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Glasshouse Flowers | Part 1: a novel written in the language of flowers
BL, coming-of-age, contemporary, romance
When Yuxuan Ren moved to Japan to attend Kyoto University, he planned to keep to himself and his books. What he didn’t plan for was to fall for the university team’s star soccer player and major mate, Yurihiko Urasaki—and perhaps on the night of the Fall Fireworks Festival, he confessed something he shouldn’t have.
Spring came along, and a new transfer student announced his return—Yurihiko's childhood friend, Tsubaki Fujihara—a friendship torn apart four years ago with a deep history and a lingering broken promise steering them further into the unknown.
Troubled to find a place in all this, they don’t realize they’re all fighting the same battle as the truth hides right beneath the surface.
“You really liked Yuri, didn’t you?”
Reaching closer to the end of youth in every change of season, these three and more challenge their fleeting happy-go-lucky days in this not-so-average red rose love story. A vast blooming garden of self-love, discovery, friendship, and more awaits, so what better way to write such a poetic journey than through the language of flowers?
When Yuxuan Ren moved to Japan to attend Kyoto University, he planned to keep to himself and his books. What he didn’t plan for was to fall for the university team’s star soccer player and major mate, Yurihiko Urasaki—and perhaps on the night of the Fall Fireworks Festival, he confessed something he shouldn’t have.
Spring came along, and a new transfer student announced his return—Yurihiko's childhood friend, Tsubaki Fujihara—a friendship torn apart four years ago with a deep history and a lingering broken promise steering them further into the unknown.
Troubled to find a place in all this, they don’t realize they’re all fighting the same battle as the truth hides right beneath the surface.
“You really liked Yuri, didn’t you?”
Reaching closer to the end of youth in every change of season, these three and more challenge their fleeting happy-go-lucky days in this not-so-average red rose love story. A vast blooming garden of self-love, discovery, friendship, and more awaits, so what better way to write such a poetic journey than through the language of flowers?
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2024
2 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
About the author
Lee Soul
3 books1 followerLee Soul lives a very mundane life with her beloved husband and two cats. But inside her mind lies a kingdom of imagination she could never be bored of visiting. Hoping that even when she grows old, her pure and youthful spirit will continue to flourish through her creative works. Whether in art or writing, she is a creator with a vision to share.
With many more stories to tell deep in the archive of her mind, Lee Soul waits for the day when she will find a place in the world for those ideas to bloom.
With many more stories to tell deep in the archive of her mind, Lee Soul waits for the day when she will find a place in the world for those ideas to bloom.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 16, 2024
**I received a copy of this book for free, and I'm leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, author, for the opportunity.
Rating this story was a little difficult. The idea behind is quite meaningful, with all the LGBTQ+ representation of characters and subjects. I saw this as more of a YA story that could be better received in a younger audience. It'll probably be helpful to a lot of people who are experiencing something similar to these characters: first love, heartbreak, friendship, identity crisis, etc
The problem with this book was that even if I could perceive the original idea, the result was not on pair. In my opinion, the book needs some editing, and a couple of plotlines could be improved for a better reading experience. However, this is only part 1, and also the author's debut novel, so it's still forgivable and understandable.
Interestingly, I felt this was more of a compilation of life stories and not a proper novel in itself, especially considering the multiple POVs (it's okay if it changes the perspective from chapter to chapter, but it gets confusing if it happens without warning in the middle of a chapter). Each chapter condenses a moment in these characters's lives and together it builds the whole picture of complicated relationships in a friend group. That way it would have been great, but some chapters were just filling pages because nothing relevant or plot-moving happened, and then, other chapters were excessively full of action. This broke the balance of the plot, and it was noticeable while reading.
Another big problem was the concept behind the book. I thought the whole «language of flowers» would have a bigger impact, but it was only mentioned in the chapter's title and it never appeared in the story. Although interesting, it didn't make enough of a difference to be considered the main characteristic of the book, as the title suggested. I expected the flowers to be metaphors for the character's personalities or a symbol connecting their separate stories (I've read novels with this theme and I was expecting something else). Maybe it will be more impactful or will make more sense in the next book, who knows...
