Meet Me in the Garden

by Nina LaCour

From bestselling author Nina LaCour comes a sweeping family saga that wrestles with themes of self-discovery and love in all forms, inspired by the author's own Creole family

New Orleans, 1944. Odette has always been one of the Honore sisters, glamorous and admired in their Creole community. But while Odette’s older sisters are content to be wives and mothers, Odette has always wanted something else. It is only with her beloved cousin, Delphine, that Odette can tell her secret: she is in love with a woman, and she longs to be an artist. Delphine has a secret lover, too, a white man. In the hidden garden they’ve discovered, Odette and Delphine can dream of futures full of passion and freedom.

But five years later, Odette's life is nothing like what she'd planned. She's a widowed mother, living in Los Angeles, and she and Delphine, who is passing as white, have spiraled away from each other. When Delphine reaches a breaking point, Odette must make a shattering choice to try to hold her family together.

Profound and expansive, a story of love and longing, art and motherhood, friendship and desire, Meet Me in the Garden is a decades-spanning tour de force, inspired by the author’s family and tracing the history of the Great Migration.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, LGBT, Historical, Queer, Lesbian

400 pages, Hardcover

First published August 4, 2026

About the author

Nina LaCour is an award winning and nationally bestselling author of fiction for adults, teens, and children. A former indie bookseller, she lives with her family in San Francisco.

Reviews

[emma]

i love reading sapphic books that make me sad

(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)

[Guada · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm seated. The bookstore employees are scared and asking me to leave because it's "not August 2026 yet" but I'm simply too seated

escribí eso en septiembre de 2025 y once meses después acá me hallo recién habiéndolo terminado We've come so farrrrr. No hubo mejor manera de pasar el último día de mis vacaciones que leyendo este libro

[Liana Gold]

1940's, Creole community, New Orleans. This is a story of Odette and her life over a span of many years. She's in love with a woman that she can't be with. She longs for freedom in all senses. The only person who truly understands her is her cousin, Delphine. Delphine, just like Odette, has a secret. She's in love with a white man and later makes a choice that will change the trajectory of her life forever. Several years later, Odette and Delphine are no longer in contact. Delphine poses as a white woman. But when Delphine reaches a breaking point, Odette makes a choice that can alter her life forever.

This is a poignant historical novel with a forbidden love story at its core. The prose is lyrical, enchanting. The book completely pulled me by the end of the first chapter.. I think I'm staying up till very late today to read as much as I can.


This was my BOTM pick for August and I already know this will be my 5 star book. Get this book or your first book for $5 using this link: https://www.mybotm.com/bgnrjn6qk0o
Easy to sign up & cancel anytime at no cost to you!

[Kim van Alkemade · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way I felt reading this sublime novel is how I remember feeling when I read Tolstoy in college. I was completely immersed in the character, her family, and their community as the story crossed coasts and decades. Page after page, the narrative flowed through my mind in a ribbon of stunning discovery as relationships between friends, siblings, parents, and children are rendered with the same attention and intensity usually reserved for romantic love. I continuously delighted in the style of LaCour's prose, savoring every word, every sentence, every scene and setting and all the dialog, too. I was especially moved by the exploration of how it feels and what it takes to create of art, whether it be music or painting or the breeding of birds. In the end, though, what I'll carry with me from this novel is the generosity and hope embodied in its large cast of fully human characters. I was sorry to come to the (perfect) last word; I didn't want to leave this richly-peopled world.

[Courtney Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗠𝗲 𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 is a family saga that's a gorgeous blend of historical and literary fiction. Beginning in New Orleans circa 1944 with Creole cousins Odette and Delphine, the two are as closely bonded as sisters. Both young women are navigating secret romances - Odette with a woman and Delphine with a white man - in a time and place where neither relationship is accepted by society. Both leave to start new lives in LA under different circumstances, and what follows is an intricate decades spanning novel that explores a plethora of life challenges from motherhood to self-discovery to identity to the complexities of family and race.

