Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

I went back and forth on my rating but I guess technically it’s 4.5. There’s a lot more to this book than meets the eye. You come for the man eating talking plant, you stay for the great story and metaphors about letting go and growing in a world that’s constantly changing. Our antagonist Baby is something out of Little Shop of Horrors. Living in a crumbling mall and surviving by chewing on unsuspecting patrons with the help of Neve, who he is in love with and who he uses for his clean up. Neve has just recently left her fiancé and has gotten close to the new woman she’s hired as her assistant. Shell has also recently left her fiancé and has moved back to her old life and she’s desperate for something new.

The mall where they work is ancient. Neve and her friends have grown up there and try to hold on to it as long as they can. In the opposite Shell has deleted everyone in her life from when she was with her ex. She has ignored every email and text from friends in her past. She only wants Neve and Neve’s friends.

Baby’s design was so interesting. With the ability to grow inside of people and read their thoughts/know their feelings, Baby is a force to be reckoned with. He knows all and sees all.

I really liked Neve’s friends and my anxiety was so high for them as Shell got closer to them. The horror level on this is very low. We don’t really see Baby chomp away as much as I would have liked. It got really crazy at the end and I did appreciate that. Little Shop of Horrors is one of my fave movies and I really enjoy these types of books. Baby is obsessed with Neve and controlling her life and I love a toxic man who can bury himself in your insides. I just wish he could have gone as apeshit as I know he wanted to.

This definitely gives off 'Little shop of horrors' with Grade B horror movie vibes.

I mostly certainly requested this book because
A) I love books set in Ireland (I'm from Belfast),
B) I love sapphic tales
& C) This 100% gave little shop of horror vives and as a musical girlie, it is a must!

While I could relate to the struggle of dying mall culture and the economy trouble that affects many and (when I last lived in Ireland) really affected the mentality of people & society. I found the flow & pacing of this horror to be uneven. I can understand the desire for the build up, and really making 'baby' a frightening and obsessive threat but things crescendoed much too fast.
Also, the voice got lost as we switched pov with Shell & Baby, there needed to be more of a clear separation so things didn't become confusing.

In the end, this was a fun dark read and I know a few people that will enjoy this release!

I devoured this book! The concept immediately drew me in from the first page with its originality and depth, setting the stage for a truly captivating read. The writing was masterful, flowing effortlessly and brimming with vivid imagery that brought the world and its characters to life. The characters' development was exceptionally well thought out—layered, nuanced, and deeply human. Each one felt authentic, with motivations and growth arcs that kept me emotionally invested. This wasn’t just a story; it was an immersive experience that lingered with me long after I turned the final page.

This was not my kind of book. The story did not engage me and I never cared about the characters. It is well written and will definitely delight many readers. I just wasn’t one of them.

This was a fun Little Shop of Horrors-esque story about a woman forced to move back to her hometown who stumbles upon a helped needed sign at a florist shop in the local mall. I enjoyed the writing style and found both Neve and Shell to be interesting characters. However, the plot was very slow and lacked any kind of intrigue until deep into the story. At times I was so bored I almost dnf’d. I wish the story picked up a bit quicker!

If you're a fan of literary fiction, dark comedy, or family dramas, then "Eat the Ones You Love" is an absolute must-read. Griffin's writing is engaging, unapologetic, and utterly captivating. Be prepared for a darkly comedic and thought-provoking reading experience!

Wow the ego death is blooming lovely this time of year!

The perspective that this book is written in is deliciously manipulative also it makes it difficult to keep the interesting moments rolling. This is one of those instances where one character is leagues more intriguing than the others.

I think most readers are going to be hung up on too many similarities to another piece of beloved killer plant fiction. While "Eat the Ones you Love" tries to be it's own entity, I think it's still rooted in a preexisting narrative and doesn't escape the connection until far too late.

I really enjoyed the setting though. It compliments the beautiful morbidity of the dead and dying. What I didn't enjoy though was this book's pacing. It moves about as much as a cut flower. If you read the blurb and anticipate an active and engaging reading experience you will probably be let down.

Shell is relatable in that negative way that reminds me of my own personal failings and desires. Definitely makes me think that maybe if I see a florist with a "Help needed" sign I should definitely run for the hills.

