I adored the story, the world building was amazing. I love meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it. The writing was also really nice. I couldn't put the book down and I can't wait for others to read and enjoy this story as well.

SUCH PRETTY FLOWERS by K.L. Cerra is a creepy psychological thriller about Holly, a woman who is hyper focused on proving that her brother, Dane, didn’t horrifically commit suicide but was actually driven to take his own life by his haunting girlfriend, Maura. Set in Savannah, one of the most haunted cities in the country, this novel is lush and enticing – a fantastic, fast read.

There are tons of things to love about this novel: I mean, southern gothic sapphic thriller starring poisonous plants? Yes, please. Maura is intoxicating and overwhelming – you are right there with Holly, seriously crushing on her. And the relationship between Holly and Dane, told in flashbacks, is super interesting and drives your curiosity as you read. There is a strong sense of foreboding throughout the entire novel – if you like to be creeped out, this book is for you! And Savannah – I mean, my goodness. You are transported there by the beautiful descriptions. BUT. If you are the person who screeches at the character in a horror movie for making an obviously dumb decision – be prepared. The number of times that I wanted to shake Holly by the shoulders was … a lot. The book starts out fast and strong with a dramatic text message from Dane and then his even more dramatic death and you are *so ready* for Holly to solve it – but she keeps getting sidetracked by Maura. This is sort of the point, right – this woman drives you mad. But if you’re looking for a murder mystery with a triumphant solution – this isn’t it. Regardless, you will get sucked into this world and will not be sure you want to leave.

Wow! This was a refreshing change to my recent reads. A guilt ridden sister is determined to find out the truth behind her brother's death.

Even though this novel is slow paced at times, events happen at a steady pace, keeping the reader enthralled. It makes you question exactly what is going on at all times. It artfully intertwines horticulture with a manipulative psychopath. Characters that seem to be important when introduced disappear, never to be heard from again.

This may be one of my top ten books for the year.

I want to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam for an ARC of this book.

Such Pretty Flowers follows Holly, a young woman whose brother Dane has supposedly recently died by suicide. Holly doesn’t believe that that is truly how Dane died. Shortly before he died, Dane sent Holly a text that said “Get it out of me.” He also told Holly that his fiancé Maura had recently told him that she wanted to play a game with him. He wanted Holly to know about the game “in case something happens.” Holly, believing that Maura might have had something to do with Dane’s death, decides to insert herself into Maura’s life and search for clues until she can figure out what really happened to Dane.

As you can see from my rating I didn’t really like this. Holly’s decisions never seemed to make any sense and they were, well, let’s call them unintelligent. Her choices made her irritating and frustrating to read about. She also never felt like a fully formed character. I can’t really name any personality traits she had outside of being a terrible decision maker.

Holly was incredibly fixated on Maura, but I didn’t think she was a very compelling character either. She, like Holly, never felt like a fully fleshed out person. Maura’s alluring persona is a big part of this story, and because I was unable to find her appeal the story always felt like there was something missing.

I don’t mind when characters are underdeveloped as long as a book has a well developed plot. But it felt like a book that was meant to be character driven. The reader spends a lot of time learning about Holly, Maura, Dane, and a few other characters. There isn’t very much action in this book (but I will admit that when there is action there is a lot of it and the plot quickly advances), so the entire story is very dependent on intrigue and the characters. As I’ve stressed quite a bit now, the characters just weren’t enough to support this story.

The main reason I gave Such Pretty Flowers two stars instead of one is that it was a gothic horror. The author’s descriptions of the house Holly lived in and the general environment the story takes place in were vivid and beautiful. She did a great job at setting this story up as a gothic horror. I will also say that I felt a satisfying level of intrigue and tension while reading this. Without the gothic elements I wouldn’t have found anything to like in this book. I would’ve given it one star.

I think it’s obvious that I don’t recommend this book.

Such Pretty Flowers is centered around Holly, a young librarian who is mourning the untimely and violent death of her brother Dane. The last words he said to her were, “ Get it out of me.” Holly thinks there is more to his death than what appeared to be a suicide.
Holly begins to get close to Danes seemingly grieving girlfriend Maura in the hopes of uncovering what really happened to Dane in the final hours of his life. She soon comes to realize she’s over her head as she begins to fall for the enchanting and mysterious florist.
I felt this story was pretty entertaining and an excellent debut novel for author K.L. Cerra. The premise of poisonous flowers and plants, a Southern Gothic vibe, murder, an a LGBTQ+ theme drew me to Such Pretty Flowers and didn’t disappoint. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House-Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I finished this book a few days ago and had to let it sit with me. From here on out, trigger warnings for suicide.

Flaw number one, this book does not have a trigger warning for the content within. It’s not a spoiler, it’s something necessary. Just add them. Second, this book takes place is Savannah, Georgia and there’s not a single Black person in the book. Not side characters, not background characters. Not a single one. Fun.

Now, on to the book itself. We meet our main character where she’s received a text from her brother saying that his girlfriend wants to play some weird game and that he’s letting her know what’s up in case anything happens. She was out partying with a friend, got drunk and didn’t remember to respond. By the time she did, it was too late. Dane, her brother, won’t ever respond to her texts again.