And lastly, I have a lot of questions regarding the world-building. I assumed this novel took place in the real world because the author even made a note explaining how everything happens in Japan. However, I was a little confused when Asian characters were described as having green/blue eyes, and red/white hair. The hair can be dyed, okay, but isn't weird that everyone uses lenses? It was hard to imagine people looking like that. Then I thought about anime or cosplay, and maybe the author wanted an alternative world? But it still bothered me that except for their university name, you can't point out they are, in fact, Japanese/ Chinese people living in Japan. Nothing gave it away: not the food, the culture, the way they communicate or behave, and definitely, not the frat party or their university life. I kept wondering why Japan and why these Asian youths if the details about their countries and realities won't be important in the story, because the LGBTQ+ community there has very different situations and problems, and very few were mentioned here.
In general, I think this is a promising story that needs a bit of maturing, more research and depth in the background details, and cultural and political aspects, or a different approach. There's no need to specify the location, these youth could live anywhere in the world and still have their inner problems and conflicts, and it would make more sense.
Rating this story was a little difficult. The idea behind is quite meaningful, with all the LGBTQ+ representation of characters and subjects. I saw this as more of a YA story that could be better received in a younger audience. It'll probably be helpful to a lot of people who are experiencing something similar to these characters: first love, heartbreak, friendship, identity crisis, etc
The problem with this book was that even if I could perceive the original idea, the result was not on pair. In my opinion, the book needs some editing, and a couple of plotlines could be improved for a better reading experience. However, this is only part 1, and also the author's debut novel, so it's still forgivable and understandable.
Interestingly, I felt this was more of a compilation of life stories and not a proper novel in itself, especially considering the multiple POVs (it's okay if it changes the perspective from chapter to chapter, but it gets confusing if it happens without warning in the middle of a chapter). Each chapter condenses a moment in these characters's lives and together it builds the whole picture of complicated relationships in a friend group. That way it would have been great, but some chapters were just filling pages because nothing relevant or plot-moving happened, and then, other chapters were excessively full of action. This broke the balance of the plot, and it was noticeable while reading.
Another big problem was the concept behind the book. I thought the whole «language of flowers» would have a bigger impact, but it was only mentioned in the chapter's title and it never appeared in the story. Although interesting, it didn't make enough of a difference to be considered the main characteristic of the book, as the title suggested. I expected the flowers to be metaphors for the character's personalities or a symbol connecting their separate stories (I've read novels with this theme and I was expecting something else). Maybe it will be more impactful or will make more sense in the next book, who knows...
And lastly, I have a lot of questions regarding the world-building. I assumed this novel took place in the real world because the author even made a note explaining how everything happens in Japan. However, I was a little confused when Asian characters were described as having green/blue eyes, and red/white hair. The hair can be dyed, okay, but isn't weird that everyone uses lenses? It was hard to imagine people looking like that. Then I thought about anime or cosplay, and maybe the author wanted an alternative world? But it still bothered me that except for their university name, you can't point out they are, in fact, Japanese/ Chinese people living in Japan. Nothing gave it away: not the food, the culture, the way they communicate or behave, and definitely, not the frat party or their university life. I kept wondering why Japan and why these Asian youths if the details about their countries and realities won't be important in the story, because the LGBTQ+ community there has very different situations and problems, and very few were mentioned here.
In general, I think this is a promising story that needs a bit of maturing, more research and depth in the background details, and cultural and political aspects, or a different approach. There's no need to specify the location, these youth could live anywhere in the world and still have their inner problems and conflicts, and it would make more sense.
