(3.5, rounded up—HOWEVER the audio specifically deserves a 5/5, for anyone considering the 2 formats)

I was really excited to start this one when I won an ARC giveaway thru Tertulia (check 'em out, they rock & are a great alternative to Amzn). I flew thru the first 20ish pages, then it felt like it stalled out. Being the first print ARC I've received from Tor I wanted to push thru anyway. Those of you who know how freely I DNF know that this is a pretty big deal lol. Another 30+ pages and I'm still not into it enough to keep reading. Fast forward a few weeks, I see I can request the audiobook on NetGalley. The premise really sucked me in, so I went for it...... HOLY CRAP!!!!! I WAS LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER DOING LAUNDRY I WAS SO PARANOID!!!! Iykyk, anyone who has listened to the audiobook in its entirety will know EXACTLY the section I'm talking about. BRAVO, producers & narrators. Wow. That portion is up there with the efficiency of Plastic by Scott Guild's audiobook.

Had I continued in print, I may have thrown in the towel and never gotten to the part mentioned above, idk. And just looking at the print format of that section, print doesn't do it justice at all. I rarely am adamant about someone going with a certain formatting (ASSuming they're physically able)—actually this is the very first time—but there is simply no way print can live up to the goosebumps I was left with multiple times by the audiobook.

Thank you bunches to Tertulia, Tor, Macmillan Audio, Barry McStay, Lauren O’Leary, Sarah Maria Griffin and NetGalley for the ALC & ARC ❣️

When I was a baby hippie who had recently discovered Joni Mitchell and was also a horror lover, maybe 13 years old, I wrote a short story for a class assignment about a daisy whose field was paved over that was reincarnated as a bulldozer and wreaked revenge on all parties involved in the destruction of her field. Fast-forward a few years, and, within several weeks, I have finished my third novel featuring sentient plant life - a Frankenstein retelling in A Botanical Daughter, alien plant pod people in Overgrown, and now, a hungry greenhouse dweller who also narrates a great deal of the novel in Eat the Ones You Love. The portions narrated by the plant reveal him to think and act like a classic psychopathic villain, who has no trouble rationalizing his appetites which take the guise of love and attraction from his point of view and is the most overtly horrific plot line, but Eat also has more subtle horrors, such as having to start over - or worse, “go back home” - and with a minimum wage job, after years working in one’s chosen career and on a relationship. Humor comes from this as well, like when Shellie’s former friends plan a confrontation out of “concern” for her at a baby shower which focuses on how her life events impacted them. Also - highly recommend the audio version - very well produced.

I love it when a book has an unconventional narrator and I was here for the omniscient evil plant (named Baby) here. The build up was a bit slow but after the halfway point the creepiness really picked up in this one. It’s a unique take on obsession, with some dark humor and some drama sprinkled in. I also enjoyed the dying mall setting and commentary along with the LGBTQ rep. The audiobook is narrated by Barry McStay who narrates Baby and Lauren O’Leary who does Shell and other voices. I enjoyed how O’Leary alternated accents where relevant and thought McStay did a great job capturing Baby.

Botanical horror? Yes please! This follows a down on her luck woman who takes a job at a flower shop located in a dying strip mall. She then discovers a sentient, sinister orchid growing in the back who is watching and waiting to feast on its next victim. Less scary and more unnerving, but incredibly original. The way it addressed dying mall culture and the tiresome nature of working retail was spot on. There’s also some really great stuff about growing up and starting over. I had such a good time reading this.

It's not hard to compare this book to Little Shop of Horrors (of which I am a huge fan!!) but the author expanded the human-eating-plant-living-in-a-run-down-flower-shop theme by including the POV of the orchid plant, Baby, and changing the flower shop location to Ireland. While the writing for Baby was beautiful and useful in describing how someone could be slowly consumed by moss, I sometimes felt that Baby's flowery prose (pun intended) was unnecessarily lengthy and I found myself wishing we could get back to the story. I understand that he's a plant and his world view is primarily limited to that of texture and observation to describe the world as he believes it to be, and it grew on me over time (I'm powerless against the puns) but it often left me wanting something more from his lengthy monologues to move the story forward.

