The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst is a warm hug of a book!

This wholesome, cozy romantasy follows a former librarian who puts her heart and soul into deciphering enchantments to save failing magical greenhouses.

This book also features other memorable characters like a reclusive and grumpy gardener, an adorable winged cat, and sentient plants that are bursting with personality. There are even some interesting callbacks to The Spellshop, the first book in the series.

I read a lot of grimdark stories, so it was nice to take a break and read a story about second chances, one that left me feeling hopeful for a change.

Thank you to Netgalley, Ms. Durst, and the publisher for this eALC (audiobook)!

This is an adorable, adorable book. It is the definition of cozy. It has the sweetest romance and I'm sorry - sentient. Plants. As a houseplant raiser and gardener, how could I not love a book where we save the plants? We follow our main character, Terlu, who has just been revived from her punishment of being a wooden statue. She discovers the greenhouse of greenhouses, sentient plants, and the gruff-yet-adorably-sweet gardener, Yarrow. Who had thought she was a sorcerer who could help save the greenhouses, not a woman who had illegally used magic to bring a spider plant to life.

The story flows wonderfully both in poetic writing, good pacing, and characters that I have fallen in love with (Dendy, <3). As the group starts on the quest to heal the greenhouse, they end up working on fixing themselves as well. It's really a lovely read for anyone who needs a pick me up.

Oh, and did I mention honey-loving pollinator dragons?

Terlu broke the code of the kingdom by casting magic and giving sentience to a plant so that she could have company. She paid for that misstep by being turned into a statue. Now, years later, her sentence has been lifted as she comes back to life on a mysterious island of greenhouses. Greenhouses that are failing and have only one man trying to help them. Insert more sentient plants (not of her own doing this time, technically) and a lot of hurt and you have a recipe for a magical cozy read.
I was honestly a little disappointed with this book. I really loved The Spellshop, and was very excited to return to that world. Sadly, this was a huge letdown in almost every capacity,
I didn't see the chemistry between the leads, which okay fine that can be subjective. But there's also the fact that this story focuses on a librarian who was mentioned in the first book in such a way I would have sworn she had been a statue for many more years than the handful its revealed. I think something like 3 years? I was under the impression it was closer to decades at least. That was strike one in my opinion since it took an implied date range and just totally axes it.
Then there's the fact we still get absolutely nothing about the very interesting revolution groundwork laid in book 1. Durst hints at it, but never gives us anything of value about it. It's tiresome. If you don't want to go into a heavy fantasy, then just don't mention that at all. There's no point. And in this book, where the actual driving plot is so thin, I was left much more annoyed than with book 1 for not giving more information. Though to be fair, spell shop did still give us SOMETHING.
Finally, this is more of a style issue for me, but the way the author makes a point of including pronoun preferences as a never ending list instead of more casually was very annoying. It feels very fact dumping instead of natural, as though Durst wants to MAKE SURE you know she is very cool with different identities, see she's included it right here in her book very blatantly. It reads unimaginative and tedious.
I just really didn't like most of the characters and it really almost put me in a slump. Just a huge let down.

This series feels like a warm hug.

The Enchanted Greenhouse was so cute and cozy! I didn’t love this quite as much as The Spellshop, but I really enjoyed it.

I love all the magical plants (although the voice for the rhododendron was not my favorite).

What a beautiful companion to The Spellshop! I loved the slowburn romance and the general cozy vibe. You can expect a quirky, lovable new cast of characters and of course MORE SENTIENT PLANTS! The setting is a dream (a remote island full of greenhouses). You don't need to read The Spellshop first but there are connections between the two that you'll enjoy if you've read it. The audio narration was fantastic and so well done. Another great cozy read for summer!

First thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC.

