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ASHLEE COWLES
Age Range: 14 and up
In 1912, Lady Ava Knight, a wealthy teen, boards the Titanic with her father in hopes of a new start. Ava is ready to begin her life anew as a woman photographer without her crazy mother but somehow finds herself in the middle of betrayal, danger, and mystery. Onboard the Titanic, Ava meets three very different people that change her life and what she knows about herself in ways she never dreamed possible. Almost one hundred years later, in 2010, Taylor Romano arrived in England ready to start her summer journalism class at Oxford University. Unexpectedly she meets a rude British guy and Lady Mae Knight of Meadowbrook Manor, a mysterious, slightly crazy old woman who somehow knows a lot about Taylor's past, and invites Taylor to her estate. Before Taylor can get some answers, Lady Mae dies, leaving Taylor feeling that her death was not random. With nowhere else to go, Taylor reads an old diary hoping to figure out the connection between the Knights and herself.
The Poppy and the Rose was nothing I expected it to be. For some reason, I didn't have high hopes for enjoying this book and wasn't looking forward to reading it, but I am glad that I did! The book follows two girls from completely different times: a wealthy heiress on the Titanic and a girl on a mission to learn about her dad. Ashlee Cowles did a fantastic job bringing these stories together, and I was equally interested and excited to find out more about both characters. The other thing that surprised me was the talk about spiritualism and psychics. When The Poppy and the Rose continued to talk about it, I almost stopped reading because I don't like the kind of stuff, but I kept reading, and it all more or less made sense at the end on why it was included in the book.
Unlike most books that I read, I thought Ashlee Cowles' writing was captivating and engaging. I probably finished the book in less than twenty-four hours because of my need to find out what happens next! By far, my favorite character in the book is Caleb Donahue (he has the same last name as me)! Though he is a side character, he is kind and is ready to help everyone on the Titanic, especially during their final moments. If you have seen or heard of the 1997 movie Titanic and the famous love story within, you need to read The Poppy and the Rose. Ava and Caleb's story is similar to Rose and Jack in the Titanic but, in my opinion, way better and cleaner. In the book, there are some references to husbands cheating on their wives, and I don't want to give anything away, but they are not, which is the most I will say. The Poppy and the Rose was a delightful book with a great cover that I hope you like as much as I did!
Things to Mention: Two' bloody hell' and five 'bloody.' There is talk about Harry Potter at the beginning of the book (I don't like or approve of Harry Potter). One of the minor characters was pregnant out of marriage. One woman says that there are many bad people in the world and said prostitutes were one of them. One woman said she went to a psychic, and there is some talk about psychology and stuff like that. Ava's mom had a bad addiction to drugs, but we don't read about her at all. There are a few kisses with no details. Many people die because they were on the Titanic and one woman was murdered, but there are no details.
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If you have read The Poppy and the Rose, let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Do you have a book you want to be reviewed? Let me know, and I'll add it to my list! Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you're here.
