Emma is reeling from the death of her husband and decides to make a major change in her life, leaving her role as a research scientist to become a florist in a small local garden centre. She becomes immersed in a research project of her own and meets a wonderful cast of characters, while trying to come to terms with who she is, reconciling what she has learnt about her marriage and trying to remain true to herself in the face of never ending criticism from a close relative. The Secrets of Flowers centres upon forgiveness, friendship and family.

It is a really warm and cosy read, it’s well written and paced. There’s an interesting blend again, as in the lovely The Book of Beginnings, of real life people, historical events and has a host of sympathetic likeable characters. I feel as if I know Betty and Les, they are so real. I would love to visit their garden centre and drink a mocha in the cafe!

Sally Page has again provided a bibliography which I always really enjoy at the end of a well researched novel. Here there is much about the Titanic which I found interesting. Emma goes to The V&A exhibition about Ocean Liners. I had visited this too!

I was unfamiliar with Violet Jessop, a stewardess who survived all three incidents on the sisterships of HMS Titanic, Olympic and Britannic. Her real life meeting in the last part of the story gave me goosebumps.

The only question I have (and I’ve asked the author on Instagram) is who were The Glory Girls of Piccadilly? They are briefly mentioned at the beginning of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Secrets of Flowers.

The secret of flowers by sally pages

Thankyou netgalley for letting me read this amazing book. Sally page definitely did it again with an amazing book. This was definitely a 5 star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This may contain spoilers so don’t read if you want to read the book.

Sally has a way of writing her books to make you feel like you are there. While reading this book all I good smell was flowers the outside nature. This book is emotional heartwarming loving the perfect cozy summer read. You are pulled in from the start.

All the characters in this book (minus Emma mum) was so lovely. Betty and les they just sounded like the perfect grandparents everyone asked for.
I loved the fact that it had bits off history from it in the titanic in it and one off the staff that was on the ship.

Emma is struggling after the death of her husband will when he died suddenly. While working at the garden centre with les and betty and missing a talk about the titanic she decides to learn about the flowers on the ship and who sorted them out. Emma goes on a journey to found out about the history and meets amazing people on her journey. (Love that it mentions my home town in this journey)
Also learning about violet and her life growing up before setting out onto the ships and finally the titanic and her part with the flowers.

I loved the blurb for this book and couldn’t wait to read it. The combination of the Titanic and flowers had me hooked from the start. The story focuses on Emma, recently bereaved and trying to find purpose in her new life; and the other part of the story is about Violet, a young stewardess from Edwardian England. Emma and Violet are both linked to each other by their love of flowers and I enjoyed finding out more about them and how they were linked to each other which comes clear at the end of the story (it’s so hard not giving any spoilers here!).

I loved the bits about Violet Jessop, who is based on fact and thankfully wrote memoirs about her life. I loved learning more about flowers, especially flowers from the last hundred years and how they are present in all aspects of our lives from birth to marriage and death (and much more in between).

When Emma's husband Will died suddenly a year ago, her life stopped when his heart did and she feels adrift. Emma quits her university research job and begins working at the local garden centre and her employers are Les and Betty.

Here, Emma finds some peace and solitude working with the plants and flowers. Les asks her to attend a talk about the Titanic at the History Society, like everyone Emma has watched the film, but she’s never thought about the people who worked on the ocean liner. On such a luxurious ship it would have been full of flowers and she wonders who was in charge of supplying and arranging them.

Alongside Emma’s narrative, a story is told from the point of view of a stewardess Violet on the Titanic, after talking to a variety of experts about the ship, Emma thinks she might be the person who helped arranged the flowers, who was Violet and why does Emma feel a connection to her?

I received a copy of The Secrets of Flowers by Sally Page from HarperCollins UK and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. What an amazing story, about the importance of flowers in people’s lives and how arrangements are given when a child is born, blooms are present at weddings, celebrations and bereavements, and are a symbol of love and friendship, and brighten up a room and a person’s day.

The characters in this novel are wonderful, I really liked Les and Betty and Tamas, and they all play a part in helping Emma come out of her shell and solve the mystery of Titanic's flowers.

A narrative about friendship and hope, coming to terms with the loss of a spouse, being able to move on, believing in tomorrow and learning from history. Five stars from me, I enjoyed The Secrets of Flowers, and Ms. Page’s previous books, The Keeper of Stories and The Book of Beginnings and I highly recommend them all.

