Reviews
How to Make a Plant Love You: Cultivate Green Space in Your Home and Heart by Summer Rayne Oakes
queerandweird's review
4.0
Wonderful research, well-written, heartfelt and informative. It bugged me how many blurbs from social media were there, easily half the book is quotes from other people I was not very interested in. She also uses the last sections of the book to plug her master gardening class, but that's the game I suppose. Otherwise, it's highly recommended by this intermediate gardener and environmental activist. I adore the thought Summer puts into how a plant thrives, what their needs are and how they communicate those needs; it's beautiful and shows her honest empathy which we all grow along with the plants we keep alive around us.
ericawrites's review
3.0
Oakes' meditation on plants has some lovely writing and sentiments about looking differently at plants and how we humans interact with them. However, she seemingly always keeps the reader at arm's length. Oakes shares more about the struggles of others (through submitted takeaways from other plant enthusiasts) than anything of herself to connect with the topic. I don't think she needed some tell-all, but even the brief parts about her struggle to move from country to Brooklyn were somewhat shallow.
bradfordhigdon's review
3.0
Not as much substance as I was hoping for. Most of it was fairly obvious, or at least beginner, information, but there were a few interesting nuggets dispersed throughout. Was hoping this would be more of the same vein as what I assume her MasterClass is, but it was pretty bare bones.
togasauress's review
informative
medium-paced
3.5
Love her channel so I picked up her book. The book gives just a bit of perspective. I found I enjoyed the Audiobook a bit more than text.
annm1121's review
3.0
The book is okay. I like the concept and some of the "to-dos" are interesting. She is trying hard to push an agenda that having plants cures depression. Basically every single outside quote is about this and it gets boring. She uses the scientific names for plants so I think that keeps some readers (like myself) at an arm's length.
todayisnot's review
3.0
I love the youtube channel and i think her videos have a lot of really great advice and insight. I had to special order this book since it wasn't in stock and therefore, didn't get a chance to really look it over before buying it. I think i was expecting more of a how-to manual here about specific plant care tips. After reading it, i am trying to think more holistically about plant care and paying more attention to environmental factors, which will probably pay off in the long run.