Wow. First, let me congratulate Devin Greenlee on a superb debut novel! I’ve never read anything like this and I was hooked from the first page. A true YA fantasy novel with vivid descriptions, simple (mostly) sentence structure, and so much imagination.

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚 𝒂 𝒅𝒓𝒚𝒂𝒅’𝒔 𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒏, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚. 𝑺𝒐, 𝒏𝒐 𝒃𝒊𝒈 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍, 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚.

Quill is a seventeen year old who also happens to be the only male dryad ever born. He spends his days tending his family’s magical garden and he’s desperate to find freedom outside his life. Then one night he meets Liam, the new boy who moves in next door and things start to happen. Someone is breaking into the garden and Quill begins to fall in love, all while sneaking out and finding his freedom.

The suspense lasted until about 80% and then BAM, everything happens. I actually liked the pace because we got to watch the bond between Quill and Liam grow and develop. It was so innocent and sweet!

“𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒕. 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒖𝒑 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑. 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅.”

There were a handful of plot holes or mistakes. A time discrepancy once or twice and while I really enjoyed the ending, I wouldn’t have minded a few more chapters wrapping everything up a bit more solidly. Regardless, this was a fantastic debut and I can’t wait to see what Devin gives us in the future.

𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦: January 16, 2024
𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚. 𝙈𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙞𝙨 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮.

Quill is unique. He's seventeen and has barely stepped foot outside his house. His family is a bit overprotective and homeschools him and is slowly teaching him to tend the family garden. Oh and he's the first male dryad ever to be born. He hasn't quite come into his powers yet so, really, all he feels like is a sheltered weirdo with leaf-green hair. Until a new boy moves into the apartment next door and Quill's entire life flips upside down. Liam is adventurous and nice and flirty and,...cute. So much so that Quill starts to silently rebel and sneaks out to have adventures with Liam: going to the movies for the first time or going swimming after dark.
Letting his defenses down around Liam, he brings him into the family garden (set in a secret pocket dimension in the closet) which sets off a series of events that no one could have seen coming.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from Evergreen and was pleasantly surprised. I devoured this in two days. I could've finished it in one night if I had wanted to be a bit more reckless with my sleep. Liam and Quill are charming and Quill, while being a petulant teenager rebelling, feels real and not obnoxious. I'm a old curmudgeon now and often get exhausted by "put-upon teen" characters but really liked Quill. The story is engaging and the characters are lovable. Quill's mom feels a bit flat for most of the book but I think that's maybe a bit intentional as we only see her from Quill's perspective.

All-in-all this was a really fun time and definitely would recommend it to people who enjoy queer YA books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing LLC for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

First off, while this book is sold as being a reimagining of The Secret Garden, this isn't the case. Is there a garden? Yes. Is it secret? Yes. That's where the similarity ends, so don't go into this expecting an urban fantasy version of the classic story as it's not the case.

While I did enjoy the book once things got going (the pacing is a bit slow at the start), it is very YA. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just got a lot of teenage angst, which means the fantasy aspect doesn't get built upon. You're only given a vague idea of the magic system, history and world as more of the focus is on the teenager side of things and young love.

Most of the fantasy side of things happens towards the end of the book and while it's enjoyable, it feels a bit rushed. This results in the stakes feeling relatively low, even with something big to deal with.

While I enjoyed this book, it's not one I'll reach for again. However, the romance side of things was sweet and it was an easy read to start my year off. I definitely think a younger audience will enjoy it much more.

I really just struggled to connect with this one, if I’m being honest.

I usually understand why teenagers don’t communicate certain things with the adults in their lives in fiction, but I could not for the life of me understand why Quill didn’t tell his mum about the break in right away.

As for the rest…the romance was kinda cute but I felt like the characters were under developed and the dryad lore and magic system were even less developed, which left me bored overall.

This was such a cute book! I absolutely adore Liam and Quill. There love story is one for the ages. I found this book to be so unique and unexpected and I loved the representation that was present throughout the book. The world building for this book was done so well, I love the idea of a pocket dimension garden, I absolutely would have spent all my time in it I had one. Plus, the plot twist at the end! I totally never saw it coming. I commend the author for this absolutely adorable romance and would highly recommend this to someone who loves LGBTQ+ romances, gardening, and a bit of mysterious intrigue.

