Recollections of first love, heartbreak, reconciliation, and new horizons as seen through the eyes of a fifteen-year old. A quick read that begs a re-read of some of the better poems. I will recommend this debut work to my High School students as a study in life lessons. They will likely find points of comparison and may learn some valuable home truths ...
Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the artwork on the cover of this collection of poems and would have loved to see it throughout the book.

The first half of the book dragged a bit... we get it you're in love.. I nearly gave up and dnf but the final section was really good and im glad I carried on reading. I wish the book also explored more of the feelings the author had towards the end of the relationship as it was far more interesting to read then the standard im in love. Overall a nice set of poems

Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook.
It was a simple and fast read. I liked how the author wanted to tell through the poems about her first love and heartbreak, but to be honest, I didn't like the whole book that much.

Is there anything that burns as bright in embryo or scars as deep in the aftermath as first love? I think Bella Mayo, the author of My Greenhouse, would be inclined to answer no. And I would be inclined to agree with her.

As we grow up we become jaded, conveniently forgetting the potency and primacy of the feelings we had when we were young and in love. I don’t believe there’s ever a time a person is more alive than when everything is blossoming for the first time—the first time you feel someone else’s lips on yours as well as the first time someone takes your heart and shreds it like so much dirty confetti.

Mayo catalogs all of these feelings and presents them as a blueprint for moving on when the one you thought would never leave decides they can’t stay. My Greenhouse leaves no stone unturned and no leaf unfurled, showing that healing after heartbreak is indeed possible—even if you have to dig everything up and plant it somewhere else.

This book of poetry touched on a subject that so many people relate to. There were several poems that resonated with me and reminded me of past feelings of heartbreak. I enjoyed how the order of poems told a story of loving and losing someone along with all the growth that comes along the way. While other reviews criticize the book for not being completely original, I do feel that discussing such a universally shared feeling is part of the appeal. The description of the former love is not characterized by any specific physical traits, but rather the way he made the author feel and those feelings can be applicable to anyone reading this book. Several of these poems have stayed with me the past few weeks since I've read it and their impact is just as strong. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for something reflective and thoughtful to break up all the longer novels.

"the moment you are hurt by the hands of a man,
the thought of being in another's seems to reckless.
to fully love you i had to unlearn
the idea i had so strongly held on to-
that in a man's arms is a dangerous place"

This book is lovely. It's a brave thing to pour out your heart and history onto printed pages and share them with the world, for it to be absorbed and critiqued. And that's what I appreciate about poetry and this book.
I originally wanted to read this because of the title, but when I started reading, the emotions pulled me in. Poem after poem, I was wondering how Bella Mayo was going to describe something next, or what metaphor she was going to use. It was so intriguing due to the general theme/idea of a garden/greenhouse.

I've never been in love, so reading a lot of these, I couldn't really relate. But at the same time, I didn't have to imagine what it might be like, either,  because she explained it in such a way that I got a glimpse of what it was like for her. 

Other times, I could understand because I'd been in similar situations or had similar thoughts, and it was so interesting to see how a familiar feeling could be described by someone else in a way I'd never thought of before.

She tells a vivid story with her poetry, and when it comes to heartbreak, the imagery stands out. Wildflowers and sunshine. Neutral colors and dark clouds. With the little details she includes, I can practically see the moment/memory in my mind - two people in love dancing in a parking lot at night, hugging each other tight.

This book is about love, and her words convey that nicely. It's a very bittersweet book, but it makes me hopeful for my own future. Absolutely lovely.

This is a debut collection of poetry which explores the theme of first love, heartbreak, healing, and fallng in love again. It's about infatuation, passion, hope, pain, uncertainty, and more. It's written in a really simple style and most of the poems are also quite short. I enjoyed my reading experience overall, it was really accessible and easy to read. There were some poems I really liked that really resonated with me, but I couldn't fully connect to the whole collection as a whole. There was something missing for me, though I'm not entirely sure what that is. However, if you like the modern simple style of poetry, and you want to read something short about love and dealing with heartbreak, then you might enjoy this.

Love has a unique and wonderful quality to it. The home we build in this person. We put a lot of love into decorating this house. It follows us around for the rest of our lives. My greenhouse focuses on the uniqueness of first love, shared moments and memories, and minor heartbreaks.

This is Bella Mayo's debut title and while I enjoyed a lot of it, there were parts that just didn't hit the mark for me.

Some of the sections felt a little repetitive as I was looking for some progression into the next section.

Overall, it was an interesting view on one's first love and I hope that this author keeps on developing themselves and continues writing.

This was a beautiful book of poetry that made me pause, made me reflect, and made me feel seen.

It was an exploration of emotions that anyone can resonate with, because at the end of the day, these emotions- love, loss, happiness, sorrow, etc.- are what bind us all. No matter who were are or where we reside, we can find common ground in the sensations that are these emotions.

The author does an incredible job exploring these each in a way that makes you truly sit with your thoughts and find peace in the fact that you are not alone.

I would highly recommend for fans of Rupi Kaur and Nikita Gill.

''you hung the moon; i held the stars''

Love poems usually aren't my thing, because I always find them cheesy and cringey, but I don't hate them either. However, this was no exception. Just another poetry book about love and heartbreak. As if we didn't have enough of them already. For a debut collection, this felt bland, plain and dull. I only liked like 3 or 4 poems. I've already forgotten the rest.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this before publication date.

