4.5 stars. This is a near perfect tale of horror and sadness. Gothic home and grounds with a poison garden; a family accident that lead to tragedy; a local abandoned asylum; oh, and fucking ghosts galore. This book will scare you and make your heart weep. There is hope sprinkled in the book as well so you're not completely depressed after reading it. The only thing I didn't care for were the flashbacks of the children, they seemed especially slow in the first half of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for my free-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In Her Little Flowers, we embark on a heart-wrenching journey with a family that has endured both loss and survival. Shannon Morgan's narrative is delivered in dual timelines that seamlessly blend the past and present.

We follow Francine, the protagonist, as she navigates her way through life, surrounded by the ghosts of her family's past. The lush gardens, which Francine has cultivated with her green thumb, provide an idyllic backdrop for the eerie manor and the woodland behind it. Morgan's descriptive writing adds an extra layer of tension that keeps readers on edge.

The language of flowers is a central theme in the book. The way in which they convey emotions and messages is fascinating. Memory, too, plays a significant role in this story as we witness the human mind's ability to block out trauma. It's a heartbreaking revelation when everything is finally unveiled.

But at the core of Her Little Flowers is the bond of sisterly love. The story shows how this love transcends life and death and how sisters will do anything to protect their loved ones.

As a reader, I found myself emotionally invested in the characters, particularly the young sisters whose mother's attempts to shield them from harm gutted me.

Overall, Her Little Flowers is a creatively written book.

I did mostly enjoy this book. The atmosphere is the best part of the novel and I also really enjoyed the characterizations of both sisters and their relationship. What missed the mark for me was the situation culminated in a scene that was ultimately anti-climactic and slightly ridiculous, and when you write the kind of story where everything sort of hinges on the resolution, it ended up taking away from my overall enjoyment of the book. I am interested in this author's future works but this one is solidly in the "meh" category for me.

Secrets and plant lore, the language of flowers. I loved it.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The setting of this novel is my favorite part. I loved getting swept up in the era and city. It dragged at times but overall kept me enthralled throughout. I would be interested to read future work this author puts out.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was a wonderful read. The mystery was very well done and the supernatural aspects were great. I enjoyed the characters and the atmosphere was just exceptional. The alternating timelines made this a very compelling read.

Set in The Lake District in Northern England. Francine Thwaite is in her fifties and lives mostly on her own except when she has an occasional lodger. Francine’s home is Thwaite Manor which is a very old large house in need of many repairs hence the need to take in lodgers to help pay for the upkeep of the house.
Francine regularly sees ghosts in her house and when she visits the local village. Francine likes to read her tea leaves and is always talking to Bree who is a young ghost that regularly haunts the house. Francine has a routine of sprinkling fennel seeds and using other plants to ward off evil spirits.
Everything changes for Francine when her younger sister returns home forcing Francine to find out what happened to their family members many years earlier.
I loved the spooky descriptions of Thwaite Mannor and its location near Lonehowe Wood.
This is about a haunted house with lots of ghosts and family secrets.

Having a rare dreary, drizzly day seemed perfect for reading this book set in a remote 500-year-old Elizabethan manor that has always been owned by one family. Even better, the main character is 55-year-old, unmarried Francine, who is slightly odd and lives there alone with the ghosts. Looking for hashtags? How about #language of flowers, #ancient herbal lore, #unsolved family tragedy, #priest holes, or #abandoned insane asylum?

This book oozes ghostly whispers as you try to solve the tragedy along with Francine. It's beautifully written with alternating chapters of present and past that flow seamlessly. I'm so impressed that this is a debut book as well as the horticulture research required for the story. It was a glorious, atmospheric read for a rainy day and I highly recommend it no matter what the weather is.

I'm so grateful to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and the author for the opportunity to read the ARC.

A paranormal mystery with an eccentric protagonist made this all the more enjoyable. I'm honestly surprised this is a debut because it was written like a seasoned author. It did take a little bit in the beginning to get my bearings but once I did, I loved this one. It was creepy, chilling, heartbreaking, and knowledgeable in the language of all the plants and flowers I never knew existed. I definitely recommend this one for any fan of horror and paranormal books. Four Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for this ARC.

I couldn’t believe that this was Shannon Morgan’s debut novel. If these are the books she will continue to write, I will read every one of them. Ghost stories, haunted houses, sibling drama and secrets make for a thrilling gothic book that was hard to put down.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington books for an advanced copy for an honest review.

4.25/5 stars! I love a good middle-aged mystery. That's what I was expecting with 55-year-old Francine in this story. Gothic horror vibes abounded and I was really excited. This book was surprisingly cozy for a horror book. I loved Bree and the other ghosts. The family angst was surprising and drew me in. Overall, an enjoyable gothic thriller.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

HER LITTLE FLOWERS checks off all my favorite fictional boxes. We've got a haunted house, an atmospheric setting, ghostly beings, a Gothic vibe, family secrets, sister relationships, even genealogical research. How could I possibly resist? Spoiler alert: I couldn't.

I've seen Shannon Morgan compared to Kate Morton and Eve Chase and while the comparisons are apt, HER LITTLE FLOWERS isn't quite up to the same standards as books by these veteran authors. Still, I enjoyed Morgan's debut and am looking forward to more from her.

HER LITTLE FLOWERS features a middle-aged hermit whose best friend is a ghost. Although Francine is definitely an odd, old fuddy-duddy, she's nevertheless both sympathetic and likable. Maddie's vibrancy provides a marked counterpoint to Francine's rigidity, causing conflict that adds to the tension in the story. An atmospheric setting (complete with a manor house that's almost alive, a creepy graveyard and a crumbling insane asylum) provides an eerie backdrop to the story. While it's not too difficult to see where the revealed family secrets are leading, the novel's plot is still interesting enough to hold the reader's attention. It didn't hold any real surprises for me, but that may be because I read so many of these kinds of books. Still, it engaged me to the end. HER LITTLE FLOWERS tells a sad, grim story, although it does end on a hopeful note. My only beef with the tale is that the Epilogue doesn't mention Todd. What happens between him and Francine? I'd like to know, darn it! Aside from that and the book's overall predictability, I enjoyed HER LITTLE FLOWERS. Like I said above, I'll for sure be keeping my eye out for more from this promising author, especially if she keeps writing the kinds of books I enjoy reading most.