Every time the plant spoke I kept picturing Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors.

This was a slow grower, you can almost feel ‘Baby’ growing around the story as it develops and coming through.

If you like weird sapphic books with creepy plants then this will totally be your vibe.

3.5 stars which I will round up purely for the CMAT mention.

Eat The Ones You Love: Sapphic Weird Horror x Sentient Plants

🪷🌱 Eat The Ones You Love 🌱🪷

Sarah Maria Griffin @sarahgriffski

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First of all, I know what you’re thinking. A sentient plant? If you haven’t already gathered from that rollercoaster of a pitch, this book is Weird. This may be the wackiest book I’ve ever read (and I mean that in a wholly complimentary way). When recently dumped, out-of-work Shell stumbles upon a flower shop and takes a fancy to the owner, she makes a spur-of-the-moment decision. She resolves that she’ll work as a florist, at least until she finds another job. Who knows, maybe she’ll fall in love with the art of flower arranging in her new life. What she doesn’t anticipate is a sentient, stalking, controlling plant called Baby that wants to consume her.

The humour in this book was top-notch. The descriptions were so vivid and true-to-life. When Griffin was writing about the slow death of the run-down local shopping centre, I could see it in my mind’s eye so clearly. We all know a Woodbine Crown Court – it’s something that most of us go about our daily lives not noticing, a part of our landscape.

The small cast of characters are wonderfully fleshed out. I think the modest cast was a perfect tool to give Griffin the opportunity to really explore each individual character, especially Shell, Baby and Neve. My favourite scene in the whole book was when Shell had to confront her past at a dinner party with her old friends – the shocking and unnervingly close-to-home sensation that maybe our friends aren’t the people we thought we knew.

It also includes a lot of insights about life, which I loved. About adult and female friendships, about the secret fear that everybody in your life hates you, about the life we purport to live online versus reality. It’s a real smorgasbord of craziness interspersed with some hard-hitting truths, occasionally masked with humour.

If you’re looking for a sapphic weird horror, featuring hungry, sentient plants, with a dash of literary fiction in there (an oddly specific recommendation, I know), then this might be just the book for you! Think Little Shop of Horrors but set in a dying mall with a carnivorous orchid, slowly devouring everyone whole. Okay?

Eat The Ones You Love is out June 3rd! Thanks to Titan Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC!

I miss this book. That's the review basically.
Ugh I loved this so much, the slight creepiness just envelops you as you go, and it's so unhinged BUT in a subtle way. Don't get too attached to anyone in this book 😅

Eat the ones you love - Sarah Maria Griffin

I started to read this one and as I was getting into it I broke my iPad. So I’m unable to give a proper review unfortunately. Thank you for the opportunity to have the book I appreciate it and I will be looking for it when it’s released.

I couldn’t stop thinking about *Little Shop of Horrors* while reading this book.

Except—this one’s darker, creepier, and… no musical numbers.

*Eat the Ones You Love* follows Shell, who’s already going through it—her relationship’s fallen apart, she just lost her job, and now she’s back living with her parents.

So when she spots a job opening at the local florist, she jumps at the chance. New start, right? She gets the job, makes some new friends, and things seem to be looking up.

But here’s the twist—she doesn’t just connect with her boss… she also forms a strange bond with a *plant*. And not just any plant—this one has a taste for humans. It’s slowly, quietly, taking over the shop.

The plant—called Baby—is this orchid-like creature that completely pulls you in. His point of view is weirdly mesmerizing and deeply unsettling. At times, it feels like his roots are wrapping around *you* as you read.

This book completely lures you into its world. It’s creepy, it’s tense, and it has this slow, creeping dread that just builds and builds.

And if you’re looking for a sapphic story that isn’t overly sweet or cliché—and delivers a solid dose of horror—*Eat the Ones You Love* is it.

Totally worth the read.

