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The Impossible Garden of Clara Thorne: A Cozy, Sapphic Romantasy with Gardens, a Quest, and Lots of Spice!
Love grows in the most impossible of places in Summer N. England's debut sweet and spicy cozy romantasy for fans of The Spellshop and For Whom the Belle Tolls!
All gardener Clara Thorne wants is to live "happily ever after" in her beloved town of Moss, magically growing herbs and vegetables and trying to write her book. But Fate has other plans when The Goddess unexpectedly bestows her with an impossible quest. Clara has one month to travel to the cursed and abandoned town of Dwindle and grow them a garden. If she fails, she will be banished.
Only Clara's magic doesn't work outside of Moss, a fact she has kept hidden for years. Worse, the Goddess has assigned the absurdly sexy, annoyingly cheerful Hesper Altanfall to keep her safe. All leather and crossbows, Hesper is as determined to protect Clara as she is full of secrets—but Clara would rather eat thorns than accept help. Nevertheless, the two can't help but grow closer as they make their way across enchanted woods, share one too many tavern beds, and work together to rebuild Dwindle one garden bed at a time.
Clara, however, refuses to give in to their blossoming romance. She’s had one too many losses, and Hesper might the one to break her beyond repair. But if Clara can find the key to opening her heart, she may just unearth the life and love she's always believed to be impossible.
All gardener Clara Thorne wants is to live "happily ever after" in her beloved town of Moss, magically growing herbs and vegetables and trying to write her book. But Fate has other plans when The Goddess unexpectedly bestows her with an impossible quest. Clara has one month to travel to the cursed and abandoned town of Dwindle and grow them a garden. If she fails, she will be banished.
Only Clara's magic doesn't work outside of Moss, a fact she has kept hidden for years. Worse, the Goddess has assigned the absurdly sexy, annoyingly cheerful Hesper Altanfall to keep her safe. All leather and crossbows, Hesper is as determined to protect Clara as she is full of secrets—but Clara would rather eat thorns than accept help. Nevertheless, the two can't help but grow closer as they make their way across enchanted woods, share one too many tavern beds, and work together to rebuild Dwindle one garden bed at a time.
Clara, however, refuses to give in to their blossoming romance. She’s had one too many losses, and Hesper might the one to break her beyond repair. But if Clara can find the key to opening her heart, she may just unearth the life and love she's always believed to be impossible.
412 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 7, 2026
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Did Not Finish
April 1, 2026The beginning of this book is humorous and so nicely cosy it could be a publicity poster for Cottagecore, and then the romance came in and bulldozed the cottage.
I was loving this world and its magic system, the idea of "lesser magics" that are domestic and practical magical abilities that are actually helpful in the day-to-day, like for gardening, cooking, music, etc. Nothing grand, nothing it-has-to-cost-your-firstborn, nothing but pure domestic and trade-worthy stuff. Who wouldn't want to have magic that grows the perfect carrot and pumpkin? And our Clara, a plain (she thinks) and sensible woman, has precisely that. A no-nonsense country girl with a sense of humour, a purpose in life to grow perfection in vegetable form, and a complete lack of superfluous complications that would make Tolkien's Shire-dwellers proud. It's all so quintessentially English it bleeds miniature Union Jacks.
But for that bloody romance, guv'nor! Who ever thought "cosy" and "spicy" can coexist? I want to know!
To spare all of you a long rant, I'll only say that the story is lovely up to the moment Clara is sent on a mission by the Goddess to tend a complex garden needed for the fight against an evil prince, and since she had to be escorted by a guard and the laws of Romantasy dictate that whilst travelling they have to fake-hate each other on sight so they can true-love each other later, of course Clara was assigned this bore on two legs called Hesper, and that's when the cosiness met its end.
The Cottagecore loveliness was as fleeting as . . . uh, a summer in England, and I'm out.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was loving this world and its magic system, the idea of "lesser magics" that are domestic and practical magical abilities that are actually helpful in the day-to-day, like for gardening, cooking, music, etc. Nothing grand, nothing it-has-to-cost-your-firstborn, nothing but pure domestic and trade-worthy stuff. Who wouldn't want to have magic that grows the perfect carrot and pumpkin? And our Clara, a plain (she thinks) and sensible woman, has precisely that. A no-nonsense country girl with a sense of humour, a purpose in life to grow perfection in vegetable form, and a complete lack of superfluous complications that would make Tolkien's Shire-dwellers proud. It's all so quintessentially English it bleeds miniature Union Jacks.
But for that bloody romance, guv'nor! Who ever thought "cosy" and "spicy" can coexist? I want to know!
To spare all of you a long rant, I'll only say that the story is lovely up to the moment Clara is sent on a mission by the Goddess to tend a complex garden needed for the fight against an evil prince, and since she had to be escorted by a guard and the laws of Romantasy dictate that whilst travelling they have to fake-hate each other on sight so they can true-love each other later, of course Clara was assigned this bore on two legs called Hesper, and that's when the cosiness met its end.
The Cottagecore loveliness was as fleeting as . . . uh, a summer in England, and I'm out.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I don't know, maybe the author bit off more than she can chew when writing a "spicy debut cozy romantasy", because I was pretty underwhelmed by the spicy, the cozy, the romance and the fantasy parts of this book. For me this simply was a messy read that did not know its own tone. I guess the book relies on readers who like any of these genres to just find something that they enjoy in here, instead of telling a story with coherent vibes. I'm a huge fan of cozy fantasy for instance. There doesn't need to be much worldbuilding and I'm generally happy with a little magic and lovable characters, and adding a romance is also fine by me. But cozy + spicy is already a questionable mix in my opinion, because it just serves so different vibes. It was throwing me off so badly in this book, especially since I lowkey hated the main character and didn't think that she deserved the romance that she got.
But back to beginning when I still thought that this could be a nice and cozy read. I was looking forward to reading about town gardener Clara Thorne who is living in a small town where lesser magics are very common. There's kitchen magic and garden magic and beauty magic and I was intrigued. She lives in a cottage with a little hedgehog and is preparing the flowers for an upcoming celebration. It was a bit infodumpy, but it still was solid cozy fantasy material for me. But Clara is soon sent on a quest, meaning that she has to leave the cozy town. Her Goddess gives her the task of growing a garden in another town many miles away, and so a good chunk of the book is about the mostly boring journey from one place to another. Clara is accompanied by her protector Hesper, meaning that I had to suffer through one of the most incomprehensible romances I've ever read about. There is supposed to be some kind of enemies-to-lovers thing going on, but it is literally just Clara hating Hesper for absolutely no reason. She's blaming her for things that aren't her fault, she's rude and inconsiderate while constantly complaining about everyone and everything. She's oh so plain (she isn't) and she has no magic (she does) and she is of no value to the town (she does and literally everyone tells her so) and leaving means the end of the world (it doesn't and she is supposed to return in one month) and she just despises Hesper (she doesn't). I honestly don't understand how anyone would like her, but Hesper is just in love with her from their first meeting and calls her by the cutesy (and nonsensical) nickname "princess" on every occasion (ew). Everything was either overly dramatic or very childish until it turns into full-blown smut all of a sudden. The book doesn't transport the cozy vibes that I expected from the cute cover at all and I also had to wait up to the 70% mark until I got something that resembled the impossible-garden part from the title. The book is so long without ever really delivering the cozy garden magic that I actually came here for and my disappointment is immeasurable. I don't think that it's written poorly, but it sure has a lot of tone issues and is structured in a weird way. Like, at the end there suddenly is a villain who has no impact on the overall story and is fought off in 20 pages, so what the hell was the point? But you know, the book is probably not as bad as I make it sound like. It just annoyed me with many unnecessary things, resulting in a personal distaste. It might be fine for other readers, though.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
But back to beginning when I still thought that this could be a nice and cozy read. I was looking forward to reading about town gardener Clara Thorne who is living in a small town where lesser magics are very common. There's kitchen magic and garden magic and beauty magic and I was intrigued. She lives in a cottage with a little hedgehog and is preparing the flowers for an upcoming celebration. It was a bit infodumpy, but it still was solid cozy fantasy material for me. But Clara is soon sent on a quest, meaning that she has to leave the cozy town. Her Goddess gives her the task of growing a garden in another town many miles away, and so a good chunk of the book is about the mostly boring journey from one place to another. Clara is accompanied by her protector Hesper, meaning that I had to suffer through one of the most incomprehensible romances I've ever read about. There is supposed to be some kind of enemies-to-lovers thing going on, but it is literally just Clara hating Hesper for absolutely no reason. She's blaming her for things that aren't her fault, she's rude and inconsiderate while constantly complaining about everyone and everything. She's oh so plain (she isn't) and she has no magic (she does) and she is of no value to the town (she does and literally everyone tells her so) and leaving means the end of the world (it doesn't and she is supposed to return in one month) and she just despises Hesper (she doesn't). I honestly don't understand how anyone would like her, but Hesper is just in love with her from their first meeting and calls her by the cutesy (and nonsensical) nickname "princess" on every occasion (ew). Everything was either overly dramatic or very childish until it turns into full-blown smut all of a sudden. The book doesn't transport the cozy vibes that I expected from the cute cover at all and I also had to wait up to the 70% mark until I got something that resembled the impossible-garden part from the title. The book is so long without ever really delivering the cozy garden magic that I actually came here for and my disappointment is immeasurable. I don't think that it's written poorly, but it sure has a lot of tone issues and is structured in a weird way. Like, at the end there suddenly is a villain who has no impact on the overall story and is fought off in 20 pages, so what the hell was the point? But you know, the book is probably not as bad as I make it sound like. It just annoyed me with many unnecessary things, resulting in a personal distaste. It might be fine for other readers, though.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
April 18, 2026
firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!
