Absolutely brilliant!

What an incredible read with twists and turns in every chapter. The book draws the reader into the life of Elise Watter and holds the reader captivated till the very last page. A. J. Banner outdone herself with this masterpiece.

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?

If she is to believe what she sees, Elise has every reason to fear for her life…

This is a definite page turner that will keep you guessing till the end. It is just so easy to feel the emotions of Elise, that I found myself gasping for breath, trying to keep my head above the water as I see Elise drowning in the storm that is her life. Will she keep a float?

A book that must definitely be on every reader's wish list!

Thanks for letting me  read and review this book 
It was a good fast paced novel  with enough twists and turns to keep it interesting

I appreciate NetGalley allowing me to read this book as I do all of the pre-print novels offered.
But, and it is a big "but", "The Poison Garden" has little to recommend it. 
Perhaps it is a mock-drama with every element intentionally cliched: plot, character, setting?
I do not think do, but it could easily be so.
Chick-lit-crime? Probably. From sleep-walking heroine to mixing flower potions; not one but two villainous husbands; a glamorous island setting...and all women gorgeous and strong, aside from one who who is shallow and sleeps with another woman's husband. 
Guess what will happen. Guess again and again. Each almost-conclusion is implausible.
It is a "page turner". If started, turn the pages as quickly as possible.

A great novel, beautiful depiction of the characters with some tense moments thrown into the mix. Will definitely pick more books by this talented author.

Thank you net galley for giving me the opportunity to read this suspense/thriller.  Every time I thought I had it figured out there was another twist thrown in.  For fans of A.J. Banner a fast thrilling story.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC! 

What a thriller! From the beginning, you hit the ground running with this one. I didn’t expect the story to go the way it did, and it was hard for me to figure out any twist that came. I love a book that keeps you guessing - which is hard to do when you primarily read thrillers. I literally inhaled this book and the writing was incredible all the way through. Just when I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong, and that was quite an amazing feeling. I love being surprised by the twist. That gasp, the jaw drop, hands in their air feeling - yes. This book has it. I highly recommend it!

This was not good. The writing is weak, the plot ludicrous, the characters actions are ridiculous and I'm just glad it was a quick read. 


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

I really loved this book!! It had so many twists and turns. It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next!! This was my first book by this Author, and it won’t be the last!! Quick read!! Highly recommended!! You won’t be disappointed!!

I really struggled through this book. It just did not work for me. The story was all over the place and the characters were unlikeable and annoying. The twists and turns in the book seemed a little too convenient. I wish I could say nice things about the book but I just can't. It wasn't for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

54//3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
•••••••
I was enthralled from the first chapter and couldn’t stop until I finished. AJ Banner brings us a seemingly happy couple—Elise and Kieran—getting ready to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. Each have been married before and have overcome tragedies in their lives, but nothing could prepare them for the dark and twisty things to come. I pride myself on knowing what’ll happen in a thriller about halfway through, but Banner kept me on my toes the entire time. The twists and turns were well done and made this such a good read with a great ending that I don’t think anyone will expect!
•••••••
Things I loved:
📚The setting.
Fictional Chinook Island seems like the perfect, quaint little island off the coast of Seattle. A close knit community where everyone knows everyone but sometimes they might be hiding a thing or two.
📚The ending.
So good...that’s all I can say. 😍🙌🏼
•••••••
Highly recommend if you’re:
☝🏼 A fan of Ruth Ware.
✌🏼 A fan of the thrillers with a seemingly untrustworthy narrator.


Instagram.com/mamabearhayrereads

Poison Garden is an amazing book that will keep you guessing until the end. I loved the  characters and descriptions in this book. A.J. Banner's books just keep getting better. I cannot wait to see what the next one brings

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time finishing The Poison Garden. There were way too many plot twists and the whole story line was just  too far fetched... It just wasn't the right kind of suspense for me.

Fascinating premise, and the garden was almost a character in and of itself. Slow burn, good twists, and definitely psychologically twisted.

I enjoyed this book as it  kept me guessing throughout.  Lots of twists and turns as Elise discovers secrets that could hurt her marriage.

So this book was a bit crazy sauce but it did keep me guessing. It was kind of all over the place but the writing was good and I did enjoy it. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC!

I was fortunate enough to be able to read an advanced readers copy of The Poison Garden by A. J. Banner. She writes the best psychological thrillers! First of all, the cover art alone is beautiful. Can you identify this plant? I can! A young woman is excited to be arriving unexpectedly early to her beautiful island home in the Pacific Northwest. She wants to surprise her handsome adoring husband on the eve of their wedding anniversary. Opening the door to a shocking scenario, the reader is along on her journey over several days as she tries to find the truth. I loved this book, it has all the twists and turns in the plot that I enjoy in a psychological thriller. A. J. Banner does not disappoint, another great book to read. The Poison Garden will come out on October 22, 2019, don`t miss it!

Disclosure: I am a huge fan of all of A.J. Banner’s books. The Poison Garden is no exception. Banner’s straightforward prose offers twists that I don’t see coming, even though I’m an addictive mystery reader. Her characters are complex and confused which leads us, the readers, to wonder about the reliability of the narrator, or at least the narrator’s perceptions. The setting is lush- we feel as though we’ve been plunged into the forests of a northwest island, next to the unpredictable seas. The plot leaps forward, a true page turner, and my only disappointment was that I had to put the book down to go to work before I finished. When I reached the end, what satisfaction! I love un-gory thrillers, puzzles inhabited with full bodied characters, and clearly, The Poison Garden hit the mark for me.

I'm having a hard time considering how to rate this book. It wasn't that it was bad, but it was not exceptional either. There were probably too many twists and surprises, none of which were that surprising, but maybe were because I couldn't believe something so spectacular was happening again.
What I did not like about the book is the constant talking in circles... dragged out conversations... and thought processes by the main character. Multiple times (so many times), I was mentally saying, "yes, yes, the rest of us have a full grasp on what is happening, so what's taking you so long to catch up to speed?!" This made me want to skip particularly large chunks of the book to avoid being in the MC's mind so as to avoid these types of thoughts. 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.
While the plot looked interesting, I didn't find that the story lived up to the expectations I had. The idea of a poison garden and a newlywed who is an expert in herbal concoctions was intriguing. Her discovery of her husband's infidelity and subsequent paranoia should have heightened the 'thriller' aspect of the novel, but somehow it didn't. Elise comes across as weak and not particularly likeable. The lack of a strong supporting cast coupled with a lot of meandering in the plot caused me to lose interest in her fate. I wish there'd been a better sense of place as well.

So, this is the story of Elise, returning to her perfect life with her perfect husband a day early before they celebrate their first wedding anniversary. 

Clearly, all that perfection wasn't to last and she returned to find it all shattered. 

Although the book was pacey and the plot very enticing, on the whole I found the story quite unfulfilling as there were so many (too many?) twists and turns that ultimately made it all seem far fetched and predictable. 

It was still an enjoyable read, but left me questioning all the many ways I could have put my time to better use that day...