someone into perfume, but that didn’t make this novel any less enjoyable, especially because the characters, especially Iris, are so well-developed and the story itself is quite riveting. The heart of this novel is about a young woman finding herself. Serritella writes in an evocative and engaging way that makes you enjoy every step of Iris’s journey.

Four and a half out of five stars.
Thanks to Francesca Serritella, NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this marvelous novel.

what an interesting book about perfume and how smells affect people. this is a woman's journey to figure out her job and her love life and trying to decide to have a bay. She has many experiences with love and finding someone and dealing with friends and co workers and trying to help others. Interesting book
Thanks netgalley

*Full Bloom* is a provocative and hypnotic exploration of desire, ambition, and self-discovery. Iris’s transformation through a mysterious perfume grants her power, but as she steps into a world of attraction and success, she’s forced to confront painful truths buried deep within. A sensually charged narrative, it delves into the complexity of identity, asking whether the pursuit of being wanted is truly worth the cost of losing yourself.

FULL BLOOM by Francesca Serritella

Perfume, powerful, subtle enhancement and invocation of emotions. When safe, careful Iris is given a personal fragrance that “will change (her) life,” it does, in so many surprising ways. Is it the perfume, or the confidence she feels when wearing it? She finds herself boldly standing up for those facing injustice, presenting her design ideas with confidence, declaring her own worth and commanding respect, but not without repercussions and chaos in the wake of so much change. Can she navigate the storms and stand up to power?
This book was so compelling that the TV stayed off, meals were simplified, and I even dreamed I was looking for my dog's leash — I don't have a dog, but Iris does, that’s how real the book became. I actually can’t be around dogs, cats, or perfume, but inside this scintillating, sexy book I could enjoy all of them, and much more.
Descriptions are beautiful, poetic. I could almost see the Kintsugi vase, perfect metaphor for life’s necessary reconstructions, and I especially loved the passages showing the beauty of New York. Here’s one of my favorites: “The sun had begun to sink in the sky, beaming its warm golden light across the street at every intersection while the short blocks rested in cool blue shade.”

I was a bit hesitant when I read the synopsis and was afraid the book might involve magical eleme.

The book is so well-written with such beautiful descriptions. It also tackles a lot of issues. This is not a fluffy romcom. The author does a wonderful job with the settings, plot and characterizations. I loved that Peloton was included in the book!

I highly recommend this 4 star read and look forward to reading more books by this author.

This book is well written and has a good story line. I just want a darker book. But I would recommend for someone who doesn't really do dark books.

As intoxicating as Iris’s perfume! This is an exciting, absorbing read. The writing is beautiful and the author does a lovely job of intertwining many subplots.

While not a traditional romance, Iris’s love life is at the center, along with her professional ambitions and desire to have a family one day. At one point, the novel takes on more of a mystery/thriller tone. Recommended to anyone looking for a surprising and exciting story about self-knowledge, desire, and taking control of your own life (and fragrance enthusiasts).

Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This story was beautifully told. My heart absolutely hurt for Iris right off the bat. The way the author was able to romanticize scents was perfection. As someone who just never wears perfume, this one has me thinking perfume just might change my life. This will be one that I recommend to all my friends for sure!

At first I was skeptical about a romance that covered 416 pages. I prefer my romances to be shorter books because I start to lose interest in the couple or start finding fault with their relationship without other subplots. But this was so much more than a romance and not really a romance at all, in that it didn't have a conventional HEA where you were sure that the couple gets a future together. But in fact I loved that about this book and was hoping that it wouldn't be a conventional romance. It is better categorized as women's fiction.

Iris is a woman in hiding, just broken up with by the longtime boyfriend she thought she was going to marry and start a family with. At 35, desperate for a family of her own, she freezes her eggs. At work as an architectural lighting designer, she is routinely passed over for career advancement and constantly subjected to sexist comments at the boys' club of her firm. I loved the insight into an unconventional profession and how it complemented the social impact of perfumery so well.

Her fiery neighbor, Madame Rapacine, offers her a way out of her problems. A perfume especially designed for her. But the perfume has a bit of magic - it makes her more desirable toward the opposite sex and increases her confidence. I loved how the author's love of perfumery and how scent memories shape our lives shone through the story.

