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What Lies Beneath the Flowers
Two best friends set out to find a missing socialite in the hopes of claiming a hefty reward. But what happens when their investigation forces them to question both their morals and their friendship, in this twisty modern retelling of the classic novel Great Expectations?
It-girl Estella Aubergine is everything Pippa and Bidi are wealthy, popular, influential—missing. But all that could change. Once they find Estella and collect the life-changing reward money her reclusive mother is offering, the overdue bills on Pippa’s family deli will be paid off and Bidi’s summer internship rejections will turn into yeses. They’ll be local celebrities.
Stepping into Estella’s upper-class world to get answers requires navigating razor-sharp compliments and airbrushed lies from Estella’s snobbish friends at Beaumont Academy. Even the administrators at the prestigious school seem to know more than they let on.
The further Pippa and Bidi dig, the more they begin to question themselves, their, futures, and their own friendship. And as each day passes with no solid leads about Estella’s disappearance, the girls hold onto one the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
It-girl Estella Aubergine is everything Pippa and Bidi are wealthy, popular, influential—missing. But all that could change. Once they find Estella and collect the life-changing reward money her reclusive mother is offering, the overdue bills on Pippa’s family deli will be paid off and Bidi’s summer internship rejections will turn into yeses. They’ll be local celebrities.
Stepping into Estella’s upper-class world to get answers requires navigating razor-sharp compliments and airbrushed lies from Estella’s snobbish friends at Beaumont Academy. Even the administrators at the prestigious school seem to know more than they let on.
The further Pippa and Bidi dig, the more they begin to question themselves, their, futures, and their own friendship. And as each day passes with no solid leads about Estella’s disappearance, the girls hold onto one the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Hardcover
Expected publication July 14, 2026
About the author
Natasha Diaz
6 books226 followersNatasha Díaz is an award winning author and screenwriter currently residing in Brooklyn, NY. Natasha’s scripts have been developed at FX and Disney. Her essays can be found in The Establishment and Huffington Post. She is an anthology contributor to Wild Tongues Can’t be Tamed, For the Rest of us, and instant USA Today bestselling Black Girl power. Natasha coauthored two novels told in stories, The Grimoire of Grave Fates and House Party. Her debut novel, Color Me In is available wherever books are sold and her sophomore novel, What Lies Beneath the Flowers is out summer 2026.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 7, 2026
3 Stars
I'm conflicted on this review, because there were parts of this book that I adored and parts of it that I hated. But I guess a book based on Dickens couldn't really go any other way for me, right? I did like the Dickensian flavor that this book captures while absolutely, definitely being a product of the 2020s. It's a book full whimsical characters and the plight of poverty mixed with some social commentary mixed in that has the flavor of Dickens while being updated for the concerns of 2026. And I loved that. But there were times the fun characters were too fun, over-the-top in a way that just didn't work for me. And as much as I liked the complex relationship dynamics underpinning this book, I just never connected with them. I felt like I was perpetually one step behind but not in a fun, investigation sort of way. I was one step behind in understanding the characters, so I was always just a little bit lost or disconnected. And that's a real shame.
Anyway, a hard book for me to review because the bones are there, and they're so good. I'm just not quite sure the execution did it justice. But there's more to dig into here, and all of that will be available over at Gateway Reviews on July 17, 2026. Stop by if you feel so inclined! Just because it wasn't quite for me doesn't mean it won't be another reader's favorite book this year.
Note: I was provided with an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.
I'm conflicted on this review, because there were parts of this book that I adored and parts of it that I hated. But I guess a book based on Dickens couldn't really go any other way for me, right? I did like the Dickensian flavor that this book captures while absolutely, definitely being a product of the 2020s. It's a book full whimsical characters and the plight of poverty mixed with some social commentary mixed in that has the flavor of Dickens while being updated for the concerns of 2026. And I loved that. But there were times the fun characters were too fun, over-the-top in a way that just didn't work for me. And as much as I liked the complex relationship dynamics underpinning this book, I just never connected with them. I felt like I was perpetually one step behind but not in a fun, investigation sort of way. I was one step behind in understanding the characters, so I was always just a little bit lost or disconnected. And that's a real shame.
Anyway, a hard book for me to review because the bones are there, and they're so good. I'm just not quite sure the execution did it justice. But there's more to dig into here, and all of that will be available over at Gateway Reviews on July 17, 2026. Stop by if you feel so inclined! Just because it wasn't quite for me doesn't mean it won't be another reader's favorite book this year.
Note: I was provided with an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.
July 12, 2026
⭐⭐⭐💫
WHAT LIES BENEATH THE FLOWERS by Natasha Diaz (July 14, 2026)
Thank you Netgalley, RHC, GetUnderlined and Delacorte for the eArc
When Estella Aubergine goes missing, Pippa and Bidi team up to find her...and collect the reward.
