Erica Bauermeister has a way of writing that encourages me to read slowly and savor every word. The School of Essential Ingredients is her first book that I savored and have recommended numerous times to others. Her newest book The Scent Keeper definitely had the same effect on me. I was drawn into the magical story and especially the characters of Emmeline and Fisher. Hopefully, the author is planning a follow-up novel so we can see how their lives continue. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me the pleasure of reading and reviewing The Scent Keeper.

It’s been six years since Bauermeister’s last release The Lost Art Of Mixing. Her previous three novels explored the world of food and relationships and I thoroughly enjoyed them so I was curious about what she’d do next. This was a big change from her previous work and for much of the story, I was unsure what to make of it. Outside of YA, I’m not always keen on "children as narrators" in my fiction and it tripped me up here, particularly once Emmaline became a teenager. She grew up on an isolated island with only her father for company. Think of Nell but with one caregiver. She’s extremely ignorant about the world at large but she knows how to forage and her sense of smell informs how she moves through her days. This is all fine up until her father dies and she’s taken in by a couple off the island and has to go to school for the first time. As you might imagine, things do not go well.

The sense of smell figures into the story in some lovely, unexpected ways and I have a feeling the way Emmaline and her father feel about scent will influence me for years to come. However, I struggled with the pacing and how easily things worked out for Emmaline, in spite of her naivety. It’s not that I wanted things to go badly for her but the way the plot unfolded seemed unrealistic and it was hard for me to suspend disbelief. I was also hopeful the story would address the mental illness that clearly impacted her father but this was but another thread we never get to see through. Bauermeister is still a talented writer but this one missed the mark for me.

CW: grief, death of a parent, domestic violence, bullying

I wanted to love this book, however, I found after multiple attempts at reading it, that it just moved too slowly for me. I think the writing was wonderful, and that it will be liked by many. It's not the book - it's definitely me.

This book started out really slow and I kept thinking I was going to quit reading it then I would read something that made me think that maybe it was about to pick up. After several chapters of doing this, I finally gave up. I felt like I was having to make myself read this book. The story wasn't bad it was just too slow for my taste.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I was approached to read this book, I was a little hesitant - I had never really heard of anyone navigating and documenting life via their sense of smell. It struck me as an odd concept and one that might be a little too out there for me, but I decided to give this book a shot anyways. Am I ever glad that I did - beautifully written, The Scent Keeper tells the story of a girl growing up in the strangest of circumstances, all while trying to understand the world around her in large part via her sense of smell.

The main joys of this book are its characters and the emotions that are sewn into every page. Emmeline was a complex and thoroughly enjoyable main character - as a reader you get to experience her shifting from childhood wonder to experiencing the real world for the first time. She was deeply conflicted and bore guilt that no child should ever have to, and you get to see how her new experiences help her process old, dark memories. Other characters were also just as well written - Emmeline's father, for example, slowly shifts from a father who can do no wrong, to a character whose intentions and motivations were as complicated as he was. Even after being in the book for a few pages, all of the characters had a way of getting you invested and keeping you emotionally attached. 

Most of the plot of this book is great- it's well paced and cuts out anything that would slow down Emmeline's journey. I loved that the book spans a massive amount of time and covers all of Emmeline's most formative periods: growing up isolated on an island, finding a new kind of family, learning to deal with the pressures of school and social situations, and finally her trying to make it big in the city. The whole style of writing has a lyrical, timeless quality to it, one that you don't often see in modern books. It was nearly impossible for me to put this book down between the immersive writing style and the well paced plot. However, the one part of this book I did not enjoy is the ending. It felt like the book was rushing to some grand moment, a reunion and a final lesson, but then it just stops. While this style of ending can work for some books, for this book it just felt like a cheap ending to an otherwise rich story.

The Scent Keeper is a wonderfully written, well rounded novel - it spends the time to not only develop its characters lovingly, but also handles their stories with the dignity and nuance that they deserve. While the ending left me wanting, the rest of this book was phenomenal and I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a true breath of fresh air in adult literature. 4/5.

Some books are more than a story you read - they somehow draw you in and are a fully immersive experience. You are in the world - seeing what’s described, hearing the background noises - and in this case, smelling all the scents described.

