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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While many books don't grab my attention until the 20-30% mark, Where You're Planted drew me in right away. The dual POV helped, as it created opportunities to get to know the protagonists and their lives beyond their bickering.
For the most part, I was a big fan of the enemies-to-lovers dynamic; they complemented each other so sweetly once they actually started working together. My one complaint is that the switch to lovers felt a little too absolute, like almost bordering on insta-love. I would have loved to see elements of their banter and antagonism carry through(though not in the third-act breakup kind of way) in their later dynamic.
All in all, this was such a satisfying read! It's not the most groundbreaking or heart-stopping romance I've ever read, but it's a solid read with lovable characters (including the extended cast) and emotional growth for the MCs.
Thank you to Melanie Sweeney, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
For the most part, I was a big fan of the enemies-to-lovers dynamic; they complemented each other so sweetly once they actually started working together. My one complaint is that the switch to lovers felt a little too absolute, like almost bordering on insta-love. I would have loved to see elements of their banter and antagonism carry through
All in all, this was such a satisfying read! It's not the most groundbreaking or heart-stopping romance I've ever read, but it's a solid read with lovable characters (including the extended cast) and emotional growth for the MCs.
Thank you to Melanie Sweeney, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Tansy Perkins is a single mom whose life is turned upside down when a catastrophic hurricane destroys her home and workplace. The take-charge librarian is determined to secure funding to rebuild her library but to do so she must face her greatest challenge yet, Jack Reid.
Jack is the grumpy gardener with whom she must share a workspace at the County Botanical Garden. He is facing his own challenges, including steep budget cuts, and he does not have time nor patience to accommodate a bossy librarian and her staff.
Tansy and Jack clash constantly but with intense dislike comes intense feelings. Neither can deny their attraction, but both swear they are not interested in anything long term. However, that does not mean they can’t have some fun, right? No one is going to catch feelings, right?
Where You’re Planted was a sweet romance about two stubborn people who were too afraid to admit what everyone could clearly see; they were meant to be.
Jack is the grumpy gardener with whom she must share a workspace at the County Botanical Garden. He is facing his own challenges, including steep budget cuts, and he does not have time nor patience to accommodate a bossy librarian and her staff.
Tansy and Jack clash constantly but with intense dislike comes intense feelings. Neither can deny their attraction, but both swear they are not interested in anything long term. However, that does not mean they can’t have some fun, right? No one is going to catch feelings, right?
Where You’re Planted was a sweet romance about two stubborn people who were too afraid to admit what everyone could clearly see; they were meant to be.
Obviously I wanted to read this book because it has a librarian as a main character and as a person who loves books, I love to read about people who love books! I was even more in because I love a single parent book. I think it is so cute to see how the love interest and the kid interact. This book did not disappoint me at all in either regard! Tansy is a fiercely loving single mom to Briar who basically loses everything because of a terrible hurricane and flooding that destroyed the library she works at and her home. Jack is about to become the director of the botanical gardens where the library is temporarily moved AND he’s the guy who yelled at Tansy for going back to save birds from the library and helped her and her daughter get out of their home safely during the flood. When they have to start working together because of their proximity and to plan this festival to raise money for the garden, obviously there is bickering and tension. So yeah, their relationship was so cute and seeing them grow together was amazing. But so was seeing Jack just get Briar. If anything, I would have loved more of their interactions and see their relationship develop.
Yes, this book had an amazing love story between the main characters, buuuuuut what is super special about this book to me is the way this community bands together during hard times to support each other. I absolutely adored seeing the impact that Tansy makes on everyone around her and the effort she puts in to build a safe and welcoming community around her. It was so wonderful to see the library and garden employees building a community of their own together and see how they work together to meet everyone's needs and think outside the box.
Thank you to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and the author for an ARC :) This book is expected to be published on July 8, 2025
Yes, this book had an amazing love story between the main characters, buuuuuut what is super special about this book to me is the way this community bands together during hard times to support each other. I absolutely adored seeing the impact that Tansy makes on everyone around her and the effort she puts in to build a safe and welcoming community around her. It was so wonderful to see the library and garden employees building a community of their own together and see how they work together to meet everyone's needs and think outside the box.