3.5 stars - the impossible garden of clara thorne is a cutie cozy (and spicy?!) sapphic romantasy 💐
the narrator did a great job!
3.5 stars - the impossible garden of clara thorne is a cutie cozy (and spicy?!) sapphic romantasy 💐
the narrator did a great job!
April 10, 2026
3 Stars
One Liner: Some good stuff
Clara Throne just wants a HEA in her beloved town, Moss, a magical land where she tends to her garden and is working on a book. However, the Goddess appears and gives her a quest: Clara has a month to travel to the cursed town of Dwindle and grow a garden there. If she fails, she’s banished.
It should be easy, but Clara’s magic doesn’t work outside Moss, and no one knows this secret. Now she also has to deal with the assistant the Goddess provided to keep her safe in Dwindle. Hesper Altanfall is determined to keep Clara safe, whether she likes it or not.
This quest might grow something more than a garden!
The story comes in Clara’s first-person POV.
My Thoughts
The premise is so cool, right? And that cover! I so love it! I was all for garden magic and the MC’s growth as she goes on a quest. Well, it had decent bare bones, but the execution doesn’t always hit the mark.
My favorites are the hedgehog and the crow (if only they had more scenes), and of course, Rose and the bumbling mayors. Honestly, the side characters are rather good.
Now, based on the blurb, you can guess the MC is grumpy, rude, and has a ‘tragic’ backstory that made her that way. Initially, I was intrigued. However, we had to wait a long time to know the reason, and her acting like a petulant child during this wait doesn’t help.
If she actually heard what the other character had to say about her magic, the book would have ended in 200 pages. Or, we could have made it to 250 pages by making the villain a bit more dominant in tangible ways.
This is a spicy cozy, which may not work for everyone, but I skimmed a little, so it wasn’t an issue. Still, I wish there were a bit more development to their romance.
The other MC ticks all boxes on the checklist, and there were many times I empathized with her for being saddled with this narrator girl. Maybe she couldn’t resist the MC’s potential that doesn’t get explored until almost the last quarter!
This needed some tightening and a bit of depth to become a 4-star read. I enjoyed some of it, but right now, it is a tad too long. While I understand the limitations of keeping the villain cozy, it didn’t help the plot in this instance. There was drama from the beginning, which builds up at the end. But it had to include the main fella in live action (not just mentions) at least twice.
There is HEA, so that made me happy. I won’t call this ambitious, as the plot definitely works, but I wish there were a few more revisions and structural edits.
To summarize, The Impossible Garden of Clara Thorne has an interesting premise and world-building, but the romance tropes don’t land as they should.
Thank you, NetGalley and Forever, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #TheImpossibleGardenOfClaraThorne
***
P.S: That’s the author’s real name (I wondered if it was a pen name, and apparently, many have the same doubt), and she even gives people permission to make fun of it. I find it cute, though!
One Liner: Some good stuff
Clara Throne just wants a HEA in her beloved town, Moss, a magical land where she tends to her garden and is working on a book. However, the Goddess appears and gives her a quest: Clara has a month to travel to the cursed town of Dwindle and grow a garden there. If she fails, she’s banished.
It should be easy, but Clara’s magic doesn’t work outside Moss, and no one knows this secret. Now she also has to deal with the assistant the Goddess provided to keep her safe in Dwindle. Hesper Altanfall is determined to keep Clara safe, whether she likes it or not.
This quest might grow something more than a garden!
The story comes in Clara’s first-person POV.
My Thoughts
The premise is so cool, right? And that cover! I so love it! I was all for garden magic and the MC’s growth as she goes on a quest. Well, it had decent bare bones, but the execution doesn’t always hit the mark.
My favorites are the hedgehog and the crow (if only they had more scenes), and of course, Rose and the bumbling mayors. Honestly, the side characters are rather good.
Now, based on the blurb, you can guess the MC is grumpy, rude, and has a ‘tragic’ backstory that made her that way. Initially, I was intrigued. However, we had to wait a long time to know the reason, and her acting like a petulant child during this wait doesn’t help.
If she actually heard what the other character had to say about her magic, the book would have ended in 200 pages. Or, we could have made it to 250 pages by making the villain a bit more dominant in tangible ways.
This is a spicy cozy, which may not work for everyone, but I skimmed a little, so it wasn’t an issue. Still, I wish there were a bit more development to their romance.
The other MC ticks all boxes on the checklist, and there were many times I empathized with her for being saddled with this narrator girl. Maybe she couldn’t resist the MC’s potential that doesn’t get explored until almost the last quarter!
This needed some tightening and a bit of depth to become a 4-star read. I enjoyed some of it, but right now, it is a tad too long. While I understand the limitations of keeping the villain cozy, it didn’t help the plot in this instance. There was drama from the beginning, which builds up at the end. But it had to include the main fella in live action (not just mentions) at least twice.
There is HEA, so that made me happy. I won’t call this ambitious, as the plot definitely works, but I wish there were a few more revisions and structural edits.
To summarize, The Impossible Garden of Clara Thorne has an interesting premise and world-building, but the romance tropes don’t land as they should.
Thank you, NetGalley and Forever, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #TheImpossibleGardenOfClaraThorne
***
P.S: That’s the author’s real name (I wondered if it was a pen name, and apparently, many have the same doubt), and she even gives people permission to make fun of it. I find it cute, though!
April 18, 2026
The Impossible Garden of Clara Thorne is a magically charming sapphic romance brimming with nature and small town happenings, all wrapped up in a whimsical quest to defeat an evil force. I enjoyed every minute of this gentle romantasy and how Clara and Hesper fell for each other all while saving the world. The quaint villages and all the magical feats were so fun and wondrous, and I just loved how Clara came into herself and magic, all while discovering the world that exists outside of her small hometown. If you're in the mood for a quietly enchanting romance, this is the book for you!
April 15, 2026
Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I had a good time with this. I thought it was a nice cozy fantasy with a comforting atmosphere. There were stakes but they didn’t feel too dire or overwhelming, which made it an easy and enjoyable read. I really liked the quest that Clara went on, especially as she discovered new things about the world and grew as a character along the way. Her development felt natural and it was satisfying to see her gain confidence and experience. The setting and overall vibe added to the charm and made it feel warm and engaging without being too intense. There was some spice and that’s not really my thing so I flipped through those pages. I would recommend this to anyone looking for something cozy.
I had a good time with this. I thought it was a nice cozy fantasy with a comforting atmosphere. There were stakes but they didn’t feel too dire or overwhelming, which made it an easy and enjoyable read. I really liked the quest that Clara went on, especially as she discovered new things about the world and grew as a character along the way. Her development felt natural and it was satisfying to see her gain confidence and experience. The setting and overall vibe added to the charm and made it feel warm and engaging without being too intense. There was some spice and that’s not really my thing so I flipped through those pages. I would recommend this to anyone looking for something cozy.
