Full Bloom
Available August 5, 2025
The power to be seen. The power to be heard. The power to be adored. . .
A woman’s life is forever changed by a mysterious perfume in this stunning novel about ambition and untapped desire from the New York Times bestselling author of Ghosts of Harvard.
Reeling from a breakup and overlooked at her job as a lighting designer, Iris Sunnegren finds herself stuck, disconnected, and lonely in crowded New York City. Her wealthy friends are married and having babies, while she’s trying to pay for freezing her eggs. And the future she longs for feels out of reach.
Then, a mysterious neighbor, an older Frenchwoman, makes her a gift: a bespoke perfume.
One spritz, a dab behind the ears, and Iris is a different woman. Suddenly, she is the object of every man’s desire, and she can satisfy her own hungers for sex, love, and ambition. She can cast off her inhibitions and use her newfound allure to dazzle the high-profile client, attract a man who excites her like no other, and access all the rarified spaces that once excluded her. Under the perfume’s heady spell, Iris embodies her maximum power—a flower fully bloomed.
But there is danger in connecting to our primal emotions. Scent awakens buried memories, and nightmares of the childhood house fire she barely survived return to haunt her. As Iris ventures deeper into the glamorous and male-dominated worlds of New York real estate, dimly-lit steakhouses, and beachfront mansions in the Hamptons, she finds herself getting closer to unspeakable truths—about the people she trusted, about the people she loved, and about the new circle of power-players that invited her in.
A sensual and seductive novel set among the upper echelons of New York City, Full Bloom is at once a poignant story of becoming and a riveting mystery that asks: Who are you without your inhibitions? Does being wanted get what you want, or will you be devoured by desire?
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Barnes & Noble Most Anticipated Fiction
“A delightful premise evolves into a sexy romp, then deepens further into an exploration of trauma, power, and responsibility. . . . Readers are gifted with a heartfelt story of ambition and resilience.”
—Booklist
“Francesca Serritella is a literary wonder. Atmospheric and lush, FULL BLOOM is is the story of Iris, so overwhelmed by life, only a miracle could set her free. With one spritz of an elixir, Iris is free to explore her potent past and visit the magical possibilities of her future. Serritella’s elegant prose includes a top note of originality, a middle note of pure heart, and a base note of self-discovery. A sensory feast for readers everywhere.”
—Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author
“Francesca Serritella’s Full Bloom is an absolutely gorgeous read — the perfect combination of romance, mystery and magical realism, with a vibrant cast of characters who will make you wish you were a part of Iris’s world. Here is a big, juicy story that will linger long after you’ve closed the book.”
—Sarah MacLean, New York Times bestselling author
“I love FULL BLOOM. Charged with emotion, it is a masterful portrait of one of the most intriguing characters I’ve ever met. Iris grew up with heartbreak, encounters betrayal, and powers through it all with heart and bravery. Her adventures may or may not be the result of a seductive elixir concocted by her brilliant and eccentric neighbor, the exalted perfumer Rapacine. With elegant prose and an insider’s knowledge of New York City, Francesca Serritella has created a dazzling world that draws us in and makes us feel we are wandering the brownstone-lined streets and hidden gardens of Greenwich Village. She writes of Iris’s longings and desires, passion and regrets, and she understands the art and science of love. What a wonderful novel she has written!”
—Luanne Rice, New York Times bestselling author
Excerpt to come!
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What are the key themes explored in the novel? Which resonated the most deeply with you, and why?
2. Do you think the perfume was really magic or did it primarily unlock something within Iris? Do you have a fragrance or beauty ritual that makes you feel transformed?
3. The perfume helps Iris connect to her body and primal instincts. Have you ever had a gut feeling where your body knew something before your brain could articulate it? Do you find you are better served acting on instinct or thinking things through?
4. Talk about Iris’s Manhattan life—its allure, its challenges, and what it means to be young and single and striving. How is New York City a character in and of itself in Full Bloom?
5. Iris decides to freeze her eggs in the novel, despite the cost and challenges, both physical and emotional. What do you think about her choice and the choice many young women make to do this?
6. Madame Rapacine explains that a flower’s potency is strongest on the “cusp of decay,” to which Iris replies, “Decay needs a rebrand.” Rapacine defies all expectations of a woman her age. Is this a trick of her perfume alchemy or her state of mind? Is age nothing but a number?
7. Rapacine implores Iris to use the perfume to get everything she wants out of life, to which Iris replies, “I’d settle for just getting what I deserve.” Rapacine counters they’re one and the same, “You deserve everything you want.” Do you think this is true in general? Are women too quick to cut down their own desires and ambition, or is compromise necessary to achieve happiness?
8. Do you agree with Iris’s observation of Lindsay that “all the power of youth and beauty was good for a handbag, nothing more”? How real or overstated is “pretty privilege” in society? Do you think being attractive to men is a superpower for some women or a liability?
9. What are the ethical implications of Iris using the perfume to achieve her desires? At work, socially? Did the perfume’s temptation change the ethics of Mike’s culpability when he kissed her without consent?
10. How do Iris’s relationships with her wealthy friends, and with wealth in general, evolve throughout the story? How does social class factor in the novel? Is money its own perfume?
11. What role do memories of the house fire play in Iris’s journey? Although her memory was partially repressed, were there signs that her body remembered the true trauma she endured before it was revealed?
12. Gabe and Iris bond over their difficult childhoods and the false narratives they had to dispel, but their adult coping mechanisms are quite different. Do you think Gabe is a good partner for Iris? How do they help each other grow? Would you like to see them get back together someday?
13. How does Iris’s character develop from the beginning to the end of the novel? How does her trauma shape her motivations? How does she seek, fumble, and achieve stability and emotional security? Does her path toward healing resonate with you, and if so, how?
14. What did you think of the book’s ending? What are your main takeaways from Full Bloom?