A New Leaf

The Hemlock Series, Book 1

De: Samm Wilde

Narrado por: Meg Price, Ryan Hudson

It's never too late to turn over a new leaf…

Charlie

Returning to my hometown was never part of my plan. Suddenly, I find myself back where I grew up and taking over my late parents' beloved plant store. With a permanent scowl and zero customer service skills, I have no idea how to run a business—or keep plants alive. One night, a wild dog crashes into my store, creating an absolute mess in its path. The owner? Confident, charismatic, and utterly captivating. He's determined to break down my carefully constructed walls one brick at a time.

Finn

Burnt out, exhausted, and a bit directionless, no one warned me that moving forward could feel like moving backward. After leaving my stressful corporate job, I packed up my life and returned to my home state of Oregon, eagerly chasing my dream of opening a coffee shop. One night, my overly energetic dog barrels into a quaint plant store, causing a complete disaster. The owner? Grouchy, gorgeous, and guarded. She's exactly what I've been searching for all along.

Although our paths collide in a hectic disaster, we embark on a journey to discover the true meaning of turning over a new leaf.

©2025 Samm Wilde (P)2025 Podium Audio

What a fun read!

Adorable dogs, plant parents, smart people in therapy when needed and mature adults interacting like adults! A refreshing and fun romantic read.

Finally characters that communicate!

I really enjoyed the story itself. The personal growth and healthy adult behaviors were a welcome change from the typical immaturity in romance. I loved Charlie and Finn, and Vera and Frank. I have a mini aussie too, and Frank's antics were spot on. I adore plants and I loved the atmosphere of both of their stores.

I loved the female narrator. She did a wonderful job in all of her chapters embodying Charlie and her reluctant grumpiness, and also her growth and vulnerability. Also enjoyed her male voice and the level of character she gave everyone in the story. If I could rate the narrators individually, she would get 5 stars.

The male narrator on the other hand disappointed me. He pronounced Vera incorrectly the entire book, even though it references her name being like aloe vera, which is VAIR-uh rather than VEER-uh, and the female narrator pronounced it correctly. I wish I'd proofed the book because I would have made him fix it.

The other part that disappointed me is that he falls into a repetitive tonal cadence, especially in scenes with little dialogue, like the sex chapters. I ended up having to skip all his sex chapters because the cadence just made me want to scream. It felt like he was reciting something boring rather than embodying Finn. I liked his voice at first, but now that I have heard the cadence I won't be listening to any more of his books because it is constant and I just can't make my brain ignore it to enjoy the story.

Hilarious Grumpy X Sunshine That Warms Your Heart

Book Review: I adore this book so very much. It is full of hilarious moments and gives off small town cozy vibes. Both Charlie and Finn are out of their element in new business endeavors that come with more challenges than they expected. However, they find companionship in one another while navigating the new versions of their careers as well as themselves. This book shows just how much love and support can help someone who is experiencing grief. The author did a wonderful job navigating the topic of loss while also making you laugh throughout the book. I was laughing out loud multiple times while listening. I also loved that the FMC is the grump in the story and the MMC isn't easily deterred by her grumpy demeanor.

Narration: Meg Price was the perfect choice for Charlie. Her delivery of the FMC was so good! She made her so lovable as the cynical grump she is. She took the listener through all of Charlie's emotions from the joy of catching feelings to the pain of breaking down walls to actually let love in. Ryan Hudson also did a fantastic job! He gave Finn the perfect balance of being a geeky sweater vest wearing MMC that also has a delicious edge to him which is discovered throughout the story. These narrators gave both characters the best chemistry!