Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen [Family Reads]

Posted 29 April 2025 in family reads /2 Comments

*Born out of a desire to get a family of book lovers to connect more over what they’re reading, Family Reads is an occasional feature where my mom, dad or sister and I read and discuss a book.*

Why we chose Sarah Addison Allen’s Garden Spells

Garden Spells made it onto my TBR a few years ago via a fellow blogger’s review (no longer active). I chose it for Family Reads because it sounded like something Mom would usually read. I was spot on with that – too spot on, in fact, as it turns out Mom had actually read this before. She didn’t remember anything about it except that she liked Evanelle at the start, so she decided to keep reading this second time around.

The Waverleys have always been a curious family, endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures.

A successful caterer, Claire Waverley prepares dishes made with her mystical plants—from the nasturtiums that aid in keeping secrets and the pansies that make children thoughtful, to the snapdragons intended to discourage the attentions of her amorous neighbor. Meanwhile, her elderly cousin, Evanelle, is known for distributing unexpected gifts whose uses become uncannily clear. They are the last of the Waverleys—except for Claire’s rebellious sister, Sydney, who fled Bascom the moment she could, abandoning Claire, as their own mother had years before.

When Sydney suddenly returns home with a young daughter of her own, Claire’s quiet life is turned upside down—along with the protective boundary she has so carefully constructed around her heart. Together again in the house they grew up in, Sydney takes stock of all she left behind, as Claire struggles to heal the wounds of the past. And soon the sisters realize they must deal with their common legacy—if they are ever to feel at home in Bascom—or with each other.
Goodreads

Our Discussion 💬

***Discussion best enjoyed if you have already read the book – spoilers ahead!***

We both liked the fantasy elements. I found them subtle but effective, impacting the plot and characters. Sometimes I find the light fantasy aspects in stories like this too subtle, but I liked them here. Mom appreciated the generational impacts of certain magical traits being based down. I agreed these types of generational stories are part of what make small-town stories fun to read.

We enjoyed the variety of characters and POVs throughout the story, with their varying backstories and subplots. For example, I found Emma and her husband irritating at first, but then her storyline went a little deeper than I thought it would. Mom pointed out the dynamic Emma had with Sydney (Emma being obssessed with Sydney but Emma’s husband being oblivious to Sydney) is not uncommon in the real world, with Emma’s insecurity being driven by her mother. The shifting of third person POVs is a stylistic choice I enjoyed. I particularly liked seeing some of Tyler and Henry’s POVs and Mom enjoyed Bay’s.

Mom also appreciated the tension between sisters Claire and Sydney. I agreed that it was well-written. They weren’t too annoying or awkward with one another. The tension between them never made me think “Get over it already!!” I found it pretty realistic. Neither party behaved too nastily or held a grudge too tightly.

I asked Mom if she was familiar with the terms romantasy or cozy fantasy. She was not, but she could imagine the concept immediately and said that this book should be described as cozy fantasy. For Mom, a cozy fantasy book is one that should be read while drinking a glass of wine, cozy under a blanket, surrounded by lit candles. I explained that both romantasy and cozy fantasy are recent trends in fantasy. Garden Spells is nearly 20 years old, but I imagine it could hold its own against contemporary cozy fantasy. (Though the ‘novelty’ of knowing a gay man does date the story a little.)

Mom enjoyed the story overall, but found the ending dissatisfying. She expected more when she turned the last pages and found she was at the end. She would have preferred a more fulsome ending for any of the storylines, including Evanelle, Fred, and Emma. I did find it to be a pretty thin book, almost of middle grade novel length. Mom agreed it was a quick read.

I thought the climax was a little melodramatic. All of a sudden there’s a dude yelling, swearing, and shooting a gun. It doesn’t exactly square up with today’s idea of cozy fantasy. Mom thinks David could have just been left out of the story. I thought he wasn’t strictly relevant to the plot. The story didn’t need him; there were other conflicts to focus on without bringing in that drama at the end. However! I did like the touch of having him defeated by eating an apple.

Final Thoughts 💭

I give this book ★★★½ and Mom gives it ★★★★. (She said, “Which is the rating you use when you would reread a book? Because I did reread this!”). While neither of us have read much if any contempotary cozy fantasy, we recommend Garden Spells for folks who enjoy that genre along with a dose of cozy romance.