Dot Hutchison

Lauren Ezzo

Mel Foster

The Butterfly Garden

"Near an isolated mansion lies a beautiful garden. In this garden grow luscious flowers, shady trees...and a collection of precious butterflies -- young women who have been kidnapped and intricately tattooed to resemble their namesakes. Overseeing it all is the Gardener, a brutal, twisted man obsessed with capturing and preserving his lovely specimens. When the garden is discovered, a survivor is brought in for questioning. FBI agents Victor Hanoverian and Brandon Eddison are tasked with piecing together one of the most stomach-churning cases of their careers. But the girl, known only as Maya, proves to be a puzzle herself. As her story twists and turns, slowly shedding light on life in the Butterfly Garden, Maya reveals old grudges, new saviors, and horrific tales of a man who would go to any length to hold beauty captive. But the more she shares, the more the agents have to wonder what she's still hiding -- back cover.

The butterfly garden

I didn't expect this book to be as good as it was. Super twisted, very haunting, so tragic.

I certainly think it could have flowed better, but that didn't detract from the story to me. I loved the ending. 

Jillian Roberts

I didn't expect this book to be as good as it was. Super twisted, very haunting, so tragic.

I certainly think it could have flowed better, but that didn't detract from the story to me. I loved the ending. 

Ciel Zero

[ BOOK IG: @clumsyciel ]

overall rating: 4/5 ⭐️
time taken to read: ~3 days 

"Beauty loses its meaning when you're surrounded by too much of it." (page 34)

*fun fact! TBG was the book that got me back into reading this year :-)

i originally heard of this story from one of @missmangobutt 's videos (she's amazing btw!). the story was so intriguing that i just had to pick up a copy for myself.

TBG is written in the perspective of Maya, a 'butterfly' from the garden. the book opens with Maya being interrogated by the FBI, mainly agents Victor Hanoverian and Brandon Eddison. Maya talks about life in the garden, the past and present Butterflies and about the mastermind(s) behind it all.

[ SPOILERS AHEAD ]

'Butterflies' is the term the mastermind, the Gardener calls the girls living in the garden. were these girls living in the garden of their own free will?
SPOILER ALERT: NO! 

in this dark, twisted tale of a man having a (somewhat) saviour complex, there are many important topics being discussed. the Gardener and his sons taking advantage of the vulnerability of the Butterflies, how the Butterflies are obtained, and finally, what happens to the Butterflies after they live their 'full lifespan'.

there were some plotholes that irked me.
for example: what would you do if you found your son abusing one of the butterflies?
would you:
a) ban him from the garden or
b) ban him momentarily (as if that's going to do anything..)
DING DING DING! the correct answer is C: not have any of the Butterflies at all!

another thing that irked me greatly was that Hutchison wrote about the Gardener as this kind, gentle man who pampers the girls when he's not attending to a Butterfly.
um.. he literally kidnapped the girls.. it creates a very conflicting opinion for the readers. 

rant aside, i do think TBG was a brilliant story (inspired by The Collector from John Fowles, perhaps?). i loved the character development on Bliss (another Butterfly) and Maya, especially at the biggest plot-twist at the end of the book. it was sick, twisted, brutal and full of mystery; but this is a crime fiction/thriller book, so such themes are to be expected. definitely not a book for everyone, but i think it's quite worth the read for those who try.

Denaiir

Well I guess my expectations for that book were too high, because I definitely didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
I was marketed and reviewed time and time again as a very disturbing book, but for me it was nothing special. The main character doesn't have much of a personality even though the whole story revolves around her and she is supposed to be all mysterious and smart, but to me she just felt bland. 
I didn't care much about life in the Garden and the different girls and their experiences, I think it's just not my kind of thriller, I like procedurals way more. 
This was quite repetitive and not thrilling at all. And not dark at all except for maybe one or two scenes, so yup, disappointing because that's how it was marketed. Definitely not going to pick up the rest of the series.
Oh and the audiobook was not really good so it probably didn't help.

