Review by mcstressy - Where You're Planted

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mcstressy 's review for:

Where You're Planted by Melanie Sweeney

2.75

emotional lighthearted slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

LIKED:

I really liked Tansy’s character. I understood her hang ups and her motivations. I loved her passion for her job and her child and her struggles that they caused her as well.
The other librarians were a joy and I honestly wish we got more of them. I understood who each of them were unique to themselves as well as their relationships to Tansy.
I so appreciated Melanie Sweeney putting a map to the gardens grounds at the front of the book. Mostly because I just love a good book map but also because it did help with my own mental mapping.
The writing of the after effects of disaster (re: hurricane in this case) are pretty brutal in a way that was very effective. It was a solid catalyst for a lot of the external conflicts of the book that just really worked .
It’s good title. I wish that this book actual had more about plants and planting, but it is a good title as a title.

LAMENTED:

I found Jack incredibly frustrating, especially in the latter half of the book. I get that he is a “grump” archetype, but his ire towards Tansy made little sense. He’s just mean.
As I’ve mentioned a bit, I’m not a dual POV super fan because I feel that it can easily take away from one character’s story and not add enough to another. This is a prime example of this. It should have just been Tansy’s story. All of the drama and intrigue we learn about Jack’s background and character we should have also learned from her perspective (in my opinion). It would have made their budding interest in each other make more sense.
Speaking of which…why did they even get together? Their first intimate scene (making out in a wall-to-wall windowed greenhouse while there are children outside even??) made no sense in the evolution of their “relationship”. It’s not that they even still hated each other at that point, but we had no communication from a reader vantage point that Tansy was even remotely interested. I wish they had still hated each other. That would have been at least heightened emotions.
The relationship between Tansy and her ex is just kind of left dangling. Also their relationship kind of painted her in a bad light while still dubbing him the villain a few times. It was frustrating. And then there’s the pissing games between him and Jack,, ugh.
The treatment of Briar (from the writing) I found very discouraging. I’m not sure exactly how to describe it, but there was something just kind of unspoken in regards to this child’s struggles. I’m glad she was in therapy, but there’s never actually discussion on Tansy having a kid with a ton of sensory issues and possibly deeper mental healths needs. Also, I always get annoyed when kids in books are never written to seem like they’re consistenty the same age throughout the book and Briar suffered a bit of that. I think she was supposed to be about eight and her character ranged pretty wildly from kindergartener to middle school.
This cover is just…not good. Why is ti so yellow but Tansy’s hair is also blonde and against the yellow? Why are they so blobby and flat? It just is not visually enticing, and that’s pretty disheartening. Take Me Home’s cover was pretty simple as well, but ti was still eye-catching positively.

LONGED FOR:

A more believable build up of their passion for each other
Less of Jack’s POV that takes away from Tansy’s
A more appealing cover

Will I read the next one? : I don’t know. Both this and her previous book I’ve read have been relatively middle of the road for me, personally, especially in the area of the romance between the MCs, so I think I may wait for a recommendation from someone else before I pick up the next one.

*Thank you to Putnam Books & NetGalley for providing this ARC!

Content Warnings