Soon after the death of her husband Emma gives up her job as a research scientist and goes to work as a florist for Les and Betty.
Emma is dangerous it close to closing down socially. She feels unable to speak to anyone except her brother who lives in Singapore. She has a very strained relationship with her mother who constantly finds Emma wanting.
Les invited Emma to a talk he is giving about the Titanic and although she is too panicked to attend she becomes obsessed with finding out about the florist in the doomed liner.
Emma's search leads her to new contacts, new friends and an acceptance of herself and her life.
A lovely book for romantics, flower lovers, history lovers and anyone who enjoys a really good book.

Another heartwarming and beautifully written book from this wonderful author, and I think this could be my favourite so far.

We follow two timelines with present-day Emma still coming to terms with the untimely death of her husband, and Violet who worked as a steward on several ships, including the Titanic.

Emma is a self-conscious, slightly socially awkward, multilingual scientist. Tall and with curly red hair, she feels conspicuous when all she wants to do is blend into the background. Her father has died, her relationship with her mother is fraught and her brother lives on the other side of the world, meaning she keenly feels the loss of the love of her life.

When she decides to quit her job and do something completely different, she is drawn to a role in a garden centre, working as a part-time florist. It helps her to feel closer to her father who was a keen gardener, and whose "pillow post" letters she still treasures.

A discussion about the Titanic in a local history group leads her to wonder about the identity of the florist who worked on the prestigious ship. As she researches deeper, she is inexplicably drawn to a photograph of one woman in particular. Could this woman be the florist? And why does she seem so familiar?

Along Emma's quest for knowledge, she makes new friends and finds ways to come to terms with the loss of her husband and her fractured relationship with her mother.

“Flowers are like friends, they bring colour to your world”

The Secrets of Flowers is a heartwarming and beautifully written story about loss and friendship. It follows Emma on her mission to find out who arranged the flowers on the Titanic. Emma is coming to terms with the loss of her husband and she leaves her job as a scientist to work in a garden centre amongst flowers. It also follows Violet, a stewardess on the Titanic - Violet’s part of the story is true which makes this book even better.

I absolutely adored this book. Sally Page did an amazing job at developing the characters - they were so loveable in their own ways. I adored Les and Betty, and their kindness to Emma with what she is going through. The alternating chapters between Emma and Violet really kept me hooked on this book. The information about the Titanic was very fascinating and it did inspire me to do some research in my own time. It is a very easy read and I couldn’t put it down.

This was my first read by Sally Page, and it definitely won’t be my last. It was truly beautiful. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A romance story with no ‘love interest’. A mystery that reaches a satisfactory conclusion at the end. All tied in with flowers and scents. It is written in two time periods and initially I made assumptions that were later proved to be wrong. This did not spoil the book, it increased the mystery.

Such a good book with really lovable amazing characters.
I loved getting to know each and every one of them.
All the connections to the Titanic and learning about Violet Jessop was fascinating.
I really enjoyed both the past storyline and the present- altogether a really great read!

I enjoyed this story, especially the characters and Titanic references.

One year on from the death of her husband, Emma feels no closer to moving forward with her life. Seeking distraction, she quits her job and begins working at the local garden centre.

Here, Emma begins to open up and finds herself attending boss Les’ talk on the Titanic. Intrigued, Emma sets out to research who would have arranged the flowers on-board.

Alongside her story unfolds the tale of a stewardess on the Titanic, who Emma can’t help but feel connected to.

The story develops wonderfully, and is a real feel good read. I would recommend this book. It is a great sensitive portrayal of grief and is written in a sensitive way.

A really interesting premise. I was intrigued to see how the two stories came together and it did not disappoint. Recommended.

I have been lucky enough to meet Sally recently at a Book and Pudding Club summer party. It was so great to hear about the writing process and inspiration behind the book and her intrigue into the flowers on the Titanic which I have never thought about before! As always with Sally's books Secrets of Flowers has wonderful characters and story line. Emotion and intrigue. Brilliant!