This book made it hard to sleep after finishing it before bed. It made my heart hurt in soooo many ways but felt insanely long and didn’t flow super well. If it hadn’t been written so beautifully it would probably be 3/5 but I feel like the whole book shared so many equal parts of pure beauty and painful brokenness it deserves 4/5. 

Lauren Mills

Emmm :p

i loved this book, it’s disturbingly good. i’d highly recommend if you like this genre. but be careful if you are sensitive to suicide, murder or sexual abuse it may be hard to read.

Colleen

5 Stars


  


The Butterfly Garden was unlike any book I have ever read. It was recommended by a friend. I was a bit hesitant since the Suspense/Thriller genres have been extremely disappointing to me lately. Nearly every "Thriller" book I have read in the last couple of years has fallen somewhere on the scale between underwhelming and infuriating. But I did not have any other books in my To Read pile that I was yearning to read, so I gave it a go.

My initial reaction for the first few pages was mild interest with some hesitation. The first thing I noticed was that although the book is quite short (288 pages), the font is small. I'd much rather have a normal number of pages with a decent sized font. Then a few pages in, I realized that the story switches between third person and first person and jumps around a lot on the timeline. These are both things that irk me in books. But I always say that for every one of those pet peeves, I can list a book that uses them that I still enjoyed. It makes me realize that it often is not the thing itself (such as switching points of view or being non-chronological) but rather that many authors use those techniques poorly. Because only a few more pages into The Butterfly Garden, I did not give a damn about the font size, the switching tenses, or the non-chronological plot. This book completely sucked me in! It consumed me. It moved me. I stayed up far later than I should have reading it. And even after I finished, I kept thinking about it for days and days.

The setup for the story is straightforward: it opens with two FBI agents interviewing a young woman who was held captive by a serial killer. Slowly, she begins to tell the FBI agents what happened to her. The FBI sections are told in third person and the flashbacks are in first person from the girl's perspective. But it worked well because those parts are the her telling her story to the FBI. Really the author just cut out all of the "and then she said..." It may seem anticlimactic that you know from the get-go that she will not be killed by her captor, but worry not! The plot has many twists and turns, and I truly had no idea what would happen next. The problem with a lot of Thrillers is that they rely on the "big, shocking twist" at the end but fail to make the story interesting all the way through. But in The Butterfly Garden, the characters are all immediately captivating and emotionally engaging. So even in moments where the plot was slower, I was completely engrossed in the story.

I do not want to give away too much about the story, but I will warn that it is dark and graphic and disturbing. It is about girls being kidnapped, raped, and murdered. This definitely is not a book for everyone. But if you like dark stories and psychological thrillers, then I strongly recommend this book. I appreciated so much that the author handled some tough subjects well. One thing I frequently get frustrated about in literature is when violence or crudeness is sensationalized for shock value and sales. Gillian Flynn is a horrible offender of that who spawned a slew of vulgar copycats. I am not offended by vulgarity in and of itself, but I absolutely hate when it is only used as a gimmick. It sounds horrible to say, but I found the rape scenes in The Butterfly Garden to be well written. By that I mean that the story covered enough to show what the victims went through without either glossing over / fading out or aggrandizing the violence. (view spoiler)[Having studied some victimology in psychology, I appreciated that the girls represented a variety of different realistic reactions. There were other things included as well, such as that a person can experience a sexual reaction while being raped but that does not make it anything less than rape. (hide spoiler)] So unlike the self-congratulatory vulgarity of Gone Girl, the gimmicky use of real-life issues to cover a poorly written plot in The Girl on the Train, or the complete lack of genuine emotion in Room, The Butterfly Garden strikes a delicate balance between engaging plot and emotional connection to the characters. And all without trapping the reader into the common manipulations that lesser authors use to try to force an emotional response. (Sidenote: If you liked any of those books, you probably will still enjoy this one. Trust me; it's better.) I willingly admit that this book made me cry. It wrenched my heart out. 

