Holly was always close with her younger brother Dane. But when he started to become ill they drifted apart, now leaving Holly with immense guilt as she attends his funeral after he committed suicide. She finds out that her brother had moved in with his recent girlfriend Maura, and the more she talks to her, the more unease and secrets begin to emerge. Thinking that something seems off, Holly decides to find the truth surrounding Maura and her brother – even if it puts her own life in danger.

I really enjoyed the author’s writing. The atmosphere was fantastic; I loved that it was set in Savannah, GA, and that the author included some of its local lore. It made me think I knew what was going to happen, but I was surprised! It was a bit of a slow burn, but thanks to the atmosphere and the characters, I never found it boring. I wouldn’t necessarily classify it as horror, but suspense? Most definitely.

Holly was a great protagonist – her guilt was a realistic flaw that informed her decisions, and she had positive attributes that made her relatable/likeable. In fact, all of the characters felt well developed and well written, making it easy to get lost in their stories. I loved how Maura was written and the insights we were given into her history and thoughts. And as someone from the south, I appreciated that the author knew how to make the use of “y’all” feel authentic. One last thing – the romance was excellently done and added to the atmosphere of the work in that it was treated more like a compulsion or obsession than a traditional romance.

This was a unique and weird Southern Gothic read which I highly recommend – I became so absorbed in it that I finished it in a day (and stayed up much too late on a work night). My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read and review this work, which will be published February 7th, 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Oh wow… definitely an amazing thriller! Y’all have got to read this one if you are ready for a suspenseful ride. Absolutely loved the ending and the characters really sucked you into the storyline.

Eh, just so so for me. I liked the writing but where it was heading became clear early on and the MC's choices just seemed very stupid. And the premise with the flowers wasn't believable to me.

Thank you for the chance to read this Such Pretty Flowers.

That said, there’s nothing I can point out that I liked very much or disliked, only that I found this book an absolute slog to get through.

The premise was interesting and the flowers and how they were treated was fascinating and I loved all those ideas, but I think this is a story where the pacing, or the hidden parts or the main character just made the book such a chore to read.

Holly’s brother Dane commits suicide. Holly thinks there’s something suspicious about his fiancé Maura. She becomes friends with Maura and moves into her creepy Gothic house with her. Strange eerie things begin to happen. She thinks what happened to her brother may happen to her.
This was a very thrilling read and I didn’t want to put it down at night.
Thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the chance to read this ARC!

After the death of her brother, Dane, Holly finds herself drawn to Dane's enigmatic girlfriend, Maura. Initially, Holly suspects Maura of being involved in Dane's death, so she moves into Maura's gothic townhouse in hopes of finding some clues about what really happened. Set in historic Savannah, with lush descriptions of flowers and botany, this book it quite atmospheric and dark.

The relationship between Holly and Maura is so frustrating and messy, and it just adds to the tension threaded throughout the whole book. There are so many directions I suspected this might take, but I could never have guessed where the story went. The final quarter of the book was a wild ride.

It was creepy and weird and gross and yet I couldn't stop reading. I wanted a bit more of a smooth and detailed resolution. There were a couple of questions left unanswered but it wasn't a deal breaker for me. Fans of gothic literature and botany will especially enjoy this.

The cover of this book is gorgeous, and the premise made me request it asap. However, the execution was a bit too slow-going and even, at times, bland for my taste. This is *clearly* just a me issue, though.

Oh my gosh this book was so creepy. So well written. This book would have been perfect for an October release with the spooky vibes!!

This is the type of book that will pull you in from beginning to end. This was a quick read for me, I had to really force myself to put it down the first night, it’s definitely a page turner.

I really did love the way this book was written, it’s not what you expect from a typical thriller, and truly just such an intriguing and eerie story.

Maura’s character is definitely the most shocking. She’s so mysteriously written and somewhat creepy, yet also captivating to everyone around her. I constantly found myself trying to figure out what was up with her and when I finally found out, it was definitely nothing like I had expected.

I also loved how Holly’s character was written. How she’s so determined to figure Maura out, but still falls into her trap. It shows just how powerful Maura is.

The ending of the book is what really gets you. I think this is unlike anything I’ve ever read before and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I would highly recommend reading this. 5/5 stars.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for sharing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This Southern gothic novel's descriptive writing oozes off the page with the heavy scent of magnolia and old books. The author's ability to envelop you in the mansion's atmosphere as they unspool the plot makes this the type of novel you'll stay up way past your bedtime to complete.

*Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review*

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher/author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Okay, I actually really liked this book. I dig the southern gothic haunted house vibes it gave off. Living near Georgia put this in a different perspective. Also I like the use of a lot of “y’all” its very authentic. The cover is beautiful and I’ve been digging the flowery girl aesthetic a lot of books are doing lately. I was looking for good books for spooky season and this got approved just in time for me.

This story deals heavily with grief and how to come to terms with it. As someone who is very close to my brother, I felt so bad for Holly. I would feel the exact same way she did. I can’t judge her for the things she did while she was experiencing such horrible grief. This is a type of horror novel where things unravel slowly. It’s a very subtle horror that sort of creeps up on you. You see strange things and things that are out of place and you don’t really know what’s going on till the end. I had placed my beats about what was going on and was proven wrong so bravo book for stumping me! The random black page in the book freaked me out for no reason at all honestly.