At the start of the book, Emmaline and her father are living alone on a remote island - she hasn’t seen another person at all that she can remember. Her father tells her fabulous stories about a Scent hunter and teaches her to follow her nose.

This was a reading experience entirely its own - but also so many books that it made me think of in various ways. It reminded me of The Night Circus and Uprooted in the immersive experience/fairy tale like feel at points. It reminded me of Where the Crawdads Sing and Educated in the experience of growing up isolated from the rest of the world. I highly recommend lighting a favorite candle and settling in with this book.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book focuses on scents, memories, and family in the most unique way that I immediately fell in love with! From the gorgeous cover to the lyrical writing, this book was absolutely beautiful. It was such a nice break from all the thrillers I’ve read lately and the author transports the reader to a magical place with each chapter as you follow along on Emmeline’s journey of self-discovery. Based on the synopsis, I was intrigued but worried it would be almost too fanciful. But this was quite the opposite in an unexpected way and I loved seeing how scents can transport people to specific memories or manipulate them in certain ways. The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister is immersive and wonderful and you will not want to miss this one! Thank you so much to the author, Netgalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time with this book. The magical elements surrounding scent were a little much for me. I enjoyed the parts of the story that seemed realistic, and the other characters were really enjoyable. The ending was a bit rushed, but it worked.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This is is my first Erica Bauermeister novel and it was sooo enchanting and such a fun read. Lyrical and immersive, The Scent Keeper explores the provocative beauty of scent, the way it can reveal hidden truths, lead us to the person we seek, and even help us find our way back home. Emmeline lives an enchanted childhood on a remote island with her father, who teaches her about the natural world through her senses. What he won’t explain are the mysterious scents stored in the drawers that line the walls of their cabin, or the origin of the machine that creates them. As Emmeline grows, however, so too does her curiosity, until one day the unforeseen happens, and Emmeline is vaulted out into the real world--a place of love, betrayal, ambition, and revenge. To understand her past, Emmeline must unlock the clues to her identity, a quest that challenges the limits of her heart and imagination. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my honest review

What if I asked you to write a book about smell?

I spent a long time trying to think of how to review this novel but I've settled on 'evocative' as the perfect word to describe this story. It comes at you from all sides, filling your mind with sights, sounds, and especially smells. Writing descriptions of smells can be tedious and easily overdone but the author handles the vast amount of description with a masterful hand. I haven't been sucked into sensory descriptions so fully in a very long time.

The plot itself is exquisite and the characters who tell it are wonderful, broken beings. It took me a while to warm up to Emmeline but that's the right way to do it considering who she is as a character; she's someone it takes time to know but once you do your friendship is golden. I really loved Henry and Collette immediately, and Fisher as well. The introduction of an abusive father within the wilderness (Fisher's father) gave me heavy The Great Alone vibes (a good thing as I also loved that novel) and I think the author did that sort of relationship justice, not the justice the reader might want but the realistic one.

By the halfway point I couldn't stop reading. Emmeline comes alive as a character in act two and watching her process everything gave me equal parts hope and trepidation with each page. If I had to choose a favorite, I really enjoyed Victoria since her complexity and mannerisms are so unique. The end was magical. It was so beautiful, heartbreaking in the right way, the way that gives you hope that the present pain will be the soil for something wonderful later on. Even though I finished this book a few days ago (slow reviewer here), I haven't stopped thinking about these characters and where they went after the novel concluded.

I do have some criticisms though, despite how much I really enjoyed the novel as a whole. For me, the beginning was a bit weak as I was very confused on what novel I was reading. The fantastical nature of the first few chapters was unexpected and at times it felt meandering because as a reader I didn't understand where the story was headed. One thing that persistently bothered me though was the date. I would've really liked to know what year it was. Maybe I missed it but not knowing *when* the story was taking place bogged me down once Emmeline joins civilization as I was unsure how to picture various everyday objects. These aren't big criticisms though; I still read the entire thing in less than 48 hours so I obviously liked it. It is certainly the kind of story that rewards patience and persistence because the ending result is such a thing of beauty.

Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher St. Martin's Press, and the author Erica Bauermeister for the opportunity to do so.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the chance to read this novel early.

