I’m here for Secret Garden retellings and Evergreen is the first I’ve ever read. To be fair I’ve only vaguely seen a movie adaptation, so I’m certainly not the review you want to read if you wonder about the nuances. That being said, I really enjoyed Evergreen. Keep reading this book review of Evergreen for my full thoughts.
Summary
All seventeen-year-old Quill wants is a break from the family business. Flowers, plants, the generations-old garden. What he wouldn’t give for a taste of the outside world. Normalcy. But his mom won’t let him out of the house, telling him he’s just not ready…
All because he’s a dryad. Well, not just any dryad, but a male dryad—the first ever. And unlike everyone else in his family, he hasn’t a lick of magic. Just a shock of green hair, matching green eyes, and a growing frustration that there’s an entire world out there waiting to be discovered. Until the night when the outside world—specifically his new neighbor—discovers him.
Liam Watson lives in a culture filled with electronics, mobile devices, and social media—where there is no magic or even the belief in it. And as much as Quill finds Liam irritating (he’s so cute it’s annoying), he can’t help himself.
Now Quill’s getting a taste of the outside world and of Liam…and he wants more. But all is not well in this magical, urban garden, and someone—or something—is changing the very essence of it.
And wherever Quill goes, the danger grows…
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
This queer Secret Garden retelling takes this framework of isolation and gives it a fantasy twist. At the heart of Evergreen is wanting to protect someone so dearly that we think the only we can is if we keep them where we can see them. We don’t let them stray too far into a world of dangers, unknown elements, and risks. But that never works, despite our best attempts. Evergreen is an awakening. It’s not only a queer awakening, but also of figuring out Quill’s likes, dislikes, and voice.
The romantic tension in Evergreen propels you throughout. For most of the book, it’s deeply invested in character arcs, in budding love, and what we would do for the one we love. The secrets we’d keep to try to protect them. Towards the end there’s a bit of a tonal shift which I knew was coming, but still felt a bit jarring. At the same time, I liked the way it tied up some themes that were present throughout like the sacrifices we make for the ones we love. The unintended consequences of white lies, of noble protections.
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Evergreen has plant magic, queer romance, a tightly knit family, and a journey of self-discovery. Someone who crashes into our life and encourages us to be brave, to see more than we ever thought, but to also teach us about forgiveness, mistakes, and being human. It’s one of my favorite late theme developments – the foibles of humanity – and definitely solidified the read for me. Find Evergreen on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.