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The Someday Garden
The new head gardener at the enchanting Lilymoor House stumbles upon a secret garden . . . with a mysterious man trapped inside, in the next magical novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Sounds Like Love and The Seven Year Slip.
When Sophie Drear plans her escape to coastal Maine for the summer—for a temporary job revitalizing the storied grounds at Lilymoor House—she doesn’t expect to fall in love.
But she does: With the beguiling land, the fragrant flowers, and the towering hedge maze. With the quirky staff and the enigmatic woman who owns the place.
And then, the door appears. Never in the same place twice, it leads her to a secret, and unfinished, garden with a frustrated thundercloud of a man trapped inside.
This mysterious garden is not the only sign that the future of Lilymoor is unstable: the foliage resists Sophie’s careful nurturing, vines threaten to strangle the hedges, and the manor’s owner has wild ideas about who will take over when she retires—including her inconveniently attractive nephew who is also there just for the summer.
Despite herself, Sophie has come to care for the residents of Lilymoor just as much as she cares for its grounds. With the help of one man on the outside of the secret garden, and one man on the inside, she might be the only person who can figure out exactly what Lilymoor needs to bloom once more.
When Sophie Drear plans her escape to coastal Maine for the summer—for a temporary job revitalizing the storied grounds at Lilymoor House—she doesn’t expect to fall in love.
But she does: With the beguiling land, the fragrant flowers, and the towering hedge maze. With the quirky staff and the enigmatic woman who owns the place.
And then, the door appears. Never in the same place twice, it leads her to a secret, and unfinished, garden with a frustrated thundercloud of a man trapped inside.
This mysterious garden is not the only sign that the future of Lilymoor is unstable: the foliage resists Sophie’s careful nurturing, vines threaten to strangle the hedges, and the manor’s owner has wild ideas about who will take over when she retires—including her inconveniently attractive nephew who is also there just for the summer.
Despite herself, Sophie has come to care for the residents of Lilymoor just as much as she cares for its grounds. With the help of one man on the outside of the secret garden, and one man on the inside, she might be the only person who can figure out exactly what Lilymoor needs to bloom once more.
400 pages, Paperback
First published June 16, 2026
About the author
Ashley Poston
30 books26k followersNew York Times best-seller by day, fanfic author by night.
Viist her at www.ashposton.com.
Viist her at www.ashposton.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 953 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
— ∞/5 stars
I truly believe that the right book finds you at the right time and this one found me exactly when I needed it most. . I was feeling a little lost, a little unsure of myself, and somehow this story reached into that space and gently held it. It made me feel vulnerable in a way that wasn’t uncomfortable, but healing. You know how there are books we read… and then there are books that read us? This was one of those. It felt like I was seeing pieces of myself reflected back through the pages.
I honestly don’t know how to describe it more precisely than that, I found myself in this book. And when I say it’s become one of my new favorites, I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I already knew Ashley Poston writes beautifully. Her words always feel soft and magical, like they wrap around your soul and refuse to let go even after you turn the last page. So loving this book wasn’t a surprise it was more of a quiet, satisfied “I knew it” moment.
Getting the ARC made the experience even more special. I truly didn’t expect to receive it, so when I did, I was over the moon, smiling, giggling, staring at my screen in disbelief. I didn’t even wait to start it. I opened it immediately because I just had to. And I’m so grateful I had the chance to read it early, because it turned out to be one of the best books I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing.
Nobody does magical realism quite like Ashley Poston. I’ll say it again, nobody. She has a way of blending the ordinary with the extraordinary so seamlessly that it feels real, like magic could slip into your life at any moment. This book was tender, emotional, and quietly powerful. And I’m so glad it found me when it did.
➳ ABOUT THE BOOK
This story follows Sophie Drear, a woman who feels completely untethered after losing her best friend, Harriet. Grief has hollowed her out, leaving her unsure of who she is or where she belongs. So she returns to the one place that still holds Harriet’s memory close, Lilymoor. Years ago, they had promised to meet there again in a decade, each bringing stories and surprises from the lives they had built. Ten years later, Sophie keeps that promise alone.
Lilymoor is the only place that still feels like home, the only place where Sophie feels even remotely connected to Harriet. Wanting to stay close to that feeling, she takes a job there as the head gardener. And as the days pass, she begins to realize that Lilymoor is more than just beautiful, it’s magical. People say the gardens can whisper the voice of your truest love, and Sophie slowly discovers that love doesn’t always mean another person. Sometimes, it means finding your way back to yourself.
Through tending the soil and nurturing the flowers, Sophie begins to heal in quiet, tender ways. She learns to trust herself again. She learns that moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting. Losing a best friend is like losing a limb, it shifts your balance, your perspective, the way you see the world. The sky feels less blue, the ocean less endless. That’s the weight Sophie carries. But in Lilymoor’s gardens, she finds purpose. And purpose makes grief feel a little less sharp.
As the story unfolds, Sophie discovers something even more extraordinary, a hidden magical garden within Lilymoor, accessible only through a mysterious gate that never appears in the same place twice. Inside, a man is trapped, and freeing him becomes her new mission. It gives her direction, something to fight for, something to believe in.
And somewhere between chasing magic and honoring memory, Sophie realizes she has fallen in love, not just with the garden, but with the life she is building there. Lilymoor doesn’t erase her grief. It doesn’t pretend Harriet never existed. Instead, it helps Sophie carry that loss differently. It helps her feel seen, whole, and alive again.
➳ ABOUT THE CHARACTERS
╰┈➤ SOPHIE DREAR
For me, Sophie didn’t just feel like a character. She felt like me. I have never truly, not even once related to a fictional character the way I related to her. There’s something so quiet and gentle about Sophie, an aura that isn’t loud or dramatic, but deeply present. It makes you want to protect her, to understand her, to sit beside her in silence. And in so many ways, I saw myself in that silence.
The way she carried her grief felt painfully real. Especially when she says she didn’t let herself cry because she didn’t know who would put her back together again if she fell apart. That line stayed with me. Because sometimes grief isn’t just about missing someone, it’s about being terrified of unraveling with no one there to steady you.
As someone who has walked through a similar kind of loss, that moment hit me harder than I expected. It felt like the book reached into a place I rarely speak about and said, I see you.
This story made me feel seen in a way I didn’t even think books were capable of. It was tender and honest and raw without trying too hard. I’m so grateful I got to read it early, because I truly believe the right book finds you at the right time. And this one found me when I needed it most. It felt like a warm hug on a cold day. Like being wrapped up safely when everything feels overwhelming. There was comfort in it. There was magic in it.
Sophie was written so beautifully that she never felt fictional. She felt human. Real. Flawed. Grieving. Healing. And the way she spoke about Harriet, God. There’s a line where she mentions being asked a question that didn’t force her to repeat a eulogy, but instead made her remember Harriet as a person, as memories, not just someone who had died. That line broke me. It shifted something inside me.
I cried reading this book. And I am not an easy crier. I really am not. But this story pulled tears out of me more than once. And for me, that says everything. When a book can make you feel that deeply, when it can gently hold your grief and reflect it back to you with care, that’s something rare.
This book didn’t just tell a story. It understood me. And I’ll always be grateful for that.
╰┈➤ CYRUS BECK
Okay, I’m going to be completely honest here. As much as Cyrus is technically the main male character, I just didn’t connect with him the way I expected to. I know that sounds a little unfair, but my entire focus was on Sophie. She held my heart from the very beginning, and because of that, Cyrus sometimes felt more like he was orbiting her story rather than leading his own.
That doesn’t mean his pain wasn’t real. It absolutely was. The way he loved Lilymoor, the way returning there after tragedy felt both comforting and devastating for him, that was beautifully written. You could see how much the place meant to him, how it shaped him, how it felt like the only place where he could truly be himself. But for some reason, I struggled to emotionally attach myself to him in the same way I did with Sophie. At times, he felt more like an anchor in the background rather than the center of the narrative.
