e-ALC, 11:27:08
Narrated by: Patti Murin
Release Date: June 16, 2026
Published by: Books on Tape
Read from: June 1-3, 2026
Companion
Source: PRH Audio App (I received this e-ALC from the publisher and their app. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Grief, Cancer, Death, Sexual Content, Fire/Fire Injury, Panic Attacks/Disorders, Alcohol
For Readers of: Adult, Audio, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Sparkly Cover, Magical Realism, Most Anticipated, RomanceThe new head gardener at the enchanting Lilymoor House stumbles upon a secret garden . . . with a mysterious man trapped inside, in the next magical novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Sounds Like Love and The Seven Year Slip.
When Sophie Drear plans her escape to coastal Maine for the summer—for a temporary job revitalizing the storied grounds at Lilymoor House—she doesn’t expect to fall in love.
But she does: With the beguiling land, the fragrant flowers, and the towering hedge maze. With the quirky staff and the enigmatic woman who owns the place.
And then, the door appears. Never in the same place twice, it leads her to a secret, and unfinished, garden with a frustrated thundercloud of a man trapped inside.
This mysterious garden is not the only sign that the future of Lilymoor is unstable: the foliage resists Sophie’s careful nurturing, vines threaten to strangle the hedges, and the manor’s owner has wild ideas about who will take over when she retires—including her inconveniently attractive nephew who is also there just for the summer.
Despite herself, Sophie has come to care for the residents of Lilymoor just as much as she cares for its grounds. With the help of one man on the outside of the secret garden, and one man on the inside, she might be the only person who can figure out exactly what Lilymoor needs to bloom once more.
*MY THOUGHTS*
This was disappointing. For me anyways. I waited for this book since just the title was available, and unfortunately it just didn’t work for me. I think this is my least favorite of her books. For the past couple books of hers it’s been a pattern for me. I either love ir or hate it. And this time just so happened to be the latter.
The plot was cool, but that was about the only thing I liked. I loved the idea of the garden, but beyond that? Not so much. Like when you find out what the garden actually is, at the end there’s no real explanation. It was just over. I had no idea why the garden was doing that in the first place. It’s definitely magical, but I didn’t understand why. And y’all know I’m one of those who doesn’t like time stuff, so this was even harder for me to enjoy. Idk, I just don’t think I was the target audience.
The romance was sweet. I was glad she chose who she did, but I also found it difficult to believe in. It happened so fast and it was with someone who wasn’t even in a real time frame? (Idk how else to put that LOL) I didn’t believe in the chemistry, but the ending was cute and they definitely had some hot times in that garden. But I also didn’t like how they acted before they knew what was really going on. It made the chemistry even less real. Like they were enemies to lovers but backwards. And y’all know how I feel about enemies to lovers too lol It was weird.
The mystery on what the garden was and why it was a big deal was what kept me in this story. I had to know what was happening! Poston definitely made that part intriguing and I couldn’t stop reading it until I got to it. From the over-saturated flower beds to everything else, I thought it seemed like a pretty cool mystery and a pretty fun way to solve it. Definitely my favorite part of the book.
The characters were ok. But I think my favorite one was actually the one who wasn’t there. I cried for her bestie. And I hated that she felt so lost without her. I hated that she did all of this for her, but I was so happy that she gave her this whole adventure. However, Sophie by herself was just boring. She didn’t have anything that stood out about her besides her magical being-ness I guess. I think I just wanted more?
This wasn’t my favorite, but I still liked bits and pieces of it. I have spoken with some other friends who were on the other side of the fence and loved this one. I hope y’all pick this up and let me know what you think about it!
Overall, I give this
