Though the daughter of Napa Valley hoteliers, Asha "Poppy" Patel has never had her sight set on assuming the business. She's always been focused on being a Paris perfumer, ever since her family discovered her heightened sense of scent.

After recovering from COVID, Poppy is devastated as she's lost her superpower -- her extremely refined sense of smell. She has worked immensely hard to get herself to Paris and into a position in her chosen French perfume house, but everything is in jeopardy now that her world feels so much grayer without her sense of smell. After failing to satisfy a client's demand for a unique scent, Asha is directed to take time off.

She returns home to the California Napa Valley with trepidation: not only does she not want to reveal her loss of smell, but she's had a strained relationship with her parents for much of her life, and decides to descend on her loving but driven grandmother Leela instead.

Though immediately enveloped in love, Leela decides that Poppy will regain her sense of smell with her hers and her best friend Mimi's help (Mimi is the paternal grandmother of Poppy's best friend Millie.) Taking Poppy into her lavish and gorgeous garden, she sets Poppy on a daily scent regimen, while Poppy gradually settles back into her family's routines.

With every new failure to regain her precious gift, Poppy reflects on her life and profession, the costs it took on her and her relationships, and whether she was following her desires or her mother's desires for an unusual and celebrated profession as a scent designer at a prominent perfume house.

This was an enjoyable read, as Poppy navigates family drama, her contemplation of who she really is and what she really wants, as well as an awakening of long dormant feelings for Neel, Millie's brother. There are also some interesting conversations between Poppy and Leela, and Poppy and her mother, as they work out how the needs of one's elders can influence, support and also burden one's own desires for fulfilling relationships and a profession.

This was a quick read, with some wonderfully vivid descriptions of how Poppy perceived the world around her.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Lake Union Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review.

While immigrant stories might tend to get tedious at times, they are very important and need to be told for the sake of the history and culture of every piece of land. Scent of a Garden has a brilliant cover and theme of an Indian-American perfumer in Paris and how she copes with life. Asha Patel is a third generation second generation immigrant in America but she still is close to her roots because of her family. Once she loses her sense of smell due to Covid, her career as a perfumer is on a toss. Shifting to Califormia for a while, Asha seeks for solace and retribution, in terms of both her career and life.
The second part of the book is more interesting than the first, but that doesn't take away anything from the author. I liked the spunk of the grandmothers and the odd romance and relationships. But mostly, it is the nuances of the life of a perfumer that attracted me. Would love to read more from the author.

Good book. I would Buy another book by this author. I connected with the characters and plot. Highly recommend.

Super, super repetitive read. Most of the book was just being retold in different ways and it wasn't actually new plot. The pacing had issues, the characters were not relatable and whined a LOT.

Really enjoyed this one, super interesting concept with her losing her sense of smell essential to her job as a perfumier, and I loved the exploration of family dynamics and returning to a before life.

"Scent of a Garden" by Namrata Patel is an exhilarating novel that takes readers on a sensory and emotional rollercoaster. With a compelling narrative that intertwines family, self-discovery, and the risks one must take in life, Patel delivers a captivating story that resonates with the fragrances of love, loss, and renewal.

Asha "Poppy" Patel, the protagonist, faces a daunting challenge as her keen sense of smell, crucial for her career as a Parisian perfumer, suddenly disappears. The narrative skillfully weaves between the lush fragrances of Paris and the familial ties of Napa Valley, creating a rich tapestry of Poppy's journey back to her roots. The author masterfully captures the essence of scent, immersing the reader in a world where fragrance becomes a metaphor for rediscovery.

The exploration of Poppy's return home adds layers of complexity to the plot. The once vibrant aromatic garden, a symbol of Poppy's initial connection to her gift, has been uprooted and destroyed. Patel cleverly uses this as a metaphor for the severed ties with her past, setting the stage for a compelling tale of reconciliation and healing.

The character development in "Scent of a Garden" is commendable. Poppy's struggle to reconcile with her family's expectations and her own desires adds depth to the narrative. The tension between her mother's vicarious aspirations and her father's desire for her to embrace the family legacy creates a compelling backdrop for Poppy's journey of self-discovery.

The novel expertly navigates through family drama, childhood friendships, and past love, showcasing Poppy's resilience in the face of challenges. The pacing is well-balanced, allowing the reader to savor the unfolding of the story while maintaining a sense of anticipation.

