I was looking forward to reading this having enjoyed the previous books by this author. I wasn’t disappointed. Recently widowed and former scientist Emma slowly starts to rebuild her life by selling flowers in a garden centre. she becomes obsessed with idea that there must have been a florist on the Titanic and using her logical mind begins to discover connections and people that also help her manage her grief.
What made this book successful for me was the unusual historical topic. The journey through grief that Emma is on is a familiar trope but the inclusion of the Titanic storyline elevated this novel from ordinary to worth reading. There is a dual narrative throughout that perhaps doesn’t work as well as it could ie. More about Violet was needed but the twist at the end is rewarding.

The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page

Emma's husband Will died suddenly a year ago and she is feeling lost. She leaves her job as an academic and starts working in a garden centre. Her quest to find out who was the florist on the Titanic takes her on an emotional journey, culminating in a trip to Paris and Seville, and making new friends along the way.

What a beautiful book, I really enjoyed it. I loved Betty and Les, and all the characters Emma met along the way. I enjoyed the timeslips which told us more about Violet. And I really loved the ending, especially the showdown with Emma's mother! Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

A story of the Titanic Disaster, Flowers and hope.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.


The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page is an emotional tale about Emma whose husband passed away a year ago.

Still struggling to cope, she leaves her job as a scientist to work in a garden centre.

After her boss does a talk on the Titanic Emma starts to investigate who looked after the flowers on the titanic.

The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page is a novel that is divided into two timelines the first is the present day which is told through emma’s point of view as she researches the flowers on the titanic, although some of the other characters have their own chapter if it helps the flow of the story.

The second time line is the story of a young girl who ends up being a stewardess on the Titanic. These are short sections and could be left out as it would not affect the story flow, however they do add a certain magic to the story.
A story of the Titanic Disaster, Flowers and hope.

In addition it makes the story of the Titanic more personal.

While on the one hand The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page can be seen as the story of a researcher called Emma looking up a specific point in history to find information.

However Emma’s research helps her to deal with the death of her husband as well as finding out about not only helping other people with their issues and them helping you.

This really makes The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page an enjoyable story for anyone ou enjoys stories about people who have to deal with issues people will face in their lives, but doing it in a positive way for themselves and readers.

I was asked to review this beautiful book by NetGalley.

Emma's husband sadly passed away a year earlier and Emma life stopped and she changed direction by handing in her notice from her university research post to working in a garden centre. Emma is at one with working with plants and flowers. She then is asked to attend a local history society talk on the Titanic the fateful voyage which sank in 1912.
Unusually Emma thought about the abuandance of flowers which would have festooned ( certainly the firat class section) and began to think of who would have been responsible for this.

Running in tangent is a storylinr about a stewardess called Violet on this fateful voyage- Emma begin to feel some sort of connection to this lady.

A compelling story - loved this.

Loved the alternating chapters between Emma, a grieving widow who swaps her university research job for that of florist in a garden centre where she becomes interested in finding out about the florist on the Titanic, and Violet Jessop, a stewardess on the Titanic who Emma feels a connection to.
While the story is fiction Violet did exist &, as much as a fictional story allows, her story sticks to the facts.
Feel good story about love, loss & friendship & I loved that it didn't need that predictable love interest that some of these stories incorporate.

Emma is still struggling with the sudden death of her husband Will a year earlier so decides to give up her job and do something she loves, working with flowers in a garden centre. Here she teams up with owners Betty and Les, settling in really quickly and with Les's interest in the Titanic she begins to do some research of her own and sets out to discover who the florist was on board on its maiden voyage. Violet takes the job of stewardess aboard the Titanic and when Emma sees a photo of her she's certain that she knows her, but what is the connection between these two women?

The Secrets of Flowers is the latest novel by Sally Page, told across two timelines; the present day and the early 1900's bringing together the lives of these two extraordinary women in alternate chapters throughout. As Emma begins to rebuild her life after Will she's determined to learn the history of who looked after the flowers on board this magnificent ship over a century ago and with the help of the friends she makes on her journey she uncovers far more than she ever expected to. This is another beautiful story from this author, centred around friendship, with some fabulously endearing characters who I couldn't help but fall in love with along the way.

I'd like to thank HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

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…

💭 My thoughts:

For those of you who aren't aware, Sally is the mother of Libby Page (one of my favourite writers!), and is just as talented as her daughter! I loved The Secrets of Flowers. I got so immersed in Emma's world, but I particularly enjoyed the historical aspect which is told from Violet's POV.