Still, I can’t deny that Cyrus was written with depth and care. The way he understood Sophie, truly understood her, was something special. He recognized her grief without forcing it. He met her in that quiet, fragile space and made her feel seen. And that matters. That tenderness, that quiet emotional intelligence, made him feel very human.
And I have to mention Oliver. Oliver was genuinely one of the sweetest parts of the book. There was something so warm and lovable about him that I couldn’t help but adore him.
What really stands out to me is that every single character in this story felt real. I don’t think there was one I genuinely disliked. Each of them was written with such softness and precision that they didn’t feel fictional. They felt like people you might know in real life, flawed, grieving, loving, healing. That’s rare. It’s rare to read a book where you can say you loved every character in some way.
So even though my heart belonged mostly to Sophie, I can appreciate how beautifully everyone was crafted.
➳ FINAL THOUGHTS
Honestly, I think I knew I was going to love this book from the very first page. Ashley Poston does magical realism on a completely different level, it’s soft and surreal and somehow still painfully real. I went in expecting to enjoy it. I did not expect it to see me the way it did. I did not expect to feel this vulnerable, this understood, this gently exposed.
But here we are.
This book was truly, genuinely wonderful. Not just “good,” not just “beautifully written,” but the kind of wonderful that lingers in your chest long after you close it. The kind that makes you pause and just sit there for a moment.
I would highly, highly recommend this book, especially to anyone who feels a little lost. To anyone searching for an anchor. For purpose. For something that whispers, you’re not alone in this. This story feels like it was written for people who deeply want to be seen and understood. And not in a dramatic, loud way, but in a quiet, soul-deep way.
The last book I read by Ashley Poston was The seven year slip, and for the longest time I thought that one would remain my favorite forever. I was so sure of it. I was so confident. Turns out, I was completely wrong. This one has claimed that place so effortlessly. It has become my new favorite, and I love it so much that I already know I’ll reread it. Not because I have to. Just because I want to live in it a little longer.
And can we talk about how human the characters felt? None of them felt fictional. They felt like people I could meet, people I might already know. I was so deeply entranced that I finished the book in three to four days, which, during exam season, is basically a miracle. That’s not just reading. That’s devotion.
So yes, I cannot recommend this book enough.
⚘ "Overall, If you’re looking for a story that will make you feel seen, loved, understood, more human, then this is the one. It’s gentle. It’s magical. It’s grounding.
And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need." 💌
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
౨ৎ pre-read:
⤿ started - 11 February , 2026
another anticipated arc got approved hehe, who’s doing it like me 😌🤌🏻
I truly believe that the right book finds you at the right time and this one found me exactly when I needed it most. . I was feeling a little lost, a little unsure of myself, and somehow this story reached into that space and gently held it. It made me feel vulnerable in a way that wasn’t uncomfortable, but healing. You know how there are books we read… and then there are books that read us? This was one of those. It felt like I was seeing pieces of myself reflected back through the pages.
I honestly don’t know how to describe it more precisely than that, I found myself in this book. And when I say it’s become one of my new favorites, I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I already knew Ashley Poston writes beautifully. Her words always feel soft and magical, like they wrap around your soul and refuse to let go even after you turn the last page. So loving this book wasn’t a surprise it was more of a quiet, satisfied “I knew it” moment.
Getting the ARC made the experience even more special. I truly didn’t expect to receive it, so when I did, I was over the moon, smiling, giggling, staring at my screen in disbelief. I didn’t even wait to start it. I opened it immediately because I just had to. And I’m so grateful I had the chance to read it early, because it turned out to be one of the best books I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing.
Nobody does magical realism quite like Ashley Poston. I’ll say it again, nobody. She has a way of blending the ordinary with the extraordinary so seamlessly that it feels real, like magic could slip into your life at any moment. This book was tender, emotional, and quietly powerful. And I’m so glad it found me when it did.
➳ ABOUT THE BOOK
This story follows Sophie Drear, a woman who feels completely untethered after losing her best friend, Harriet. Grief has hollowed her out, leaving her unsure of who she is or where she belongs. So she returns to the one place that still holds Harriet’s memory close, Lilymoor. Years ago, they had promised to meet there again in a decade, each bringing stories and surprises from the lives they had built. Ten years later, Sophie keeps that promise alone.
Lilymoor is the only place that still feels like home, the only place where Sophie feels even remotely connected to Harriet. Wanting to stay close to that feeling, she takes a job there as the head gardener. And as the days pass, she begins to realize that Lilymoor is more than just beautiful, it’s magical. People say the gardens can whisper the voice of your truest love, and Sophie slowly discovers that love doesn’t always mean another person. Sometimes, it means finding your way back to yourself.
Through tending the soil and nurturing the flowers, Sophie begins to heal in quiet, tender ways. She learns to trust herself again. She learns that moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting. Losing a best friend is like losing a limb, it shifts your balance, your perspective, the way you see the world. The sky feels less blue, the ocean less endless. That’s the weight Sophie carries. But in Lilymoor’s gardens, she finds purpose. And purpose makes grief feel a little less sharp.
As the story unfolds, Sophie discovers something even more extraordinary, a hidden magical garden within Lilymoor, accessible only through a mysterious gate that never appears in the same place twice. Inside, a man is trapped, and freeing him becomes her new mission. It gives her direction, something to fight for, something to believe in.
And somewhere between chasing magic and honoring memory, Sophie realizes she has fallen in love, not just with the garden, but with the life she is building there. Lilymoor doesn’t erase her grief. It doesn’t pretend Harriet never existed. Instead, it helps Sophie carry that loss differently. It helps her feel seen, whole, and alive again.
➳ ABOUT THE CHARACTERS
╰┈➤ SOPHIE DREAR
For me, Sophie didn’t just feel like a character. She felt like me. I have never truly, not even once related to a fictional character the way I related to her. There’s something so quiet and gentle about Sophie, an aura that isn’t loud or dramatic, but deeply present. It makes you want to protect her, to understand her, to sit beside her in silence. And in so many ways, I saw myself in that silence.
The way she carried her grief felt painfully real. Especially when she says she didn’t let herself cry because she didn’t know who would put her back together again if she fell apart. That line stayed with me. Because sometimes grief isn’t just about missing someone, it’s about being terrified of unraveling with no one there to steady you.
As someone who has walked through a similar kind of loss, that moment hit me harder than I expected. It felt like the book reached into a place I rarely speak about and said, I see you.
This story made me feel seen in a way I didn’t even think books were capable of. It was tender and honest and raw without trying too hard. I’m so grateful I got to read it early, because I truly believe the right book finds you at the right time. And this one found me when I needed it most. It felt like a warm hug on a cold day. Like being wrapped up safely when everything feels overwhelming. There was comfort in it. There was magic in it.
Sophie was written so beautifully that she never felt fictional. She felt human. Real. Flawed. Grieving. Healing. And the way she spoke about Harriet, God. There’s a line where she mentions being asked a question that didn’t force her to repeat a eulogy, but instead made her remember Harriet as a person, as memories, not just someone who had died. That line broke me. It shifted something inside me.
I cried reading this book. And I am not an easy crier. I really am not. But this story pulled tears out of me more than once. And for me, that says everything. When a book can make you feel that deeply, when it can gently hold your grief and reflect it back to you with care, that’s something rare.
This book didn’t just tell a story. It understood me. And I’ll always be grateful for that.
╰┈➤ CYRUS BECK
Okay, I’m going to be completely honest here. As much as Cyrus is technically the main male character, I just didn’t connect with him the way I expected to. I know that sounds a little unfair, but my entire focus was on Sophie. She held my heart from the very beginning, and because of that, Cyrus sometimes felt more like he was orbiting her story rather than leading his own.
