This had so much promise, and it started off so well for me. I was delighted by the bitchy plant narrator (plus some others) that was obsessed with this woman, Neve, who runs a flower shop in an aging mall that is about to be closed and bulldozed to the ground. Our MC Shell was a good way in to the dynamic between Neve and the plant, whose name I have forgotten, and to the friend group who work at this mall in dead end jobs. It was intriguing and seemed to have good atmosphere. It's set in Ireland. Plus, I'd heard the whole thing was a metaphor for being in an abusive relationship. Then, Neve and Michelle's friends start getting involved and trying to take the bitchy plant down, and that was exciting. For a little bit.

And then . . .

It just kind of fizzled? And I almost completely lost interest? Not to mention the ending was a bust. It did not provide me resolution in pretty much any way. I don't know, I can't really explain this one. I would definitely read more books from this author, but only after people I trust have read it first (and that usually agree with me about horror books!). I'm not mad I read it, but I feel it had so much potential, and didn't live up to it. 

The audiobook was the way to go, even if I didn't love how this turned out. There are two narrators, and both of them have Irish accents. The male narrator gives the bitchy plant just the right attitude.

Okay, I literally don't know what this was. It was a pretty quick DNF for me.
I am still really thankful to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access.

OMG. This book was so weird and so good and I loved it. I’m not even sure how to adequately describe it…

So, most of the book is narrated in 3rd omniscient voice, which is that of a sentient plant. It’s such a bizarre premise, but it completely worked.

It definitely has shades of Little Shop of Horrors, but also, what it’s like working under late stage capitalism, how friendships change as we change, and maybe, when you really love someone, you just need to consume them.

This was such a bizarre and wonderful story, I highly recommend it if you’re looking for something different.

This was such a unique story, I loved that it was told mostly from Baby's perspective and the side plot of emails from Jen. The writing was stunning and I really appreciated the dual narrators they did a fantastic job. I enjoyed this far more than I could have imagined, such a wonderfully weird book.

🌿EAT THE ONES YOU LOVE🌿 by Sarah Maria Griffin was an unexpected story that was both intriguing and a bit slow to come to fruition. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publishers @torbooks and @macmillanaudio for the e and audio-ARCs. #macaudio2025

🌱🌱🌱

When Chelle is out looking for a new job and stumbles upon a curious flower shop with a help wanted sign, she is inextricably drawn into the store. The shop owner Nev is charming and Chelle is immediately smitten, accepting the job offer on the spot. As Chelle works beside Nev and obsesses about her, they form an intimate relationship, but lurking in the shadows is a dark and disturbing secret that Nev keeps even closer to her heart.

While I was definitely interested in the dark secret of Nev and was enthralled by the omniscent narration of the dark entity, I lost the plot on this one a bit when new characters veer the story in a very different direction. This was clearly an attempt to explain some of the secrets of Nev outside of the knowledge of Chelle but it just didn't work very well for me as the voice of that character was wildly different than the others and I kept getting kicked out of the story so to speak. The obsession and dangerous longings of the main characters were enticing but I just kept getting lost with the side story. Overall I found this story entertaining and somewhat unique but just couldn't keep my head in the game the whole time. I am glad I read to the end but also could have done without that side part.

But seriously, I LOVE the title and cover of this book!

I really disliked everything about this book. I disliked the male narrator. I was bored with story.

Ok so this feels like Little Shop of Horrors but make it lit fic, and I mean that in a good way? This was weird, and honestly I don't know how I feel about it. But it's written in such an intriguing way that you can't stop, and you need more more more. Honestly this could lead to so much conversation and exploration, and I was shocked how much I enjoyed it, as someone who is sometimes not cool enough for Weird Girl Lit.
Highly recommend the audio - it is done so well and really adds to the story.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Phenomenal audiobook! I got lost in the story almost immediately and couldn’t stop thinking about it while I wasn’t reading.

*4 stars*

A queer evil plant horror is always a premise I will pick up. This was weird and unsettling in a good way. The setting of a decaying mall past its prime gave the story a wonderful, nostalgic kind of creepiness.

