So much is packed into this hopeful, sweet, swoony love story between a resourceful librarian/single mom and a grumpily kind plant daddy. Go get it. Like, right now. 

Tansy's life was upended by a horrific hurricane, making her home barely livable and her temporary library at the local botanical gardens in jeopardy of being closed for good. 

Jack is the grump who saved her and her kid in the aftermath of the storm, but also the guy in charge at the gardens who bristles at the encroachment of Tansy and her colorful team as they try to reach the community's needs. 

Agreeing to a truce forces them both out of their comfort zone, making them aware of how deeply their heels were dug into a place that held them back. Their quiet, lovely love story is surrounded by other loves, too, like of family, friends, coworkers, and community. It was funny and moving and visual and observant and tingly and hopeful and I genuinely didn't want it to end. 

For fans of:
- Books about booklovers (librarians!)
- Plant daddies
- Inclusive cast of characters
- Community overcoming hardship 
- Cinnamon roll wrapped up in big, hunky grump
- Workplace romance

Thanks to Putnam Books for the ARC of this sweet book! I read Melanie Sweeney's debut novel and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to dive into this one! Where You're Planted is an enemies to lovers story, but felt a little more mature than your typical enemies to lovers storyline. I personally enjoyed that because as a thirty something mom, it was fun to read about another thirty something mom. Tansy is a single Mom and a librarian who is reeling after a hurricane upended all aspects of her life. Her library branch is temporarily moved to a public garden in Houston where she initially has trouble working with the director, Jack. Jack has a tough exterior and seems very inconvenienced by Tansy being there. They bicker back and forth until they finally find a common ground. Jack forms an unlikely bond with Tansy's daughter and then Tansy herself. I enjoyed this one because, I feel like the emotions behind all of the characters different circumstances felt very realistic and also the love story was sweet while being a little bit of a slow burn. 5 stars overall and I would definitely read more books by Melanie Sweeney!

This book was a pleasant surprise. A librarian and a gardener have to learn how to share space after a hurricane comes through and destroys their town and the library. As someone who has lived through several devastating hurricanes, the community and rebuilding aspect felt very genuine and realistic. The romance built nicely and authentically. I thought the story also showcased realistic episodes of panic attacks and anxiety. Overall, the story felt like a breath of fresh air.

Jack and Tansy get off on the wrong foot during a hurricane. Tansy feels responsible to save the library’s birds and Jack gets rude under pressure. The library becomes a hazard after the hurricane and Jack is forced to share his gardens with Tansy. She’s bossy, powerful and infuriating. He’s grumpy, stand offish, and a secret sweetheart. The pair butt heads to begin with but soon their strong feelings got from hate to lust to maybe love.

This is such a fun story filled with so much banter, a cute grump, and the best spicy scenes. Jack is basically Luke Danes in gardener form. Grumpy but obsessed with Tansy in the sweetest ways. Once I started I just couldn’t put this book down. It was over too soon. Ugh. I knew it was going to be good because I enjoyed her first book, but this one was even better. If you like enemies to lovers and grumpy x sunshine this one’s for you!

Enemies to lovers
Grumpy sunshine
Caught in the rain
Single Mom

Thanks G.P. Putnam and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Where You’re Planted by Melanie Sweeney is a heartfelt book. The FMC, Tansy is a librarian and single mom while the MMC, Jack is a gruff and grumpy assistant director of the botanical gardens. The two meet during a hurricane, and Jack ends up rescuing Tansy and her daughter. Their first couple of interactions don’t go so well. After the hurricane destroys the library where Tansy works, the library temporarily moves into a space at the botanical gardens much to Jack’s chagrin.

I adored this dual POV story telling. I loved getting both main characters perspectives. Both main characters have to learn to work together and open up to the possibility that they are more than just archenemies at work. Their relationship transforms from enemies to friends to something more.

I loved seeing both main characters’ growth throughout the story. I also enjoyed all the side characters in this book, they were great additions to the story.

This is overall a sweet contemporary romance that is definitely worth a read.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded up

I am a huge fan of Sweeney. I absolutely loved her last book, so I knew I had to get my hands on this one.

I will be honest when I say I found the first half of the book to be a bit boring. Sweeney was trying to make this an enemies to lovers trope (I think) but I didn’t really feel it. I thought Tansy had a bit of a bad attitude toward Jack but I didn’t feel it was justified. I was confused by it but for the sake of the story I went along with it.

When we hit the 50% mark of the book it started to pick up. I was rooting for these two.

I loved all the insight into the plants and how Jack connected with Briar. Sometimes when there are kids in the books it can either be lacking or too much, but I thought this was perfect.

I do feel there were many unanswered questions regarding kids, Sophie, and Charlie…but I’m okay with it.

I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next!

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

What to expect from this book
• Dislike to Friends to Lovers
• He falls first
• Forced Proximity
• Single Mom
• Fun Side Characters

I seen the cover of this book and was really drawn in. It was a really cute and fun read, I love a good single parent book and this one definitely delivered. I loved the bickering between main characters and the whole dynamic they had. Loved Tansy being the stubborn one and wanting to do right by her daughter and do it herself even though I was begging her to accept jacks help by the end. The way that Jack cared for Briar was really cute and I love they’re both plant and outdoorsy nerds

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for letting me read a free copy of this book in exchange for a review

This one got to me!! It reminded me of Emily Henry in the best way. It felt like a layered, complex romance between two real people. I love how it wasn’t filtered or fake, but felt like Tansy and Jack were fully fleshed out characters. The “will they or won’t they”, “enemies to lovers” vibes were immaculate. Thank you for warming my heart!

