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The Memory Gardener
A cozy tale of the power of memory and the nourishing magic of gardens from the USA TODAY bestselling author of the “sparkling, witty” (Katie Crouch, New York Times bestselling author) How to Eat a Cupcake.
Lucy Barnes is a gardener with an uncanny ability to know exactly which scent among her flowers will illuminate to a person a key from their past that might change their future. Sadly, after a tragedy ten years ago, she no longer uses her gift and has fled her hometown.
But six months after her mother’s death, Lucy awakens to find her mother’s unmistakable scent drifting over her, and she knows that she is being called home. And when a mysterious note leads her to take a job as the gardener at the Oceanview Home, a senior-living residence, Lucy finds herself wondering if there is more to her gift—and her mother’s past—than she ever knew.
Her work among the lush gardens of Oceanview Home soon awakens the entire community, unearthing memories that will forever change all who cross Lucy’s path. But not everyone is happy to see how her presence has transformed the Oceanview Home, and when a secret comes to light that threatens to shatter the entire community, the future suddenly looks uncertain. Have the memories that Lucy has unearthed awakened something wonderful…or are some memories better left buried?
Lucy Barnes is a gardener with an uncanny ability to know exactly which scent among her flowers will illuminate to a person a key from their past that might change their future. Sadly, after a tragedy ten years ago, she no longer uses her gift and has fled her hometown.
But six months after her mother’s death, Lucy awakens to find her mother’s unmistakable scent drifting over her, and she knows that she is being called home. And when a mysterious note leads her to take a job as the gardener at the Oceanview Home, a senior-living residence, Lucy finds herself wondering if there is more to her gift—and her mother’s past—than she ever knew.
Her work among the lush gardens of Oceanview Home soon awakens the entire community, unearthing memories that will forever change all who cross Lucy’s path. But not everyone is happy to see how her presence has transformed the Oceanview Home, and when a secret comes to light that threatens to shatter the entire community, the future suddenly looks uncertain. Have the memories that Lucy has unearthed awakened something wonderful…or are some memories better left buried?
352 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 25, 2025
About the author
Meg Donohue
7 books702 followersMeg Donohue is the USA Today bestselling author of The Memory Gardener (11/25/25), You, Me, and the Sea, Every Wild Heart, Dog Crazy, All the Summer Girls, and How to Eat a Cupcake. Her novels have been translated into Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Turkish. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she lives San Francisco with her husband, three daughters, and dog. She is currently working on her next novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews
November 21, 2025
Lucy is a bit of a nomad, she has never stayed in one place even for one year. After her mother‘s death, she is given the opportunity to redo the garden at an assisted living facility. But that’s not all, Lucy has a gift. She can unlock memories for people after introducing them to a specific scent. She has a past that haunts her due to her gift, and is hesitant to let other people get too close. One of the patient’s grandson, Adam, and his daughter Sophie threaten to change that.
The unlocking of memories using smells is something very unique to the story. One of my favorite scenes in a movie is in Pixar’s Coco, when Miguel uses music to unlock the memories of mama Coco. She remembers being little and her father singing to her. Music therapists have Long used music to help Patients in memory care facilities.
Although this book is probably classified as magic realism, we all can use our senses to unlock memories, the painful, and the joyful. I cannot remember ever reading a book that had so many references to scent. I feel like the book should come with an optional scratch and sniff paper so that you remember what all of the descriptive smell descriptions in the Story.
I collect perfume bottles, I have 80 or 90. Most of them don’t have any perfume in them anymore, they’ve been gone many years. But I love the bottles. And nothing brings the memory of my grandmother back to me more than smelling Estée Lauder’s Beautiful.
This is a heartwarming concept and the story carries it well.
Thank you to Gallery Books for the advanced reading copy. Book to be published November 25,2025.