Nina LaCour's prose is lush and lyrical and fully transportive. Everything from the settings to the characters is brought to life in stunning clarity. She deftly balances their day-to-day lives within the larger scope of the world's current political and socio-economic influences. It's character-driven, emotionally charged, and deeply human. While I did wish for a bit more time spent in NOLA and within Delphine's story, Odette is a strong, compelling character to follow.

LaCour's personal inspiration from her own Creole roots is woven into the novel's heart. There are also vibes reminiscent of 𝘒𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘛𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘳𝘪 𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴, and lovers of sweeping family sagas will devour this one like a warm beignet coated with powdered sugar: delicious and messy and textured to perfection.


🎙Due to Angel Pean's captivating narration, I fell effortlessly into this audio from the moment I hit play. Her voice is the perfect fit for Odette, and she added even more beauty and emotion to LaCour's novel. I was utterly transfixed and so immersed in the storytelling and narration that the hours slipped away around me as I listened.

📚 A Book Of The Month August pick!

✨️ Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC!
[𝘗𝘶𝘣 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦: 8•4•2026]

[thebookybird · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Lacours prose and this was a departure from her usual storylines and I love that she took some risks

[MrsHarvieReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for a gifted advanced listening copy of Meet Me in the Garden by Nina LaCour as part of their Early Listener’s Program and in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Meet Me in the Garden is a sweeping family saga that blends literary fiction and historical fiction. It features themes of forbidden love, racial and sexual identity, creative longing, motherhood, and sacrifice for family. The author has a lovely lyrical style that was enhanced by the melodic intonation of the audiobook narrator Angel Pean. I would highly recommend enjoying this novel with your ears.

The ambitious, character driven story balances the personal struggles of the main character, Odette, with mid-20th-century history and social pressures. It begins in New Orleans in 1944, when Odette and her cousin, Delphine, grapple with forbidden loves, family expectations, and then new lives in Los Angeles. The story spans decades and features many secrets and a reoccurring theme of Odette sacrificing for family. In addition, several of the family members pass as white and experience different levels of discrimination. Over the course of many years Odette finally embraces both her true identity and her love of art. It’s a lengthy, and occasionally frustrating, process, but I thought the hopeful ending and the way the author brought closure to the story in general was well worth it 3.75/5⭐️

[Alyssa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

“People have been living this way for all of time.”

I am really thankful I stuck with this book.

It starts out slow. We’re getting to know our cast of characters. Maybe getting a little confused by names, descriptions, places. But you know the writing is beautiful, so you want to stick it out.

And somewhere along the way, this cast becomes your own family. Your own friends, loved ones. You grow attached. You are invested. Your heart starts to harden, to melt, to grow resentful, to grow hopeful, to be fearful, right alongside this cast.

So suddenly, this book you had trouble with is all you can think about.

Ultimately, it’s about life. A life that has ups and downs. A lot of hiding, a lot of not knowing who you are. A life lived compact in the closet. It’s painful in its beauty, mundanity, secrecy.

I highly recommend it. Stick with it. Let it sway you. Let it change you. What a work of art.

[Dee Furey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meet Me in the Garden is a gorgeous historical fiction about family, love and identity. The prose is lush, and the settings so vividly painted I can see it. The story begins in 1944, in New Orleans. Odette is our female main character. Her best friend is her cousin, Delphine. The Honorée family is a proud Creole family. Delphine falls in love with a white man and they run off together. Odette’s sisters want to move to California for a better life, but Odette does not know what to do. She is in love with a woman and she has no plans to move. This is a family saga that takes us from New Orleans to Los Angeles and from WW II to Watts. I loved this story. I had the advance listener copy courtesy of Net Galley and Macmillan Audio. The audio narration by Angel Pean is sublime perfection. It’s out today, Tuesday, August 4th. Thank you Net Galley and Macmillan Audio!

