Where Ivy Dares to Grow is a strong debut novel by Marielle Thompson.

This gothic timeslip story follows Saoirse Read as she accompanies her fiancé Jack Page to his family's ancestral estate as his mother's health worsens. Saoirse knows this trip to Langdon won't be easy between the disdain that she feels from Jack's parents, her own mental health struggles, and the cold distance that has grown between herself and her fiance over the months since his proposal. But, when she arrives, the foreboding facade of Langdon only serves to solidify the feelings of unwelcomeness that press on her.

From the moment of her arrival the cold disdain of the Pages mixed with the dark and haunting halls of Langdon plunge Saoirse further into herself. Her attempts to reach out and connect with Jack as he struggles with the looming shadow of grief over his mother's impending death are brushed off and ignored. She finds herself feeling more and more like an outsider, like the weight dragging everyone down. Like a constant source of irritation and disappointment.

Preferring to stay out of everyone's way, Saoirse takes to wandering the halls and grounds of Langdon where she begins to slip back into the past. Startled to find that this version of Langdon is not nearly as cold and foreboding as the current reality, she stumbles upon Jack's distant ancestor Theo Page. Theo is everything that Jack is and yet he is not. Slowly, Saoirse finds herself spending more and more time in the past with Theo and the familiar darkness of her mind begins to resurface. She wonders which of the two timelines of Langdon are truly her reality. Are the dreams and desires that have begun to bloom in her mind since arriving in 1818 meant to be? Or is she losing herself once more to her illness, losing her grip on reality?

I enjoyed reading this debut. I found myself as enraptured with Theo as Saoirse. Their beautiful, quiet moments together a perfect contrast to the coldness of the present day. The author's use of the seasons to assist in this contrast was well done with the winter of the present in direct opposition to the warm springtime of the past. The sense of unease that present-day Langdon created in both Saoirse and the reader really cemented the gothic vibes of this tale. Ms. Thompson's beautifully descriptive language created a world of two Langdons where their differences were stark and noticeable and yet it was still wholly believable that we were in the same setting centuries apart.

If I had one criticism of this novel it would be that I didn't really enjoy what felt like constant self-sabotage by Saoirse. The constant will she won't she on just about every decision she has to make was a little tiring. However, as someone who does not suffer from the mental illness of the main character, I cannot say if this was gratuitous or just not to my liking.

The characters of this story are all very clearly human with a mixture of flaws and strengths. No one person is the hero or the villain because in life the reality is we are all a mixture of both. We all make decisions that can be seen in a positive or a negative light based on circumstances and motivations that are fluid and ever-changing and Ms. Thompson captured this aspect of humanity well.

Overall, I enjoyed my time reading this novel and I look forward to seeing more from Ms. Thompson in the future.

Where Ivy Dares To Grow (ARC)
Marielle Thompson @bymariellethompson
4.75⭐️
Pub date: 6/27/23

Saoirse travels with her fiance to the dark Page ancestral Langdon Home to support him from a terrible tragedy about to befall his family. She quickly realizes how much of a bother she is, how unwanted and undeserving she is as a future Page bride. With her scarred mind, she wanders through its halls and gardens and finds herself in another time, where she is welcomed, in the same house, but brighter, and in the arms of another Page who shows her a love with no prerequisites. But with the situation around her, and the words spoken and made felt, Saoirse now doubts her reality. Where and when will she truly feel free?

As soon as I read the first few paragraphs, the sense of dread is apparent. This book is very erudite with its descriptions which helps with setting the tone. It's melancholic. It definitely is slow paced (which I'm usually not a fan of) but I think for this book, it's appropriately so. The author took her time to paint the whole picture. I initially thought that this was a paranormal book, but it's actually a time slip. I love historical fiction up to a certain time. And even though it goes back to 1818 (which is not much the era of my interest), it was written so well that I had no trouble loving this.

By 50-80% of the book, I thought that the plot is not so unique. I've read similar storylines before and had a hunch of where this is going. But I was interested in the ending anyway. Last chapter came and my reaction was "NO WAY!" The mental health aspect was unexpected. I know the FMC was "troubled" but I didn't really pay much mind to it. But thinking back about everything that I've read, and with what the specific diagnosis the author was talking about, the writing was just so good and creative that it made me "experience" what Saoirse's "reality" is. I appreciated this so much more. It's when I took back the thought that this is a cliche plot. This is a fantastic read for me. 💛

I really enjoyed this!