That doesn’t mean his pain wasn’t real. It absolutely was. The way he loved Lilymoor, the way returning there after tragedy felt both comforting and devastating for him, that was beautifully written. You could see how much the place meant to him, how it shaped him, how it felt like the only place where he could truly be himself. But for some reason, I struggled to emotionally attach myself to him in the same way I did with Sophie. At times, he felt more like an anchor in the background rather than the center of the narrative.
Still, I can’t deny that Cyrus was written with depth and care. The way he understood Sophie, truly understood her, was something special. He recognized her grief without forcing it. He met her in that quiet, fragile space and made her feel seen. And that matters. That tenderness, that quiet emotional intelligence, made him feel very human.
And I have to mention Oliver. Oliver was genuinely one of the sweetest parts of the book. There was something so warm and lovable about him that I couldn’t help but adore him.
What really stands out to me is that every single character in this story felt real. I don’t think there was one I genuinely disliked. Each of them was written with such softness and precision that they didn’t feel fictional. They felt like people you might know in real life, flawed, grieving, loving, healing. That’s rare. It’s rare to read a book where you can say you loved every character in some way.
So even though my heart belonged mostly to Sophie, I can appreciate how beautifully everyone was crafted.
➳ FINAL THOUGHTS
Honestly, I think I knew I was going to love this book from the very first page. Ashley Poston does magical realism on a completely different level, it’s soft and surreal and somehow still painfully real. I went in expecting to enjoy it. I did not expect it to see me the way it did. I did not expect to feel this vulnerable, this understood, this gently exposed.
But here we are.
This book was truly, genuinely wonderful. Not just “good,” not just “beautifully written,” but the kind of wonderful that lingers in your chest long after you close it. The kind that makes you pause and just sit there for a moment.
I would highly, highly recommend this book, especially to anyone who feels a little lost. To anyone searching for an anchor. For purpose. For something that whispers, you’re not alone in this. This story feels like it was written for people who deeply want to be seen and understood. And not in a dramatic, loud way, but in a quiet, soul-deep way.
The last book I read by Ashley Poston was The seven year slip, and for the longest time I thought that one would remain my favorite forever. I was so sure of it. I was so confident. Turns out, I was completely wrong. This one has claimed that place so effortlessly. It has become my new favorite, and I love it so much that I already know I’ll reread it. Not because I have to. Just because I want to live in it a little longer.
And can we talk about how human the characters felt? None of them felt fictional. They felt like people I could meet, people I might already know. I was so deeply entranced that I finished the book in three to four days, which, during exam season, is basically a miracle. That’s not just reading. That’s devotion.
So yes, I cannot recommend this book enough.
⚘ "Overall, If you’re looking for a story that will make you feel seen, loved, understood, more human, then this is the one. It’s gentle. It’s magical. It’s grounding.
And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need." 💌
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
౨ৎ pre-read:
⤿ started - 11 February , 2026
another anticipated arc got approved hehe, who’s doing it like me 😌🤌🏻
April 17, 2026
This was so cute! Secret garden vibes, this was such a tender story, perfect for a spring read.
Right off the bat, I was invested in the gardening plot. I wanted to see our project through, and was also loving the mystery behind this mysterious door to the secret garden (and the man inside). Everything just felt so inherently romantic, even outside the romance plot- because we literally have flowers EVERYWHERE.
I did eventually come to love the chemistry and romance between our characters, but it was a little iffy in the beginning. Felt like one of those romances that just went from 0-100 instantly. Like we had some cute banter moments and all of a sudden, our characters were using language like “falling for him” and it just felt way too quick! However, the substance did come later, and I did end up falling in love with them in the end. Bonus: the third act conflict was actually plot-driven and not just an annoying miscommunication! 🥳
I did get a little teary at the end, and overall loved the story! Also loved the little “untranslatable words” theme that was included chapter to chapter, in ways it gave each chapter a purpose.
Definitely a good one to jump into for a feel good, light read!
Right off the bat, I was invested in the gardening plot. I wanted to see our project through, and was also loving the mystery behind this mysterious door to the secret garden (and the man inside). Everything just felt so inherently romantic, even outside the romance plot- because we literally have flowers EVERYWHERE.
I did eventually come to love the chemistry and romance between our characters, but it was a little iffy in the beginning. Felt like one of those romances that just went from 0-100 instantly. Like we had some cute banter moments and all of a sudden, our characters were using language like “falling for him” and it just felt way too quick! However, the substance did come later, and I did end up falling in love with them in the end. Bonus: the third act conflict was actually plot-driven and not just an annoying miscommunication! 🥳
I did get a little teary at the end, and overall loved the story! Also loved the little “untranslatable words” theme that was included chapter to chapter, in ways it gave each chapter a purpose.
Definitely a good one to jump into for a feel good, light read!
June 1, 2026
this was the most perfect spring romance read EVER!!! it’s set in a magical garden, rufkm!!!! 🌹🌸💐🌺🌷🌻🥀🪷🪻
Ashley Poston has found her niche in romance writing and i’m so obsessed with it—no one does the romance & magical realism blend quite like her!!! it feels so effortless to the story and weaves together so well that you almost forget there is magic! she reminds me a lot of Rebecca Serle in this way (who i’m also obsessed with).
while this is a romance, to me this one was actually more about the female MC and her coming of age/finding herself after a devastating loss. there is a lot of grief and the MC is dealing with how she can possibly move on and start living a life that is different from how it was before. she wrote that so beautifully!
then you have the romance which was definitely a slow burn. upon finishing, i honestly wanted even more from that plot! the ending wrapped up quickly for the slow burn romance/mystery of the garden so i selfishly wanted 2-3 more chapters there.
TLDR: this book was hopeful, funny at parts and super cute. lovedddd the setting and honestly it’s perfect for spring 🌼 she remains an auto buy author for me!! her books are so calming and feel like a big hug.
thanks to Berkley for the gifted early copy
Ashley Poston has found her niche in romance writing and i’m so obsessed with it—no one does the romance & magical realism blend quite like her!!! it feels so effortless to the story and weaves together so well that you almost forget there is magic! she reminds me a lot of Rebecca Serle in this way (who i’m also obsessed with).
while this is a romance, to me this one was actually more about the female MC and her coming of age/finding herself after a devastating loss. there is a lot of grief and the MC is dealing with how she can possibly move on and start living a life that is different from how it was before. she wrote that so beautifully!
then you have the romance which was definitely a slow burn. upon finishing, i honestly wanted even more from that plot! the ending wrapped up quickly for the slow burn romance/mystery of the garden so i selfishly wanted 2-3 more chapters there.
TLDR: this book was hopeful, funny at parts and super cute. lovedddd the setting and honestly it’s perfect for spring 🌼 she remains an auto buy author for me!! her books are so calming and feel like a big hug.
thanks to Berkley for the gifted early copy
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⭐️ 4 ⭐️ This is possibly the most heartfelt and healing book she's written yet. Soft and tender, the narrative is wrapped in warmth of a beautiful romance despite hard hitting themes of loss of a loved one due to cancer and the grief that comes afterwards. In a way, The Someday Garden, is like a fairytale in which adults can find sunshine and peace 🧡
Sophie Drear is hurting from the loss of her best friend, Harriet. When they were younger, they took a road trip to Odette, Maine to see the Lilymoor House and Gardens. Having fallen in love with the place, they promised to each other that they would meet here again ten years later...but 10 years later never happened. Harriet was diagnosed and succumbed to cancer. In search of something to hold on to, Sophie who is now a horticulturist working for THE Botanical Gardens, returns to Lilymoor for a summer gig. Lilymoor will always be a place that she holds dear in her heart because it keeps her connected to Harriet. One day while working and exploring the gardens, she walks through a door and stumbles into an inside garden where she meets Cyrus, the most handsome grump! He is reeling from his own trauma and grief and is kind of a loner himself. They soon discover that Cyrus, who goes by Rus, is trapped inside the magical garden for only a few hours but in Sophies time, its days! Meanwhile, there are other 'issues' that surround Sophie and Lilymoor and she has a lot of work cut out for herself this summer season! Can she ensure that Lilymoor thrives again while trying to heal herself?