I absolutely loved this book. The Enchanted Greenhouse was such a fun escape. I really enjoy the change of pace that comes with cozy fantasy books.
   I related so much to Terlu, I am also an overthinker who talks way to fast when I'm nervous or excited.
   The grumpy/sunshine trope is one of my favorites and seeing Terlu melt Yarrows hard heart was wonderful to see. The descriptions of all the greenhouses were magical and breathtaking. All around a wonderful read

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. Having listened to The Spellshop while I was reading it, I was already familiar with the narrator, Caitlin Davies, and I enjoyed her narration just as much in this book as I did the other. Her use of emotion and emphasis was absolutely perfect, in both books! I enjoyed the story as well. I was happy to know that Caz's creator was given a chance to be happy and to help other people and plants. And I REALLY hope the ending indicates another book in the future? Maybe a reunion?!

For the crime of using magic, librarian Terlu Perna is turned into a statue. Never mind that her “crime” was harmless – she only gave sentience to a spider plant because she was lonely. But under an empire that forbids commoners from practicing magic, any spellcasting is a risk.

So Terlu is understandably surprised when she wakes up one day from her statue-ified state, in the middle of a snowstorm, on a nearly abandoned island. She doesn’t know where she is or why she’s been revived, only that there’s a greenhouse with more rooms than she can count – and that the island’s only inhabitant is a grumpy (but very handsome) gardener named Yarrow.

The sorcerer who built the greenhouse is gone, the magic that keeps it alive is failing, and Yarrow has asked the Empire for help. Instead, they sent Terlu and a spell to wake her up.

Despite her fear of punishment, Terlu is determined to restore the greenhouse, with help from Yarrow and a cast of magical creatures. It’s a story of second chances, found family, and quiet heroics.

I’ll be honest: The Spellshop wasn’t a personal favorite for me (I found the conflicts too easily resolved), but I liked it enough to give this second entry a try. While my reading does tend toward the darker side of fantasy and lighter horror, I have a soft spot for low-stakes fantasy stories too. (See: my never-ending evangelism of Swordheart by T. Kingfisher.) I worried The Enchanted Greenhouse might be too twee for my taste (when the FMC is described as having lavender skin, the shadow of the DNF briefly loomed), but the book won me over with its warm heart and humorous details.

My main complaint about The Spellshop was that anytime conflict was introduced, it was almost immediately neutralized. While The Enchanted Greenhouse has a similar structure, it didn’t bother me as much – or maybe I had just come to expect it from this series. It reminds me of an anime – there’s a big overarching conflict, but each chapter brings smaller conflicts you know will be resolved without too much fuss. Personally, I prefer higher stakes in my fantasy, but for cozy fantasy readers, this is a feature, not a bug.

Caitlin Davies narrates this book just as she did The Spellshop, and she’s a great fit – her voices for the magical creatures are delightful, and she captures Durst’s heroines’ blend of competence and uncertainty well. At times, Terlu felt similar to Kiela from the first book, but that might be more about the narration choices than the characters’ actual similarities.

If you enjoy cozy, cottagecore fantasy with gentle magic, secret spells, sentient plants, and soft second chances – and are a less crotchety person than I am (which is almost guaranteed) – I highly recommend this series, especially this second book. But if you prefer your fantasy with sharper edges, or you are crotchety (no judgment), you may want to look elsewhere.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

As a high fantasy reader, I always worry that cozy fantasy won’t be high stakes enough for me. The Enchanted Greenhouse definitely proved that wrong!

This was such an enchanting sweet story with incredible and lovable characters.

We have a librarian who is turned into a statue and she wakes up on an island. An island filled with greenhouses that she needs to help save.

I had such a fun time listening to this. The narrator did an incredible job with all the voices. It was easy for me to distinguish who was who while listening.

Audiobook/Book Review 📖✨🌿🎧
Thank you so much partner @brambleromance @macmillan.audio for the gifted arc + alc!

The Enchanted Greenhouse
by Sarah Beth Durst
Narrated by Caitlin Davies

About the book 👇🏽

Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.

But Terlu doesn’t want to return home, and as she grows closer with the unwittingly charming gardener, Yarrow, she learns that the magic that sustains the greenhouses is failing—causing the death of everything within them. Terlu knows she must help, even if that means breaking the law again.