The unlocking of memories using smells is something very unique to the story. One of my favorite scenes in a movie is in Pixar’s Coco, when Miguel uses music to unlock the memories of mama Coco. She remembers being little and her father singing to her. Music therapists have Long used music to help Patients in memory care facilities.
Although this book is probably classified as magic realism, we all can use our senses to unlock memories, the painful, and the joyful. I cannot remember ever reading a book that had so many references to scent. I feel like the book should come with an optional scratch and sniff paper so that you remember what all of the descriptive smell descriptions in the Story.
I collect perfume bottles, I have 80 or 90. Most of them don’t have any perfume in them anymore, they’ve been gone many years. But I love the bottles. And nothing brings the memory of my grandmother back to me more than smelling Estée Lauder’s Beautiful.
This is a heartwarming concept and the story carries it well.
Thank you to Gallery Books for the advanced reading copy. Book to be published November 25,2025.
November 25, 2025
3.5
This was a heartfelt, feel-good women's fiction story about a nomadic woman gardener who travels around restoring gardens and has a magical ability to help people remember important things by smelling particular flowers. The story has a large cast of side characters, a old age home in need of saving, regrets, second chances and new love. It was good on audio and I would recommend it for fans of authors like Fraya Sampson or Claire Pooley. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.
Steam level: kissing only
This was a heartfelt, feel-good women's fiction story about a nomadic woman gardener who travels around restoring gardens and has a magical ability to help people remember important things by smelling particular flowers. The story has a large cast of side characters, a old age home in need of saving, regrets, second chances and new love. It was good on audio and I would recommend it for fans of authors like Fraya Sampson or Claire Pooley. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.
Steam level: kissing only
July 22, 2025
I received this book from a Goodreads Giveaway.
I have never read anything by Meg Donohue and The Memory Gardener is not really in the genres that I am reading right now. Despite those two things, I really enjoyed this book! The story moves along at a comfortable, experience-every-day pace, with hints at previous struggles that don't take away from the lightness and easy read that the story generally provides. Donohue does a fantastic job at seeing the humanity in all her characters and revealing the road they traveled on life that led them to where they are now. I found myself smiling quite often while reading The Memory Gardener. The ending even had a few surprises I didn't see coming!
The Memory Gardener by Meg Donohue will shine a little bit of light on your days. Absolutely worth the read!
I have never read anything by Meg Donohue and The Memory Gardener is not really in the genres that I am reading right now. Despite those two things, I really enjoyed this book! The story moves along at a comfortable, experience-every-day pace, with hints at previous struggles that don't take away from the lightness and easy read that the story generally provides. Donohue does a fantastic job at seeing the humanity in all her characters and revealing the road they traveled on life that led them to where they are now. I found myself smiling quite often while reading The Memory Gardener. The ending even had a few surprises I didn't see coming!
The Memory Gardener by Meg Donohue will shine a little bit of light on your days. Absolutely worth the read!
May 18, 2026
I don’t think there’s any doubt that certain scents can bring back memories. This book just takes that notion a little bit farther with magical realism. It was a very sweet story.
September 1, 2025
The Memory Gardener is a book that blooms (pun intended) slowly and beautifully, layering grief, healing, and a touch of magic into a story that feels both tender and hopeful. From the very first chapter, you can tell this is going to be a sensory experience—the way flowers, scents, and colors are described makes the setting come alive. This is one of those books that pulls you in with its atmosphere as much as with its characters.
I felt connected to the characters grief and emotional development throughout this story and felt that it was done with tenderness and care.
I cannot wait to read more from Meg Donohue!
I felt connected to the characters grief and emotional development throughout this story and felt that it was done with tenderness and care.
I cannot wait to read more from Meg Donohue!
September 7, 2025
If you are looking for cottage core and Secret Garden vibes, this book is for you! The author’s writing was fantastic and drew me in right away. I wanted to keep reading to see what was going on. The characters had a lot of heart and I could really see them as real people at times. I loved this and thought it was a cozy adorable read! Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review!