My goodness, this story was so heartfelt. Ashley Poston tackles a difficult topic with so much tenderness and care, I really feel a lot of readers will find comfort and internal peace for themselves in this book. Reading about a person rediscovering herself after a loss of a friend felt incredibly raw and honest. I walked in Sophies shoes before, except it wasn't my friend who I lost to cancer, but my dad. He was my best friend, so I guess I can say it's all relevant--this story, Sophies character...all heartbreaking and comforting all at once.
Sophie was trapped in the painful memories of her best friend. She couldn't move forward, had a hard time opening up to others. Harriet felt like a secret she wanted to keep for herself. That in turn, made life a lot more difficult for her. It made it hard for her to move on; a part of her felt that by moving on, it means she would forget Harriet. This is where Rus comes in and saves her. He's someone who saw her failings and still thought she did her best. Never pushy and always supportive, just enough for her to not feel overwhelmed. I loved how organically their relationship progressed. They needed each other to understand that grief is not the end, that together its their forward.
When you bury yourself in grief, it's impossible to see some light through the cracks of its darkness. I just love how Poston nurtured something from all the chaos. How she allowed the story to naturally bloom in all the right places. She's my favorite writer in this genre! She created a dream like allure but at the same time weaved in real issues and real feelings that felt relevant! I also wanted to point out that this book felt educational. I learned a thing or two about flowers and their meaning in current times--their symbolism and awareness. Like for example: which flowers to gift when someone is in mourning or what each color of roses means and how to gift them properly. Just a thought..that even in fiction, there is a lot that can be taken away!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and the author, Ashley Poston for an early copy.
Publication date: June 16, 2026
Sophie Drear is hurting from the loss of her best friend, Harriet. When they were younger, they took a road trip to Odette, Maine to see the Lilymoor House and Gardens. Having fallen in love with the place, they promised to each other that they would meet here again ten years later...but 10 years later never happened. Harriet was diagnosed and succumbed to cancer. In search of something to hold on to, Sophie who is now a horticulturist working for THE Botanical Gardens, returns to Lilymoor for a summer gig. Lilymoor will always be a place that she holds dear in her heart because it keeps her connected to Harriet. One day while working and exploring the gardens, she walks through a door and stumbles into an inside garden where she meets Cyrus, the most handsome grump! He is reeling from his own trauma and grief and is kind of a loner himself. They soon discover that Cyrus, who goes by Rus, is trapped inside the magical garden for only a few hours but in Sophies time, its days! Meanwhile, there are other 'issues' that surround Sophie and Lilymoor and she has a lot of work cut out for herself this summer season! Can she ensure that Lilymoor thrives again while trying to heal herself?
My goodness, this story was so heartfelt. Ashley Poston tackles a difficult topic with so much tenderness and care, I really feel a lot of readers will find comfort and internal peace for themselves in this book. Reading about a person rediscovering herself after a loss of a friend felt incredibly raw and honest. I walked in Sophies shoes before, except it wasn't my friend who I lost to cancer, but my dad. He was my best friend, so I guess I can say it's all relevant--this story, Sophies character...all heartbreaking and comforting all at once.
Sophie was trapped in the painful memories of her best friend. She couldn't move forward, had a hard time opening up to others. Harriet felt like a secret she wanted to keep for herself. That in turn, made life a lot more difficult for her. It made it hard for her to move on; a part of her felt that by moving on, it means she would forget Harriet. This is where Rus comes in and saves her. He's someone who saw her failings and still thought she did her best. Never pushy and always supportive, just enough for her to not feel overwhelmed. I loved how organically their relationship progressed. They needed each other to understand that grief is not the end, that together its their forward.
When you bury yourself in grief, it's impossible to see some light through the cracks of its darkness. I just love how Poston nurtured something from all the chaos. How she allowed the story to naturally bloom in all the right places. She's my favorite writer in this genre! She created a dream like allure but at the same time weaved in real issues and real feelings that felt relevant! I also wanted to point out that this book felt educational. I learned a thing or two about flowers and their meaning in current times--their symbolism and awareness. Like for example: which flowers to gift when someone is in mourning or what each color of roses means and how to gift them properly. Just a thought..that even in fiction, there is a lot that can be taken away!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and the author, Ashley Poston for an early copy.
Publication date: June 16, 2026
Want to Read
June 8, 2026i don't want to be dramatic but my summer comes down to whether i like this book
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!
ughhh i was worried that this wouldn’t be a five star read for me (ashley poston became one of my fav authors in 2025 and all of her books were five stars for me), but the last 10 pages or so solidified why i should trust in poston’s process.
as usual, ashley poston writes beautiful magical realism novels that focus on so many different types of love. in the someday garden, sophie drear returns to the beloved garden lillymoor that she and her best friend harrie visited 10 years ago, only this time she returns as the head gardener, and without her best friend.
sophie grapples with the loss of her best friend and drifts through life without much passion until she stumbles upon a door to a hidden garden during lillymoor’s golden hour, and finds a handsome but rude man seemingly stuck in the garden.
i especially loved how each chapter was titled an “untranslatable” word, with the full list being featured at the end of the book.
i’m very excited to hear ashley poston speak about this book in june!
ughhh i was worried that this wouldn’t be a five star read for me (ashley poston became one of my fav authors in 2025 and all of her books were five stars for me), but the last 10 pages or so solidified why i should trust in poston’s process.
as usual, ashley poston writes beautiful magical realism novels that focus on so many different types of love. in the someday garden, sophie drear returns to the beloved garden lillymoor that she and her best friend harrie visited 10 years ago, only this time she returns as the head gardener, and without her best friend.
sophie grapples with the loss of her best friend and drifts through life without much passion until she stumbles upon a door to a hidden garden during lillymoor’s golden hour, and finds a handsome but rude man seemingly stuck in the garden.
i especially loved how each chapter was titled an “untranslatable” word, with the full list being featured at the end of the book.
i’m very excited to hear ashley poston speak about this book in june!
March 24, 2026
[arc review] ashley poston is one of those authors that has discovered her niche, and with every new release, proves time and time again why she’s so good at it.
I’ve been a huge fan since I read the dead romantics in 2023, and have enjoyed everything she’s released since—this novel being no different.
the someday garden follows sophie drear as she fulfills the promise she made with her best friend to visit the infamous lilymoor 10 years after they graduate—no matter where in life they end up. except this time she’s alone, and bearing the grief of losing harriet since her last visit.
sophie and harriet had theorised about how the gardens at lilymoor harbour a hidden magic.
it isn’t until sophie visits for the second time that she realises that it isn’t just a conspiracy theory—there is magic at lilymoor, and behind the blue door that appears in different locations, is a man stuck, and he needs her help to get out.
the way ashley writes has you so immersed; weaving intricacies that leave you feeling connected with the characters as they tackle such raw issues head on, but in a way that is treated so delicately.
ashley poston takes you on a journey of grief, finding strength, and learning how to live with it—not die in it.
I really enjoyed this and finished it in one sitting. I kept saying one more chapter until the end, and I still found myself wanting more.
sophie is one of those characters that has been written with so much care and attention. I liked how as the story progressed, she started to find herself again. I wanted her happy ending, and the ending was so fulfilling.
I equally loved the banter between sophie and cyrus, and the side characters each played their part in the story so well.
at the end of the day, I’m a simple woman—if ashley poston writes it, I will read it.
thank you HQ for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
I’ve been a huge fan since I read the dead romantics in 2023, and have enjoyed everything she’s released since—this novel being no different.
the someday garden follows sophie drear as she fulfills the promise she made with her best friend to visit the infamous lilymoor 10 years after they graduate—no matter where in life they end up. except this time she’s alone, and bearing the grief of losing harriet since her last visit.
sophie and harriet had theorised about how the gardens at lilymoor harbour a hidden magic.
it isn’t until sophie visits for the second time that she realises that it isn’t just a conspiracy theory—there is magic at lilymoor, and behind the blue door that appears in different locations, is a man stuck, and he needs her help to get out.
the way ashley writes has you so immersed; weaving intricacies that leave you feeling connected with the characters as they tackle such raw issues head on, but in a way that is treated so delicately.
ashley poston takes you on a journey of grief, finding strength, and learning how to live with it—not die in it.