I listened to the Audiobook and I appreciated the use of two narrators to help distinguish when Baby was in control of the story. The other character POVs are from Shell (the new employee at the flower shop who recently blew up her own life and broke up with her fiancee to move home with her parents and leave her basic friends behind) and Jen (the American botanist and ex-fiancee of Neve). Neve, the owner of the flower shop and servent to Baby, is primarily discussed through others (mainly Baby), so we are unable to actually hear her internal monologue and left to try to understand her motivations and her life through the lens of unreliable narrators. I think it would've added to the story to hear from Neve, but by the time Shell starts work at the shop, Neve is already pretty far gone and under the control of Baby.

This book explored themes of feeling trapped in your hometown, tucking your tail and moving back home, breaking free from unhealthy relationships, love, friendship, following your passions, the camaraderie among coworkers working in retail (it's a surprisingly deep bond from my experience). I also loved that this book took place in Ireland - a place full of lush greenery and orchids exclusively unique to Ireland.

If you like Little Shop of Horrors, I would recommend giving this a try but keep an open mind! Also - there is no sadistic dentist. :)

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillion Audio, for the ARC!! <3

3.5 rounded up

Baby could never reach me because I kill every plant I come into contact with. So listen, do I know what I was reading? Not especially. But did I have fun? Absolutely. I don’t even really know what to say except that Shell and I have a lot in common, especially when it comes to self isolating and ignoring texts from friends so while I think she was maybe supposed to be an unlikable main character I really related to her. I think I was expecting this to go sort of in a Bloom kind of direction but I like that I didn’t see the ending coming. Weird but fun, catch me cultivating plants never.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for early copy for review*

If you want to read this book you should check out the audiobook. Hearing the Irish accent transported me to Ireland. There is also an American character and the narrator did that accent as well. Both narrators did an impressive job setting the tone and there's a moment later in the book that sent shivers up my spine because of the production.

The book itself was only okay for me and while I felt on the edge of my seat at times the payoff was not enough. Being inside the sentient flower's mind was compelling, but once you left that you were stuck in the mundaneness of Shell and Neve's existence

I would still recommend checking it out if you enjoy audiobooks.

This was such a fun, spooky read! I'm definitely giving my plants some side eye (especially since I'm definitely not the best plant mom). The dual narration between Neve, Chelle, Jen and Baby was a fantastic touch. I really enjoyed it right to the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the chance to listen to this early.

This absolutely reminded me of Little Shop of Horrors, but I love Little Shop and that just made me appreciate it more. This is so much its own story, and feels set in such a different time and place. It's weird and funny and gross, in the best ways. The narration is great, and the pacing is perfect.

One of my most anticipated reads of the year!! So excited that I got an audio-arc for this! The Audiobook was really well done! I enjoyed both the narrators.

It does have a little bit of Little Shops of Horror vibes but it is very much its own story/plot. The characters were great I loved Baby. I do wish it would have been a bit more on the horror side but I did like it regardless. The vibes are sooo good it's set in Ireland in an old dying mall/shopping center. The descriptions of the shops and the mall itself are really well done it made it very easy to picture it.

It's a really fast paced book perfect for a quick read!

Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin tells the story of Baby, a sentient carnivorous orchid, and its all consuming obsession of Neve. Shell gets a job at Neve’s floral shop in a dying mall. She has an instant attraction for Neve and becomes entwined with several of the mall’s other workers. I thought this might veer off into tongue in cheek territory but that’s not the case. The audiobook is narrated by Barry McStay and Lauren O’Leary, who both do a superb job in voicing the book’s many characters and points of views. Toxic relationships, found family, and starting over are themes at the root of this story. ALC was provided by Macmillan Audio via NetGalley. I received an audiobook listening copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was seriously weird. I love really weird books so that isn't a bad thing at all. I don't really know how else to describe this book other than little shop of horrors if you sucked all the comedy out of it. I mean that in the best way possible though. It was like if poison ivy was actually controlled by her plants. The duel pov made this so much better as well. I seriously just loved everything about this book.