Dublin-based author Sarah Maria Griffin’s unsettling story is closer to weird fiction than conventional horror. Although her setting of Woodbine Crown a crumbling retail complex, inspired by Donaghmede shopping centre close to where Griffin grew up, gives it a distinctly gothic flavour – demonstrated in the emphasis on this labyrinthine, haunted, decaying space. The narrator’s known only as Baby, a monstrous creature, ostensibly a sentient plant able to tap into the consciousness of the people it comes into contact with. But it’s not really organic rather something otherworldly, almost Lovecraftian, that’s crept through a crack in the fabric of space and time. Its desires, its goals are inextricably tied to florist Neve whose tiny shop is based in the centre, although creeping gentrification threatens its future existence. Neve is reeling from a break-up with girlfriend Jen when she meets Shell who’s equally adrift. Shell takes a job as Neve’s assistant a stopgap intended to help her get back on track after a failed relationship closely followed by redundancy. However, Shell’s overwhelming attraction to Neve causes Shell to jettison her plans in hope of a shared future. But Shell hasn’t reckoned with Baby’s insatiable needs and obsessive manipulations which have already resulted in a series of mysterious disappearances.

Griffin worked in retail for close to a decade and once trained as a florist which grounds her narrative in reality. A reality which encompasses a critique of Dublin itself, the communities being swept away, the local gathering places purged then replaced by a series of barren, luxury buildings. Shell’s situation and that of the people around her encapsulates the issues around class, the failure of social mobility, precarity and urban alienation that Griffin perceives as an inescapable feature of Ireland’s contemporary social landscape. And, although Griffin refuses any notion of Baby as metaphor, her malevolent narrator conjures visions of vengeful nature, of fractured eco-systems, a wider world that’s horribly out of balance. There are times when Griffin’s story falters, it’s slow-moving and could probably be trimmed back without losing any of its force. But its flaws felt relatively minor simply because the writing’s so incredibly fluid and hypnotic, overflowing with striking images and arresting passages. Although, be warned, it’s not a book for anyone seeking tidy resolutions or overarching explanations.

Shell gets a job at a florist and meets Neve, who holds a secret: she's hiding a sinister plant that wants to consume her.
This book is mainly told from the plant's point of view, which I thought was very effective, and I enjoyed all the possession elements.
I think my main issue was that I didn't really feel the characters were developed very much, and so I struggled to care what happened to them.
Overall a nice little horror story.

It is finally time for me to tell you about a book I devoured (and frankly, felt a bit devoured by) while in the grip of a weird fevery virus I had back in January. I was probably already a bit mad, but definitely felt it as I recorded a voice memo for myself with thoughts on the book as I read it like Dale Cooper if he was a sick little bookworm (some of those thoughts may make up a close read Substack once spoilers aren't as much of an issue).

Shell is back at her parents' place in North County Dublin, out of job and a relationship (and a friend group that came with that). She happens upon a job at the florists in her run down local shopping centre, and sees a new craft - and a very pretty colleague, Neve - as a great fresh start. But she doesn't know what lies behind Neve's cool exterior, behind the failing shop that feels like a lifeline, or lurking in the decapitated shopping centre: a small, innocent looking orchid called Baby who doesn't want to share his precious Neve with anyone.

Obsession infiltrates every physical space Shell moves through, as well as every element of the book - even an email chain between secondary characters has an edge of paranoia. A dread that simmers slowly until you find yourself in the full boil of a horror novel, like a glimpse of something in the corner of your eye, a hair raising on the back of your neck, probably nothing except you know: you are being watched.

It's a book about fear, and desire, sometimes opposed and sometimes one fuelling the other. It's about spaces that used to feel welcoming, and full of possibilities, and even creativity, now feeling like false promises long after being reeled in. I thought about the use of horror in this book, and how it isn't always something external - sometimes the call is coming from inside the house, inside the mind, inside the body, something you can't hide from, somewhere you can't outrun.