July 15, 2024
I really enjoyed this and look forward to more. I do enjoy stories like this where you learn bits and pieces of each person and events, and looking at several different friends/couples. I found it pretty easy to follow and nothing overly confused me plot wise. All the characters are great and definitely feel relatable, I love seeing all the different events and moments in their lives (even the sad ones). I never really felt like I was missing significant context with the end of each chapter, even though the chapters were fairly short. Some situations were just so tragic, but there was definitely a few times I could really relate to some of the characters and their situations too. I loved the support that they had for each other during all the hard times, it was very heartwarming. It made all the hard times a little bit more manageable lol. Overall, it was a good quick read (no matter how much it hurt my soul) and I can see myself rereading it.
June 18, 2024
This is a beautifully written novel about friendship, love, healing and self-discovery.
There is a sad undertone and it even feels tragic at times, yet reading this book somehow felt like being wrapped in a warm and cozy blanket.
I absolutely fell in love with the characters and I found so much comfort in reading this story.
My favourite thing about this book is the strong friendship these characters have – it was so wholesome to read and I just loved how their friendship was portrayed.
I really don’t have any criticism – genuinely enjoyed this story a lot and I wholeheartedly recommend this. I’ll definitely be reading part two as soon as it comes out!
There is a sad undertone and it even feels tragic at times, yet reading this book somehow felt like being wrapped in a warm and cozy blanket.
I absolutely fell in love with the characters and I found so much comfort in reading this story.
My favourite thing about this book is the strong friendship these characters have – it was so wholesome to read and I just loved how their friendship was portrayed.
I really don’t have any criticism – genuinely enjoyed this story a lot and I wholeheartedly recommend this. I’ll definitely be reading part two as soon as it comes out!
June 8, 2024
Unbelievably unique concept and story! Can’t wait for part 2.
October 31, 2024
“it was all tsubaki knew—living in yuri’s world.”
—🍂
glasshouse flowers (pt. 1) is a slice-of-life BL that revolves mainly around childhood friends, yuri & tsubaki, along with their inner-circle in college which forms the cast of side characters. the story begins with tsubaki, who reappears in yuri’s life after disappearing when they were in school. his entry sparks a series of events, conflicts, and revelations which force them to grapple with promises that were broken in the past & the emotions they suppressed as a result, in a journey towards understanding themselves better & rebuilding their relationship.
—🍂
writing-style: it’s just the kind of slow, cozy style which pans in on certain moments, emphasising & amplifying them—like manga panels drawn with words—that you’d want in a slice-of-life story. the author knows just how to pan in on certain elements from the environment—the shade brought by clouds, sunlight, trees & the colour of leaves—and couple it with the italicised thoughts of characters to create a reading experience that is emotionally-pronounced without being in-your-face. i am personally really drawn to such writing styles, so i was taken with this story from the very start because of that.
—🍂
themes & exposition: one **thing that the book did great for me was its treatment of the themes of ‘coming to terms with your feelings’, ‘being held back by fear from the past’, and ‘dealing with unrequited love’. the first & third themes, particularly, were done well through tsubaki’s character arc. he was my favourite character. his turmoil, his fondness for yuri & his friends, his occasional anti-social tendencies, his unrealised desires, and his efforts to do better—all these aspects of him were deployed through the right kind of exposition to make the story thematically-engaging.
—🍂
characters & plot: i’m clubbing these two parts together because i feel like the issues i noticed in each of them possibly reinforced each other. the characters were introduced strongly (ren, for instance, created an instant impression on me with his shy, reserved nature, and his reactions to yuri, which made him thoroughly endearing). the same goes for most of the other characters, too. they had strong defining traits at the beginning that made me feel connected to them—but as the plot progressed, they became increasingly out-of-character in certain scenes. this is not to suggest that i wished they were archetypal; multi-faceted characters are the best, but there is a way to introduce their multiple facets to readers. i prefer it when at least a part of me can see these new facets coming, when they are contextualised against the character’s backstory, and exposed accordingly. but, in glasshouse flowers, some of the characters were suddenly exhibiting traits that made no sense considering their disposition—and neither did i have the right kind of details to believe why they’d act like that. it just felt like their reactions to certain triggers were forced onto them because the author believed that was the only way to push the plot forward. in the end, it took away from both the characters & the plot because some parts of the book truly felt template-y at times, and i found myself wishing there’d been a bit more imagination to the plot.