[Amy]

YES: A book I borrowed from the library to try before I buy (tired buying hundreds books and hating half)

I read first ch or more -first 10-100 pages skim around at times. I read many of my GR friend's reviews. This is what I did and didn't like:

Pretty cover.

This is a wonderful family saga. 1940s one cousin falls for a woman the other falls for a white man.

I love the plot, writing and the characters. Yes!

[Karis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the opportunity to review this ARC!

A transformative masterpiece! Each layer of the story adds to the depth of the composition, seamlessly blending a community of friends and families across multigenerational development. The characters grow with the reader creating this easy style narrative as if they are people you know already in your life and you are just having a Sunday chit chat and catching up.

Meanwhile complex subjects are woven in the background, hitting on topics such as: race, love, gender, mental health, social inequality and justice in a way that the reader can easily understand and digest as part of the storyline. I was invested in Odette’s growth and development into the woman we see her become throughout the book. I felt her anguish, shared in her success and rooted for her as she made her way in this world. That world is complex as she is a colored woman living in the south in love with a woman. Her identity grows and changes but the cast of characters we meet on her journey as the reader stays in our hearts long after we close the last chapter.

A captivating read about being true to oneself and having the community to support you.

[Bethany Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the advanced listener copy to review. This was an absolute *stunner* from start to finish, and I could not wait to get back to it each time I stopped.

First - the audio production is incredible and the narrator is new to me. But wow, she was amazing. Her voice is so soothing and I would listen to another book read by her for sure. Each character sounded different and she did an incredible job.

This is a historical fiction sapphic book and I cannot get over how well written it is. Beautiful prose, a stunning backstory, and while the book is long, it does not feel that way at all. I am finding myself already missing Odette and her family.

I really don’t want to give anything away - but the storylines are wonderful. From found family, to loving your family, to finding your personal bliss, to making big mistakes and loving people through them. From opening yourself up to love, being brave, leaning into your talent and giving second chances. To being there from each other through everything.

This book was gorgeous and I cannot recommend it highly enough. An absolute winner.

[Kayleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet Me in the Garden brings us Odette over the course of her life. Odette is in love with a woman that she can’t ever have and as she pushes and pulls against that, we get to hear her struggles. Her cousin Delphine is in love with a white man and the choices she makes because of that love change her whole life. We see both of these women deal with a love that cannot be out in the open.

I love LaCours writing style, the prose is absolutely beautiful and she writes in a way that flows over the page lyrically. I was emotionally invested in Odette and shared her pain and yearning. The book covers complex issues such as race, gender, love, mental health, social justice and secrecy.

Thanks to MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for an early copy of this book. It will be published Aug 4, 2026.

[Kristina Nichole]

WOHOO I GOT THE ARC!!!!

Going to read this at the end of august for literary book club!

[Chelsea Evergreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful story that kept me locked in through it all. Odette goes through many hardships and still manages to be a beautiful person and I just adore her.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

🎧

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Meet Me in the Garden is a beautiful and deeply moving story about family, love, friendship, identity, and the parts of ourselves we sometimes feel forced to hide.

Odette and her cousin Delphine grow up in a Creole family in New Orleans, each carrying a secret of their own. Delphine falls in love with a white photographer and becomes pregnant, while Odette, an artist, quietly wrestles with her love and desire for another woman. The two share their secrets in the garden before eventually taking very different paths through life.

Years later, both women are living in Los Angeles. Delphine has built a life passing as a white woman, while Odette has become a hardworking widowed mother who has pushed aside both her sexuality and her identity as an artist. When Delphine reaches a point where she can no longer care for herself or her daughter, Natalie, Odette is the one who continually shows up for them.

Odette was easily the character I connected with most. Her internal struggles were incredibly moving. She is trying to understand who she is as a Creole woman, a mother, a widow, an artist, and a lesbian, while navigating a world that has given her very little freedom to be all of those things at once. You can feel how much of herself she has tucked away over the years in order to become the person everyone else needs her to be. More than anything, I found myself wanting Odette to experience love in the way she wanted it and on her own terms.