June 2, 2026
this was quite frankly a godawful book.
i gave it a chance and then i was like, ykw i hate this. but i’m too deep in and it’s fun to hate read. except sometimes i was in so much pain reading it, that i kinda regret even hate reading. never have i screamed at a book so much.
i took some notes about what i disliked but there are definitely more things. most of my problems come down to the mc, who was poorly written, incredibly annoying, and just awful.
things specifically i disliked about the mc:
- i think she’s what you call a pick me girl? i’m not super in the lingo but she was like “i’m so ugly :( why would anyone find me attractive :(“ this is never resolved and doesn’t come up later in the book, but it sets the tone of her character
- she works so fucking hard to stay ignorant. this book would have been resolved so much quicker if she didn’t willfully ignore every single goddamn sign that she’s actually special! (which again, feels pick me to me. like oh i don’t have magic :( i know i’ve been magically growing stuff for the last decade but that’s not me :( it’s the town (all of this to be read in a whiny baby voice))
- she’s so unnecessarily mean. at first i was like oooo i loveeee mean girls!!! but then she’s just awful to her love interest for the stupidest reasons and WORSE gets mad at the love interest for MEETING HER WHERE SHES AT. like she was screaming i hate you i hate you i hate you to the love interest and then got mad the love interest said smth mean?? and is like why is she so mean to me :((( GIRL. UR THE PROBLEM. YOU STARTED IT. she also literally said “one day all of our interactions will be just a memory to you” and then the LI is like “yeah but a good memory” which to me sounds like modifying a kinda mean statement and then the mc GETS MAD AT HER. U SAID IT FIRST MY DUDE. WTF
- on this note, i have no clue why the love interest should like her. she has no redeeming qualities. she’s awful to her. they spend most of the book being so toxic and yucky. it’s all lust in the guise of romance
- the LI i mostly liked, she’s hot and masc and good at fighting, what’s not to like, but i did get mad that the author made her Know the important plot details and keep trying to bring them up, but the mc would interrupt her. if that is the only thing keeping u from resolving the problems in a book then you. need. better. problems.
- i’ve been reading a lot of really well plotted books recently, where everything that’s mentioned comes back to mean something later. not this book. things just happen and are mentioned and never come up again. sometimes it felt like this book was written stream of consciousness and the author didn’t go back to say “oops this doesn’t impact the plot or development at all, i should cut it!” i think some of it comes from an attempt to be “cozy” but it was all surface level aesthetic fluff that belongs in a child’s scratchings (and like yeah! i was the type of child to write a bunch of cute makeovers and lots of yummy food eaten and lots of generic side characters. and first drafts can have that stuff but in the end you need to kill ur darlings!!!)
- on the same note, but more specifically: things would be introduced about the mc that contradicted her previous character traits and/or thoughts just for that moment and then not matter later. it just had no internal consistency
- just stupid and generic plot stuff too. like the villain is defeated so easily by just blasting him with hope magic. wow. how exciting.
- the mc somehow travels from islands across the continent when she’s 13 (never explained, waved away with “she was seasick and so she doesn’t remember it) and then she arrives in this town and an adult woman, who is supposedly kind and loving, is like hey you can live with me or you can go live by yourself?!?!?!?! hello????? why are we letting this traumatized 13 year old live by herself????
- the mc is given two weeks to pack for a month long journey. for literally no plot reason at all (except maybe to be like “yay the li is perfect!”) she doesn’t bring any period products. she’s supposed to be someone who plans stuff. anyways the li gives her stuff and then gives her medicine that perfectly takes away her pain. why.
- there’s a random plotline dropped in and never brought up again that the sun disappeared from one specific town for ONE HUNDRED YEARS. and they have little to no trade coming into town. and they can’t grow food. but they refuse to leave. whyyyyyyyyyy. also it’s just like… yeah it was pretty cloudy all the time. kill me.
- this section actually made me decide to give this a one star instead of a nicer two star. the li is saying mean stuff to the mc to activate her heart magic, which basically gets activated by love or anger lmao (and not like… any other emotion…….) and the mc says smth about them fucking and the li was like “no, we didn’t fuck, i fucked you” and i was just like. i hate that fucking rhetoric. partially bc the li literally said “tn is only about you” so like,,, just stupid lies there, but also bc sex is sex??? like it’s not a one sided, one person thing. idk that just pissed me off. also…. once it’s revealed this was in the greater good! all is fine and dandy. but like then they argue and fight lots after that. it’s like 70% them just being godawful to each other, with the mc always starting it and then her getting mad at the li for being mean back and then later completely forgiving everything
- there’s also important worldbuilding about a single person feeding an entire village (in each village) with their garden… when farmers canonically exist… it’s just like what.
- also, they were having somewhat kinky sex without like any safe words and like partially to get their frustrations out. which is just bad vibes and unsafe. the sex was also fine. i need to care about their relationship and i absolutely did not.
so yeah. didn’t love this one. the voice actor was quite good, i’ll be looking out for other books read by her. but this failed at everything it tried to do and also i think, was just a lot more romantasy then i actually like to read. also follows the trend of trying to be cozy but actually having high ish conflict that is badly staked/plotted. like i would much rather it have been about the difficulties of gardening and dealing with ones trauma, but with actual good romantic conflict and stakes. not whatever the fuck this mess was.
anyways, if you read this far, i hope you were entertained!
i gave it a chance and then i was like, ykw i hate this. but i’m too deep in and it’s fun to hate read. except sometimes i was in so much pain reading it, that i kinda regret even hate reading. never have i screamed at a book so much.
i took some notes about what i disliked but there are definitely more things. most of my problems come down to the mc, who was poorly written, incredibly annoying, and just awful.
things specifically i disliked about the mc:
- i think she’s what you call a pick me girl? i’m not super in the lingo but she was like “i’m so ugly :( why would anyone find me attractive :(“ this is never resolved and doesn’t come up later in the book, but it sets the tone of her character
- she works so fucking hard to stay ignorant. this book would have been resolved so much quicker if she didn’t willfully ignore every single goddamn sign that she’s actually special! (which again, feels pick me to me. like oh i don’t have magic :( i know i’ve been magically growing stuff for the last decade but that’s not me :( it’s the town (all of this to be read in a whiny baby voice))
- she’s so unnecessarily mean. at first i was like oooo i loveeee mean girls!!! but then she’s just awful to her love interest for the stupidest reasons and WORSE gets mad at the love interest for MEETING HER WHERE SHES AT. like she was screaming i hate you i hate you i hate you to the love interest and then got mad the love interest said smth mean?? and is like why is she so mean to me :((( GIRL. UR THE PROBLEM. YOU STARTED IT. she also literally said “one day all of our interactions will be just a memory to you” and then the LI is like “yeah but a good memory” which to me sounds like modifying a kinda mean statement and then the mc GETS MAD AT HER. U SAID IT FIRST MY DUDE. WTF
- on this note, i have no clue why the love interest should like her. she has no redeeming qualities. she’s awful to her. they spend most of the book being so toxic and yucky. it’s all lust in the guise of romance
- the LI i mostly liked, she’s hot and masc and good at fighting, what’s not to like, but i did get mad that the author made her Know the important plot details and keep trying to bring them up, but the mc would interrupt her. if that is the only thing keeping u from resolving the problems in a book then you. need. better. problems.
- i’ve been reading a lot of really well plotted books recently, where everything that’s mentioned comes back to mean something later. not this book. things just happen and are mentioned and never come up again. sometimes it felt like this book was written stream of consciousness and the author didn’t go back to say “oops this doesn’t impact the plot or development at all, i should cut it!” i think some of it comes from an attempt to be “cozy” but it was all surface level aesthetic fluff that belongs in a child’s scratchings (and like yeah! i was the type of child to write a bunch of cute makeovers and lots of yummy food eaten and lots of generic side characters. and first drafts can have that stuff but in the end you need to kill ur darlings!!!)
- on the same note, but more specifically: things would be introduced about the mc that contradicted her previous character traits and/or thoughts just for that moment and then not matter later. it just had no internal consistency
- just stupid and generic plot stuff too. like the villain is defeated so easily by just blasting him with hope magic. wow. how exciting.