—🍂
all in all, though, the writing-style & the themes explored in glasshouse flowers (pt. 1) made me want to continue reading it—and it was quite enjoyable, despite some noticeable problems with the characterisation & the plot. i think i’ll give the second part a try soon, for sure!
—🍂
glasshouse flowers (pt. 1) is a slice-of-life BL that revolves mainly around childhood friends, yuri & tsubaki, along with their inner-circle in college which forms the cast of side characters. the story begins with tsubaki, who reappears in yuri’s life after disappearing when they were in school. his entry sparks a series of events, conflicts, and revelations which force them to grapple with promises that were broken in the past & the emotions they suppressed as a result, in a journey towards understanding themselves better & rebuilding their relationship.
—🍂
writing-style: it’s just the kind of slow, cozy style which pans in on certain moments, emphasising & amplifying them—like manga panels drawn with words—that you’d want in a slice-of-life story. the author knows just how to pan in on certain elements from the environment—the shade brought by clouds, sunlight, trees & the colour of leaves—and couple it with the italicised thoughts of characters to create a reading experience that is emotionally-pronounced without being in-your-face. i am personally really drawn to such writing styles, so i was taken with this story from the very start because of that.
—🍂
themes & exposition: one **thing that the book did great for me was its treatment of the themes of ‘coming to terms with your feelings’, ‘being held back by fear from the past’, and ‘dealing with unrequited love’. the first & third themes, particularly, were done well through tsubaki’s character arc. he was my favourite character. his turmoil, his fondness for yuri & his friends, his occasional anti-social tendencies, his unrealised desires, and his efforts to do better—all these aspects of him were deployed through the right kind of exposition to make the story thematically-engaging.
—🍂
characters & plot: i’m clubbing these two parts together because i feel like the issues i noticed in each of them possibly reinforced each other. the characters were introduced strongly (ren, for instance, created an instant impression on me with his shy, reserved nature, and his reactions to yuri, which made him thoroughly endearing). the same goes for most of the other characters, too. they had strong defining traits at the beginning that made me feel connected to them—but as the plot progressed, they became increasingly out-of-character in certain scenes. this is not to suggest that i wished they were archetypal; multi-faceted characters are the best, but there is a way to introduce their multiple facets to readers. i prefer it when at least a part of me can see these new facets coming, when they are contextualised against the character’s backstory, and exposed accordingly. but, in glasshouse flowers, some of the characters were suddenly exhibiting traits that made no sense considering their disposition—and neither did i have the right kind of details to believe why they’d act like that. it just felt like their reactions to certain triggers were forced onto them because the author believed that was the only way to push the plot forward. in the end, it took away from both the characters & the plot because some parts of the book truly felt template-y at times, and i found myself wishing there’d been a bit more imagination to the plot.
—🍂
all in all, though, the writing-style & the themes explored in glasshouse flowers (pt. 1) made me want to continue reading it—and it was quite enjoyable, despite some noticeable problems with the characterisation & the plot. i think i’ll give the second part a try soon, for sure!