November 24, 2025
Thank you @gallerybooks for my #gifted copy and thank you @simon.audio for my #gifted listening copy of The Memory Gardener! #GalleryInfluencer #gallerybooks #MegDonohue #TheMemoryGardener #simonaudio
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐌𝐞𝐠 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐡𝐮𝐞
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐲
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓
4.5★
I absolutely adored this book! It was just so charming and I was drawn in from the very first page! Perhaps it had to do with the fact that I lost a parent over the past few years, and I felt a connection to Lucy, the main character and her loss. This book was just so cozy and heartwarming and I loved it. I enjoyed learning about a new flower at the start of each chapter. As someone that loves flowers but does not know a lot about them, and I appreciated the little facts throughout the book. I loved that this book incorporated magical realism through the power of scent and flowers and their power to bring back memories. I really enjoyed the focus on community in this book and loved the side characters and the romance too! This was my first Meg Donahue book but it won’t be my last!
🪻Grief & Healing
🌷Magical Realism
🌺The Power of Scent
🌻Forgiveness & Friendship
🌹Atmospheric
🪴Gully the Dog
🪻Community
🎧Narrated by Erin Moon and Chris Henry Coffey, I loved how these two brought this book to life! I found myself hooked to the audio and not wanting to stop once I started listening. While I’ve listened to Christ Henry Coffey before, this was my first time listening to Erin Moon before and I thought she did a phenomenal job! There was just something about her ability to portray the right type of emotion that made her so perfect for this book and I just loved listening to her!
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐌𝐞𝐠 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐡𝐮𝐞
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐲
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓
4.5★
I absolutely adored this book! It was just so charming and I was drawn in from the very first page! Perhaps it had to do with the fact that I lost a parent over the past few years, and I felt a connection to Lucy, the main character and her loss. This book was just so cozy and heartwarming and I loved it. I enjoyed learning about a new flower at the start of each chapter. As someone that loves flowers but does not know a lot about them, and I appreciated the little facts throughout the book. I loved that this book incorporated magical realism through the power of scent and flowers and their power to bring back memories. I really enjoyed the focus on community in this book and loved the side characters and the romance too! This was my first Meg Donahue book but it won’t be my last!
🪻Grief & Healing
🌷Magical Realism
🌺The Power of Scent
🌻Forgiveness & Friendship
🌹Atmospheric
🪴Gully the Dog
🪻Community
🎧Narrated by Erin Moon and Chris Henry Coffey, I loved how these two brought this book to life! I found myself hooked to the audio and not wanting to stop once I started listening. While I’ve listened to Christ Henry Coffey before, this was my first time listening to Erin Moon before and I thought she did a phenomenal job! There was just something about her ability to portray the right type of emotion that made her so perfect for this book and I just loved listening to her!
August 9, 2025
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the digital ARC of this delightful book.
This is an absolutely charming book, with a beautiful setting, wonderful flower descriptions, evocative scents and some magical realism. The story was heartfelt without being syrupy, and the story of trying to save Oceanview Home, while getting to know the residents, and seeing the gardens resurrected was just the perfect read for me, especially right now. Filled with hope and practicality, I find myself being a little wistful, missing the residents. It would be lovely to have a follow-up story.
Four plus stars.
This is an absolutely charming book, with a beautiful setting, wonderful flower descriptions, evocative scents and some magical realism. The story was heartfelt without being syrupy, and the story of trying to save Oceanview Home, while getting to know the residents, and seeing the gardens resurrected was just the perfect read for me, especially right now. Filled with hope and practicality, I find myself being a little wistful, missing the residents. It would be lovely to have a follow-up story.
Four plus stars.
January 14, 2026
If you like Hallmark movies, you’d probably like this book a lot. Lucy is a gardener whose magical gift is delivering memories to friends, family and strangers via scents of flowers she knows will invoke things from their past. Cute enough, but the “plot” is predictable, the writing very simplistic, and it reads like a cheap romance novel at times. Some of the characters are cloyingly stereotyped. And why is it that I find even the dog annoying? Just not for me but if you’re looking for simple read with a saccharin ending, go forth!