I really enjoyed this and finished it in one sitting. I kept saying one more chapter until the end, and I still found myself wanting more.
sophie is one of those characters that has been written with so much care and attention. I liked how as the story progressed, she started to find herself again. I wanted her happy ending, and the ending was so fulfilling.
I equally loved the banter between sophie and cyrus, and the side characters each played their part in the story so well.
at the end of the day, I’m a simple woman—if ashley poston writes it, I will read it.
thank you HQ for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
anticipated-books
January 1, 2026Gimme plz 🥺🥺🥺🥺
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is for lovers of magical realism and slow burns. A magical garden with a man trapped inside that she finds and she has to find a way to get him back into the real world.
It was really hard for me to rate this one, because I really enjoyed all the magical parts, but the parts that were just ‘real life’ seemed extremely slow to me. I wanted the whole book to be more of the magical parts and less of the rest.
I also wanted more of an explanation of why the magical part happened, but I guess the explanation is just “magic” haha. This might be more of a me problem, because I do have more of a fact based mind and I don’t read much fantasy. My theory about what I thought was going on was wrong.
I would say this is probably a 3.5 rounded up.
Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
It was really hard for me to rate this one, because I really enjoyed all the magical parts, but the parts that were just ‘real life’ seemed extremely slow to me. I wanted the whole book to be more of the magical parts and less of the rest.
I also wanted more of an explanation of why the magical part happened, but I guess the explanation is just “magic” haha. This might be more of a me problem, because I do have more of a fact based mind and I don’t read much fantasy. My theory about what I thought was going on was wrong.
I would say this is probably a 3.5 rounded up.
Thank you to netgalley for this free advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 22, 2026
Ashley Poston is the only writer who consistently makes me cry, and by God, I love her for it.
The way she examines all different kinds of love, not just romantic love, feels so special to me. This is such a gorgeous novel. I was swept away to the Coast of Maine, an area I'm very familiar with, and absolutely came to adore everything about Lilymoor House.
On the surface, this might not seem like my kind of book, but in the capable hands of Ashley Poston, it most certainly is. This now lives in my heart.
Full review to come...stay tuned!!!
The way she examines all different kinds of love, not just romantic love, feels so special to me. This is such a gorgeous novel. I was swept away to the Coast of Maine, an area I'm very familiar with, and absolutely came to adore everything about Lilymoor House.
On the surface, this might not seem like my kind of book, but in the capable hands of Ashley Poston, it most certainly is. This now lives in my heart.
Full review to come...stay tuned!!!
remind-me-once-out
September 26, 2025Me: seeing a new AP book
Also me: *hyperventilating from heavy breathing*
Also me: *hyperventilating from heavy breathing*
Want to Read
June 22, 2026update: omg it's outtttt, going to be reading it as soon as I get my hands on it.
I've been so excited for this one...and it finally comes out tomorrow. 🤭
I've been so excited for this one...and it finally comes out tomorrow. 🤭
June 11, 2026
a really beautiful, endearing love story
I love the strange magic in all of Ashley Poston’s books. the magical gardens in this story really are a character all on their own.
the book handled difficult topics with care & without the heavy, bogged down feeling that would usually accompany them (death of a friend, loss of a loved one/spouse, big family changes)
left feeling a little bit lighter than I did before this book
tropes:
- magical gardens
- gardener fmc
- fmc struggling with the death of her best friend & how to keep moving forward
- MMC = grumbly nephew of the garden owner
I love the strange magic in all of Ashley Poston’s books. the magical gardens in this story really are a character all on their own.
the book handled difficult topics with care & without the heavy, bogged down feeling that would usually accompany them (death of a friend, loss of a loved one/spouse, big family changes)
left feeling a little bit lighter than I did before this book
tropes:
- magical gardens
- gardener fmc
- fmc struggling with the death of her best friend & how to keep moving forward
- MMC = grumbly nephew of the garden owner
June 18, 2026
With tears still rolling down my face as I write this, I am honestly speechless. The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston is, without exaggeration, one of the most beautiful, raw, and honest portrayals of grief and love I have ever read. It was my most anticipated read of the year, and it managed to surpass my expectations in every possible way. 😭❤️
No one blends magical realism, love, and loss quite like Ashley Poston. 💯 This story is unapologetically different from standard contemporary romance. If you read a lot in the genre, you know how tropes can eventually start to blend together. This book stands completely on its own as an imaginative, creative, and uniquely moving piece of art.
What struck me the most was the sheer vulnerability in how the story navigates the processing of losing someone you love. We follow the main character, Sophie Drear, on her grief journey as she reminisces about and honors the memory of her best friend, Harriett. The emotional depth hit me so hard that as the story progressed, I found myself completely overwhelmed with emotion, tearing up through chapter after chapter. Poston has a rare gift for putting words to an emotion as massive and difficult to encapsulate as grief. 💛
As a lover of plants, gardens, and nature, the imagery in this book absolutely swept me away. The metaphors are lush and stunningly intertwined with the plot: tending to a garden becomes a physical manifestation of tending to our deepest grief, and the changing of the seasons beautifully mirrors the internal transformations we go through as humans. The entire atmosphere felt heavily inspired by the whimsical, quirky, and cozy magic of childhood classics—evoking the exact feeling of beloved Studio Ghibli movies like Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki’s Delivery Service, mixed with the nostalgic charm of The Secret Garden.
I loved that each chapter is named after a unique word from different languages and cultures that has no direct, one-to-one translation into English. It added such a profound layer to the book’s exploration of yearning, love, friendship, and what it truly means to move forward after a devastating loss.
This book perfectly captures the idea that grief and joy can coexist. It is a complex, gut-wrenching, yet deeply healing story that will make your heart shatter and put it back together all at once. 🥺❤️
My Advice: Go into this book completely blind. Don’t read the blurbs, and avoid looking at trope menus—just let yourself be entirely consumed by the magic of it. I almost thought I wouldn't like this book after reading some trope menus, but I loved it.
This is the type of book you need to savor. Read it outside under the sun, so the sunlight can dry your tears as you inevitably cry. 😭❤️☀️
I will cherish and treasure this story for a very long time.
No trope menu can really capture the magic, but perfect if you love:
❤️ An incredibly moving story about love and loss
😍 A truly magical romance story
✨️ Magical Realism
😭 Grief Representation
🩷 Heartbreakingly beautiful quotes and words that can't be translated into English
🔑 A secret garden
🥰 Quirky characters
🙃 Cozy found-family vibes
😂 A devilish and cantankerous Canadian Goose
🐾 A goose-dog (living his best life)
💖 Nostalgic Studio Ghibli Movies and Magical Rom-Coms
✨️ The idea that, "Grief and joy can coexist."
No one blends magical realism, love, and loss quite like Ashley Poston. 💯 This story is unapologetically different from standard contemporary romance. If you read a lot in the genre, you know how tropes can eventually start to blend together. This book stands completely on its own as an imaginative, creative, and uniquely moving piece of art.
