I want to start this review by saying that I really really liked this book but the reality is not what the cover or synopsis says this book is going to be about.

based on the cover and even the synopsis you think you're getting into a potentially lighthearted to medium heaviness book about a woman going through grief after her boyfriend dies and she thinks he is reincarnated as a house plant. from the synopsis you think she's going to go on a little bit of a healing journey and that's that. and technically that happens in this book but it is much heavier and harsher than I expected it to be. personally I'm not upset about that, but I do think there should be some content warnings about police brutality and death at the hands of police and climate crisis etc.

so what this book is actually about is this woman named Fiona who is an influencer, which I know I normally shy away from the influencer books but I didn't read that far in the synopsis, anyway she is an influencer but she used to be a climate activist. she got tricked into signing this gag order with a talent agency essentially and it really restricted what she was able to post about. this is all during her relationship with a prominent eco activist who was very die hard and upset about her restrictions on social media. her boyfriend's name was Ed and he actually died at a protest. I'll put it at the end with a content warning and a spoiler because I do think that I would have liked to know how brutal his death was but I understand other people might not, just know that it's gruesome and while not intentionally committed at the hands of the police it was a result of the actions of the police and their response to a peaceful protest. I'm sure you can imagine the horror and the harshness in the political climate we live in globally at the moment. (this book takes place in England the the MC is Scottish)

so this book starts 3 months after Ed dies and Fiona is struggling. she has let all of her house plans die, she's neglecting her cat, she's neglecting herself and she really wanted to die herself. One day a plant shows up on her doorstep and Fiona thinks that it is Ed reincarnated. she is hearing his voice and it's not acting like a traditional plant and she starts making her decisions based on what this plant is doing.

she starts to believe that plant ed wants her to go back to her roots and this leads her down a path of former activist friends, alienated personal friends, and eventually her semiestranged father. it all culminates into her working up some courage to start participating in activism again.

I would classify this as a very near future dystopian environmental literary fiction situation. it is not a rom-com it is not a romance at all and it's not a fantasy or anything like that. everything that happens in this book sounds like something that could happen tomorrow. there are things that happen in this that are actively happening in other countries and are really difficult to read us fiction when you know it's happening in real life.

at its core this book is about the climate crisis and how individuals can band together to combat fascist totalitarian governments that seek to protect capitalist mindsets and not the individual or the general population. it really is a good look at the culture of influencing and the pros and cons of that title within social media. another thing I think this book does really well is discuss how social media can share information that 20 years ago would have been just swept under the rug. I'm critical of influencers a lot of the time but it cannot be denied that the reach of social media has changed the way we receive news and information and are able to participate in activism.

now as for the actual characters in this book Fiona is not super likable and Ed, both as a human and a plant was kind of an asshole. it's part of the reason why I say this isn't a rom-com because it's an imperfect relationship and one that you're not really rooting for. it's more something that you're just experiencing.

I liked the secondary characters in this and I do think that the message was well portrayed. some of the fabulism elements weren't as fleshed out and it really is just that she is believing that Ed is reincarnated. there's not really any other magical elements.

part of me thinks there's a little bit of genius in the cover / synopsis being a little misleading because I do think it's going to get people to read this book who wouldn't grab it knowing how strongly activist focused this book is. I 100% can I imagine there will be a reviews calling this book preachy but I also think it's going to get into the hands of people who wouldn't necessarily consume this kind of literature.

overall I did really like it I think it's a great debut and I look forward to reading future books from this author. I especially appreciated the authors note where it explains all of her research she did and you can tell this is such a well researched and documented book and why and how each of the storylines and plot points were included.

now I'm going to be spoilery and tell you how Ed dies so if you don't want to know that just skip.

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS


TURN BACK IF YOU DONT WANT TO KNOW HOW ED DIES



so at a political protest the police start kettling and they are trying to push back protesters. this takes place in England where police horses are prevalent. so Ed is one of the organizers of the protest and so he decides he wants to go talk to the police. only a cis white straight man with that kind of privilege would do that but he tries to go up to them and violence ensues. The police lose control of their horses and Ed is literally stomped to death by a police horse. it describes how his head is caved in and it is graphic. it is also manipulated by the media and Ed is called an eco-terrorist. eventually the narrative is shifted but there is no doubt that his death is at the hands of the police and their actions and reactions to a peaceful protest. Police brutality exists in many forms and this is one of them. ACAB forever.

