Scan barcode
kk_gotit_goinon's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This might be my top read of 2024. This book has so much but it's so we'll balanced. Heartbreak, trauma, grief, but also laughs, joy and hope. The characters are charming and warm, they bring you right in to their family. If you want a little bit of almost everything, pick this one up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy
rachelpacz's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Quick and easy read! Very cute story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Blood
theespressoedition's review
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Vomit, and Death of parent
sweaterweather_inmymind's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Murder
chelseylb1988's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Murder, and Alcohol
sleeson's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A wonderfully spellbinding novel. I suggest making yourself a cup of nice tea while you curl up and read about the Haywood’s journey. Everything is magically set in place when you visit Yarrow. Memories are forgotten and rediscovered. All of the characters in this novel have a special place. The glossary at the end of the book, showing the meaning of the Tea-Leaf Readings and Auras, was a nice touch. It adds extra charm to the book. Mild swearing. Very Mild Sexual Content. Would recommend for high schoolers. AND I love every single one of the main character’s names.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
thejoyfulbookblogger's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
- Details & Notes:
- I loved this book so much! I haven’t been excited about a book like this is quite some time and it was fantastic. It’s definitely been added to my 2022 list of favorites and my all-time favorite recommended reading list to all.
- Literary fiction with a dash of romance and lots of family drama and witchy vibes. Such a good read!!
- I was hooked into this book early on and was intrigued to know what would happen next. I really enjoyed the writing style and can’t believe it’s a debut novel! I thought the flow of the timeline, stories, and memories was great and it really added to the overall impact of the story and the big reveal towards the end. I loved the details and surprises I didn’t see coming.
- I loved that the garden feeds and thrives off the trauma that the community gives to it in exchange for help in the healing process. Such a beautiful story about trauma, healing, memories, love, and family.
- Themes: One of the most important themes of this novel is trauma and healing and how important it is to forgive but not necessarily forget. We have to feel our emotions and remember our past in order to be able to heal and move forward in our lives.
- Content Warnings: murder, family drama
- Steam Rating & Romance Tropes: Steam – PG. Tropes: Second-chance romance, witchy
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder
savvyrosereads's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Out September 13, 2022 [Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!]
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
The Haywoods are three generations of women with a special power—they can pull suffering from others and use it to fuel the special magic of the shadow garden. But their magic isn’t the only power in town—mysterious memory powers circle the Bonner Bourbon distillery, and may lie at the root of a years-ago murder and a long-forgotten summer.
A generational story about magic that also involves bourbon, small towns, and an unsolved murder? The second I heard about In The Shadow Garden I was on board, and I’m SO happy to say that not only did the book not disappoint, it exceeded my expectations. This novel is refreshing, unique, genre-defying, and wholly enthralling, and I loved every second of it. By the end, I was so hooked into the story that it actually took me a minute to “wake up” after I finished reading—the absolute best kind of bookish hangover.
I adored each of the characters, although if I had one small critique it would be that there are a lot of viewpoints and it took me a minute to learn who everyone was. That said, there’s a super helpful family tree included (which I definitely referenced a lot), and once I got the hang of things the cast felt like it was the perfect size. I truly wish I could go visit (and yes, I did Google to check whether Yarrow, Kentucky, was a real place!)
If you are looking for a witchy book, a feminist book, or really just a refreshing and unique book with a brilliant core concept (that the pain we feel can eventually transform to something beautiful), look no further.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: generational witchy stories; magic Bourbon; ensemble casts
CW: Murder/death; gaslighting/manipulation; physical/domestic abuse; infidelity; alcohol; grief.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
The Haywoods are three generations of women with a special power—they can pull suffering from others and use it to fuel the special magic of the shadow garden. But their magic isn’t the only power in town—mysterious memory powers circle the Bonner Bourbon distillery, and may lie at the root of a years-ago murder and a long-forgotten summer.
A generational story about magic that also involves bourbon, small towns, and an unsolved murder? The second I heard about In The Shadow Garden I was on board, and I’m SO happy to say that not only did the book not disappoint, it exceeded my expectations. This novel is refreshing, unique, genre-defying, and wholly enthralling, and I loved every second of it. By the end, I was so hooked into the story that it actually took me a minute to “wake up” after I finished reading—the absolute best kind of bookish hangover.
I adored each of the characters, although if I had one small critique it would be that there are a lot of viewpoints and it took me a minute to learn who everyone was. That said, there’s a super helpful family tree included (which I definitely referenced a lot), and once I got the hang of things the cast felt like it was the perfect size. I truly wish I could go visit (and yes, I did Google to check whether Yarrow, Kentucky, was a real place!)
If you are looking for a witchy book, a feminist book, or really just a refreshing and unique book with a brilliant core concept (that the pain we feel can eventually transform to something beautiful), look no further.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: generational witchy stories; magic Bourbon; ensemble casts
CW: Murder/death; gaslighting/manipulation; physical/domestic abuse; infidelity; alcohol; grief.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
caseythereader's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Thanks to Forever for the free advance copy of this book.
- IN THE SHADOW GARDEN is cozy, magical, and heartbreaking.
- I loved following the saga of the Haywoods and the Bonners as they unraveled their own shadowy histories, and as love and magic bloomed.
- This book is such an interesting exploration of grief and memory, and whether it's better to remember or forget the pain, especially if it means forgetting the love, too.
- And I must note that there are some secondary queer characters, and I loved how warm and inclusive this story is for a book set in rural Kentucky. Queer folk are everywhere.
- IN THE SHADOW GARDEN is cozy, magical, and heartbreaking.
- I loved following the saga of the Haywoods and the Bonners as they unraveled their own shadowy histories, and as love and magic bloomed.
- This book is such an interesting exploration of grief and memory, and whether it's better to remember or forget the pain, especially if it means forgetting the love, too.
- And I must note that there are some secondary queer characters, and I loved how warm and inclusive this story is for a book set in rural Kentucky. Queer folk are everywhere.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
our_bookish_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really have a hard time writing this review. Not because the book is bad in any way, but because it was a fantastic adventure!
• Told in multiple POV; present and past. The past is in italics, so it's super easy to decipher the timelines.
• Generations of green witches.
• Feuding families.
• Magic
• 2 whole decades lost to the entire city of Yarrow.
• A garden that takes pain away.
• Bourbon that makes you feel/relive things.
There is a lot going on in In the Shadow Garden, but it was a very quick read and I enjoyed it. Very reminiscent of Practical Magic.
At points it was a little difficult to keep track of some of the characters and which family they were connected to, thankfully the author provided a family tree. The ending felt a bit rushed, but it was tied together very well and beautifully written otherwise.
Thank you Netgalley, Liz Parker and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
• Told in multiple POV; present and past. The past is in italics, so it's super easy to decipher the timelines.
• Generations of green witches.
• Feuding families.
• Magic
• 2 whole decades lost to the entire city of Yarrow.
• A garden that takes pain away.
• Bourbon that makes you feel/relive things.
There is a lot going on in In the Shadow Garden, but it was a very quick read and I enjoyed it. Very reminiscent of Practical Magic.
At points it was a little difficult to keep track of some of the characters and which family they were connected to, thankfully the author provided a family tree. The ending felt a bit rushed, but it was tied together very well and beautifully written otherwise.
Thank you Netgalley, Liz Parker and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy