This was such a fun and magical story!
In this book we read the story through two perspectives; Abby and Robby. In the beginning they are best friends, but they fight about something and aren’t talking anymore. We then read from Abby’s perspective how she is a witch and learns how to do magic. While from Robby’s POV we also learn about witches, but more about the bad witches in relation to the disappearance of his mom and stepmom. It was very interesting to read these perspectives at the same time, since in this way we do know more than both characters.
This book is very big on friendship relations, and not only between Abby and Robby. Since they stop talking, they both build up a new friend group, and it was very nice to see these friendships develop!
As I mentioned at some point Robby’s stepmom disappears, and I think that was done really weirdly. It was as if no one else noticed besides our main characters?! I also thought the plot was a bit predictable. But maybe that is because I’m not the target audience!
I definitely recommend this book for younger readers, and I’m fairly interested in what this author will write next!

This will be such a great addition to those students of mine who are always asking for witch/warlock stories but without all of the spookiness. I love how the story carries you through the town’s secrets and how Abby is having to uncover not only about the town, but figure out herself and where she belongs now in Willow Cove.

I received an e-arc from Owl Hollow Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Abby and Robby are best friends. On Halloween, they decide to check out Whispering Hill, an old mental hospital in their town. While there, they are caught by a woman named Joanna. Joanna chases Abby and Robby off the property only to find Abby can fly. Abby finds out later on that upon turning 13 (on Halloween), she became a witch. Five other girls in her class also become witches on their 13th birthdays. The catch is that they are all from the same bloodline. The six girls have to piece together who is telling the truth between their new history teacher, Miss Winters (who looks a lot like Joanna), and Robby's stepmom, Tina.

I really liked The Witches of Willow Cove. It was a quick and fast-paced read. I really loved the characterization of all of the characters. All of them grew tremendously throughout the novel and became better people. They learned more about each other and all seemed to become friends at the end even though Abby and Olivia hated each other throughout the novel. The only downside I had was that I wanted more at the end of the novel. I wanted to know more about how the six girls were going to learn about magic after the epilogue. I hope Josh Roberts decides to write a sequel because I will definitely read it!

I feel like this fell a little flat for me. I can honestly say it was a solid 3 stars, and it's all personal preference. I didn't much care for the writing style. I just couldn't stay interested in the book and kept putting the book down. The characters were just alright but didn't again capture my attention. I really wanted to love his book. I would say that this isn't a bad middle grade and would still recommend for the intended age group.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

There definitely wasn't a dull moment in this story! Between the magic, middle school mayhem and disappearances, Abby is trying to figure out how to balance being a witch and "normal" middle school. It was so interesting watching the story develop between Abby, her best friend Robby, and several other big characters in the story. I love how developed each of the characters were, and the fact that so many little hints kept you guessing what would happen next. I loved the touches of history in the book as well.

I thought this was a fantastic, spooky, magical middle-grade book! I can't wait to share it with my students!

What do you get when you put together magic, witches, middle school friendships, and mysterious disappearances? The Witches Of Willow Cove! This book has spooky elements that will reel in readers such as potentially haunted institution, mysterious caves/secret passageways, a history of Witchcraft, and familial connections to this history all over town. The characters don’t let their age stop them from doing the research, putting the clues together and using teamwork to try to figure out what is going on, and you just can’t help but cheer them on along the way.

On Halloween night every thing changes for Abby. She and her best friend Robby sneak up to an abandoned property on Whispering Hill, but Abby is unaware that Robby is actually trying to understand his mother’s disappearance. When a mysterious woman sends stone chimeras after her, she saves her own life and the life of Robby by flying away on a broom. That evening sets in motion a chain of events that reveals secrets about Abby, her ancestry, and the history of the town. Can Abby figure out what happened to Robby’s mom? Can she embrace her new abilities and protect her friends?

‪I grew up watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch so I really loved this spooky, fast paced story! ‬The references to the Salem witch trials make this story that much more engaging. I also appreciated that like Sabrina, Abby has to try to balance being a witch while surviving middle school (high school in Sabrina’s case).

My sixth graders are always asking for spooky stories and I’m eager to recommend this one!

Thank you to Josh Roberts for sharing this book with #BookAllies in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and IBPA / Owl Hollow Press for the ARC.

Very enjoyable middle-grade adventure, never a dull moment. From the creepy, atmospheric opening to the solid ending, The Witches of Willow Cove delivered. The pacing throughout was excellent, the characters were well-developed and the storyline did not give anything away to quickly. A fun read, looking forward to a possible sequel. 5 stars

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I love the story. It's been a while since I read a full-length novel. Every chapter excites me to the point where I can't easily stop reading it. It's a good story that talks about friendship and the experiences of kids turning to teens. I think it would be a good read for readers of all ages.

Well, this was quite a fun middle grade read. Full of mystery, history, friendships, bullies, jealousy, rivalries and magic. As an adult I enjoyed it. The younger middle-grade me would have devoured it.