December 23, 2025
I liked this book, but the beginning was a bit slow for me. I was also confused why her high school boyfriend stopped talking to her when the memory that returned to him was finally revealed. Overall, it's a cute story with a bit of magic mixed in. There was one twist I didn't see coming that I really liked and is why I gave the book four stars instead of three.
November 26, 2025
Synopsis: Lucy has always had the ability to transport people to a memory based on the scent of a plant. She has avoided using her gift on others for years, instead focusing on her job creating beautiful gardens. When she ends up with a garden renovation job back in her hometown at a retirement home, she attempts to use her gift to help the residents.
Thoughts: I really loved this heartwarming story! This is a beautiful story of grief and healing with a touch of magic. The magical realism is so well done - the magic does take center stage, but the realness and humanity of the characters keeps things grounded in reality. The cast of characters is lovely, and the found family vibes are perfection. There is also a dog! 🐶 A note on the audio: the narrators absolutely nailed it!
Read this if you like:
👩🏻🌾 plants
👩🏻🌾 magical realism
👩🏻🌾 found family
👩🏻🌾 grief and healing
Thoughts: I really loved this heartwarming story! This is a beautiful story of grief and healing with a touch of magic. The magical realism is so well done - the magic does take center stage, but the realness and humanity of the characters keeps things grounded in reality. The cast of characters is lovely, and the found family vibes are perfection. There is also a dog! 🐶 A note on the audio: the narrators absolutely nailed it!
Read this if you like:
👩🏻🌾 plants
👩🏻🌾 magical realism
👩🏻🌾 found family
👩🏻🌾 grief and healing
November 23, 2025
***I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review
Lucy Barnes has always had a special ability with plants. She knows exactly what flowers will spark a memory that a person has forgotten. So it makes sense that she has become a much-sought-after garden designer. She travels the country designing gardens for people, never staying in one place too long. But six moths ago her mother died, and her father has become a recluse. So Lucy decides to move back home so she can keep an eye on him, and she will accept commissions in the area. A mysterious note leads her to take a job as the gardener at the Oceanview Home, a senior-living residence. Soon, her work has everyone residing at the home out enjoying the gardens, and reliving memories that were long forgotten. But not everyone is happy to see how her presence has transformed the Oceanview Home, and when a secret comes to light that threatens to shatter the entire community, the future suddenly looks uncertain. Have the memories that Lucy has unearthed awakened something wonderful…or are some memories better left buried?
This feel-good story is perfect for fans of Heather Webber, Freya Sampson & Kate Storey. I adored Lucy, and I loved all of the quirky residents at Oceanview. I enjoyed the way at the top of each chapter it showed a picture of a different flower, and gave a description and told what properties it held/what sort of memories it might invoke. Since I already dabble i aromatherapy, I found that fascinating. There is a nice twist at the end that was a pleasant surprise. I highly resommend this one!
Lucy Barnes has always had a special ability with plants. She knows exactly what flowers will spark a memory that a person has forgotten. So it makes sense that she has become a much-sought-after garden designer. She travels the country designing gardens for people, never staying in one place too long. But six moths ago her mother died, and her father has become a recluse. So Lucy decides to move back home so she can keep an eye on him, and she will accept commissions in the area. A mysterious note leads her to take a job as the gardener at the Oceanview Home, a senior-living residence. Soon, her work has everyone residing at the home out enjoying the gardens, and reliving memories that were long forgotten. But not everyone is happy to see how her presence has transformed the Oceanview Home, and when a secret comes to light that threatens to shatter the entire community, the future suddenly looks uncertain. Have the memories that Lucy has unearthed awakened something wonderful…or are some memories better left buried?