- the mc somehow travels from islands across the continent when she’s 13 (never explained, waved away with “she was seasick and so she doesn’t remember it) and then she arrives in this town and an adult woman, who is supposedly kind and loving, is like hey you can live with me or you can go live by yourself?!?!?!?! hello????? why are we letting this traumatized 13 year old live by herself????
- the mc is given two weeks to pack for a month long journey. for literally no plot reason at all (except maybe to be like “yay the li is perfect!”) she doesn’t bring any period products. she’s supposed to be someone who plans stuff. anyways the li gives her stuff and then gives her medicine that perfectly takes away her pain. why.
- there’s a random plotline dropped in and never brought up again that the sun disappeared from one specific town for ONE HUNDRED YEARS. and they have little to no trade coming into town. and they can’t grow food. but they refuse to leave. whyyyyyyyyyy. also it’s just like… yeah it was pretty cloudy all the time. kill me.
- this section actually made me decide to give this a one star instead of a nicer two star. the li is saying mean stuff to the mc to activate her heart magic, which basically gets activated by love or anger lmao (and not like… any other emotion…….) and the mc says smth about them fucking and the li was like “no, we didn’t fuck, i fucked you” and i was just like. i hate that fucking rhetoric. partially bc the li literally said “tn is only about you” so like,,, just stupid lies there, but also bc sex is sex??? like it’s not a one sided, one person thing. idk that just pissed me off. also…. once it’s revealed this was in the greater good! all is fine and dandy. but like then they argue and fight lots after that. it’s like 70% them just being godawful to each other, with the mc always starting it and then her getting mad at the li for being mean back and then later completely forgiving everything
- there’s also important worldbuilding about a single person feeding an entire village (in each village) with their garden… when farmers canonically exist… it’s just like what.
- also, they were having somewhat kinky sex without like any safe words and like partially to get their frustrations out. which is just bad vibes and unsafe. the sex was also fine. i need to care about their relationship and i absolutely did not.
so yeah. didn’t love this one. the voice actor was quite good, i’ll be looking out for other books read by her. but this failed at everything it tried to do and also i think, was just a lot more romantasy then i actually like to read. also follows the trend of trying to be cozy but actually having high ish conflict that is badly staked/plotted. like i would much rather it have been about the difficulties of gardening and dealing with ones trauma, but with actual good romantic conflict and stakes. not whatever the fuck this mess was.
anyways, if you read this far, i hope you were entertained!
June 26, 2026
My first SAPPHIC romance annnnd I was kind of disappointed. Self discovery, gardening & new love!
✨🪴🌲💚🌲 🪴 ✨
Clara is a self-conscious PRETEND magical gardener. She loves her town fiercely and is trying her best to grow produce despite her magicless green thumb. To surprise of literally everyone she gets chosen by a goddess to grow a garden in a cursed town ✨ Clara must leave comfort behind and embark on a journey with a stunningly buff warrior Hesper.
🪴 she’s just a lost soul trying so hard to belong to a lovely town
🪴 forced proximity
🪴 fmc’s magic is attached to her HEART!
🪴 modern spice language & cursing
I really enjoyed the cottage core vibes of the fantasy plot. The exciting adventure of a road trip, colorful characters & adorable cottages 💛🪴 the world building wasn’t completely fleshed out, which was okay for the story but the ENDING…I didn’t really get it.
I couldn’t really get into the romance of it all! Clara could be needlessly petulant & completely immature, which made the relationship feel almost…childish. This was my first sapphic romance so I’m not sure if I didn’t enjoy the characters or this genre is t for me 🤷🏽♀️
✨🪴🌲💚🌲 🪴 ✨
Clara is a self-conscious PRETEND magical gardener. She loves her town fiercely and is trying her best to grow produce despite her magicless green thumb. To surprise of literally everyone she gets chosen by a goddess to grow a garden in a cursed town ✨ Clara must leave comfort behind and embark on a journey with a stunningly buff warrior Hesper.
🪴 she’s just a lost soul trying so hard to belong to a lovely town
🪴 forced proximity
🪴 fmc’s magic is attached to her HEART!
🪴 modern spice language & cursing
I really enjoyed the cottage core vibes of the fantasy plot. The exciting adventure of a road trip, colorful characters & adorable cottages 💛🪴 the world building wasn’t completely fleshed out, which was okay for the story but the ENDING…I didn’t really get it.
I couldn’t really get into the romance of it all! Clara could be needlessly petulant & completely immature, which made the relationship feel almost…childish. This was my first sapphic romance so I’m not sure if I didn’t enjoy the characters or this genre is t for me 🤷🏽♀️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2026
Narrator did a fantastic job bringing this to life. Story is very whimsical and while it has cozy elements I feel like the plot was too serious to be actually cozy. The romance is really well done, the tension is perfect and this is an overall entertaining listen. Thanks to Netgalley, the author , narrator and publisher for this alc.
April 7, 2026
The Impossible Garden of Clara Thorne by Summer N. England
Book Blurb: All gardener Clara Thorne wants is to live "happily ever after" in her beloved town of Moss, magically growing herbs and vegetables and trying to write her book. But Fate has other plans when The Goddess unexpectedly bestows her with an impossible quest. Clara has one month to travel to the cursed and abandoned town of Dwindle and grow them a garden. If she fails, she will be banished.
Rating: ****
Feels: Cozy, touching, healing, adventure
Style: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Cozy Fantasy, LGBT
First published April 7, 2026 : 416 pages
Cozy Adventure with splashes of healing energy, finding yourself and finding your community. Im always such a fan of the body guard vibes and Clara and Hesper gave such perfect vibes. Clara was our sunshine princess with her grumpy bodyguard and they both had alot of growth and healing to go through during this adventure to a town to discover the magic inside. The aspect of each person having a unigue type of magic was really fun, beauty magic, garden magic, kitchen magic, trickster magic, honey magic .... it gave a really fun flavor to the roles that everyone filled in the book and how they used their magic in those roles. The side characters that we got to play with along the way added such fun flair to the adventure for these two. Watching these two learn to trust each other and slowly (gotta have that slow burn !!) get to the spice was worth it !!!
Favorite Quote: But it was all far too much. Fear of failing, fear of leaving, fear of being, fear of loving.
This book has:
Sapphic Story
Chosen One
One Bed
Forced Proximity
Questing Adventure
Bodyguard Romance
Grumpy x Sunshine
Slow Burn
Healing & Growth
Found Family
Unique Magic
Sweet & Spicy
Book Blurb: All gardener Clara Thorne wants is to live "happily ever after" in her beloved town of Moss, magically growing herbs and vegetables and trying to write her book. But Fate has other plans when The Goddess unexpectedly bestows her with an impossible quest. Clara has one month to travel to the cursed and abandoned town of Dwindle and grow them a garden. If she fails, she will be banished.
Rating: ****
Feels: Cozy, touching, healing, adventure
Style: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Cozy Fantasy, LGBT
First published April 7, 2026 : 416 pages
Cozy Adventure with splashes of healing energy, finding yourself and finding your community. Im always such a fan of the body guard vibes and Clara and Hesper gave such perfect vibes. Clara was our sunshine princess with her grumpy bodyguard and they both had alot of growth and healing to go through during this adventure to a town to discover the magic inside. The aspect of each person having a unigue type of magic was really fun, beauty magic, garden magic, kitchen magic, trickster magic, honey magic .... it gave a really fun flavor to the roles that everyone filled in the book and how they used their magic in those roles. The side characters that we got to play with along the way added such fun flair to the adventure for these two. Watching these two learn to trust each other and slowly (gotta have that slow burn !!) get to the spice was worth it !!!
Favorite Quote: But it was all far too much. Fear of failing, fear of leaving, fear of being, fear of loving.
This book has:
Sapphic Story
Chosen One
One Bed
Forced Proximity
Questing Adventure
Bodyguard Romance
Grumpy x Sunshine
Slow Burn
Healing & Growth
Found Family
Unique Magic
Sweet & Spicy
July 21, 2026
I adored this charming story!
Whimsical. Charming. Quirky.
'All gardener Clara Thorne wants is to live "happily ever after" in her beloved town of Moss, magically growing herbs and vegetables and trying to write her book. But Fate has other plans when The Goddess unexpectedly bestows her with an impossible quest. Clara has one month to travel to the cursed and abandoned town of Dwindle and grow them a garden. If she fails, she will be banished.'
