3.5 stars

First, I want to dispel the notion that this book is reminiscent of the movie “Sliding Doors” — though we do see two different paths for Celine’s life, the more prominent comparison (to me, anyway) is to The Wizard of Oz. *Mini Spoiler* When Celine awakens in her “other” life, her friends and family are still a part of her life, just in different roles or with a different relationship. For example, a real-life daughter is now an employee, a friendly relationship with a real-life neighbor now a contentious one. *Mini Spoiler over*

Second, though Marcelo wrote this out of her own admiration for Marmee which Celine shares, I found this to take after Little Women in an over-the-top way, like Marcelo was trying too hard to make them similar. Celine’s daughters are even named similarly — Mae, MJ (the J is for Josephine), Libby (actually Elizabeth and Elizabeth in the other life), and Amelia. Amelia’s husband is named Theo. The neighbor is Mr. Loren, and he gifts Libby the piano. Amy travels with a great aunt. And more! I just felt beaten over the head with the Little Women references.

But okay, the actual story? I liked it. I think we’ve all wondered “what if” and imagined a slightly different life that hinges on one choice. What would be the same? What would be different? And, most importantly, would I be willing to forego this one thing to have that one thing? I liked the characters in both lives. I’ve seen Celine reviewed as an unlikeable character but I didn’t find her to be so. I think many mothers would relate to Celine, their intentions often coming off as overbearing or as having little faith in the child’s independence, words translated as harsh and mannerisms interpreted as cold. For all Celine’s success as an author and life coach, she was terrible at communicating with her family. That didn’t make her unlikeable to me. I was more angry with her family for that intervention and ultimatum. I applaud their suggestion of therapy but I don’t think it’s fair to dictate how a person’s grief should manifest or be expressed.

Finally, I thought the ending was a bit abrupt. (There’s no way for me to expound on that without spoilers.) And I know what lesson Celine was meant to learn, but it wasn’t made explicit. I was just a little underwhelmed. Overall I enjoyed this book once I got into it, and I think it would be good for book clubs as there’s a lot of potential for discussion.

I have lost a daughter and this book was very heartbreaking for me. It was very good though, and beautifully written. I liked the idea of an alternate reality.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved it. It felt like a light take on dealing with grief and I felt incredibly connected to the characters. I also loved seeing the nods to Little Women.

Celine has been throwing herself into her work since she lost her daughter Libby. Until one day everyone she cares about intervenes and tells her something needs to change. Celine finds herself wondering if her life could have been different. And then exactly that happens, and she finds herself in a whole different life. She gets to see her Libby again. I enjoyed this author’s other books. And this one was good as well. The characters relationships and interactions are well written. The whole story is itself full of emotion.

What if? What if you’d stayed with that old boyfriend instead of running off with the military guy? What if you’d never had kids? How would your life be different? Would you have never had to feel the heartbreak of losing one? What if you’re given that other life? Would you want it? Or would you long for your old life, heartbreak and all?

These are the things that Celine thinks about after losing her daughter Libby two years ago. She can’t let go. She can’t move on. She’s losing the rest of her family. After they force an intervention, she gets upset and trips and falls. When she wakes, she’s in an alternate version of her life. One where she never married Quinn and never had kids. Will she get a second chance?

I really enjoyed this one. We’ve all thought ‘What if’ at one point or another. It was a quick read, fast paced and emotional. As a mother, I could see where Celine was coming from, but I also wanted to shake some sense into her! Full of emotion and a sweet, sweet story.

I am unsure why I requested this book as regular fiction books are difficult for me to read at times unless it is something that really ropes me in. Unfortunately this book was not for me and i had a difficult time getting through it. Nothing against the author or the book, the writing was great. just not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for a review.

A heartbreaking story that had me sobbing and the love of a mother really shines through. The immense grief of losing a child is unthinkable and unbearable.

When Jasmine Blooms will have you grabbing for the tissues.
Tif examines the common thought of what if….
I highly recommend this novel, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

When Jasmine Blooms is an emotional and thought provoking exploration of grief and guilt and of what could happen if you’d made different choices and ended up living a different life. Really enjoyed this moving and beautifully written story. 5 stars

I am a sucker for any story that deals with a chance to relive your life and make different choices. Celine is sleepwalking through life, putting on a charade of normalcy after the death of her daughter Libby, when her husband and three remaining daughters give her an ultimatum to deal with her grief. The next day she wakes up with an ex and has the opportunity to re-examine her life and redo her relationship with Libby. A though-provoking and touching story about motherhood and grief.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

If I was not a fan of Tif Marcelo before I read When Jasmine Blooms, I would be a fan now. This book is one of my top books of 2023. The characters were unique, not always likable. The storyline was one that pulled me in from the very beginning and never let me go. There were so many times that I was worried that there would be a hole in the story but Tif Marcelo knew exactly how to pull it all together and move seamlessly between the real Celine life and the what-if Celine life.

What a unique story! What-if…. What if you married someone else? What would you life look like? Would you have kids? Live in the same place? This is that story. I could not put this book down. Celine was not always likable. She was a workaholic, she had disconnected from her family, and she was not taking care of herself. She also had lived a mother’s worse nightmare.