What the description doesn’t do justice to is the fact that this is an ensemble cast. While it is true that Abby Shepherd is the main character, it is also true that her best friend Robby – a nonmagical person – plays a significant role as well. Even then there are several others with large ‘screen time’ such as Amethyst, whose hair color matches her name, Zeus, Becca, and Piper just to name a few. The strength of the book lies with these characters and the different avenues they take to learn the truth about recent events and the town’s history. Doing so helps the plotting of the story continually move forward, but the variety of characters also help provide a realistic town and school setting. After all, this is the age where kids start ‘noticing’ each other.

It all starts on the night certain girls turn 13. That’s when their magical abilities begin to manifest themselves. Some of the magic they experience seems to be person-specific and other types of magic is general to all. While our new magic users are becoming adjusted to this rather huge change two seemingly unrelated individuals mysteriously disappear. There is too much coincidence going on and some of our cast is split on learning spells while others are researching the town’s history.

If there are any issues with the story it would be with how one of our main characters handled a disappearance of someone they knew. While the individual and their parent were upset I felt it was glossed over a bit to help ensure the main story line plot continued to move forward.

Toward the end, we get the hint that perhaps there are more sinister events coming their way, but that will be for a future book.

Rating: 4 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Owl Hollow Press for the reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

Thank you for the author and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars

I really liked this book. It gave me major Harry Potter vibes, except for the school situation. In this book we follow Abby and Robby, two best friends, on their journey of magic and witchcraft. We get to read from Abby's perspective as well as from Robby's. I really liked both characters and I think I could even be friends with them in real life!

The beginning of the story was a bit slow in my opinion, but that's okay. The story is full of action and suspense that makes you want to keep reading. Especially at the end I could no longer put the story away. I just had to read on, because I absolutely had to know what was going to happen.

Some things were fairly predictable, but that didn't make it any less fun! This book is right up my alley, and I think my younger me would have really loved the book. All in all, 3 stars. You should definitely give this one a shot if you like stories with magic!

How perfect! Certainly got me in the mood for (early) Halloween, definitely recommend.

Josh Roberts has done a fantastic job of capturing the angst of being a teenager, his characters are fully realised and the plot was well rounded. It reminded me of Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Charmed.
The cover is absolutely stunning as well!

This was a perfect story for my granddaughter, that we read together and I don't admitting I loved it. She actually read ahead in places because she didn't want to stop and wait for me, so it certainly nailed being gripping for its age group. It has just the right amount of paranormal to add tension and remain exciting without being scary. On a personal note I love the tie to Salem witches.

The opening parts, especially with statues and the flying pulls you into things quickly and the pace is steady throughout. I was easily able to see the world and the children, which was described with a crisp clear style. The story really has strength in the characters. I love Abby and Robby. While the theme of friendship was laced throughout and builds between several of the characters I really felt it shine between Abby and Robby.

Highly recommended for readers of all ages.

I don't read books about witches or anything magical, with Harry Potter being the exception. I am almost strictly a contemporary girl. Don't get me wrong, if I find a fantastical book that interests me, I'll definitely read it, it just doesn't happen much.

That being said, I've been trying to branch out in terms of my reading. One goal I have for myself this year is to read more middle grade and adult books. I also want to read books outside of my preferred reading/comfort zone. This is where The Witches of Willow Cove comes in. I was browsing through Netgalley and I came across this arc, and my interest was piqued. 

For one, the cover is great. There are several cover concepts that you can view on Josh Roberts' page, which is linked above, and they all represent the story well. Some might find the cover to be a tad dull, but for a middle grade novel, I think it fits well. The colors are very Halloween-y, which fits with the beginning of the novel.

Secondly, the description lured me in with veiled promises of twists and turns, as well as themes of friendship. I was not disappointed. Now, there were some plot points that were predictable, but it is intended for a younger audience, not an audience that can spot some obvious reveals. There were, however, some plot points that I did not guess, and I definitely enjoyed them. 

The theme of friendship played a major role in this novel. The description mentions 6 teenagers that find out that they are witches and that they band together. It does not mention a couple other main characters outside of the coven, who play a major role in the story line. Each character was unique in their own way, which added to the story as each of their quirks came into play. There are 10 characters altogether, and usually a wide cast would cause for some to be flat and one dimensional. I was happy to find that wasn't the case. 

Overall, The Witches of Willow Cove is a great middle grade book. 

I would like to thank Netgalley, Josh Roberts and Owl Hollow Press for the review copy of this book in exchange my honest opinion. This book is was released May 26, 2020.

This was a really fun, magical middle grade book! It is a great suggestion for readers, both kids and adults, who love the Harry Potter series.

The Witches of Willow Cove is a great read for those in late elementary or primary school, or early middle or secondary school who are confident in reading independently. Fantasy lovers in particular will really enjoy this story of a novice witch and her best friend, facing all the usual trials of being 13 (first crush, conflict with parents), but with a magical identity crisis thrown in for good measure. I enjoyed the action sequences, those are particularly engaging and this really took me back to being a young teen with dreams of discovering I was special and unique, having been gifted with magical powers like Sabrina the Teenage Witch. This isn’t as dark as the Sabrina comics, so I wouldn’t be worried about letting readers adventure solo here. A great solid read, heartily recommend.
Thank you to Owl Hollow Press and Net Galley for the free advance e-book copy of this title.