There was also something about the family dynamics that gave me Steel Magnolias vibes. Despite all of the complicated relationships, secrets, and pain, there is this underlying sense of women showing up for one another when it matters most.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narration was absolutely beautiful. The Southern accent felt natural, and I especially appreciated the accurate pronunciations of different places around New Orleans. Even small details, like oyster dressing at a holiday gathering, made the setting feel truly genuine. As someone familiar with New Orleans, those little nods to the city felt incredibly comforting.

And the opening music! It could not have been more perfect. It immediately sets the tone for the story and creates such a beautiful atmosphere before the narration even begins.

Meet Me in the Garden is ultimately a story about the complicated ways family, friendship, love, and identity become intertwined and what it can cost to spend your life hiding pieces of yourself.

Such a beautiful story and an equally beautiful listening experience.

[C. Sinclair · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The way I saw myself, it was spectacular."
"You've always been spectacular."

Meet Me in the Garden is the rare novel that feels destined to become a modern classic, possessing the quiet confidence of a story that understands precisely what it wishes to say and the extraordinary craftsmanship to say it beautifully. Nina LaCour's prose overflows with evocative language, rendering both dialogue and narration with such remarkable precision that even the smallest exchanges and observations shimmer with emotional significance. Every sentence feels lovingly considered, inviting lingering rather than hurried reading, the prose itself demands to be savored like bowl of gumbo stewed by practiced hands. The romance unfolding across these pages is captivating not only because of its intimately crafted relationships, but because the language itself is profoundly romantic — deeply attentive to memory, longing, sensation, and the fragile beauty of ordinary moments. Woven throughout is a richly textured Southern ennui that lends the novel the intimate quality of stylized memoir, blurring the boundary between lived experience and literary fiction with breathtaking elegance.

What ultimately distinguishes this novel is the depth of its humanity. Emotional resonance permeates every chapter, emerging as naturally in quiet conversations and fleeting gestures as it does in the story's most devastating turns, allowing its characters to feel astonishingly alive. LaCour presents a historical and painstakingly human tableau of intersectional feminism with remarkable grace, embedding it within the lived realities of her characters rather than reducing it to thematic declaration. The result is a truly accomplished narrative, whose compassion is as powerful as its heartbreak. The story unapologetically bleeds from its own pages, staining the reader long past the final chapter with shades of tenderness, grief, hope, and abiding love for people and their unavoidable imperfections. Few novels so completely capture the complexity of the human experience while remaining so effortlessly beautiful on the sentence level. Meet Me in the Garden is a masterpiece of emotional storytelling, an easy and enthusiastic recommendation, and the kind of novel that all but insists on being returned to time and time again.

Thank you Nina LaCour and Macmillan Audio for the absolute gift of advance reader access to this absolute masterpiece of a novel, I am sincerely grateful to have received it and have pre-ordered several print copies as gifts.

[Mar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nina LaCour has an incredible ability to write people who feel fully lived in. This story explores race, queerness, family, motherhood, mental health, creativity, and love, but none of those themes ever feel like they're competing for attention. They simply exist because they're part of Odette's life. Watching her grow over the years—and seeing how her priorities, relationships, and decisions gradually changed—felt incredibly honest. She isn't presented as a finished person but as someone who's constantly becoming.

The novel moves at a quiet, deliberate pace, and it took me a little while to settle into it. Once I found its rhythm, though, I didn't want to leave. This is the kind of book that finds meaning in conversations, memories, and small moments that might seem ordinary on the surface but quietly reshape a person's life. If you enjoy character-driven fiction, there's so much to love here.

My only real criticism is that I occasionally wanted the story to linger a little longer. I had pictured the setting differently before going in, and there were a couple of characters—especially Delphine and Hattie—that I became attached to much faster than the novel was willing to spend time with them. Every time they appeared, I found myself hoping they'd stay in the story a little longer.

