The Secret Garden is one of my favorite audiobooks, so this retelling set in a forlorn Japanese Inn was a must-listen for me. Here, elements of the original tale are retold as a gothic mystery with heart-pounding surprises around every corner. I was fully absorbed in the world of Yanagi Inn, where the main character, Mari, finds herself isolated, grieving, and drawn toward long-buried secrets. Amber Logan’s graceful prose and expert narration by Emily Ellet made the audiobook a truly immersive experience, and the book’s themes of rebirth and transformation made this story every bit as satisfying as the classic.

This is a beautiful book, that takes the listener right to Japan. Good narration. Well paced, interesting characters and overall a lovely story that whiled away the long commute. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and CamCat Books for this audiobook.
Yanagi Inn is a mystical place in Japan, renowned as a historical site set amidst a magnificent traditional garden. American photographer Mari Lennox is grieving the recent loss of her beloved mother. Her life seems to be at a standstill. Her relationship is over, running her gallery is keeping her from pursuing her art, and she resents that her mother died without answering the many questions she harboured about her childhood. Most of those had to do with her early years spent in Japan with her parents and younger sister, about which she has only vague memories. The Lennox family’s sojourn ended abruptly with her parents’ divorce. The girls and their mother returned to the states. Their father remained but died in an accident shortly after their departure.

Although not enthralled by the idea, Mari accepts a grant to photograph the Yanagi Inn. She needs some respite, and wants to return to Japan. Her visit is not at all what she expected. The once famous inn is neglected, decrepit, and seemingly haunted. She is clearly unwelcome. The borders between her dreams, mostly nightmares containing fragments of memory, and her waking hours are blurred. How Mari finds out what lay behind the family secrets and comes to terms with them, embracing her own gifts and her own destiny, is the story that unwinds as he throws herself into restoring the island garden that had been the once proud inn’s finest glory.

This is a captivating mystery with hints of the beloved children’s classic, The Secret Garden, and fascinating information about Japanese culture, past and present. The ghostly apparitions are not scary, but integral to Mari’s emotional development. They also suggest how far Western culture has gone in separating the material and the spiritual, and why that may not be a good thing.

I am a big fan of the secret garden, so the premise alone that this was a modern day retelling set in Japan was enough to make me want to read it. It was interesting. I think I maybe read it while I was in the wrong mood, because my attention was a little scattered, but I enjoyed the paranormal elements. A fun, soft read for people who want to dive into the grief and healing side of loss inherent to this story.

This is a modern re-working of the classic tale 'The Secret Garden' except, instead of an English country house, we have a Japanese inn, the garden is "walled" by a being an island with no bridge to it, the 'gardener' is an elderly woman, the bird inspecting the work is a crane not a robin and there's a child crying in the night (further details would be spoilers).

The Japanese setting is well evoked with the inn interiors feeling very Japanese. The local characters also feel in keeping with the setting. Readers will either like the central character, Mari, or find her rather irritating. I'm in the latter group: she's constantly overthinking things and stressing herself out with wild hypotheses instead of asking a simple question to clarify matters. There are also some loose ends around why her parents divorced, why they went back to Chicago and the relationship between the Owner and Ogura-san that are not resolved.

I listened to the audiobook and it was well read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn is a retelling of the classic story "The Secret Garden." Even though I haven't read the original story, I don't think it's necessary to enjoy this novel.

After immediately being thrown into the passing of her mother, the story starts witg Mari traveling back to Japan for a photography project. Asked to document the Yanagi Inn, she is surprised to find the Inn is not what she was expecting.

This story is a beautiful exploration of grief and healing, an atmospheric character driven tale that ties in Japanese culture. The mystery that surrounds the dilapidated inn is lyrically haunting and slowly building in it's intensity. This is a slow read but one that pays off by the end, even if you start to become annoyed with Mari's choices throughout the book. It reminded me of reading "A House with Good Bones," in the way we slowly get more information as each day passes. The end of the book had me crying in public.

One of the charms of this novel is the beautiful narration of the audiobook. I thought the narrator for this was perfect.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.

A huge thank you goes to NetGalley, CamCat Books, and Amber Logan for providing me with a free audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion!

This is a stunning retelling of the classic, The Secret Garden, with a bit of a paranormal twist! Our FMC, Mari, travels to Japan shortly after her mother's death to photograph the Yanagi Inn. Upon arrival, she finds the old inn mostly empty aside from a few remaining staff members, and she begins to uncover many surprising secrets including an island with a long neglected garden. Soon afterwards, Mari begins to hear crying in the dark of night. When she goes to explore the noise, however, she finds that the inn and property contain more secrets than she had expected.

This audiobook was fantastic! I really enjoyed the narrator! Her speech was crisp and clear, and her pacing was great as well. The book itself was beautifully written with twists and turns all over the place! I was left wondering how everything would tie together until the very end of the book!

i was intrigued by the idea of a modern retelling of the secret garden, but while the secret garden of yanagi inn didn‘t make for a bad read, personally i felt it lacked the warmth, playfulness and heart of the original story. i think this is mainly because i found the protagonist, mari, to be a little nondescript. we learn a lot of details about her childhood as well as her adult life, but i still struggled to grasp her as a person. i did like some of the more atmospheric parts of the story (especially the beginning) and enjoyed the ghost story element, but, without wanting to give anything away, the ending felt a little over the top. overall, this had a good premise, a beautiful and unique setting and some parts definitely kept me engaged, but it just couldn’t compare to the original secret garden.