M/M, YA fantasy romance. This book was honestly great! The flow and pacing of the story were also great. There was never a dull moment and I really love the progression of the relationship between Quill and Liam. I think the two characters are adorable and I wish the story was longer but anyway, it ended well and those plot twists were not forced; I like how they were gradually unraveled as I was reading through. I actually got a bit terrified when the mother revealed what might have caused all the trouble. Like...what the hell could it be then???

I don't know if this is a plot hole but Liam mentioned that he was allergic to flowers that he even closed Liam's windows because the scent reached his place but when Quill brought him to their garden, he seemed fine that's why I thought he was lying, contributing to the fact that he might be the bad guy. (Edit: this is not a plot hole. I forgot a part in the book and this was answered)

💎 Thank you Netgalley and Devin Greenlee for the eARC copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book just didn't work for me- it didn't feel like the characters were actually teenagers.

The lore of the dryads was interesting, but the characters felt flat to me.

I wanted to enjoy this book. There were so many great concepts that were either left unexplored, rushed through, or abandoned completely. The romance took the front seat of a story that needed world-building and magic-building. I found myself not even caring about the characters because their development was so lacking. It had the potential to be so good and the beginning of something great. If there is a second book, I would be very wary to give it another chance.

I just reviewed Evergreen by Devin Greenlee. #Evergreen #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Quill is 17 and raring to explore the world around him. The only problem? He's half-human and half-dryad, and his mom is supremely overprotective. When Liam moves in next door, Quil's world begins to open up, bringing with it new excitements and new dangers. Is he responsible for the weird things going on in Quill's family's garden?

I found this book to be charming and delightful. The characters were vibrant and real. I do think it isn't quite enemies to lovers, but veers more into insta love between two of the characters. I'm not a huge fan of that trope, but it isn't too worrisome in this book. It is balanced well. Overall, this was just fun to read and the pacing was just right!

Evergreen is a young adult fantasy romance novel about Quill, a half-human half-dryad who has spent his entire life contained to the home he shares with his magical mother and older sister, and Liam, a human boy who moves into the spare apartment with his absent father. Quill has never developed full dryad powers, so his mother has insisted that he stay inside the house until he is old enough or developed enough to protect himself from the humans who she is convinced will be a threat to him. However, Quill has longed to escape the house and learn more about the outside world. When Liam and his father move next door, Quill finds himself intrigued by the other boy, whose days are filled with school and modern technology and social media, who seemingly can go wherever he wants whenever he wants. As the two boys grow closer together, though, Quill begins discovering that there is something deeply wrong with the secret garden from which his family derives their power. He longs for freedom, but he knows that he has a duty to protect his family and their secrets.

Of course the main character, Quill was quite well-developed: he is well-rounded enough to feel like a true teenager. He has personal goals and values, he has his own talents and knowledge and proves himself to be quite capable during some of the high tension moments of the novel, but he often demonstrates a lack of self-awareness and willpower that makes him believable as a teenage boy. I know I’m not exactly the target audience for this one – I generally prefer my main characters to have a little more knowledge and maturity. I still liked Quill, though, and I appreciated the effort put into the realism of the characters. I also really liked Quill’s mother and older sister – they both were written to be a little more emotionally stable, while still having moments of short-sightedness. However, when mistakes were made, they were able to acknowledge and reflect on those mistakes, and overall the relationship within their family felt meaningful and realistic.

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with the worldbuilding in this one. The little bit that we got was compelling – there was a lot of time and thought put into the dryads’ powers and history, and I loved the way they interacted with plants, as well as the clear limitations placed on their powers. However, we get absolutely no worldbuilding outside of the world of the dryads, and I really wish the world had been filled out more to dive it more depth. We don’t hear about any other magical creatures, and while we know from a passing comment that there are other dryads in the world, we never see any evidence of this. Instead, the magic seems to be limited to Quill’s family alone. I wish there had been more history, more of a sense of scale, and a wider view of the magical world. I know that Quill doesn’t have that perspective, but his mother and sister should be able to give us pieces of a bigger world.

In all, I’ll give Evergreen a 7 out of 10. The straightforward plot and simple worldbuilding seems aimed for middle school or high school readers, and I do think readers of that age looking for a cute romance in a fantasy setting will enjoy this one. Readers looking for a little more complexity though should probably try something different.

Evergreen is only in the loosest sense a reimagining of The Secret Garden, which was the main point of interest for me personally going into it, but at this point I take most comps with a grain of salt anyway. (This book is also a lesson in not judging based solely off of covers because for some reason I went into this thinking it was sapphic??)