I was happy that the book did not go back and forth. We start in real-world Celine and then go to what-if Celine seamlessly. The middle of the book was entirely what-of Celine and we stayed there for a long while. I like that in that world, Celine still knew what her other option was. She could see what she would be missing out if she had made different choices. I enjoyed watching her realize what she would have missed if she had made different choices.

Tif Marcelo is an author I recommend often. All of her books are amazing. Jasmine in Bloom is a must-read.



Thank you Tif Marcelo, author, and Lake Union Books for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was just okay. I found the main character really unlikable and as a result, had a really hard time rooting for her. I just kept yelling at her to get her shit together.

Inspired by Little Women. What happens when a woman, Libby, a popular influencer and best selling author, faces immeasurable grief. She throws herself into work, 24/7. Her family, fearing for her mental and physical health, waits in the wings to have an intervention. Then she wakes up in her alternate universe…trying to figure out her new way of life. A ‘Do Over’ or her new reality?

As a parent, you can so understand what Libby is going thru. Her grief and confusion is so palpable, raw. The author does a great job of showing how different people react. Haven’t we all wondered ‘What If’ I took a different road, the other option? A story different than any other, it leads the family down a path of rediscovery.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

What an interesting spin on a classic, Little Women, as we look at things from another view point, the mother’s.
We follow Celine through her grief and her dealing with her daughter’s death, as well as the dynamics of her whole family, in parallel time-lines. It was definitely a book for women that went in depth and discovered different complexities of motherhood and finding oneself, even at a more mature age!

Thanks to Net Galley for this advanced copy!

I’m a sucker for the “road not taken” trope. You know, the “What if I had chosen this or done that? What would that different life look like?” So when I saw that this novel includes such a storyline, I knew I would like it!

Celine is the mother of four girls. She has been happily married for decades. She has a successful business writing self-help books and then touring to promote them.

But all the business travel is stressful and tiring for Celine. Her husband starts showing signs of discontentment. And her daughters are all acting strangely.

Above all, the death of one of her daughters has completely broken her. She threw herself into work instead of taking the time to grieve. That was not a good plan, and now she is coping less and less well.

What to do? Who will she turn to for help?

Why, Marmee from “Little Women”, of course!

Celine identifies with Marmee because they both were military wives who were effectively single parents when their husbands were serving, both devoted themselves to helping others, both had four daughters. And both had lost a child.

So Celine looks to Marmee for guidance. WWMD (What Would Marmee Do)?

In the Author’s Note, Tif Marcelo points out that this book is not a retelling of “Little Women”, although it is inspired by that classic novel. There are clear differences between the two fictional families. It is fun, though, to notice commonalities that pop up throughout the book.

This is a bittersweet story about a woman suffering terribly from grief. Despite the moments of sadness, it is an enjoyable read. There is also laughter and love and understanding. And the “what if” world created by the author is cleverly plotted.

I have so many feelings about this book. I enjoyed the correlations to Little Women. I don't normally like time travel books, but I thought this one was tastefully done. I don't know if it resonated with me more since I have had a recent loss of my own, but it really touched me. I don't think this is a book for everyone, and the reader needs to be in the right space for it to be properly meaningful, but I really enjoyed it.

Grief and guilt. How do we go on when we lose someone close to us? How does a mother go on when she loses her child, especially when she feels she could have done more to prevent the death? How will it affect her life and the life of the rest of the family? Tif Marcelo’s WHEN JASMINE BLOOMS explores this and more, while paying homage to LITTLE WOMEN.
Celine has spent the past two years doing packing away her grief and guilt, just trying to get through each day, immersing herself in her work and pushing the rest of her family away. She thinks she’s doing fine: New book, new book tour. Then her family stages an intervention and, through the hurt, she wonders… what if? What if she had chosen a different path all those years ago? When she faints and wakes up in the what if timeline, she has the unique opportunity to try again with the daughter she lost…who isn’t her daughter. None of her family is. Marcelo alternately broke my heart and made me laugh, all through the tears, as Celine learns to work through her grief and tries to get it right in both worlds.
This was a different style for Marcelo and I am happy to say it worked for me. I am always wondering, “what if?” and I was pleased with the way Marcelo created the alternate timeline and stayed true to her voice. If, like me, you haven’t read LITTLE WOMEN since you were young, you will still find a great story settle in with. Just bring your tissues.
Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of the novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#WhenJasmineBlooms #TifMarcelo #LakeUnionPublishing #TallPoppyWriters #bloomreads #tallpoppyblogger #TallPoppyWriter #TallPoppy

This book tells a story inspired by 'Little Women' by Louisa Alcott and, in particular, the character of Marmee. This is a touching story about how denying your feelings and hiding your genuine emotions can become dangerous. The main character, Celine, is not only a successful woman but also, and probably above all, a mother. A mother who has experienced the worst thing that can happen to a mother - the loss of a child. Now Celine is trying to regain her balance at all costs. However, everything she does makes her feel not only more and more lost but also sick and isolated from the rest of the family. Death and mourning are some of the most challenging topics in literature. Not only that it moves readers powerfully, but also because everyone goes through it differently and experiences it differently. The author has captured the problem well, but I believe reaching for a 'what if' solution and moving to a parallel reality was too easy.