WHAT LIES BENEATH THE FLOWERS is a YA mystery. This is dual point-of-view story(until a few others are sprinkled in) that follows two best friends that become likeable as the story progresses. Because this is multi pov, we're able to see both girls' reasoning for wanting to find Estella; this also sets up for a bit of confusion since I found some of the chapters to end at odd spots.
I really wanted to love this one. There were a few twists throughout that were both shocking yet predictable once the lead up to the twist was on the page (Does that make sense?) I couldn't help but get stuck on a few things. Without spoiling, one thing that stuck out was how the description changed from one sentence to the next contradicting the previous thing. I know you're not supposed to quote an arc, but: "She looks small. Not small, but frail..." (Chapter 5); it kept going on and on. WHAT LIES BENEATH THE FLOWERS where something similar happened as the example (changed but in a different scenario, different character, an emotion, etc. It almost felt like a word count grab... You know? One or two things would have sufficed, but it was multiple paragraphs. "Like, like, like, like, like." Incessant, unnecessary to the story.
WHAT LIES BENEATH THE FLOWERS moves at a slower pace than I would have expected from the premise. It didn't feel as risky as searching for a missing person, especially when bl*od's involved should have. The build-up may have fell short at times, but the overall revelations almost made up for some of the things I've complained about.
WHAT LIES BENEATH THE FLOWERS by Natasha Diaz (July 14, 2026)
Thank you Netgalley, RHC, GetUnderlined and Delacorte for the eArc
When Estella Aubergine goes missing, Pippa and Bidi team up to find her...and collect the reward.
WHAT LIES BENEATH THE FLOWERS is a YA mystery. This is dual point-of-view story(until a few others are sprinkled in) that follows two best friends that become likeable as the story progresses. Because this is multi pov, we're able to see both girls' reasoning for wanting to find Estella; this also sets up for a bit of confusion since I found some of the chapters to end at odd spots.
I really wanted to love this one. There were a few twists throughout that were both shocking yet predictable once the lead up to the twist was on the page (Does that make sense?) I couldn't help but get stuck on a few things. Without spoiling, one thing that stuck out was how the description changed from one sentence to the next contradicting the previous thing. I know you're not supposed to quote an arc, but: "She looks small. Not small, but frail..." (Chapter 5); it kept going on and on. WHAT LIES BENEATH THE FLOWERS where something similar happened as the example (changed but in a different scenario, different character, an emotion, etc. It almost felt like a word count grab... You know? One or two things would have sufficed, but it was multiple paragraphs. "Like, like, like, like, like." Incessant, unnecessary to the story.
WHAT LIES BENEATH THE FLOWERS moves at a slower pace than I would have expected from the premise. It didn't feel as risky as searching for a missing person, especially when bl*od's involved should have. The build-up may have fell short at times, but the overall revelations almost made up for some of the things I've complained about.
July 6, 2026
The search for a missing girl in San Francisco uncovers dark secrets and tests the friendship between Pippa and Bidi.
Pippa's family's business is on the brink of failure. Bidi is an overachiever who hasn't managed to get into any of the summer internships she applied for. When socialite and local darling Estelle goes missing, Bidi and Pippa are compelled to find her. Their reasons are different, but their determination is in equal measure. While they do both truly want to find her safe, the reward money could really help... it could save the business, or help to aid Bidi's dream to be the youngest person on the city council.
They hit the ground running, but begin to butt heads pretty quickly. The more they dig, the more questions they have, and a wedge forms between them, taking their investigations in different directions. I enjoyed that their friendship and the various facets of it were such a prominent part of the story. I loved both Pippa and Bidi, both intelligent and fierce. This book really delves into family and longing for connection, and the importance of community. It highlights injustice toward marginalized people, but also demonstrates how money and influence factors into it.
This mystery that the girls find themselves at the center of is so good. It is dark and twisted, and we want to watch Bidi and Pippa bring it all crashing down. They are coming of age and looking for purpose. Both have strong morals and and love their community. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it.
Pippa's family's business is on the brink of failure. Bidi is an overachiever who hasn't managed to get into any of the summer internships she applied for. When socialite and local darling Estelle goes missing, Bidi and Pippa are compelled to find her. Their reasons are different, but their determination is in equal measure. While they do both truly want to find her safe, the reward money could really help... it could save the business, or help to aid Bidi's dream to be the youngest person on the city council.
They hit the ground running, but begin to butt heads pretty quickly. The more they dig, the more questions they have, and a wedge forms between them, taking their investigations in different directions. I enjoyed that their friendship and the various facets of it were such a prominent part of the story. I loved both Pippa and Bidi, both intelligent and fierce. This book really delves into family and longing for connection, and the importance of community. It highlights injustice toward marginalized people, but also demonstrates how money and influence factors into it.
