I was really drawn to the Titanic element of this book, because it’s something I’ve always been interested in and I’ve watched documentaries and visited exhibitions about it. The exhibition in Liverpool’s maritime museum was particularly poignant. The author takes this tragic historical event and weaves a family saga around it. We start with two timelines, Ava boarding the Titanic in 1912 and Taylor who comes to Oxford to study in 2010. Obviously the two are connected, but it’s a wonderful journey finding out how. Taylor’s benefactor is the eccentric Lady Maebelline Knight and although she doesn’t get chance to know her, she does give Taylor a chapter of an autobiography written by Ava on the Titanic voyage. As the mysterious Lady dies, Taylor takes the rest of the book and is enthralled by this story.
Ava’s tale could be seen as a tall one, I kept wondering how this tale had come to be, when I would have expected it to be lost at the bottom of the ocean. However, I became swept away by the story of spying and betrayal, plus a curse that befalls the women of the Knight family. It was a complete escape from the humdrum everyday I’m currently in - moving house in a lockdown! It allowed me to get lost in the rich description, layers of mystery and a little bit of romance too. It’s a mix of many different themes - historical fiction, fantasy, mystery and romance. I was quite sorry when it ended.

This had all the bones of a good book but the execution was dissatisfying. I was disappointed because it sounded so intriguing.

holy moly guacamole

this book!!!!
arggggg

soooooooooo good

Plot: 5
Setting: 5
Characters: 4.9
Romance: 4.5
Writing: 5
Overall: 5

this book was just so good
I loved everything.
five stars, highly recommend!!!

I struggled with staying interested in this story. I love the premise of it: Titanic, timelines, etc.... But the writing style was not for me.

This arc was gifted by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Historical Fiction? Titanic? Alternating timelines? I’m already hooked. The tale of The Poppy and The Rose consists of a lyrical, intricately woven story, with alternating timelines between two main characters, Ava and Taylor. The story is altogether rich and beautiful, and their personal stories all the more so. Each character is developed through seeking information about a mystery around them, uncovering family secrets, and the personal risk involved in learning the secrets of the ones they love. All together The Poppy and The Rose was a beautiful story, but the romantic subplot (what I was really hoping for in a Titanic story) felt rushed and undeveloped.

This is a great story that takes on the Titanic with new life. This is definitely a story I would love to get a physical copy of.

When a author chooses to portray to time period in one book more often than not it becomes messy and confusing, this was not the case. Beautifully written and with a plot packed with mystery and history, it's divine. This book keep you on the verge of your sit and shall not disappoint you.

I requested this arc because the premise of a female spy on the Titanic was quite intriguing. I enjoyed this book a lot because of that aspect, but also because it was a mystery that connected to a current day mystery. I adore dual timelines, and this was no different. I loved how the two seemingly different situations connected at the end and left me with no questions. I loved finding parallels between these two stories as well. I felt really connected to our current day main character, Taylor, as she read and tried to figure out Ava's story and her secrets while trying to connect it to what the people around her were keeping from her as well. I took a star off my rating simply because the ending wasn't quite as shocking as the build-up made it sound like it would be.

I was offered a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Poppy and the Rose tells the story of two girls from different time periods in alternating chapters. Taylor is an American doing a summer journalism program at Oxford in 2010, sponsored by Lady Mae Knight. Upon arriving in England, Taylor is invited to visit the home of Lady Mae Knight, however, when she arrives, she learns that Lady Knight passed away the night before. However, Taylor learns that Mae had intended to give her a journal during the visit and upon inspection discovers it belonged to Lady Ava Knight, the daughter of an eccentric English lord traveling on the Titanic in 1912 and the second girl in the story. While aboard the Titanic with her father, Ava is approached by a man who is a soldier and fellow passenger. He asks her to gather information about a mysterious woman her father has been spending a lot of time with and in return, the man promises to heal Ava’s mother, who had to remain home due to her illness. Ava quickly agrees and as she observes the woman, becomes suspicious of the large amount of time the woman spends with her father. Ava also learns that the woman is a psychic and is predicting a terrible disaster to occur. As the journey aboard the Titanic progresses, Ava must decide who she can trust and if there is a way to prevent the impending disaster.

So I absolutely loved the story. The book easily switched between these two perspectives and entwines the two girls’ stories perfectly. I was more invested in Ava’s story, but that was probably because I have a slight fascination with the story of the Titanic. Ava’s story also felt very complex and kept me guessing throughout. I loved figuring out who the mysterious woman was, her relationship with Lord Knight, and why the soldier was interested in her. Additionally, the romance subplot was adorable, and I was super invested in the two characters. Taylor’s story was also interesting but sometimes felt like it simply revolved around Ava’s story. I did enjoy really enjoy the mysteries presented in Taylor’s story and discovering the truth about Mae’s death, her connection to Ava, and how Taylor is involved with it all. The romance subplot with Taylor did feel rushed however and lacking some depth.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fiction with a historical setting or a slight mystery.

First, let's give kudos on the cover of this one! I loved it and not only that the contents between the covers left me feeling all sorts of ways. I enjoyed the historical facts as well as the characters involved in the plot. I had a hard time putting this one aside and wished it hasn't ended so quickly.

I was obsessed with the movie Titanic when I was a kid and when I seen that there was a book that was based on that, I knew that I had to give it a go.
While reading this I had a hard time getting into the book, I think that was because I had set such high expectations for the book because I love the movie so much that it just didn’t work out well for me. I felt like something was lacking from the story as I was reading which sucked because I really wanted to love this or at least enjoy it and I got nether from this.

