Name: The Poppy and the Rose
ISBN: 9781945654640

Ashlee Cowles

When Taylor Romano arrives in Oxford for a summer journalism program, she learns secrets about her family's past and must use some historical sleuthing to uncover her link to a Titanic survivor named Ava Knight, a young English aristocrat, who boarded the Titanic and met three people who changed her life forever.

The Poppy and the Rose

Lucía RG

** spoiler alert **
           This book had such an interesting premise and the art of the cover is beautiful. The plot wasn’t uninteresting per se, I just had some troubles getting into it, and I was able to predict most of the ‘plot twists’ fairly easily. The characters felt a bit plain, and even though it is a 300-page novel, the plot felt rushed. 

I like that the novel is divided in two storylines, and even though we, as readers, already know the faith of the titanic, there is still an element of intrigue. Taylor’s storyline had a few clichés that weren’t my cup of tea, but it kept me curious enough to continue reading.

Overall, this was not a bad novel, it just wasn’t for me.

Caitlyn DeRouin

The second I saw the cover and read the description for The Poppy and the Rose I was interested. I'm always intrigued by stories that are told from two points of view as I'm always trying to piece together how the two fit together. I'm quite a fan of historical fiction, especially in the early 1900s and stories that involve the Titanic then you add in a good mystery and I am all over it.

The Poppy and the Rose follows two young women on the brink of something life-changing. Ava, a young aspiring photographer, and heiress in 1912 has no idea just how much her life is about to change when she steps foot onto the Titanic. In 2010, Taylor arrives in Oxford for a summer journalism program while also searching for the answers to a mysterious photo that she found of her father after he died. Quickly you discover that the two young women are linked and the story of how is slowly unraveled throughout the book. The story alternates between their points of view, Taylor's in real-time and Ava's through her diary recounting her time on the Titanic. Sometimes stories with alternating narratives can be choppy or difficult to follow from one narrative to the next and it can be unsure of how the two work together, that is not the case here. I found the switching of narratives to be done extremely well. 

I found the story very easy to follow and while I was able to predict a lot of the reveals I wasn't upset by that. For me, it was easy to see the pieces fit together because it made sense and I was so excited for the characters to discover the answers (and to see if I was actually right because sometimes I can have some far-fetched ideas - I will say the reveal towards the end of Ava's story I did not see coming at all!). I also thought that the characterization was great! There were times where I could definitely relate to things that Taylor and Ava were feeling, and they were both good and interesting narrators. I found Galena to be one of the most interesting characters in the entire book and I would've loved for there to have been more interactions with her that were not observations but conversations between her and others because she was so interesting. 

One of the things that I felt could've been expanded upon was the history of Meadowbrook Manor. Throughout the story, there are multiple references to the spirits that are still in the house. This could simply be because I absolutely love ghost stories, but I felt like there could've been something really interesting had that been further developed, especially when connecting it to Lord Knight, Galena, and the clear mentions of the spirit world in Ava's section.

I also felt that the romance between Taylor and Nathaniel was not needed. It's not that their subplot drew attention from the actual plot or was poorly written, I just felt that it didn't really add much to the story and was thrown in because Taylor needed a love interest. 

Overall I found The Poppy and the Rose to be a quick and enjoyable read that kept my attention from start to finish.

cossette

** spoiler alert **
           In 1912, socialite and photographer Ava Knight is departing for the Titanic with her father, when she’s approached by a strange lady with a horrifying premonition, and an even stranger soldier with a glass eye who promises to make her wishes come true, as long as Ava becomes his spy. Torn between figuring out who to trust, and what to do, Ava embarks on an investigation of her own. 

In 2010, Taylor Romano arrives for a summer journalism program at Oxford, with the secret agenda of solving a mystery of her own: who is the lady in the photograph with her father? It’s not a question she can ask her father, who passed away in the war a few years prior, or her mother, who is still grieving. She’s invited to tea by a mysterious benefactor, Mae, who promises to tell Taylor about her father. Against better judgment, Taylor decides to skip out on orientation for the journalism program, and go to tea instead. What she doesn’t realize is that Mae passed away the night before, leaving Taylor with a single clue -- A Titanic survivor by the name of Ava’s memoir, with the words “Find Will” scrawled in haste script on the inside. With this memoir as her only clue, Taylor must take a trip into the past to find out the link between Ava’s and her father’s, as well as Mae’s death. 