🌿 My thoughts:

My heart!! After reading The Spellshop last year, The Enchanted Greenhouse quickly
went to the top for one of my most anticipated books of 2025! And it did not disappoint! I was very very fortunate that I was able to experience this book in my favorite way… hybrid reading! This was equally split between physical read and audiobook listen and both were incredible. The switch between the two were seamless and the narrator really gave life to this story while holding my attention as much as the physical read did. This is exactly what I want in a cozy fantasy. It’s beautifully written, comforting like your favorite treat, and cozy like a warm blanket on a rainy day. Healing, redemption, found family, and a slow burn that’ll make you swoon… it’s everything you could want in a story like this. Plus grumpy/sunshine is one my favorite tropes and we get that too! If you enjoy books that feel warm with some added magic you need to read and/or listen to The Enchanted Greenhouse… and it’s out now!!


Happy reading 📖🌿✨🎧

ALC Book Review
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.8

“The Enchanted Greenhouse” by Sarah Beth Durst narrated by Caitlin Davies published with macmillian audio

Firstly, I want to thank Sarah Beth Durst for providing me a copy of The Enchanted Greenhouse via Netgalley. “The Enchanted Greenhouse” by Sarah Beth Durst is a beautifully written and emotionally rich fantasy that explores redemption, belonging, and the quiet courage it takes to begin again. The story follows Terlu Perna, a former rebel librarian who once broke the law by creating Caz, a sentient spider plant. After serving her magical punishment of being turned to stone, Terlu awakens on the remote, snow-covered island of Belde. She is alone and uncertain of what her second chance at life means.

The only other person on the island is Yarrow, a handsome and reclusive gardener with a calm presence, a fondness for honey cakes, and a tendency to keep his emotions close. Despite his reserved nature, Yarrow offers Terlu kindness and encourages her to rediscover herself. As she begins to care for the island and the enchanted greenhouse at its center, Terlu realizes the magic holding the place together is starting to unravel.

When the island and the people she has come to care for are threatened, Terlu must make a choice. Is she willing to risk everything, including breaking the law again, to protect her new home and a fragile, blossoming romance?

This story is full of warmth, charm, and quiet strength. Sarah Beth Durst brings her world to life with vivid descriptions and emotionally grounded characters. Terlu is a thoughtful and complex heroine, and Yarrow’s steady support makes their connection feel natural and deeply moving.

A highlight is the greenhouse itself: wild yet intimate, full of mischievous vines, sentient mosses and talking roses that communicate in scents and tremors. It is a character in its own right, echoing with whispers of the past and hints of futures unplanted.

The audiobook narration adds even more enchantment. The voice actor Caitlin Davies delivers Terlu’s sharp wit and Yaro’s gentle reticence with textured charm, making this already rich tale a sensory delight

Perfect for readers who enjoy character-driven fantasy, soft magic, and stories about healing and hope, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a truly enchanting read.

*Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for early copy for review*


4.5 rater up

This was such a great cozy fantasy. There was so much in it that I just love about this genre. I love exploring fantasy world with new creatures and sentient plants. The character were also great and had a grumpy/sunshine trope that I enjoy as well. My only negative was I wasn't 100% sold on the two falling in love so quick, bit other than that I loved it.

The narrator did a fantastic job and there was times it felt like multiple people were telling the story.

Oh my 😍 listening to the audiobook was everything. I was so happy to be transported back to this world.