There was only one tiny thing that slightly damped my enthusiasm: BIG SPOILER; DO NOT READ BEFORE READING THE FULL BOOK!! (view spoiler)[It seemed over the top that her roommate ends up being the one victim that had escaped. Although it would have been odd to have mentioned so many times that there was a girl who escaped and not have it tie in somehow, it seemed too coincidental that it turned out to be her former roommate. Also, that twist was plopped in there so fast and abruptly without the careful mastery of the rest of the book that it robbed the ending of a lot of power. I did like that they did not pretend that these girls would live happily ever after now that they were rescued. Rather, it presented a realistic view of what was to come with a highly publicized trial and a lifetime of trying to get over such extreme traumas. (hide spoiler)] However, this did not detract from my overall love of this book. And I still heartily recommend it to anyone as long as they can handle the traumatic subject matter. 

So The Butterfly Garden is now my golden standard for Psychological Thrillers. The downside it that this makes all those over-hyped popular thrillers seem even more like trash. But this book moved me so much, and I am satisfied that I read it!

RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 5 Stars
Writing Style: 5 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 5 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 5 Stars
Originality: 5 Stars

Lacy W

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer
Publishing Date: June 1, 2016
Rating: 4 stars
ARC, library or own: Kindle Unlimited

First Thoughts;
I fully expected to love this book. I expected to be immersed in a world that was similar to Pretty Little Dolls in terms of the depravity. I have seen a lot of reviews saying that this book was dark and I was so here for it. And it was. When someone called the Gardner collects Butterflies, you know that is just asking for sinsterness. But...It just didn’t live up to it for me. However I enjoyed it nonetheless and am glad I finally read this book. 

Characters;
This book had a unique perspective of being written in both third person and first person. It is something I am coming to enjoy. Third person was in the voice of Victor, the detective interviewing Maya. I liked him but he was just a vessel for Maya’s story, the voice of the first person POV. The only real personality trait I got from Victor was how much he adored his daughters and he seemed like a great dad. Maybe he’ll be in the next book and get more of a voice. 

Maya was an excellent character. She was unlikable and hardened by the trauma of her youth and being in the Garden. Even when she was being a downright bitch, I still loved the crap out of her. She earned my love and respect just by being herself. 

Plot;
Like I mentioned in my first thoughts section, I felt this book wasn’t dark enough. I mean, yes, it had some pretty messed up things that I’ll mention in the my trigger warnings sections but it wasn’t dark enough. Does that make me a messed up person? 

Despite that, I enjoyed the plot. I think having it written as Maya being interviewed works. You get a break from the horribleness of the Garden and get to enjoy the thoughts of Victor. He was a nice reprieve. 

Trigger Warnings;
The trigger warnings include the following: child rape, rape, murder, assault and child neglect and abuse. Even though I complained about this book not being dark enough, I know these trigger warnings are rough. So practice self care while reading this book. 

Final Thoughts;
Overall, I enjoyed this book. Maya was a fantastic character, who I enjoyed thoroughly. Victor was a good addition even if he was just a vehicle for Maya to tell her story. I’m not sure if I’m going to continue the series but I’ll think about it. As for recommendations, if you can handle the trigger earnings, then i think this is a book some might really enjoy.

Jenna Pascale 

I’ve heard nothing but great things about this book which made me a little apprehensive going into it. You never know if it’s actually going to live up to the hype. I finished this book less than 30 seconds ago and I’m already typing up a review, so that should tell you something already. 

The writing style of this one was unique. It took a bit for me to get used to the differing POV’s without a distinct indication of the change. It also took me a little bit to get used to the fact that this book didn’t have chapters, which I’m typically one to stay away from. HOWEVER, once adjusting this book had me hooked. I was actually hooked by page 15 which was way too early on for my comfort. 