This was a fun, quick and enjoyable read. I am looking forward to whatever is next from Summer N. England.
4.5 stars
Whimsical. Charming. Quirky.
'All gardener Clara Thorne wants is to live "happily ever after" in her beloved town of Moss, magically growing herbs and vegetables and trying to write her book. But Fate has other plans when The Goddess unexpectedly bestows her with an impossible quest. Clara has one month to travel to the cursed and abandoned town of Dwindle and grow them a garden. If she fails, she will be banished.'
This was a fun, quick and enjoyable read. I am looking forward to whatever is next from Summer N. England.
4.5 stars
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.75 ⭐
The Impossible Garden of Clara Thorne is the kind of cozy romantasy that feels soft and magical on the surface—but hides a deeply emotional journey underneath.
Clara is a gardener who only wants a quiet life in Moss, her beloved town. So when the Goddess sends her on a quest to grow a garden in the cursed lands of Dwindle, she’s convinced it’s a punishment disguised as destiny. She believes she has no magic of her own, and once she leaves Moss, she fears she’ll fail and be banished forever. Enter Hesper; a gentle but fiercely protective warrior assigned to accompany her. And suddenly, Clara’s biggest battle isn’t the cursed land… it’s her own guarded heart.
I’ll be honest: Clara is not an easy character to love at first. She’s defensive, moody, and pushes everyone away; especially Hesper. It took me about halfway through the book, once her backstory unfolds, to truly understand her. Before that? She could be frustrating. But once I saw the hurt behind her walls, everything shifted. Even so, I appreciated that beneath her prickly exterior was someone who cared deeply about others, often more than herself. Watching her growth by the end felt rewarding. She simply needed someone—Hesper—to remind her that love is worth the risk and that she is worthy of it.
Hesper completely stole my heart. She’s warm, patient, steady; the emotional backbone of the story. I adored how persistent yet gentle she was with Clara. If anything, I wish we had gotten more of her perspective and more of her warrior life, especially after that ending.
As for the romance, I did struggle with fully believing it at times. Clara spends much of the story pushing Hesper away and trying to resent her, which made it hard not to feel like Hesper deserved better. While understanding Clara’s childhood trauma helped contextualize her behavior, the push-and-pull dynamic occasionally tested my patience. Still, their banter was enjoyable, and I appreciated that the author didn’t rush the emotional development. Their resolution felt earned, and seeing them finally come together was genuinely satisfying.
At its core, this is an entertaining magical tale about friendship, found family, and discovering one’s power. However, I do think the world-building took a slight backseat to the personal growth arc. The different settings and magical beings—nymphs, fae, dryads, dwarves—were intriguing, but I felt like we only scratched the surface of the world’s larger magic system. While the execution was solid, I anticipated both Clara’s power reveal and the villain’s arrival, which made those moments feel less striking.
The pacing was another minor issue. The story doesn’t truly pick up until the quest begins; before that, it feels somewhat stagnant. It wasn’t boring, but I wasn’t fully immersed either. Thankfully, once the journey starts, the narrative gains momentum. The writing itself is dreamlike yet grounded, which helped create a vivid and immersive atmosphere.
Overall, this is a cozy fantasy about self-worth, found family, and healing, wrapped in a gentle slow-burn romance. Perfect if you’re looking for low angst, soft magic, and a story about learning that sometimes the power you’re searching for has been inside you all along.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the eARC—I really appreciate the chance to read this early!
The Impossible Garden of Clara Thorne is the kind of cozy romantasy that feels soft and magical on the surface—but hides a deeply emotional journey underneath.
Clara is a gardener who only wants a quiet life in Moss, her beloved town. So when the Goddess sends her on a quest to grow a garden in the cursed lands of Dwindle, she’s convinced it’s a punishment disguised as destiny. She believes she has no magic of her own, and once she leaves Moss, she fears she’ll fail and be banished forever. Enter Hesper; a gentle but fiercely protective warrior assigned to accompany her. And suddenly, Clara’s biggest battle isn’t the cursed land… it’s her own guarded heart.
I’ll be honest: Clara is not an easy character to love at first. She’s defensive, moody, and pushes everyone away; especially Hesper. It took me about halfway through the book, once her backstory unfolds, to truly understand her. Before that? She could be frustrating. But once I saw the hurt behind her walls, everything shifted. Even so, I appreciated that beneath her prickly exterior was someone who cared deeply about others, often more than herself. Watching her growth by the end felt rewarding. She simply needed someone—Hesper—to remind her that love is worth the risk and that she is worthy of it.
Hesper completely stole my heart. She’s warm, patient, steady; the emotional backbone of the story. I adored how persistent yet gentle she was with Clara. If anything, I wish we had gotten more of her perspective and more of her warrior life, especially after that ending.
As for the romance, I did struggle with fully believing it at times. Clara spends much of the story pushing Hesper away and trying to resent her, which made it hard not to feel like Hesper deserved better. While understanding Clara’s childhood trauma helped contextualize her behavior, the push-and-pull dynamic occasionally tested my patience. Still, their banter was enjoyable, and I appreciated that the author didn’t rush the emotional development. Their resolution felt earned, and seeing them finally come together was genuinely satisfying.
At its core, this is an entertaining magical tale about friendship, found family, and discovering one’s power. However, I do think the world-building took a slight backseat to the personal growth arc. The different settings and magical beings—nymphs, fae, dryads, dwarves—were intriguing, but I felt like we only scratched the surface of the world’s larger magic system. While the execution was solid, I anticipated both Clara’s power reveal and the villain’s arrival, which made those moments feel less striking.
The pacing was another minor issue. The story doesn’t truly pick up until the quest begins; before that, it feels somewhat stagnant. It wasn’t boring, but I wasn’t fully immersed either. Thankfully, once the journey starts, the narrative gains momentum. The writing itself is dreamlike yet grounded, which helped create a vivid and immersive atmosphere.
Overall, this is a cozy fantasy about self-worth, found family, and healing, wrapped in a gentle slow-burn romance. Perfect if you’re looking for low angst, soft magic, and a story about learning that sometimes the power you’re searching for has been inside you all along.
A big thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the eARC—I really appreciate the chance to read this early!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I found The Impossible Garden of Clara Thorne to be magical, cozy, and just adventurous enough to keep me engaged. The beginning felt slow, though not in an immediately obvious way. I enjoyed settling into the characters and getting to know the town, but after a while, it felt like the story was lingering without moving forward. When the plot finally picked up, that’s when I was the most interested. There were many unique stops along the way that I wish had been explored more. Unfortunately, because the adventure portion was rushed, the beginning and ending ended up feeling somewhat repetitive, which threw off the overall pacing.
Once the story reached Dwindle, I had a lot of fun meeting new characters and seeing the world expand. Overall, I enjoyed this book for its charm and heart. While it didn’t do anything particularly new within the genre, I still found it to be a warm, endearing read.
Honestly, I think the cover alone made me like this book at least 10% more. It’s a perfect cover in my eyes.
Thank you Forever Pub for an eARC of this book.
Once the story reached Dwindle, I had a lot of fun meeting new characters and seeing the world expand. Overall, I enjoyed this book for its charm and heart. While it didn’t do anything particularly new within the genre, I still found it to be a warm, endearing read.
Honestly, I think the cover alone made me like this book at least 10% more. It’s a perfect cover in my eyes.
Thank you Forever Pub for an eARC of this book.
Did Not Finish
January 11, 2026I’m not sure what I hated more — the whiny main character or the transparent plot. I put it down maybe a quarter of the way in and backed away. Clearly other people love it and good for them — not my cup of tea. And the random spelling of shoppe (and only the word shoppe) just made my teeth itch.
Advanced Readers Copy provided by edelweiss
Advanced Readers Copy provided by edelweiss
April 12, 2026
I follow Summer on social media and think she’s hilarious, so I was really looking forward to reading her debut cozy romantasy.
Unfortunately, this book was not for me. The premise — a quest, a chosen one, a hot sapphic love interest, found family — was interesting, but the main character has the emotional maturity of a toddler. She spends most of the book pouting, willfully ignorant, self-defeating, and even throws several tantrums. The story is told from her POV, so her petulance is inescapable.