Ultimately, "Scent of a Garden" is a four-star read that seamlessly blends the sensory delights of the perfume world with a heartfelt exploration of family dynamics and personal growth. Namrata Patel's evocative writing style and compelling storytelling make this novel a delightful and immersive experience, leaving readers with the lingering fragrance of a beautifully crafted narrative.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this story. It's not my normal realm of fantasy but I've been trying to branch out and diversify more. This was a perfect read for that. I enjoyed learning some of the history and seeing the family dynamic, so completely different from mine. The pressure put upon Asha was familiar though. The self discovery of Asha was written so wonderfully. I could feel what she was feeling and the satisfaction of the final discovery and decision. Definitely the perfect read when in a life rut.

By looking into my previous reviews, it would be easy to see that I have a tough time liking books written by authors of Indian origins and written about immigrant families from India. I do not always end up liking them as much as I would want to, and just for surprising me, this book has to be rated the way I am.
All the characters in this book were very realistic. There were nuances and shades to all of them. No one person was exactly the way they might have been perceived the first time around.
Asha Patel is the standard overachiever from a South-Asian family - the only difference being her profession. She was groomed from an early stage to go with her (super-strong) nose and become a perfumer. As a side effect of COVID, at the beginning of the book, she has lost her sense of smell and ends up presenting a fragrance that she knows technically works. Only when she sees the other people's reactions, she knows she is not going to get a promotion any time soon.
She heads home for a forced break. Home is the US, where she is the second generation of American-born children in her family. Her grandmother is someone who has always understood her, her father entirely too distant, and her mother seems to be overly attached to the role of a perfumer. She goes home thinking she knows how everyone will react, but people surprise her in both good and bad ways.
There is also a romantic interest from her past that is literally waiting at her door when she gets back as well.
The community described here is a mix of family and friends like family. There are a lot of conversations that come up during the narrative that seem both entertaining and interesting while adding something to the central plot as well.
Asha/Poppy is someone who has been so goal-oriented throughout her life that most of it has passed her by. She is having to look at her past and future with a fresh perspective and reorganize her life - a task easier said than done. Although her restructuring is done well, I think I liked the overall cast and the interactions even more than just the central story. There is a good balance between some stereotypes without making it seem too cliched.
This is the first book I have read by the author, and given that her previous work is even more highly rated than this one, I would want to read that one, too.
I highly recommend this to fans of the genre.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This well-written book is all about family relationships and following your dreams. It was very easy to relate to because everyone struggles with family pressures and figuring out what they want to do in life. I enjoyed reading about Asha’s struggles, how she eventually figured out what she wanted in life, and how her family relationships were mended. I also liked her second chance love interest, Neel who helped her along her journey to happiness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I truly enjoyed this novel! From the entirely feasible circumstances the protagonist finds herself in after surviving her COVID infection to the greater journey towards finding what made her happy without it being related to a role she inhabited, this book achieves a lot in a concise narrative. We get an in-depth look into her dynamics with her family, her family's missteps with her and with each other, the competitiveness of their family business and how it drives their choices, the list goes on.

I loved the relationships in this story and how they formed the family. The plot was very interesting and well paced.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A deeply immersive, beautifully told tale that delves into identity, Indian-American culture, and complex relationships. Patel's characters are flawed, intricate, and utterly compelling. Loved this book just as much as her first one, The Candid Life of Meena Dave.

Poppy feels familial pressure to be the best in her career. Covid cost her sense of smell which impacts her job causing her to revaluate her life goals. An okay read.

******************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.*********************

A book about a perfumer who has lost her sense of smell, returns to the Napa countryside, and turns to her grandmother's garden to find herself....how could I not love this?! Seriously, this was such a lovely read. I found Asha to be a really compelling and relatable character as she struggles to find her place both within her family and career. I definitely related to a lot of Asha's conflicted feelings about living as an expat and realizing that life still goes on around you; things will never fully be the same when you return home!

I have to admit that I had no prior knowledge of how the perfume industry works, so I found this book to be pretty insightful in showing the reader the environment of such a career. It was especially interesting to see how this specific aspect of the story becomes a focal point for Asha realizing her frustrations with the corporate world and the capitalistic mindset of her industry. I loved how this was contrasted with her experiences in Napa where she was afforded the time and space to pursue passions and examine her life and family relationships. As an avid tea drinker, I especially loved how tea became a comfort hobby for Asha that was something just for herself.

