If you enjoy cozy stories set in fantasy worlds, The Enchanted Greenhouse is for you! While it features the same female main character from The Spellshop and takes place in the same world, there is not much storyline that directly connects the two, so you can definitely read this as a standalone. This was a cute, cozy, low or no stakes story. If you’re in the mood for something that feels like a warm hug in book form, pick this one up!

I enjoyed this novel very much in the aspect that it is lighthearted, whimsical, and overall a fun read. I like the world the author has created as well. I know this is a "sequel," but I don't feel you need to read the first one to understand this story or gain important context. There are tie-ins to it, but you will still enjoy this story very much. The side characters of talking plants are so much fun! My main issue is that some things can get repetitive in the story. My main issue of repetiveness is with the main character repeating the same thoughts regarding her fears.

I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.

This perfectly cozy and charming romantasy is a standalone, indirect sequel to Durst's likewise wonderful The Spellshop. This one picks up on a plot thread of the other book: what happened to the librarian who illegally employed magic to bring to life the spider plant, Caz.

Terlu Perna's sentence was extreme is proportion to her crime. She's forced to become a wooden statue on the library grounds. She spends six years in that stasis, only to abruptly awaken in a strange, snowy place. She finds nearby a huge, sprawling complex of enchanted greenhouses, all of them overseen by a surly young gardener who is profoundly disappointed she's not a sanctioned wizard. The greenhouses are starting to fail, one by one, and he needs help to stop the devastation. Terlu begins to fall in love with the place--and the man--as she delves deeper into the mysteries of the greenhouses and their dead creator.

While you know from the get-go this will have a happily ever after, the journey there is an absolute delight, with plenty of other surprises along the way.

I really wanted to love this book, but I could not connect with the narrative voice and found myself disinterested sixty-ish pages in. This book is probably great for romantasy readers who aren't me.

4.5 stars and my thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC!

I think I might have liked this better than Spellshop???

The Plot: Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium. This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.

"You don't let anything dim your light," Yarrow said. "You were sentenced to a fate worse than death - don't tell me it wasn't. You lost everything. Unfairly punished. You're terrified it will happen again. And yet you still open your arms to everyone. How?"
"I..." She'd never been asked that or ever even considered the question. "What's the alternative?"


The kindness of Terlu despite everything that happened to her will stick with me for a long time. I loved that she treated everything as a new experience and even when she was so scared of being tracked down and turned back into a statue, that fear didn't stop her from doing what was right. I love that Yarrow was absolutely gone for her from the jump, even if the only proof was in the loafs of honey cake he made.

Sometimes, you need a book that is low-stakes, low-heat, but massive feelings.

This was delightful. My new dream is to live somewhere with an enchanted greenhouse. I'd been hoping Caz and Terlu might meet, but the fact she at least got closure that he's doing well made up for it somewhat. I won't lie, though -- I'm definitely hopeful for a third book in which Kiela, Terlu, and Caz meet up!

Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium. This should have been the end of her story ... Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.
But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again. This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

The second in the Spellshop series delivers what it promises. Terlu is a relatable character. She's worried about getting in trouble again and getting others in trouble with her this time, but still wants to help the greenhouses. It is not surprising that Yarrow, the grumpy gardener warms up to her. And his backstory makes his standoffishness understandable.
A very good edition to the series.

This was a fun, sweeping read! What a clever concept - enchanted green houses! Loved the descriptions of the foliage and all the chatter around food! Add tiny dragons and lots of talking plants and you’ve got a whimsical light-hearted read.

If you’ve never read cozy fantasy before this would be a great introduction. To enjoy this book you don’t have to have read the first book in the series. Big thanks to NetGalley for an early copy.

I didn’t think it was possible, but I loved The Enchanted Greenhouse even more than its predecessor, The Spellshop. It’s essentially the scene from Beauty & the Beast where Belle first sees the enormous library, on repeat, mixed with simmering romance, heaps of magical creatures and flowers, and infinitely more talking plants. I felt wonder with each new piece of the story, excited for what waited through each new door. Sarah Beth Durst was able to create a universe on a tiny island in a forgotten corner of her world and it’s truly a wonder to read and experience. At the end of the day, any book with tiny honey-obsessed dragons is a win by my standards.