Interesting tale spanned across generations...family history, a mystery, and of course an inheritance.

Following Ava Knight in 1912, surviving the sinking of the Titanic...

And Taylor, trying to understand why she’s back in Meadowbrook and what the meaning behind her father’s last gift as well as Ava’s journal means for her legacy.

I’ll admit, I was a little bored. A lot of building of characters and storylines (which there are two in this book) that takes a certain finesse to make intriguing enough to stick with it...I can think of a few that really nailed this cross-generational gap...but, it wasn’t horrible.

Maybe if things were revealed a little sooner than 86% into the story, I may not have skimmed so much.

Overall, not a fireworks display of an ending...but not a complete dud either.
Just a sparkler’s worth, I guess.

<b>**3 Titanic Wishes, Treasure Hunt Dreams, Stars**</b>

Who made me believe this book was LGBTQIA+ material? Probably the blurb.
Guess what - it's not. Still, the book isn't all too bad and I really loved Nathaniel.
I preferred Ava's POV to Taylor's, but that doesn't exactly surprise me... The ending was... Well, not what I wanted, but whatever. (Look at that, I might be turning into a heterophobe...)

I received a free ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

The Poppy and the Rose by Ashlee Cowles is a delightful story of 2 girls each on their own journey of finding the truth, though separated by nearly a century. But what is time really, if not some intangible, powerful, remorseless force that connects us all in more ways than we’ll ever know.

To be honest I’ve only come to understand the significance of the title as I’m writing this.
Anyway, I’ve always had a fascination with the Titanic so I was very eager to read this book. It lived up to my expectations of a true historical fiction piece. I’m quite impressed with all the research done to make this story more real. The Titanic chapters and storyline were easily my favourite and best part of this book.

Then there’s the contemporary storyline of a 16 year old that doesn’t really spark my interest too much. Her storyline was quite static and unmoving compared to the Titanic storyline. Though how could you even compete with such an event. Still, I wished for more during the modern parts. This storyline basically went nowhere once the Titanic one began to pick up speed.

The overarching motif of time and memories was really cool. I felt like I learned something, that my perspective of time was changed. I loved how this book provided so many aspects of how to perceive time by many different characters, fictional and true. So I thank the author for giving me some food for thought.

I’ll finish by saying this:
If you are fascinated by the Titanic and some history surrounding that time period as I am, I would recommend picking up this book.
If you are more interested by the storyline of a high school girl going to an Oxford summer program, you might be disappointed.

For someone who doesn't normally read historical-based stories, and tends to lean to YA Sci-Fi and Fantasy, I actually really enjoyed this book. It had just the right amount of mystery and intrigue to keep me turning the pages, surprising even myself at how invested I was!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a rollercoaster! Not in a bad way though. In a way, it reminded me of the Titanic movie. Just in how the beginning was a little slow, the middle was very good, and the ending was fast paced and kept me interested. I definitely liked this book’s ending a lot more though!

It is told from the perspective of two different women. You can easily tell the difference between the two stories so that was good. I really enjoyed both stories, but I was way more interested in Ava’s who is the girl on the Titanic. I love how this book was mainly a historical fiction but had romance snuck in their too! The characters were very interesting. I really liked them all and felt connected. The ending was very good and I was glad it ended the way it did.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was that the beginning was not very interesting. I could not get into it until about a third of the way through. After that I read through the book very fast!

Overall, I would recommend this book to historical fiction and romance lovers. Also, if you are interested in the Titanic or liked the movie, this book is for you.

Titanic books will always be popular for teen and adult readers alike. A recommended purchase for YA and HS fiction collections.

What drew me to this book was the Titanic elements. It was a mix of family saga, mystery, sleuthing and intrigue with a splash of romance too it certainly delivered. A combined contemporary and historical fiction combined. A brilliant YA title.

The story ebbs and flows through two separate past and present timelines of two young ladies; Ava (in 1912) who sails on the Titanic with her father and her beloved camera to study with a renowned photographer in America and Taylor’s (in 2010) who sets off to Oxford, England to learn about her fathers seemingly secret life. Overall the plot was brilliant it is largely centred around the two characters' relationships with their fathers.

Deception v’s a parents protective love?

I smiled to myself once I finished and I could connect the book’s title to the book's themes of grief, traumatic memory loss and parental love. I thought this was a very clever way to tie the whole plot together and part of the mystery revealed.

I enjoyed a good twist in the plot and I liked discovering the connections between the characters of past and present. The threads of romance that were woven into the story for both the girls. It was not at the centre of the plot but nicely tied in. The quality of the writing was very good. I would be happy to read more of Ashlee’s books.

There was not much to dislike at all, if anything I would say the book really picked up its pace from about 70% of the way through to the end when the mystery and plot twists came to its climax.

Reasons to read this book:
☆ If you like Historical Fiction
☆ Enjoy YA titles / books full of mystery and intrigue
☆ Are interested in the Titanic & WW1 history

I'm glad I've been able to read it thank you Netgalley & Owl Hollow Press.

Simply put, I loved this gem of a book. Smartly researched and written. Highly recommend to fellow historical fiction nerds.
Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book. It fully immersed me in its story and characters. The story was so captivating; it made me feel the tension and sadness the way the characters felt it.