[Thank you to G.P. Putnam and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.]

When a once-in-a-lifetime hurricane damages the public library, Tansy Perkins and the remaining staff is forced to relocate into the adjacent county botanic gardens. She's shocked when she discovers that the man who rescued her and her daughter from the rising waters is the garden's assistant director, Jack Reid. Jack and Tansy keep butting heads because he's focused on his plants while she's focused on her daughter and the library. But when they need to work together on the Spring festival, their truce leads to sometime more.

—

Oh. My. God. This is the kind of book you're going to try to read slowly because you don't want it to end.

Tansy and Jack are both stubborn people who have built these walls for self-preservation after being hurt by people they loved. Neither of them is looking for love, nor do they think they want it, but there is this undeniable pull between them. Yet they're still hesitant and it's so believable because it's scary to open yourself up to the possibility of being hurt again.

Things between them don't start off great but once they drop their shields a little bit, they are so gentle with each other. At their cores, they're both caretakers who don't know how to let others take care of them.

The story is rounded out with so many loveable side characters and since it’s mostly set in the botanic gardens, it’s got a small-town feel (even though it takes place in a large city).

This was really sweet. A children’s librarian and director of a botanical garden clash as they are forced to share a work space after a devastating hurricane.

Tansy and Jack are a great match and it was fun to watch as their antagonistic banter transforms into something else. I think readers interested in enemies-to-lovers and found family plots will enjoy this.

Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

This was very sweet!

I thought that the depiction of post-hurricane life and recuperation was very well done. I like leads that don’t have it all together and this showed that super well.

Some of the conflict in this was frustrating for me but made sense for what we’re told about the characters.

Child characters can be hard to write but I loved Briar! She was the best.

I wish there was more of a resolution in regard to Tansy’s ex and his place in Briar’s life.

But! This was a good, easy read with some sweet romance!


Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the eARC!

Beautiful writing that took me right into the story. The characters Melanie crafted intrigued me. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved this!! I was immediately drawn in by the description and it didn’t let me down. this was such a sweet romance and it felt so relatable especially with the journey both characters took. I also love Melanie’s writing. It has so much heart to it. I will definitely check out her other works! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I loved this!! I was immediately drawn in by the description and it didn’t let me down. this was such a sweet romance and it felt so relatable especially with the journey both characters took. I also love Melanie’s writing. It has so much heart to it. I will definitely check out her other works! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

4.25/5 stars
It's pretty niche, but when done correctly, I love reading about two absolutely hardheaded people falling in love. Again, it has to be done RIGHT for this to work, and in this case, it absolutely does. You see, Tansy, our FMC, knows how to take care of herself. She's been doing it for the past eight years by juggling her librarian duties between her single-mom responsibilities. That is until a horrific hurricane not only sweeps out her town's library but also her home. Rebuilding her life along with a valued public resource isn't easy, but it's especially difficult when her temporary location, the botanic gardens, is managed by the bullish and overworked park director, Jack.

Both stubborn as two mules, they really ended up balancing each other out in a sweet, sweet way. Tansy, with her fierce need for independence, and Jack with his apprehension to let anyone else in his life. And I especially loved reading Jack (a secret softie) and his love for Tansy's daughter, Briar, bloom throughout the story.

Many thanks to G.P Putnam's Sons, NetGalley, and Melanie Sweeney for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Five stars

Cannot believe I waited this long to read a Melanie Sweeney book! This book caught my attention right at the beginning. From their meet disaster, to their bickering that turned into flirting and everything in between - every aspect of Tansy and Jack’s relationship had me melting! Melanie writes characters with depth and charm and she doesn’t skimp on her side characters’ development either! I couldn’t get enough of the community she’d created around our MC’s. I want more! Gimme Kai and Ian’s novella! Gimme Marianne’s unlikely and unsuspecting romance! Gimme a second generation for Briar! I want it all!

Heartwarming and emotional romance. A rivals to lovers, single mom storyline that also had a wonderful found family feel to it.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Where You’re Planted to come out July 8, 2025.

Great read! Tansy is the epitome of resiliency, strength and determination. I loved seeing her relationship with Briar and how she loosened the reigns throughout the story. The slow burn between Tansy and Jack was wonderful and the timeline felt appropriate/not rushed!

I also appreciated the brief mention of male infertility. That’s not something that’s often talked about in books and we need more representation!

I'm a sucker for books about librarians, add in swoony, grumpy, anxious MMCs whose love language is acts of service and I'm a goner FOR SURE. This sophomore, dual POV, enemies to lovers post-hurricane romance set in Houston stole my heart from page one and I just COULD. NOT. GET. ENOUGH!!! I could go on and on and on about how much I fell for Tansy and Jack and the rest of their library/garden found family but I'll spare you. All I can say is this is likely to be a very favorite book of 2025 for me and I can't wait until I can hold a physical copy in my hands. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!!!

CW: anxiety, panic attacks, depression, infertility

My community went through two back-to-back hurricanes last year so I wanted to read this book as soon as I saw the blurb. Then I stayed up late into the night to keep reading the book. Loved it. I loved Jack and their gardens and all the coworkers from the library. Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC! I’m not sure I would have picked this up on my own but thoroughly enjoyed it.