The Witches of Willow Cove is a middle-grade book full of magic! Six girls find out they are witches on their thirteenth birthday. A new suspicious stranger moves into town to teach the girls how to use their newfound magic. This suspenseful page turner book will keep you on the edge of your seat all the way until the end. Even at the end, you are left wondering if there will be a sequel. This is the perfect book for kids who want to read something “scary” but not too scary.

Brilliant book my kids loved it too we love be Abby and her friends. Full of magic, weirdness and friendship a really good read.

A fun if derivative fantasy for middle-grade readers. The fast pace sped me through the early chapters, although I found the pile-up of names confusing at times, and the breathless pace became a little too frantic in places.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Witches of Willow Cove is a magical middle-grade adventure, about six teenage girls who discover their powers of witchcraft on their thirteenth birthday.

What I loved:
- This book was quite the pageturner: once you get into the story, you want to see where the adventure takes you. 12-year old me would have loved this book for that.
- The friendships in the story started off a little iffy for me: there was some girl-girl-rivalry between friends that I wasn’t sure I would enjoy, but the author addresses all of this wonderfully and develops the friendships in a way that made me appreciate the individual characters even more.
- It’s often hard to find the appropriate level of “creepiness” in a middle-grade novel, especially since children round that age are very different in their ways of interpreting this. I felt like Willow Cove was a perfect mix of being atmospheric and slightly spooky, without terrifying readers to the point of nightmares. A perfect early-fall read in my opinion, even for kids who don’t enjoy scary stories.
- One of the best and most unexpected things about this story was how both the magical- and non-magical kids were viewed equally, and offered their chance in the spotlight. Often we see the chosen-characters taking over the story and having to save the world for the rest of us. Here there was a clear place for each individual character to shine and take control for themselves, no matter their powers. I think it’s a wonderful and important message for children to see you don’t need magic to be a hero in your own story.

What I didn’t love:
- I can’t help but feel the plot wasn’t too original, and although I enjoyed the story, I did feel like I had read it before many times. I felt like a lot of inspiration was taken from the Harry Potter series, Roald Dahl and even Victoria Schwabs middle-grade writing.
- Much of the magic and history of the town is explained by one character to another, rather than shown. Especially when it comes to something so vivid and interesting as magic, I feel this is a big missed opportunity. It really dragged the pacing down and hampered my enjoyment a bit at times.
Overall, I would definitely recommend Witches of Willow Cove to children ages 10 and up, or even any adult interested in middle-grade witchy stories. I’d wish this book was available in Dutch already, because I would love to give this to my nieces to read some time.

#netgalley #arcreview #justreleased
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The witches of Willow Cove - Josh Roberts
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Abby is just an ‘normal’ teenager, at least that is what she thought she was...
I loved this book, it shows friendship, characters bonding, help from an surprisingly front.
It’s an fun read, that sucks you in from the start and I en-suite a lot 📖🙌🏻
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Blurb

Six teenage witches. One mysterious stranger. A secret that could destroy them all.

It's not easy being a teenage witch. Seventh grader Abby Shepherd is just getting the hang of it when weird stuff starts happening all around her hometown of Willow Cove. Green slime bubbling to life in science class. Giant snakes slithering around the middle school gym. Her best friend suddenly keeping secrets and telling lies.

Things only begin to make sense when a stranger named Miss Winters reveals that Abby isn't the only young witch in town--and that Willow Cove is home to a secret past that connects them all. Miss Winters, herself a witch, even offers to teach Abby and the others everything she knows about witchcraft.

But as Abby learns more about Miss Winters' past, she begins to suspect her new mentor is keeping secrets of her own. Can Abby trust her, or does Miss Winters have something wicked planned for the young witches of Willow Cove?
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Genre; children fiction, middle grade, ya, fantasy, paranormal
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Stars; ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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#witchesofwillowcove #released #fun #witches #tbr #bookreview #excited #magic #bookstagram #book #reading #blastfromthepast #creative #photography

This book was fast=paced with lots of magic and mystery thrown in. It's a great story about friendship and coming-of-age, perfect for middle grade readers. I enjoyed the world-building/explanation given for how the magic in the story worked.

The different plotlines came together perfectly and the author kept me guessing until the very end. Most of the characters were compelling and it was hard to pick a "favorite". They were all unique, funny and interesting, with the mysterious Miss Winters very intriguing.

I think this book would be perfect for young readers who enjoy stories about witches, mysteries and friendships..

Boy, do I love a good witchy tale.

When I saw this book's name and cover, I knew I would love this story. While this YA book focuses on a group of 13 year old girls new to their powers and their non-magical friends, the sinister elements surrounding Miss Winters will leave you wondering if she is a good witch or a bad (i.e. misunderstood) witch.