The first thing I noticed is just how beautiful and poetic the writing is. It is deep and haunting and it really grabs at you. I also really loved the gothic and haunting Langdon Hall. The way it is described is your quintessential creepy, crumbling, gothic manor house that seems to have a life of its own. And it does! The way that Langdon Hall is a character itself is such a great aspect.

I really loved the way Saoirse's mental illness was portrayed. It was part of the story but it wasn't the whole story and it doesn't villainize her. (The author's note at the end is amazing! Make sure to read it!) Her inner monologue is hard to read sometimes just because it is so full of pain and self-doubt. While this is a love story, and a very sweet one at that, it is also about learning to love yourself and knowing your worth. As someone who has struggled with depression, so much of this resonated with me! I loved reading about Saoirse coming alive again and realizing that just because she struggles with mental illness doesn't mean she is less worthy of love and life and happiness.


Also, the many Taylor Swift references were fantastic!

Riveting historical fiction with a fresh perspective on the time which gets less attention in fiction than it ought. . The writing is well-crafted, the pacing comfortable, strong character development and an intriguing plot. An all-around easy to recommend title for historical fiction lovers.

Lovely read that really drew me into the world. I enjoyed the author's voice and character-building!

What a fabulous debut! Marielle Thompson’s lyrical writing is evident from the first page. She spins the tale of Saoirse Read, a woman who deals with depersonalization-derealization disorder (DPDR). Thompson aims to educate her readers about the reality of this disorder through this well-written tale of fiction and definitely does just that. Be sure not to miss reading the Author’s Note!

The comparison of Mexican Gothic meets Outlander could not be more true! The book takes place at Langdon Hall, a family estate that has been around for many centuries. The setting creates the Mexican Gothic vibe while the spicy romance between Saoirse and a man from the past incorporates Outlander’s time travel and spice.

Although, I did feel Saoirse’s debating with her emotions became repetitive at times, the story did keep me wanting to read until the very last page.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Books, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.

This book touches on themes of time travel and also mental health. It is difficult to define but I enjoyed it immensely. Well written and worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this AQRC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Just wow. This book was STUNNING.

I’m not sure I can even process all I want to say about how much I loved this book. It is absolutely perfect for fans of Gothic lit and Outlander. It also has one of the best representations of mental health I have ever read. (Make sure you read the author’s note at the end!) Though I do not share exact same diagnosis as the author was portraying (DRDR), I felt very seen in the commonalities with my own anxiety disorder and depression struggles.

Now the things that stuck out to me & why it needs to be on everyone’s TBR:

-The prose: so gorgeous, so deep, so haunting.

-The romance: holy smokes, I was swooning. It was AMAZING. Theo is 🔥

-The spice: this isn’t a super graphic book, but the spice scenes were beautifully written. Both sexy and heart-filled.

-The setting: creepy, sentiment, but at the same time loving and caring. It was such an interesting take on the Gothic house.

-The MC: her brain was hard to be in sometimes, but in the good way. Like you could feel everything she felt and sometimes it was so painful because you just want to scream at her but you know it’s her and how she functions, if that makes sense. She just spoke to my own very flawed and broken soul.

Overall, this needs to be on everyone’s TBR! If you like Gothic romances, stories with amazingly done mental health rep, sweeping romance stories, and of course, Outlander vibes, pick this up!!

I really liked the author's focus on mental illness and how it can affect people when they don't have a great support system. The unique take on time travel was also very enjoyable. I did feel that the story dragged at times which for a relatively short book made me take longer to finish than I usually would. I think for a debut novel it was great and well written, but the pacing was off and at times the inner monologue felt repetitive. I still highly recommend this for those who love time travel and a good description/presentation of mental illness.