Emma has lost her way. She is grieving her husband's death and cannot seem to come to peace. After, leaving her job as a research scientist, she becomes a florist in a garden centre where she befriends the owners, Les and Emma. One day, she is thinking about the Titanic ans wonders who the florist on the great liner was. And so starts the quest.
Running alongside is the story of Violet, the florist. We find out how she came to be on the Titanic and why there is no listing of a florist in the staff lists.
As Emma finds Violet, she feels a strong connection to her, but what is the connection?
Fascinating story weaving fact with fiction. Not to be missed!

I recently read a paperback book by Page ("The Book of Beginnings") in case this was a sequel, and noticed a flower shop mentioned near to the shop in the book, wondering if it was to do with this book. Not a sequel, not set in Highgate, but still a good read in its own right. Emma is a year on from her husband's sudden death, hiding in the shadows, no longer enjoying her science job. She happens upon an advert for a part-time job as a florist in a garden centre, applies and gets it, and starts to - ahem - blossom under the care of the older couple who run it and Tamas, the delivery man.

A new obsession with who did the flowers on the Titanic then introduces her to even more kind people, new friends even, and she even gathers up the courage to flirt with a barman, encouraged by one of those friends, though this is very much not a romance book. Meanwhile, we're reading Violet's story, a young girl growing up in South America who moves to England with her mum and brother: who could she be and what has she to do with Emma and the story? There's lots of nice detail here of the search, and it's heart-warming to see Emma gain strength and resilience as she goes, facing up to some stuff in her marriage and her relationship with her mother. Page is turning out to be a good reliable author to pick up (like her daughter, Libby Page!).

Reviewed on my blog 12 Sept 2024: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2024/09/12/two-final-august-netgalley-reads-by-susie-dent-and-sally-page/

The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page is a heartwarming story of self-discovery, forgiveness, grief and living again. It is about compassion, friendships, and faith. It has beautiful likeable characters (except one). We learn about flowers and the Titanic. Page intersects two stories that come together at the end. This is a dual era novel: part historical fiction, and present day. I would say at its core it’s a mystery.

Fun Fact: the story of Violet was based on the true story of a girl who sailed as a Stewardess on the Titanic. This was fascinating and informative. This novel has been diligently researched by Page.

As someone said “Flowers are so important at significant points of everyone’s lives: births, birthdays, celebrations, and deaths. They are a tangible sign of love, that someone is thinking of you. It was interesting to hear about the many different flowers included in the story and the meanings they often have assigned to them.” I often found myself looking up what each one was.

Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this eCopy to review

I recently read The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page, and it was an absolutely enchanting experience! This novel beautifully intertwines the past and present through the story of Emma, who, a year after her husband’s death, finds solace and purpose working at a local garden centre. The book’s exploration of grief and healing is both poignant and uplifting.

Emma’s journey to uncover the mystery of who arranged the flowers on the Titanic is fascinating and adds a layer of historical intrigue that kept me hooked. The way Sally Page describes the flowers and their meanings is so vivid that I could almost smell the blooms as I read. The characters are wonderfully developed, each bringing their own warmth and depth to the story.

What I loved most about this book is its heart warming message of hope and the power of connections, both old and new. The Secrets of Flowers is a delightful read that left me feeling inspired and comforted. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a touching and beautifully written novel.

I never imagined that I could love this new Sally Page book as much as I loved the previous two; The Keeper of Stories and The Book of New Beginnings. Choosing a favourite of the three would be like asking me to choose my favourite child,and I have three of them…impossible!

At first I thought how good the author is at creating eccentric characters but then it dawned on me that we are all eccentric in our own way and that is what makes life so interesting.

Emma has recently lost her husband,Will who had a sudden heart attack. As a result she has made the decision to leave her highly pressured research job and has decided to work part time as a florist at a garden centre. As Emma settles into the routine of her new job she tells her employer’s Betty and Les very little about herself or her past. As Emma meets Tamas who delivers flowers to the garden centre she finds that he and his wife have also faced a tragedy in their family. When Emma has cold feet about attending a talk given by Les on the Secrets of the Titanic she later watches a TV programme about the Titanic and starts to wonder if there was a florist on board the ship.

The Secrets of Flowers is told in two time frames. Running alongside Emma’s story is that of Violet who lived in Argentina as a child and overcame a serious illness only to then have to deal with the death of her Spanish Father. After his death the family take a boat to London and settle there. Violet’s mother goes to work as a stewardess in a shipping company, leaving Violet to look after her sister, while her two brothers go to live in an orphanage. Violet eventually goes to work for the shipping company instead of her mother and is a stewardess on the Titanic on its fateful maiden voyage.