Eat the Ones You Love comes out on 3rd June, and will be such a delight to fans of Griffin's previous novels (Spare and Found Parts, Other Words for Smoke), or an incredible discovery of those who haven't yet had the pleasure.

the initial concept of a sentient, murderous plant sounded like an interesting horror
in reality this was boring, majority of characters unlikeable and making stupid decisions that make absolutely no sense

Actual rating - 3.5 stars (rounded up)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!
I unfortunately didn’t love this one as much as I was hoping to. It’s a riff on the concept of killer plants a la little shop of horrors, which is an amazing premise. However, I think this book had some issues with pacing and narrative voice that really affected my reading experience.

The pacing itself was a bit slow. I actually took a really long break from reading this about half way through because I felt like the plot had stalled so much that I had no inclination to pick it up for a while. I think it managed to get back on course for the last third but, I can’t ignore how stop start the book felt to that point.

The other major thing I didn’t love/felt could have been worked on more was the use of the plant/baby as this kind of omniscient narrator. The book was largely from Shell’s pov, with other chapters following some of the other main cast. However, the book was actually narrated by the plant a lot of the time, which would become clear when it would insert its own opinion or commentary into a scene. I think that the idea of the leeching, parasitic plant infecting the narrative to the point where you think you’re reading from one characters pov, only to find it was actually the plant all along sounds cool in concept. In reality though, it ended up being too jarring to the point it would make me pause every time it occurred, which was quite often, before I remembered oh yeah the plant does that sometimes. It felt more gimmicky and frustrating rather than an effective narrative device. I think the short chapters that were completely narrated by the plant were a more effective way of inserting its thoughts. I do like the idea of the omniscient plant presence, like I said, so I wouldn’t necessarily scrap it completely, but maybe only save it for nearer the climax of the book when the characters are more ‘infected’.

I didn’t hate this book by any means. I largely enjoyed my reading experience and I think it’s such a cool idea. With a little bit more editing, I think this could have been a higher rating and I definitely want to check what this author puts out next.

Also, bonus points for being the first book I’ve read to mention CMAT.

Michelle "Shell" Pine is in much need of a fresh start in life. Down in her luck in romance, finances and having to move back in with her parents, Shell decides to pursue a career at the hustling florists located within the declining Woodbine Crown Mall.

Run by the confident and attractive Neve, Shell soon finds herself drawn to her new employer, feeling a potential spark growing between them. However Neve can never give herself fully to Shell's advances. Hidden in plain sight at the very heart of the crumbling mall is an unassuming young orchid. Yet, this is not like any other orchid. Baby, as he is known, is a sentient being, rooted throughout the mall with a sinister craving. Though nothing can satisfy Baby's cravings as the desire to eat Neve.

As the relationship between Shell and Neve blooms, Baby winds his way into their lives, determined to satisfy his craving once and for all.

Blending The Little Shop of Horrors with dark sapphic romance, the slow unravelling of this twisted tale captured my attention from start to finish. Griffin sets the atmosphere with precision, the build up of tension adding to the unease and overall eeriness felt throughout as you become aware of the consequences for the characters.

A delightful infusion of humour and dread, Eat the Ones You Love had me hungry for more as I devoured each page, leaving this novel to one of my favourite reads this year.

3.5/5

My, my…this was one *hell* of a slowburn, which was kind of fitting for a story about a plant. It was as though the tale was growing from page to page, not be rushed, not to be hurried, but instead just building dread one inch of green vine at a time.

I loved the world of this story. The mall, the florists, the Green Hall, the supermarket…they all felt so grounded, real and tangible. That mixed with the drudgery of retail life that is brilliantly captured here makes this story feel rooted (boom boom) in reality…despite it being, as its core, a slice of supernatural sci-fi horror with a good dose of body nastiness thrown in.

The characters here are great, too. A small but vital cast of well-drawn and believable folk. It’s just as easy to fall into their world as a reader as it is for Shell to be accepted into the fold in the story. None of them are clichéd, they all serve a purpose and, again, they feel real.

The outright horror elements of this one are fairly sparse, but they’re effectively done when we do get them. Aside from the body horror, there are some excellent, creepy set pieces as well as some moments involving eyes that got under my skin.