The Best Bits

The greenhouse scenes - each one is unique, beautiful and thrilling to imagine
The tiny dragons - so perfect they deserve at least two mentions
The love story - more forward than The Spellshop and just as sweet

A Statue Come to Life
We first heard Terlu’s story in The Spellshop, the long lost creator of Caz, the beloved talking spider plant, who had been sentenced to an eternity as a statue. The Enchanted Greenhouse is the story of her rebirth into the land of the living, and she dives right into a strange world filled with wondrous things. I loved getting to know this character, watching as she returned to her social ways and engaged with everything around her in a sensitive and caring manner. She completely makes sense as the creator of a talking spider plant, and she fits perfectly alongside the grumpy sole gardener who is trying to keep dozens of greenhouses from falling into disrepair. She helps the gardener to open himself back up to the world and falls in love along the way. The progression is perfect and I applaud Durst on how perfectly she captures the cozy fantasy aesthetic mixing just enough seriousness with fluffy calm.

So Many Talking Plants
I was obsessed with Caz in The Spellshop. Just imagining this ball of dirt and leaves swinging around was fascinating to me and such an original creation. In this second book, Durst outdoes herself with a dozen talking plants, all of them with unique personalities. While the rose is the real star of the talking plant show, I found myself obsessed with Dendy, the slow talking, wise Rhododendron who steals all of his scenes. I never would have imagined being thrilled at the prospect of talking plants, but here we are and it’s magical.

The Food
So much of this book followed the lines of Studio Ghibli - the wonder, the magic, the characters with things to learn who just want to better the world. In true Ghibli fashion, food was front and center and Durst’s descriptions are mouthwatering. The grumpy gardener has chef-level talents in the kitchen and imagining his baked goods made me want to put down the book and start baking. I’ve never tasted a dish that embodied an entire season, and now I’m inspired.

Breathtaking Greenhouses
Clearly I expected there to be greenhouses aplenty, but that descriptor doesn’t do the book justice. I knew I’d be seeing magical plants, maybe even a couple of creatures, but Durst has created dozens of magical worlds, bringing together so many ideas into one space. I found myself pausing to reread descriptions, just so I could imagine them fully. From the sunflower maze populated by tiny dragons (a third mention!) to the galaxy of starlight flowers to a room housing flowers whose scents create beautiful dreams - it was all breathtaking to behold.

I LOVED this book! I thought it started off a bit slow, but that was really the lack if information the main character had, which is figured out later! This story was hopeful and cozy. It really showcased understanding your own strengths while actively listening to other people and what they need. Trust is a huge part of the story, trusting others and yourself!

I would 100% recommend this book!

When I heard that The Spellshop was getting a sequel, I could not have been happier. I loved Terlu as a main character. It was great to get to know her, the creator of Kaz, after she was mentioned in The Spellshop. The Enchanted Greenhouse was magical and such a beautiful story about belonging, friendship, and pressing forward despite how scary the future might be. Also the romance was so cute.

Sarah Beth Durst has done it again! She always manages to hook me with her charming, unforgettable side characters. Lotti and Dendy in this one? Absolutely adorable.

After falling in love with The Spellshop (an easy 5 stars), I had high hopes for The Enchanted Greenhouse, and it absolutely delivered. Yarrow is the perfect brooding gardener with a heart as warm as his golden skin, and Terlu's quiet, introspective nature was deeply relatable. The sentient plants stole the show, because who wouldn’t want to experience dream flowers or stroll through galaxy fields?

I highly recommend this book and the whole cozy, interconnected series to anyone craving a comforting fantasy full of wonder and warmth, with magically alive household objects and men clearly written by women.

P.S. where can I get a recipe for honey cakes?

