I am so pleased that’s over with. I was actually really excited to get an advanced copy from Netgalley to read but how disappointed am I with this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed all of Maggie’s other books but this was hugely disappointing. The characters were dull and quite irritating - especially Polly and Guy and her husband Dave.

I know it was all about perfume and sense of smell etc but it went on and on and on and I couldn’t really relate to any of the descriptions to picture what the perfume smelt like and to be honest I didn’t really care in the end as I was getting so bored.

I feel sad having to give a bad review but I really didn’t enjoy the book - it was far too long winded for me.

It has been a while since the last Maggie Alderson book and I was looking forward to reading this one and it didn’t disappoint.

Polly is a successful yoga teacher and perfume blogger and has been married to David for 20 odd years, both their children are at university and out of the blue David tells her he needs some time alone and Polly and the children are not to contact him under any circumstances. Polly has always thought that they had a strong marriage and his decision knocks her for six.

As Polly struggles to cope with life alone, she discovers a new perfume shop where she meets Guy, the flamboyant owner, Polly wants to write about him on her blog but he is proving to be mysterious and elusive. She also bonds with the woman from her yoga class who are there for her as she comes to terms with her marriage woes. As the months move forward and Polly finally finds out what has happened to David, she begins to realise that her marriage wasn’t what it seemed. .

A great book with strong colourful characters and a compelling storyline.