Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book but I don’t think I would read again.

I liked the narrator, I think she is the perfect fit for the book, and despite it not being her words, I felt emotion behind the voice.

I liked that the chapters were split by flower, but the book wasn’t quite what I expected by the title - it is more of a memoir of the authors life.

Having read other reviews, I have found that the book has illustrations, and Vaz is an artist. By listening to the audiobook, I have missed the chance to look at the illustrations, which I think would really add to this book. I would recommend to others to read the physical copy rather than listen to the audiobook for this reason.

*This book was received as an Advanced Reader's copy (Audiobook) from NetGalley.

My Life in Plants. That's a pretty good title, and one I've found highly relatable. It goes on to be more specific in the sub-title with herbs, flowers, and houseplants. So I thought yes, this is for me. And I'm not saying it wasn't, but I will say, that this book isn't quite what I was expecting from the title and description.

Katie Voz tells her life in little vignettes she associates with a type of plant. The tangy-ness of rhubarb, the romance of roses; all of these have a little story to go along with them. She fits her memories and families and connections into this book.

But the plants really took a backseat to everything else. While each chapter is named for a plant, and it is mentioned in the chapter, it's incidental, and these stories could have been told without the plants in most cases. I was somewhat disappointed, as the promise of plants is what drew me in. Her stories are sweet, and relatable, and that does save the book; but if you go in expecting a garden, you might have the same thoughts I did on the book. It also probably doesn't help that I experienced the audiobook. Voz is an artist and a little browsing after listening to this book showed me that really, the illustrations are probably what make this entire book special. You can't see illustrations in an audiobook, and despite the charming voice of the narrator, you'll only get the memoirs, and not the flowers in this way as well.

Relatable stories, nice narration, but a little lacking in the plant department. I think the best bet with this book would probably be to skip the audio and go for the physical book; the illustrations will probably be key.

Review by M. Reynard 2020

As an amateur plant mom, once I saw the cover of this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it!

The stories in the book were very interesting to listen to! I'm so happy that I got to find this amazing memoir, as each vignette was so interesting to read. I feel like Katie's life was just interesting enough that I really enjoyed the reading experience, and found myself smiling at some of the stories! This book was short and sweet, and was just a very enjoyable experience for me!

My Life in Plants follows the narrator - Katie Vaz - as she relates plants that she has cared for to important events in her life. Katie Vaz's life and life experiences may be very relatable to read, and this book's whole format (with the plant tie-ins and illustrations) was very unique in creating a memoir and illustrated book!

Though I didn't find the narrator very interesting, this book was simply wonderful.

3.5 stars!

A brief collection of anecdotes regarding the influences of loved ones and the plants they brought along.
I did expect there to be a bit more about the actual plants themselves, instead of them being background pieces. The “chapters” could have been flushed out - if this were a printed copy to flip through I’d have been disappointed at how brief each segment was. The author talks about the plants present in her various life milestones but rarely stops to focus on the meaning of that plant in that particular vignette. She has made me interested enough that I’d like to know more, it just feels unfinished or like it needs to be flushed out.
For example a chapter titled “Butt Succulent” deserves more than three or four sentences.
A few good nuggets of truth such as “just because someone likes you doesn’t meant you need to like them.”
As progresses it’s more about the anxieties that creep in and prevent is from recognizing the present joy than plants.

Audiobook Experience

I loved the audiobook (very short, less than 90 minutes) and didn’t see illustrations so I went to website katievaz.com to see her works.

I love plants and I loved this book. I spent much of the time listening trying to figure out who I would want to share/give this book to (once I had purchased it). In my opinion it would make a lovely gift for a bride.

Thank you NetGalley and Katie Vaz for the advance audiobook!