This was just as sweet as the first one. If you were a fan of The Spellshop, you’ll enjoy this one as well. These are interconnected books, but I totally recommend reading them in order. The characters were cute, and the vibes were cozy. Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for an e-arc of this book.

The Enchanted Greenhouse is a wholesome romance in a cozy fantasy setting, set in the same world and time period as The Spellshop.

I was glad that this book was a little less twee than The Spellshop, but the romance was a bit too instant and forward for my (personal) preference. However, I did appreciate the qualities that the characters appreciated in each other.
The characters were a little cardboard-cutout, but they were consistent. I appreciated that Terlu was described as “pleasantly plump.”
I also didn’t feel like the stakes were all that convincing, but the story is approachable and quick to read.
I like that it didn’t waste time on excessive world-building or exposition: it kept the pace up and prevented the magic from becoming stale.

I would recommend this book to readers looking for a palate cleanser; readers who like gardens, fantasy, and cozy settings; and readers seeking a spice-free love story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc!

Oh, Sarah Beth Durst did it again! I loved absolutely loved The Spellshop and when I found out The Enchanted Greenhouse existed, I needed to read this book immediately! The Enchanted Greenhouse was so cute and so cozy, making me really sad that I can only visit this world through the pages of the book.

4.5 stars. There is nothing better than a cozy fantasy with talking plants, a grumpy gardener who loves baking, and TINY DRAGONS. This is such a good standalone follow up to The Spellshop, it's so cute and low stakes. My only thing was I wish Kiela and Caz made an appearance in this book, but maybe there will be a third? 👀

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC!

✨🌸🌱

Enchanted Greenhouse is such a sweet, cozy fantasy book! If you are looking for a good easy fantasy read, this is the perfect book!

In this book, we follow the character Terlu, a librarian who breaks the rules of using magic to cure her loneliness and is punished for it by being turned into a wooden statue. Some time passes and she is broken out of the statue and finds herself in a place she’s never seen and stumbles upon a magnificent greenhouse with endless amount of plants. It’s there she meets the grumpy gardener and their adventure starts there.

The book does a great job of including tropes (such as grumpy/sunshine, slowburn) that we have seen many times but makes it their own. You can’t help but root for them and wanting to see them happy! This book also has the main theme of second chances and using those second chances to the best of your ability.

Such a fun read!

I absolutely adored The Spellshop and I am pleased to report, The Enchanted Greenhouse did not disappoint. Terlu is the sunshine to Yarrow’s grump and they truly compliment each other so perfectly. I was so giddy reading along as their friendship developed into love. They’re just so cute!

Their mission to save the greenhouse and unravel the motivations of the Belde’s dead sorcerer was so much fun and allowed for tons of self exploration for each of the characters. This was such a cute read. With characters who are unapologetically themselves, second-chances, and a warm, welcoming island for anyone and everyone (this does include sentient plants, trust) I am obsessed with this series and I hope there is more coming!

*4.5 Stars*

The Enchanted Greenhouse was everything I want in a cozy fantasy novel! While technically a follow-up to The Spellshop, this book can stand on its own. That said, I’d still recommend reading The Spellshop first to fully appreciate the mentions of characters from the first book.

I think I enjoyed The Enchanted Greenhouse even more than Spellshop. This story hit all the right notes for me: eccentric and charming characters, a whimsical setting, cozy vibes, and scenes that made me smile from ear to ear. The romance (grumpy+sunshine) was slow-burn and sweet. I also loved the focus on second chances, community, healing, and belonging.

Durst has a gift for descriptive writing, especially when it comes to magical environments and food. Her attention to cozy details makes the world feel not just magical, but lived in. The greenhouses especially felt like places I could wander for hours.

This is a quieter, low-stakes fantasy, which won’t be for everyone—but it was exactly what I was looking for. Heartwarming and whimsical, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a perfect read for fans of cozy fantasy.

***Thank you to the publisher for providing an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

I adore this book. It's just as good if not better than her previous book. I hope she keeps them coming from this world. I want to live in it.