The middle-grade story called 'the witches of Willow Cove' reflects on the past. The Salem Witch Trials are part of the concept. When six thirteen-year-olds find out that they are witches, everything changes. Their new history teacher is there to help them out until they begin to notice something...

I LOVED this book. It's a middle-grade story but it read like a YA Fantasy. Overall, I'm not a fan of 'fairy tale witches' due to the fact that real witches don't fly brooms nor do they use wands and all. But the respectful way of portraying witches made this book totally different. I also liked the fact that the author actually included some real history in it.
The characters were all round and had a unique personality. I also liked the fact that the main characters are not the only heroes. The book teaches about friendship, love, and working together. It's a very strong message throughout the whole book. All characters benefit from it. Even when certain characters are villains, they still manage to work together.
Fantasy books need a strong setting and 'the witches of willow cove' absolutely has such a strong setting! The dark atmosphere was great and suited the story well. The caves and tombs felt so real.
This author has a nice writing style. It's a quick read, a fun way of telling a story and there is sarcasm + humor included.

Overall, I really liked this story. Nothing bothered me and I also don't think there is anything that can be done better.

The Witches of Willow Cove was such a fun book that I had a hard time putting it down. Six teenage girls find out they have magical, witchy powers on their thirteenth birthdays and all sorts of fun, interesting things start to happen. It would have been exactly the type of book I would have read over and over again at ten years old, wishing I was was one of those girls, preferably Abby.

One of the things that I feel adults tend to forget is kids LIKE spooky stories, even really scary ones. I loved really scary stories as a kid and didn't really find them scary enough which is why I tended to read more adult novels even as a young kid, drifting towards authors like Stephen King at quite the young age. I don't believe in those criticisms as I think kids can think for themselves and just close the book if they are too scared to read further, and for those kids, like myself, who want scary stories, they can still find them. The one is a nice blend of spooky, creepy, and normal. There is a lot of mystery in it, tunnels for kids to creep through, old spooky houses that have been abandoned, and oh yes, don't forget the fog and strange lights. All balanced nicely between every day things like school and getting grounded. Throw in old secrets, centuries-old journals, and other things like this, you have the makings of a book that will just draw kids in, never mind adults like myself who couldn't put down the book.

The characters were quirky and worked well together. I liked all of them, even the ones who were more on the meaner side as there were reasons for their behaviour that were explained rather well in the book. I really liked that the story didn't necessarily revolve around the 'witches', but included another threesome who did some investigating on their own and helped the girls discover the truth to what was happening. It was nice to see the kids work together, even if they didn't realize it until the end, using different means to get there. So, while the story was about the witches, there was so much more to it and the non-magical kids got their chance to prove that they could discover important information and help despite the fact they were not witches. I think that is really important for kids to see.

The plot was fun, interesting, and literally took off from the first page of the book. I have a hard time putting it down and got invested in Abby and her friends quite quickly. However, this does not blind me to the fact that the story, while fascinating, was somewhat predictable and the conflicts were easy to spot a mile away. This did not take away from the enjoyment of the book though as I didn't really care.

The Witches of Willow Cove, so far, is my favourite juvenile fiction book this year by far. I loved the atmospheric setting, and truly appreciated the equal balance of magical and non-magical kids to have their moment in the sun, so to speak. The characters were intriguing, and the plot was fun and action-packed. I liked the parent involvement and was glad to see the kids get in trouble, even get grounded, for some of the things they did. And boy, was I happy to learn the author was currently working on a sequel to this book as he definitely left it wide open for some more amazing adventures to happen next. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves magic.

I have recently started to enjoy middle grade books and the magical worlds they take place in. The Witches of Willow Cove follows a group of friends as they discover some of them are witches. This story does an excellent job of showing the growing pains of middle school and how many changes are going on. The story line was fast paced and kept you reading by involving a mystery that keeps you guessing. I loved the ending of this story and I can only hope there will be more stories involving Abby and her gang of friends.

Thank you Netgalley and Owl Hollow publishing for providing me with a eARC in exchange for a honest review.

4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Witches of Willow Cove is a refreshing, extremely well developed fantasy story about witches. I didn't know what to expect when going in and honestly that made me love it even more. This is such a captivating and fascinating story and kept me gripped to the page.

Abby and Robby are best friends. On the night of Abby's 13th birthday, coincidentally Halloween, her and Robby decide to head up to Whispering Hill to explore what is said to be an old haunted asylum. In the face of danger that night, Abby discovers that she is a witch and can fly. Abby isn't the only witch in town but under the teaching of Miss Winters, her and her new witch friends start to discover a world of magic and more about her powers.

The world building in this was incredible and the intricate backstory and webbing of details makes for a wonderful experience while reading the book. It's been a while since I properly enjoyed a middle grade fantasy novel, but this just restored my faith in the genre.

The Witches of Willow Cove is a wonderful, fun, heartfelt, adventurous story about friendship and magic. Absolutely wonderful.