What struck me the most was the sheer vulnerability in how the story navigates the processing of losing someone you love. We follow the main character, Sophie Drear, on her grief journey as she reminisces about and honors the memory of her best friend, Harriett. The emotional depth hit me so hard that as the story progressed, I found myself completely overwhelmed with emotion, tearing up through chapter after chapter. Poston has a rare gift for putting words to an emotion as massive and difficult to encapsulate as grief. 💛
As a lover of plants, gardens, and nature, the imagery in this book absolutely swept me away. The metaphors are lush and stunningly intertwined with the plot: tending to a garden becomes a physical manifestation of tending to our deepest grief, and the changing of the seasons beautifully mirrors the internal transformations we go through as humans. The entire atmosphere felt heavily inspired by the whimsical, quirky, and cozy magic of childhood classics—evoking the exact feeling of beloved Studio Ghibli movies like Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki’s Delivery Service, mixed with the nostalgic charm of The Secret Garden.
I loved that each chapter is named after a unique word from different languages and cultures that has no direct, one-to-one translation into English. It added such a profound layer to the book’s exploration of yearning, love, friendship, and what it truly means to move forward after a devastating loss.
This book perfectly captures the idea that grief and joy can coexist. It is a complex, gut-wrenching, yet deeply healing story that will make your heart shatter and put it back together all at once. 🥺❤️
My Advice: Go into this book completely blind. Don’t read the blurbs, and avoid looking at trope menus—just let yourself be entirely consumed by the magic of it. I almost thought I wouldn't like this book after reading some trope menus, but I loved it.
This is the type of book you need to savor. Read it outside under the sun, so the sunlight can dry your tears as you inevitably cry. 😭❤️☀️
I will cherish and treasure this story for a very long time.
No trope menu can really capture the magic, but perfect if you love:
❤️ An incredibly moving story about love and loss
😍 A truly magical romance story
✨️ Magical Realism
😭 Grief Representation
🩷 Heartbreakingly beautiful quotes and words that can't be translated into English
🔑 A secret garden
🥰 Quirky characters
🙃 Cozy found-family vibes
😂 A devilish and cantankerous Canadian Goose
🐾 A goose-dog (living his best life)
💖 Nostalgic Studio Ghibli Movies and Magical Rom-Coms
✨️ The idea that, "Grief and joy can coexist."
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
And it was good and terrible and wild. Changing and growing and becoming, again and again, as we shucked off our leaves and burrowed our roots and reached for the sky. What a glorious, golden thing to be alive. What a wonderful, awful gift it was to leave things behind.
4★
[thank you berkley for the e-arc]
When I read the blurb for this book and saw the cover, I had a feeling that it could compete with The Seven Year Slip for the number one spot as my favourite Ashley Poston book. Although that didn’t happen, Poston’s special gift for writing magical stories will never not leave me in awe. She has a special ability for creating tender, beautiful, heartfelt stories that feel cosy and familiar, like a well loved blanket that you use to keep yourself warm every night.
The Someday Garden’s setting is enchanting and I’d gladly spend more time wandering the gardens at Lilymoore House. It felt like stepping inside a fairytale, where the garden’s have a mind of their own. The setting is my favourite part of the story, because of how alive it felt to me, like it was another main character in the story. Ashley’s books always have an element of magical realism and the garden’s intricacies and games added some charm to the story (as well as the use of untranslatable words as the title of each chapter, it was a lovely element). I would’ve loved to know more about the magic and I feel like so many questions were left unanswered. I love Poston’s books so much, but I feel like she doesn’t take the time to explore all the magical elements and I end up being confused as to why certain things come to be.
The pacing of this story wasn’t the best and it took me a while to really get into it. In my opinion, there were a lot of things happening and quite some focus on different storylines and characters, which meant that the main storyline didn’t have the attention it deserved. Which lead to me struggling to connect with the main characters. This is not to say that I didn’t love them, I just wish I got to know them better. I felt for Sophie and her grief, and her story resonated with me, but I wanted to feel a deeper connection with her.
I’d market this book as fiction with magical realism and a touch of romance, because the romance wasn’t that big of a character in this story. I don’t want to spoil the book, so I won’t mention names, but I wasn’t expecting the fmc to be interested in two men. It threw me off a bit, I must confess. It was obvious who she’d end up with, though. And the romance was lovely and heartfelt, the sort of tender love story Poston’s has accustomed us with, but I wanted more. It felt underdeveloped and like they fell in love too fast.
The first and second halves of this book were good, albeit a little bit slow, but the third part is where the story truly shined and it was my favourite part. It’s what made me love The Someday Garden and I unexpectedly sobbed so much at the end. The exploration of grief was beautifully executed and I loved the message in this story, on how to find strength in grief and learn to live with it. It was lovely seeing Sophie start living again and allowing herself to love and be loved.
I’m a little bit sad that I didn’t love this book more, but I can’t deny that it was one of those books that was hard to put down. I enjoyed getting lost in Lilymoore House’s garden and was definitely touched by the characters story. Not every book can be a favourite, but I will always love Poston’s writing and how alive it feels.
💐💐💐
We couldn't be more different, but there is this feeling when you meet someone special. Like finding a lost puzzle piece and clicking it into place -there's a certainty to it.
There was this... otherness to everything. As if the estate itself were alive and l'd stepped into a fairy tale, where everything was soft and slow.
His arms were strong, and his body was warm, smelling of lavender and honey and loose soil. As if he was made just for me, and how terrible that he was.
Sprout, it's a privilege to waste time—waste as much of it as you can. On things you love, on things you enjoy, on moments that make you so happy you could burst. And in the end, if you do it right, none of it will have been a waste at all.
Nothing lasted, especially nothing beautiful. But nothing bad lasted forever, either.
It was hard to talk about the people we lost—I knew that better than most. I put up walls so high it was impossible to scale them. I thought that if I kept my hurt, if lived in it, then some part of Harrie would live on, too. But I was wrong, because keeping her locked tight would ensure that she died with me, and she deserved so much more.
“You're magic, Sophie.” I thought about the way the flowers bloomed in our secret garden, and the way he talked to the flowers when he thought I wasn't paying attention, and how our hands weren't so different when we laced them together, telling similar stories with similar callouses, though mine had dirt underneath my fingernails. "I think you're magic, too.”
4★
[thank you berkley for the e-arc]
When I read the blurb for this book and saw the cover, I had a feeling that it could compete with The Seven Year Slip for the number one spot as my favourite Ashley Poston book. Although that didn’t happen, Poston’s special gift for writing magical stories will never not leave me in awe. She has a special ability for creating tender, beautiful, heartfelt stories that feel cosy and familiar, like a well loved blanket that you use to keep yourself warm every night.
The Someday Garden’s setting is enchanting and I’d gladly spend more time wandering the gardens at Lilymoore House. It felt like stepping inside a fairytale, where the garden’s have a mind of their own. The setting is my favourite part of the story, because of how alive it felt to me, like it was another main character in the story. Ashley’s books always have an element of magical realism and the garden’s intricacies and games added some charm to the story (as well as the use of untranslatable words as the title of each chapter, it was a lovely element). I would’ve loved to know more about the magic and I feel like so many questions were left unanswered. I love Poston’s books so much, but I feel like she doesn’t take the time to explore all the magical elements and I end up being confused as to why certain things come to be.
The pacing of this story wasn’t the best and it took me a while to really get into it. In my opinion, there were a lot of things happening and quite some focus on different storylines and characters, which meant that the main storyline didn’t have the attention it deserved. Which lead to me struggling to connect with the main characters. This is not to say that I didn’t love them, I just wish I got to know them better. I felt for Sophie and her grief, and her story resonated with me, but I wanted to feel a deeper connection with her.
I’d market this book as fiction with magical realism and a touch of romance, because the romance wasn’t that big of a character in this story. I don’t want to spoil the book, so I won’t mention names, but I wasn’t expecting the fmc to be interested in two men. It threw me off a bit, I must confess. It was obvious who she’d end up with, though. And the romance was lovely and heartfelt, the sort of tender love story Poston’s has accustomed us with, but I wanted more. It felt underdeveloped and like they fell in love too fast.
The first and second halves of this book were good, albeit a little bit slow, but the third part is where the story truly shined and it was my favourite part. It’s what made me love The Someday Garden and I unexpectedly sobbed so much at the end. The exploration of grief was beautifully executed and I loved the message in this story, on how to find strength in grief and learn to live with it. It was lovely seeing Sophie start living again and allowing herself to love and be loved.