Honestly, though, Evergreen is an urban fantasy coming of age story that leans heavily into a romance between Quill, the first male druid and a bit of a Rapunzel character, and Liam, the boy next door. Quill is tasked with taking care of his family’s magical garden while he struggles to come to terms with the fact that he’s 17 and hasn’t shown any magical capabilities of his own.

Quill is stubborn and selfish, sarcastic and incredibly bitter, yet so fully naive at times. I tend to really enjoy unlikable narrators and he definitely fits the bill, though I can’t tell if it was intentional or not. For most of the book the fact that Quill was just a teenager who made stupid or silly decisions felt like a nice change, but there’s a point where you expect the main character to grow. With Quill that switch comes late and sudden when I’d have thoroughly enjoyed a slow build. Outside of that he was sometimes very inconsistent with his narration in a way that doesn’t feel intentional. Something about him stumbling his way through the human world was just so fun to read, though what he knew and didn’t know felt like this part of his character could have benefited from being a little more thought out.

There were also times when the information he was conveying was inconsistent as well. He’d wax poetic about how he knew every inch of the garden in one chapter, then the next introduce a room he’s never been allowed inside of, then the next reveal that he hardly ever strayed past the front of the garden actually, and a few chapters later complain that he’d walked every inch of it a hundred times over the years. That inconsistency existed in other areas of the writing too, creating plot holes and convenient excuses that were difficult to ignore. I found myself fact checking (tap water does have chlorine in it more often than not and like 90% of gummy worms aren’t vegan) and constantly flipping back and forth to make sure that I wasn’t actually crazy and that there were direct contradictions happening.

That said, getting to read a story based around a family of dryads was interesting and the fantasy elements built into the world were very soft and generally fun and easy to understand. I think the soft world building was the most developed part of the story and allowed for moments that genuinely shone in my opinion. It stayed consistent in ways the other parts of the writing just didn’t.

Honestly, this book just needed another round or two of edits and some more in-depth development. The idea is solid and there are parts that made me want to like the whole book far more than I did. For instance, the ‘big bad’ and the last quarter of the book? Imagining someone just walking into town and finding that situation? Fantastic creeping horror idea. It’s going to haunt me, genuinely. (I’m trying to avoid spoilers so bad, guys.)

There are scenes that shine and the bones to a really great story, but in the end there just wasn’t enough development. I think Greenlee could do some really cool things in the future, this debut was just a little too rushed. It would have benefited from some more eyes on it and another draft, but he’s an author I’ll be keeping an eye on for sure.

[I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this ARC.]

Received an ARC from Netgalley and really hoped to like it. I really enjoyed the relationship between Quill and Liam. The middle of the story fell really flat to me. It felt like it dragged on and on. Towards the end, it picked up and got exciting but then it ended and felt rushed. I wish there was just more to it. Overall okay.

This is a very solid debut, and one that I will be recommending to people. I think this did romance-heavy fantasy really well, making the fantasy element accessible and fun, and the romance super cute and heartfelt.

I do think there was a little bit of a tonal shift around the 80% mark. Up until then the book was mostly focused on the romance and on Quill wanting more freedom. Then around 80% the main mystery is solved and it sets a bunch of events in motion. This part of the story felt fresh and enjoyable, but it also felt rushed. I would have enjoyed the book even more if this last part of the book had been fleshed out a little more.

I really enjoyed the concept of this story. I had many theories about what was happening and who was involved and I was happy to see that I wasn't entirely correct. I felt like the overall story was enjoyable.

However, I immediately disliked Quill as the main character; unfortunately, he did not grow on me. I know that he is a teenager and he is supposed to be moody, make decisions that aren't in his best interest, and to be selfish, but I feel like these characteristics were taken to an extreme and I didn't enjoy that.
With that said, I do not think the story would have worked if he was any other way. So, while it was something that made it difficult for me to enjoy, it did make the story work and that is what a character should do, in my opinion.

There was at least one inaccuracy in the story. I made note of one, but there might be others. <spoiler>Chapter 29- the chapter opens by saying Quill and Liam haven't seen each other for a few days, but have been texting non-stop. A few pages later Quill thinks that he needs to focus on the Liam in front of him, not the one he felt pressing up against him in the water last night. </spoiler> It is nothing major, just something I noticed.

Overall, if you are looking for a YA with an interesting story. I recommend this one.

Sadly, I felt like I had to dnf.
In the beginning of the book Quill and his sister find out that someone night be ruining something very important to their WHOLE BLOODLINE is in danger. Yet, after that we are so focus on Quill and Liam relationship that we almost never talk about the break in again.

It was nice reading about Liam helping Quill into the "real world" but I was getting bored of it.
If the story focused more on the garden being tampered with then I would be more interested in the book...

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC.


The beginning of this book was a bit confusing, the way the main character was first presented made me feel like we were already supposed to know who he was. However, once a proper introduction unfolded, the narrative picked up quite nicely. The chapters flowed effortlessly, and their lengths were just right, ensuring I remained engaged throughout.

The chemistry between Quill and Liam sparkled from the outset, and I found the scenes depicting their relationship particularly endearing. Quill's vivid descriptions of Liam's smile often brought a smile to my own face.

Yet, I encountered some discrepancies in Quill's understanding of the human world, especially towards the conclusion. His sudden proficiency seemed inconsistent, considering that just a week prior in the plot, he struggled with something as basic as putting on a seatbelt. Additionally, the revelation of his powers felt hurried, reminiscent of reading fan fiction rather than a well-crafted novel.

The scenes involving Azazel lacked the emotional depth I anticipated, and Quill's repetitive self-blame, while characteristic of a teenager, became a bit tiresome. However, the plot twist was quite unexpected. All throughout my reading I was positively sure it was his dad who invaded the garden so I was quite surprised to know that nobody broke in but something broke out.

Despite these critiques, the overall narrative remains enjoyable, and I believe the target audience (young adults) will likely find the tale appealing.

This one kind of caught me off guard. I've been in a bit of a reading slump but this book read so easily. Quill was a great main character. I loved the magic in this book and the lore. But also the mystery kept me at the edge of my scene.
The only thing I didn't love was the ending. I didn't hate it, though. I'd just hoped for a different one.

Trigger warnings for Evergreen include: assault, blood, illness, loss of a loved one, cancer, anxiety, panic attacks, profanity (swearing), fire, nightmares of traumatic events, hospitalisation, terminal illness, and mind control.
☆
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I really enjoyed this book. The concept was very intriguing, and well thought out. I think it was also executed very well.
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I enjoyed the relationship between Liam and Quill, and his family. I found it really fun reading about Quill breaking his mother's rules, and learning how to live and exist in the wider world.
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The last few chapters were really strange and unexpected, but nice in the the way that the story culminated.
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There is definitely more I should be saying about this book, but I also can't actually formulate any concrete thoughts or words about it.

I'm giving Evergreen by Devin Greenlee a 4/5 stars rating, and I want to express my gratitude to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an early copy.

Netgalley describes this book as a Secret Garden retelling, while the author suggests it's more of a Rapunzel retelling. In my opinion, it embraces elements of both, though I wish the execution had been better.

Quill, the first male dryad ever born, captured my heart as a character. His upbringing involved homeschooling and being confined to his house with his mother and their garden. The introduction of a new family, including the human boy Liam, adds a layer of intrigue to Quill's sheltered life. The desire to explore the outside world grows in Quill, coinciding with Liam's curiosity about him.

The initial 60% of the book is undeniably cute and enjoyable to read. However, the plot takes a backseat until the very end, which was a bit disappointing. Despite this, the charm and two-thirds of the love story between Quill and Liam make the narrative quite endearing. While the plot may be lacking, the strong character development makes it deserving of a high rating.

All seventeen-year-old Quill wants is a break from the family business. Flowers, plants, the generations-old garden. What he wouldn’t give for a taste of the outside world. Normalcy. But his mom won’t let him out of the house, telling him he’s just not ready…
Evergreen
by Devin Greenlee
Pub Date: 16 Jan 2024

All because he’s a dryad. Well, not just any dryad, but a male dryad—the first ever. And unlike everyone else in his family, he hasn’t a lick of magic. Just a shock of green hair, matching green eyes, and a growing frustration that there’s an entire world out there waiting to be discovered. Until the night when the outside world—specifically his new neighbor—discovers him.

Liam Watson lives in a culture filled with electronics, mobile devices, and social media—where there is no magic or even the belief in it. And as much as Quill finds Liam irritating (he’s so cute it’s annoying), he can’t help himself.

Now Quill’s getting a taste of the outside world and of Liam…and he wants more. But all is not well in this magical, urban garden, and someone—or something—is changing the very essence of it.

And wherever Quill goes, the danger grows…

#Evergreen