But it’s the narrative style that impressed me most here. The story is told by Baby, by the plant, but in a clever way I’ve not read before. The use of the first person in the narrative is only occasional, with the rest of it being more a traditional third person omnipresent. However, when we do get those slips back to the direct voice of Baby, you’re reminded who is in charge and it adds to the level of unease that winds its way through you as you read this, like a strange plant curling round your ankle while you’re not watching.

This won’t be everyone and I imagine many will lost patience and give up. But it’s absolutely worth sticking with. Original, unsettling, and a bit odd…I really enjoyed this.

Thanks to the publishers and to NetGalley for the review copy.

My thanks to Net Galley and Titan Books for a free DRC of "Eat the Ones You Love" by Sarah Maria Griffin.
A Literary Horror about the challenges of older shopping centers, working in retail and plants that hunger for human flesh.
As soon as I saw the cover, I knew I have to read this book as I am deeply fascinated by nature and plants that are alive.
From the start I felt we are going to have a villain POV and I expected for the story to be so compelling that I can somewhat relate to that antagonist.
While I did not related and somewhat lost the initial interest due to the repetitive narration of from the 20% mark to the 40% of the book, I still had some things that I could relate to.
I appreciated the mentions that once a flower is cut it is literary dying, that the author try to stay honest about the challenges of working in retail, with most of workers being paid minimum wage and the work being a difficult and challenging (not the romantic version wee see in Cozy Fantasy for example).
Overall I am glad I got to experience some social aspects of Ireland, a few atmospheric plant Horror scenes and some queer representation.

I sadly DNF’d this at 35%. I was really intrigued by the synopsis and was looking forward to this one. However I did find it incredibly slow and my interest wasn’t holding. I found having the POV of the Orchid was good to have.

What a uniquely disturbing story! I went into this one blind, with no idea what to expect, but I ended up loving it. This one is set in Ireland and LGBTQIA + rep! It felt like between Little Shop of Horrors and a Sally Rooney novel if she decided to write horror instead of lit fiction. If you end up reading this one you might never want to buy an orchid ever again, I know I will.
I’m really into cannibalism at the moment so I’m kinda digging the flower-eating humans! The creepiness of it being in a dying mall, you could picture it!

My only negative aspect of this book is that it’s a very slow burn. Overall, it’s still an amazing book!

Thank you to Titan and Netgalley for my ARC.

This is one of the weirdest books I have ever had the pleasure of reading and I ATE IT UP!
I am obsessed with Neve Shell and Baby and everyone else.
Not only was the story so quirky and original, but incredibly well written. I felt like I was right there, in the story with them.


Eat The Ones You Love is out in the US now and out in the UK and Ireland in June!! Please go and pre order it now

I was drawn in by the cover and the description that I'd heard circulating online. But, I'm not echoing the popular opinion on this book. But it was just too much of a slow burn. I think it may have worked better as a short story. I just wasn't excited to pick it back up.

An orchid growing out of sight in the heart of the mall is watching them closely. His name is Baby, and the beautiful florist belongs to him. He’s young, he’s hungry, and he’ll do just about anything to make sure he can keep growing big and strong. Nothing he eats—nobody he eats—can satisfy him, except the thing he most desires. Neve. He adores her and wants to consume her, and will stop at nothing to eat the one he loves.

Shell, back home after breaking things off with her ex-fiancé, finds herself taken in by a ‘help needed’ sign at a florists in the dilapidated shopping centre of her youth. Neve, the florist who captures Shell’s immediate attention also recently broke up with her ex-fiancé, has a secret; Baby, the man-eating orchid living in the heart of the shopping centre, and he is waiting patiently to feast.

With a growing unease similar to Julia Armfield’s Wives Under the Sea and the symbiotic strangeness of Mona Awad’s Bunny, Eat The Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin brings a new take to plant horror with a litfic sensibility and a building action that grips you till the end of the book.

“She didn’t feel like a tourist: she didn’t possess the self-awareness to perceive herself in that context. She felt, rather, like she was entering into some kind of romance with the space—though that might have been a residual high from listening to Neve talk about the roses.”