Unfortunately, this book was not for me. The premise — a quest, a chosen one, a hot sapphic love interest, found family — was interesting, but the main character has the emotional maturity of a toddler. She spends most of the book pouting, willfully ignorant, self-defeating, and even throws several tantrums. The story is told from her POV, so her petulance is inescapable.
April 2, 2026
3.5 / 5 stars
This was okay, but why tf is it marketed as a cozy fantasy?? It is so not a cozy fantasy???? The survival of the whole world is at stake, the main character almost dies a couple of times, and the love interest is pretty much the only survivor of a genocide and yet it’s supposed to be cozy? It’s whimsical, at times, and has moments of coziness, but it is not a cozy story. It’s a nice story that is very predictable, not very innovative, and there was never a point when I doubted that it would have a happy ending. But I still had a good time reading it.
Clara Thorne is a gardener without garden magic in a world where having garden magic is a job requirement. Every four years she has to grow a tulip that saves the world from darkness by strengthening a goddess. After the tulip is given to the goddess, she chooses someone to go on a quest, unfortunately this year that someone is Clara. So she is sent on a quest with a hot lady knight, who she definitely won’t fall in love with, to protect her.
As I said: simple, predictable story, but I still had a good time reading it. The pacing is a bit wonky and there’s a chapter where the villain is just monologuing his whole plan to the protagonist, which was kinda annoying to sit through. It’s absolutely not for everybody, and it’s not gonna blow your socks off, but it’s a nice way to pass the time. Nice audiobook narration & production too.
Tropes and such:
- this is not a cozy fantasy why tf is it marketed as one
- sapphic knight/bodyguard romance
- fae love interest
- queernormative world
- plant magic
- two fairly explicit FF sex scenes
- parental abuse/neglect (in the past, off page)
----
Do the queer characters get a happy ending?
----
Thank you to Forever for the ARC and to Hachette Audio for the ALC
This was okay, but why tf is it marketed as a cozy fantasy?? It is so not a cozy fantasy???? The survival of the whole world is at stake, the main character almost dies a couple of times, and the love interest is pretty much the only survivor of a genocide and yet it’s supposed to be cozy? It’s whimsical, at times, and has moments of coziness, but it is not a cozy story. It’s a nice story that is very predictable, not very innovative, and there was never a point when I doubted that it would have a happy ending. But I still had a good time reading it.
Clara Thorne is a gardener without garden magic in a world where having garden magic is a job requirement. Every four years she has to grow a tulip that saves the world from darkness by strengthening a goddess. After the tulip is given to the goddess, she chooses someone to go on a quest, unfortunately this year that someone is Clara. So she is sent on a quest with a hot lady knight, who she definitely won’t fall in love with, to protect her.
As I said: simple, predictable story, but I still had a good time reading it. The pacing is a bit wonky and there’s a chapter where the villain is just monologuing his whole plan to the protagonist, which was kinda annoying to sit through. It’s absolutely not for everybody, and it’s not gonna blow your socks off, but it’s a nice way to pass the time. Nice audiobook narration & production too.
Tropes and such:
- this is not a cozy fantasy why tf is it marketed as one
- sapphic knight/bodyguard romance
- fae love interest
- queernormative world
- plant magic
- two fairly explicit FF sex scenes
- parental abuse/neglect (in the past, off page)
----
Do the queer characters get a happy ending?
----
Thank you to Forever for the ARC and to Hachette Audio for the ALC
April 29, 2026
3.5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Cosy cottagecore, but with a quest, which I thought was a fun twist on your normal low stakes cosy fantasy! Very fast paced, and a bit messy at times - I think maybe it needed a bit more refining to find it's voice. It takes some time to establish Clara and where she is in her life, but once the quest begins, I was quite invested! Clara also has a pet hedgehog called 'Warty', which was one of my favourite parts of the entire book to be honest. There's a beautiful found family aspect, and a great sapphic romance too, although I wish it had been a bit more developed and not quite as rushed as it felt. This didn't stand out to me against other cosy fantasies, but I would recommend!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Cosy cottagecore, but with a quest, which I thought was a fun twist on your normal low stakes cosy fantasy! Very fast paced, and a bit messy at times - I think maybe it needed a bit more refining to find it's voice. It takes some time to establish Clara and where she is in her life, but once the quest begins, I was quite invested! Clara also has a pet hedgehog called 'Warty', which was one of my favourite parts of the entire book to be honest. There's a beautiful found family aspect, and a great sapphic romance too, although I wish it had been a bit more developed and not quite as rushed as it felt. This didn't stand out to me against other cosy fantasies, but I would recommend!
May 8, 2026
This is the type of cozy I like, where it's not super cozy but feels more like a delicate romantasy. It's cozy, but not without stakes, albeit the stakes are mellow. And I really like the blend of cozy and spicy, it works well.
The setting is so lush and I found myself falling in love with Moss and then with Dwindle, they both sound like lovely places to live. Not only is the world built nicely and we see the details for the towns through vivid descriptors, we see and feel Clara's love for her home, making it all that more special.
The pacing is a comfortable trot and stayed consistent throughout.
The characters are all so charming. I really love Clara's inner monologue, she's hilarious, however, she does remain intentionally dense for way too long. Her denial of the obvious was a little frustrating. I love Hesper, but I wish she wasn't so immediately into Clara, a slower burn would have been preferred, but they did have great banter. And I did like Hesper's flirting.
The setting is so lush and I found myself falling in love with Moss and then with Dwindle, they both sound like lovely places to live. Not only is the world built nicely and we see the details for the towns through vivid descriptors, we see and feel Clara's love for her home, making it all that more special.
The pacing is a comfortable trot and stayed consistent throughout.
The characters are all so charming. I really love Clara's inner monologue, she's hilarious, however, she does remain intentionally dense for way too long. Her denial of the obvious was a little frustrating. I love Hesper, but I wish she wasn't so immediately into Clara, a slower burn would have been preferred, but they did have great banter. And I did like Hesper's flirting.
April 19, 2026
As a longtime Summer England follower, I could almost hear her narrating this book. What a sweet, cozy debut.
May 10, 2026
I’ve followed the author on IG before she wrote the book so it was fun to see the process with her getting published. I was really excited for this book.
Unfortunately I just didn’t like it. It was trying to be sooo many things and it felt like it didn’t do any of them successfully. I’m bummed about it. I tried to love it. But the book just kept working against itself. I don’t know if they pushed it quicker than it should’ve been and it didn’t get its time in revisions that it needed or what. But it lacked focus. And the fake hate to love just isn’t working for me anymore.
Unfortunately I just didn’t like it. It was trying to be sooo many things and it felt like it didn’t do any of them successfully. I’m bummed about it. I tried to love it. But the book just kept working against itself. I don’t know if they pushed it quicker than it should’ve been and it didn’t get its time in revisions that it needed or what. But it lacked focus. And the fake hate to love just isn’t working for me anymore.
July 27, 2026
1.5……… bonus points for queer normativity and a masc presenting love interest. minus points for millennial humour, an obscene amount of telling and not showing, and the one of the densest and most emotionally immature protagonists i’ve had the displeasure of encountering.
May 24, 2026
The people of Moss are kind and welcoming. The residents also have small, benign magic. Like Rosie the orc, or Patti the flower shoppe owner (and wood nymph), and Helda who can make things look beautiful. And then there’s Clara, the Town Gardener who arrived when young and doesn’t want to remember her unhappy childhood, Clara utterly loves living in Moss and growing the town’s produce. She also has a secret: with a great deal of effort she can make plants grow, because she has little magic. And even worse, it disappears when she leaves Moss, so only has very rarely left the town.
When the goddess Eldrene sends Clara to the town of Dwindle to grow them a garden, she is beyond horrified and terrified. And, even worse, she’ll have to travel with the attractive warrior Hesper Altanfall. Nope, nope and infuriated nope.
And that is pretty much Clara for most of the book as the pair encounter adversity and danger. Clara spends most of the novel hangry or infuriated about the journey. And furious with Hesper for no particular reason, until suddenly they’re acting on their attraction for one another.
Author Summer N. England also relays some of the history of the land over the novel. But, most of the time, we're subject to Clara's anger, and her ignoring the piles of evidence that she actually does have magic. But, she’s too mired in a negative picture of herself to draw even the simplest of conclusions pointing to her ability.