🎧Title: The Enchanted Greenhouse- Spellshop #2- a companion novel

✍🏾Author: Sarah Beth Durst-I read The Spellshop and gave it 4⭐

📅Publication date: 7/15/25 | Read: 7/16/25

🗣️Narrator: Caitlain Davies voices all the characters with standouts from Terlu, Yarrow, and Lottie. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrator worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrator paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

🏃🏾‍♀️‍➡️Run Time: 13:32

Genre:
*Romantasy
*Adult Fic

Tropes:
*cozy cottage
*magic-dragons, talking plants & animals
*grumpy H
*revolution/fallen empire

☝🏾POV: 3rd person

⚠️TW: h feels like a disappointment, abandonment, death of a child

🌎Setting: Alyssium to The Island of Belle

Summary: Terlu was lonely in the stacks of the library, so she used forbidden magic to create a talking spider plant-Caz. As punishment she was transformed into a wooden statue and left in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium. Years later she's found by Yarrow, a lone gardener, who welcomes her to an island made of magical greenhouses. Unfortunately, the magic is failing, killing all the plants and flowers inside. Terlu and Yarrow must find a presumed-dead witch to save the island.

👩🏾Heroine: Terlu Perna-a librarian, from Yano but left her family to find purpose.

👨🏾Hero: Yarrow Verbane- a gardener who cares for the greenhouses.

Other Characters:
*Lincoln-the sorcerer who created the greenhouses (deceased). Had a sick daughter, Rhea (16) who ran away.
*Lottie-a talking rose
*Emerald-a winged cat
*Marin-the sailor who brings supplies to Yarrow

🤔My Thoughts: This was a sweet escape from reality with Terlu, Yarrow, and the supernatural creatures. Terlu wanted to feel needed, and Yarrow thought she was just the sorcerer to help. The magic failed, killing many plants within the greenhouses. The mysterious creator Lincoln had a coded book of spells to wake the dormant plants, but they needed a more permanent fix to save them.

Rating: 4/5 ⭐

Spice level 1/5 🔥kissing

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Sarah Beth Durst for this ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

The Enchanted Greenhouse was such a great addition to the world of The Spellshop!

It has everything you could possibly want in a cozy fantasy. Sarah Beth Durst does an incredible job creating this beautiful world and magical greenhouse, describing scents that make you think you can smell them and delicious food that might have made my stomach growl. I would love to see more stand alones set in this incredibly magical world she has created.

The romance was so sweet and adorable, it honestly had me kicking my feet and giggling.

As for the narrator, Caitlin Davies, their voice acting was over the top! Their character work was so great and consistent, it was immediately clear what character was speaking before their name was mentioned. Davies gave so much emotion to the voices, they are very talented.

Thank you Macmillan Audio, NetGalley and especially Sarah Beth Durst for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

If The Spellshop was a warm hug, The Enchanted Greenhouse is that hug wrapped in a patchwork quilt and handed to you by a winged cat.

We’ve got an anxious librarian who’s never quite fit in, a grumpy gardener with abandonment issues, and a magical greenhouse on the verge of collapse. Toss in sentient plants, mini dragons, winged cats, and a slow-burn romance that gently wrecked me, and you’ve got the coziest fantasy with all the cottage core vibes I didn’t know I needed.

Yarrow is the softest grump in the land. He doesn’t say much, but when he does? 🥺 My heart. The emotional growth, quiet longing, and shared purpose between these two made this somehow even cuter than the first book.

I hope the author continues to write books in this series.

The Enchanted Greenhouse has to be one of my favorite reads of 2025! As a girl who spent her teens and 20s volunteering at libraries and her 20s and 30s as a gardener and houseplant enthusiast, I feel like I connect to this book on a personal level. I have 3 gardens and own over 300 houseplants, and the love I have for them all is indescribable. The only things I love more than them are my 2 human children and my husband, haha! All this to say, I love the idea of an enchanted greenhouse.
Terlu is a librarian who is assumed and charged for using magic after bringing her spider plant to life and, as a result, is condemned to the rest of her life as a statue. However, six years into her sentence, she is awakened by a gardener. She finds herself waking up in a greenhouse that's in need of major help. The gardener tells her that he needs a sorcerer who can awaken the plants from their enchanted sleep. However, Terlu isn't a sorcerer. Or is she?
This book is every bit of magical and wonderful! I loved every minute of it! The world-building is impeccable, and even as the second book to a series, you won't need the first book to understand what's going on. This book yields the most magical creatures from flying cats to birds that grow flowers from their feathers and tiny dragons to diamond dragonflies. Not to mention the sentient plants of all kinds! This is literally magic on paper!
Every character in this book is special in their own sense, which I loved. Of course, we love our FMC, Vera, but there is also Yarrow, the MMC, who takes some time warming up to. After a while, we get his whole deal. He's been tasked with a lot, and for so long. It's hard not to empathize with him. Loddie (spellcheck, because I received the ALC) was my favorite! As a small rose, doing everything she can to right her "wrongs" and make a difference, she is proof that big things do come in small packages.

