I was so so excited for this, but it was messed up formatting wise and so I will have to look for a finished copy to reread. I'm sure I missed a lot.

Nick Newman's "The Garden" is a hauntingly beautiful and utterly original tale that lingers long after the final page. Newman crafts a world both claustrophobic and expansive, where two elderly sisters, Evelyn and Lily, exist in a delicate balance of routine and fear. The arrival of a mysterious boy shatters their carefully constructed reality, forcing them to confront the dark secrets of their past and the true nature of their isolated existence. With prose that is both lyrical and unsettling, "The Garden" weaves a tapestry of gothic undertones, dystopian echoes, and psychological suspense, creating an unforgettable reading experience that is as mesmerizing as it is deeply moving. This is a five-star gem that defies easy categorization and leaves you breathless.

Literary dystopian horror! We Have Always Lived in the Castle meets The Secret Garden! All of my favorite things!

I spent my red-eye to Athens reading this book (instead of sleeping in my upgraded lie-flat seat) because I simply could not put it down, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since. I loved every page of this.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Interesting, strange, ultimately unsatisfying for me. My thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This book although short, was very good. It was a slow pace to start and I wondered why the book was considered horror. But there were a couple twists at the end of the book which I love. If I can’t guess the ending or get surprised that’s a huge bonus cause it happens rarely. I give this book a 4.25 and recommend it to anyone looking to read a short thriller.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the arc of this book.
I truly enjoyed it.

It began with an interesting storyline. I was hoping to get more information as to why the two sisters were isolated as to the event that caused a before and after. It was well written, but felt like a bit more information as to why there were storms would have helped me to enjoy it better.

I originally requested The Garden because the description reminded me quite a bit of Grey Gardens. I didn’t realize it was going to have dystopian elements, a genre I really don’t care for, but it didn’t bother me. Newman pulled off a feat by making the repetition of essentially the same day in the same room/garden for decades feel intriguing. Evelyn and Lily were complex yet stunted, and the flashbacks were heartbreaking. I had to sit with the ending for a bit and then I understood. I was really hoping for more, though. Still a very good read and I’m glad I tried something different.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for kindly providing this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I could never quite get into this book and thus won't be posting a full review. I enjoyed the prose, but it was a bit too slow-moving for me to stick with.

In this eerie and fascinating Gothic-like novel, readers follow elderly sisters Evelyn and Lily in their daily lives in their walled and secluded garden, away from the outside world. Not knowing anything other than the garden, the appearance of a nameless boy in the boarded house at the center of the garden totally disrupts their lives, the two sisters must confront the dark truths about their lives and their home as well as their growing suspicions of each other and the boy. Creepy, intense, and strangely beautiful, the sisters’ dynamic and its evolution is particularly fascinating and complex, while the ways in which their relationship is tested is particularly well-written and interesting. The limited setting and the small cast of characters forces the readers to get into their mindsets and live that small life that Evelyn and Lily are so used to, which helps them understand how their relationship can be so tested by the appearance of a single boy. With its fascinating premise and brilliantly lifelike characters and setting, readers will not be able to put this new release down. Entertaining, intense, emotional, and incredibly well-written, the stakes of this book and the fascinating character development and dynamics make this an unforgettable and totally unique read.

I understand the appeal to write or explore this idea and world but I think it would have been better suited as a short story. I kept waiting for something big and interesting to happen but only fairly small, not terribly exciting changes happened. I think the way that Evelyn and Lily live together and their isolated life are interesting but not interesting enough for an entire novel to be about them. I like that we will never really know what happened with their father and their mother’s reasoning behind closing the house off and what really happened between them, it ties in with Lily and Evelyn's forever unlimited knowledge of it. I really liked the ending to this book. This feels like a really big world that’s been left unexplored. There are a lot of questions and a lot of things that are unclear about what happened outside of Lily and Evelyn’s garden. And I think it would be neat to get short stories from this world and time period. I like the timelessness feel.

Two elderly sisters live in a walled garden and they have never known anybody else but each other. They tend their garden and each other but when they find a boy hiding in there they want to know who he is and what does he want. Their life begins to change.

I don’t need all the answers but I would like some. Most of this book I just assumed the sisters parents were fearful or eccentric. However there was actually something bad going on in the outside world? I’m still not sure.

3.5 stars
Post-apocalyptic story of two elderly women who live alone in only the kitchen of a large house, surrounded by a walled garden. They are self-sufficient and never venture beyond the walls. We're never really sure what kind of catastrophe happened in their world or whether their walls protect them or imprison them. One day they discover a boy inside the garden and we see how they cope as everything changes. Interesting reading but unsatisfying.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this! I first saw it advertised as "an adult fairy tale" and while I certainly wouldn't call it that, it did have an airy, dreamy quality to it that I enjoyed.

The narration was really well done, and did a great job of communicating the odd mentalities of the main characters and how they developed in an extremely unique situation. I also enjoyed the flashbacks, and felt they did a great job of communicating just enough information each time to keep you guessing and theorizing. There were a few twists that I guessed at but was still surprised by!

All in all, it wasn't what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed the experience!