I’m a little bit sad that I didn’t love this book more, but I can’t deny that it was one of those books that was hard to put down. I enjoyed getting lost in Lilymoore House’s garden and was definitely touched by the characters story. Not every book can be a favourite, but I will always love Poston’s writing and how alive it feels.
💐💐💐
We couldn't be more different, but there is this feeling when you meet someone special. Like finding a lost puzzle piece and clicking it into place -there's a certainty to it.
There was this... otherness to everything. As if the estate itself were alive and l'd stepped into a fairy tale, where everything was soft and slow.
His arms were strong, and his body was warm, smelling of lavender and honey and loose soil. As if he was made just for me, and how terrible that he was.
Sprout, it's a privilege to waste time—waste as much of it as you can. On things you love, on things you enjoy, on moments that make you so happy you could burst. And in the end, if you do it right, none of it will have been a waste at all.
Nothing lasted, especially nothing beautiful. But nothing bad lasted forever, either.
It was hard to talk about the people we lost—I knew that better than most. I put up walls so high it was impossible to scale them. I thought that if I kept my hurt, if lived in it, then some part of Harrie would live on, too. But I was wrong, because keeping her locked tight would ensure that she died with me, and she deserved so much more.
“You're magic, Sophie.” I thought about the way the flowers bloomed in our secret garden, and the way he talked to the flowers when he thought I wasn't paying attention, and how our hands weren't so different when we laced them together, telling similar stories with similar callouses, though mine had dirt underneath my fingernails. "I think you're magic, too.”
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
✨🍃 The Someday Garden 🍃✨
I really love this author and have enjoyed her other books so much, but this one was not my favorite from her backlist. I had to push through because it never fully grabbed my attention. The writing was not bad, it was just really slow for me.
Still, it was a solid 3 star read.
💛 What to Expect
• Magical garden
• Coastal Maine estate
• Head gardener FMC
• Secret garden
• Family legacy
• Magical realism
⭐ Final Score: 3 Stars
📅 Pub Date: June 16, 2026
📝 Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
I really love this author and have enjoyed her other books so much, but this one was not my favorite from her backlist. I had to push through because it never fully grabbed my attention. The writing was not bad, it was just really slow for me.
Still, it was a solid 3 star read.
💛 What to Expect
• Magical garden
• Coastal Maine estate
• Head gardener FMC
• Secret garden
• Family legacy
• Magical realism
⭐ Final Score: 3 Stars
📅 Pub Date: June 16, 2026
📝 Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
June 9, 2026
[4.5/5 ⭐️]
My eyes are swollen shut from the amount of crying I did in the last 30%. She did it again. Another great book from my favorite author.
My eyes are swollen shut from the amount of crying I did in the last 30%. She did it again. Another great book from my favorite author.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5⭐
I couldn't put this book down 🧡 This book is for anyone who has lost a loved one. The healing process, the emotional state, and the reflection all happened to me 😭 This is basically the five stages of grief
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕮𝖑𝖔𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝕯𝖔𝖔𝖗 𝕸𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖋𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
SKIP CHAPTER:32, 36, 43
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
I can't believe I have this in my hands 😭😭 tysm Netgalley and Berkley 🧡🩷💛
I couldn't put this book down 🧡 This book is for anyone who has lost a loved one. The healing process, the emotional state, and the reflection all happened to me 😭 This is basically the five stages of grief
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕮𝖑𝖔𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝕯𝖔𝖔𝖗 𝕸𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖋𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
SKIP CHAPTER:32, 36, 43
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚𝕻𝖗𝖊-𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
I can't believe I have this in my hands 😭😭 tysm Netgalley and Berkley 🧡🩷💛
Want to Read
November 20, 2025The TITLE, the COVER, the VIBES
IMMACULATE
IMMACULATE
Want to Read
October 6, 2025Never clicked tbr faster😍
Want to Read
February 12, 2026I’m reading the ARC and i have a good feeling that it will slap like The Seven year Slip 💗 🪴 🍋
March 29, 2026
Yea I just didn’t enjoy this one. It was boring.
The plot just didn’t excite me and I speed read the last 40% with extra big font on my kindle.
The setting was basically just in the garden. Like I said…boring.
The magical aspect didn’t even get explained.
I wanted to DNF but I finished it since it was an ARC on NetGalley and didn’t want to mess up my rating ratio.
It’s sad because I loved the seven year slip and dead romantics so much.
Thanks Berkeley and NetGalley for the ARC.
The plot just didn’t excite me and I speed read the last 40% with extra big font on my kindle.
The setting was basically just in the garden. Like I said…boring.
The magical aspect didn’t even get explained.
I wanted to DNF but I finished it since it was an ARC on NetGalley and didn’t want to mess up my rating ratio.
It’s sad because I loved the seven year slip and dead romantics so much.
Thanks Berkeley and NetGalley for the ARC.
June 11, 2026
4.25/5⭐️ One thing about me is that I am always going to love an Ashley Poston book. Her magical realism based plots and whimsical atmospheric settings always soothe my soul.
The Someday Garden follows Sophie as she deals with grieving her best friend and encounters a man stuck in a magical garden at her new job. I loved the garden setting, the wholesome side characters, and watching Sophie start to live again despite loss. As a language and linguistics person, the untranslatable words were the perfect touch.
My only complaint is the romance felt very "insta-love" to me. I ended up loving their relationship by the end but I would've happily read a longer book and see them take the time to develop their connection.
Thank you Berkley Romance for the free finished copy and eARC!
The Someday Garden follows Sophie as she deals with grieving her best friend and encounters a man stuck in a magical garden at her new job. I loved the garden setting, the wholesome side characters, and watching Sophie start to live again despite loss. As a language and linguistics person, the untranslatable words were the perfect touch.
My only complaint is the romance felt very "insta-love" to me. I ended up loving their relationship by the end but I would've happily read a longer book and see them take the time to develop their connection.
Thank you Berkley Romance for the free finished copy and eARC!
2026
April 7, 2026Valentine's Day TBR
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley
June 3, 2026
It is with my deepest condolences and the upmost sympathy that I declare that this book doesn't hold a candle to Poston's previous books. Don't get me wrong, I still had a nice time, but it was just ok.
The first problem I encountered was the weird bait-and-switch with the love triangle. Will there be a love triangle? Won't there be a love triangle? Who knows? It felt like the book itself wasn't sure so I was pulled out of the romance I was supposed to be watching blossom. The way that the other MMC was transitioned out of that romantic lead role felt quite cheaply done too.
The pacing felt really off. The MMC and the FMC experiencing the beginning of their relationship at different paces (because of the magic of the garden) made it feel quite unbelievable. In his perspective it's been a few days max but to her its been weeks. She's also worked on herself in those weeks so when she arrives at a place where she can admit she loves him, it feels real. Whereas on his side it felt rushed and very unlikely.
This issue with pacing feeds into the lack of chemistry. Because of the unbelievability and the issues with timing, the chemistry felt forced when it was even there at all. I believed that they could get there eventually but I didn't believe that they would already be at this point with their feelings when the timings didn't work right.
The discussions on grief were the highlight of this book. They felt really tender and fragile and the FMC has built a wall up between herself and other people to avoid experiencing that grief in it's entirety. She describes feeling like she's betraying her best friend by moving on and becoming a different person she would recognise. This emotional wall however made it hard to really buy that these people that she worked with would be able to befriend her. Just like with the romance, there seemed to be a real lack of chemistry within the friendships too.
It always feels unfair to compare an authors books but it's almost impossible not to when it's an author as successful and beloved as Poston is. The last four books by here were delightful but also felt strong in terms of the writing and chemistry between the characters whereas this one did not. The book will still be very successful (very deserved) but for me, I have to honestly say I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I'd hoped.
