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Hello friends!!!

It’s a Sunday post today! I’m surprisingly prepared for at least one more book review post, so let’s hope I can come up with another one relatively soon. Or at least finish my current book. That’d be nice.

Anyways, let’s get into the book!

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“Light poured from the windows of the grand house, illuminating the front steps and graveled drive.”

Kate Khavari, A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poison, First Line

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I needed to read a book with an occupation in the title, and this is what I picked! This is a cute Murder Mystery set at a University in London. Saffron Everleigh is a research assistant in the Botany department at the University College London. She attends a party where the wife of one of the professors is poisoned, and her mentor is pegged as the poisoner. Saffron sets out to prove her mentor’s innocence with the help of a colleague in the Biology Department, Alexander Ashton.

This felt like a nice low-stakes type of murder mystery plot. Like a cozy murder mystery? One that I would read next to a fire with a cup of hot cocoa if it weren’t currently 98 degrees Fahrenheit outside. That sort of vibe. I loved Saffron as a budding detective throughout this book. She makes mistakes and is shown that her theories might not be as good as she thinks they might be. She’s definitely no Sherlock Holmes, but she is dedicated and curious. 

There is a bit of a romance in this book. And when I say a bit, I mean like a sprinkle. There are obviously sparks flying between Saffron and Alexander, but there are some slightly more pressing matters at stake. That doesn’t mean I’m not invested in their relationship throughout this entire book. I am wholeheartedly invested. It’s just the most adorable thing to watch unfold. This is a series as well, so I hope to see a bit more between the two.

The only real issue I had with the story is that it suddenly changed POV from Saffron to Alexander, and it took a moment for me to realize that it happened. It seemed like I was far enough into the book to understand the format of everything, but then suddenly I was reading from Alex’s POV. This happens a few more times throughout the novel, so it ended up not really bothering me at all by the end of it.

I didn’t really know what to expect with this. I believe I bought the book during one of my Book Outlet $5.99 Fiction Sale hauls. I think there are 2 or 3 more of this book out, and I definitely think I’ll take the time to read at least the second one. I like that we are seeing someone at the beginning of their impromptu investigative career. All in all, 4.5 out of 5. I definitely recommend it if you want a historical mystery to try.

4.5 ★

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So here we are! Another series started. It’s like I’m allergic to standalones or something. Anyways, this was really cute and an easy read. I’ll definitely read some of the other ones here and there, I think. There are 5 books currently in the series, with the most recent one having come out this year (2026). If I read any more, I’m sure you guys will see it here!

See you all next week!

Bye friends!!!