I loved AJ Banners first book The Good Neighbor, so I was very excited to get an ARC of The Poison Garden from netgalley. This psychological thriller did not disappoint! Once I started I couldn't put it down. It was full of suspense. I highly recommend it.

Is Elise Watter's life as perfect as it seems? Or is it just a dream? This psychological thriller will keep you up all night keeping you in suspense until the very end!!! I look forward to more books by A.J. Banner!!! Read and enjoy!!!

Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of A. J. Banner's "The Poison Garden". I loved it!!! And the cover is just stunning,!
I had never read anything by the author before but, I will surely pick up some of her earlier work now.

Elise Watters has it all. She lives in a beautiful Victorian house on an idyllic island off the coast of Washington, has a wonderful husband who's also a well respected doctor and she has a great job running her late mother's herbal boutique. While she is all set to celebrate her 1 year wedding anniversary, she makes a shocking discovery that puts a very sudden halt to her carefree life and makes her question everything including her own sanity...

The story was captivating right from the start and I wish I'd had the time to devour it in one sitting.
There are twists and turns throughout this fast paced story and that's just how I like it. Every time I thought I'd figured things out something else threw me off guard. Just like Elise I didn't know who to trust. I was rooting for her all the way through.

Highly recommend!

Elise and her new husband move into her mother’s Victorian home on a remote island off the coast of Washington shortly after her mother’s death. Her mother also left a sizable fortune behind to Elise, so now she never has to worry about money again. But the day before her 1-year anniversary, Elise returns from Seattle to spend a romantic weekend with her husband, only to discover him in bed with another woman.

Even after kicking him out, Elise’s husband refuses to leave her alone and is determined to win her back, despite her adamance against forgiving him. And just when Elise has her mind made up, her husband plants a seed in her mind that she can’t seem to forget: her ex-husband has been conveniently visiting the island whenever she’s there and has taken up a construction job next door.

Now Elise is surrounded by not one, but two men that she can’t trust. And when she discovers her life is about to get even more complicated, she doesn’t know who she can turn to for help…

The Poison Garden is AJ Banner’s latest thriller release. Months ago I read The Twilight Wife, which had a very similar setting (and somewhat similar cast of characters) to The Poison Garden. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this story quite as much. At only around 200 pages, too much happened in such a short amount of time. I think this book could’ve benefited from another 50-100 pages to make the reader more invested in the story and set the stage for the crazy events that unfolded. The storyline was wild and unbelievable, which I can appreciate and devour, but I didn’t have enough time to process each off-kilter event. I still enjoyed this quick read, but I hope AJ Banner lengthens their novels in the future. 3/5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and AJ Banner for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have seen several books from A.J. Banner on shelves but never picked one up myself. I went into the Poison Garden without any expectations or notions about what kind of book this might be except I knew it was a thriller/suspense novel. You are immediately thrown into the story which is a bit jarring but I actually ending up liking it. Some books waste a lot of storytelling on backstory when in many cases, it's not really necessary. The book begins with the catalyst that sets the rest of the novel in motion; Elise catches her husband of one year, cheating in their bed. From there, the story snowballs and grows crazier and crazier. Elise is an unreliable narrator as we come to find out that she has a history of sleepwalking so when clues are dropped about her being in places and seeming zombie-like, the reader wonders is she was aware of her actions or just sleeping.

There are really only four characters to keep up with in this book which was nice. Elise, her husband Kieran, her ex-husband Brandon and her neighbor Chantal. Each character is hiding things and you aren't quite sure of anyone's motives. The story was fast paced and great at slowly doling out answers. It did somehow feel disjointed and all over the place at times. And maybe it's because we didn't know the characters all that well but things they would do or say felt odd but you weren't sure why. The writing was easy to read, free of too much dialogue or flowery language. I do feel, when I reached the end of the book, I was overcome with the "what the heck did I just read" feeling. Which can either be good or bad. In my case, it was just confused.

I would recommend this to fans of the thriller/suspense genre but maybe not to just a casual reader. This actually would have made a great beach read because it doesn't expect the reader to think too much and the story moves so quickly.