This feel-good story is perfect for fans of Heather Webber, Freya Sampson & Kate Storey. I adored Lucy, and I loved all of the quirky residents at Oceanview. I enjoyed the way at the top of each chapter it showed a picture of a different flower, and gave a description and told what properties it held/what sort of memories it might invoke. Since I already dabble i aromatherapy, I found that fascinating. There is a nice twist at the end that was a pleasant surprise. I highly resommend this one!
April 20, 2026
March 22, 2026- April 4, 2026
Good book.
As someone who likes gardens and has a strong visual mind , I liked the descriptions and the visuals.
Reads a bit like a hallmark movie. Has a little more depth with different topics and challenges to be overcome.
A little bit secret garden, a little bit movie with inciting incident revolving around loss , grievance and change.
P.242 The garden isn’t even the same from one season the next. Change his constant… But also, nothing really dies… Nutrients remain, helping new growth that will always contain a bit of the old.
P.312 old grumpy Fitz story
P.315 Fitz always thought that love made people weak, but he understands at last that that isn’t true at all. It is the people who try to resist love who are the weak ones, the cowardly ones.
I was not a good father. I thought I was doing what was best for you. I thought I could make you stronger than I was, but I should have shown you all the love that I felt for you instead of hiding it away where you couldn’t see it or feel it.
Liked the tie-in questions at the end about memory. Also mentions of writer Marcel Proust.
11. In her acknowledgments, the author writes that she was inspired to write this novel in part by the research and writings of Dr. Oliver Sacks, a neurologist who asserted the gardens have ‘restorative and healing powers’ for elderly patients and patients with neurological diseases. What are some mental and physical aspects of gardening that you think could be beneficial to someone as the age?
2026
The Measure
Project Hail Mary
The Memory Gardener
The Enchanted Greenhouse
Full Speed to a Crash Landing
How to Steal a Galaxy
Good book.
As someone who likes gardens and has a strong visual mind , I liked the descriptions and the visuals.
Reads a bit like a hallmark movie. Has a little more depth with different topics and challenges to be overcome.
A little bit secret garden, a little bit movie with inciting incident revolving around loss , grievance and change.
P.242 The garden isn’t even the same from one season the next. Change his constant… But also, nothing really dies… Nutrients remain, helping new growth that will always contain a bit of the old.
P.312 old grumpy Fitz story
P.315 Fitz always thought that love made people weak, but he understands at last that that isn’t true at all. It is the people who try to resist love who are the weak ones, the cowardly ones.
I was not a good father. I thought I was doing what was best for you. I thought I could make you stronger than I was, but I should have shown you all the love that I felt for you instead of hiding it away where you couldn’t see it or feel it.
Liked the tie-in questions at the end about memory. Also mentions of writer Marcel Proust.
11. In her acknowledgments, the author writes that she was inspired to write this novel in part by the research and writings of Dr. Oliver Sacks, a neurologist who asserted the gardens have ‘restorative and healing powers’ for elderly patients and patients with neurological diseases. What are some mental and physical aspects of gardening that you think could be beneficial to someone as the age?
2026
The Measure
Project Hail Mary
The Memory Gardener
The Enchanted Greenhouse
Full Speed to a Crash Landing
How to Steal a Galaxy
January 7, 2026
I think if you love books like The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie, or books by Sarah Addison Allen, I think you would enjoy this one.
Lucy returns home to check on her father after her mother died. He isn’t leaving the house, and she wants to try to figure out how to get him involved again. She notices her mom has “Oceanview Home” on her calendar for the next week, so she looks it up, and finds they need a gardener. She stops by and ends up getting the job restoring the gardens of a mansion turned retirement home. She has a special gift of noticing what flowers have memories for certain people, and begins changing the lives of those who live there.
At the same time, several people in the story, Lucy included have issues in their pasts that they believe are beyond repair.
I really enjoyed this sweet story of a young gardener with a bunch of retirees, and a little romance, and a little magical realism.
