Too much of a soap opera to be a real thriller, but a good beach read. Nice island atmosphere, stock characters.

eARC provided by publisher.

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "The Poison Garden" by A.J. Banner, Lake Union, Oct. 2019

WOW! A.J. Banner, Author of "The Poison Garden" has written an intense, intriguing, captivating, suspenseful, and page-turning novel. The Genres for this novel are Psychological Thriller, Psychological Suspense, Mystery, and Fiction.  There are twists and turns, betrayals, danger, and murder. This is a thought-provoking novel and has some gaslighting moments. The timeline for this story is in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the events or characters. The author describes her dramatic characters as complicated, complex, manipulative, and psychologically unbalanced.

Elise Watters is a pharmacist that has taken over the responsibilities of her deceased mother's herbal gardens. Elise is extremely comfortable and wealthy.  She is now married to a doctor, who is her second husband. For her first wedding anniversary, Elise gets quite an unexpected traumatic surprise. Elise now questions everything and everyone. Somehow, Elise manages to sleepwalk and is not aware of her actions and activity. The people closest to her try to convince her that they are there to help her. Do you really believe that?

I would highly recommend this thrilling and chilling novel for those readers who enjoy a psychological challenge!

A really interesting, highly gripping thriller, with fascinating characters and a fast pace. My heart was pounding as I read, desperately trying to work out what was going on.

I own every book by A.J. Banner and yet again this is why. A very well written thriller that keeps you guessing. Obsession, deception and an unputdownable domestic thriller that will be a one sitting read because of the fast paced and captavating ride and a satisfying ending. Bravo. Loved it.

The Poison Garden is a fast-paced, compelling and chilling book. When Elise catches her husband in bed with another woman, it sends her life and her psyche spiraling out of control. Add in an obsessed ex-husband, a mysterious journal left written by her deceased mother, and a deadly plant, and you get a twisty, heart-pounding story. The setting adds an unsettling atmosphere as we follow Elise on a roller coaster of emotions, devotion, paranoia, and revenge.

The Poison Garden was so well-written and impossible to put down. Just when I thought I had things figured out, A.J. Banner added another twist. The main character, Elise, has so many complicated relationships that it made her character relatable--- I couldn't help but root for her. Overall, a fantastic read!

ALL THE stars. Absolutely loved this book! The story flows, the characters are fascinating and I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend.

Pageturner alert!
This book is so good I finished it in two sittings.

Elise abruptly breaks up from her husband after he has done the unthinkable. But he won't let her go. Protected by another ex and a seemingly goodhearted neighbour, she stuggles to find her feet. But soon the husband mysteriously disappears and the ex becomes a creepy stalker. And where does the neighbour fit in?
Meanwhile Elise suffers from sleepwalking. What's the dream, what's real?
And how does her mother's diary explain what is happening, what role does the herbal garden play?

This is one heck of a story, having me on the edge of my seat. Fast paced, realistic writing and good dialogue. With only four main characters to concentrate on, the reader feels trapped in an eery environment.
Psychological thriller at its best. Too bad the end is quite predictable.

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC.

This was disappointing to me overall. It started off great but then basically fell into mediocrity quite quickly. I am sorry it just was not my cup of tea. The characters were undeveloped and unbelievable as was the story line.
I would not recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and give an honest review.

My second AJ Banner book and I guess I have to say this author is just not for me. Zero character development, bare bones plotting, no surprises (after all there are only 3 people who can be the possible suspect) and the whole thing is rushed. The main character has little reason to believe such horrible things about her husband, but in the space of 24 hours jumps from the fact he is having an affair to the idea that he's plotting multiple murders just to get his hands on her money. Motives are basic and the entire book ignores the basic writer's tenet of "show don't tell." Banner's work is not without imagination, but really best served to older teens as a bridge between YA and well-written adult suspense. (Even then there's YA better constructed than this, see Sadie, Wilder Girls, The Cheerleaders.)

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this with me, but I'd advise others take a hard pass.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Lake Union Publishing for an arc ebook. I will be providing a brief review in exchange.

This book was a huge let-down. The novel is billed as a psychological thriller. IMHO a psychological thriller needs to have-

-psychological congruence , psychological depth, believable twists and turns and plausible motivations for intrapersonal desicions and interpersonal actions
-the book failed on all four counts......by the end my eyes actually hurt from eye-rolling and my tummy hurt from acid reflux

-Overall this was a very and I mean very poor reading experience. I only finished it because I needed to find out how it ended and not in a good way.

-The one star is for some really lovely descriptive sentences describing the landscape of the Pacific Northwest Island. Also a really lovely book cover.