Overall I liked this book. I was interested until the very end. I liked that there wasn’t a love story because, for me, I stop caring about the rest of the story and this book needed it’s focus elsewhere.

There was some awkwardness to the writing that felt… cheesy. Though perhaps it was the sedate, pleasant tone of the voice actor that didn’t fit well with the story.

I appreciated the beautiful setting and the grief resolved. I was content with the ending.

4 ⭐️

I genuinely could not stop reading this. I desperately needed to know how it ended. The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn was beautiful, tragic, and yet somehow, also unexpectedly hopeful by the end. It is a story of grief and how it affects us to our very core and even the way we live our lives. I also loved the Japanese folklore used in this story. It was a twist I hadn't expected and a lore I hadn't heard of before. Overall, this was a wonderful, haunting story with beautiful narration.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

Overall it was a nice story, but there are several things that bothered me.
The first was Mari... I found her boring and annoying, her behaviour (whether alone or with the locals) was insufferable.
The story is slow paced and repetitive, it was hard to go through the book. The wrong pronunciation of some Japanese words and the too high-pitched voice at times was clearly unpleasant.

I never read "The Secret Garden" but from the synopsis of the original story and this retelling, they seem pretty much alike (aside from the location and the characters).
To be honest I was waiting for so much more mystery and horror from the Japanese folklore, but I really like the descriptions and references from the Japanese culture.

The story follows Mari Lennox, an American woman dealing with the loss of her mom and a boring job. She travels to Kyoto, Japan, to take photos of the rundown Yanagi Inn. While exploring the inn and its surroundings, her camera shows her some hidden secrets, including a mysterious overgrown garden on a forbidden island, but the strange crying that haunts her at night remains a mystery that no one else seems to hear. What makes this version special is how it mixes in elements of mystery, fantasy, and gothic vibes against the backdrop of Japan's rich culture. The book keeps you interested with its surprising twists and a sense of mystery that keeps you reading late into the night. Just when you think you understand everything, unexpected events surprise you. The connection to the original "Secret Garden" is a nice touch for fans of the classic, and the author's attention to detail is clear in the writing. It's a fresh take on the old story, making it a good read for those who liked the original and enjoy a good mystery. However, there are some things that might bug tou.. Mari's reluctance to ask questions when she encounters strange things in the inn can be frustrating. She tends to jump to conclusions instead of seeking clear answers. As Mari's anxiety and doubts grow, the storytelling becomes more anxious and stressed. So while I liked the book and appreciated the new spin on the old story, it didn't capture me as much as the original did. In my opinion, it didn't reach the same emotional depth and connection. But it's important to know that not everyone might feel the same way, and this books has its own charm that many readers will likely enjoy.

I received an eARC from NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I couldn't put down This beautiful, tragic, and hopeful book. I constantly questioned reality with Mari, wondering what she would discover next. While some parts of the plot were evident from the start, others took a long time to unravel and every revelation was worth the wait. This book was enchanting.

Thank you to NetGalley and CamCat Books/The Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for an advance-read copy of the audiobook version of this novel.

My favorite book as a child was The Secret Garden, and I was very interested to see a retelling in Japan! I loved the rich descriptions, and the ghostly mystery kept me engaged. The audiobook narrator did a wonderful job of conveying the story, and I enjoyed the book overall.

I am not especially familiar with Japanese culture/language so there were parts I wasn't quite sure what was being referenced, but I enjoyed looking up what I didn't know and learning more about Japan in the process.

Overall I would recommend the book for those interested in Japanese culture from an American's perspective, are looking for retellings of the Secret Garden, and like a ghostly mystery.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook copy of The Secret Garden of Yanagi Inn by Amber Logan in exchange for an honest review. This book was so beautiful. I listened to the whole thing yesterday. When I first started it, I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep listening as it deals with death and loss and opens with a daughter dealing with her mother's death. I recently lost my mom too and it has been really hard to deal with. But then the book moves on to Mari going to Japan and I decided to keep listening. I'm so glad I did. I felt like I was on Mari's journey with her. Learning how to make her grief a part of her and be okay with it.

This was lovely. I don't really remember the Secret Garden so I didn't expect anything. The atmosphere is wonderful & it is a bit eerie. I enjoyed the narrator as well, though some Japanese was mispronounced. It seemed like it took far too long for the main character to realize anything, but not everything was obvious.

This audiobook is described as a re-telling of a childhood favorite: The Secret Garden. Other than the fact that the main character's name was Mari Lennox, which closely resembles the original character's name, Mary Lennox, and Mari did hear crying in the night like Mary did., there honestly were very few similarities between the two. Not to say this wasn't good, because it was. I just didn't feel like it was actually a re-telling. I enjoyed the setting of the Yanagi Inn in Japan, and all of the traditional Japanese customs that were observed. I really didn't care for Mari, though. I found her whiny and spineless, and very immature. She was my least favorite character in the entire book. Overall, I would say this is a 3.5 rounded up to a 4.

Secret garden is one of my favourite childhood stories. I love Japan and Korea and I really enjoyed the mix of my favourite childhood story with the countries I really like made for very interesting story.
I listened to the audiobook version and I really enjoyed the narration.
The story was nice however it dragged a little at the beginning. I think it would be as fun to read if it was shorter..

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I really and unexpectedly enjoyed this book! I'm not someone who has nostalgia for the original Secret Garden and always think of retellings as 'inspired by' and this approach allows me to judge them as new books. This is perfect for spooky season, lots of intrigue, mystery and spooky events. It's also about love and grief and finding yourself. Beautiful imagery, captivating writing and a fantastic nod the original whilst also feeling fresh and new.