Oh man, I truly wanted to love this one so much more than I did! The blurb had me seriously intrigued - two elderly sisters living in a secluded area with a massive garden? Them being surprised by a teenage boy that just suddenly shows up? It sounded so good - and it was, but wow the vibes were just intense! It was a truly bizarre mix of sci-fi, dystopian, horror, mystery, and even some historical fiction all rolled into one.

It sounds intense because it was! The pages turned easily as I read the stories of Lily and Evelyn - I was so fascinated by them. They're still listening to and behaving their mom who died decades before? They truly had actual fear for the world outside their home/garden and that fear was just truly intense. The boy showed up and honestly, he scared them to death - they were so bewildered, so creeped out, and yet also oddly hopeful. I enjoyed the way that it worked out because even through all of the twists and turns you gain knowledge and insight into why the sisters are the way that they are, and you also learn about how badly they want to change their lives.

I don't believe that this book will be for everyone - it does seem to have a bit too much at times, but I can say that I am very glad that I have read it. I've never before read a book like this, and am doubtful that I will ever read something like this again. I flat out fully sobbed at the end - so sad and just realizing how changed these woman's lives were forever... and that alone is why this is a five star read. The emotions that were brought forth were intense and beautiful and I know that I will be thinking about this book for a long time to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Garden by Nick Newman, when the story begins we meet Evelyn and her sister Lily they’re both elderly and have both been living at their home with their self sustaining garden as far back as they can remember. They do remember a time when their parents were there they had other people that would come and go from the home but now due to some catastrophic event it’s just Evelyn and Lily. so much so when Evelyn sees her beehives have been moved she knows something is up and although Lily wants to blame it on her old age or something else Evelyn’s fears proved to be true when she finds a boy hiding out in their hideaway. before he appeared their life consisted of the kitchen they ate in and slept in in the garden which produced the food they ate and they knew each other like the back of their hands. His appearance however shows sides to each of the sisters they’ve never seen before and possibilities they hadn’t thought of. I really enjoyed this book, but felt as if there was going to be a wow ending that never came. We don’t find out how the world got to be the way it is and the whole story or at least 99% of it takes place in their home and the garden. Now having said that it should also prove what a great writer Mr. Newman is because this book held my attention the whole time. it had a fairytale feel and never once did I even contemplate DN effing this book so it’s absolutely a read I recommend. Especially for those who love literary fiction and what if scenarios.#NetGalley,#PenguinGroupPutnam, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #NickNewman, #TheGarden,vv

This was so disappointing. The premise of this was so intriguing to me and while it definitely had an eerie, creepy feel to it, nothing happened! It was so slow and I kept waiting and waiting for something exciting to happen and then it just…ended. The two main characters, two sisters Evelyn and Lily were interesting but I wanted SO much more and there were so many unanswered questions. Why did they stay in the garden? What storms are destroying the garden? What else is out there? Where did the boy come from? Who were the people who found the house? Where did they go? What happened AT ALL?!

After an unnamed apocalyptic event, sisters Lily and Evelyn have lived at the same house their entire lives. They are elderly now and have never set foot out of their yard fearing what is beyond the fence. The arrival of a stranger on their property changes the way they view their lives and what lies outside of their world

I enjoy stories of the apocalypse and the description of this book grabbed my attention.. Two sisters raised by the same family but ultimately different in personality made me love both characters. Sad and lonely but beautiful at the same time. I really enjoyed this read.

“The Garden” is an unsettling book, somewhat Dystopian, somewhat depressing. Two elderly sisters have preserved their family home and garden, living totally off the grid. But why? Nick Newman never reveals the reason for this isolation. Was there an event that changed the world enough to make this necessary, or was this withdrawal from the outside world caused by a deranged mother?
The author delves into the relationship between the two aging sisters, one childlike in nature, the other a worker bee. And then their fortress is found by a young boy, and everything changes.
This book was slow to develop and lacked important details that would have explained the scenario better. Why was the mother so frightened of the outside world? Where was the father? What happened outside the gates?
The lack of answers had an impact on my assessment of the book.
My thanks to NetGalley and the Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

The Garden by Nick Newman opens with two elderly sisters living alone in their secluded and isolated family home and maintaining their self sufficient farm, beehives, and garden. When a young boy appears at their house without explanation, the sisters look for an explanation on how he got there and the reason why.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for approving my request for an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Garden by Nick Newman. I received a copy for free in exchange for my honest review.

Honestly, I was extremely excited to read this book, but I struggled with even finishing the story because it was slow paced and boring. It seemed pointless, and I expected more of a mystery or more suspense. Don't get me wrong, it was well written, but it just didn't appeal to me. It reminded me of Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alan, which I disliked immensely.

As for the main two characters, Lily and Evelyn, both characters had good and bad qualities, but I found myself disliking Lily the most. The minor characters of their parents weren't that great, but their mom seemed like a total nutcase. Their dad seemed to legitimately care for them but seemed to be a bit standoffish. As for the young boy, there wasn't really any character development for someone who's supposed to be a main character.

Overall I found The Garden by Nick Newman to be disappointing, and it just wasn't for me. I gave it an underwhelming two stars out of five stars.