The character development was incredibly intriguing to see play out literally until the very last page. The narrator, Maya/Inara was mildly unreliable but mainly because the reader needs to have that inkling of doubt. Learning about the main character’s life before, in the middle, and after was important to this plot. Dot Hutchinson is an incredible writer and has a beautiful way of stringing words together. 

I’m not a series girl, and I know I’ve said that before. So believe me when I say, I cannot wait to get my hands on book #2 of this series.

Alexa M

2.5 MAYBE 

this was told so choppily it was almost giving me anxiety. like Get to the point already!!!!! i thought the plot was going to be so much more "crazy" based off reviews but i found myself becoming bored. also the ending was ?? huh 

(view spoiler)[ also i could hardly suspend my disbelief enough like a grown man and his son keeping 30 girls captive at once on his property and NO ONE NOTICES for years???  (hide spoiler)]

Melyssa Tromberg 

This book was alot; dark, graphic and twisted. It gave off a Criminal Minds vibe to me. It's horrific imagining what the girls went through at the Garden and just really sad. For me, this book wasn't thrilling. It was disturbing for sure and I wasn't on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happend next. The ending was mehh for me and "expected" as well.

Kristen Claiborn

This book was fantastic. The premise is terrifying and the story is well written.

Arturo Hernández

The overall thesis of the book is quite intriguing. A collector kidnaps women, introduces them to his own paradise and aims to preserve their beauty forever. I appreciate the author’s complete focus on the main story. It’s quite linear but well developed. I will check out other books from the author, for sure.

Marloes

Siya S

This is such an anticlimatic! Not sure how I like the ending...too plain. No shocking revelation whatsoever. Maybe 3.5 stars?? 

PS Real review is on its way!

Gisela Ayala 

The beginning was quite strange, it was a bit hard to get into but I think it was the main character. She was a little off at first (rightly so with what she went through). After the initial chapters though, I was hooked. 

I enjoyed the back and forth between the FBI officers and the main character and the way the narration went back and forth between past and present. They were all solid characters with solid personalities. But that Gardener... *shivers* That story was beyond disturbing. The author did an incredible job of describing the horrors the "butterflies" faced and those last few chapters, holy crap, I felt like I was watching a movie! I think they should make this into a movie, even though it is so disturbing.

Bonita

kinda leaning towards more of a 3.5 ⭐️ rating, but i still thought it was a really interesting story. i think what i enjoyed the most was the way the story was told between the two different POVs. the twist at the end was a little confusing though & it felt like it was just kinda thrown in there out of the blue

Catelyn Evans

mevi

TW: rape, murder, abuse

"You learn things over time, and that was one of the biggest things I learned about him. He wanted to find more joy in life than he did."

This is hard to put into words because I haven't read a book like this in so long. I have so many feelings.

This was an amazing story told by a victim, Maya, after they escaped from the Garden. Instead of focusing on the Gardener's torment, she focuses on the relationships with the other Butterflies while she's there. While there were harrowing scenes, the author took great care in writing them. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes slow horror movies.

I haven't seen many people talk about this book, but the premise piqued my interest, so I wanted to check it out, and wow. It managed to be both disturbing and captivating at the same time. I was sucked into the story from the first page. The gardener is so sick and twisted in his treatment of the girls he kidnaps, yet he justifies all the horrible things he puts them through by saying he's doing it all for their well-being. It's demented but weirdly fascinating. I liked hearing the story told through Maya's eyes and how she came to be in the garden, her relationships there, both with the other girls and the gardener, and her life before. She's a mystery herself, and it was interesting unraveling who she was. This book won't be for everyone as it deals with many dark topics. It's unsettling, disgusting, and perverted, but Hutchison pulls it off in a way that is still strangely enthralling. If you like thrillers, I'd highly recommend this, but be wary of the subject matter.

