It's 1923 London and Saffron Everleigh is definitely a woman in a man's world. Working as a research assisstant in the botany department of the university where her late father taught is a lot to live up to even if you don't have the added irritations of being looked at as an irritant by the men of the department. However, her mentor Dr. Maxwell is one of the good ones and is less mysoginistic and more paternalistic towards Saffron, so she has one ally in the academic world. That is until a rather boring dinner party winds up with the hostess collapsing from an apparent poisoning and Dr. Maxwell is the prime suspect.

This was a decent first outing for a new character, she's a bit flighty, annoyed at the academic BS she has to deal with but is willing to charge ahead for the most part. Sometimes I thought she was a bit too flighty and wanted to shake her and ask "What are you doing!!??", but her overall earnestness and doggedness was fun. Her flirtation with Mr. Ashton and her friendship with her roommate Elizabeth was interesting and it will be nice to see if the author fleshes out these two characters a bit more. The mystery was a bit contrived with a few too many red herrings and absolute nutso conclusions on Saffron's part but that can be chalked up to inexperience. I'm curious to see how the author develops Saffron both professionally and personally.

Seeped in academia, greenhouses and 1920s London A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons is a slow burn (even though the goodreads description says it is fast-paced) detailed account of a poisoning and a young scientist who tries to solve it.
Saffron Everleigh has big shoes (her father's) to fill and a lot to prove, being an only woman in biology department. And yes, she has a poisoning to solve. A budding scientist with little fear and a lot of curiosity, Saffron is an interesting character and is placed in a very intricate and complicated settings. It would be interesting to see how she goes (there is book two I believe).
Anyhow, if you are interested in historical mysteries with a taste of academia, this book is for you. Take your time, enjoy.

This book was a delight. I love Saffron and her chemistry with Alexander. I thought the setting and situation were unique and overall the story was enjoyable. I was satisfied with who the villain ended up to be and I am excited to see what mystery Saffron (and hopefully with the help of Alexander) solves next.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eArc. All views expressed are my own.

I enjoyed reading this book though it was a bit of a slow starter for me. Our protagonist being a strong female in the 1920’s, some times came off a little bit guarded, justifiably. Most of the male characters aren’t really likable. The mystery is well written and keeps you guess whodunnit.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I have not been by anyone.

3.75
This was such a fun mystery! I loved the historical setting. It felt more unique than other mysteries on the market. A mix between a cozy mystery and a historical thriller. Can’t wait to read more from this author!

A well-researched and cozy little mystery. I enjoyed the writing style, and honestly wanted more out of the story. I'm eagerly awaiting book 2.

While at times maybe a teensy bit too convenient, I still enjoyed the twists and turns of the mystery. I also liked Saffron as a main character, but again, I wish I had gotten a little bit more of a handle on her as a person. The love interest and his banter with Saffron was also fun and lovely. The historical context and science were all fairly well done. And I loved Saffron's best friend.

3.5 stars rounding up.

This book had a lot to live up to with that great title and that beautiful cover and it just didn't quite do it.

I enjoyed the characters but felt they could have been a little more developed. I needed more of Saffron's inner monologue to really root for her. She came off a little careless and a lot self-absorbed. She needed some more humanization. Other than that, I felt the characters and the setting were the real strong points of this novel.

I also felt the pacing was just a bit off. There were parts that dragged on and others that seemed rushed.

I really enjoyed that this novel combined two of my favorite genres - mystery and historical fiction. I did feel the mystery could have been more fleshed out though.

All in all, I would recommend this book. It was a pretty quick, enjoyable read.

This cozy mystery is set in 1920s London after WWI. The main character, Saffron Everleigh, is the only female botanist at the University College of London. I loved this time period and setting. Written in a classic 'whodunnit' style, the story moves along at a slow and draggy pace in places, but has interesting and quirky cast of characters. Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to review this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 Stars

This was a fun time travel and an intriguing suspense story from early 20th century of London which was smart, moving and definitely engrossing.

The story started out very strong but in the middle of the book, the pacing got a little slower and the identity of perpetrator was a little far fetched but it was still enjoyable, interesting, riveting cozy murder mystery. The scientist, quirky heroine development and romance parts are well executed.

I was intrigued before I even read the first chapter of this cozy mystery set in 1920’s London. (Which is without a doubt my favorite time period in history!) Can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

This is lighthearted, fun historical mystery novel about a female botanist Saffron Everleigh, who is both trying to navigate a delicate work field for females in the science (the novel is set in post WWI - time period in London) and trying to help her mentor who is accused of poisoning.
While this is in no way a ground-breaking new kind of story, it still is a fun, quick and pleasant read accompanied with a kiss or two between our heroine and many fellow researcher Alexander Ashton. There is also a potential for a backstory regarding Saffron's late father and I am interested in this, so I will read the next installment in the series (out in summer 2023).