This mystery that the girls find themselves at the center of is so good. It is dark and twisted, and we want to watch Bidi and Pippa bring it all crashing down. They are coming of age and looking for purpose. Both have strong morals and and love their community. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it.
July 5, 2026
3 stars
There's a lot to like about this new novel from Diaz. Admittedly, I found myself getting pretty wrapped up in the source material, and this distracted me from enjoying this more, I suspect.
Pippa and Bidi are in the Bay Area trying to locate Estella, a wealthy lost girl. There are few locations that offer more opportunities to highlight diverse identities, needs, and barriers, and the exploration of that complexity felt too limited: a missed opportunity. I was constantly thinking about different neighborhoods, specific interactions, and even particular events and community organizations that could have made this novel feel more authentic to the time and place and to young people actually living in this area. These characters are relatively limited in their experiences and ideas, and that is a mismatch for me with actual Bay Area teens, too.
Along with some missed character and location-related moments, I found this pacing to be quite slow. Again, this may have been impacted by assumptions related to the source material, but having read a lot of remixes and retellings, I'm not convinced that's the exclusive challenge.
I've read other short works by this author and am very interested in reading more from Diaz.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
There's a lot to like about this new novel from Diaz. Admittedly, I found myself getting pretty wrapped up in the source material, and this distracted me from enjoying this more, I suspect.
Pippa and Bidi are in the Bay Area trying to locate Estella, a wealthy lost girl. There are few locations that offer more opportunities to highlight diverse identities, needs, and barriers, and the exploration of that complexity felt too limited: a missed opportunity. I was constantly thinking about different neighborhoods, specific interactions, and even particular events and community organizations that could have made this novel feel more authentic to the time and place and to young people actually living in this area. These characters are relatively limited in their experiences and ideas, and that is a mismatch for me with actual Bay Area teens, too.
Along with some missed character and location-related moments, I found this pacing to be quite slow. Again, this may have been impacted by assumptions related to the source material, but having read a lot of remixes and retellings, I'm not convinced that's the exclusive challenge.
I've read other short works by this author and am very interested in reading more from Diaz.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
March 30, 2026
Oh boy, I'm the first review on Goodreads and that's terrifying!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this as an ARC.
As a premise, I thought it was really interesting. In practice, it was really slow. The first five chapters - as well as the last three or so - could have been removed and I don't think anything would've been changed in the long run. It was a lot of miscommunication and lies, withholding information and unnecessarily hurt feelings. I get that that sort of stuff happens, but it seemed, again, unnecessary.
I usually appreciate dual POV but the duality disappeared as more characters were added. Those chapters, to me, felt more like Diaz wasn't sure how to convey the information from Pippa or Bidi's POVs so she switched. And while the writing was really nice and consistent on a technical level, it left every character sounding exactly the same.
My last gripe is just how unrealistic the rest of the world seemed. The gossip columns, the odd lack of paparazzi, the cops, the teachers and other educational staff, and the healthcare professionals. Everything wasn't how things would be in reality. Too much leniency. It was frustrating just how unprofessional every adult was within their respective jobs.
Obviously, it wasn't for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this as an ARC.
As a premise, I thought it was really interesting. In practice, it was really slow. The first five chapters - as well as the last three or so - could have been removed and I don't think anything would've been changed in the long run. It was a lot of miscommunication and lies, withholding information and unnecessarily hurt feelings. I get that that sort of stuff happens, but it seemed, again, unnecessary.
I usually appreciate dual POV but the duality disappeared as more characters were added. Those chapters, to me, felt more like Diaz wasn't sure how to convey the information from Pippa or Bidi's POVs so she switched. And while the writing was really nice and consistent on a technical level, it left every character sounding exactly the same.
My last gripe is just how unrealistic the rest of the world seemed. The gossip columns, the odd lack of paparazzi, the cops, the teachers and other educational staff, and the healthcare professionals. Everything wasn't how things would be in reality. Too much leniency. It was frustrating just how unprofessional every adult was within their respective jobs.
Obviously, it wasn't for me.
May 30, 2026
I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I read Diaz' debut, Color Me In, and I absolutely loved it. What Lies Beneath The Flowers is very different. This is a very well executed YA mystery.
Pippa and Bidi are best friends in San Francisco, 17 year olds about to have their last summer before senior year of high school. They have goals. Then an It Girl, Estella Aubergine vanishes, in a possible kidnapping, and Pippa decides to investigate so she can get her hands on much needed reward money to save her aunt's deli.
There are some very interesting characters here, and I felt Diaz really captured teenager lingo very well. Sometimes, when reading YA, it seems like no actual Gen Z would talk like a millennial.
There's a lot of twists and secrets to be uncovered. One I sort of guessed, to an extent, but not fully fleshed out. I don't want to give anything away, but I really enjoyed the suspense. Pippa's knowledge about flowers was extraordinary. I didn't fully understand everything, particularly Estella's ex-girlfriend and her minion she called Two.