Creepy and atmospheric with lots of twists and turns this is one unputdownable thriller! Elsie's hunt for answers and the secrets revealed kept me turning and turning the pages I wanted so badly to unravel the secrets behind her what had seemed perfect life. Reminded me in ways of girl on the train in the fact that I wondered frequently if I could trust Elsie as narrator and her version of events a wonderful thrill ride that's a super fast read and great for the fall season!

Twisted and creepy! Great fast paced story that keeps you guessing. Nothing and no one is as they seem! My favorite of AJ Banner's so far!

It’s my first book by the author and although I enjoyed it, there are many things I couldn’t get into it as much as I wanted.
I love a psychological thrillers any time before anything else but this one was so predictable and the writing gave me pause at times.
I still finished it because I rarely do not finish a book but I’m still unsure about my feelings and whether I should recommend it to my bookish friends or not.

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. I am already a fan of A J Banner's books so I was delighted that this was in my To be reviewed pile. Elise thinks she has the perfect marriage and life..all is not as it seems....Elise works from home as a herbalist and knows what plants can harm/kill people. Elise notices things keep seeming not quite right at home and aren't as she left them. Is she sleep walking again or getting paranoid? A mesmerising plot I was captivated from the first chapter. #ajbanner #netgalley #litsy #tea_sipping_bookworm #kindle #amazon#kindle

After Elise catches her husband cheating (basically on their wedding anniversary no less) she starts to question her sanity and who to trust.

I was absolutely swept away into the anxiety ridden mind of Elise. I didn’t know if she herself was reliable in addition to everyone creepy and sneaking around her. I can’t imagine what it would be like to go through what this woman goes through in the span of a few days but AJ Banner does an incredible job of making me feel all the emotions along with Elise. I read this book in just a few sittings, but probably could have finished all at once if it weren’t for pesky life getting in the way!


Thank you netgalley for this advanced copy to read and review!

A thriller that doesn't take itself too seriously, this was a fast read perfect for a sitting or two. It's a bit over the top at times and full of twists and turns that made me question what I was reading but overall it was a pretty good book.

The Poison Garden by AJ Banner was a book I was really looking forward to. The synopsis promises everything a thriller should have.

Elise ireturns home to Chinook Island (fictional) from a brief trip to Seattle to sort out some of her financial affairs. Elise is a pharmacist who has now taken over her mother’s herbal business following her death. Elise is expecting to celebrate her one year anniversary with her beloved husband, the local general practitioner. Arriving home early she discovers him in a compromising position with a young house stager. Elise promptly tells her husband to leave.

I have uploaded this straight from Netgalley so do not continue reading as there’s are potential though vague references to spoilers.

What follows then is a twisted tale of relationships and incidents involving Elise, her husband, her ex-husband, and neighbour. There’s allegations galore about one trying to kill the other, one trying to protect the other, one thinking they murdered someone when another person actually did, poisoning, attempts at poisoning, failed poisoning, sleepwalking, lies, deception, stalking, gaslighting and an unexpected pregnancy.

At times this book felt like it was moving at a promising pace but then the transitions between plot hanging points did not flow seamlessly for me giving a bit of an all over the place feel. I really struggled with it at the end, as much as I wanted to like it. On this occasion, this one was not a book that captivated me as much as frustrated me.

This is the first book I have read by the author and I may not be used to the style and I’m not sure if this book is consistent with others written. I’d like to give another book a go at some stage.

Thank you to AJ Banner, Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another must read for A.J. Banner fans. This book kept me guessing all the way to the last chapter. The book revolves around 4 main characters, Elise, Kiernan, Brandon, and Chantal. After catching her husband Kiernan with another woman, Elise begins to question everything and everyone, in her life. Throughout the story, the plot twists and turns and keeps the readers guessing who is really to blame for Elise fears and paranoia. Readers won’t be disappointed in the book, a real page turner!

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book!!
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Domestic thriller with a twist...

Elise has it all, a solid business, money in the bank, and a happy marriage. Soon to celebrate her first anniversary, Elise arrives home unexpectedly only to encounter something that turns her whole world upside down, and not in a good way!

Reeling from recent events Elise wonders who she can trust. Her husband Kieran? Her ex-husband Brandon? Her neighbour Chantal? With everyone hiding something, Elise will have to dig deep to separate the truth from the lies. Hopefully her intuition is in tiptop shape because it might just be a matter of life and death...

PROS: Twists and turns from beginning to end in this well paced thriller...

CONS: Quite short...like only 200 pages short. There are a few times when you’ll have to suspend your disbelief for a moment or two...it’s fiction, let’s not delve too deeply into the likelihood of certain events and just enjoy a good story!

YES or NO: It’s a YES - AJ Banner’s books always have amazing settings and for this alone I recommend her novels, especially for someone looking for a quick, enjoyable read.

4 Stars