The Poppy and The Rose is told in two narratives -- Ava’s, which mostly takes place in 1912, and Taylor’s, which takes place in modern day. I felt like the two narratives were weaved seamlessly, and loved reading Ava’s story, how Taylor reacted to it, and how it was all part of the bigger mystery. While I’m not usually much for mysteries and thrillers, I’m a sucker for historical fiction, and more so, the Titanic. I’ve always been fascinated by the history of the Titanic, and absolutely loved that aspect of this book. I found Ava’s story incredibly compelling -- much more so than I did Taylor’s, even if I found Ava to be a little unlikeable at times. The three overarching mysteries: The woman in the picture, Mae’s murder, the happenings on the Titanic, were all captivating, although I was mostly interested about the Titanic, and felt like the woman in the photograph, and Mae’s murder were more so background side plots. Even so, I found myself holding my breath along with both Ava and Taylor, hoping that everything would turn out alright in the end, and being shocked again and again at all the different twists and turns. 

I found The Poppy and The Rose to be a quick read, and didn’t want to put it down. 
Unfortunately, I felt like everything was a little rushed near the end. As I’m not British, I can’t speak from experience, but I felt like a lot of stereotypes were used, and it felt inauthentic. Overall, I found The Poppy and The Rose an easy read, and would recommend it to any lovers of The Titanic, or anyone looking for a nice mystery novel!

Paola C

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Poppy and the Rose.

In 1912 Ava Knight gets on board of the Titanic and survives the shipwreck. Forward to 2010 where we meet Taylor Romano, who is at a summer program in Oxford to study journalism. Taylor soon comes to find out that her story and Ava's are connected and she needs to find out how. 

The Poppy and the Rose is a pretty quick read and it had a very interesting plot. I mean, who doesn't want to read about the Titanic? The book had mystery, a bit of romance, and obviously historical themes to it. It was well written, however I felt like instead of having dual-POVs, it would've been better with just one. In the end, I was left a bit disappointed, the ending felt rushed and the mystery wasn't much of a mystery to me.

Anna Wilson

Thank you NetGalley for the ebook of The Poppy and the Rose! 

This book follows 2 time lines, one set in present day where we follow Taylor, and one set in 1912 following Ava. Taylor has recently moved to England to start school when a mysterious older women meets her and requests she read a memoir. Taylor is skeptical about this but intrigued to know more. She arrives at the Meadowbrook Manor to find tragedy and a memoir written by a mysterious Ava. Ava’s memoir recalls her time on the titanic and how she survived and the goings on that happened while she was aboard.

I overall enjoyed the book. There were lots of twist and turns along the way and figuring out how all the characters connected and intercepted was fun. However, at times the book got a little too philosophical for me and I found myself getting a little confused. Overall, I enjoyed and the ending was sooo good, a nice conclusion!

Kristin Hamill

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review an e-arc of this book.

I am a sucker for anything involving the Titanic, but when you add in a mystery, secret societies, and a hint of paranormal, I know I'm going to be in for a treat.

The Poppy and The Rose by Ashlee Cowles follows two timelines. In 1912, Ava Knight and her father are traveling across the Atlantic Ocean on the new luxury liner, Titanic, While on the ship, Ava becomes involved in a plot to stop an evil organization from bringing about the destruction of millions of lives. In 2010, Taylor Romano arrives in Oxford for a summer journalism program and becomes embroiled in the mystery of an old heiress' death. Taylor uncovers Ava's journal and works to figure out how Ava's story is connected to her own history.

I really enjoyed the dual timelines in this book. Usually dual timelines are hit or miss, but this one done really well. We are slowly learning information in both timelines and can work to try to solve the mystery as we go back and forth. Ava's timeline was a little more interesting at the start, since being set on the Titanic is what initially drew me to the book. But slowly, I began to get more intrigued with Taylors timeline as we try to figure out the connection between the two. The ending was a little predictable, but overall, the book was enjoyable and well written.

The cover is also stunningly illustrated.

The Poppy and the Rose

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