Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This story was beautifully told. My heart absolutely hurt for Iris right off the bat. The way the author was able to romanticize scents was perfection. As someone who just never wears perfume, this one has me thinking perfume just might change my life. This will be one that I recommend to all my friends for sure!

At first I was skeptical about a romance that covered 416 pages. I prefer my romances to be shorter books because I start to lose interest in the couple or start finding fault with their relationship without other subplots. But this was so much more than a romance and not really a romance at all, in that it didn't have a conventional HEA where you were sure that the couple gets a future together. But in fact I loved that about this book and was hoping that it wouldn't be a conventional romance. It is better categorized as women's fiction.

Iris is a woman in hiding, just broken up with by the longtime boyfriend she thought she was going to marry and start a family with. At 35, desperate for a family of her own, she freezes her eggs. At work as an architectural lighting designer, she is routinely passed over for career advancement and constantly subjected to sexist comments at the boys' club of her firm. I loved the insight into an unconventional profession and how it complemented the social impact of perfumery so well.

Her fiery neighbor, Madame Rapacine, offers her a way out of her problems. A perfume especially designed for her. But the perfume has a bit of magic - it makes her more desirable toward the opposite sex and increases her confidence. I loved how the author's love of perfumery and how scent memories shape our lives shone through the story.

Newly emboldened, this is not so much a romance as Iris getting her groove back. I was never sure which love interest she'd end up with, and none of the men seemed good enough for her so I was glad for the ending where Iris was empowered to make her own choices, come what may. The hot but arrogant billionaire that offers her a new job as she's working on his contract. The hot glassblower who didn't stick up for her at a work event. The neighbor she flirts with in the laundry room, her work husband coworker, even her ex. I was secretly hoping she'd end up with none of them and was pleasantly surprised that Iris got her HEA without a solid future with a man. This book made a bold choice and I loved that.

I love watching competent people at work and I enjoyed the scenes of Iris's competence as a lighting designer and Gabe's competence as a glass blower.

Full of a cast of colorful characters, also begging the question of "why are men," this book was quite ambitious, covering wide-ranging topics like the housing crisis as Iris learns deeper truths about herself as she pushes the boundaries of her sexuality. Perhaps too ambitious at times but its strength was in character development.

At times the writing style was a little too in love with comma splices but I loved the vivid descriptions it painted. I was always engaged during those 416 pages and rooting for Iris to pick herself.

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

this is my first book from this author and I loved it! Iris is a 35 year old with a haunting past that continues to trouble her, and a bright future ahead of her, both in love and in her career. A perfume, given to her by a friend and neighbor, unlocks some of the premise of the story. Is what happens to Iris simply her life playing out, or is it because of the influence of the scents in the perfume? This was a great read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Full Bloom by Francesca Serritella is an enchanting story of transformation and self-discovery. Iris Sunnegren's journey, sparked by a mysterious perfume, is compelling as she navigates ambition, desire, and identity against the vibrant backdrop of New York City. Serritella’s prose artfully blends sensual mystery with emotional depth, creating a narrative that captivates and intrigues. It's a novel that resonates with themes of empowerment and reinvention, leaving a lasting impression.

Full Bloom by Francesca Serritella, which has a publish date of 8/5💐⬇️

If you like:
✨Perfume, and the romanticization of scent
✨ Books with feminist themes
✨A sassy, old lady side character
✨Women in stem (ish)
✨A romance with multiple potential love interests
Then you may like this book!

This story follows Iris, who, at 35, is a bit lost. She’s recently out of a long term relationship and because of that, is exploring the process of freezing her eggs. She’s plateaued at work too, waiting for a promotion that she’s deserved for years. But when her neighbor gifts her a perfume unique to Iris herself, it changes her life in magical ways she couldn’t have even imagined.

This book had me in alllllll my feels, right off the bat! I felt so sorry for Iris, as she was newly single, struggling with her fertility while trying to celebrate her pregnant friend. I giggled at sassy Madame Rapacine’s ruthless frankness (but also secretly wish I could know her in real life!!!!). I was so giddy over Iris’s meet cute. I was angry in general at men, and men who abuse their power to control women (this was a really big theme in this book, and I want to scream for all the women who have experienced anything similar to what happens in this story).

I’ve never read anything that explores scent so deeply, and not in a scientific way, but in a romantic way, in an emotional way. The writing in this story was beautiful and really tragic at times because of the themes it covers.

The only thing that kept me from giving this a higher rating was that, towards the end, I started to feel like this book was trying to do too much. But the end was satisfying to me still, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Giving this one 3.5⭐️s, and keep an eye out for this to hit shelves on 8/5!

The cover drew me to this book and the blurb then made me want to read it. The story itself, thankfully, lived up to both of those things! Full Bloom is such a unique story and I loved how scent was used as power. Such a great read!

This cover is beautiful. There was so much to this book. This book has mystery, romance, and magical realism. Iris was a character that I was rooting for and she blossomed just like I hoped. The writing and storytelling was just very well done as I could not stop reading. I hope the author writes another book soon!

Full Bloom is nothing like what I thought it was just by looking at this book's cover. It was an interesting and insightful story to get lost in. The writing is excellent, and I liked the idea of how the exploration of one's life is looked at from a different use of one's senses... smell! I was entertained throughout. I think book clubs would love this title. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I love how this book doesn’t just seduce, it unsettles. It asks whether desire is power or a trap, whether being seen is the same as being understood. The mystery, the decadence, the slow unraveling of Iris’s past and present, it’s all so brilliantly executed. This is the kind of novel that lingers, haunting and hypnotic, refusing to be forgotten.