Thank you to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and the author for an ARC :) This book is expected to be published on July 8, 2025
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Tansy is a librarian whose library branch (and house) was flooded in a hurricane. Jack is a gardener (and soon to be director) of the botanical gardens next door. Both of them are fighting for funding. Tansy to reopen the library branch, Jack to flood remediation and restoration. Forced to share space, these two butt heads more often than not but what happens when they get glimpses of what’s underneath those protective layers they’ve built up?
Gosh. I loved this one! I identified with so many aspects. From the flooded Houston during a hurricane to wanting to be independent almost to a fault. I loved watching both Jack and Tansy open up. The tension was beautiful and Melanie always gives a masterclass in slow burn. I think this one about killed me. But man, once that match was struck, pheewwwww!! The cast of side characters was fabulous. I just enjoyed this book so much! Thank you so much to @melaniesweeneywrites for sharing an arc with me!
Gosh. I loved this one! I identified with so many aspects. From the flooded Houston during a hurricane to wanting to be independent almost to a fault. I loved watching both Jack and Tansy open up. The tension was beautiful and Melanie always gives a masterclass in slow burn. I think this one about killed me. But man, once that match was struck, pheewwwww!! The cast of side characters was fabulous. I just enjoyed this book so much! Thank you so much to @melaniesweeneywrites for sharing an arc with me!
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hurricanes, libraries, and love are the center of "Where You're Planted" by Melanie Sweeney. When fiercely independent Tansy is saved (literally) by Jack, a grumpy gardener, when her Houston library branch floods in the middle of a hurricane, sparks don't fly. Throughout the novel, Tansy learns to adapt at work, at home, and in her love life, which isn't easy for her.
Sweeney paints post-hurricane Houston as a recovery scene for its residents, especially Jack, Tansy and her daughter Briar, Jack's park and coworkers, and Tansy's library and staff. Filled with quirky and loving supportive characters that balance out Jack and Tansy, "Where You're Planted" gives readers all the good feels and reminds them that there's hope, community, light, and love in the temporary darkness.
Loved the honest situations during and post-natural disaster, the character growth, spicy scenes, and diverse characters.
This was a gifted ARC from Putnam’s – thank you!
Sweeney paints post-hurricane Houston as a recovery scene for its residents, especially Jack, Tansy and her daughter Briar, Jack's park and coworkers, and Tansy's library and staff. Filled with quirky and loving supportive characters that balance out Jack and Tansy, "Where You're Planted" gives readers all the good feels and reminds them that there's hope, community, light, and love in the temporary darkness.
Loved the honest situations during and post-natural disaster, the character growth, spicy scenes, and diverse characters.
This was a gifted ARC from Putnam’s – thank you!
#WhereYourePlanted #NetGalley #fiction #romance #ARC #womensfiction @PutnamBooks @PenguinRandomHouse #romancenovel #bookstagram #booksta #BookReview #fictionreview #romancereview
This book is dedicated to the librarians, the custodians of natural green spaces, and the helpers. In a world where the government is consistently and constantly trying to tear away public spaces, this book was a beautiful ode to free places where we can read and grow.
I ADORED Jack and Tansy. The enemies-to-lovers element was well-developed, and I loved seeing how they learned to collaborate with one another and strengthen their organizations. Briar was a well-written kid; she was clearly neurodiverse (though never written with a diagnosis), and Sweeney did a nice job of exploring her PTSD from the hurricane. Tansy's anxieties and protectiveness of Briar were also explored in depth; single mothers will certainly relate to Tansy's anguish and fears of protecting a kid while finding a life outside of a kid. (Side note: single mom romance over single dad any day. It's just so much more realistic).
I kept waffling between if this was four or five stars but you know what? It was good, and I would 100% re-read it, so that makes it five stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
I ADORED Jack and Tansy. The enemies-to-lovers element was well-developed, and I loved seeing how they learned to collaborate with one another and strengthen their organizations. Briar was a well-written kid; she was clearly neurodiverse (though never written with a diagnosis), and Sweeney did a nice job of exploring her PTSD from the hurricane. Tansy's anxieties and protectiveness of Briar were also explored in depth; single mothers will certainly relate to Tansy's anguish and fears of protecting a kid while finding a life outside of a kid. (Side note: single mom romance over single dad any day. It's just so much more realistic).