I also can't recommend the audiobook enough. Angel Pean's narration is phenomenal. She gives every character a distinct voice without ever making the performance feel showy, and she captures the warmth, humor, and heartbreak of the novel beautifully.

This is one of those books that doesn't rely on big twists or dramatic reveals to leave an impression. Instead, it earns your attention little by little until, before you realize it, these characters feel like people you've known for years. It's thoughtful, compassionate, and beautifully written, and I know it's one I'll revisit.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an advance review copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Alex (Alex's Version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alright, you know the saying "never judge a book by its cover," well, I picked it up based on this cover and the glowing reviews here, and wow, what a book this is!


New Orleans, 1944. Odette has always been one of the Honore sisters, glamorous and well-regarded in their Creole community. However, unlike her older sisters who are satisfied with being wives and mothers, Odette has always desired something different. Only with her dear cousin, Delphine, can Odette confide her secret: she is in love with a woman and dreams of becoming an artist. Delphine also has a secret love affair with a white man. In the hidden garden they discovered, Odette and Delphine can dream of passionate and liberated futures.

But five years later, Odette's life takes a different turn. She is a widowed mother living in Los Angeles, and she and Delphine, who is passing as white, have drifted apart. When Delphine reaches a breaking point, Odette faces a heart-wrenching decision to try and keep her family together.



This story covers various topics such as race, queerness, family, motherhood, mental health, creativity, and love, without making them compete for attention. They are simply part of Odette's life. Observing her growth over time and witnessing the gradual changes in her priorities, relationships, and choices feels very authentic. She is not portrayed as someone who has it all figured out but as someone who is constantly evolving. I really appreciate that because I believe it's risky to stop changing and growing. Reading about Odette's journey was refreshing.


The book is long, but fortunately, I'm a fast reader. Once I get into a book, I'll read all night—I'm that type of reader. I truly believe that people who've felt like they couldn't be their true selves, particularly for an extended period, will really relate to these characters. Even those fortunate enough to be themselves without feeling endangered will hopefully empathize. Don't we need that in the world right now?

[Michi Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

i don't know if i'm being swayed by the title or the way the book ends but the best word i can use to describe this book is lush.
Meet Me in the Garden is a decades spanning story of Odette as she comes of age in New Orleans and then moves with her sisters and their husbands to Los Angeles. Over the years she grapples with her sense of belonging, her grief for the lives she missed in favor of the ones she chose, missing the people that have come in and out of her life, and the desires she tries to keep herself from acting on.
I have been a huge Nina LaCour fan for a long time and this book is an absolute triumph. I regret not annotating as i went because there were so many moments i wanted to highlight or note but by the time i realized how many there would be it felt too late.
Odette as a lesbian Creole woman in this time period often made me feel melancholy because of the ways in which she has to hide herself from the people that she loves most. It made me ache for those in my community who spent so many years doing the same, and it also made me proud of all the ways they continued to exist in spite of the world.
This is a novel about forging your path in life, about the ways we give up that power and what it takes from us when we do that. About the power in choosing ourselves and the expansive possibilities of allowing people to live as themselves. The cost we all pay when we hide.
LaCour plants the reader firmly in the midst of the living rooms and gardens and factories of this story in a way that is so immersive, she evokes setting so easily and manages to convey Odette's feelings and growth over the course of the novel in a way that drags the reader through those emotions with her. I often found myself coming out of this book as if in a haze.
I wept at the ending, i was too scared to hope for the way it went. i'm glad it did.
i can't wait to read the author's note in the finished copy.
thank you to Flatiron for the ARC in exchange for this review.