“Loss changes a person just as love does, perhaps in equal measure.” Ch 1
“The flowers that I grow… their scents can return you to the past, to a memory you’ve forgotten.” Ch 10
“Maybe that’s because in gardens, storms always pass. The season eventually changes and flowers grow again.” Ch 13
“We carry every turn of our lives, every version of ourselves, within us, forever.” Ch 26
“How long have I been running from this feeling? Running from the place where I experienced my biggest regret, but also the place that is at the core of all of my best memories?” Ch 26
Lucy returns home to check on her father after her mother died. He isn’t leaving the house, and she wants to try to figure out how to get him involved again. She notices her mom has “Oceanview Home” on her calendar for the next week, so she looks it up, and finds they need a gardener. She stops by and ends up getting the job restoring the gardens of a mansion turned retirement home. She has a special gift of noticing what flowers have memories for certain people, and begins changing the lives of those who live there.
At the same time, several people in the story, Lucy included have issues in their pasts that they believe are beyond repair.
I really enjoyed this sweet story of a young gardener with a bunch of retirees, and a little romance, and a little magical realism.
“Loss changes a person just as love does, perhaps in equal measure.” Ch 1
“The flowers that I grow… their scents can return you to the past, to a memory you’ve forgotten.” Ch 10
“Maybe that’s because in gardens, storms always pass. The season eventually changes and flowers grow again.” Ch 13
“We carry every turn of our lives, every version of ourselves, within us, forever.” Ch 26
“How long have I been running from this feeling? Running from the place where I experienced my biggest regret, but also the place that is at the core of all of my best memories?” Ch 26
January 21, 2026
The Memory Gardener is described as a “cozy tale of the power of memory and the nourishing magic of gardens”. I like the concept of the novel which highlights the strong connection between scent and memory. I thought the information at the beginning of each chapter about different flowers and the meaning of their scents was interesting. And I enjoyed Lucy’s ability to match a scent to a specific person’s memory with the hope to heal them.
I found the pacing of the story to be somewhat uneven, with the middle third dragging a bit for my taste. However I enjoyed the ending, which wrapped up in a sweet and satisfying way. And I love a romantic epilogue 💕 I listened to the audiobook and did not form a strong connect with the narrator. I think I may have enjoyed this novel more if I read it with my eyeballs. Overall a sweet novel that I think will resonate with fans of cozy romances with a side of magic 3/5⭐️
I found the pacing of the story to be somewhat uneven, with the middle third dragging a bit for my taste. However I enjoyed the ending, which wrapped up in a sweet and satisfying way. And I love a romantic epilogue 💕 I listened to the audiobook and did not form a strong connect with the narrator. I think I may have enjoyed this novel more if I read it with my eyeballs. Overall a sweet novel that I think will resonate with fans of cozy romances with a side of magic 3/5⭐️
April 6, 2026
A quiet, sometimes tender and beautiful story about memories and what we’ve forgotten. Lucy is a gardener with a passion for plants and flowers, but also a very special gift…
‘But I know that I’ve always had a connection to plants, an ability to care for them in a way that makes them thrive quickly, vibrantly, fragrantly. And among the flowers that I grow… I’m able to sense when there is a fragrance that will return a person to a forgotten moment in time, a long-buried memory.’
Highlights |
🌼 Magic
🌸 Older characters
🌼 Loss & healing
🌸 Family & found friends
🌼 Light romantic subplot
This is a sweet story with some great supporting characters. I took my time with it and really ended up enjoying it.
‘If you can’t find the magic, you must make it.’
‘But I know that I’ve always had a connection to plants, an ability to care for them in a way that makes them thrive quickly, vibrantly, fragrantly. And among the flowers that I grow… I’m able to sense when there is a fragrance that will return a person to a forgotten moment in time, a long-buried memory.’
Highlights |
🌼 Magic
🌸 Older characters
🌼 Loss & healing
🌸 Family & found friends
🌼 Light romantic subplot
This is a sweet story with some great supporting characters. I took my time with it and really ended up enjoying it.