I found this book to be very hard to get into. There were some interesting themes of female pioneers in STEM fields as well as a sub theme of vindicating a father’s reputation, but the writing on this book fell flat for me. It was a DNF for me.

First and foremost, what a fabulous cover and an intriguing title! Then the fascinating plot featuring a brilliant heroine and a shell shocked hero in academia setting discussing poisons and plants, solving mysteries and falling in love.

I love historical mysteries, so I was excited for this book. It begins with Saffron attending a party at which Ellen, the wife of Mr.Henry is poisoned and the suspicions fall on Maxwell, Saffron's boss and well wisher. With the help of Alexander Ashton, a fellow scientist, Saffron finds the true perpetrators of the crime. The growing love interest between Saffron and Alexander was charming to read.

The author's love for plants and her extensive knowledge of it is evident in the detailed description of all things pertaining to Botany. The plot is riveting with amusing characters like Elizabeth, Saffron's friend, the heiress and more. I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, cozy historical mystery set in an academia setting with loads of plants and a cute love story.

The gorgeous cover had me pick this up.

Saffron Everleigh is first woman to have a position at University of London. She is assistant to Dr. Maxwell and loves botany. She can't just sit and wait when he is suspected of poisoning Mrs. Henry, a colleague's wife.

On her amateur investigation to prove Dr. Maxwell innocent she is joined by Alexander Ashton who is a fellow researcher.

She is smart, honest, observant and determined. I like her and how the author characterised her. She was relatable.

The witty conversations, joking and flirty attitude between them made this detective work more interesting. They did things which is not acceptable under law.

The author has written a detailed plot that will keep you interested. She talked about deep topics like the war and it's effect on people.

This cozy historical mystery with a beautiful cover was fun to read. It was a tad bit slow for my liking in the middle but the end picked up well. I recommend this book.

This is a very cute historical romance with a twinge of mystery. I enjoyed reading this book, but at time she was making me quite... annoyed. The hero is a bit of a cardboard cut, but overall I enjoyed this book.

I found this book to be fairly engaging, a lot of talking of plants. Sometimes not fully understanding what they are talking about was a bit frustrating but overall was a good read. I liked the love story line also. Cant wait to read #2.

I really enjoyed this historical mystery! I loved Saffron’s character, and really enjoyed her chemistry with Alexander. I hope they’re working together in book 2!

This reminded me a bit of The Lost Apothecary, in the context that both contain poisonous plants and a strong female lead.

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

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

A super fun and cozy historical mystery read with great banter and a fiesty, fun female protagonist. A little bit of Sherlock Holmes flavor and Agatha Christie charm mixed with botany. Set in the 1920s London, this novel is wonderfully atmospheric. The plot starts off quite strong and has some wonderful description, plus a lot of plant-based knowledge. It does have a bit of a slow pace in the middle, but it's worth pushing through. A fun read, plus a gorgeous cover.

It's been a while since I've read historical fiction, so when I saw A Botanist's Guide To Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari on Netgalley, I knew I wanted to read it.
And I was not disappointed.

We follow Saffron Everleigh as she tries to clear the name of her beloved mentor in a poisoning case, whom she believes to be wrongfully accused.
She joins hands with fellow researcher Alexander Ashton, and as they explore greenhouses and gardens, Saffron will have to put all her knowledge about botany to the test if she wants to save Dr. Maxwell.

No matter what the sub genre, I always enjoy reading historical fiction for its culture and customs that seem worlds away from us. And if it includes a gutsy heroine challenging the males, well, so much the better.

I can usually tell within the first few pages if I'm going to enjoy a book and Khavari's world building drew me in right from the start. I flew through the book even though I've never been remotely interested in science or botany lol. But Saffron (and Khavari) make a good case for it - Saffron is a newly minted research assistant at the University College of London, one of the first females in that position.

As you might expect, every such position comes with challenging males who think they know better and our MC is no stranger to workplace misogyny.

One of my absolute favourite parts is Alexander and Saffron's amateur sleuthing and the hijinks they get up to. Saffron is sometimes ruled by impulse, often leading to risky situations and it comes to a veery satisfying climactic scene near the end.

The book is evenly paced from beginning to end, which I've found not a lot of writers know how to do.

If you decide to pick up this book, choose it primarily for a strong heroine, lots of interesting information about poisons and plants, and good old detectiv-ing by a cute couple in the making hehe.