I kept waffling between if this was four or five stars but you know what? It was good, and I would 100% re-read it, so that makes it five stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
What can I say except I hope and pray to have a Jack in my life someday. He is my every dream come to fruition.
I loved this book. I ate it up. Read it in less than a day. Sweet Briar tugged on my heartstrings so many times; I relate a lot to her weather anxiety and being an "odd" child at her age. Reading about her felt like reading myself.
This is the first book of Melanie Sweeney's I've read and you bet I'm going to find her others and devour those, too.
What can I say except I hope and pray to have a Jack in my life someday. He is my every dream come to fruition.
I loved this book. I ate it up. Read it in less than a day. Sweet Briar tugged on my heartstrings so many times; I relate a lot to her weather anxiety and being an "odd" child at her age. Reading about her felt like reading myself.
This is the first book of Melanie Sweeney's I've read and you bet I'm going to find her others and devour those, too.
Took me 0.5 seconds to decide I wanted to read this book. Librarian meets plant nerd? Always yes.
This was a lot of fun. Apparently Melanie had some struggles writing this one but it flowed so beautifully to me. I understood why she said that after mentioning in the acknowledgments that this story was inspired by her own experiences with Hurricane Harvey. Reading that her community came together to support her local library and botanical gardens made this story feel more real than it already did. I really felt like I was watching a movie while reading this. There was so much attention to detail on the overall experience of living in a town that experienced a 1,000 year flood, AND on top of that add in fun, lovable characters who all have their own unique personalities and storylines? Melanie should be very proud! This made me cry, laugh, giggle - what else do you want in a book?!
Tansy and Jack were such a sweet couple. Seeing them both knock down their walls and work together to fight for the relationship was so inspiring. Seeing Jack with Briar?! I loved their connection and how they bonded so easily. My first book by Melanie and would absolutely pick up another by her.
Thanks to the Author/NetGalley for the ARC!
This was a lot of fun. Apparently Melanie had some struggles writing this one but it flowed so beautifully to me. I understood why she said that after mentioning in the acknowledgments that this story was inspired by her own experiences with Hurricane Harvey. Reading that her community came together to support her local library and botanical gardens made this story feel more real than it already did. I really felt like I was watching a movie while reading this. There was so much attention to detail on the overall experience of living in a town that experienced a 1,000 year flood, AND on top of that add in fun, lovable characters who all have their own unique personalities and storylines? Melanie should be very proud! This made me cry, laugh, giggle - what else do you want in a book?!
Tansy and Jack were such a sweet couple. Seeing them both knock down their walls and work together to fight for the relationship was so inspiring. Seeing Jack with Briar?! I loved their connection and how they bonded so easily. My first book by Melanie and would absolutely pick up another by her.
Thanks to the Author/NetGalley for the ARC!
Where Your Planted is the meet-grumpy story of Jack and Tansy. They meet during a catastrophic hurricane and are later thrown together when Tansy's library, having been destroyed by the hurricane, is relocated to the botanical garden that Jack oversees.
I have lived through only one hurricane myself and have also lost my childhood library to a snow-collapsed roof. These incidents made the scenario of this book easy for me to imagine.
The initial banter between Tansy and Jack was top-tier. I love a grumpy-sunshine trope. Their emotional evolution was also masterful. Even the large cast of side characters was impressive. They were all distinct and they all brought something to the story. That's not always easy to do.
Overall, it was a great read!
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
I have lived through only one hurricane myself and have also lost my childhood library to a snow-collapsed roof. These incidents made the scenario of this book easy for me to imagine.
The initial banter between Tansy and Jack was top-tier. I love a grumpy-sunshine trope. Their emotional evolution was also masterful. Even the large cast of side characters was impressive. They were all distinct and they all brought something to the story. That's not always easy to do.
Overall, it was a great read!
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.