This was a sweet, easy, listen but for me it didn't give me what I thought I would get from the title- the narration was good but I think I really need to go back and read this because after doing some research the real stand out is the illustrations that accompany the story- I would recommend but would suggest an audio read along with the physical copy.

What a fantastic book! Beautifully illustrated and stories that warm your hear like sunshine creeping in the blinds.

Definitely made me nostalgic. And strengthen my love of flowers and my favorite stories.

While a vignetted memoir is great, it just wasn't what I was in the mood for, despite my own obsession with plants. It was a sweet, easy read. I was hoping for a little more focus on the plants rather than the memories that they bring up. It was basically an error of timing for me.

Such a fun and insightful look at Katie Vazs life story told through plants. Highly recommend to any fellow plant lover!

This book was not what I thought it would be. I thought this would be about plants and learning about how they can help you in every day life. This was not the case.

I think that it was a sweet book about this author but if you do not know who this author is (like I) then it could be a little strange. "My Life in Plants" talks about different flowers and how they remind the author of things that has happened in her life. If you are already a fan of her, this book is for you. I also think that listing to it doesn’t really give it justice because I am sure the physical book is beautiful.

3.5 stars.

This wasn't what I was expecting really. I was hoping it was more plant related due to the "Flowers I've loved, Herbs I've grown and Houseplants I've killed on the way to finding myself" quote (because I was requesting books about plants left and right due to my new addiction) but it is more about the author's life and the many moments that happened involving or around plants. (duh, it's a memoir, girl, what did you think?)

Now because my expectations were more plant info based, I payed attention to the lack of it more and since I'm the type of person who doesn't really care too much about how people live their lives, I was neutral about it besides the sad moments where I teared up a bit, imagining myself in her position. A lot of the chapters had plants just being in the background as a witness to what was happening in her life rather than a direct involvement like the other chapters.

There were many chapters with good advice though and I liked them a lot but for the rest, it felt too personal for me (because as I mentioned, I don't pay attention to people's lives). I know I sound horrible but that's just how I feel about autobiographies.

I listened to the audiobook of this and I really enjoyed the author's voice. It sounded sweet and calming. The audiobook is around an hour and a half so it's a quick listen. Unfortunately due to this, I wasn't able to see her illustrations and I'm curious as to how it looks.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

"My Life in Plants" was an unexpected pleasure. The audio narration was perfect, but I hope to pick up the book since the author is actually an illustrator, so the audiobook is not quite the full experience. Many chapters were short, featuring delightful anecdotes with longer, more emotionally draining chapters interspersed. The author has led an interesting life, and since the book is only an hour and a half, you really can't go wrong.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one is for the plant lovers.

In my life in plants, Katie Vaz gifts us a part of herself by telling us her life but relating every story to a plant. From the time when she was a kid and her mom used Aloe Vera on her to refresh some burnt wounds, to her wedding day and the flowers in her bouquet.

I thoroughly enjoyed this short memoir. I liked how deeply emotional she could get sharing her stories. An example of it is when a relative of hers passed away and she talked about how she coped with grief and loss. I also loved how she implemented some humor in other stories and made me connect with her. I recommend it a lot if you want to learn about new plants or would like to have a nice time reading about someone’s experience with them in their life.

“...I have mixed feelings though. Sometimes [lilacs] smell like Spring to me, but sometimes they remind me of the scent of the air freshener we had in the bathroom.”

Thanks for approving my request for this title. Unfortunately, I was not able to download it due to other commitments.

This slender memoir follows the plants that marked significant passages in author Katie Vaz's life. Some of the passages, in particular about her beloved cat, resonated with me strongly. While the audiobook, narrated by Taylor Meskimen, is lovely, Vaz is actually an illustrator and this memoir is illustrated, which makes me crave visuals. I would note that the pairing of audiobooks with print books is very useful for language learning and those with dyslexia. Please note that the audiobook is a brief 1 hr 35 mins in length, making it an excellent teaching tool for ESL learners.

Please note that this is not a children's book.


I received a digital audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CW: family deaths, grief, heartbreak, funeral, animal death

This was a quick read with short chapters named after plants. Some of the chapters lacked the depth that I was hoping for and as a plant lover I had higher hopes for it.

There were relatable chapters about sisterhood, after college inadequacies, and memories of family associated with the plants that I did enjoy. I also liked the descriptions of the plants and the knowledge of what they’re good for.

This was a cute little story and I really enjoyed the audio! As a plant lover and book lover, this was the perfect happy medium.

This book was not exactly what I was expecting. Part of this could be due to the fact that I only read the title and not the description before reading.it. I was expecting the plants to have a more integral part of the stories told, be a greater focus, perhaps even some anecdotal plant caring information, I was expecting to hear about a lot of house plants. This was not the case, the plants the author uses to tell her stories are really just a way to tie them altogether with the fact that in all these moments plants were involved, present, but they aren't the focal point, more just a tether tying all the stories loosely together. This mis-assumtion aside. I did enjoy the book.

The stories told are mostly about childhood/the early years of adulthood, they are both lighthearted (mostly) and heartwarming anecdotes that many of us can easily relate to, The language Vaz uses is very clear, simple yet evocative painting a clear picture of what she describing without bogging us down. It is a great quick read for someone looking for a book that will make them smile and reminisce about their own experiences growing up.

