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.

This was such a great book. I loved saffron. For a story taking place in 1923, she was a very strong smart woman. You usually don't read about women who are academic, especially in the 1920s. Trying to uncover the mystery and who was what, was fun. It wasn't predictable from the beginning like most mystery novels. I loved her and Alexander's relationship/parternership. He really listened to her and didn't just dismiss her.
It dragged a little after halfway, but picked up and was interesting. I look forward to the next instalment.

I absolutely loved this book, and am so excited to have been approved for its sequel. A detective novel at its heart, Saffron Everleigh finds herself investigating an attempted murder by poisoning. She is a botanist in 1920s England, which gives this story the perfect setting. IU loved that the plot could only proceed at the pace the time period would allow. There are so many murder mysteries and thrillers these days that rely on technology and cell phones and cameras to solve the crimes, but this story ran on good old fashioned instinct, questionable suspects, and down and dirty sneaking around. I recommend this one to anyone who is in the mood for a great, Sherlock Holmes style case.

some kindle books i read in a day or two, and some just become my backup book for when i’m stuck in lines or while waiting on my kid to finish their bath. this was one of those. i got this ARC from @netgalley and, while it sounded intriguing, ended up being a nancy drew-ish cozy mystery that was, in the end, quick to read when it could hold my attention. Saffron Everleigh is the main character, a female botanist trying to get ahead in a male-centric, 1920s London. long story short, someone gets poisoned and she is trying to solve the mystery/crime parallel to the cops. it was cute but somewhat superficial, and i didn’t love any of the characters. i was really excited to finish the book just to be done with it. maybe if this type of story is more your speed, you will enjoy?

This was fun to read and had some cool suspense, but the weird pacing issues kept me from feeling completely immersed in it. I also didn't really love the characters much and this prevented me from caring about what was happening to them.

I had high hopes heading into this read that weren't met. I wasn't gripped by the characters and found the pacing to be a bit too slow for what I need in this genre. Good writing, but not enough to carry this for me.

A slight complicated cozy mystery, A Botanists Guide to Parties and Poisons, kept me guessing right up to the end. The story has a slow building the first few chapters but picks up the pace about a third of the way through. Chapter one contains an awful lot of information, as characters and motives are simultaneously introduced. I found it overwhelming, as there are a number of terms related to botany, and not common knowledge. The story is solid and worth sticking out, containing the right amount of tension, romance, and mystery.

I received a copy of this book through Net Galley and have written an objective review.

I found this to be such a fun and charming read. "A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons" takes you back to the 1920s (one of my favorite time periods to read about) and is set in a college. Our protagonist, Saffron Everleigh, is intelligent and deserves to be there, but as you know, there aren't many female academics during that time period. When her beloved mentor is accused of murdering by poison another professor's wife, Saffron is determined to step in and prove his innocence. The author has created characters that are excellent and engaging, and the plot is well devised, non-stop action with Saffron plowing ahead to prove that her books didn't go it. I enjoyed reading this book so much and look forward to the next book in the series.

I so wanted to love this one more but unfortunately if just wasn't for me.

It felt too much like a cozy mystery read to me and unfortunately it's not really a genre I enjoy, I always find I get bored really quickly. Unfortunately that's what happened here, there just wasn't enough substance to hold my attention.

Don't let my thoughts put you off though, there's lots of wonderful reviews for this book.