The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page is a beautifully woven tale of grief, healing, and rediscovery, set against a backdrop of flowers and history.

Inspired by real-life events but primarily fictional, the story draws readers into an intricate dual-timeline narrative that blends the past with the present in a way that feels both poignant and compelling.

The protagonist, Emma, is grappling with the sudden loss of her husband.

Despite being young, she finds herself floundering, unable to fully return to her life as a scientist. Seeking refuge from her grief, Emma takes a job at a local garden center, where her connection to flowers—nurtured by fond memories of her father—brings her a sense of solace and purpose.

As she immerses herself in this new role, Emma is drawn into an unexpected and fascinating historical mystery.

A small chain of events steers her toward researching the Titanic and its most famous survivor, Violet Jessop—a woman who miraculously lived through not only the Titanic disaster but also two other shipwrecks.

Emma feels an inexplicable connection to Violet, and as she unravels the threads of this connection, aided by the kindhearted garden center owners Betty and Les, their flower delivery man Tamass, and a colorful cast of supporting characters, the mystery deepens.

Page expertly balances the dual-timeline narrative, intertwining Emma’s journey of personal healing with the fascinating historical research about Violet Jessop’s life.

The vivid depiction of the garden center and the flower-filled landscapes offers a comforting, almost therapeutic setting for Emma’s journey, while the historical exploration adds a layer of intrigue and depth to the story.

One of the book’s strengths is how it portrays Emma’s tentative steps back into socialising and reconnecting with others.

Her journey is a tender exploration of grief, one that is handled with sensitivity and care. The novel’s focus on community, friendship, and the power of shared experiences is heartwarming, while the mystery of Violet Jessop provides an intriguing puzzle that keeps readers engaged.

Sally Page’s writing is evocative and descriptive, painting vivid pictures of both the natural world and the historical settings she explores.

The connection between flowers and memory is particularly well-drawn, adding emotional richness to Emma’s story.

The Secrets of Flowers is a captivating and touching story about finding hope in the midst of loss, with a historical mystery that gives the narrative depth and intrigue.

Fans of dual-timeline stories and those who enjoy emotional, uplifting fiction will find this novel a deeply satisfying read.

Sally Page once again proves her talent for storytelling, crafting a tale that is both intimate and expansive, and sure to linger in the reader’s heart long after the final page.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an incredible book. Loved the story and the descriptive writing. Really enjoyed how this story unfolded. Would definitely recommend

Took me a while to get into this story wasn’t sure at first but kept goin and in the end an enjoyable tea

Due to health issues cannot write a proper review now. A proper one will follow
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Emma is moving forward after the death of her husband Will. She has a job in a garden centre.
The story runs alongside the story of the Titanic and the flowers from the ship.
The story of Violet Jessop, Emma, Betty and Will all work together to create a lovely story.
I really enjoyed it

Another of my favourite authors! Immensely lucky to have been given an arc of the secrets of flowers. 🌷 I’ve recommended this to many of my friends :)

This is an entertaining story told over a dual timeline about Emma , a newly widowed scientist who changes her job to become a florist at a garden centre and Violet, a stewardess on the White Star Line fleet of ships.
It is a heart-warming tale of friendship, loss, forgiveness and new beginnings. It is a well researched and well written story with a lovely cast of characters.
Four stars ****

A very sweet story with some lovely characters which you can relate to. Also finding out more about the titanic was a bonus

A beautiful story based on true facts with added fiction. Flowers link grief, forgiveness, family & boats. Seems a strange mix but reading this compelling story & the author's great writing will be so enjoyable!

A Five Star delight. The writing by Sally Page in The Secret of Flowers brings the unseen behind the scenes world onboard the Titanic to life.

It certainly left me in awe of the powerful storytelling. This is a gorgeous read, comforting, and intriguing. The Secret of the Flowers lingers long after the last page is read.

Published by Harper Collins UK

What an amazing story! The Secret of Flowers is a story about hope, friendships, acceptance, daring to change and moving on. I loved how it combined the story of a glimpse of life in the Titanic. I found this book very inspiring and well-researched!

A beautiful book that filled me with sparkle, love, light and joy.

Really enjoyed reading this book, a break from the norm. I learnt a lot as well as enjoying the story.

Who knew flowers even had secrets!

Highly recommended, 5 stars from me.

What a lovely read. Great characters from the grieving young widow Emma, her horrible mother and the gorgeous duo of betty and len. This is a story of being lost, making wrong decision but encountering kindness, finding your strengths snd gifts and blossoming through true friendship. The titanic storyline is nice but to me it’s nit the real story in this one. Loved it. Resounding 4 stars

This is such a lovely, well written book. The author has such a lovely way with words.
I didn't want it to end but I wanted to know what happened next.
It's not the first I've read by this author, and it definitely won't be the last.
Just beautiful and inspiring.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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.