I don't know if I am the right reader for this read. It feels like art that I just can't quite get.

I was initially worried that this book might err on the side of cozy, but I was happily surprised how deeply it leaned into its themes. The structure was a little haphazard at times, sure. The writing more than made up for it. There is such confidence and playfulness to this author’s voice, and it made reading a pleasure. I did find the ending to be a bit abrupt, but it was thematically satisfying. Overall, I had a great time with this one.

Okay, Little Shop of Horrors! (But really, this is just a queer Irish retelling of Little Shop of Horrors) While I was actively reading this story, I was engrossed. However, as soon as I would put it down, I found myself not as interested in picking it back up. For me, the pacing and plot were just a little off. I felt like not much happened, not much happened, not much happened, and then... BAM! Everything happened, and it happened a little too quickly to satisfyingly wrap up the story. I was invested in the characters, who were mostly well developed, and in the story of the dilapidated mall's future. A good read for those who like millennial ennui, small-town life, and sentient killer plants.

EAT THE ONES YOU LOVE follows michelle "shell" pine who—fresh off a divorce from her fiancé, the loss of her job, and the inevitable move back home with her parents—seeks a much-needed change of pace by asking after work at the woodbine crown mall's thriving florist shop. it belongs to neve, whose beautiful looks and commanding personality spark an immediate crush in shell, but neve belongs to something else in the mall: an unassuming orchid growing in the atrium at the heart of the mall. baby is young, starving, and has grown his roots all through the building. nothing—and no one—he eats can satisfy him as much as eating neve, and he will have her no matter the cost.

with her gorgeous prose and masterful characterization, sarah maria griffin explores the world of retail through a monstrous lens, following a closely knit group of friends who work in the woodbine crown's surviving shops and the ways they interact with one another—both in public and in secret—and wrestle with the rumors of the mall closure, which threatens to put a stop to the beating heart of their community and the lives they've built around it. as they nurse friendships, develop crushes, and begin workplace affairs, baby threads his way into their lives, determined to take everything he can get before it's too late.

EAT THE ONES YOU LOVE is a slow and relentless fever dream of insidious unravelings you won't be able to look away from. it shines with the peculiar sheen of the desirous and hungry, strikes with the fury of a person possessed, and blossoms as only the most beautiful of flowers can. it is a story about finding yourself, and finding your chosen family, even in the worst of times. the woodbine friend group at its heart is one of the most memorable and arresting casts i've read about in a long while, and i saw parts of myself in each of them, rooting for them all even as the world around them grew into a lush and verdant hell.

a horrifying journey that will leave you reeling all the way into its pitch perfect ending, sarah maria griffin's adult debut is an eerie and unforgettable triumph.

Confession: I have not seen Little Shop of Horrors, and now I never can because this book is going to be what I think of when I think of carnivorous plants and shopkeepers.

Eat the Ones You Love is a five star horror. It's got it all. Cute but clueless new employee meets sexy but secretive new boss. Friendships form between mall employees while the mall crumbles around them because it's 2024. Plant narrator who is both evil and in love with the sexy boss. An ending I didn't hate but also didn't see coming.

The only thing that could have made me take a star away from this one is the fact that we spend the whole book anticipating a relationship between two characters only for one of them to pull back and sleep with somebody else (not sure if that's a spoiler because Baby tells us about it fairly early on). Like, I'm never sure what's going on with the non-plant romances in this book. I'm leaving that fifth star because it's possibly that a plant narrator isn't the best interpreter of human emotions.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Ironically, I devoured this! The concept and the writing really sang, and the character development was well thought out and nuanced. I really enjoyed this fresh story, and fresh take!

I bet you didn't know you wanted a queer Irish Little Shop of Horrors reimagining that both embraces dying mall culture and skewers (sub)urban upper middle class millennials.

Huge points for atmosphere, style, and creativity. Deducting a star because the ending felt a little quick after all of the buildup. Still, if I were reviewing for a journal I'd recommend a star because this is still exceptional for the genre. Definitely gonna be that weirdo who bumps for Library Reads, and who will cheer if it makes it on.