An enchanted, cozy slice-of-life, up until the last 10% or so, which more closely resembles an acid trip.

I still have some open questions: like how they built a hobbit hole and yurt on their employer’s property (both physically and logistically—did she give approval? Pay for masons?). Something else that didn’t quite sit right with me was the representation. On the surface, the found family is made up of diverse characters, including a French-Romani girl, a Sudanese immigrant woman, a French man, and a gay French-Asian (I think Vietnamese? but I didn’t quite catch it in my audiobook read-through) man. But their backstories as times feel almost stereotypical, For example, the Sudanese woman, Mina, is writing a memoir about her time as a child bride, while the French-Asian man, named Bao, had a backstory involving working in his family’s restaurant. Obviously, there are people in real life with those same backstories; however, in the context of the novel, they don’t seem to add much nuance to the diversity or help flesh out the specific characters in this book as unique personalities beyond stereotypes. But I’ll defer to people closer to those communities on their POVs.

The style is also not quite magical realism and not quite mystery. It is lyrical and veers away from standard contemporary fiction in its setting and tone, though. In general, if you suspend a healthy dose of disbelief and just go with the flow, thinking of this world as not quite our own, you’ll be rewarded with a character-driven tale with solid chronic illness representation.

Content warnings/heavy topics include: grief, loss of child, sexual assault, death

A woman in distress, her life has been turned upside down and she is to start over. She makes it to a garden in France for a job, what could possibly happen. It’s an enchanting place, with weird rules, and secrets. Eloise is curious and wants to uncover all the mysteries, but what will she find? But she can’t leave and she can’t talk to anyone about it.
I loved this story, it is devastatingly beautifully written and the mystery is there. Edge of your seat not knowing what is going to happen. This author ensures you don’t know what is going to happen.

I picked this book up because I thought it would be an exciting magical book that involved flowers and spells. I thought the book was really well written, but the mystery and excitement falls very fast in this book. It felt a bit dragged out. The French buzzwords felt a bit corny, too.

I thought the narration of the audiobook was done well. I received a copy of this audiobook from HarperVia and NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Alc of The Alchemy of flowers by Laura Resau. I rated this 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This is one of those books that I think would read better on pages for my brain. Although not as difficult for me to follow as an epic fantasy on audio but I probably missed things.

I also think this book was heavy on romance and the synopsis should explain that.

If you want a little magic realism in your romance novel set in an eerie garden with a little bit of humor added, then check out this strange gothic tale.

The immediate whimsy and french is very attention grabbing right from the get go. A great story that ties mysticism, magic of herbs, personal healing and growth, and honestly some thriller aspects. This story provides something for everyone and the lesson of being able to let go and accept help to heal is one of the many that stuck with me. The narrator was great but I will say for people who don't have a history of french, the audiobook might offer some difficulties.

I really enjoyed this. It's beautifully written, it's almost magical in itself. The Alchemy of Flowers is a curious and intoxicating blend of mystery, tragedy and magical realism. The descriptions of the scenes are masterfully crafted, you can almost smell the flowers. Laura Resau certainly knows how to world build and create atmospheric settings. The story is tough: tragic and violent but it was impossible to put down. I read this quickly, devouring the book. It has a Gothic feel for it and the subject matter is very dense and dark at times. But overall, it was a terrific read, tragic, but mesmerising. The narrator did a masterful job bringing this to life. Thank you NetGalley for this advance audio ARC. Opinions are my own.

The Alchemy of Flowers by Laura Resau is a spellbinding story that pulls you into the magic of paradise, but will you make it out alive? I was on the edge of my seat, finishing this in just two days, dying to know how it ended and to learn all of the secrets of the goddess. The emotional pull of love and children pulls on your heart strings just enough to keep you in breathless anticipation. Highly suggest you read and join in on the magic!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221132574

The Alchemy of Flowers by Laura Resau is an enchanting and charming novel, filled with a sense of hopeful healing. The lyrical prose and vibrant characters create a magical atmosphere where nature, love, and personal growth intertwine. This is a heartwarming story that reminds you of the quiet power of resilience and renewal.

While the summary does mention a “broken woman,” and that the MC is “exhausted by fruitless attempts to start a family,” I had NO IDEA how obsessive this book would be on the topics of child loss, infertility, and the breaking of a marriage because of it. I have no relationship with these themes, I cannot tell you if this is a story in which someone would find solace. But I find it sad, very, very tragic, and very unsettling. This theme pervades all aspects of the story and language, I can’t tell you that I would have picked this up if I’d known it the extent to which this book hyper focuses on these topics. The obsession with the MC’s pregnancy, other women’s relationship with fertility, and the frequent use of the adjective “fertile” for both the garden and women, gives Red Pill/trad-wives/incel vibes and just ick.

This aspect of the story and undercurrent of obsession with "woman-as-creator", made this book incredibly unappealing to me. The idea of nature-magic and talking to the language- a literal language of flowers- and “flower witches” has appeal,l but it’s overwhelmed by the infertility theme. The magic is also so loosely woven that it doesn’t really hold up against the other issues. 

Like others, I’m very annoyed with the cliched use of French terms throughout the novel in a way that feels very touristy and ineffective. The language deployment feels like something from a Duolingo lesson, not native French. 


Overall, I cannot recommend this book.

I have just started reading magical realism. My second book was so good that the last two I have read re not as good. This was not what I would classify as magical realism as there was more elaboration that took away from the realism the story was good. The characters were well written.

Cassandra Campbell did a wonderful job narrating as always! Great audio quality and production.
The story itself was a nice palate cleanser, a magical garden in the south of France with no electronics? Sign me up!