Don't miss the opportunity to read this book when it comes out July 14, 2026.
Pippa and Bidi are best friends in San Francisco, 17 year olds about to have their last summer before senior year of high school. They have goals. Then an It Girl, Estella Aubergine vanishes, in a possible kidnapping, and Pippa decides to investigate so she can get her hands on much needed reward money to save her aunt's deli.
There are some very interesting characters here, and I felt Diaz really captured teenager lingo very well. Sometimes, when reading YA, it seems like no actual Gen Z would talk like a millennial.
There's a lot of twists and secrets to be uncovered. One I sort of guessed, to an extent, but not fully fleshed out. I don't want to give anything away, but I really enjoyed the suspense. Pippa's knowledge about flowers was extraordinary. I didn't fully understand everything, particularly Estella's ex-girlfriend and her minion she called Two.
Don't miss the opportunity to read this book when it comes out July 14, 2026.
June 11, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Natasha Diaz for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
What Lies Beneath the Flowers was an interesting read with a unique premise and an underlying mystery that kept me curious about how everything would unfold. The story touches on some compelling themes, and there were moments that held my attention and encouraged me to keep reading.
For me, the pacing felt slower than expected, and I had a difficult time fully connecting with the story early on.
Overall, this was a mixed reading experience. Although it didn’t completely work for me, I appreciated the author’s storytelling and can see this book finding an audience among readers who enjoy slower-paced, character-focused mysteries. I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it and would be interested in trying more from this author in the future.
What Lies Beneath the Flowers was an interesting read with a unique premise and an underlying mystery that kept me curious about how everything would unfold. The story touches on some compelling themes, and there were moments that held my attention and encouraged me to keep reading.
For me, the pacing felt slower than expected, and I had a difficult time fully connecting with the story early on.
Overall, this was a mixed reading experience. Although it didn’t completely work for me, I appreciated the author’s storytelling and can see this book finding an audience among readers who enjoy slower-paced, character-focused mysteries. I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it and would be interested in trying more from this author in the future.
June 30, 2026
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
What Lies Beneath the Flowers is a story about unraveling the past. About the secrets that never stay buried, the mystery beneath the roots, and soil which soaks up all. Featuring multiple perspectives, timelines from Then and Now, the mystery and action is like a tide which sweeps us away. What I loved was this story about friendship in all of its complexity with love, resentment, and support all tangling up with betrayal and anger. The ways in which we can love someone and still want to rip out of hair. What Lies Beneath the Flowers is a story about the push and pull of friendship, of the secrets we hide from our best friends, and the escape we keep running towards.
What Lies Beneath the Flowers is a story about unraveling the past. About the secrets that never stay buried, the mystery beneath the roots, and soil which soaks up all. Featuring multiple perspectives, timelines from Then and Now, the mystery and action is like a tide which sweeps us away. What I loved was this story about friendship in all of its complexity with love, resentment, and support all tangling up with betrayal and anger. The ways in which we can love someone and still want to rip out of hair. What Lies Beneath the Flowers is a story about the push and pull of friendship, of the secrets we hide from our best friends, and the escape we keep running towards.
June 11, 2026
Thank you, Random House Children's Books | Delacorte Press, for providing the copy of What Lies Beneath the Flowers by Natasha Díaz. This was a slow starter and it took forever to get into the actual story. The resolution was great though and I was shocked at how it all came together, so if you like an unexpected reveal, this book is perfect for you. I’m not sure it was for me, though, and I found myself checking out during the last few chapters. 3 stars.
July 11, 2026
The families of Pippa and best friend Bidi are barely scraping by in their gentrifying neighborhood so when wealthy local teen Estella disappears, finding her and claiming the reward money would be a game changer. As they investigate, they turn up corruption, betrayal, and some unexpected family but Estella remains elusive. Intriguing character work! Great Expectations homage with a dose of mystery and horror.
April 8, 2026
I'm giving this book of four out of five.
I got this book from netgalley and was so excited to read it because of the description sounded great. I almost gave up on this book about a quarter of the way through. I thought the beginning was a bit too slow and was bored at first. I am so glad that I kept going and the twist was not something I expected.
I would recommend.
I got this book from netgalley and was so excited to read it because of the description sounded great. I almost gave up on this book about a quarter of the way through. I thought the beginning was a bit too slow and was bored at first. I am so glad that I kept going and the twist was not something I expected.
I would recommend.
June 3, 2026
A fast paced great read! Pippa and Bidi are on the hunt for a missing socialite for the reward money. They have bumps and I’m sure some bruises while trying to find out what happened and where could Estella be. A fun read that I definitely recommend to all ages. Happy reading!
I received from Netgalley as an ARC
I received from Netgalley as an ARC
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews