I am completely, utterly obsessed with this book!! How to Talk to Your Succulent, is a tender story about processing grief and moving forward, with incredible characters and so much heart! When Adara's mom passes away, her and Dad move from their family home in California into his mother's house in Michigan. Adara and Dad are both grieving in their own ways, and can't seem to get on the same page with how to move forward. Dad is determined to set up all of Adara's mom's beloved plants, since she used to love talking to them. Adara wishes she could talk to plants like her mom, but can't, despite her best efforts. So one day, Dad takes her to a plant nursery to reconnect with her mom's love, and she's finally able to talk to plants! This helps Adara begin to make friends, process her own grief, and reconnect with Dad.

This book was incredible! I don't often read Middle Grade, but I DEVOURED this book, and will absolutely be buying a copy when it comes out. Not only are the characters of Adara and her plants (which are illustrated to look like little sprites, which I love) so loveable, but even the side characters of Dad, Grandma, and Adara's schoolmates feel incredibly real. I appreciated that this work did such a lovely job of showing Adara's grief journey, but also that of Dad's, who works through his own grief with the help of Grandma. Another thing I appreciated was that Dad is heavily tattooed, which is not something I think I've ever seen in Middle Grade. This book was so heartwarming - it would make a great gift, but I honestly think it would be an enjoyable read for anyone at any age. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the digital galley!

How to Talk to Your Succulent is such a tear jerking, emotional, but somehow llighthearted and cute at the same time. I loved how simple yet complex the story became, and how humanistic it felt. It's definitely one of those stories that stick with you, teaching you about grief over time.

The art style is very unique with how the plants in their "human form" look. How the different chararcters reminds me somewhat of Coraline. When reading, I felt like I actually knew them. Each character had their special quirks that made them, them. Hope to see more from Zoe Persico, they have such good concepts for graphic novels.

This was a great graphic novel about family and moving and starting over. There is grief and loss to deal with, there is some anger and emotions dealt with, but it is normal for any kid dealing with family loss to go through a lot of emotions.
I loved the plants and that they could talk! I loved all the illustrations with them too. They were really beautiful.
I felt that the look at friendship and family when going through a big move and family loss was dealt with really well. Adara goes through a lot of emotions but she figures out how to get through them with support from others around her.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!