‘If you can’t find the magic, you must make it.’
November 26, 2025
3.5 stars
I listened to this one on audio, and it was fine, but it didn't really spark much emotion from me as a magical realism women's fiction focused on grief and memories might for others. Erin Moon's narration at 2x speed was emotive and easy to listen to, but Chris Henry Coffey's portrayal of the elderly, cantankerous Fitz was grating, bordering on stereotypical. Lucy is a gardener with a special gift of pairing scents with recipients who will return to long forgotten memories when they smell them, outrunning her past and a time where this gift turned out to be more of a curse. After the loss of her mother, she returns home to look after her devastated father, and finds a mysterious appointment in her mother's calendar at a nearby retirement community. Curious, she pays them a visit, and is offered a job to bring their overgrown walled gardens back to their former splendor. Once there, Lucy embraces her gift again, and brings not only the gardens back to life, but the home's residents. This was a sweet story, and I found the chapter headers explaining the language of flowers to be interesting, but the very convenient twist at the end was a bit twee for my liking. This would be a good fit for someone who likes a touch of magic without the paranormal, and a very mild read that doesn't entirely put you in your feels.
🌷🌼🌿 Thank you Simon Audio for the ALC and Gallery Books for the gifted book
I listened to this one on audio, and it was fine, but it didn't really spark much emotion from me as a magical realism women's fiction focused on grief and memories might for others. Erin Moon's narration at 2x speed was emotive and easy to listen to, but Chris Henry Coffey's portrayal of the elderly, cantankerous Fitz was grating, bordering on stereotypical. Lucy is a gardener with a special gift of pairing scents with recipients who will return to long forgotten memories when they smell them, outrunning her past and a time where this gift turned out to be more of a curse. After the loss of her mother, she returns home to look after her devastated father, and finds a mysterious appointment in her mother's calendar at a nearby retirement community. Curious, she pays them a visit, and is offered a job to bring their overgrown walled gardens back to their former splendor. Once there, Lucy embraces her gift again, and brings not only the gardens back to life, but the home's residents. This was a sweet story, and I found the chapter headers explaining the language of flowers to be interesting, but the very convenient twist at the end was a bit twee for my liking. This would be a good fit for someone who likes a touch of magic without the paranormal, and a very mild read that doesn't entirely put you in your feels.
🌷🌼🌿 Thank you Simon Audio for the ALC and Gallery Books for the gifted book
January 2, 2026
Since people have a strong memory of scents, becoming reacquainted with a scent can trigger old memories. Lucy uses this in her garden. Certain flowers can bring up different emotions and feelings. As she works to cultivate an overgrown garden in a home for the aged, she helps them remember their past by exposing them to the fragrant flowers. Of course, not everything goes smoothly. She soon discovers that the home is being sold. Can she find a way to save the home and all who live in it?
Did Not Finish
March 16, 2026DNF - page 26 (7%)
(March 16, 2026)
CW: grief, death of a parent
I received an ARC of this book for free via Goodreads giveaway. This has in no way impacted my final rating.
I knew from the prologue this was going to be way too cozy for me. I don't think I've ever seen that many floral or plant descriptive scent words that close together outside of the side of a candle.
(March 16, 2026)
CW: grief, death of a parent
I received an ARC of this book for free via Goodreads giveaway. This has in no way impacted my final rating.
I knew from the prologue this was going to be way too cozy for me. I don't think I've ever seen that many floral or plant descriptive scent words that close together outside of the side of a candle.
January 12, 2026
What a comfort to read right now. I feel like I was transported to a kind and lovely place with caring and warm people. This book was such a solace. All the descriptions of flowers and smells were so comforting.
December 4, 2025
Sweet and cozy story with some magical realism.
January 7, 2026
sweet book. would make a great hallmark movie
January 14, 2026
Very dear story. Love the residents of Ocean View home.