It is easy to see this story is as much a therapeutic task for the author as a story to be read by us. It read like a self-realization journal entry. I admire the author greatly for writing this and educating us on the mental health disorder she writes about. The writing was lyrical and beautiful but too repetitive for me to enjoy. The story arc felt very secondary to the inner mind of the heroine Saoirse. There was so little dialogue to break up the long inner ramblings and I found myself racing ahead to find the story. Unfortunately, the story had so many holes with little backstory and just became a rom-com with sex. I love a gothic novel but this fell short for me.
Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC.

It is a rarity to get to experience a book as wonderful as this. I fell in love with the characters, the beautiful prose, the atmosphere, and the manor itself. When reading this book it felt as though you were actually experiencing this through Saoirse, our protagonist. It is going to be so hard to move on from this book and that is a wonderful thing. I will be recommending this book to everyone. Absolutely stunning. Absolutely enchanting. Marielle Thompson has a fan for life with me.

When you can’t trust your mind, can you trust those around you to help guide you? Saoirse is joining her fiancé at his family’s estate where his mother has chosen to spend the last of her days. There, Saoirse immediately knows she is a third wheel in the family reunion. Isolated from everyone, she spends her time exploring the estate but why does she feel that there are ghosts that roam the halls?

When she’s already questioning her mind, the house transports her to Regency England where she meets Theo, one of her fiancé’s ancestors. They find that the house brought them together for a reason.

Told through Saoirse’s perspective, the initial chapters provide a sense of confusion which slowly starts to become clearer as she starts learning to trust in herself with the help of Theo. A lovely romance story but ultimately a story of learning to love yourself. The surprise twist ending that will leave you wondering.

Gothic. Romance. Historical. Mystery-ish. What more could you want? I’ll be the first to say that gothic fiction isn’t necessarily my cup of tea, but I was intrigued by the premise of this book.

There isn’t much to say without giving too much away. I went through various emotions while reading and I kept thinking to myself, what’s going to make or break this book for me is the ending. And I can say, the ending did not disappoint!

Thank you to the author for her vulnerability and take on something so sensitive and personal.

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

3.5 stars

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copy of this book.

When I heard about the premise of this book, I was really excited. It seemed to include everything that could want in a book and looked really whimsical. However, it didn't hit the mark for me, unfortunately.

I am going to start by saying that the most important thing about this book is that it raises awareness of Depersonalisation-derealisation Disorder. The Authors note at the end of the book is especially important in summing up how she wanted to show what its like to live with this disorder, through the ups and downs of the main character. Using time-slips to demonstrate how it feels is a great approach in making it more understandable to the reader.

The author clearly gets across how difficult it is living with a DPDR (and chronic mental health conditions in general) and how it affects your life and those around you. As someone who struggles with mental health in my own life, I appreciated the portrayal of the inner struggles of coping and feeling like you are losing yourself and those around you from your own illness. Fortunately, I am surrounded with loving people, unlike Saoirse in the book who isn't receiving the love and support she needs for her condition. Through the story and the time-slip romance in this book, it holds a positive message for DPDR, that having the condition doesn't make you unloveable, especially to yourself.

(The spice was also pretty nice).

Things that unfortunately made the book fall flat for me was the repetition (I felt like a lot of the thought processes weren't necessary to go over again and again), my pet peeve of a love interest using the term 'my dear' and 'my love' (instant cringe but that's just me haha), lack of intrigue/no plot twists/no surprises, and the writing style just wasn't as magical or beautiful for a gothic-y historical romance as I was anticipating (I think I only highlighted one passage). Also I found myself skim reading the last half because it was a very simplistic storyline. I realise that some of the things I didn't like as I was reading I've had to reconsider after remembering that it's about DPDR rather than being a true historical time-slip drama (can I be finding fault in things that might not even be real?...). The real focus here is on Saoirse becoming bigger and bolder and more confident in herself.

This isn't bad for a first book though and I'm sure a lot of my romance-inclined friends will enjoy it and be swooning over Theo.

I saw <i>Mexican Gothic</i> meets <i>Outlander</i> and immediately wanted to read this book. I'm not the biggest fan of romance novels but when there's a time travel element - sign me up! This book reminded me of a gothic version of the movie <i>Somewhere in Time</i> with Christopher Reeve.