Emma is a keen florist, and after attending a talk about the Titanic at the History Society, Emma soon develops an interest in learning about those who worked on the ocean liner. Here, she learns that a florist was likely the culprit behind the floristry on the ship, and she discovers a photo of a familiar looking lady - who she later finds out is Violet. Is she the face behind it all?

Why does Violet, who Emma has never met, look so familiar? What does Emma learn about her past?

Written in dual timelines, the stories of Emma and Violet are written with flowers as descriptors. Emma, in current day, is struggling to come to terms with the death of her husband. She walks away from all that is familiar to work with flowers, meeting Les and Betty in the process. Les, who is very interested in the history of the Titanic sets Emma on a journey to discover who the florist was, on the Titanic. Violet's story is told in the second timeline. As Emma discovers history, she meets others who are all eager to help her. This book is well-written, but slow paced. It held my interest but also bored me at times. Since I absolutely loved her previous books, I suppose I am holding her up to previous standards by giving her a 3 star rating.

A phenomenal read one I just couldn't put down and devoured in 2 days.
The historical closer look at the staff on board the Titanic have me a different perspective I hadn't considered before and I thought Violet was written in such a powerful and poignant way, it was wonderful to discover how true to life the story was.
The modern day story of Emma and how she is drawn to the garden centre, flowers & floristry was a very moving read, the addition of Betty, Les and Tamas as supportive characters was perfect. The themes of grief, love, motherhood and human flaws combined to deliver a stunning, emotional and healing story.

I loved The Keeper of Stories. When I seen she had a new book coming out I immediately had to read it.
The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page is a lovely, delightful book filled with rich wonderful characters, and an intriguing plot.
Page writes in a very engaging style that kept me turning the pages even when it was long past bedtime. I look forward to reading more of her writing.

Quite simply I adored this book from beginning to end! The beautiful language had me entranced from the start and I loved the parallel timelines following the stories of Emma and Violet, one current, one historic, each facing their own emotional challenges,.

Through Emma, we see the overpowering grief of a widow, trying to deal with her loss, move on with her life, lost and broken inside herself. Contrasting with that we meet Violet, a daughter of Irish parents, trying to help her mother look after her siblings. The quirky, authentic characters surrounding both Emma and Violet added depth, emotion and humour to the story. The importance of friendship and surrounding yourself with people who care became very clear, everyone needs a ‘Betty and Les’.

Each chapter represents a flower and this epitomises the story, educating the reader into the uniqueness and power of flowers.

Through these two totally different lifetimes, the reader learns about the intricate details of Violet’s life (a real person wound into this narrative) on board cruise liners, in particular The Titanic; also a change of career for Emma, from scientist to florist.

The threads of their lives, the mysteries behind their situations and the intrinsic link between them is powerful and enthralling.

I found this book to be delightful and illuminating, powerful, full of emotion and connection. The depth of research that must have been undertaken about life working onboard cruise liners and the knowledge and quality of a huge range of plants and flowers was totally engaging, a subject I would not have expected to be gripped by as much as I was.

This book had me totally torn, wanting to read on, but not wanting to reach the end. I smiled, had a few tears and was so sad to leave these characters behind, who felt so real to me. A wonderfully, delightful read!

A beautifuly written emotional and heartwarming story about love,loss and grief but also new beginnings. This author doesn't shy away from difficult topics and writes with knowledge and understanding. Thank you to netgalley and publishers for an advanced copy of this book.

Beautiful writing yet again by Sally Page.
A heart-breaking story about love, loss and friendship. It was a beautiful read that made me laugh, smile and cry.

Sally Page writes lyrical novels and The Secrets of Flowers is no exception.

Emma is mourning the death of her hsusband Will. She has quit her high powered job and taken a job at a flower/garden shop three days a week. The couple that owns the shop, Les and Betty take her under their wing. Emma is stuck in her grief and has lost her confidence, so their kindness is a boon to her. Les gives a talk on the Titanic that Emma is too stressed to attend, but it gets her to thinking about the flowers on the Titanic and the florist whose job it would have been to make the gorgeous arrangements. While researching Emma is surprised to not come across the name of the florist in her review of the ships crew.. Violet Jessup is a young girl growing up on a sheep farm in late nineteenth century Argentina, she has an affinity and love for flowers. A sickly child she is not expected to survie to adulthood. Emma and Violet’s lives will cross in the most unexpected way.