Read
November 6, 2024[Dal blog TÈ OOLONG DI MEZZANOTTE~]
A permettere alla cadenza e alle atmosfere di GLASSHOUSE FLOWERS, romanzo d'esordio (il cui seguito, conclusivo, ha visto la luce appena lo scorso 25 Agosto) di Lee Soul, di riflettere con tanta naturalezza gli umori "botanici" del titolo dell'opera, a mio avviso, non è la scelta di dedicare ogni capitolo di quest'ultima a un fiore dal linguaggio eloquente, bensì la delicatezza diffusa, il garbo che presiede alla narrazione dei sentimenti e dei rapporti in gioco; un garbo quasi timido, così rispettoso dell'intimità dei protagonisti della vicenda da scegliere, spesso e volentieri, di puntare sul non detto, su scorci di quotidianità da cui il lettore possa *intuire* il percorso – anziché assistere direttamente al suo dipanarsi – frattanto intrapreso dalle numerose dinamiche affettive via via incrociatesi lungo la storia... come se queste fossero troppo fragili, ancora, troppo bisognose di protezione, per poter essere ammirate senza il filtro costituito dai vetri di una serra.
Quella con cui abbiamo a che fare è, dopotutto, la cronaca dell'ingresso nell'età adulta di un gruppo di ragazzi che, nel loro... sbocciare, no?, in giovani uomini e giovani donne si prendono tempi diversi, a tratti appaiono tentati di rimanere boccioli in eterno, finiscono per ritrovarsi esposti ad attacchi d'insetti e a intemperie d'intensità variabile. Come comune denominatore dei loro individuali sentieri di crescita, solo la gentilezza di cui sopra e la cornice offerta dall'Università di Tokyo (alla quale ritengo ascrivibile il vero punto debole del racconto: sebbene, infatti, un certo tipo di attitudine contemplativa richiami con successo il registro quieto di celebri manga ad ambientazione scolastica quali "Given" di Natsuki Kizu e "Cat Street" di Youko Kamio, i modi festaioli in cui i personaggi vivono la routine del campus, nonché la spontaneità informale con cui vengono strette nuove amicizie – stona, ad esempio, il fatto che tutti si chiamino per nome/diminutivo, anziché per cognome – e con cui, in alcuni casi, ci si risolve ad affrontare il processo del coming out, secondo me, sono molto più vicini a quanto mostrato nelle serie tv statunitensi).
In definitiva: a chi consiglierei questo libro? Sicuramente agli amanti dei titoli succitati~, ma anche, più in generale, a chiunque sia alla ricerca di uno "slice of life" in grado di conciliare la pacatezza tipica di quella tipologia di storie con gli accenti, di per sé più turbolenti, di un romanzo di formazione.
Un doveroso ringraziamento a Lee Soul, dunque, per avermi permesso di leggerla e per aver avuto fiducia nel mio giudizio! 💐😊
A permettere alla cadenza e alle atmosfere di GLASSHOUSE FLOWERS, romanzo d'esordio (il cui seguito, conclusivo, ha visto la luce appena lo scorso 25 Agosto) di Lee Soul, di riflettere con tanta naturalezza gli umori "botanici" del titolo dell'opera, a mio avviso, non è la scelta di dedicare ogni capitolo di quest'ultima a un fiore dal linguaggio eloquente, bensì la delicatezza diffusa, il garbo che presiede alla narrazione dei sentimenti e dei rapporti in gioco; un garbo quasi timido, così rispettoso dell'intimità dei protagonisti della vicenda da scegliere, spesso e volentieri, di puntare sul non detto, su scorci di quotidianità da cui il lettore possa *intuire* il percorso – anziché assistere direttamente al suo dipanarsi – frattanto intrapreso dalle numerose dinamiche affettive via via incrociatesi lungo la storia... come se queste fossero troppo fragili, ancora, troppo bisognose di protezione, per poter essere ammirate senza il filtro costituito dai vetri di una serra.