[Nicole Lasnicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy Pub Week to 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 by Nina LaCour
Odette is one of three glamorous and admired Honore sisters living in the Creole community in 1944 New Orleans, but she shares all of her secrets with her cousin Delphine as they meet in the garden to share their dreams for the future until the Delphine makes the decision to leave with her white lover for Los Angeles and try to pass as a white woman. Odette also harbors the secret that she loves the talented seamstress Hattie, but Hattie convinces her to marry her Cyril, Hattie’s brother.I was reminded of the double lives that could be lived like the characters in 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐟 by Britt Bennett. The author fully explores the idea of how someone hides their true identity through Delphine and Odette. Odette, her sisters, and their families migrate to Los Angeles. This era was known as The Great Migration. Odette finds herself widowed and pregnant when Cyril dies in the war. Her family finds new opportunities in LA. The story is a sweeping family epic covering their migration, their continued lives in Los Angeles through the Watts riots of the 1960s- LaCour gives us a vivid depiction the art, music and culture of these historical time periods. Odette is an undiscovered artist who works to support her son. Odette and Delphine went their separate ways, and the consequences of this decision unravel poignantly. This novel was a slower, character driven historical fiction epic filled with lush imagery of art, music, and coming of age story. I loved it.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐬 by Isabel Wilkerson is a great nonfiction pairing if you wish to learn more about the Great Migration.

Thank you @flat_ironbooks for this giveaway title, and the opportunity to read and review it for my profile.
Full rating and review on my Goodreads.

QOTD: What’s a part of history you don’t know much about? I’m interested in reading more about this time period in historical fiction or nonfiction.

#bookstagram

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read This Book If…you crave a character-driven novel!

A sweeping family saga that wrestles with themes of self-discovery and love in all forms, inspired by the author's own Creole family.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
Meet Me in the Garden by Nina LaCour

Genre: Queer historical fiction
Setting: New Orleans and Los Angeles 1940-1960s
POV: single, 1st person, present tense
Spice Level: 1/5🌶, closed door

Audiobook Thoughts:
I did an immersive read of this and thought the single narrator did a fantastic job!

My Thoughts:
I loved our main character and also the side characters in this! From her cousin to her sisters to the variety of men, everyone played an important role in Odette’s life. I loved how while there were romantic relationships, the real focus throughout was the importance of family.

Another theme was self-discovery and while Odette knew certain things about herself early on, it took a long time for her to come into her own.

We start with this character at age 18 and follow her until she’s an empty nester. Through this span of time, she experiences so much loss that she has developed a true fear of love. This doesn’t stop her from having forbidden dalliances, but it’s a long journey for her to be able to accept “the one.”

For those worried about the happiness of a Queer person of color at this point of time, I’ll just say that overall I would describe the ending as hopeful!

I found the prose and pacing to be great, with time jumps skipping over years with no real updates. If you’re looking for a lovely historical fiction novel driven by its interesting and lifelike characters, I can definitely recommend!

Thank you to Flatiron for my advance copy! This book is available now!

[callistoscalling · Rating 5 out of 5]

📖 Book Review 📖 It’s been over two decades since I last called New Orleans home but there is not a day that goes by without a reminder of a city that forever changed me. Nina LaCour brings an enchanting piece of historical fiction that reminds us that the magic the Big Easy holds is one for the generations. Meet Me in the Garden is a richly atmospheric story, bringing the sights, sounds, and tastes of the city to readers through a riveting tale of a family with deep roots in this southern city.

Hurricane Katrina exposed deep racial and economic disparities in the Crescent City twenty one years ago, but this history runs deep. Nina LaCour explores these themes with a balance of poignancy and tenderness that resonates. Love comes to us in so many ways, from family to romance and everything in between. It can be so beautiful and so devastating, complicated by societal expectations and the unexpected hurdles that land on our path.

Meet Me in the Garden shares a cross-country journey with gut-wrenching challenges a family faces over decades. Life changes, our home base might change, but our roots run deep. Somehow this one is simultaneously timely and timeless, delivering an emotional read that left me wanting to sit and process.