Griffin creates an interesting mundanity as Shell walks back and forth to the Crown mall, as she sits drinking wine with her mum at the dinner table watching endless YouTube videos of flower arranging, as she gets closer and closer, day by day, to being enthralled by Baby who is lurking in the cracks of the shopping centre, in Neve and soon in the cracks of her skin, in her thoughts, in her actions. Between the collective delusion of Neve, the group of stuck retail workers turned friends and Shell herself, Baby’s perspective—his commentary and machinations amping up the looming tension—and Jen’s letters that polarise the absurdity of a parasitic plant taking over the mind of her ex-fiancé, Griffin weaves narrations that constantly put on and take off rose-tinted glasses, trapping the reader in Baby’s thrall.

“…in time coming, she would know me and learn to identify this feeling, my presence my gaze. But she had no vocabulary for me just yet.”

Stronger horror elements would’ve gone far in this book, a lot of the uncomfortable moments were dulled by its somewhat contemporary litfic air. More tension, body horror and darker themes surrounding the murderous nature of Baby would’ve rounded this out and made it feel less safe—some of the best parts in this book were the plant body horror and the imagery from those scenes were captivating, I was just waiting for some bigger moments with higher consequences.

“I will tell her this, I will leaf my way into the parts of her that can hear and feel and I will assure her that the eyes of others slip off her like furniture, she is unremarkable, objectively ordinary.”

I enjoyed this read - it was unlike anything I’ve read before for sure and it’s a bonus that it’s by an Irish author! The new weird girl book of the summer for sure 😎

The environment where the story is set was so interesting as I’m sure everyone has that one dying or already dead shopping centre in their town and it was so easy to picture the disrepair, eeriness and abandonment and the characters complex feelings about the place shutting down and falling apart!

The only thing I’d say I didn’t overly understand is the pacing & the fact that it seemed like Shell’s relationship with Neve was going to be explored more and then Shell ends up having a fling with someone else completely? I really hoped for more of the sapphic storyline & I feel like it could have gone a different direction completely if Neve and Shell became involved further and Baby saw that as a bigger threat, etc etc!

I also feel like it wasn’t really a horror, I wasn’t *that* freaked out?? I think the whole scientist/lab angle made it feel slightly more sci-fi? I don’t know 😭

Nonetheless I found this to be an enjoyable book, very easy to read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Eat The Ones You Love was a bizarre, twisted and terrific story of obsession that I adored. It is uniquely entrancing – kind of a postmodern Little Shop of Horrors esque tale.

I adore Griffin’s writing style, having thoroughly enjoyed her previous work. There is a lyricism and delicate beauty surrounded by deadly thorns – it gets stuck in your mind as you’re entranced by this beguiling horror. She also brings such fantastic concepts to the table and enrichs them with cracking characterisation and an emotional depth that pulls you right in. This delivers once again on both counts.

It is a strange story but also one that speaks to that chasm of loneliness from the path you didn’t know you were going to take. It is a lonely, isolated pit of despair that Baby emerges from and exploits. There is an inevitability to events – a lingering feel of dread that slowly escalates. It is a deeply human horror story, rooted in the messiness and complexity of relationships and changing dynamics. There is also a lot to be said about homecoming and family, feeling like that aspect of your life is already mapped out for you. There is a particuar scene with Shell that comes into play later in the book that rings through my mind.

Both Shell and Neve are caught in their own spirals of destruction and recognising that is heart-breaking. Their relationship is fraught and full of fissures with the secrets they are both keeping. Baby as a narrative voice is domineering and all-consuming, you cannot help but want to listen to the murderous obsessive plant. That darkness is monstrous and unnerving and yet there is a kernel of bleak humour woven in. It is not a book that shies away from the murky morality at play here. Without giving anything away, I really loved the ending and the final note the book decides to leave you with.

Eat the Ones You Love is ultimately a deeply character-driven horror about obsession, trying to break free from the fate assigned you to and queer love.