Newly emboldened, this is not so much a romance as Iris getting her groove back. I was never sure which love interest she'd end up with, and none of the men seemed good enough for her so I was glad for the ending where Iris was empowered to make her own choices, come what may. The hot but arrogant billionaire that offers her a new job as she's working on his contract. The hot glassblower who didn't stick up for her at a work event. The neighbor she flirts with in the laundry room, her work husband coworker, even her ex. I was secretly hoping she'd end up with none of them and was pleasantly surprised that Iris got her HEA without a solid future with a man. This book made a bold choice and I loved that.

I love watching competent people at work and I enjoyed the scenes of Iris's competence as a lighting designer and Gabe's competence as a glass blower.

Full of a cast of colorful characters, also begging the question of "why are men," this book was quite ambitious, covering wide-ranging topics like the housing crisis as Iris learns deeper truths about herself as she pushes the boundaries of her sexuality. Perhaps too ambitious at times but its strength was in character development.

At times the writing style was a little too in love with comma splices but I loved the vivid descriptions it painted. I was always engaged during those 416 pages and rooting for Iris to pick herself.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

this is my first book from this author and I loved it! Iris is a 35 year old with a haunting past that continues to trouble her, and a bright future ahead of her, both in love and in her career. A perfume, given to her by a friend and neighbor, unlocks some of the premise of the story. Is what happens to Iris simply her life playing out, or is it because of the influence of the scents in the perfume? This was a great read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Full Bloom by Francesca Serritella is an enchanting story of transformation and self-discovery. Iris Sunnegren's journey, sparked by a mysterious perfume, is compelling as she navigates ambition, desire, and identity against the vibrant backdrop of New York City. Serritella’s prose artfully blends sensual mystery with emotional depth, creating a narrative that captivates and intrigues. It's a novel that resonates with themes of empowerment and reinvention, leaving a lasting impression.

Full Bloom by Francesca Serritella, which has a publish date of 8/5💐⬇️

If you like:
✨Perfume, and the romanticization of scent
✨ Books with feminist themes
✨A sassy, old lady side character
✨Women in stem (ish)
✨A romance with multiple potential love interests
Then you may like this book!

This story follows Iris, who, at 35, is a bit lost. She’s recently out of a long term relationship and because of that, is exploring the process of freezing her eggs. She’s plateaued at work too, waiting for a promotion that she’s deserved for years. But when her neighbor gifts her a perfume unique to Iris herself, it changes her life in magical ways she couldn’t have even imagined.

This book had me in alllllll my feels, right off the bat! I felt so sorry for Iris, as she was newly single, struggling with her fertility while trying to celebrate her pregnant friend. I giggled at sassy Madame Rapacine’s ruthless frankness (but also secretly wish I could know her in real life!!!!). I was so giddy over Iris’s meet cute. I was angry in general at men, and men who abuse their power to control women (this was a really big theme in this book, and I want to scream for all the women who have experienced anything similar to what happens in this story).

I’ve never read anything that explores scent so deeply, and not in a scientific way, but in a romantic way, in an emotional way. The writing in this story was beautiful and really tragic at times because of the themes it covers.

The only thing that kept me from giving this a higher rating was that, towards the end, I started to feel like this book was trying to do too much. But the end was satisfying to me still, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Giving this one 3.5⭐️s, and keep an eye out for this to hit shelves on 8/5!

The cover drew me to this book and the blurb then made me want to read it. The story itself, thankfully, lived up to both of those things! Full Bloom is such a unique story and I loved how scent was used as power. Such a great read!

This cover is beautiful. There was so much to this book. This book has mystery, romance, and magical realism. Iris was a character that I was rooting for and she blossomed just like I hoped. The writing and storytelling was just very well done as I could not stop reading. I hope the author writes another book soon!

Full Bloom is nothing like what I thought it was just by looking at this book's cover. It was an interesting and insightful story to get lost in. The writing is excellent, and I liked the idea of how the exploration of one's life is looked at from a different use of one's senses... smell! I was entertained throughout. I think book clubs would love this title. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I love how this book doesn’t just seduce, it unsettles. It asks whether desire is power or a trap, whether being seen is the same as being understood. The mystery, the decadence, the slow unraveling of Iris’s past and present, it’s all so brilliantly executed. This is the kind of novel that lingers, haunting and hypnotic, refusing to be forgotten.