Quella con cui abbiamo a che fare è, dopotutto, la cronaca dell'ingresso nell'età adulta di un gruppo di ragazzi che, nel loro... sbocciare, no?, in giovani uomini e giovani donne si prendono tempi diversi, a tratti appaiono tentati di rimanere boccioli in eterno, finiscono per ritrovarsi esposti ad attacchi d'insetti e a intemperie d'intensità variabile. Come comune denominatore dei loro individuali sentieri di crescita, solo la gentilezza di cui sopra e la cornice offerta dall'Università di Tokyo (alla quale ritengo ascrivibile il vero punto debole del racconto: sebbene, infatti, un certo tipo di attitudine contemplativa richiami con successo il registro quieto di celebri manga ad ambientazione scolastica quali "Given" di Natsuki Kizu e "Cat Street" di Youko Kamio, i modi festaioli in cui i personaggi vivono la routine del campus, nonché la spontaneità informale con cui vengono strette nuove amicizie – stona, ad esempio, il fatto che tutti si chiamino per nome/diminutivo, anziché per cognome – e con cui, in alcuni casi, ci si risolve ad affrontare il processo del coming out, secondo me, sono molto più vicini a quanto mostrato nelle serie tv statunitensi).
In definitiva: a chi consiglierei questo libro? Sicuramente agli amanti dei titoli succitati~, ma anche, più in generale, a chiunque sia alla ricerca di uno "slice of life" in grado di conciliare la pacatezza tipica di quella tipologia di storie con gli accenti, di per sé più turbolenti, di un romanzo di formazione.
Un doveroso ringraziamento a Lee Soul, dunque, per avermi permesso di leggerla e per aver avuto fiducia nel mio giudizio! 💐😊
July 20, 2024
I was first intrigued by the concept of this book, a BL based on the language of flowers. It was interesting to see how the theme of each chapter played out in the storyline. It almost became like a game with a set of clues based on the meaning of the flowers to see what would happen in the chapter.
I was impressed with how well the author kept track of the many storylines between all the characters and how well the plot matched the flower theme. The story felt much like reading an anime with the characters' descriptions, and with the flashbacks and different plot lines. And just when I thought an element of the story was forgotten or left out, the author brought it back into play, keeping my attention.
The beginning of this book was slow, but as it progressed, I could really sense an increase in the author's confidence, which is expected for a debut author. I look forward to reading book 2 now that the plot and characters are well established.
I was impressed with how well the author kept track of the many storylines between all the characters and how well the plot matched the flower theme. The story felt much like reading an anime with the characters' descriptions, and with the flashbacks and different plot lines. And just when I thought an element of the story was forgotten or left out, the author brought it back into play, keeping my attention.
The beginning of this book was slow, but as it progressed, I could really sense an increase in the author's confidence, which is expected for a debut author. I look forward to reading book 2 now that the plot and characters are well established.
March 3, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was written so beautifully every time I went to read it, there was a movie playing in the back of my mind. The way the many POVs are switched through was done perfectly to where I was never confused on who we were focused on next.
Now I will say, I had a clear favorite couple throughout most of the book, but I’m so glad I trusted the author and the process because as I kept reading I totally forgot why I was rooting for them in the first place. I simply couldn’t put the book down as I was reading and I found myself smiling so much. Momo and Shiro warmed my heart so much. My only complaint was they needed more page time! Other than that I wished we as the readers did get more of an explanation on why things were happening but maybe that will be revealed in part two. Also towards the end the gendering of one character switches so I’m not sure if that was a mistake or intentional on the authors part since the character still identifies as he/him.
All in all this is such a lovely debut novel and I will 100% be reading part two and anything the author writes going forward!
Now I will say, I had a clear favorite couple throughout most of the book, but I’m so glad I trusted the author and the process because as I kept reading I totally forgot why I was rooting for them in the first place. I simply couldn’t put the book down as I was reading and I found myself smiling so much. Momo and Shiro warmed my heart so much. My only complaint was they needed more page time! Other than that I wished we as the readers did get more of an explanation on why things were happening but maybe that will be revealed in part two. Also towards the end the gendering of one character switches so I’m not sure if that was a mistake or intentional on the authors part since the character still identifies as he/him.
All in all this is such a lovely debut novel and I will 100% be reading part two and anything the author writes going forward!
March 29, 2025
This started out as something cute to read one afternoon and then it turned into one of my favourite high school romances ever.
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