Why weren’t Warty the hedgehog and Edge the Crow the main characters? Why did we not get a story about their friendship and adventures instead of super irritating and often too unwilling to see Clara?
Thank you to NetGalley and to Forever (Grand Central Publishing)for this ARC in exchange for my review.
When the goddess Eldrene sends Clara to the town of Dwindle to grow them a garden, she is beyond horrified and terrified. And, even worse, she’ll have to travel with the attractive warrior Hesper Altanfall. Nope, nope and infuriated nope.
And that is pretty much Clara for most of the book as the pair encounter adversity and danger. Clara spends most of the novel hangry or infuriated about the journey. And furious with Hesper for no particular reason, until suddenly they’re acting on their attraction for one another.
Author Summer N. England also relays some of the history of the land over the novel. But, most of the time, we're subject to Clara's anger, and her ignoring the piles of evidence that she actually does have magic. But, she’s too mired in a negative picture of herself to draw even the simplest of conclusions pointing to her ability.
Why weren’t Warty the hedgehog and Edge the Crow the main characters? Why did we not get a story about their friendship and adventures instead of super irritating and often too unwilling to see Clara?
Thank you to NetGalley and to Forever (Grand Central Publishing)for this ARC in exchange for my review.
May 17, 2026
3.5 stars. Clara Thorne was raised in a loveless home, and eventually her parents asked her to leave. She made her way to the town of Moss and took the job as town gardener. She had garden magic and was finally happy in her life. She has a hedgehog as her companion and a BFF who has recently found her own love. It is time for the festival and as always Clara is nervous. When the Goddess shows up to meet with her she is given some bad news. Clara is given a quest, she is to go to travel to the cursed town of Dwindle and grow them a garden, within a month. The problem is, Clara's magic only works in town. The Goddess assigns her a bodyguard, the sexy and cheerful Hesper Altanfall. Clara doesn't want her help and she doesn't want her closeness either. She tries to get rid of her, but no luck. When she tells her that her magic only works in Moss, Hesper is insistent that her magic is not tied to her home, but to her heart. As they travel together, get threatened by shadows and evil spirits, they become closer together. Dwindle is dark, and Clara tries hard to grow things, but the dark prince is near. Will Clara find her magic? Will she save Dwindle from the darkness surrounding it? Will she and Hesper realize that they have developed real feelings toward one another?
I found this story to be a bit formulaic at times, and slow moving one minute, then zooming along the next. I liked Clara and understood why she lacked all self-confidence. It isn't until the end of the book that we learn why her parents treated her the way they did and what happened to her magic, and I liked the way it played out. The romance that bloomed between Hesper and Clara grew slowly as they spent time together and helped each other, but I was not ready for the descriptive and steamy scenes in the story. If the pacing had been better, I would probably have enjoyed this book more, but I am also not a fan of steamy romance. The audiobook is narrated by Frankie Porter and I did enjoy her performance. If you enjoy romantasy with some steam, they this might just be the book for you.
I found this story to be a bit formulaic at times, and slow moving one minute, then zooming along the next. I liked Clara and understood why she lacked all self-confidence. It isn't until the end of the book that we learn why her parents treated her the way they did and what happened to her magic, and I liked the way it played out. The romance that bloomed between Hesper and Clara grew slowly as they spent time together and helped each other, but I was not ready for the descriptive and steamy scenes in the story. If the pacing had been better, I would probably have enjoyed this book more, but I am also not a fan of steamy romance. The audiobook is narrated by Frankie Porter and I did enjoy her performance. If you enjoy romantasy with some steam, they this might just be the book for you.
April 5, 2026
If you are someone who enjoys Magicks… Fae…. Magical Realism… World Building… Magical/Fantastical…sometimes talking creatures…. Well, this one is for you!
Clara has been on her own for some time now. She left her parents when she was very young, and I don’t blame her one bit… But she has finally settled in at least a bit… and now she’s being forced to pick up and uproot herself all over again! Why you ask? Well, because The Goddess has come and has given her an ultimatum! She must travel to the town of Dwindle, and establish a full grow garden there within a month, or be forever banished from her hometown. 😳
The problem is that Dwindle has been desolate for some time now. But, it is believed that Clara has some type of Garden Magic that will make her plants grow there…. But, can she actually do this?
Also, she must travel quite a ways to get there, and it is NOT safe. So she is assigned a protector…named Hesper. She is big and brawny and seems to be cold and uncaring… but, as time marches on, we find that she has a whole other side to her! And she can be quite funny! 😄
As these two navigate the travels ahead, they form a kind of bond that is sweet and scary too…
And when Clara finally comes in to her magics… well,it is very sweet… and bittersweet at the same time!
This was a mostly sweet, cozy, small-town, community helping each other kind of read… and I loved that!
I have to say that I was honestly surprised with the sapphic romance that followed! Although I am not a fan of this, the book was very sweet…and a bit spicy too.
And, being as this is a debut novel, I upped my rating from 4 stars to 5!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Looking forward to see what comes next from this talented author!
#TheImpossibleGardenOfClaraThorne by @SummerNEngland and narrated nicely by @FrankiePorter.
This one has NOT BEEN RELEASED YET! Please look 👀 for it on 4/7/26!!
Thanks so much to #NetGalley, @HachetteAudio and @ForeverPublishing for an ALC of the book in exchange for an honest review.
You can also find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Instagram: @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine
Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!!
And as always, thanks for reading along with me! 📚⭐️🩷
Clara has been on her own for some time now. She left her parents when she was very young, and I don’t blame her one bit… But she has finally settled in at least a bit… and now she’s being forced to pick up and uproot herself all over again! Why you ask? Well, because The Goddess has come and has given her an ultimatum! She must travel to the town of Dwindle, and establish a full grow garden there within a month, or be forever banished from her hometown. 😳
The problem is that Dwindle has been desolate for some time now. But, it is believed that Clara has some type of Garden Magic that will make her plants grow there…. But, can she actually do this?
Also, she must travel quite a ways to get there, and it is NOT safe. So she is assigned a protector…named Hesper. She is big and brawny and seems to be cold and uncaring… but, as time marches on, we find that she has a whole other side to her! And she can be quite funny! 😄
As these two navigate the travels ahead, they form a kind of bond that is sweet and scary too…
And when Clara finally comes in to her magics… well,it is very sweet… and bittersweet at the same time!
This was a mostly sweet, cozy, small-town, community helping each other kind of read… and I loved that!
I have to say that I was honestly surprised with the sapphic romance that followed! Although I am not a fan of this, the book was very sweet…and a bit spicy too.
And, being as this is a debut novel, I upped my rating from 4 stars to 5!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Looking forward to see what comes next from this talented author!
#TheImpossibleGardenOfClaraThorne by @SummerNEngland and narrated nicely by @FrankiePorter.
This one has NOT BEEN RELEASED YET! Please look 👀 for it on 4/7/26!!
Thanks so much to #NetGalley, @HachetteAudio and @ForeverPublishing for an ALC of the book in exchange for an honest review.
You can also find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Instagram: @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine
Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!!
And as always, thanks for reading along with me! 📚⭐️🩷
June 2, 2026
This was bad. The romance was bad. There was not enough gardening. The animal sidekicks were annoying. Ugh
April 7, 2026
This was a fun mix of sapphic romantasy & cozy fantasy! Such a fun read with a whimsical tone with complex characters.
I know some people don’t love spice with cozy but I do, don’t yuck anyone’s yum.
FMC Clara is a scatterbrained, crafty, town gardener with a a pet hedgehog. The Goddess of Moss surprises her with an unexpected quest. Clara must travel to the abandoned town of Dwindle and grow them a garden, or be banished from Moss. Only Clara cannot grow a thing outside of Moss. The mystery and intrigue around Clara’s magic keeps you hooked in to find out how she’s going to get out of the mess she is in and make her way back to her cozy home cottage.
To make matters worse the Goddess assigned her a guardian, a mysteriously hot and helpful Hesper Allanfall. We’re getting some grumpy sunshine action as Clara refuses help and is an overall curmudgeon, and Hesper works her charms as they make their way across the realm to Dwindle.
I love the romance so much, the slow burn tension was perfect, and the pay off was everything. Hesper was definitely my favorite character, I am a sucker for a swaggering sapphic. Clara makes some incredible growth and breakthroughs by the end of the book, while still maintaining her zany slightly chaotic personality which I appreciate.
