I really liked the premise of the book, however from the beginning I really felt this book was kind of a dud. The plot lacked any real depth, the characters were flat, and the book lacked any real presence. I am glad that this was a quick read because it lacked any kind of plausibility as well. This is the first book I have read from this author. I sure hope they get better. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

**2.5 stars**

The Poison Garden by AJ Banner was a ok mystery. Even though it was pretty short parts of it felt long. It was an ok way to pass the time but not sure I’ll read another of her books. I do love books set in the Pacific Northwest. The main character was dumb, which has been a characteristic of all the women in the stories I’ve been reading recently.

Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.**

I ended up not finishing this one, it just wasn't for me, thanks anyway for taking the time to accept my request.

The Poison Garden is a great book for a rainy day. It's a domestic thriller that asks the question: Do you really know the person you married. It's atmospheric (set in Washington state) and is full of your typical twists and turns. I would recommend this book to friends of mine who especially love this genre. All in all it was a pretty good book. Thank you to Netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

The poison garden is a highly atmospheric and thrilling read, it’s fast paced and you will have so many guesses before the end. I enjoy this book a lot, it had me very mesmerized and addicted, I didn’t want to stop reading.

Excellent storyline and well-developed characters make this book a must-read.

Synopsis:
Elise Watters seems to have it all—a blissful marriage, a gorgeous Victorian home surrounded by lush gardens, and a dream job running her late mother’s herbal boutique.

But on the eve of her first wedding anniversary, Elise makes a shocking discovery that turns her life upside down and casts doubt on everything she thought she knew—about her marriage, her friends, and even herself. As she treads into dangerous territory, Elise is forced to wonder: Is her whole future at stake? Or is paranoia getting the best of her?

This was a well written thriller, with great twists and turns that I didn’t always see coming. I would highly recommend this.

A tense and well-developed thriller with an interest and unique plot. This was archived before I could download it so I bought it on my Kindle so I could read it and it didn't disappoint.

This is a great read and a well-detailed plot that kept me engaged from the very start. I really liked the well-thought-out characters and found them to be believable. I cannot wait to read what the author publishes next.

Great thriller which I could not put down. Brilliant characters, and twists and turns. Highly recommend to others!

I have always been fascinated by mixing potions. When we were young, my sister and I engaged in the highly dangerous activity of mixing various cleaning supplies together, pretending they were potions. How we didn't succumb to the fumes I'll never know, but I do know our parents were not pleased. So of course I was going to be intrigued by a thriller novel with poison in the title. Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

(Domestic) Thrillers are made up of a few set of tropes and traditional storylines which are exciting in their familiarity. I love seeing what every new author is going to do with these story elements, whether it will be a full reversal, a slight alteration, a traditional approach or a complete red herring. It is also what makes reading thrillers something of a comfort for me. It's like re-watching TV shows. The general plot is familiar and comforting, despite its ups and downs, but the details keep surprising and delighting you. At times not all these dots get connected equally successfully, which is a shame. In The Poison Garden a lot of elements are at play and they don't always go as deep as you would like. The book is fun, quick, and hits all the spots, if sometimes weakly.

Elise can't wait to spend her first wedding anniversary with her husband on their boat, sipping champagne and reminiscing. But when she comes home early to surprise him she walks in on something she wasn't expecting at all. This is only the beginning of her problems however. With her ex-husband once again on the island and the cause of her mother's death still mysterious, everything begins to fall apart for Elise. The Poison Garden is a rollercoaster of twists and turns that is immensely readable. The novel is mostly written from Elise's point of view, but occasionally we get an outside glimpse through her neighbour, Chantal. The latter becomes a way to attempt to balance out Elise's growing fear and confusion, but she has her own secrets as well. I would hesitate calling The Poison Garden a psychological thriller, mainly because the characters' psychologies weren't really consistent or explored all that much. Rather, Banner plays with the intrigues of domesticity and family relationships. While the plot does feel over the top at times, moving at almost break-neck speed from reveal to reveal, I had a great time reading it.

This is my first novel by A.J. Banner but I very much enjoyed her writing. She gets us right into Elise's mind, into her confusion and paranoia, but drops enough hints for the reader to see the bigger picture. As I mentioned above, the plot is a little much at times. Most of the novel takes place over a few days and with everything that happens it can be hard to not lose track of the timeline. The characters overall are quite traditional for the genre. The loving wife who may lose everything; the charming, beautiful husband who maybe cannot be trusted; the lingering ex-husband, the divorcee neighbour whose motives are questionable. But Banner brings them all together into a riotous story. However, I was completely enamored by Banner's descriptions of the island, Elise's house, its surrounding woods and her apothecary. I also have Banner's In Another Light lined up for later this year and can't wait to get into it.

The Poison Garden is a fun and quick read, full of thrills and surprises. While it may not go as deep as other thrillers, it will make for a great summer read!

The story was disjointed, difficult to follow and the characters were unlikeable and annoying. Too many unbelievable moments that resulted in a lot of eye-rolling and why am I wasting my time on this story moments? Thankfully it was a short and quick read however, it was a first impression of the author so I cannot speak on her other work but I cannot recommend.


Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

**Thank you Netgalley, A.J. Banner, and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced reader copy of this book.**

The premise of this story was an interesting one. A woman named Elise finds out some shocking discovery on her first wedding anniversary. Sounds like a great start to a psychological thriller, right? For me, this book fell just short of being really good.

On the surface, this book had all the ingredients for a great psychological thriller: betrayal, lies and plot twists. But that's all the book has. The plot seems completely unfathomable, the characters were all unlikeable, and the plot twists weren't really all that "twisty."

The writing seemed very immature and it was just lacking in some way. It felt stilted and didn't flow well. The book seemed to be all over the place and while it ended up coming together, I just wasn't a fan of the flow, the writing, or the characters.

I could not get into this 2019 thriller. I decided not to keep reading it. Thank you publisher and netgalley for the early copy.

The Poison Garden is a quick read. It did have some decent plot twists but, at points, it did feel a little monotonous. I was left a little empty after finishing it.

The case of herbal drinks and bad husbands.

The only thing I like about this book is the herbal practice, as I recognize the power of herbs.
Otherwise the plot is highly improbable (I have never seen so much killers and/or deranged people in such a little space) and there is not one likable character. And there is this modern sexism - men are bad and their reasons to kill are wrong; women are saints for put up with them and their reasons for killing are justifiable. Not buying that as the justice should be blind in all cases.

Pretty good thriller! It’s juicy and intriguing from beginning to end.

Thank you Netgalley for another AJ Banner book!! I’m a fan.

This was much weirder than I expected, but sucked me in despite all that. I actually did not see the ending coming in exactly the way it did, which is always nice. Definitely one I'll recommend and an author I'll look for more from.

I recently bought a new kindle after my old one broke. For some reason I was unable to download this title from the cloud onto my kindle, therefore I will be unable to review this title. I am sorry for any inconvenience caused