I loved how each chapter was linked to a different type of flower. As Emma herself goes on a voyage of discovery she meets the most interesting characters in her search for the answer as to whether there was a florist aboard the Titanic and discovers an amazing link between her family and someone aboard that ship.

I would highly recommend this book and was privileged to receive an ARC in return for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed Sally Page's previous novels and this one was no exception. A delightful story, with a dual timeline of Argentina in the early 1900s and the present day, with wonderful characters and such an original plotline about the mysterious origin of the Titanic florist. Moving and uplifting (and refreshingly romance-free!) this is an absolutely lovely book.

ooh i loved this book, this author has a way with words and i couldn’t get enough. i loved the friendships and you lose yourself in emma’s life. emma’s mum is a character!
a great read and would recommend

What a wonderful book. Because of the way it is written I feel as though I have had two books for the price of one
Recently widowed Emma feels that she has to move away from her high powered scientific research and chooses to work in a small garden centre
Betty and Les are the owners and the relationship between them and Emma develops throughout the book
Les is fascinated by the Titanic and Emma decides to investigate the florist on the Titanic
Violet Jessop's story intertwines with Emma's the references to so many flowers drawing them together.
Loved the description of the flowers in the Alhambra, I could almost smell the jasmine
Really lovely read

CW: death of spouse, infidelity, injury, hospitals/surgery, Titanic disaster

Months after the death of her husband, researcher Emma leaves her job at the University and takes on a position as a florist. When her boss, Les, gives a presentation about the Titanic, Emma's interest is piqued and she goes in search of the florists on board the ship, and in search of her own roots.

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This was an unusual book, with multiple storylines woven through. We have the core story of Emma processing the death of her husband and healing from that. We have the story of Violet, a stewardess aboard the ship. We have the toxic relationship Emma has with her mother, and the balm that is her relationship with Betty - her employer. And woven through are strands of grief and loss and healing. And connection and letting go.

This book was very different to what I expected. I was expecting this book to be crafted around the historical meaning of flowers and so the like, and the topic of grief came at a particularly poignant time in my own life, which made this a more challenging read than normal.

Sally Page consistencly writes stories full of depth and complex emotions, and this book is no exception. I enjoyed the journey of discovery to find the Titanic florist (and the excerpts from her memoirs) alongside Emma's more difficult journey. The supporting characters, particularly Betty, Les and Tomas are warmly written, and provide light and laughter to take the edge off the difficult parts.

~Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

You may be forgiven for thinking that stories of the Titanic have all been told and retold but this was a unique look at one specific profession and Emma's obsession with finding "the florist", born of Emma's grief and mental health as she grieves her husband and seeks meaning in her life.
Running alongside is the story of Violet- who goes to work on the ships in the early 1900's to make money for her family and finds herself on the Titanic.
The stories are deftly interwoven and the ending hugely satisfying!

Another cracking read from this wonderful author. Emma is an academic research scientist in Oxford, but after her husband's sudden death she changes her life and begins working for Les and Betty in a Garden Centre. Emma is quiet, keeps herself to herself and doesn't share personal information. She hasn't taken the time to get to know her new colleagues properly. One night Les gives a talk on Secrets of the Titanic, and although Emma can't force herself to go, somehow affects her deeply. She obsesses over the flowers on board, and the identity of the florist. Running parallel is the story of Violet. Born in Argentina, we meet her a a young child in 1893 and follow her story as the family move to England following the death of her beloved father. Establishing a life in London is difficult and after her mother tries to make a living on board ships, it makes more sense for Violet to take on this role. The reader sees both stories and we wonder at a connection. The joy of the story is Emma building relationships and connections along the way. I found her relationship with her mother alarming, and it gave me food for thought. #netgalley #TheSecretsofFlowers

I love this book so much - everything from the glorious package to the way the author weaves the themes of grief, hope and life through the two timelines. I thought this was a unique narrative - love the garden centre job combined with finding our more about life on an ocean liner. Really great to see so many positive reviews for this one too - I think this is a book that really connects with people.