This book was a revelation - not what I had expected at all.
I knew it was a cosy mystery but it was so much more. Full of human emotions and disparate characters brought together through The Gardener’s Club.
Add in a mischievous and sometimes down right naughty grandma and a son with his own neurodiverse issues and the book was set for a rollercoaster of some thrills and emotions.

I think it testament to Marnie Riches’ writing that Marjorie was so thoroughly unlikeable and annoying - I often felt that if she said ‘one does this that or the other’ one more time I would have cheerfully dealt with her myself. But still she had her foibles and liking for sherry to add into the mix.
There were also themes of constructive dismissal, employment issues and the runnings of an insurance call centre to put into the mix.
And Gill - a widow, mother and daughter - and how she coped with the loss of her husband but also her tentative feelings for another of the gardeners - and the guilt that she felt that she was letting her husband down.

Oh I almost forgot there was also murder and distinctly underhand behaviours from another gardening club. And insurance fraud.
Who would’ve thought there were such shenanigans in a simple gardening group.

Well written and a great read - kept me rapt right to the end. There seemed to be a lot of human conflict packed into this cosy mystery which I had not expected. I hope that perhaps there will be more adventures for Gill, her family and their new friends

This is a light hearted romp of a cosy mystery with some delightful characters and a gardening theme.
I know little about gardening but I still enjoyed this story, mainly due to the wonderful characterisations. If you are an avid gardener I’m sure you will derive even more from the book.
Gill Swanley is a widowed single mother of a teenage boy with an elderly mother and a job she hates. One of the in between generation scrabbling to keep everything together.
On the advice of her therapist she joins the local gardening club to calm her anxiety and get out of the house occasionally.
The club consists of a motley group of people, both young and old and as she begins to get to know them, Gill finds she’s actually enjoying her new hobby. However when she discovers a dead body and suspects foul play, she decides it must be connected to the gardening, particularly when some strange things start happening to the members of the club.
This is not just a murder mystery or a book about gardening, it is also a story about real people and their lives. Many people will relate to difficulties with elderly relatives and problems with teenagers. This is also a book about overcoming grief and moving on.
The murder mystery element is enjoyable but probably not the central point of the book.
I definitely enjoyed “The Gardeners’Club and would recommend it as a five star read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy,

What a sensation.

Sensitively written, funny, sweet and a delight to read.
I mistakenly thought this would be a light ‘filler’ book but I was pleasantly surprised.

The characters were well rounded and I was so invested. We navigated highs and lows, the grief, stress and burdens placed on single mums navigating life.

It may not have been a huge suspense of ‘whodunnit’ but I really didn’t mind at all. I was so invested in the lives of these fabulous humans I just wanted a happy ending for them!