3.7⭐

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review

spoiler free

15/16+

romance: 6/10 (some kissing, a non descriptive scene where Eloise uses a showerhead to masturbate in the shower, a non descriptive scene where Eloise and Raphael have sex, mentions of eloise and her ex husband having sex a lot to try and have a baby)

cursing: 3/10 (i’m pretty sure it was just shit, at least in English lol. There were many uses of “my God” in French tho)

violence: 4/10 (it only really got violent at the end, where there was some blood, stabbing, a bomb)

other: alcohol consumed to the point of tipsiness. One character is gay and gets a boyfriend at the end

tw: infertility, grief, miscarriage

first person, past tense


–OVERVIEW–

This book was a rollercoaster.

I have never been, nor will be for a long while, pregnant but this book made me feel for our main character. I have never lost a child, but I could feel the pain in losing one in the words. It was very obvious that the author has experience with it and my heart goes out to her.

I genuinely have no idea what genre this would be considered as. It’s a romance, but it’s not quite a magical realism, not quite a contemporary, not a fantasy, not mystery enough to be a mystery. There’s an obvious magical feel to this book while everything remains in the realm of reality.

The Secret Garden was one of my favorite books as a kid, and this was incredible.

This book is for dreamers who grew up but never truly did.

It was a daring dance of love and fate, like twirling through a garden of beautiful, yet deadly, flowers.

I was enthralled from the first sentence.

This is the first ever audiobook I’ve reviewed from Netgalley, but it certainly won’t be my last. As some of you know, I am a big crochet girlie (an albeit more recent addition to my ever growing list of hobbies) and it seemed only fitting to crochet a flower bandana while listening.

-the narration-

Absolutely magnifique. I loved her expression and how she spent the time to learn the pronunciation of all the French words. Safe to say if I had actually read this, I would have botched every name, place, and word.

-the writing-

As the name would suggest, the writing was flowery without being overbearing. The prose was excellent. I felt wholly immersed in this mystical, magical garden

This was my first book by Laura Resau and it definitely won’t be my last.


–PLOT–

The first 75% was a more cozy book with a undertone of danger, then that last 25% was like 📈📉📈📉📈📉📈📉 with my anxiety

–CHARACTERS–

Eloise
⤷ She was actually a very likeable character, I felt her pain like it was my own. I want to wrap her up in a tight hug and give her cinnamon hot chocolate.

Raphael
⤷ I love this man sm. He’s so sweet and ahhhhh 🤭🤭


–CONCLUSION–

If you’re okay with the heavy topics and the content, READ IT.

Narrated by the talented Cassandra Campbell, "The Alchemy of Flowers" by Laura Resau promised a magical journey through the life of Eloise, a woman struggling to find her place in the world. While Resau's writing style is undeniably whimsical and imaginative, the book ultimately fell short of my expectations.

As a reader who appreciates depth and complexity in both plot and character development, I found that "The Alchemy of Flowers" lacked the emotional resonance I was hoping for. Eloise's struggles felt disconnected from my own experiences, making it difficult to empathize with her journey. While this may be due to my personal life stage, the writing style itself often veered towards the corny, further inhibiting my ability to connect with the story.

Despite its shortcomings, "The Alchemy of Flowers" benefits greatly from Cassandra Campbell's enchanting narration, which breathes life into even the book's weaker passages. Her beautiful voice and narrative style lend an air of sophistication to the story that elevates it beyond the words on the page.

Thank you to Laura Resau, Cassandra Campbell, Harper Muse, and NetGalley for sending me the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

The Alchemy of Flowers is a curious and intoxicating blend of mystery, tragedy and magical realism.

Resau’s prose is beautifully lyrical and creates an immersive atmosphere, sometimes fragrant and peaceful, other times tragic and violent. It makes for a compelling and unique reading experience, and I found myself hooked, enjoying the twists and turns of this strange garden.

The Secret Garden is one of my favourite books and to some degree it carries a similar mix of gothic and beauty. I think it’s a wonderful read for fans of authors such as Sarah Addison Allen. To note - While impactful, the storyline is a a heavy one, and some readers may like to check triggers about infant loss and infertility before diving into this read.

I enjoyed this in ebook and audio form. I found myself racing through the pages, but the listening experience truly elevated the mystery of the garden and its curious inhabitants. The production value was excellent, and the narrator did a wonderful job of drawing out the emotional experiences of the characters.

Thank you to the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

I just finished an amazing audiobook. The Alchemy of Flowers by Laura Resau was such a great listen. Pick this one up.

I really enjoyed listening to this book. It’s filled to the brim with magic and I really could picture the estate as paradise. This book also has a mysterious element to it along with heartbreak and growth. And, of course, the lovely Cassandra Campbell narrates it beautifully. You need to add this to your TBR.
⬇️book description⬇️

I so wanted to like this book but the description of the book (taking a job to avoid reminders of children) definitely didn’t match up to the serious and heartbreaking content of the book. It was a very hard read for personal reasons. That being said, the writing was absolutely beautiful and the authors writing it raw and painfully true. I enjoyed the overall concept of the book but I sincerely wish it was not based on so much trauma. The write up on the book should have come with a disclaimer trigger warning about the tragedy the main character has experienced. I will give this author another try though as she is clearly a beautiful and accomplished writer. Thank you so much for allowing early access to listen to this book.

Eloise is from Colorado and recently divorced. She applied for a job as a gardener on a whim, and she was accepted, thus starting her journey to the south of France where a mystery awaited her.

This was the first time I listened to an audiobook and I'm not a fan. Also, the narrator wasn't very good. What I did like was the gardens and their descriptions, full of magic and the power of healing.

Warning - infertility and the battle with it.