I love that we had a nice HEA for the story here and a clear set up for another book to come.
Overall a great debut. The Audiobook was excellent and I loved the narrators energy and voices. They added so much richness to the story and kept me listening for hours.
I think if you like T Kingfisher’s Swordheart, or Hemlock & Silver, you’d think this was a fun read!
I know some people don’t love spice with cozy but I do, don’t yuck anyone’s yum.
FMC Clara is a scatterbrained, crafty, town gardener with a a pet hedgehog. The Goddess of Moss surprises her with an unexpected quest. Clara must travel to the abandoned town of Dwindle and grow them a garden, or be banished from Moss. Only Clara cannot grow a thing outside of Moss. The mystery and intrigue around Clara’s magic keeps you hooked in to find out how she’s going to get out of the mess she is in and make her way back to her cozy home cottage.
To make matters worse the Goddess assigned her a guardian, a mysteriously hot and helpful Hesper Allanfall. We’re getting some grumpy sunshine action as Clara refuses help and is an overall curmudgeon, and Hesper works her charms as they make their way across the realm to Dwindle.
I love the romance so much, the slow burn tension was perfect, and the pay off was everything. Hesper was definitely my favorite character, I am a sucker for a swaggering sapphic. Clara makes some incredible growth and breakthroughs by the end of the book, while still maintaining her zany slightly chaotic personality which I appreciate.
I love that we had a nice HEA for the story here and a clear set up for another book to come.
Overall a great debut. The Audiobook was excellent and I loved the narrators energy and voices. They added so much richness to the story and kept me listening for hours.
I think if you like T Kingfisher’s Swordheart, or Hemlock & Silver, you’d think this was a fun read!
April 12, 2026
Omg I LOVED this!!! I absolutely adore Summer, have been following her for years on Instagram and TikTok and knew I had to read this as soon as I found out about it! This was so wholesome and lovely, from the descriptive fantasy villages to the journey of facing your fears and learning to love despite all odds❤️❤️❤️ Absolutely loved every minute of this
August 9, 2026
Hilarious, heartwarming therapy with a fun plot.
Clara Thorne, the town gardener of Moss, lives a content little life with her hedgehog Warty and a WIP book she can't get past the first line of.
"Fate had other plans though. Much better plans."
Much to her chagrin, Clara is chosen by the Goddess to embark upon a quest alongside a mysterious stranger with buff arms, a kind voice, and off-the-chart levels of cheek.
"[W]hy not have another unhelpful trope thrown my way? Reading about chosen one's quests, magical beasts, and forced proximity? Sign me up!
But when they all happen in my actual life? Sign me out! Don't include me! I'm not home."
However, Clara is harbouring a secret: She doesn't have garden magic - something very much needed to complete this otherwise impossible quest.
"Had I just lost the world's physical manifestation of hope? Why did it have to be so small? Small things love to get lost!"
With witty banter and a not insignificant amount of sass, the two set off on this doomed adventure. Clara finds she can't help growing more and more attracted to this irksome stranger - it is a gardener's job to grow, after all - but she knows better than to open her heart up to the potential of earth-shattering heartbreak. The further they progress though, the more of an issue this stranger's continued presence becomes.
"Issue isn't the worst thing I've been called, but I do have a name."
Even more annoyingly, this "Hesper" is convinced there must be more to Clara than she believes. But Clara is painfully aware of her own limitations.
"I was born needing to be sewn up somewhere deep inside, but no one ever taught me how. So I just kept bursting at the seams when things became too much, when the world became too loud."
As Clara and Hesper open up to one another about their dark pasts, Clara feels her walls start to slip, and a part of her quietly wonders if there could be more to life than futily straining for magic and locking her heart up.
"I'd never dealt in "What if?"s. Those were for people who were braver than me."
This all really throws a wrench into her happy-enough ever after.
Clara Thorne, the town gardener of Moss, lives a content little life with her hedgehog Warty and a WIP book she can't get past the first line of.
"Fate had other plans though. Much better plans."
Much to her chagrin, Clara is chosen by the Goddess to embark upon a quest alongside a mysterious stranger with buff arms, a kind voice, and off-the-chart levels of cheek.
"[W]hy not have another unhelpful trope thrown my way? Reading about chosen one's quests, magical beasts, and forced proximity? Sign me up!
But when they all happen in my actual life? Sign me out! Don't include me! I'm not home."
However, Clara is harbouring a secret: She doesn't have garden magic - something very much needed to complete this otherwise impossible quest.
"Had I just lost the world's physical manifestation of hope? Why did it have to be so small? Small things love to get lost!"
With witty banter and a not insignificant amount of sass, the two set off on this doomed adventure. Clara finds she can't help growing more and more attracted to this irksome stranger - it is a gardener's job to grow, after all - but she knows better than to open her heart up to the potential of earth-shattering heartbreak. The further they progress though, the more of an issue this stranger's continued presence becomes.
"Issue isn't the worst thing I've been called, but I do have a name."
Even more annoyingly, this "Hesper" is convinced there must be more to Clara than she believes. But Clara is painfully aware of her own limitations.
"I was born needing to be sewn up somewhere deep inside, but no one ever taught me how. So I just kept bursting at the seams when things became too much, when the world became too loud."
As Clara and Hesper open up to one another about their dark pasts, Clara feels her walls start to slip, and a part of her quietly wonders if there could be more to life than futily straining for magic and locking her heart up.
"I'd never dealt in "What if?"s. Those were for people who were braver than me."
This all really throws a wrench into her happy-enough ever after.
April 8, 2026
I've been on the fence about cosy fantasies lately, but this has definitely won me over. I think for me personally, the big quest is too cosy. I still need something with an interesting lore and a shock factor and this book delivered.
This was a wonderful sapphic, cosy fantasy that had me enchanted from start to finish. I adored this story and the whole world from the first page and wish I could have been transported to Moss. That Goddess Celebration looked like a hoot and a half. The characters were just so easy to love, and the found family feeling I got from the town warmed my heart. I'm always a sucker for that kind of community. As for the quest, this was still a low-risk fantasy in my opinion, but it also had enough tension and high(ish) stakes to keep me invested.
Clara just felt so relatable throughout the whole book. I adored her personality, her sarcasm, her kindness and love for the people around her. Clara wasn't your typical strong, confident heroine. She could be clumsy, unsure of herself, scared, and is normally winging it 90% of the time and that just felt more real to me. Clara's journey on this quest turned out to be more important than she realised, and watching Clara find herself and believe in herself was just wonderful to read.
I also had the chance to listen to the audio which was narrated by Frankie Porter. Frankie did an incredible job with this audio and really brought the characters to life. The audiobook just added to my experience. I would highly recommend checking out the audiobook if you are going to read this book.
I feel like there is potential there for another book with how it ended, and I hope there is as I need more of Clara and Hesper! I loved this book and I would love to head back to Moss 🌿
Thank you to Hodderscape for the proof and Hachette audio for the ALC. All opinions are my own.
This was a wonderful sapphic, cosy fantasy that had me enchanted from start to finish. I adored this story and the whole world from the first page and wish I could have been transported to Moss. That Goddess Celebration looked like a hoot and a half. The characters were just so easy to love, and the found family feeling I got from the town warmed my heart. I'm always a sucker for that kind of community. As for the quest, this was still a low-risk fantasy in my opinion, but it also had enough tension and high(ish) stakes to keep me invested.
Clara just felt so relatable throughout the whole book. I adored her personality, her sarcasm, her kindness and love for the people around her. Clara wasn't your typical strong, confident heroine. She could be clumsy, unsure of herself, scared, and is normally winging it 90% of the time and that just felt more real to me. Clara's journey on this quest turned out to be more important than she realised, and watching Clara find herself and believe in herself was just wonderful to read.
I also had the chance to listen to the audio which was narrated by Frankie Porter. Frankie did an incredible job with this audio and really brought the characters to life. The audiobook just added to my experience. I would highly recommend checking out the audiobook if you are going to read this book.
I feel like there is potential there for another book with how it ended, and I hope there is as I need more of Clara and Hesper! I loved this book and I would love to head back to Moss 🌿
Thank you to Hodderscape for the proof and Hachette audio for the ALC. All opinions are my own.
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