The book follows our main character Saoirse as she goes with her fiancé, Jack, to his family's ancestral home for his mother's last weeks. Saoirse and Jack have been very distant - she has an unnamed-until-the-end mental illness and Jack treats her like she's not in control of her mind and ready to snap. I'm biased since we were reading from Saoirse's point of view, but I wanted to slap Jack. There was so much gaslighting happening (which the author warns about before the book starts) but it was rage inducing. His parents also don't see Saoirse as worthy of marrying into their precious family and similarly treat her like she's a lost child. At one point, Jack and his mother decide that Saoirse needs to quick her PhD program because they decided it's too stressful for her (<screams>)

Saoirse finds herself transported to 1818 where she meets Theo, an ancestor of the family. He's the exact opposite of Jack the Jerk - he sees Saoirse as a whole person and shows her that she is worthy of love. They try to fight it but are drawn into a very sweet romance. Saoirse starts to question things Jack and his family have been making her believe about herself. As the mother's death approaches and Saoirse becomes more aware of how (crappily) Jack treats her, she has to decide if she wants to stay in the past with Theo or follow through on marrying Jack.

I had some issues with Saoirse and how repetitive her inner monologue got. The amount of times where she was talking about seeing herself as a grey person and Theo adding color back to her life got redundant. At the same time, it fit the mental illness narrative. Saoirse talking about feeling like she was drowning and unable/trying to rise to the surface felt very true of how I've felt during depressive episodes. She was dealing with a different illness, but it resonated and felt real.

Overall, it's a book that is both really sweet and beyond infuriating (have I mentioned how much I dislike Jack?). I appreciate how the author included Saoirse's mental illness but doesn't have it drive the story. The author said at the end that she didn't want to create a villain whose actions are driven by mental illness but instead create a story where it's involved and part of the story but not the main plot. The author did a great job of that. I'm still digesting how I feel about the very end, but the book definitely left me with things to think about.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advanced review copy.

I was told it’s a cross between outlander and Mexican gothic and i wasn’t led astray!

This was great. I loved the twists, the ending- it was so wild. Loved it all!! I loved the mental health representation as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to revive an arc in exchange for my honest review- all thoughts are my own!

Where do I start with this one? Thompson weaves a story full of color and detail. Not to mention wonderful character development. I was hooked by the blurb of gothic romance and mental health. I was more than curious how Thompson was going to handle that combo. I was hooked from the first page, actually if I had the paperback to hold I would have flipped the pages until the very end! But my eyes can’t handle the glare from a kindle for too long Anyway…I was glued to every word and once you get about 89% done with it and you’re almost certain how it’s going to turn out, than BAM! It’s a total twist! But one you never in your wildest imagination can you imagine. I still don’t particularly understand it, but I think I get the gist.
The mind is a vast space, I don’t think we can ever really understand everything that goes on up there. We kinda just have to go with it and not get bogged down by what it’s telling us.
I would gladly read Thompson again to better understand her diagnosis. Because I am hoping she will write more about it.

Beautiful. Beautiful is the only way to describe this book.

It had some of the most poetic, beautiful language I have ever read. Saoirse’s internal monologue is stunning throughout, her self-doubt and insecurity radiating off the page. I rooted for her to stand up for herself, to believe in herself, and to make the difficult decisions.

I <I>hate</I> the Pages, parent and child, and their sense of superiority, how they cannot even deign themselves to be kind to their son’s partner, to the woman Jack supposedly wants to marry. The nerve of Jack saying that he and his MOTHER decided that she should drop out of her Ph.D program. Decided for her. It’s irrelevant that she loves it and it brings her joy - she needs to begin learning her HOMEMAKER DUTIES and preparing for HAVING CHILDREN.

The idea that the past, where Saoirse finds comfort, solace, and love in Theo, had a more open-minded and encouraging spirit than the modern day (the modern day of 1994, but still) was brilliant juxtaposition.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Immediately intrigued by the relationships and the dark and sudden spiral, the pages call like a siren. A beguiling tale of time travel that careens from time to time in a fervent and maddening tale about living in full color and owning your truth.

This was so weird. I love it.

Is it cheating if you travel back in time and fall in love with your fiance's ancestor?
I mean it isn't even the same time period.