While many aspects of this story made for a cozy reading experience, the author also infused this story with much more serious subject matter. Beyond Asha's dissatisfaction with capitalism, we also see Asha re-examine her familial relationships and friendships. I found the conversations she had with her mother and grandmother to be so incredibly realistic and humanizing; it can be hard to realize that our parents and grandparents are people beyond their association with us. I liked how the author explored these complicated family dynamics without excusing toxicity, yet also discussing the generational social, cultural, and colonial effects on many of our characters and their relationships to one another. I also felt like most of the characters were well-rounded. Asha was a very dynamic character and I loved her character arc throughout the novel. I found Asha's family and Neel to also be well-developed. Yet, I think her best friend Millie needed a bit more character development as she seemed one-dimensional for most of the book. I also wish there had been a bit more focus on developing the adult friendship of Millie and Asha because sometimes it was difficult to remember how close they really were. Furthermore, I really with there had been more time and space given in developing the romantic subplot of this book as I didn't particularly feel the chemistry between these two characters until essentially the end of the book.

Overall, this had a good balance of heartwarming characters, cheesy comedic moments, and more serious discussions about family and autonomy. It was a really enjoyable read that I highly recommend, but readers be warned that this is more contemporary than romance.

Different, but familiar. Very interested and relieved to read about someone else’s extended experience with covid nose, for one thing. The Desi family details and dynamics are an interesting and refreshing change from reading so many white-centered novels, although many family dynamics are universal and relatable. Pretty settings and passes the bechdel test, although ultimately falls into the neatly-tied-up category at the end. Would have liked more emotional description in addition to dialogue, and an expansion of the complex feelings such a loss generates. But still a nice read.
Thanks to NetGalley for my copy!

I can say this is probably one of the only books I've read that included COVID that actually had it make sense to the plot of the story (along with 56 days and Wish You Were Here). Our MC loses her sense of smell and can no longer perform her job as a perfumer (SUCH A COOL IDEA!). I was hooked!


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

I found this story endearing, about finding yourself, and what is important. I always wonder how perfume is made, now I know why it is so expensive. Seems a perfumer is so complex, and you need a great nose. Poppy has that gifted nose till she gets covid and loses her sense of smell, so she returns home to help her recover.

Her grandmother has her tend to her aromatic gardening, which is starting to bring healing in many ways, including what she really wants to do.

This story is about doing what your parents think is right for you but maybe they have been wrong. Soul searching story that is relatable, finding yourself in the middle of family drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book for my honest review.

Honestly at first I was about to dnf this book because it simply felt full of redundant parts and boring, with the main character repeating the same actions, routines and going over the same musings basically in each chapter. The characters feel somewhat like clichés and I didn't find them likeable or relatable, even if they have very relatable problems. Around 60% of the book, the plot becomes more captivating and not so predictable, with some interesting details that give emotional depth to the narration (hence 3 stars and not less).

I loved the structure of this book. Asha's career, her family, the element of covid, and its repercussions. However, Asha felt encredibly selfish and entitled, placing blame across the board, and feeling hard done by when her family didn't bend to the change in her life trajectory

This is a book for people who are looking for a story that centers on redeveloping family relationships, figuring out who you really are not who you were raised to be and a little hint of spice free second chance romance.

Here is the set up: Asha has been "Super Nose" all her life and has prepped to become a master perfumer in Paris. After a mild bout of covid kills her sense of smell she finds her self heading back home on a work mandated vacation. "Home" in this case includes 2 Nanis who want to help her, a father who wants her to run the hotel that's been in their family for generations and a mother who seems to only want to get her back to Paris. Add a workoholic best friend and her older brother (who is also an ex) and Asha has her time filled. While trying to rest and recover Asha finally has the chance to think and ponder if the path that she's been chasing since childhood really is the right path for her.

My Take: This hit me in the feels! Along with an interesting premise that pulls from the recent pandemic but isn't overwhelmed by it I could relate so much with Asha who left home at 18 and watched her family from afar as they created a culture (including a very active group text) without her. I don't think that was something the author intended to hit me too hard in the heart but it did. The characters were well developed, I loved the examination of the relationship between Asha, her mother, and her grandmother. And while there was a hint of romance in the story it wasn't the biggest point of the novel, just something extra to top it off.

If there is one thing I wish had been a little different it would have been Asha's treatment of her ex. Yes be mean and dismissive a time or two if you must to demonstrate character growth but to have her do it over and over again was the biggest unlikability point for me.

Overall great book! I recommend it - I also recommend having some lovely tea on hand to enjoy because the writing of the beautiful gardens and tea blends really put me in the mood for it!

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of an ARC in exchange for an honest review.