Obviously, my emotional tie to NOLA is deep, as it is the city I grew up the most probably as a young adult off in the world alone for the first time. And Hurricane Katrina forever changed my life. I had some Louis Armstrong playing on loop as I read this one, thinking of this dynamic story:

Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans
Since that's where you left your heart?
And there's something more, I miss the one I care for
More than I miss New Orleans

[Sacha · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

I've really enjoyed several books by this author, but this one stands out (in a good way). This book requires an investment, but the time spent pays off.

Odette grows up in New Orleans with her cousin, Delphine, by her side. Both women have big secrets related to the objects of their romantic attention. These secrets shape their identities and outcomes and the entire trajectory of the narrative.

This story is heartbreaking over and over again, but it is also informative and most importantly hopeful. I grew very attached to Odette, Jenny, and the kids, among other ancillary characters, and this made me really get invested in their outcomes. Admittedly, this attachment wasn't instant. Because this novel is pretty lengthy and the events are quite understated, my interest in the characters grew slowly. But, once there, it was really solid.

Anyone who has felt like they could not be their full, true selves - particularly for a lengthy period of time - will really connect with these characters. Even folks who are fortunate enough to be themselves in all spaces will find a lot of authenticity in these representations (and hopefully sympathy).

The imagery and messaging here are top notch, too.

Bottom line, LaCour makes readers work a little, but it's a worthwhile endeavor. I can't recommend the audiobook enough. I LOVED the narrator and really felt even more connected as a result of this experience.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this alc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meet Me In the Garden is a beautifully tender exploration of family, friendship, womanhood, queerness and race dealt with such grace you can't help but to fall for those characters and this universe.

It's a true heartfelt and so complex story with equally complex characters that are so raw and real you quickly realize there are no villains or black and white circumstances, there's just Nina LaCour and her mastery as she steered this character-driven plot with applaudable nuance and delicacy wrapped in addicting writing.

Odette's life was a treat to see bloom, so much happened to her and because of her in New Orleans through Los Angeles in the span of 20 years and you have to hold all the love and grief she's carrying as she grows older and wiser in her quest as a queer woman and single mom and it was just so beautiful to see that intertwined with the people and all the art around her – those who made her story what it was.

On the subject of art, not only we had so much on music and paintings, The Price Of Salt was also mentioned and if you know how it ends, you know it's not a bad ending, for the time it was actually a very hopeful one and it was praised for it, but Odette doesn't see it that way because of the position she's in and I love that, it worked really well in-universe and it just made me root even hard for Odette

Last but not least, Angel Pean did an AMAZING job as the narrator, so much emotion and tenderness to rival and elevate the story, it was the perfect match.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with this ALC in exchange for an honest review!

[Annie Hegedus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't expect to love this as much as I did, but I couldn't stop listening. It was moving and beautiful, and I pretty much immediately ordered a physical copy so I could have it for my own library. 

I love the way Nina LaCour writes about racial identity, queerness, parenting, mental illness, creativity, and relationships. Even though that sounds like a lot to tackle in one book, she does a brilliant job of incorporating things in a way that makes it feel like someone's real, complex, messy life. Her characters are so full of depth. Odette isn't just Creole or just queer or just a mother or just a sister. She's all of those things, and it was beautiful watching her grow and change over the course of the story. Getting to see her decision-making process change over the years was particularly fascinating and at times was really emotional. 

I will say that it took a second to get into this one, but it's worth it to stick with it. Both of the books I've read by her are pretty understated and may not feel action-packed, but even with her quieter style, she manages to put so much emotion and depth into the story. If you're not a huge fan of character-driven books, this might be a tough read, but if you like a character study, this is an excellent one. I listened to the audio and would absolutely recommend reading in that format. The narrator is super talented, and she really brought Odette to life. 

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. I'm so sad to be done with these characters but am thankful for the chance to listen to this gorgeous story!

[Michelle Beckwith · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Maybe we can’t have all the wild things we dream of without some punishment for taking them.”