Following the death of her husband, Emma quit her university research role and started working in a garden centre for Les and Betty. When Les gives a talk on the Titanic, Emma's interest in the ship, and particularly The Florist starts to grow.
We are taken on a journey through Emma's research into The Florist, meeting some interesting characters along the way.
The story is told in tandem with the story of Violet, a cruise ship worker from the Titanic era.
This is a beautiful book. I absolutely loved sitting in my garden surrounded by flowers, reading an evocative book where the flowers are the stars.

A year after the sudden death of her husband, Emma gives up her research post at the University and takes solace in a job at the local garden centre where she comes to enjoy the friendship of the elderly owners Betty and Les. Motivated by Les's interest in The Titanic and her own interest in all things to do with flowers Emma becomes obsessed in researching who the florist on the Titanic was and what happened to her.
The story is told from two points of view - Emma in the present and Violet, a stewardess on the Titanic in the past.
A series of endearing supporting characters add to the charm in this lovely book . In addition to exploring themes of friendship, family dynamics, loss, recovery and the power and meaning of flowers across a multitude of events there is true historic factual information related to the history of the Titanic.
A very enjoyable and uplifting read.
I am grateful to NetGalley and he publishers for an advanced copy of this book .

I really enjoyed this book from the beginning and really savoured it. It is the story of Emma who has left her high profile job after the death of her husband and gains employment in a garden centre. Emma has become a bit of a recluse since Will’s death but after an aborted night with people she embarks on a quest to find out who the florist was on the Titanic and why the photograph of a young nurse seems so familiar.

The story not only explores the florist of the Titanic but also the relationships Emma has with the people in her life. The story takes us from the early 1900’s to present day and the descriptions of the flowers are so good you can almost smell them.

4.5⭐️
A beautiful , floral delight with added history from the Titanic. Undoubtedly Sally Page’s best work.

One year after her husband’s death Emma has become a wallflower, hiding among the brighter blooms in the florist where she works.
But when a colleague invites her to a talk on the Titanic, she begins a quest to uncover who arranged the flowers on board.
As Emma discovers the lost story of the girl and the great ship, she realises that flowers may unlock long buried secrets in her own life…

Absolutely loved this story of a woman finding herself through searching for The Florist on the Titanic and what got her to be on the fated ship.
Brilliant characters who I adored (apart from Emma’s mother - what an awful woman!!)
I encourage you to read the author’s note at the end too (which I often skip over)

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

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved this book. The main character, Emma, is incredibly endearing, and I found myself rooting for her throughout her journey, especially given the rough luck she has faced recently. The characters of Betty and Les, who run the garden center where Emma works, are also wonderfully portrayed and add a lot of warmth to the story.

Emma, dealing with her grief, makes a significant life change by resigning from her university research job and taking a position as a florist at a local garden center—an environment vastly different from the world of science. Her struggle with social anxiety is depicted well, adding depth to her character. When Les and Betty invite her to a local history talk on ‘The Secrets of the Titanic,’ Emma surprises herself by agreeing to go. This decision becomes a pivotal moment in the story.

The narrative skillfully intertwines Emma’s story with that of Violet, a stewardess on board the Titanic. This dual storyline adds an intriguing layer to the book.

Sally Page's writing is beautiful. It feels like a warm embrace and was a refreshing change of genre for me. The Titanic element and Violet's story are well-integrated. Overall, this is a delightful book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It's a pleasure to read and highly recommended.

Having loved The Keeper of Stories, by Sally Page, I was very pleased to receive an ARC of this book to read. It was an enjoyable read, but for me it did not quite come up to the standard of the last book.

Recently widowed Emma is struggling with many aspects of her new way of life, so abandons her career as a scientist to work part time in a garden centre. Dealing with flowers on a daily basis, she becomes interested in the the story of the Titanic, and who was the florist on board.
This seemed to develop into more of an obsession than simply an interest for Emma. At times I found myself losing patience with her character, as she reacted very oddly to some situations, and became fixated on some ideas to do with her search.
It is a pleasant, easy read, for me it’s a 3.5 star rounded up to 4 star. I will look forward to Sally Page’s next work .
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

Grieving and lost Emma takes a job in a garden. Centre as a florist. She finds herself immersed in a research project into the flowers on the Titanic.

The descriptions on flowers, their scent, their meanings and their effect on people are integral to this book. The characters are well thought through and engaging.
The dual story line is well done and I love reading the authors note to discover that Violet was a real person.

A great book that deals with grief and recovery in a sensitive way.

Well worth reading! Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publishers and author for a copy to review.