January 17, 2026
A book of hope, healing, and forgiveness...with a touch of magic.
May 18, 2026
A delightful read.
May 20, 2026
An absolute pleasure to read. Loved it.
May 20, 2026
Garden Scents, Magic, Memories… what’s not to love? 💞
January 16, 2026
Perhaps a bit far-fetched, but i loved the story.
March 14, 2026
This book had such a beautiful sense of magical realism woven throughout the story and it was so heartwarming too. The women in Lucy’s family each have their own special gifts—her mother creates paintings that make people feel emotions deeply, and Lucy has a gift for gardening where flowers seem to bloom faster and more beautifully under her care than anyone else’s.
What I loved most was the atmosphere. The author’s descriptions of flowers, plants, and fragrances were so vivid that I truly felt like I was walking through the gardens myself. Every scent and bloom felt meaningful and alive. Each chapter explained a different flower and what they mean and it had to do with what was happening in the chapter.
“Loss changed a person just as love does, perhaps in equal measure.”
Part of the story reminded me a little of The Secret Garden—there’s a sense of mystery, a once-beautiful garden that has fallen into disarray, and secrets tied to a beautiful old property that now serves as a home for the elderly. The home is run by a handsome but cold man, and Lucy feels an eerie pull to the place… especially after discovering that her mother had written the name of the property in her calendar before she passed.
One of the most magical elements is Lucy’s flowers. When someone smells them, they’re transported into a memory—but they don’t get to choose which one. I loved this concept of being able to fully relive moments from your past, for better or worse.
“Gardens aren’t a monologue, they’re a conversation.”
The introduction of Fitz was another highlight for me. He’s an angry old man who somehow seems to recognize Lucy, and I really enjoyed the chapters from his perspective. His narration added another emotional layer to the story.
The book also deals deeply with grief and loss—Lucy grieving her mother and her high school boyfriend, and Adam mourning his wife. Yet the story never feels heavy because it’s balanced with moments of beauty, connection, and healing.
Each chapter begins with a different flower or herb and its meaning, which often ties into the themes of that chapter. I especially loved Lucy’s interactions with the residents of the home and watching them relive their memories through the scent of her flowers.
“If you can’t find magic, you must make it.”
✨ This book was a magical delight—atmospheric, heartfelt, and impossible to put down.
What I loved most was the atmosphere. The author’s descriptions of flowers, plants, and fragrances were so vivid that I truly felt like I was walking through the gardens myself. Every scent and bloom felt meaningful and alive. Each chapter explained a different flower and what they mean and it had to do with what was happening in the chapter.
“Loss changed a person just as love does, perhaps in equal measure.”
Part of the story reminded me a little of The Secret Garden—there’s a sense of mystery, a once-beautiful garden that has fallen into disarray, and secrets tied to a beautiful old property that now serves as a home for the elderly. The home is run by a handsome but cold man, and Lucy feels an eerie pull to the place… especially after discovering that her mother had written the name of the property in her calendar before she passed.
One of the most magical elements is Lucy’s flowers. When someone smells them, they’re transported into a memory—but they don’t get to choose which one. I loved this concept of being able to fully relive moments from your past, for better or worse.
“Gardens aren’t a monologue, they’re a conversation.”
The introduction of Fitz was another highlight for me. He’s an angry old man who somehow seems to recognize Lucy, and I really enjoyed the chapters from his perspective. His narration added another emotional layer to the story.
The book also deals deeply with grief and loss—Lucy grieving her mother and her high school boyfriend, and Adam mourning his wife. Yet the story never feels heavy because it’s balanced with moments of beauty, connection, and healing.
Each chapter begins with a different flower or herb and its meaning, which often ties into the themes of that chapter. I especially loved Lucy’s interactions with the residents of the home and watching them relive their memories through the scent of her flowers.
“If you can’t find magic, you must make it.”
✨ This book was a magical delight—atmospheric, heartfelt, and impossible to put down.
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