Calling all fans of The Great Alone and Where the Crawdads Sing, this book is a must-read for you. Granted, those comparisons are quite loose, but this book will easily resonate with that particular set of readers. The Scent Keeper is supremely unique and truly unlike anything I’ve ever read before. I loved the idea of capturing scents, as it is something I have been wishing for the ability to do since I’ve had children. The scent of baby’s breath after they finish eating or the smell of the warm crevice of their neck, scents that disappear as children grow older would be just a few of the scents I’d love to capture. I remember holding one of my babies after they had awoken from a nap and having an overwhelming urge to bottle their scent forever, so I would never have to let go of that moment. Needless to say, this book was appealing to me.

The beginning of this story was a little slow but once I got attuned to the author’s voice and style of storytelling, I was hooked. I loved how this book felt like a fairytale from the get-go. It gave that ethereal feeling that comes from hearing a magical story as a child and I couldn’t help but relish in it. As the story progressed, some of that feeling transitioned to a more mature story, with hints of the memory of magic in the background. It was as if I was growing along with Emmaline. I was able to be fully immersed in her feelings and the journey life was taking her on.

It was interesting to me just how vivid the descriptions of scents could be in this story. The author was able to personify scent, making me wish I could know each smell mentioned in the story myself. I was fascinated by the research that went into this book as well, especially in regards to the use of scents in marketing. It made this fictional book incredibly educational as well as entertaining.

Overall, this was a beautiful, evocative story – one I wish could have continued even a bit longer. My only minor complaint is that the ending felt slightly abrupt. I could have done with a few more details and less wondering about what would come next. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this to readers looking for something wholly different from anything they have recently read. Pick up your copy today!

The Scent Keeper is a compelling, enchanting, lyrical book; a story of survival and self-discovery. When we meet Emmeline, she is living with her father on an island—a place with no other inhabitants-completely self-reliant, isolated from the outside world. As Emmeline grows up, she discovers life-altering secrets that shake her confidence in her father, that lead her to an unknown, unexpected future, thrust into a world for which she is unprepared. Emmeline is a dream of a character, a young girl with extraordinary courage and determination, wrestling with guilt, with an uncanny ability to conjure memories and emotions from the scents that inhabit her world. The settings of the island, the cove, and the city open up Emmeline’s world, and ours as well, as they are each an integral part of the story. It was easy to lose myself in each place, seeing them vividly in my mind as I read. But it is the scents that add an extra-special layer to the story, it is scents that define who Emmeline is, it is scents that lead her to her future, to her love, and to reconcile her past. This is a perfect companion book to other coming of age novels, such as Where the Crawdads Sing and The Language of Flowers.

In our everyday lives we don't always recognize the extent that our emotions and memories depend on our sense of smell. And when we hear of an outstanding 'nose', it generally has some slightly pretentious reference to wines. Erica Bauermeister brings us way beyond those impulsive impressions. By the end of my marathon reading of the novel The Scent Keeper I could appreciate much more realistically what the nose knows.

Emmeline is raised by her father in complete isolation on a small island off the coast of Washington state. Access to the island is limited to one day a month when the full moon high tide grants access to a rock strewn channel that allows a small, narrow boat entrance to the beach on the island's inland cove.

Emmeline doesn't miss other people - all she has ever known is the company of her father, who is her provider, her teacher, her playmate. And along with her numbers and letters she is awakened to her 'nose'. One wall of their cabin is filled with books, another with little drawers holding little wax-sealed bottles containing a small paper filled with an isolated scent of time, place, people, a scent that can bring back to John all the emotions of that exact moment in time. Once a month, her father ritualistically tells her of an occasion, opens a bottle, usually one of those sealed with red wax and stored in the lower drawers, and shares the scent with her, then reseals the bottle with wax and replaces it in its isolated drawer. He often works on the small machine that 'prints' the papers, and when a bottle is opened and the paper is no longer scented to even John's trained nose, they ritualistically burn the paper, enjoying the bloom of scent brought out by the heat of the fire, and retire the bottle. John is a teller of tales, and they often read from an edition of fairy tales containing a gap near the middle of the book where a tale is obviously missing. But there are many tales available, and Emmeline's mild curiosity about that missing one is easily overwhelmed by yet another, personal fairy tale as told by John. .