If someone put ‘ botanical horror’ on the side of a white van I would get taken. This was everything I wanted it to be, it’s got a sapphic romance, evil plants, found family, and literal buckets of gore! I had so much fun listening to this because it’s dual audio so the pov change adds so much to this in my opinion. Thank you to NetGally and Macmillan Audio for early access to this audiobook in exchange for my review.

Oh, this was such a fun book! I love a weird, unpredictable, horror-filled read—and Eat the Ones You Love absolutely delivered. From start to finish, it had me hooked. The twists were wild, the tone was strange in the best way, and just when I thought I knew where it was going, it veered off into even weirder territory (which I loved).

The different perspectives throughout the story added so much depth and intrigue—it was such a creative and effective way to tell the story. I also highly recommend the audiobook. The narration was incredible and brought the characters and eerie atmosphere to life perfectly.

If you’re into horror that’s a little offbeat and totally unpredictable, this one is definitely worth picking up!

What’s cool about this book is that you can enjoy it on two levels. On the surface, it’s a horror story—a creepy tale about a carnivorous plant that takes control of one of the main characters, Neve. And even just at face value, it’s a lot of fun. Think Little Shop of Horrors, but more serious and less satirical.

But if you want to dig deeper, there’s a lot of symbolism to uncover—and that’s where the story really hit me. That’s why I rated it so highly. To me, it’s a powerful metaphor for mental health, attachment styles, and toxic relationships—how they can take root and completely consume you.

Would I recommend this book to everyone? Absolutely not. This is one I’ll keep close, reserved for people who I know will understand the deeper meaning behind it. I want to recommend it to those who are open to exploring those themes, who’ve maybe seen a “Neve” in their own lives.

I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.

2.75/5 rounded up.

I was not impressed with this but I really wanted to be. I think the cover is so cool and the premise sounded really interesting, but it really didn't hit the make like it could've.

This was very slowly-paced and didn't feel very action-packed or interesting. This book focuses on the mundane aspects more than the actually interesting, whimsical and unique parts.

There is a spooky plant at the center of the story but it rarely in the story. Use your spooky plant!! I wanted a spooky story! And I did not get one.

I also found it a bit difficult to keep track of all of the characters and POVs that kept getting introduced.

I really just wanted so much more from this. It did bring up some interesting conversations every now and then, but I struggled to want to continue listening to this book. Maybe if it was shorter I wouldn't have as much of a problem with how slow and lackluster if felt??

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

When Shell gets a job at a florist in a dying Irish shopping center, she believes this might be the thing to restart her life anew. But what Shell doesn't know is that a sentient plant is keeping the entire center alive and has plans for her....

A great creepy read for anyone who loves Little Shop of Horrors, sapphic reads, and body horror.

While it’s easy to draw comparisons to Little Shop of Horrors, the only real similarity is the presence of a sentient plant. Eat the Ones You Love stands entirely on its own with a fantastic cast of characters, a deeply relatable setting, and emotionally resonant themes.

Set in a decaying shopping center in Ireland, this creature feauture follows Shell, who returns home after a devastating breakup and being laid off from her corporate job. On a nostalgic grocery run to a familiar mall from her youth, she spots a “HELP NEEDED” sign in a florist shop window. There she meets Neve; quirky, magnetic, and immediately intriguing, who offers her a job on the spot. As Shell is drawn deeper into Neve’s vibrant world of blooms (and her tight-knit friend group), she begins to suspect something strange is blooming behind the scenes. A seemingly unremarkable orchid hides dangerous secrets that could unravel everything.

