Send Flowers by Emily Buchanan is a book i wouldn't typically reach for, but I'm glad I did because it is very unique. One thing about me is that magical realism novels will always call my name. You don't have to have a green thumb to appreciate this one!

We follow Fiona, a former activist turned greenfluencer who resides in London, grieving the loss of her boyfriend, Ed, after a climate change rally goes wrong. The plot twist is that a small twiggy yew tree comes into play that changes the course of her life in the most unexpected of ways.

This house plant shows up on her doorstep, and she believes it is her boyfriend, Ed, reincarnated. It just so happens that it was his favorite plant. Things continue to get weirder. As Fi takes it in to nuture and decodes what this means, the plant continues to flower and speak to her. Ed tries to guide her out of darkness, but as threats in her life continue to escalate, his presence gets weaker.

Grief and climate change are front and center here. I haven't read anything quite like this before. The author is tender on her message to readers, but there's also an uplifting humor in it that works.

*Also to note, we can't deny how our political climate has changed drastically, not to mention changes to current protesting laws. I think that's what made this hit harder.

Thanks to @netgalley and @harlequinbooks @parkrowbooks for this galley!

Thank you to NetGalley, Park Row and Emily Buchanan for providing this e-ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I loved how Emily Buchanan managed to interweave serious considerations of grief, performative activism, social media and climate change with very witty, necessary humor. Not only did it get her message across, but it also allowed for a much needed reprisal from the hopelessness typically associated with these topics.

Fifi is a green influencer who is in active mourning in the beginning of this book. Then, a plant gets delivered to her door and she starts to believe that plant is actually her deceased partner reincarnated, Ed. Ed, who tragically died in a very gruesome way during a protest for climate action. We go through a journey where her PTSD, grief and the rebuilding of her self confidence come together when Fifi starts to flirt with the idea of reclaiming her power in the non-violent protesting space.

Despite the speculative elements--worsened climate consequences, even bigger wealth disparity and lack of empathy, as well as an authoritarian-like approach to governing--the book felt rooted in the present. Climate activism has long been deemed "terrorism" by a lot of factions whose interests do not align with our planet's needs (quite the opposite), and we are actively seeing governments curtailing democratic rights as people turn to social media for escapism/performance. So, this "near future" Buchanan has built out felt a lot more plausible than one would wish for.

My favorite element of this book was by far the main character's struggle with grieving a man who didn't always loved her right and for who she was. I feel like grief is always complex but it is hard to come to terms with the fact one's relationship wasn't as rosey as one would like to believe. I love how she is only able to move forward once she stops self-isolating and finds comfort in friends and family. Her healing arc was executed beautifully.

This was a bit too weird for me. I didn't find the main character to be enjoyable, and the boyfriend seemed like a dick, so I had a hard time feeling sad for her grief.

Grief, humor, new directions, activism, resistance, riots, police brutality, and climate change.

I don’t like to rehash a plot, or share spoilers so will say that *Send Flower*s is striking, the author has written grieving with honesty; the raw power of it and how it reshapes a person, and reading this brought with it a lot of emotions for me.

Despite the heaviness, the story is engaging and very readable.

Recommended.



Thank you to Park Row and NetGalley for the DRC

Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read an early digital copy of Send Flowers by Emily Buchanan. Honestly, this probably wouldn't have been a book that I would normally be interested in, but I lost my mom at the beginning of the year, and I have been actively seeking out books, both nonfiction and fiction, that deal with loss and grief. This is one of those books with lots of profound sentiments, that anyone who has ever lost anyone close to them can relate to. The lessons the MC learns throughout the book are beautiful. I thought the author did a fantastic job of showing the reality of grief. She was able to articulate things that I couldn't exactly put into words but made me think, "Yes! That's exactly how I feel!" I haven't seen this one too much on social media, but I definitely think it is a hidden gem in the book world.

This book is delightfully offbeat with a blend of grief, growth, and greenery whilst also being witty, weird, and unexpectedly moving throughout,

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for granting my request to read this e-ARC and provide my honest thoughts.

To be honest, I’m struggling to find the right words to fully capture the emotions this book stirred in me. I went into it expecting a story about grief and its toll on a person — but this book is so much more than that.

I have to applaud the author for the way she wove such heavy themes — police brutality, climate change, death, grief, activism, protests, riots, racism — into a story that still feels accessible and readable.

For me, Send Flowers was an eye-opener. Yes, we all want change... but real change doesn’t happen without sacrifice. What are we truly willing to do to bring about the world we desperately hope for?

This book is heavy. It’s raw. It lays grief bare in its most unfiltered form. It shows what people are willing to risk for change. And let me warn you — it might just leave your eyes misty.

I was really wishy washy about this one for a while. There was no sugar coating anything from the start. You meet Fiona, Fi, and she's in the middle of grieving. Full on grieving the death of her boyfriend Ed. Her life is in shambles, full on hot mess. Then one day Fi receives a house plant, a house plant that she believes was sent to her by her dead boyfriend? So Fi puts his ashes in the plant pot, waters and takes care of it and then start believing that Ed has been reincarnated into this plant. I mean he sometimes talks to her, fever dream? Delusions based on extreme grief? Anyway, these conversations they end up having bring Fi back to the life she lived before she became an influencer. The life where Fi was an activist.

The redemption of this book, for me anyway, was Fi coming to the realization that while she felt guilt for what happened to Ed, she didn't have to follow his path. She didn't need to be an activist the way Ed was, the way Ed died being. She could forge her own path with activism in a way that was comfortable for her. All in all, this was a pretty entertaining read. So thank you to the publisher & author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting and moving take on what grief looks like, and it reminded me a little bit of Shark Heart by Emily Habeck. Fiona is a messy and complicated and delightful character, and it’s easy to root for her.

interesting story about love and grief and finding a way back to family and living in this new world . she gets a flower and thinks that its her lover and finds way to get back to family.

Send Flowers is one of the most unique books I've ever read and dives into grief and it's stages, as well as climate change and advocacy.

This was such an interesting, emotional read. It was a story about grief at its core, and the denial stage of grief I think — both about losing a loved one and struggling to accept it but also the quick death of the planet after the MC had devoted her time to caring for it. Fiona very much so intertwines her partners death and the climate crisis, which was a really fascinating psychological exploration.

This felt like such an important book to read, on many different levels. First of all, it's a story about a young woman (Fifi) grieving the loss of her partner who died tragically in his role as a climate activist. There is much here about the different ways that we grieve such deep losses. Pay attention to who validates the unusual way that she expresses her sorrow, and pay attention to those who do not. We can learn A LOT here about how to move toward those who grieve, no matter what we think about how they are grieving.

On a deeper level, it's a story about the courage and strength it takes to become an ACTIVE activist in this world. The women (and a few of the men) here are strong and determined and intelligent.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and publisher, for an advanced ready copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Fiona lost her partner in a tragic and public way and she hasn’t left her apartment since. She isn’t taking care of herself, she’s neglecting her job as an influencer with half a million followers, and she has let all the wonderful plants she tended to with Ed die. One morning, Fiona finds a plant at her doorstep, along with a note. The plant is Ed’s favorite and Fiona begins to hear his voice, encouraging her to live her life. Fiona begins to reconnect with the world and that might mean taking some risks.

This is a unique and thrilling story about grief, climate change, advocacy, and figuring out what you’d like to make of your life.

Thank you to Park Row and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.