I love the idea of this book, but the execution didn't work well for me. Each chapter features an anecdote from the author's life, with a focus on the plants that were involved or even just present for the anecdote. I call these "anecdotes" rather than "essays" because they were super short. Many times the anecdote ended abruptly right as I was getting into the flow of listening. This book could be SO impactful if each chapter was fleshed out, but as is, I'm still not sure what I should be feeling after listening to it.

I liked the audiobook narrator: easy to listen to and unobtrusive to the narrative itself.

This is the perfect motivational book for any plant lover! As someone who turned to plants why life got difficult, it's satisfying to hear that many do the same. This is a quick listen, less than 1 hour!

A self reflective memoir told in a uniquely interesting way by correlating life events with plants. Each chapter featured a short story written with beautiful detail that paired perfectly with the cute little illustrations.

I read this alongside listening to the audiobook which was narrated with great inflection and authentic emotion.

There are many books cataloguing the meaning of flowers, but this is not that kind of book. In these pages the meaning of flowers is much more personal. Listening to this audiobook is a bit like flipping through an album of memories in which instead of photographs you find the plants that accompanied specific key episodes in the author's life, who flips through them alongside you, like the petals of a flower - the flowers of the prom, those of her father's funeral, those on the night she first had sex...
The listening experience is very pleasant, both for the little vignettes structure and for the delicacy and self-irony of the author, and for the very pleasant narrating voice. If you come in expecting deep reflections on the connection between people and plants, or teachings from the plant world that can illuminate the path of those who cultivate and care for them, you will be disappointed. But in the end, it is a sweet book, that you read/listen to in what feels like moment, but that will leave you with a melancholic smile that lingers, just like the scent of flowers.

Peculiar Book

Audiobook Review:
You would think from the book’s title that it would be mostly about plants, but unfortunately, you'd be wrong. It is a memoir that draws inspiration from the author's experience of plants, how they remind her of different vignettes in her life. Each chapter takes its title from the name of the plant, and quite often, the plant does not figure in much at all or perhaps just at the end. With the way the author put together this book, it's hard to precisely define what it is or what it is trying to be. Parts of it sound like they are written for children, while other parts are definitely on adult topics, like losing your virginity. The stories for each chapter are typically very short, often cutting off, and honestly, I didn't really see the point of most of them. Frankly, I found this book to be uninteresting and perhaps a little too navel-gazing. The narrator sounded like a young woman in her 20s, which seemed appropriate for parts of the book but not as appropriate for others. This book is written by an older woman reflecting on things that happened earlier in her life, or at least, that’s how it sounds. Perhaps an older-sounding narrator would have worked better. I did receive this as an audiobook to review, but I do wonder if seeing the pictures that go along with the book would help get whatever message the author wants to get across... do so better. Ultimately, I didn't like this audiobook as it felt confused and confusing in its messages.

A cute little biography of someone's life told through plants. Some of it was humourous and good for an hour or so distraction from the world.

Audio. A super cute, little read with not much depth (but definitely some good nuggets of wisdom, especially taking the time to stop and appreciate the little things in life!) for anyone who is a lover of all things flowers/plants.

I listed to My Life in Plants this morning while managing chores and tending to my garden. As Katie Vaz talks about types of plants, she shares her memories of the plant and a particular part of her young life. For those of us who have come to enjoy tending to plants or miss green spaces, Vaz's references to the plants as a way to anchor her memories and thoughts make sense.
I found the audiobook of My Life in Plants relaxing and enjoyable. She recounts her own worries, disappointments, mistakes, regrets and everyday joys and Katie Vaz is relatable. Her slow voice and the honesty with which she talks about Facebook envy and wanting to hide while regrouping during her early career days resonates with me. Hearing about her relationship ups and downs and delayed engagement and simple but joyous wedding had me sharing in her happiness. This is like hearing an introverted friend speak honestly about her life and the plants and flowers she enjoys.

Using plants to help structure a memoir is both clever and sweet. Listening to the audiobook, I missed paging through the accompanying illustrations, but the writing mostly stood on its own. This book could make a good gift for a young adult. It served me as an invitation to consider my memories of plants and the plants that were present and important at different times in my own life.

This was such a sweet little book all about plants and growing up that I really enjoyed! I wish I had known this was a graphic novel before I'd picked out the audiobook because I would have loved to see the illustrations and let them inform my review of the book. I also found myself wishing there was more exposition and explanation of the author's life than ran parallel to the plants she described, but once I found out this book had illustrations I found that wish going away. It was really sweet and I related to a lot of the author's own musings on growing up and starting your own life. The only reason I'm not rating it higher is because I found it kind of forgettable--there wasn't anything the author wrote about that really stood out to me or would stick in my mind for a long time. Overall I liked this book but didn't fall in love with it. I would probably recommend it to a friend but only if they liked plants or graphic novels.

2.5/5 - I chose to listen to this audiobook because I love books about trees and plants. Plus it has the cutest cover! Based on the title, I expected stories centered around plants and flowers. But this is more like little vignettes about different stand-out moments in the author's life in which plants are present. In most circumstances, the plants and flowers are mentioned casually. The stories are entertaining, but I was really hoping for something more centered in nature, where the plants occupy more space.

The audiobook is nice: the chapters are very short, the length is very short, and the narrator has a nice, upbeat delivery of the story. However if I could go back and restart this one, I would want it to be a print copy, because the author is an illustrator and her art style is really wonderful. I think it would be a lot of fun to read the short passages with the illustration that goes along with it. Nothing wrong with the audiobook; I just think the artistry is really lovely.


Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for gifting me an early copy of this audiobook in exchange for a review!

This is nice memoir of brief nostalgic musings with plants as touch points.
I’m betting the print version with the illustrations to anchor the stories would improve upon the audiobook that I listened to.

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

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.

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.