This book is full of twists and turns. Just when you think you know who the culprit is the story changes completely, but for the most part, it's entertaining. I do think she should probably not marry again. Even the deputy doesn't believe her, at first. And her friends aren't exactly trustworthy. She might be better served by moving away from Chinook Island and starting over.

I received a free e-copy of The Poison Garden by A.J. Banner from NetGalley for my honest review.

An suspenseful read full of twists and turns. A wonderfully driven book with fantastic characters. There were time I thought I had things figured out in this book, but found out I did not.

This book will grab the reader from page one and won’t let go until the very last page. Banner never disappoints with her thrillers. What a last great beach read for the summer!

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
I always enjoy reading AJ Banner. This one was similar to the others - not the best but enjoyable as a beach/summer/weekend read. The ending was full of twists and unexpected turns that made me second guess the reality of the story. I think this would be a good story for those looking to 'dip their toes' into the thriller genre. A exciting, fast-paced read, The Poison Garden is compelling and enjoyable.

Meh. I couldn't finish this. To quote Ambrose Bierce, "The covers of this book are too far apart." I didn't like the characters and the plot seemed too far fetched. None of the relationships were trustworthy and on top of that, I couldn't get a feel for the main character, so I couldn't even feel empathy for her. Like I said, meh.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
#ThePoisonGarden #NetGalley

The Poison Garden was a great book, with the all the important elements of a thriller deftly woven through the compelling storyline; old love, new love, poison, gaslighting, and seduction. There were times through the novel that I wondered if each of the characters was losing their mind,
I liked the characters, more than I should have in some cases but I still felt like there was a lot of attention paid to fleshing out the main characters without writing essays about every single one of them. They were interesting, believable, and unique, and never did I find myself thinking, "This person's an idiot," or "This person is too smart to be believable!"
All in all I highly recommend this book, it's fun and twisty, along with being highly readable and enjoyable.
I was provided an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley and have based my honest review on the copy provided.

I loved A.J. Banner's Good Neighbor book and I wasn't let down by The Poison Garden! It was just as phenomenal! The description really didn't give that much into it and I was excited to see what it was about and ladies and gents read it! I finished this one in one sitting!
Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Elise comes home from a trip early and finds out her hubby is cheating. She was going to surprise her husband since it was their first anniversary. She also happens to be wealthy. So you can just imagine what kind of crazy happens here. Lots of twists and turns in this thriller and a super quick read.

Elise Watters is living the dream, happily married to a successful doctor,

living in her late mothers beautiful Victorian house running herbal boutique she has the perfect life.

After a shockin betrayal that turns her life is turned upside down and she left doubting everything she thought she knew.

The book is full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing till the end.

A short fast paced read that starts and ends with a bang!

Is anything as it seems? The author packs such a punch with this psychological thriller it will leave one gasping for breath. I was enthralled throughout.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Elise thinks she has a great life with her husband but is soon trying to figure out what is real and what is not. A good read that takes you on a ride!

I loved “After Nightfall” which I read last year, so I was excited to see that A.J. Banner was releasing a new title, this October. I immediately requested an ARC, and was pleased when my request was approved.

But, unfortunately, I cannot recommend this one.

The characters lacked authenticity and the plot was far fetched.

At only 208 pages, I was able to read this quickly, hoping it would get better, but it just didn’t. It lacked the suspense I expected from the synopsis, and did not have the pace of a thriller.

There are some 5 star reviews, so be sure to read a few reviews from each category before deciding if this might be a better fit for you.

Thank You to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review.

This book had a lot of ups and downs for me.. some parts were thrilling but some were kind of boring. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

3.5/5

This was not my first Banner book and it won’t be my last. I think Banner does a good job at writing fast paced, twisty, and chilling thrillers. This book definitely kept my attention and gave me some good thrills, chills, and shocks. Well written, fast paced, fun read. Recommend to those who enjoy psychological thrillers and/or Banners work!
Will make sure to buzz it up!

I read this book very quickly! From the first pages, The Poison Garden by A. J. Banner pulled me in and I absolutely loved it. There is nothing better than a suspense/thriller that’s perfectly paced and expertly written.

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 was a five-star read for me. I rarely give out five stars on Goodreads so when I do, you know its a book you need to get your hands on.

October 22.