Thank you to netgalley and HQ for this arc of The Someday Garden. I hope you will forgive me for being so harsh.
The first problem I encountered was the weird bait-and-switch with the love triangle. Will there be a love triangle? Won't there be a love triangle? Who knows? It felt like the book itself wasn't sure so I was pulled out of the romance I was supposed to be watching blossom. The way that the other MMC was transitioned out of that romantic lead role felt quite cheaply done too.
The pacing felt really off. The MMC and the FMC experiencing the beginning of their relationship at different paces (because of the magic of the garden) made it feel quite unbelievable. In his perspective it's been a few days max but to her its been weeks. She's also worked on herself in those weeks so when she arrives at a place where she can admit she loves him, it feels real. Whereas on his side it felt rushed and very unlikely.
This issue with pacing feeds into the lack of chemistry. Because of the unbelievability and the issues with timing, the chemistry felt forced when it was even there at all. I believed that they could get there eventually but I didn't believe that they would already be at this point with their feelings when the timings didn't work right.
The discussions on grief were the highlight of this book. They felt really tender and fragile and the FMC has built a wall up between herself and other people to avoid experiencing that grief in it's entirety. She describes feeling like she's betraying her best friend by moving on and becoming a different person she would recognise. This emotional wall however made it hard to really buy that these people that she worked with would be able to befriend her. Just like with the romance, there seemed to be a real lack of chemistry within the friendships too.
It always feels unfair to compare an authors books but it's almost impossible not to when it's an author as successful and beloved as Poston is. The last four books by here were delightful but also felt strong in terms of the writing and chemistry between the characters whereas this one did not. The book will still be very successful (very deserved) but for me, I have to honestly say I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I'd hoped.
Thank you to netgalley and HQ for this arc of The Someday Garden. I hope you will forgive me for being so harsh.
June 1, 2026
You know those days that are misty and gray, that feel so heavy, and you can just see the sun fighting to come out? And then finally, finally, the sun breaks through the clouds and it’s warm and bright? That is The Someday Garden.
I sobbed my eyes out, reading and listening to this one. Grief is so, so hard. It’s circutuous and wayward. It pops back up, at the smallest moments, years on. If you’ve lost a friend or a family member, however the manner or form of the loss, you know the feeling.
Poston’s treatment of Sophie’s experience hits you so deeply. Her writing just encapsulates so much feeling and experience in sharp, vivid lines that cut right to your heart. If Sophie is the heart of this book, Harrie is the soul—a character who is such a force, even when she is gone.
Sophie’s oft called Sunny by one of the characters, for the joy she emits, and it’s so perfectly true here. She is sunshine personified, in her optimism, her resilience. She is the sun, fighting to shine behind walls of clouds and mist.
Rus helps spark her, but more than anything, he stands back and appreciates her light. Give me a man who calls her infuriating and I am weak, every time.
Also:
🌺 A magical place with magical gardens that feel vividly like a character on their own
Emotional support shovels and gardening as therapy
🪿 A mad, demonic goose on the loose
🌸 Flowers as a language, with a lead who is fluent
🪴 A beautiful romance that is a side plot more than the main story (with closed-door spice)
⛲️ Banter and wit that shines across the full cast
🎧 Beautiful, poignant, emotional narration
Loved this so much that I even forgive Poston for giving me a rich, kinda shitty blonde man who says things like “Work? Gross” and not making him the MMC.
Thank you Berkley Romance and PRH Audio for the early copies!
I sobbed my eyes out, reading and listening to this one. Grief is so, so hard. It’s circutuous and wayward. It pops back up, at the smallest moments, years on. If you’ve lost a friend or a family member, however the manner or form of the loss, you know the feeling.
Poston’s treatment of Sophie’s experience hits you so deeply. Her writing just encapsulates so much feeling and experience in sharp, vivid lines that cut right to your heart. If Sophie is the heart of this book, Harrie is the soul—a character who is such a force, even when she is gone.
Sophie’s oft called Sunny by one of the characters, for the joy she emits, and it’s so perfectly true here. She is sunshine personified, in her optimism, her resilience. She is the sun, fighting to shine behind walls of clouds and mist.
Rus helps spark her, but more than anything, he stands back and appreciates her light. Give me a man who calls her infuriating and I am weak, every time.
Also:
🌺 A magical place with magical gardens that feel vividly like a character on their own
Emotional support shovels and gardening as therapy
🪿 A mad, demonic goose on the loose
🌸 Flowers as a language, with a lead who is fluent
🪴 A beautiful romance that is a side plot more than the main story (with closed-door spice)
⛲️ Banter and wit that shines across the full cast
🎧 Beautiful, poignant, emotional narration
Loved this so much that I even forgive Poston for giving me a rich, kinda shitty blonde man who says things like “Work? Gross” and not making him the MMC.
Thank you Berkley Romance and PRH Audio for the early copies!
May 27, 2026
this had soooo much potential!! unfortunately it didn’t live up to it. i enjoyed reading it but i never really connected to the story or characters.
i think the star of this book is the setting. the garden and cottage area are so beautiful and i just wanted to BE THERE so bad !! i was most invested in how she took care of the garden and not so much the romance at all.
i liked how this book approached grief and how she finally learned to talk about her best friend who had passed and that the best way to keep a loved one alive is to never stop telling their stories🫶🏽
the romance was so boring to me and they really lacked chemistry in my opinion. there was some spice but it was short. i did feel like the spice was a bit off-putting because as i was reading the rest of the story i just didn’t feel like it belonged if that makes sense?
i love ashley poston’s magical realism but this felt (once again) like she was trying to recreate the magic of the seven year slip and wasn’t able to.
🔥SPICE🔥two short open door scenes. i don’t have page numbers because i read this ARC on my kindle
🤐LANGUAGE🤐 4 uses of the F word
i think the star of this book is the setting. the garden and cottage area are so beautiful and i just wanted to BE THERE so bad !! i was most invested in how she took care of the garden and not so much the romance at all.
i liked how this book approached grief and how she finally learned to talk about her best friend who had passed and that the best way to keep a loved one alive is to never stop telling their stories🫶🏽
the romance was so boring to me and they really lacked chemistry in my opinion. there was some spice but it was short. i did feel like the spice was a bit off-putting because as i was reading the rest of the story i just didn’t feel like it belonged if that makes sense?
i love ashley poston’s magical realism but this felt (once again) like she was trying to recreate the magic of the seven year slip and wasn’t able to.
🔥SPICE🔥two short open door scenes. i don’t have page numbers because i read this ARC on my kindle
🤐LANGUAGE🤐 4 uses of the F word
June 17, 2026
Okay, the last 20% saved this one, but I still didn’t enjoy it as much as her previous books.
TBH, the first half of the book feels more like some kind of sapphic tragedy than a heterosexual romance. Sophie feels like a cardboard cutout who never had a life outside of Harriett, and that’s why it was so hard for her. Even in the flashbacks, it’s always about what Harrie dreamed of and what she liked. But it seems like Sophie never had any dreams, hobbies, friends, or boyfriends of her own, despite living on the other side of the country. It’s like she always just wanted to be somewhere in the picture of Harriett’s dream life.
She really has no background, and that’s why it’s so hard to fully connect with her.
Also, this half-baked love triangle was completely unnecessary.
TBH, the first half of the book feels more like some kind of sapphic tragedy than a heterosexual romance. Sophie feels like a cardboard cutout who never had a life outside of Harriett, and that’s why it was so hard for her. Even in the flashbacks, it’s always about what Harrie dreamed of and what she liked. But it seems like Sophie never had any dreams, hobbies, friends, or boyfriends of her own, despite living on the other side of the country. It’s like she always just wanted to be somewhere in the picture of Harriett’s dream life.
She really has no background, and that’s why it’s so hard to fully connect with her.
Also, this half-baked love triangle was completely unnecessary.
May 29, 2026
This was very tender with a great cast of characters
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