Apparently there is now a microtrope of traumatized American women in their 30s traveling to France to work in mysterious, magical locations like gardens and bakeries because this is now the second book I have read with almost the exact same plot. This story reminded me quite a bit of The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris - complete with the shallowly researched Romani influence and whirlwind instalove romance with a dark and handsome stranger who can reawaken the young woman's sexuality.

I liked this one much better than the Mysterious Bakery book, however, mostly because the Romani influence was in the character development and not in the magic system or worldbuilding and didn't seem completely made up.

I thought this book worked best as an exploration of the 37-year-old narrator's struggles with infertility. People who have fresh pain with these struggles should take care in reading this because it was a deep and sensitive exploration of Eloise's issues with identity, body image, childlessness and sexuality. This avenue worked for me much better than the magic system, though I was disturbed at her miscommunication to Raphael making him think she was childfree instead of infertile and her lack of reflection over that.

I was convinced for over half the book that secretive Raphael, who didn't share much emotional intimacy with Eloise, was married with children and hiding a double life, and this made me not care about their romance; his secret did turn out to be something much less smarmy, at least. But then after a mostly physical relationship and friendly flirtation, Raphael becomes The One for Eloise who she wants to build a life with. I needed to be more convinced of their chemistry beyond the physical to care about their romance.

I also was fascinated by Eloise's ability to speak to flowers but disappointed that she was relegated to compost duty, the author seemed overly enchanted with the word "merde," and her ability didn't factor much into the mystery or the plot. The pacing of the mystery and the speculative elements were also off to me. I was ready for creepy secret garden as a backdrop to Eloise healing her issues with her identity as a woman who yearns to be a mother. But her romance almost too perfectly fixed that issue and the story felt confused on how much of the speculative elements to include. There was a lot of dragging and much coziness, which struck an unbalanced tone with the high stakes and danger of leaving or breaking rules, and I found it odd that Eloise wasn't more afraid for her precarious situation. At least she was curious.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Eloise leaves her life in Denver behind to work in France and do the strangest job: turning merde into fleur. The garden she works in is not only enclosed from the outside world but also owned by a faceless, mysterious La Patronne. There are set of rules that must be obeyed, albeit how peculiar it is, and Eloise doesn't mind—in fact, it is why she applies for the job. All is going well and magical until she discovers a dreadful fact about the garden and has to face her darkest, deepest fear.

First of all, the cover has my heart. I really adore the symmetry and typography. It hints the 'secret garden' elements as well as the darkness that's creeping in, giving the vibe of a grounded but fantastical kind of power that this story is going to explore.

Turns out the alchemy part is only a glimpse of Eloise activity in the garden and being some kind of allegory to composting. More technical magic appears in witchy style instead. I didn't really mind it since the warm and unique found family atmosphere also supports this ethereal world's aura, but it did shift my expectation from a tale about floral alchemist to tisane concocter.

The mystery that's shrouded the garden and castle is initially suspenseful and eerie but unfortunately it fell flat. The revelation feels like a child's play and the resolution went too easy. I wish for more garden or floral magic utilization since Eloise bears the gift of communicating directly to the flowers. And perhaps it could benefit more from third person point of view instead of first person, because Eloise's "I" voice reads rather juvenile to fit the adult theme—except when she talks about her struggle with children.

I really appreciated the nakedness that the author writes here about what Eloise's been through in her old life. It's so vivid I could feel her heart-wrenching experience as if I was there. The connection among elements in her life before and after working in the garden is brilliant; I think this is where the writing is the strongest too (P.S. check the content and trigger warning before reading).

The Alchemy of Flowers brings the charm of southern France garden in an unexpected way: cozy yet hideous. Although the way first person POV is executed isn't what I typically like from an adult novel and thus didn't really deliver the story's potential, the concept is really pretty, and I could find solace in embrace of Mina, Bao, Raphaël, and the woodsprite who light up Eloise's life.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harper Muse. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Eloise takes a mysterious job in France tending to gardens at the castle, along with Mina, Bao and Raphael, who also live on the grounds. There are simple rules, no gossiping, stay inside at twilight, and never allow children anywhere on castle grounds. This is fine with Eloise as she’s fleeing her past to get away from any thoughts of children. But as time goes on Eloise’s friends, the magical flowers she grows and the magical tea she brews helps her heal and grow stronger, and she soon starts to feel differently about her life and the restraints at the castle.
Magical and mysterious, a lovely tale of healing, learning to love one’s self, and open up to others.

Are you ready for a magical read? Check out The Alchemy of Flowers. You won’t be able to put this one down.