I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Keeper of Stories', but couldn't seem to get in to this story at all. Without doubt, this is a well written book, but I struggled to get into the story and couldn't really feel anything for the characters. There are also a lot of characters to keep up with. I prefer a stronger, feisty main character and Emma struggling along after the death of her husband didn't really do it for me; but thanks anyway to netGallery and Harper Collins UK for allowing me to get a copy of the book, which is out August 29, 2024.

This was a lovely book that was full of heart. A joy to read and I have no hesitation in recommending to others.

From the brightness of the cover to the warmth of the characters this book was a delight to read. Still reeling from the loss of her Husband Emma changes jobs and works in a local garden centre in the flower shed. Betty and Les are the owners of garden centre, following a talk on the secrets of the Titanic Emma embarks on a quest to find out about the florist on board the ship. We also meet Violet, who works as a Stewadess for the White star line Company. As the story progresses Emma rediscovers herself and brings to life Violets story finding links to her own life.
I loved this book, the growing friendships with Betty, Les and Tomas were a treat. And the willingness of others to help Emma's search was enlightening.

I was first attracted to this book by the beautiful cover and vivd colours and flowers displayed.

After the death of her husband a year before, Emma feels like her life has also stopped and she needs to make some changes. Quitting her job as a university researcher she begins to work in a local garden centre as a florist. The owners Betty and Len are a lovely pair. Her boss Les is into history and gives a talk about the Titanic. Trying to keep to herself, Emma doesn't attend despite the invite, but she can't help but wonder, who were the flower arrangers on the Titanic? Where are they and what happened to them? This quest takes Emma away from her grief and on a whole new journey of discovery. The story then merges with Violet, a stewardess on the actual Titanic. The more Emma investigates the story the more she learns about Violet and the secrets of flower.

This is a really beautifully written book and very poignant. Especially, after I learnt the character is actually based on a real person aboard the Titanic.

This is the first book I have read by the author but I will definitely look out for more of her work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange or an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fab fab fab, I loved all of the characters in this story. The way their lives connected over a love of flowers and of grief interwoven with the story of the Titanic and specifically who arranged the flowers on the ship. It transcended generations and countries but also tackled grief and infidelity. A really good read.

A few months after the death of her husband Emma, a well respected scientist, decides that she needs a total change. Having always loved flowers, she sees an advertisement for a florist at a local garden centre and applies. To her great surprise she is offered the job and owners, Les and Betty do their utmost to befriend her but find her rather restrained. Les has a great interest in the Titanic and is giving a talk on the subject to the Local History group, so he and Betty invite her to come along. She accepts but at the eleventh hour gets cold feet at having to meet strangers so heads home instead. Whilst trying to find something to watch she spots a programme about the Titanic and, whilst watching it realises that they must have had a vast amount of flowers on board and a florist to deal with them. This sets her on a path to discover who the florist was and research is shared with `Betty and Les.. Where will it lead her ??

A beautifully written book that was hard to put down. Flashbacks to the past lead the reader on and on. A thoroughly enjoyable and believable book

This is my first book by this author and although it was enjoyable I struggled to get into the book and don’t really feel anything for the characters.
I liked the fact the book told the story of 2 different characters and I did enjoy the parts about the Titanic and found it quite interesting.
Thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK and Sally Page for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Sally Page has quickly become one of my ‘must read’ authors, whose books I would pick up without even reading the blurb. This was another brilliantly told story, with a cast of quirky characters who unexpectedly come together and form a warm and supportive alliance. It did take me a little longer to get into this book than the other two, but that’s only because I didn’t feel a personal connection with flowers as I did with books and stationery. The characters and story soon hooked me in and I enjoyed reading the two separate timelines and discovering how they ultimately connected - not how I was expecting! I was particularly impressed by the clever new angle on the Titanic story! Another highly satisfying read from Sally Page.

Emma, adrift after the loss of her husband, swaps the sterile lab coat for the earthy embrace of a garden centre. Surrounded by blooming life, she's inexplicably drawn to a seemingly random fact - a florist on the ill-fated Titanic. Curiosity piqued, she embarks on a personal odyssey to unearth this forgotten tale.

Meanwhile, a century prior, Violet, a passionate flower enthusiast, sets sail on the magnificent Titanic. We follow her journey through her love of blooms, weaving it into the tapestry of the grand ship's story.

The characters we encounter are like familiar faces, their struggles and triumphs echoing our own. Emma's metamorphosis throughout the narrative is both poignant and invigorating, leaving us yearning to blossom alongside her.