The characters are beautifully fleshed out; complex, dynamic, and deeply human. Shell’s journey is particularly captivating. As the story unfolds, we witness her grow into someone more confident, daring, and grounded. Her transformation feels natural, and her emotional arc is both satisfying and relatable. It’s a story about starting over and realizing that losing everything might just be the beginning of becoming yourself.

The setting is perfectly eerie. There are shopping centers like the one Griffin paints so well scattered around the world—quiet, crumbling, and forgotten—making the environment feel hauntingly familiar. That realism adds a chilling layer to the atmosphere.

Griffin explores themes of obsession, desire, friendship, capitalism, and hunger through haunting prose. Shell’s evolving relationships felt raw and genuine, and the tension between past and future is expertly handled.

Most of the horror lies in the atmosphere. The sentience of Baby, the plant, is deeply unsettling, and its growing influence on the world around it is alarming. I do think the horror could have packed more of a punch with an extra death or two, and I found the relationship between Baby and Neve somewhat muddled (it hinted at fascinating complexity, but never quite came into focus). I was left curious (and slightly confused) about how their dynamic really worked.

That said, the ending was excellently executed. It was satisfying without being predictable, and it tied things up in a way that didn’t feel overly neat or forced.

I listened to this via audiobook and honestly, it felt tailor-made for the format. The narration was exceptional, especially the male narrator voicing Baby, who brought a whole new level of eerie gravitas to the story.

I’ll definitely be following Sarah Maria Griffin’s work from here on out. Fans of Little Shop of Horrors, creature horror, botanical horror, and beautifully weird fiction will find a lot to love (and fear) in this one.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A strange, sapphic Little Shop of Horrors indeed, though perhaps a bit less "B movie" than the original. Shell is the book's Seymour equivalent, a shy nebbish character who finds her confidence, and obsessive romantic sentiments for Neve (Audrey's equivalent?), after starting a new job at a mysterious plant shop. Unbeknownst to the innocent Shell, a carnivorous, hyperintelligent plant called Baby (Audrey II) is omnipresent in her new life, waiting for the right moment to pounce.

It was delightfully strange to experience Baby's twisted plantlike perspective of the human reality surrounding him. I can't think of another book that has been told from the perspective of an obsessive carnivorous plant, so props to Griffin for pulling this off. It was an addictive read, and the skillful storytelling was a large part of the enjoyment. More weird lit/mystery than horror, this one is all vibes for the first 2/3-3/4 of the book and is a bit slow to get to the horror aspects.

And, truth be told, the horror elements included are fairly mild. This could be viewed as a positive or negative; it might be a bit frustrating to some die-hard horror fans, but if you are not a fan of immensely scary horror, and just like to enjoy weirdness for its own sake (and who doesn't?), this may be for you. I can also see fans of Rachel Harrison enjoying this book, for the “horror lite” aspect and strong female character development.

I realize that this was billed as a horror with some romance, but the various romances played a much larger role than I had anticipated. I had hoped for the horror to take top billing with romance as a small subplot, but I think the reality was actually the opposite. This might suit a romance fan interested in exploring the horror genre for the first time? I would be curious to hear a romance reader's thoughts. Beyond this, I did overall enjoy the experience of this book, especially the “weird” elements.

As I was sent the audiobook to review, I must mention that Barry McStay and Lauren O'Leary were both fantastic narrators. Barry in particular enhanced the listening experience, with a dark, smokey timbre that was perfect for the role of the deadly Baby.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Maria Griffin, and Macmillan Audio for sending me this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Orchids are notoriously difficult to keep alive, who knew all they needed was human flesh?

I thought this was a fun concept, I loved the slowly dying mall setting and the way you bond with people you work with. I wish there had been more of a focus on the plant (Baby) and their past deeds. The plant tells the story but I want more of their story!

Definitely travels into the unsettling body horror near the end and the conclusion was very satisfying!