It made for a great audio book as the stories shared are short and sweet, if I get distracted and stop listening for a minute, no big deal, going back to the beginning of the chapter or waiting for the next to start doesn't take a lot of time. The narrator has a clear agreeable voice that is very easy to listen to and understand. I think this audiobook would make a great read/listen for someone who is working on English as a second ( or more) language. The only drawback to the audiobook is that I did not see the illustrations included and I bet they are beautiful and fun.

Lastly the cover art on this one I just love.

I stumbled upon My Life in Plants: Flowers I've Loved, Herbs I've Grown, and Houseplants I've Killed on the Way to Finding Myself by Katie Vaz on NetGalley. I was initially pulled in by the adorable cover. And what do you know, I actually have her coloring book Don’t Worry, Eat Cake!

I thought this was such a lovely and unique premise for a memoir. I enjoyed that each chapter referenced a plant and it was interesting to see how the plant was incorporated into each story. I loved hearing the author’s introspections and reflections on her experiences. Many of her stories focus on appreciating the small things, not comparing herself to others, and being more mindful, which of course I love as someone who is passionate about self-care and mental health.

I loved the narration, which is performed by Taylor Meskimen. Her voice was very pleasant and I want to listen to other books narrated by her. The one thing I really missed in this format was seeing Katie’s beautiful illustrations. I definitely want to check out the physical copy to see the artwork that goes along with each story.

Overall, this was a short, sweet memoir that I recommend! This is a perfect listen for a calm Sunday afternoon.

This book was short and sweet. I really liked how to related plants to important memories she had of her life. It made me think about how my life and memories might be collect and what by. It was light, relatable, and uplifting. Not a sad, heavy memoir. It was refreshing

The premise of this book is interesting, the author tells the story of her life through the plants she associates with the relationships and situations that have made her who she is. Unfortunately, the stories themselves felt a bit immature to me, but there’s a possibility that my opinion was influenced by the narrator of the audiobook. The narrator had a young sounding voice that would dip into a cheesy sounding narration when reading sections about the author’s epiphanies on what it means to be an adult. I also think that audio is not the right format to consume this book as it sounds like from other reviews I’ve read that the illustrations are well done. In addition, the author is a professional illustrator so I feel like I missed out on the best part of the book by listening to it instead of reading a physical copy.

This was the first book I read as a 29 year old and I am so so glad that I did. I listened to it in one sitting, on a slow Sunday morning with my coffee.. My Life in Plants is very sweet and powerful. As a plant lover, I was intrigued by the premise of connecting life memories with the flowers and plants that accompany them. I found myself thinking about times in my life where flowers or plants were front and center (when I lived in my first rental home, bringing home my first succulent, successfully planting sunflowers and having them bloom large and stunning, the flowers we had at my Nana's funeral, etc.). Vaz has a refreshing way of telling a story and I could have listened to another few hours of her experiences. The narrator's voice was relaxing and incredibly comforting.

I recommend this book highly to those who love gardening, flowers, and exploring their relationship with both.

Thank you to Vaz, Andrews McMeel Audio & Netgalley for the ALC in exchange for an unbiased review.

The way this story lifted you along time and time again anchoring the growth of the story with plants was poetic. I really enjoyed this book. It was a short read but well preformed and written. Thank you for letting me read this.

I listened to the audioversion of this book via Netgalley.

This was a sweet, easy listen as the author shares moments of her life through various plants! It is a fun way of looking back at her life and how certain plants remind her of some events and family members. She had a happy upbringing so there's lots of throwbacks to her parents or grandparents introducing her to different aspects of gardening and how, now she is older, she has learnt to appreciate those little moments more and a slower pace of life that a lot of gardening gives you.

Each chapter is very short and snappy and the whole audiobook only lasted for an hour and a half, so it's a little potted (no pun intended!) history of events in her life that have made her the person she is today. From school days, to living abroad by herself, to married life, I found it really easy to listen to and enjoyed her honesty about her flaws!!

So I went on a whole journey with this book! I listened to the audio version here on Netgalley, so I didn't get to see the illustrations the author mentions in the back of the book.

At first, I thought the book was fine, but maybe not for me. Maybe I wasn't the target audience. It's pleasant enough, I thought, but doesn't really delve deeply into the experiences she had with plants, people and life lessons. But, I thought as I listened, I really like the chapter on her prom and the one about her grandpa and his tomatoes.

As I continued to listen to the book and her stories on what sounded like a very supportive, happy family, I wondered if there was any conflict the author might mention. As the memoir continued, things started to come together and it became apparent that one of the author’s greatest struggles is living in the moment and enjoying moments as they are.

That’s when it also became clear to me that this memoir is really a love letter to mindfulness.

It’s a sweet little book on the healing power of plants and how they serve as milestones or symbols of family, traditions, people or events.

One quick word on the depth of the memoir: The author mentions she has a tendency to overanalyze. It occurs to me that perhaps not going too deeply into things was a conscious choice. One of experiencing things as they are, without overthinking.

3.5 stars, rounded up to four