His girlfriend, Maura, is instantly cast in an odd light. While the mother adores her, Dane’s sister, Holly, just doesn’t like her. Doesn’t trust her. She thinks maybe it’s the wideness of her eyes, maybe something with her lips, she’s not sure. But the girl is bird thin and just odd.

She was also supposedly helping her brother while he was having his downward spiral with his mental health and physical health.

I wasn’t excited about this book until the last 8 chapters. That’s where it was really fun. And it’s not like the others weren’t interesting but they were painfully slow in some places. Also, there’s a mystery element woven in, what really caused Dane to take his own life. And I don’t know that I enjoyed it. It may not have been the mystery for me.

There’s also a queer element to the book. See, Holly’s actually seen Maura before, and that was in, of all places, a CVS. And she was pretty taken with her.

Holly ends up moving in with Maura under the pretense (while keeping it secret from everyone else) that she’s going to be looking it what Maura did that caused Dane to kill himself. She had been living with her collage best friend and her fiancé who was just a boring gut to be honest. And that’s an issue with the characters. They’re pretty flat to me.

Maura is a botanist who is very precious about her plants and sort of runs an apothecary business. She’s friends with the odd, upper crust people of Savannah and her relationship with Holly becomes one that Holly isn’t sure about.

This is a spoiler so please skip this next bit. Holly ends up sleeping with Maura and feeling awful about it. Maura however doesn’t. And Holly wonders if it’s because she sees her as a sort of replacement for Dane.

Maura talks about the similarities she sees in Holly that line up with Dane and it makes her uncomfortable which, yeah, same.

I could sort of see where the plot was going which wasn’t a bad thing. I just had some problems with how slow it took to get there. And I love Gothic fiction, it’s some of my favorite to read. This wasn’t it though.

For me, I’m giving it a 3 star rating. The writing was pretty good and the last few chapters were great. Although reading through an entire book just for a good ending when the rest of the book has lagged isn’t exactly great.

It was interesting to see how Holly reacted to certain elements of the book and how she’s thought about her own sexuality before.

Meh. It’s a solid enough book. Not sure if I’d recommend it though.

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to them and the publisher.

Sadly this book was not for me. Would recommend for readers who enjoy similar narratives. Would still give the author another chance

This was a stunning gothic horror. Dark, and it clutched me from the start.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this story and the concept that she was attempting to get answers for her brothers suicide and what drove him to do it. The atmosphere was my favorite thing. It was so real and I could almost feel like I was there. It felt very Gothic in many ways. I enjoyed the concept of trying to figure out what truly happened

Wow did this one suck me in. This book was dark, queer, thrilling and I loved every minute of it. The story left me with goose bumps and reminded be of some of my favorite gothic horror books I've read recently.

After Holly discovers the dead of her brother Dane and she is determined to get to the bottom of it. The strange messages that she got right before he was murder point to his fiancée Maura. However, as Holly investigates the truth, she might end up following the same path as her brother.

I cannot say enough how much this book had me captivated and wanting to know what was going to happen next. Always love me a good horror mystery. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars because I can't see myself picking it up again but would definitely recommend to others.

Dark read with some pretty creepy undertones. A nice Gothic setting and a bit of southern flair. Excellent and unique premise, but it just didn't follow through on the execution.

Holly was not my favorite character. She was unfortunately a bit overly naive and made ridiculous decisions that had me forever shaking my head. She could have been written a bit smarter without causing too much damage to the movement of the plot and she would've been a much more solid character to read. Her dumb choices meddled with the logic and pulled me out of the story a few times because it just didn't feel believable.

Maura was a nicely written mysterious character that I wish there had actually been more of. A story written from her perspective could actually be quite intriguing. She is clever and diabolical and just not quite right. I kind of liked her crazy a bit too much. There was a hint of backstory to Maura in the narrative, but I felt like it really didn't get explored enough. I almost would have rather the information was left out than have it dangled there with no real resolution or full understanding.

The setup of the novel is prime creepiness and I loved the botanical flavor. There were some great bits of knowledge peppered into the plot that I found really fun. In fact, I wish there had been more of the historical use of flowers. Overall, I enjoyed the storyline, but it just felt like it didn't go far enough. There was a lot of set up and a lot of development that resulted in a fairly rushed and flat ending, leaving me a bit disappointed.

Ooh it’s so creepy and good. Fantastic story telling, quirky, fresh, and dark. This book will likely be featured on a future episode of Your Rainbow Reads podcast.

If this is this Authors debut novel, what an awesome start. While some of the premise of this book seemed unreal to me and while I wanted to shake some sense into the main protagonist, I still found myself rooting for her. This book had everything in it, love, family, creepiness, what seems like sinister intent and most definitely a psychological thriller roller coaster of a read.
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House-Bantam and the Author K. L. Cerra for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hard to put this story down. Holly is devastated over the suicide of her brother Dane. His last text message to her leaves many unanswered questions and regret for not responding to him. Holly becomes the new roommate of her brother's girlfriend in an effort to find out what really happened. Dane had been psychotically depressed and having episodes of seizures. Then he killed himself in a horrible way. His girlfriend, Maura runs hot and cold with some personality changes. Holly is determined to discover the truth, while getting emotionally involved with Maura. Now is Holly's life in danger too? Was it murder?