This book was excellent from start to finish. I did learn that there is a difference between the word riffle and rifle. I had to look it up, because the author kept using riffle and it bothered me. I always thought it was rifle. Ends up, you use the word rifle when it is involved in a crime (think of the rifle as a gun to remember to use this term when a crime is involved). All other times, use riffle.

Beyond that little word lesson, I found myself wrapping my mind around how we always remember the big events, like in the Salem Witch Trials. We remember the event, but we never ask what happened before that and why it led up to the witch trials. We don't even ask what happened immediately after in the years that followed to the families or the town.

Back then, Salem wasn't just a town. It was an entire area, filled with farms and such. That's just the background information you will learn from this book.

I really can see this book turning into a film or a TV movie, because kids love witchy stories. After all, the number one film I reach for every Halloween is Hocus Pocus. This book is nice and clean just like Hocus Pocus.

The ending was surprising. I didn't even expect it to turn out that way, but I am glad that it did. It teaches a very valuable lesson to all.

All in all, I recommend this book for those who love witchy stories, YA lovers and middle grade readers. Such a good book. I was entertained from start to finish.

Maybe Disney could option this???

Very fun adventure for kids (and young at heart, ha) Abby finds out she is a witch, so are others in her class with powers activating on their birthdays, and some adults in her life are too. Murder, mystery and adventure. Set near Salem, Massachusetts for an even more witchy vibe.

The kids make the book! Hiding secrets, new friendships, new places- so many exciting changes in a short time. Great fun read!

What a fun ride! WITCHES OF WILLOW COVE was a fast-paced, tightly written tale of adventure, friendship, mystery, and - of course - witches.

There was a lovely sense of familiarity nestled in this book, with wands and broomsticks set side-by-side with middle school life. Sometimes, combinations of such familiar elements can feel too tired or cliche, but Josh Roberts did an excellent job of exploiting all the best parts. Abby was a great protagonist, but perhaps the best part was her relationship with her coven. I adored seeing how the girls grew with each other, especially set against the backdrop of an exciting mystery - is their teacher really who she says she is? What does it really mean to be a witch in Willow Cove?

A classic, confident debut that I'm sure will be popular with all kinds of young readers. 4/5.

The Witches of Willow Cove by Josh Roberts is a captivating debut, ideal for late primary or early teen readers. The strong narrative and engaging writing style paired with realistic young characters are perfect for that intersection of middle grade and young adult. This is a readership that is often neglected, so it’s great to see books being released that cater to them.
The story is set in Willow Cove, a small town near Salem. On the surface, it is a regular small town, but bubbling underneath is a centuries-old mystery that no-one has ever managed to piece together. The narrative alternates between the perspectives of two best friends, Abby and Robbie. The mystery they stumble across has more connection to them than they realise and they are thrown into a dangerous magic world of magic that challenges their relationship, who they think they are and what they know about the town in which they live. Along with a group of fellow teens (some more friendly than others), they must put together the true history of their town and keep each other safe. Each aspect of the mystery is carefully threaded through the book, both clues and red herrings and, with so many twists and turn she uncertainty of what is the truth, and who can be trusted, stays with the reader right up until the final moment when everything ties together.
I love a book with a strong cast of characters and The Witches of Willow Cove delivers a great variety of kids working through their interpersonal relationships and figuring out how to work together and help each other. I particularly appreciated the way the story highlighted the contribution of both the magical and non-magical characters in a realistic way. The characterisation is excellent, the teenagers read very much as thirteen-year-olds but each in their own way. The parents' level of involvement in the story also worked really well.
Even though the book is full to the brim with magic and dangerous mysteries, at its core is a strong focus on human relationships, primarily friendship, but also budding romance and with parents. The story has a satisfying conclusion, while still leaving room for the possibility of more adventures. I hope there will be follow up books.
I’d particularly recommend if you enjoy Diana Wynne Jones.

For some reason, going into this book, I thought it was YA... it's not. It's most definitely MG and at that, one of the most enjoyable MG I've read in a while.

If you know me, you know I'm always up for a witch story. My favourite time of the year is Halloween so any spooky, magical, witchy story is right up my alley. And while The Witches of Willow Cove was not spooky, it definitely ticked all the other boxes.

The story follows Abby and Robby (have I only copped now that their names are very similar - yes!), who are best friends, and on Halloween night they go to snoop around an abandoned mental hospital, to try and solve the mystery of Robby's mom's disappearance, but instead they meet the new owner of the Whispering Hill, get chased off by chimeras and find out Abby can fly (none of this is a spoiler, as it happens literally in the first chapter). Needles to say, they get in a bit of trouble, especially after two more people mysteriously disappear.