I appreciated that the “romance” here very much more like obsession. It is obvious that there is an attraction here but it feels very “you’re mine and I’ll do what I want with you”. It feels like Maura is just using the fact that she can make others attracted to her as an advantage. Did Holly even actually like Maura? Also the plant language was interesting. As someone who doesn’t know a thing about plants, I could tell that certain things probably weren’t good and it was cool that it was explained.

I also sort of felt bad for Maura. It was obvious she was an insecure girl who wanted people to like her and accept her. She wanted her Mother to be proud of her. Does that make what she did right? Of course not. A few of the decisions done by Holly were so dumb that I felt myself wanting to scream a little. I know at the end she clears it up with a little bit of reasoning, but I still think if certain things had been clocked as suspicious none of it would have happened.

All in all this was a great debut book. I could feel a sense of dread and discomfort as I was reading. Being in Holly’s POV and feeling what she’s feeling and seeing what she’s seeing as she thinks she’s slowly going insane was very interesting and eye opening. I’m very interested in whatever else the author has planned next!

This one has all the promise of being a great southern horror book.

In Savannah, we have Holly who receives a cryptic message from her brother Zane saying, "Get it out of me" Then the next thing we know he has committed suicide: By ripping himself open with a cleaver in his fiancé's townhouse. Unnerved, Holly starts to investigate starting with Maura, Dane's fiancé and finds herself being closer and closer to her until she actually moves in with her.

Man, I really wanted to like this book..... The plot ends up being sinister but the characterization was just so poor. Holly ends up being just one dimensional with no personality and she has a job and best friend that you didn't care about. It was just badly written. Even the prose seemed really awkward and not situational at all.

I did like the plot but never could get past the problems mentioned above to really care too much about this book. I think there is a fanbase for it out there but just not me. I did read the whole book so as per my rating system I have it the minimum three stars.

I really appreciate Random House Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to review this book and it has a publication date of February 7, 2023.

Advance reader copy given free for honest review.

This read y'all... holy moly! Gripping, thrilling... I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The setting was perfect, giving southern gothic but... a bit different. Cerra did a PERFECT job of giving that misty creepy spooky ambiance.

This book is creeeeepy, but in the best way possible. The creepiness is a slow build… at first everything seems normal, until suddenly it isn’t.

it’s hard to tell what’s going on with the story and characters for a good majority of the book, but not in a confusing way, more in a suspenseful way. Was this character really going through mental health problems? What really caused this person to die? Is this person who they say they are? And are they as innocent as they sometimes seem, or as evil as they seem at other times? All of these questions and more ran through my head while reading this book, until I got closer to the end.

The ending, luckily, answered all of my questions and then some. The entire story came together and made perfect sense.

This is a really unique book. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and imagination. I can’t wait to read more by them!

I don’t read a lot of my artery or horror books. But this book right here. Was amazing, I truly enjoyed and kept me wanting to read more. 4 stars.

Best thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I delved into this well written book completely and thoroughly entertained.

Oh, good lord.

An e-ARC was given to me through Net-Galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity!

I... I actually really liked this one. I started it a few days ago and it was something I was waiting to get back to reading. <i>Such Pretty Flowers</i> is a horror novel, mildly horrifying and I think I'm going to wake up with cold sweat for the next few days because Maura and her plants are... nightmare-inducing, if anything.

It was certainly well-written, but Holly's characterisation was slightly irritating because everything about her felt like a "oh, maybe I should give her a job. And a best friend." Maura was done really well, though. She seemed so fascinating, I was vaguely concerned that I'd find her the most interesting character in the story.

And of course, how could I not talk about the gothic-haunted-house aspect? Novels like <i>Mexican Gothic</i> (which I loved) and <i>Rebecca</i> (which I loved on the third read) do something similar and give the house such a strong character that I immediately connected Maura's place to the haunted houses in these other novels.

I'd recommend this book in general! It felt like something was missing, though, and that was probably Holly as a character-- and the main character. I really do struggle with first-person POV books.

True rating: 3.5

I was so excited for this one! The synopsis is giving all of the vibes I need to start the Halloween season off right, but this story was a bit too out there for me.

When it comes to horror, I guess I prefer cosy atmospheric spookiness (if that's a thing). So when a plot ventures into the realm of weird or eccentric, I tend to lose interest. Which is what happened with this one.

I think if this had leaned more into the Southern gothic roots and explored more of the haunted nature of Savannah, the secrets of its high society, and its ghosts stories, I would have enjoyed this a lot more. It's the prefect setting for this kind of story, so for it go in a completely different direction feels like missed potential to me.

All in all, this isn't a horrible story. It's quick and easy to read. It actually reminded me a lot of ‘Mexican Gothic’ and ‘Wilder Girls’ in terms of weirdness so, if you enjoyed those books, then this might be one to look forward to!

This was a well written book though it fell a little short for me. If you’re in the mood for a supernatural horror bisexual floral ghost saga (and who wouldn’t be?) then this will do the trick. Bonus points that it takes place in Savanna. Parts were vaguely unsatisfying and some questions went unanswered but it was an engrossing read as it went on.

This one was a slow burn. There were a lot of times that I found myself really annoyed with Holly and the choices she made (but at the same time, you knew she had to make them to have the story go forward). She also didn't have much of a personality and her job and one friend almost felt like an afterthought.

As a side note, the cover is really pretty but I feel like this might be a hot new trend? I looked at my "Want to Read" list and this is the third book featured with a girl's face and flowers.

Belladonna (Belladonna, #1) by Adalyn Grace and House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.