I always love a thriller book, and especially love reading one of these books when the length of the novel, itself, is just the right length. Not too long and not too short. Such Pretty Flowers by K.L. Cerra kept me hooked from start to finish and I am so appreciative of my advanced reader access. I am thankful to the author, NetGalley, and Random House/Ballantine Books.

*3.5 stars, but rounded up to 4. I was immediately drawn to this book as soon as I saw the cover. I was worried that It would not live up to such a dark/spooky cover, but for the most part it did! It was dark and gothic with some great surprises and interesting characters. The story was unique and felt different then anything I've read before (which I feel like isn't easy to do anymore) and kept me guessing until the very end. There were a few times I did feel like the story felt a little disjointed and the ending felt a bit rushed. Overall an enjoyable, creepy and entertaining read.

Thanks NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was ok. It wasn’t my favorite. It wasn’t as dark as it could be. Holly’s brother Dane dies by suicide. His body looked as if he was trying to get something out of him. In fact he tried to do it with a steak knife. Enter Dane’s creepy girlfriend, Maura. Holly and Maura feel a connection and soon Holly is Maura’s roommate. Sex follows and it leaves Holly feeling conflicted. Maura is also fairly mercurial and that keeps throwing Holly off. Holly looks thru her texts from Dane and soon she is convinced that Maura and her weird botany has killed him. At one point, Holly reads a text from Dane and finds a clue in her mother’s garden. The book doesn’t seem to know what it wants. It’s not really scary. The ending is predictable. The characters aren’t deep. The prose is ok. If you have something else to read, do that.

Such Pretty Flowers was so unique and I was really enraptured by the story.

When Holly's brother Dan succumbs to his insanity, Holly is determined to find out the truth. To do so, she puts herself directly in his shoes - moving in with his ex-fiance and even falling for her.

This book had me yelling at Holly constantly. I was so angry with her but also couldn't get enough of her terrible decisions and overall immaturity and naivety.

Maura was a complex character and I was totally under her spell - just like Holly. She was smart, manipulative, and totally unhinged.

There were red flags ALL OVER THE PLACE but Holly just kept letting herself be lured deeper and deeper into Maura's trap and I was totally there for it.

This was a fun one and very unique. Even though you have a general sense where it's going pretty early on, the ride is a good one.

I listened to this novel on audio and there were multiple narrators. I didn't always love the inflection Maura's narrator used but it worked. Overall the audio was great for telling the story and made it feel really cinematic.

Thank you to Bantam Books and NetGalley for the copy.

I have a confession…

I requested this book solely based on the cover. It’s absolutely stunning !

I had never heard of K.L Cerra (probably because this was a debut) but I was eager to dive right in.

Such Pretty Flowers, was highly recommended by Gillian Flynn. Flynn, is by far one of my favorite authors so I knew if she was recommending a book it was sure to be a hit .

Wow!

I could never have anticipated the punch this book packs . I was on my back, stunned, before I even knew what hit me! Holy plot twist!

Want to know what I’m talking about? Well you are going to have to pick up a copy for yourself!

Teaser:

“Get it out of me.”

It was the last message Holly received from her brother, Dane, before he was found cleaved open in the lavish Savannah townhouse of his girlfriend, Maura. Police ruled his death a suicide sparked by psychosis, but Holly can’t shake the idea that something else must have happened—something involving another message he sent earlier that night about a “game” Maura wanted to play.

Determined to discover the truth, Holly begins to stalk Maura, a magnetic, black-eyed florist with a penchant for carnivorous plants. But what begins as an investigation quickly veers into a fixation that lures Holly into the depths of Maura’s world: Savannah high society, eerie black roses, and a whisper of something more sinister. Soon Holly is feeling a dark attraction to the one woman she shouldn’t trust. As Holly falls deeper for Maura and her secrets, she’s left with only one choice: find out what happened to Dane or meet the same fate.

On the surface, Such Pretty Flowers is a standard thriller; Holly is mourning the death of her brother, Dane, and it seems like his eccentric girlfriend, Maura is hiding something. Holly becomes suspicious, starts investigating Maura and Dane’s relationship, and uncovers something shocking.

But it is the “something shocking” that sets this novel apart. Maura is a florist, with a strangely god-like reputation, and the further Holly is dragged into her world, the darker things become. Holly also finds herself attracted to Maura; how long can she resist?

Such Pretty Flowers is an unapologetically weird book, but very accessible. I loved the enigmatic character of Maura, and I enjoyed reading about Holly’s terrible life decisions (For example, why would you move in with someone you suspect of murdering your brother?! Why, Holly? Why?!).

There are lots of twists and turns in the novel, and certain sections did seem to drag on. But at the same time, I would have loved more character development in places. But the final section was incredibly thrilling and tense.

Such Pretty Flowers is a dark, fun read. A very promising debut.