I absolutely love novels that immerse me in a world I have little knowledge of or personal experience with. Add in a historical and well researched view and you have my full attention! 

In her new novel, inspired by her own family, Ms. LaCour dramatizes a volatile time in our history, book ended by post WW2 New Orleans and the 1965 Los Angeles Watts riots. The Great Migration, when 6 million Black Americans fled the rural South, frames this deeply emotional story of one family’s hopes, dreams and struggles.

The Honore sisters are held in high regard within their Creole community, but Odette has a special connection with her cousin Delphine. While they confide in each other about unspeakable secrets, a portion of the rest of the family are planning a relocation to California. The paths of Delphine and Odette intersect in L.A. resulting in unimaginable decisions with lifelong consequences. Within a shape-shifting landscape of sexual and racial rules and standards, impossible choices and heartbreaking sacrifices are made to keep an expanding family together. 

Gardens, as depicted on the beautiful cover, tether the people and the story in this LGBT+ narrative of art, motherhood and self-actualization. It’s a story I won’t soon forget. Stunning narration by Angel Pean added a lyrical and melancholy tone.

This one is especially for readers who appreciate the writing of Passing by Nella Larsen and The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for the early copy in exchange for my honest review

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💜 Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

📖 Spanning decades, this family saga follows Odette and Delphine as they navigate love, identity, family expectations, and the choices that shape their lives. Set against the backdrop of the Great Migration, this is a deeply emotional story about the bonds that connect us, even when life pulls us in different directions.

💭 I absolutely loved this audiobook. Family sagas are one of those genres that completely pull me in, and this one did exactly that. The story was emotional, heartfelt, and filled with characters that felt real from the very beginning. I found myself completely invested in their lives, their relationships, and everything they were carrying with them. Nina LaCour tells this story with so much heart, and I never wanted it to end.

The audiobook made the experience even better. The narration was wonderful and brought so much emotion to every scene. It felt like the characters came to life, and I was completely drawn into their world. This is one of those stories that stays with you after it's over, and I honestly think everyone should read it or listen to the audiobook. It is a beautiful family saga filled with love, loss, hope, and finding your place in the world.

✨ I would absolutely recommend both the book and the audiobook to anyone who loves historical fiction, emotional family stories, and unforgettable characters. The narration added so much to an already incredible story.

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading Nina LaCour for many years, and so was very interested in reading her take on historical fiction. This was vibey, character-driven historical fiction that went in a bit different direction than I expected, particularly in pacing. I was hoping to spend far more time in the New Orleans, and even though I was very interested in seeing mid-century LA portrayed, I really would have appreciated more of seeing the garden and the cousins (especially since I've read far less set in New Orleans compared to LA, thanks to working my way through many of the books in California Rewritten: A Journey Through the Golden State’s New Literatureen) last year during my Goodreads semi-hiatus!). And the middle section also slowed down a fair amount, so I am not sure it overall quite earned its length, as much of the narrative was shaped by more indirect events. I also loved learning about the record production process as an LA history nerd!

The audiobook narration was fantastic, though!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

[Paul Moffett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) that I received in early July. The novel is scheduled for release in August.
Meet Me in the Garden by Nina LaCour is a beautifully written novel set primarily in Los Angeles, spanning roughly twenty years from the 1940s through the 1960s. The story follows Odette as she leaves New Orleans for Los Angeles, where she navigates hidden romantic relationships with women during a time when they had to remain secret. The novel also explores her complex and enduring bonds with her children and sisters, as well as the chosen family she creates through the friends who become the people she can trust with her deepest secrets.
LaCour's lyrical prose is rich with immersive detail, bringing every setting and emotion vividly to life. I came very close to giving this book five stars, but there were a few moments where I felt something was missing. Based on the inside flap, I expected the story to spend more time in New Orleans than it did. I also would have loved to see more of Delphine and Hattie. It felt as though I was just getting to know them before they disappeared from the narrative, only returning later for closure.
Overall, this is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant novel. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.