Back of Book: 

Love Among the Thorns

Early in the twentieth century, Hanako journeys to England to follow her dream of becoming a novelist. When things don’t work out quite as she planned, she finds employment as a personal maid to noblewoman Alice Douglas, who makes a most unusual request: she begs Hanako to kill her! As Hanako tries to figure out why her mistress would make such a shocking plea, their relationship grows into something far deeper.

Book Number: One 

Genre: Young Adult | Manga | Romance | Historical | LGBTQIA+ 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟

A lesbian romance set in England in the 1900s with dark undertones.

"Goodbye, My Rose Garden" follows Hanako as she journeys to London to meet the author that has inspired her to become a writer. Unfortunately, nobody knows who the mysterious Victor Franks is. That is, until she meets the noble Alice who claims she can arrange a meeting with Mr. Franks if Hanako kills her. Hanako doesn't know why Alice would request such a gruesome thing, but in the end, she works as Alice's maid and accomplice. As the two spend more time together, Alice's plea becomes clearer to Hanako, but their feelings for one another become more muddled.

I didn't really know what to expect going into this one besides the fact that it seemed like a lighthearted romance between two girls. In reality, this volume does have some cutesy romance vibes, but it is all shadowed by the fact that Alice and Hanako don't seem to have a future together. The fact that the book starts with Alice asking Hanako to kill her is super intense, and intrigued me to see where this series is leading.

I think the coolest thing about this one is the historical aspects. While reading it, I could tell that Dr. Pepperco is very passionate about the time period through both the writing and the magnificent historical details in the background details and clothing. The art was my favorite thing about the story; I found it so cute, but also painstakingly detailed and realistic.

The plot hasn't really picked up much in the first volume, but I feel that Alice's fiancee, Edward, is going to be the root of most of the major issues going forward. I don't feel super strongly towards any of the characters as of yet, but Alice's perpetual melancholy does make me feel physically sad myself.

Overall, the first volume of "Goodbye, My Rose Garden" is a historical lesbian romance with dark undertones which sets the stage for the rest of the story. I am intrigued to see how it progresses, but I'm not terribly attached to the tale. I'll see how my opinion changes after the second volume.

Back of Book: 

A Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name

Lady Alice shares the story of her love for her former governess Eliza, as well as its tragic end. In the wake of that story, Hanako finds herself harboring two secrets—including the fact that the feelings in her heart are growing all the more intense.

Book Number: Two 

Genre: Young Adult | Manga | Romance | Historical | LGBTQIA+ 

Review: 🌟🌟🌟

I want to start this by saying that Pepperco draws the prettiest books throughout this manga. I love the old editions of popular (and more discrete) books that are sprinkled throughout volume two especially. 

Volume two really did feel like a bit of a filler story. Outside forces (AKA Alice's mother and fiancee, Edward) start working against Hanako and Alice by separating them for the mass majority of this volume. Most of this one is filled with Alice and Hanako each in their own little bubbles trying to figure out why the other one no longer wants them around, while in reality, they are deeper in love with each other than ever before. This got to be a bit tedious at times, especially because not much else happened in this one. I am glad that some secrets about Eliza and Victor came out during this one, otherwise the plot wouldn't have progressed at all. 

I did enjoy the introduction of some random side characters in this volume. Susie, one of Edward's maids, has a tragic backstory and some wonderful advice for Hanako. And the bookseller, Marie, was quite eccentric and above all else, adorable. The side story that these two shared at the end is so wholesome and I'm interested to see if anything else happens between these two. 

Overall, this middle volume is very meh. It leaves me curious to see if Alice and Hanako could possibly end up with a happy ending despite their families and the time period that they are in. Unfortunately, my library doesn't currently own the third one, so these questions will stand unanswered for quite some time. I'm not terribly attached to these characters though, so I'll be fine. 

Back of Book: 

The Last Goodbye

Alice has finally revealed her secret to Hanako: she is Victor Franks! Yet secrets that must be kept still abound, and family, status, and love bind Alice like thorns. Will she and Hanako ever be free? The beautiful and stirring finale of Goodbye, My Rose Garden!

Book Number: Three (Last Book) 

Genre: Young Adult | Manga | Romance | Historical | LGBTQIA+ 

Review: ?