At 35, Iris Sunnegren finds herself at a bit of a crossroads both personally and professionally. Her longtime boyfriend, Ben, has abruptly ended their relationship, leaving her to contemplate the daunting (and dauntingly expensive) prospect of freezing her eggs if she still hopes to start a family with someone else. Meanwhile, although she loves her career as a lighting designer, she is consistently bypassed for promotions at the boutique firm where she has worked for years.

Iris has good friends, but they have their own complicated lives, and her parents died when she was a child. Her elder neighbor, the enigmatic perfumer Mireille Rapacine, has become a confidante. Upon hearing Iris' woes, she presents her with a one-of-a-kind perfume, made just for her: "I created this fragrance to speak to you and for you. To be bold when you are cautious, to be seductive when you are shy, to make manifest everything that is inside you!"

"Fans of Jodi Picoult and Chris Bohjalian will find much to appreciate and discuss here. And those who love perfume might be inspired to try a new scent and see what happens!"

Iris is initially skeptical, to put it mildly. But much to her surprise, almost as soon as she dabs the perfume on her wrists, people do start treating her differently. Men and women alike become more flirtatious. Even at work, she manages to wow her boss and eventually win her firm a significant new client.

At first, everything seems to be turning around for Iris. Thanks to this new contract with a major real estate developer, Jonathan Wolff, she is able to move forward with a fertility clinic. Jonathan is compassionate, charismatic and more than a little handsome, but Iris also starts dating a sexy glass-blowing artist, Gabe. All is not entirely smooth sailing, though. Gabe and Jonathan's wealthy developer friends clash during a weekend in the Hamptons, Iris harbors a damaging secret about her best friend's marriage, and her personal life is growing increasingly complicated as her various would-be suitors butt heads.

Even though Iris appreciates all the doors that Madame Rapacine's perfume have opened for her, she can't help but wonder: Did she really get here on her own merits? Or is the perfume's allure just masking her fundamental shortcomings?

In addition to imposter syndrome, FULL BLOOM tackles some pretty heavy-hitting social issues, from sexual harassment to exploitative house practices to drug use and sexual abuse. At times, the number of subplots that Francesca Serritella packs into her second novel (following GHOSTS OF HARVARD) comes close to being simply too much. However, book clubs will appreciate the engagement with real-world issues, and the addition of a whiff of magical realism makes for a nice spin on what otherwise might be a fairly straightforward novel of self-discovery.

Fans of Jodi Picoult and Chris Bohjalian will find much to appreciate and discuss here. And those who love perfume might be inspired to try a new scent and see what happens!