I wish we would have gotten to know Neve a little better, but I did appreciate the switch in chapters to Jen’s point of view that kind of pulled you more towards reality. Overall I liked this and I think if you like this kind of creepy, moist, plant horror you will too.

The audiobook was well done and easy to listen to. The narration was excellent, the narrators changing between sections really increased the jarring difference between narratives.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

Having started this book only digital was a bit of a challenge, until I picked up the audio. The narrators helped massively with the issue of tone. Not your typical horror, it leans more towards just weird lit. I loved Baby so much, their obsession was captivating.

A fascinatingly different type of storytelling for fans of Mexican Gothic and Knock Knock Open Wide. A wonderfully gory story and I loved the voice of the plant!

This book was a weird one and in a good way. I loved the prose and the narration but I honestly wished more time was spent developing Neve and the rest of the mall group. We spent a lot of time Shelly and honestly I found her to be the least interesting of the characters in the book. Both narrators do a really great job Barry McStay does a wonderfully creepy job brining Baby’s narration to life and really kept me invested even when I wasn’t enjoying parts of the story.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC. Here are my thoughts!

Shell is in a bit of a rut. It’s the middle of the pandemic and she just broke off her engagement and lost her job. She is walking through the city when she sees a help wanted sign in a cute plant shop. She gets the job and is intrigued by the owner Neve, but little does she know that an orchid named Baby is running the show. And doing whatever it needs to to satisfy its hunger.

This book was weird, but in the best ways possible. The plot felt original once Baby was introduced into the story and the fact that Baby narrated a decent chunk of the book was captivating. I loved hearing the crazy thoughts of this plant and was entertained to see how the characters would react to his plans.

Some of the characters are a little annoying but I think they are supposed to be, but I enjoyed the various POVs in the book as everyone tries to riddle out what the heck is going on with Neve and Shell. It’s a love story, but no the type you would expect as Baby will do anything to protect the one that he loves.

Barry McStay and Lauren O’Leary have wonderful voices to listen to. I was happy with the choice to use multiple narrators, because Baby needed his own voice! Every time I hear his voice I knew it was going to be a good chapter.

Baby will be on my list of favourite villains, and I can’t wait to read the next book by Sarah Maria Griffin. If it’s even close to this one, I’ll be a very happy camper!

I just couldn’t find enough interest to finish this one. As a reader, you're thrown into the story with no real context—there’s barely any world-building or backstory, except for vague glimpses through third-party letters. Characters are underdeveloped, so even the hinted-at love interest feels hollow and unearned. It’s hard to care about what’s happening when you’re not given much reason to.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

That was creepy and strange, but in a good way! The tension just grabs hold of you and drags you along. I enjoyed it!

This book was strange. Did that make it bad? Not at all, it was highly entertaining in places.
The story is told mostly from a plants POV, but I kinda loved the plants creepy personality.

Taking place in a floral shop, it truly shows that sometime working in retail is pure hell!

The narration was WONDERFUL, and really at times made this book

Welp that was utterly weird. A lot of it was told from a plants POV. THE writing style was good and I’d read more from Thai author again.

This audiobook was awesome. I've noticed there is a difference in the reviews between those who read this book and those who listened. I was a listener and I really enjoyed it. Lauren O’Leary did a great job juggling voices and accents but Barry McStay really stole the show with his jealously menacing narration. The decrepit mall was a great setting to let the botanical horror play out. I thought the writing was slick and was perfectly matched by the narrators. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

While the description obviously gave Little Shop of Horror vibes, I was really pleased to find that this was definitely its own unique story. I was also glad to have listened to the audiobook because the multiple narrators all did great jobs, adding humor, emotion, and a wonderful creepiness to the text.

I don't want to give anything away, so I won't go into the story much, but if you're looking for a unique horror novel that has both physical and psychological elements, then this is a good book to pick up.

This was a fantastic, sapphic retelling of Little Shop of Horrors.

I really enjoyed the choice to tell the majority of the story from the POV of the plant. I think that was a really clever way to keep the mounting horor of what the plant is plotting in the forefront while set against the backdrop of a sweet little crush and growing some found family.

The audiobook was excellently narrated by a male and female narrator, both with thick but easy to understand Irish accents.

Definitely a fun time!