I enjoyed the story of crossed lives and the Titanic as a backdrop always fascinates me. This was a wonderful heartfelt novel full of flowers, grief and finding oneself.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher Harper Collins UK and the author for the chance to read and review this book.

This was an engaging read, Emma is fairly recently widowed and is trying to come to terms with her husband’s death. She has given up her job and decided to work in the florist shop that is part of a garden centre. Here she meets Les and Betty, the owners, who are a lovely couple who try to help Emma all they can. Emma has the most dreadful mother and a number of her insecurities stem from her relationship with her mother. Emma has begun to take an interest in the flowers on the Titanic and feels drawn to one person, in particular, on that fateful voyage. During her research, Emma meets a variety of different people. Running alongside this story is the recollections of Violet, who lived, first of all, in Argentina and later in England. I was wondering how the two stories would connect but it was in a surprising and happy way. I enjoyed the way flowers played such a pivotal role in the story. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Emma is grieving from the loss of her husband, Will and feels rather lost in the world. As many of us do, I find, in the depths of grief, she makes a radical decision and in Emma’s case, this means changing careers. She leaves behind her successful scientist post and starts working part time as a florist in a garden centre. And thus begins a journey that opens her life to new friendships and a path of healing and acceptance.

The garden centre is run by a gorgeous couple called Les and Betty and not long after starting her job, Les invites Emma to an evening talk on the Titanic. As it happens, Emma doesn’t make the talk but it does ignite an obsession in her all the same: to find out if there was a florist on board the Titanic.

The book does have a second POV in the story of Violet, a small girl who loves flowers. As Emma’s delves deeper and deeper into the floral story of the Titanic, she feels an inexplicable connection to the photo of a girl in nurse’s uniform from the Titanic…

This is such a beautiful book exploring grief, family, friendship, love and acceptance of the cards we are dealt in life. It is filled with flowers and I have to say more than once I thought “I think I quite fancy working in a garden centre”, or certainly one run by Les and Betty! I loved the story of Violet and learning about life on the ocean liners of the early 20th century.

Sally’s words are gentle, the book is easy to read but has such depth and I am left with the feeling that there is so much good and love out there in the world, which is a lovely feeling to have.

If you are looking for a heart-warming read laced with some historical mystery then you won't go far wrong with this book.

The story follows Emma, who is struggling to move forward a year after her husband's death. Seeking a fresh start, she quits her job and begins working at a local garden centre. Here, she becomes intrigued by a talk on the Titanic given by her boss, Les, and embarks on a quest to uncover who arranged the flowers on the ill-fated ship

Emma delves into this historical mystery and she finds herself connecting with the story of a stewardess on the Titanic. I must confess I really enjoyed this aspect of the book which manages to be heart warming without being too twee.

The novel is peopled by rich inspiring characters who are all multi-faceted.

The story alternates between two main character narrators: Emma in the present day and Violet in the early 1900s.
Emma has left her job as a medical researcher and started working with Les and Betty in their Garden Centre as a fresh start. She feels like she’s lost her way since her husband died, and finds communicating with people hard. When she happens upon some information about the Titanic, it lights her researcher spark and she is determined to find out who was in charge of the flowers on the Titanic.
Meanwhile, Violet, close to death as a child is moved from hospital to a bed in the garden-grounds where she miraculously recovers. She tells her story from moving from Argentina to looking after her siblings, and starting work on Ocean Liners.
I liked how the chapters were woven together by different flowers, and learned new things about flowers and floristry which was lovely. The characters were warm and lovely, and were kind and supportive to Emma as she investigates The Florist on the Titanic and finds her way back to herself.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first novel I’ve read by the author and I’ll definitely be seeking out her back catalogue.
Emma is grieving the death of her husband and after giving up her career as a research scientist she takes a job as a florist at a local garden centre. After she’s unable to attend a talk on the Titanic given by the owner Les due to social anxiety she is inspired to do her own research into the Titanic and her search for the Titanic’s florist begins.
This is such a beautifully written novel, it deals with grief, loss and change sensitively and empathically and I was completely drawn into Emma’s world. I loved the supporting characters and the sense of community created around Emma. I was really interested in the historical research aspect of the novel and enjoyed the alternating chapters which gave the point of view of Violet, a stewardess in the early twentieth century.
A gorgeous novel that left me with a feeling of hope and joy. Recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

This was a lovely read another heart warming story from Sally Page and I liked learning a bit about the flowers on the Titanic would recommend and I look forward to her next book