"Funny, kind, and forgiving. The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story about giving second chances - to others and to yourself."
5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Sarah Beth Durst for this lovely ARC!

After spending six years as a statue—punishment for creating a sentient plant with forbidden magic—Terlu awakens to find herself on an island full of greenhouses. Her only companions are a grumpy (but handsome) gardener named Yarrow, a winged cat, and a group of enchanted plants desperately in need of care.

Most of the time, Terlu finds herself torn between using the magic that got her in trouble in the first place and the need to help the dying plants and Yarrow bring the greenhouse back to life. That emotional push and pull adds a layer of depth to the otherwise lighthearted tone.

This cozy, feel-good read blends magic, whimsy, and a touch of humor into a charming little package. While it’s technically the second book in a series, you can absolutely read it as a standalone.

I especially loved all the magical plant characters—each one bursting with personality—but Lotti completely stole the show. Her mischievous, over-the-top energy made me laugh out loud more than once.

Caitlin Davis’s narration is fantastic. She captures the warmth, humor, and pacing of the story with ease, bringing each character—human and plant alike—to life. I’d happily listen to anything she narrates.

If you’re in the mood for something cozy, magical, and delightfully quirky, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a lovely escape. It’s the kind of story that feels like a warm cup of tea on a rainy afternoon.

Here is my review for the enchanted greenhouse … thank you so much net galley and Sarah Beth Durst for allowing me to read this book in advance in exchange for an honest review

I am absolutely in love with how Caitlin Davies brings The Enchanted Greenhouse with her narration. Her warm, expressive tone felt like a cozy hug through my headphones. She really nailed Emerals meow as well. 🥰 Davies’s narration is perfect for this world, and I’ll be recommending the audiobook version to everyone.

I mean… greenhouses?? An entire gaggle of sentient planty friends?? Tiny pollinator dragons?? Come on. These books are written for the cozy fantasy lover who wants to pack up their entire life and move into a magical island full of heart, humor, healing, and hope. (Me. They are written for me. 😍)

Following Terlu and Yarrow’s journey was lovely. Their relationship from strangers, to tentative allies, to friends, to something more… was so gentle and beautiful. The found family themes are strong here, and there’s so much love in this book… not just romantic love, but love for community, love for nature, love for being.

And the magic! The magic in this book feels like it was made to fill the childlike wonder center of my brain. Each greenhouse is a new magical marvel, and I honestly couldn’t read fast enough because I was so eager to see what Sarah Beth Durst had dreamed up next.

And don’t even get me started on the planty friends…I adored Lotti and her whole leafy crew!

One of my favorite parts was getting to know Emeral, a winged cat, as a fully featured character in this story. That connection added such a special layer of joy for me because obviously I was obsessed with the winged cats in The Spellshop.

Speaking of emotions… at the end of the book when Terlu realizes Caz is alive? I was misty-eyed, giggling, and shouting yesssss! 😍

Honestly, the only thing wrong with this book is that it ended. 😭 I want to open a magical portal and move to Belde permanently. And then I wanna get a boat and go visit Caltrey, and have some jam with Caz.

These books feel like a warm hug, a bowl of perfectly seasoned soup, and a nap in the sun with a purring cat… all rolled into one. I cannot wait for the next book, and I’m sure I’ll be rereading this as well as The Spellshop while I wait!