Unfortunately, the poems in this collection read as somewhat juvenile to me, like they were written by a teenager rather than an adult. This may have been intentional, as the poems are about the author’s first love. Unfortunately it didn’t really work for me though, and I found myself frustrated by the lack of depth.

This collection goes through the emotions the author, Bella Robertson, felt During her first love. She divides the book into five chapters symbolizing different stages of that relationship. I really enjoyed how the author described what if felt during different aspects of her relationship. There were a few that stood out to me, but one in particular, My Indecisive One, really hit home for me. I also liked how the author did not end with a typical 'happy ending.' It was realistic and described how much a first love can affect us afterward and leave us feeling a bit hollow before finding ourselves again. Overall, I really enjoyed this collection. Thank you, NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

My Greenhouse covers a very cliched topic but tells you right away exactly what you're reading, which somehow makes the cliche more approachable. The all-lowercase type is so very with this cliche along with the flower imagery. The ideas and images are not unique or new, which doesn't make the read the most exhilarating. However, the work is honest to its goal stated in the dedication: a work for all the girls who have loved and had their hearts broken. The work does its job of highlighting those feelings from the beginning to the end of young love. Bits of this work ring true, but I do wonder if that truth can make up for the lack of unique ideas and beautiful imagery. The work reads like a high schooler-in-love's diary and I think the work would have the most effect on that audience.

While not a favorite of my own, I can see the appeal for a younger audience. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this work in exchange for this review.

Poetry is always a safe place for me to feel like I’m not alone and all of the poems in this book demonstrated my life in some aspects. It was well written and spoken.

True artists know how to make you feel something. No matter how many stories of heartbreak you hear or read, true artists will make the same story new again because it is so relatable and moving. Bella Mayo achieves this beauty and relatability in this book of poems. I was hesitant to read this book of poetry on heartbreak because I was afraid it would make me feel emotional but isn't that a sign of a good piece of artwork? Bella Mayo dedicates this book to the girls who have felt heartbreak, and not many haven't. I'll be buying this book of poetry once it's released to remind me of the journey of healing that comes with both love and heartbreak.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 / 5 Stars

This book is devided into a few chapters aka parts that I thought would be categorized by themes. In reality I couldn't really see a huge difference between single chapters. It's more of a , the first are love poems and the second are heartbreak poems, kind of thing.

While I read the first chapter, I thought to myself: "Yeah, this is not the best poetry collection Ive ever read, but it's absolutly relatable and I can see myself giving this 4 stars." The poetry is skillfully crafted, on point and makes you want so say: Mood.

It's only when we get into chapter two, that things start to not be 'mood' anymore. Don't get me wrong, the craftmanship is still strong. The themes - however - aren't. I counted, because the first time it happend, I thought 'Yeah, ok, this is giving me not so great vibes, but it's a one time thing. I can overlook it.' The next time I was laughing awkwardly. The third time had me go 'Bro.' I'll give you a quote so you know what I mean.

Being loved by you is my greatest privilege

to love you is an honour

you're the reason I go to sleep

You are not - and you should not- be defined by romantic love. If romantic love is the only thing you have going for you, I beg you to seek theraphy. And I don't mean that in a bad way, I'm honestly really worried for you and your mental health. Please take care of yourself, honey.
Stuff like the one I quoted is possesive, it implicates that romantic love is the best thing that could happen to you & that nothing else could (or should) bring you more joy. Being in love (and being in love for the first time) is great. And the other poems showcase that. But this is not healthy love. This is not how your partner should make you feel.

There is another "stunning" one, that goes something like, I'm a no one without you. There are 7 poems in total that make me go 'red flag' and I don't like it. It's not a complete red flag yet, but it's heading there. I don't think the author intended for this to sound so toxic. Or rather, let me rephrase. This was not written intentionally toxic, not written to showcase and explore toxic/unheathy or dark love. I think this was actually supposed to be romantic and 'goals'.

There is one more absolutly stunning line that I forgot to quote, because I don't recall the exact wording. The message behind it is very clear though. It implies something like:

You're not hitting me or mistreating me and are giving me the bare minimum.... Goals!! ♥ *insert heart eyes here*

Honey. Is your self-worth really THAT low?

The poems in the other chapters are - mostly - fine. Mostly, because there are 2 poems that accidently claim that love is a choice. It's clear to me - and the reader, that the author didn't mean it like that - I think? - but the wording is very, very, VERY unfavorable, if I may say so myself. I know it's supposed to reflect a heartbroken mind. But even then, one should still be carefull about how one phrases certain things.

The poetry itself is nice - sure - and I'm certain a lot of people will love it, but I can't go and give this anything higher then 3 stars. Not with stuff like that in there.

I enjoyed that this poetry collection took a journey through the author's first relationship. Because of this, it doesn't have an exactly happy ending so much as it has a realistic one, which was nice to see. None of the poems particularly stood out to me, but I liked the greenhouse imagery and how the author titled the poems "my _____" to reflect the title of "My Greenhouse." Solid "liked it" rating, would read more from this author.

I’m so glad I read this poetry collection. This five part collection is about falling in love and heartbreak and the different aspects of a relationship and I quite enjoyed it.

I first picked up this copy for the cover - I’m a sucker for line drawings! Love the simplicity.

My Greenhouse is a really digestible collection of poems inspired by the author’s first romance. I’ve been getting into poetry more recently, and enjoyed the way the work is broken into chapters - guiding you through the feelings of new love, relationships, parting ways, and moving forward.

4⭐️