Name: In the Shadow Garden
Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)
ISBN: 9781538708798

Liz Parker

In the Shadow Garden

A beautiful story about family, love, pain, betrayal, magic, tea, and bourbon. This book is a cozy fantasy with mystery rolled in. It's a gentle but firm reminder that forgetting your pain and sorrows is not the same as healing from them.

Emma

The richly atmospheric and luminous debut about three generations of women whose magic is as much a part of life as love, death, and the rich, dark earth beneath their feet--perfect for fans of Practical Magic and Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe. There’s something magical about Yarrow, Kentucky. The three empathic witches of the Haywood family are known for their shadow garden—from strawberries that taste like chocolate to cherry tomatoes imbued with the flavors of basil and oregano. Their magic can cure any heartache, and the fruits of their garden bring a special quality to the local bourbon distillery. On one day every year, a shot of Bonner bourbon will make your worst memory disappear. But the Haywoods will never forget the Bonners’ bitter betrayal. Twenty years ago, the town gave up more than one memory; they forgot an entire summer. One person died. One person disappeared. And no one has any recollection of either. As events from that fateful summer start to come to light, there must be a reckoning between the rival Haywood and Bonner families. But untangling the deep roots of this town’s terrible secrets will expose more than they could ever imagine about love, treachery, and the true nature of their power.

Cindy McKee

I will admit that it took me a moment to get into this story, mainly due to the number of characters (even with the handy family tree at the start). However, once I got a handle on the family- the story rolled along nicely. There’s a mystery that permeates the story and centers around two families and an event so awful that the entire town gave up their memories of that summer. More than that, it’s a story about healing the pain and trauma of memories. A story about family. A story about magic. 

**I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early.**

Three generations of witches must discover where their magic went wrong as secrets resurface that could solve a twenty-year-old mystery in this riveting debut, perfect for fans of Practical Magic and Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe.

There's something magical about Yarrow, Kentucky. The three empathic witches of the Haywood family are known for their shadow garden—from strawberries that taste like chocolate to cherry tomatoes with hints of basil and oregano. Their magic can cure any heartache, and the fruits of their garden bring a special quality to the local bourbon distillery. On one day every year, a shot of Bonner bourbon will make your worst memory disappear.

But twenty years ago, the town gave up more than one memory for the year; they forgot an entire summer. One person died. One person disappeared. And no one has any idea why.

As secrets from that fateful summer start to come to light, there must be a reckoning between the rival Haywood and Bonner families. But the only clue Irene Haywood has is in her tea leaves: a stranger’s arrival will bring either love or betrayal…

This was perfectly witchy, mysterious, and downright magical. A delightful fall-time read to start the season!

In The Shadow Garden combines magic, mystery, romance, and healing in a modern, small town setting told through multiple points of view. It was utterly cozy and atmospheric from the start with great banter and dialogue, hints of a who-dun-it mystery and second chance romance, and overarching themes of being connected to the universe as well as the process of heartbreak and healing. It was such a unique spin on the everyday, average murder mystery. I don't think I've read anything like it before. And I had such a wonderful time getting lost in these pages!

In a magical town where tea leaves are read, bourbon is brewed, missing memories abound, and healing magic resides, a darkness has seeped in and planted roots and an entire town has forgotten that summer 25 years ago when a man died and another disappeared and was completely forgotten.

⚡️ family rivalry x generational grudges

Thank you to Forever Publishing for my early copy!

Content Warnings: domestic/child abuse, death of a family member, past trauma/grief

Leah | @LeahsLittlePleasures

This was perfectly witchy, mysterious, and downright magical. A delightful fall-time read to start the season!

In The Shadow Garden combines magic, mystery, romance, and healing in a modern, small town setting told through multiple points of view. It was utterly cozy and atmospheric from the start with great banter and dialogue, hints of a who-dun-it mystery and second chance romance, and overarching themes of being connected to the universe as well as the process of heartbreak and healing. It was such a unique spin on the everyday, average murder mystery. I don't think I've read anything like it before. And I had such a wonderful time getting lost in these pages!

In a magical town where tea leaves are read, bourbon is brewed, missing memories abound, and healing magic resides, a darkness has seeped in and planted roots and an entire town has forgotten that summer 25 years ago when a man died and another disappeared and was completely forgotten.

THIS STORY HAS:
🪄 magic x mystery
🌿 gardens x tea leaves
✨ modern day witches
🧍🏻 the prodigal son
🏡 small town feels
🥃 kentucky locale x bourbon
⚡️ family rivalry x generational grudges
❤️‍🩹 healing x memory magic
🗣️ multiple POVs
💫 magical realism
💞 second chance romance

Thank you to Forever Publishing for my early copy!

Content Warnings: domestic/child abuse, death of a family member, past trauma/grief

I saw this book floating around on different "must-read" lists for this season, so I decided to check it out. I liked the small-town setting and the magical realism elements. The premise sounded intriguing and made me want to know more about this town where people can lose their memories when they drink whiskey and this family with a magical garden. I also enjoyed the mystery and how it culminated into something I wasn't expecting. My only slight issue was that we follow a lot of different perspectives, and I had trouble remembering who was who in the beginning, but that may also have been because I was listening to the audiobook. Other than that, I liked it and think it'd be the perfect read for fans of Alice Hoffman or Sarah Addison Allen.

In the Shadow Garden

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