But as she gets older, Emmeline realizes that a great deal of her life, the world she knows, is based on lies. Lies told to her by the only person she thought she knew. There are no mermaid parties on the night of the full moon that deposit driftwood and seaweed and black plastic boxes of supplies on the beach at the protected cove. There was no hero named Jack who collected scents from the world and stored them in the green wax sealed bottles stored on the top row of drawers in their cabin. And her birthday cannot possibly be the first day of the spring full moon because that's not a constant date, and changes with every season.

Who can you trust, if the only person you know lies to you about important things? And how can you learn the truth in total isolation? Emmeline's rebellion starts a downhill slide that will change her world drastically. Can she adapt? Only time, and Erica Bauemeister, will tell.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Erica Bauermeister, and St. Martin's Press. Thank you for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.

I went in blind when deciding to read The Scent Keeper and I’m so glad I did. As it began on this remote island with a secretive machine that captures scents and stories of mermaids and fairytales, I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting into, but I was hooked. Where was this story going to take me? A story that starts with a little girl who only knew the stories her loving father told her.

Going by the descriptions of the area in the book and the mentions of the Vancouver Sun paper, I’m pretty sure this takes place out in the remote islands out there somewhere in the Strait of Georgia. Having just visited this area not even two weeks ago, I now wish I had known for I would have read this book then and immersed myself in Emmeline’s surroundings. I have seen these remote islands locals live on, I have been in the big, overwhelming city of Vancouver. I feel I got to experience this book a little more, if even before I even knew I was! For that reason, I used one of my own photos for the post, as I feel this is what Emmeline’s surroundings would look like. I can even understand why people compare this to Where the Crawdad’s Sing, as this is a coming of age story about a girl out in the wilderness for a time, but – it’s not the same. It’s a completely different story and beautiful all the same.

Emmeline is very intelligent with a kind heart. The story follows her from the island and where life then takes her – into the real world. Her sense of smell is astounding and it sets her apart from others. Then she finds where just maybe she is meant to be. If even for a time.

There is love, there are roadblocks, there are kind people and there is the sense of smell. Smell is everything. You can’t properly taste food without the smell of it. A smell can take you back to a sacred memory. Smells can warn you, intrigue you, influence you. More than you even thought possible. Smell is a powerful thing. What would you do to preserve it?

The Scent Keeper was a fascinatingly quick read and I was very much taken in by Emmeline and how her story evolved. While I feel the ending was quite abrupt, it still…worked. You weren’t left wondering what happened, only wanting to know what happens next. You are left wanting more without feeling like you didn’t get enough. A great read for summer.

I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I wasn’t too sure about this book when I first started reading it. I didn’t think that a book about scents would be a good read. The first couple of chapters seemed to cement my initial feelings about the book. Then something happened. The author was able to get me interested in scents. I started to enjoy reading the book. I wanted to know how Emmeline’s journey would end.

The main plotline, Emmeline’s search for answers, was beautifully written. I did wonder, at points during the book, why Henry and Colette didn’t tell Emmeline everything. I also wondered if they knew how well she smelled. I concluded that while they wanted to shelter Emmeline. After everything she had been through, they didn’t want to stress her out anymore.

Emmeline’s relationship with Fisher was a huge focal point in the latter half of the book. From the first day they met, I knew that they were soul mates. Fisher taught Emmeline how to look out for herself. He accepted her for herself. I understood why she needed to find him. I also understood her feelings when she was why he was fired. What I didn’t think was fair was that she compared him to his abusive father. They were apart for a couple of years. Of course, he is going to change!! But that comparison was stomped out when they got back together.

Emmeline’s search for her identity was heartbreaking. She kept getting the runaround from people who should have told her the truth. I kept wondering if she would ever find out why her father did what he did. It did happen, and I was surprised at what was revealed. Looking back, it made sense.

Like I said at the beginning of this review, I wasn’t sure if I would like this book. I had never read a book that was centered around scent. But the author was able to make it work. Emmeline was a savant when it came to smells. She more than proved that scents and memories are intertwined. The last scene in the book shows my point.

I went into reading The Scent Keeper completely blind, but I loved the writing of it so much! Right away, I knew that I would love this book. The literary feel, the somewhat magical realism elements that I love, and the rich story of Emmeline as a child to her coming of age as a woman, all drew me in.

Emmeline lives on an island with her father, and realizes that certain scents are stored away as memories in small rolls of paper, each tucked away safely in each bottle. Her life on the island is based on these smells and she takes them with her into womanhood, as she navigates through this life and world. This story is atmospheric and compelling, and a beautiful read just in time for summer!
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Happy #PubDay to The Scent Keeper! On sale today. Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this complimentary digital copy.
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4.5 Stars

Have you ever suddenly smelled something and been transported to a place of memory? The Scent Keeper addresses this and more. Focusing on the life of Emmeline, we follow her, for a time, idyllic childhood on an island where she lives with her father and the revelation that so much that she believed about her family was wrong/ a lie.

Who hasn't found that something in their parents' lives isn't quite impartial or.... accurate? What secrets are there in your family? This novel gives us a protagonist who finds the story she has been raised with isn't the full truth. But where does she go from there? With that in mind, this novel is an exploration of family (chosen and born) and memory. A very evocative story.

I received a Digital Review Copy of this book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost, I have to say that using scent as the main theme in a novel is unique and not easy to pull off. Not only does the author pull it off, but she does it brilliantly. 

This book fascinated me and was packed with lyrical imagery. The author's ability to describe scents so vividly the reader felt as if they could actually smell them. What I loved were the flawed characters and the secrets that unfolded during the course of the story. 

This book is an extremely powerful book about love, family, trust, and our relationship with not only each other but the scents that surrounded the main character. 

The Scent Keeper is thought provoking. Have you ever walked into a room and a scent enveloped you and instantly you were taken back to a different time and place? I have. That association between a scent and a memory or memories is prevalent and poignant and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment reading this novel.

5 Reasons to Read The Scent Keeper: 

1. You will fall in love with this story. I love when a story takes me by complete surprise and I become enamored with it. I swear from page one it was love at first sight and I couldn't get enough. From the flawed characters, to the gorgeous scenery, to the mysterious hidden secrets about Emmeline's life, this one is a perfect trifecta of brilliance.

2. The use of scent as a central theme is so poignant. The idea of taking such a powerful yet understated sense, and basing an entire novel off of it blew me away. Emmeline's father is an inventor who created a machine that can capture scents, similar to a Polaroid camera. His quirky storytelling and innovative nature are reasons why Emmeline idolizes her father, and never questions their solitary life on an island. Until one day, she discovers her father has been keeping secrets from her similar to keeping scents stored in bottles, and she finds herself in a place of loneliness and self discovery. 

3. The characters are raw and beautifully flawed. Emmeline is a true coming of age character- think Kya in Where the Crawdads sing- who lives a contented life on a beautiful island until she discovers there is more to her world than what she can see beyond the cove. I couldn't help but love the transformation Emmeline went through as she grew and as she encountered new and old friends along her journey. The rawness of the relationships she had were real and I fully immersed myself in them. 

4. There are surprise twists and characters that really make for an eloquently suspenseful read. Nothing like a thriller, not at all like chick lit, this one is in it's own realm of beauty. 

5. The type of ending that only works with this type of book. The ending is so open ended that it left me feeling slightly frustrated, but totally appreciative of it.

“The scents are alive. I listen to them whisper. They tell me things.”

Have you ever been just casually walking down the street and all of a sudden there’s a scent, maybe just the slightest, lightest smell … that just transports you instantly back to a time, a place, a thought? It happens to us all. It’s nostalgia, and wonder, and definitely a bit of magic… all rolled into one amazing fragrance – one vivid memory that comes barreling back to us just from that tiny, little whiff.

This story captures that magic – of a girl named Emmeline, whose entire life is shaped by fragrance – by the memory that it holds, the beauty it releases and some long buried secrets it conceals. We follow her from a tiny secluded island where scents are captured and bottled by a tiny mysterious machine by her beloved father. But when the unspeakable happens and Emmeline must travel beyond the walls of their tiny remote cabin, she begins a journey to unearth her identity and find the one scent that reveals her truth.

This story is magical, and I never wanted it to end. It was lyrical and poetic and I felt like I could smell every page and be transported right into the story. Although the ending felt a bit abrupt to me (I really wanted to revisit some characters and places I had grown to adore!) I think, in reality – I just didn’t want the story to ever finish! I could have read Emmeline’s story far into her future, but I’ll have to revisit and remember, on my own, in my thoughts – and perhaps, even a smell one day – just walking down the street.