Vaz tells the story of her life in plants, both the successes and the failures, from her childhood to her wedding. The stories in this book are funny, touching and heartfelt. Unfortunately, Meskiman does little to bring this memoir to life, her high pitched voice was more a distraction than an enhancement of this book

3.5 ⭐️
The narrator was good and personable. I thought she was a perfect fit for this book. I really liked her. This book was filled with memories of family and flowery things. And I thought it was so cute how she pulled her chapters together with flowers. Each one having meaning to go with her experiences. In some ways this was like reading her diary. I enjoyed her thoughts. I started thinking about my family and memories. Because everything we go through teaches us something.


Thank you NETGALLEY and the publisher for this ARC audiobook, in exchange for my honest review. ♥️

The narrator was wonderful! Taylor Meskimen provided an excellent voice to Katie Vaz's memoir which, while slight, was a rewarding listen.

My Life in Plants is a quick, cute read. Katie Vaz tells moments of her life from childhood to now, anchored with the plants that she connects those memories to and that she had during that stage in her life. I thought that the structure was really interesting and unique, and as a plant lover myself, I enjoyed the way she wove plants that I have close memories with as well into this book.

I thought that some of the chapters were a bit surface level and the author could have delved a little deeper into some of the themes, but overall it was an enjoyable read and I appreciated what Vaz has put together here. The audiobook was done well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

As a plant mom, I really enjoy reading about plants and how they make our lives better.

So naturally, I was excited to read this unique memoir told through plants and wasn't disappointed. It made me think of the plants I've encountered in my own life and how they witnessed some of key events that made me who I am today.

However, the book felt flat at times, as the chapters were very short and it felt like they ended in midsentence. Personally, I wouldn't have minded if it was a hundred pages longer.

I would still recommend it to any fellow plant aficionado.

This is not a good audiobook. And I have two reasons for saying that. First off, it just doesn’t feel complete without the illustrations. At times it felt I was listening to a children’s book, at other times I felt listening to a sad autobiography slash self help book. Second off, the reader’s just… no. I didn’t like the voice, it lose strength and whispered and didn’t feel involved with what was happening at all. It had the same tone while talking about prom and while talking about the author’s father’s passing.

I know the illustrations of Katie Vaz and they’re beautiful, for which I know the book will be pretty, but I won’t ever read it and I can’t think whom I’d gift it to. Maybe it’s aimed at teens, because it has some good messages about making mistakes and not knowing stuff and feeling lost, but it also has messages such as “I’m glad I didn’t have sex in high school so I could remain innocent and now I can romanticize those years” and that’s definitely NOT something I endorse and I will never recommend a speech that could be interpreted as shaming girls for having sexual experiences.

Not even to plants lovers I could share this book with, because they’re in a second, or third plane, and even I, having had all kinds of plants and vegetables and flowers in my home for the last twenty years, could barely see myself reflected in some anecdotes.

The author clearly aimed for a memoir told by tiny splashes of flowers thought her life, but I feel her story would work better as a travel book.

My Life In Plants is a nostalgic memoir. In each chapter, Katie Vaz picks a flower, herb, or plant and tells a story about what the plant reminds her of. The memories are from childhood to high school and to adulthood.

I found My Life In Plants very interesting and enjoyable.

Taylor Meskimen did a good job narrating, and listening to the audiobook felt like listening to a friend.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Audio for My Life in Plants.

I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher via NetGalley.

I didn't expect to cry listening to a book about plants, but here we are!

Katie Vaz has a beautiful way with words. Her brief yet engaging chapters are part hilarious, part heartbreaking, and entirely relatable. As a cat-owned, perfectionism-fighting introvert, I often found myself wondering if she had telepathically stolen my thoughts and written them down.

I genuinely really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone, as long as you've got some tissues ready for a few sad tears but many more from laughter.

Though my home no longer resembles a jungle as it once did - active young kitties will do that! - this title grabbed my eye. It's a quick listen at only 1 hr 37 min, but well worth the time. Each short chapter includes a story from the author's life in connection with the plants mentioned. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised at the sometimes touching, sometimes funny stories and lessons she has learned along the way. It doesn't hurt that some stories also involved cats and later, a puppy. =) This would make a great gift for the plant lover in your life.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for my honest review.