THE ALCHEMY OF FLOWERS is an enjoyable read that would work well for book clubs. The themes and subject matter are serious, particularly with respect to infertility, but there is a simplicity to the narrative that should appeal to readers who are not looking for anything deep or complex.

The relationship that Eloise develops with Raphael goes through its ups and downs, and sometimes the miscommunications can be a bit frustrating.

I enjoyed the magic and Eloise's ability to speak to the flowers.

This is not a thriller, and I hope it is not marketed as such. However, this story should appeals to fans looking for a cozy read with fantastical elements and a strong romance subplot.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

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 shrouding 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.

The cover of The Alchemy of Flowers is gorgeous and is what drew me to this book originally. Pair the cover with an intriguing description of the book and I was immediately interested. A main character who can talk to flowers? A mysterious garden you can't leave with odd rules to follow? No children are allowed? All of the workers are healing from something in their lives? All of these questions are ingriedants for a great story! Sadly even with all of the mystery, I struggled to stay interested and to finish reading.
I did not connect with Resau's writing style and I did not become invested in the characters. Resau has some interesting and lovely concepts. There is much potiential! I was looking for more magic. I am sure Resau will find her intended audience of readers for The Alchemy of Flowers! I am thankful I was given the opportunity to read The Alchemy of Flowers from Netgalley and Harper Muse.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

The Alchemy of Flowers is like a visit into an alternate reality. One in which the flowers speak to you and your every need is taken care of. Where you can focus on healing from hardship and learning to be happy with yourself and your situation. It brings you back to reality brutally, but the message is clear: take time for yourself, focus and heal, grow connections, but come back. Return. Do not ignore your troubles forever. Do the work, then trust yourself to be whole enough to weather the storm.
It is overall a powerful message.
Eloise and her journey made me laugh and cry and heal just a little along with her. Her character development, learning to trust again, acknowledging her own role in how her life had gone, what was her fault and what most definitely was not, were moving. It really made me think and I could barely put down the book for it. The other characters, Raphael, Mina and Bao, were just as loveable, with journeys just as tragic and powerful. The undercurrent of wrong (which resulted in my first note on this book being "this sounds like a literal cult" and the second one, "Girl, run", all within the first 15 pages) created a layer of suspense and Eloise's empathy and curiosity made her especially relateable and loveable. These story elements were well done and enjoyable.
There was a lot of talk about child loss and general child-related trauma, especially in regards to Eloise's earlier line of work, which was very powerful and a main theme of the story. However, I personally felt the part of the conversation regarding the foster system and adoption somewhat lacking. Not because of the related heartbreak, but because it seemed critical of reunification efforts in fostering while mentioning none of the hardships adoption, especially cross-culture adoption, could have for a child. This is not in line with what people who have been through adoption and the foster system in the US generally say. I think the author's criticism is valid, in that as a worker in the foster care system, it must be heartbreaking to see reunification efforts fail, but because the author chose to focus only on that pain without mentioning how attempts at reunification are also important for the child. I do think that the importance of the connection of a child to their culture, the culture of the biological parents, was shown nicely, both when the parent of that culture is gone, and during cross-culture adoption.
The prose was nice to read and made speeding through the pages easy, though it was missing a bit of a whimsical tone in some places that I personally feel would have made the appeal of Paradise more apparent. But honestly, I would pay so much money for a single night in Eloise's treehouse so you know, it's whatever. It obviously worked on me.
I received a complementary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Note: The Review on my instagram book blog is in preparation and will be published closer to release.

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 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.