This book was an interesting concept. The fact she thought the plant was her dead lover was so unique.
The writing was amazing.

Of note: sometimes you should not judge a book by a cover

I was sent this ARC and I thought it looked like a cute griefy romcom so I said yes and I was wrong very wrong (the book doesn’t have the : magical realism exploration etc on other apps)

This book follows Fiona, an eco influencer, as she processes the recent death of her boyfriend who was killed during a protest. While it does focus on grief and Fiona thinks her boyfriend got reincarnated as a magical talking plant (I’m still unsure if he did or not) - the book takes a turn and actually becomes a story about fighting climate change in London and the importance of platforms, awareness, and community.

I’m so flabbergasted by this book and have no idea what to rate it or how to feel - somehow it kept my attention the entire time though.

Of note - the narrator did an amazing job and really captured all the wild emotions going on.

I think this author knows how to write a book about the potential impacts of climate change. This book felt very well researched and the authors passion shined! I wanted to read this book because I was fascinated by the idea of a person being reincarnated into a plant and a person perceiving the plant to be sentient. While this was a fascinating idea as the book went along it seemed like that idea because more stagnant. I think the beginning 1/4 of this book was strong and the last 1/4 was strong it just got a bit muddled in the middle to me. I would be interested in Emily’s future books because I think each book will be better and better!

Solid 3 star. This book brings up a multitude of deeper topics. I thought this moving story was very well written and I was very touched. Fiona is such an amazing character to follow, it was so easy to love her, root for her, and want to see her thrive. I feel that this story, with the deeper topics, isn't as widely written about but I enjoyed this one. The writing is very engaging, and the story overall is really easy to get lost into. Solid 3 star read. If you like more lit fic with sad and deeper topics I would grab this one... but make sure you got some tissues for when the sad times come.

The Narrative by Angela Ness was very well done. She was able to display the emotions from paper to narrative.

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I did not know what to think when I started Send Flowers by Emily Buchanan. This novel follows Fiona, an environmental influencer, who navigates grief after her boyfriend, Ed, is accidentally killed while at a protest. One day, a houseplant shows up on her doorstep. After she pours Ed's ashes into the plant, the plant begins to thrive, flower, and... talk to her. Fiona begins to believe that Ed has been reincarnated as the plant. She is so convinced that she is willing to lose her job, her friends, and her family in defense of "Ed."
I really enjoyed this book because it offered a fresh perspective on "influencers." So often, we see influencers as self-centered, but often their message is diluted in the social media economy. The characters were imperfect but deeply loveable. The novel tackled some very interesting subjects. Fiona must deal with flawed parents and come to terms with their influence on her life. She tackles others' expectations for being involved in high-visibility, high-risk protesting. And, Fiona tackles what it means to protest against impending climate change and politicians who ignore science. She realizes that each individual has to be true to their own code of ethics and risk-tolerances while protesting. In fact, she realizes that each person needs to be true to their own thoughts and passions in all aspects of life. I felt such deep joy while reading about a community making strides against a corrupt government. I will certainly carry this book in my mind for many years to come.

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.

Offbeat and enjoyable. A recommended purchase for collections where genre bent women's fiction is popular.

Send Flowers by Emily Buchanan is a charming, feel-good romp that combines humor, heart, and just the right touch of the supernatural. Fiona, aka @FoliageFifi, is totally relatable—a heartbroken eco-influencer who’s been hiding away in her apartment since losing Ed. But everything takes a wild turn when a mysterious houseplant shows up with a note from the afterlife, and suddenly, her world (and her plant’s) gets a whole lot more interesting! The story is adorably kooky—imagine chatting plants, botanical demands, and a heroine slowly rejoining the outside world all wrapped up in an eco-conscious, emotionally resonant package. The plant’s insistence on getting sunlight, water, and of course, some human company, leads Fiona on a journey of self-discovery, healing, and a lot of laughs along the way. Buchanan crafts a witty and heartfelt tale about love, loss, and finding hope in unexpected places. It’s quirky, sweet, and even a little bit magical. Perfect for anyone looking for a lighthearted read that celebrates life’s little surprises—and maybe a few prickly plants too!