After the captivating Foxglove, I knew I had to read Wisteria. And what a fabulous series finale. It had our favorites from the series as well as some new elements! Keep reading this book review of Wisteria for my full thoughts.
Summary
Blythe Hawthorne has never let anyone tell her what to do—not society, not her overprotective father, and certainly not the man she’s bound herself to, no matter how rude and insufferable he is. In fact, she’s determined to be a thorn in his side for the rest of her days, even as he ensures that her life in his palace is anything but a fairytale. But as Blythe discovers a new side of herself linked to his past, she’ll have to decide if she’s willing to let an unexpected spark ignite…and to discover the truth about who she really is.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I can’t even believe this is the end! We love two people who clearly and intensely hate each other. If you’re a fan of enemies to lovers, Blythe and the love interest trade barbs with sharp edges, ploys and plots to spite each other, and this line of survival and retribution. We love some good animosity. And Wisteria delivers. But what I also love in Wisteria is that the beginning is grounded both in the loss and grief of our love interest, but also in Blythe’s love for her family. With this fake marriage, I adored seeing them slowly uncover who they are to each other and what they are.
I genuinely swooned in Wisteria. But the beginning felt a bit predictable in the ways it mirrors some elements from the series. I have to be a bit vague to avoid large spoilers, but once I read it I actually had to stop my mind from backtracking. There’s plenty of swoons, atmosphere, and character in the beginning to middle, but when the late game mystery plot kicks in that’s when there’s more surprises. In the beginning, even if it feels a bit predictable, we get lost in the swoons. It’s within those moments where people can change their tune, realize we’re wrong about someone.
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In terms of Blythe’s character development, I loved how she wants to be seen as capable, not fragile. Her past made people treat her like a fragile ornament, but how she’s looking for an equal, not a gilded cage. Wisteria is a solid series ender which ties up some ends from the series and the last chapters made me full on faint swoon! Part of that has to be the narration of Kristin Atherton and the emotions. We feel the full spectrum of hate to love to hope to rage. Find Wisteria on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.