Heather Harrington

Aleia Brook Jennings

Speechless! 
I was so enthralled in the story I will be thinking about it for a while - in my top ten reads this year :)

mads

** spoiler alert **
           “Not making a choice is a choice. Neutrality is a concept, not a fact.”

I've heard so much about this book over the years, especially because of the disturbing nature of its plot and main villain, the Gardener, who keeps young women enslaved and turns them into his own collectible butterflies. That's not a spoiler since it's the whole concept of the book and explained in the very beginning btw.

But what I thought might be a creepy, well-written book with a gripping storyline in the vein of some of the better crime thrillers I read just turned into a boring, irritating slog. I'll start by saying the twisted nature of the story is not for the faint of heart, but it's also not as graphic as you might think. It doesn't need to be to get the point across.

I don't want to sound like I'm saying, "this book wasn't fucked up enough for me," because that's not what I'm saying, like I appreciate that Hutchinson didn't turn this into straight torture porn but she also includes tons of rape and some weird incest vibes but doesn't deal with her character's residual trauma in any meaningful way.

So much time is wasted so much time on backstory and random segues that are just not relevant to the central conflict? And like another reviewer here said, ALL of these girls basically become complacent in their setting within days of being kidnapped! 

The reasoning behind this is that they don't want to die. Okay, I understand that, but at the same time, there are like 20+ young women here, and yet they never try to plot to come up with an escape plan. Several of them even get access to viable weapons such as scissors and modeling tools, but none think to kill the main dude? HE'S JUST ONE GUY.

Also, I don't understand the deal with this man and his sons? If he's so protective over his butterflies, why does he let one of his sons torture them in his damn playroom. WHY MAKE A PLAYROOM AT ALL? Like, the Gardener is an atrocious villain, but he could have at least been written in a way that was more compelling to read. The subplot with Avery is so inconsistent with his character that it's jarring and takes you out of it.

Our lead character even says multiple times in the book that the Gardener punishes Avery but then lets him back in repeatedly. Nothing ever changes, and it's glossed over and not explored. If you're going to have a character experience interior conflict like that (Gardener battling his emotions toward his sons vs. his butterflies), then you have actually to explore it. Maybe POV chapters from his perspective might have made things more interesting; I don't know.

Normally I would never say, "oh I want to hear what the serial rapist who abuses women is thinking," because I think the author wants us to see things from the victim's perspective, and I get that! But there isn't enough actual conflict or plot momentum to keep that interesting, which is why I think the story might have benefited from that and creating a natural push-and-pull or building of tension between the captives and the captor.

As it stands, we just have Mara's perspective and her toying with detectives who also feels weird like, girl, you're free, and yet you're withholding details from the FBI like it's some fucking game to tease out an idiotic twist that serves no purpose at the end!? MAKE IT MAKE SENSE.

All in all, it's a very fast read, luckily, although I admit I was skimming it by the second half because it gets SO DULL. And how do you take a concept like this one and make it dull? I don't know, but it is and repetitive.

Butterfly Garden

Nicole Sargent-Carberry

I liked everything but the “twist” at the end. It should have ended 30 pages sooner. Also I don’t see how this can be a series 🤔

Lauren Segers 

** spoiler alert **
           Spoilerssssss ahead...
Just some TWs for this book: kidnapping, rape, abuse, mutilation, murder. 
Ok, but it's still so good. I don't know how or why, but this horrid story about rape and women being held against their will was still so beautiful. The imagery was killer, and the main characters were great. The character development was something I was not prepared for. It was just so good. You definitely need to make sure you're ok to read it, but I would suggest it to anyone that thinks they can handle it.

KADY BURNS

I came into this book completely blind (It was chosen by a book club) and it is an extremely heavy book. But it also drew me in with how dark it was and I couldn't help but want to see how deep we'd go with it. It doesn't feel right to say I enjoyed the book, because of the heavy subject matter, but I was completely enamored by all aspects of it. The characters had depth, even though their backstories aren't revealed. Overall, as long as you can stomach the subject, I would recommend this book.

The Butterfly Garden

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