Weirdly, I just didn't get a strong impression out of this one. Like, it did all of the things. It had appropriate resolution. The words were occasionally pretty. There was a bad guy as well as someone to root for. Yet. I've got nothing. It's probably just me?

Harriet Hunt is a lady with a tragic past who only finds solace in her garden. She was raised by her abusive father and uncaring maid. After her father goes missing, she becomes the number one suspect. At this time, Christian comes into her life and stirs up quite the commotion. Throughout all of this, her garden sticks by her and helps her out. Trigger warning for child abuse and domestic violence.

The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt follows a typical Gothic storyline, a young woman falls for a charming guy only to discover that married life is very different than what she imagined. Harriet Hunt has an abusive father and when he mysteriously vanishes one day, she must learn how to cope with her new found freedom. Her wild garden is emotionally connected to her, keeping a watchful eye over her and helping her out when in danger. This is where I wish the story was better. Why is Harriet's garden sentient? How did that happen? I think I was expecting a magical realism take on the garden, but the garden wasn't a significant part of the story. Instead, Harriet spends most of the time searching for her abusive father, as though she wants him to return home. This did not make sense to me. I wish the garden was more of a focus in this book, with its magic driving the plot instead of Harriet's abusive relationships. The inheritance trope was a let down because I was hoping for a bigger mystery about her father and husband.

The author explored freedom and restriction through different ways in the story with Harriet's garden a metaphor for the wild untamed parts of her that she neglected but eventually embraced.

For me, The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt was a miss. The garden did not have enough focus and the plot was predictable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

I really enjoyed this, yet another hit from this author for me. It’s a gothic tale at its core, so slow moving and spooky and dark and sad, and the prose is just gorgeous. I also liked how this book wove in some additional layers- female rage & empowerment being the main additional element, it worked really well.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to be an ARC reader.
First off I’d like to say that this book hooked me from the start, sentient gardens with an atypical FMC? Sign me up! It had a gothic “Secret Garden” vibe mixed with a mystery and some feminine rage sprinkled in!
Although it got a little slow around the 40% mark and had some pacing issues toward the back half it made it no less enjoyable in the end. I still have a few questions I think a lot of readers might also have, but I don’t want to spoil anything. Overall I really enjoyed it and I am going to be looking into anything else this author has out!

Such an amazing read this one. I loved this book so much!!! I gave it 4 stars because I really think the characters were super well put together and the storyline was perfect!

This was a simply beautifully written gothic tale following Harriet, a young woman who is alone after her father's death. The slow pace only added to the atmosphere as some chapters were quite dark. This is the perfect book for one of those rainy or gloomy fall days!

One of the best books I’ve read in this 2024.
Chelsea Iversen’s prose is incredible exquisite. She manages the pacing of the story like any other I’ve read before.
I requested this books because of the cover, didn’t read the synopsis or any other opinions and I believe entering into this story knowing nothing about was the best thing I could have done.
Every chapter surprised me, some of them made my jaw fall to the floor.
Some chapters felt so dark and I just wanted to hug Harriet and help her scape.
This book is about true friendships, being different and stigmatized because of that and also is about believing in yourself. Believing that you deserve better, even if you grow up in a household that all your life made you believe you worth nothing.
This book, despite every dark thing that happened, left me empowered.
One day at a time, that’s all that takes to get out from your deepest hole, pain, fear.
You can overcome anything.
Because you are worth it. Your life matters.

When I first read the premise I was so intruiged and downloaded it right away. I loved the concept! However it was a little too slow for my usual type of read. The big reveal wasn't anything shocking. The writing was great though and the cover is lovely! I will still recommend to my friends. I did enjoy it. Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to pick it up early! 3.5 rounded up.

This is a gripping 'low fantasy' about what it means to hurt, heal and find love and acceptance. The story follows Harriet, a young girl who is ostracised for being 'peculiar' (some would go so far as to say hysterical) because she is special. Saying Harriet has a green thumb would be putting it mildly. Harriet shares a deep bond with her garden - it understands and responds to her feelings which was her only reprieve from her abusive upbringing. After the disappearance of her father, Harriet is left alone in their gothic house with only her garden as company. This strange situation brings unwelcome attention and trouble to Harriet's doorstep which she must navigate.

I loved reading this book. The writing is beautiful - there are fabulously written tea-in-the-garden moments, and the garden itself is always teeming with life and emotion. I adored the companionship and friendship woven into this story. Despite the lush green cover, the tone of the story is very dark at times. There are heavy issues explored here as Harriet navigates through a lot of pain. I felt that the story and writing did justice to the severe issues explored. Harriet as a main character is so precious and you really feel for her throughout the book.

If you are looking for a dark yet beautiful story about loss, love, and freedom, and are intrigued by the idea of a magical garden, I think you will enjoy this book as much as I did.

A page turning gothic tale with a hint of magical realism. I went into this book not knowing too much about it. I really appreciated that the summary of the book didn’t give away the entire plot. I could have finished this in one sitting if I wanted but to. It was so addictive. Every time I felt like I had the story figured out, I would second guess myself. As the reader, you found out information along with the main character so it felt very immersive. I was just as confused and wanted to figure things out as much as Harriet did. I really enjoyed the hint of magical realism in this story. Harriet’s connection with plants was so beautiful and symbolic of both her character and her story. What surprised me about this book was how dark it was. There are definitely themes of domestic abuse, sexual assault, childhood abuse and neglect. I wasn’t expecting heavy content but it matched the gothic atmosphere well. There were times when I could see no light at the end of the tunnel for Harriet’s story. I kept thinking “this poor woman can’t catch a break.” But her story is one of strength and learning one’s own worth.

Harriet has been living alone since the death of her father, but she doesn’t mind being alone. She likes her own company just fine, and she has her very special garden to keep her occupied. But a woman alone during Victorian times is something polite society cannot and will not accept. There’s a frightening similarity to Harriet’s plight and that of women in today’s America

4.5 Stars

Harriet is under suspicion for her fathers disappearance and feeling like she needed protection as a women living alone she gets married. There is a lot of mystery of what exactly happened to her father, who her husband is and about her very unique garden.

This book is unlike anything I've read before. It had gothic vibes and feels like something perfect to read in the fall on a rainy day. I read most of this in one setting as I needed to find out what happened with her father and what was going on with her husband. (The men in this book made me want to rage at my kindle in the middle of the night!)
Mostly I just wanted to read about her garden! I did find some of the middle parts to slow down but the ending did make up for that a lot.


This really felt like a book of a women finally finding herself and being free. Bonus is all the beautiful descriptions of such a peculiar garden.