The Witches of Willow Cove was a really enjoyable, fast paced and magical story. It had everything I love in MG - exciting plot, likable characters, great atmosphere and heaps of amazing friendships.

I really liked Abby as the main character and I kind of wish the whole book was told from her perspective, instead of alternating with Robby's. I understand Robby's POV was important to solving the mystery, but I didn't much care for his relationship with Becca. I very much enjoyed seeing Abby learn magic and discover secrets from the past. I loved all of Abby's new friends (Amethyst in particular) and Zeus! They were all fun to read about and had distinct personalities.

The ending definitely had me intrigued, as it's hinting at a series... if it is, I'll definitely be reading future books.

Alright, so, I'm always here for witchy things, and middle-grade is my safe bet whenever I want fun, and this delivered. The basic gist of this story is that Abby, upon turning 13, becomes a witch. Which, in and of itself is a big change, but then she finds out that five other girls in her class are witches, too, and just to add the cherry on top a new, mysterious teacher comes along and offers to teach them how to be witches - on top of all of that, turns out the town has a long history of witchcraft, and everything is connected.

I loved how rooted in friendship this was. Abby may be the main-character, but her best friend, Robby, quite frankly also felt like a main, and the two almost have two separate but interwoven plotlines, helped by their own little group of people, given that Abby has taken up with the witches and Robby gets a girlfriend. You know, through this story, that if it wasn't because everyone has friends who are there for them and who will protect and help them, none of it all would be possible. Quite adore that.

"So," you might say, "if you liked it so much, what's up with the rating?" And lemme tell you what's up, because it's quite simple (and this contains some spoilers, don't tell me I didn't warn you): there were too many side-characters who didn't seem too relevant to the story (some of the witches, for instance, are given next to no page-time) and while it is middle-grade and not everything has to be super logical, there'a a limit to how much you can suspend disbelief. A parent disappears and it's.. fine? We move on? A teacher disappears and is replaced by a mysterious lady nobody's ever heard of before but who seems to know stuff about everyone and that's just fine? Last, but not least, a 13-year old girl is living alone. With her pet raccoon. I know she's a witch and all, but still. How.

Thank you for this review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I didnt want to put it down when I had to do real life. I just kept thinking about getting back to it. The author really kept me guessing until the very end. Nothing I thought would happen happened. So good!

The Witches of Willow Cove is a great middle grade story. Follow Abby and Robby as they try to figure out what's going on with people coming up missing and magic occurs by happenstance as they flee one frightful night. Friendship trouble and new friends, magic and secrets.

Can they find their way back to one another and solve the mystery before the worst could happen or will this entanglement of magic and past and present be the end of Abby and her friends?

If you enjoy stories about witches, coming of age, and/or friendship then this is for you. This would be a great book for Halloween or Fall; although, it it features Christmas as well.

What a great middle-grade spooky tale! Discovering she’s a witch on her 13th birthday makes Abby draw away from her best friend Robby. Robby knows that there’s something more mysterious going on in Willow Cove than just witchcraft and starts to investigate with concerned friends. The normalcy of middle schoolers changing friendships, keeping secrets, and adding new interests creates a strong foundation for the magic, witchcraft, and mysteries. The story twists and turns in the spooky atmosphere until the ending leaves you wanted to stay a little longer in Willow Cove.

Nobody is just one thing....

Josh Roberts wrote an AMAZING story of friendship and self-discovery about a 13 year old girl and her circle of (mostly) friends. Strange things start happening to Abby on her 13th birthday, but it takes a classmate breaking it down, for her to finally accept that she is a witch. Along the way other girls from school discover they have the same abilities and they are all taken under the wing of substitute teacher Ms. Winters. Women keep disappearing in the town, things are burning down, can Abby and her coven figure out what it all means?

Josh really does a great job creating a coven of diverse characters. Abby is an athlete, Daisy a drama queen, and Amethyst is a snarky loner(my favorite). I like that Olivia is someone they wouldn't normally associate with outside of the coven.

This was definitely a page turner, and I was unsure up until the end about who the girls could really trust. I kept thinking "I can't wait to see this on Netflix"

This was such a cute and fun read! I loved the book.

But let's take it from the beginning:
I'm always a sucker for new england history and especially the witch trials/ witch craft. So Willow Cove was the perfect place to read about these young witches and watching them discover their powers.

The book is told through the eyes of Abby and Robby, best friends since one evening on Halloween when they have a creepy encounter on Whispering Hill that ends with them flying on a broom. Things get complicated after that because Abby wants to keep Robby out of magical trouble and Robby has secrets of his own to discover.
While Abby learns about her powers she's accompanied by five other girls and I loved their group dynamic and blossoming friendship.

I found the writing good, nothing extraordinary, but it took me fast through the story, was funny and held the tension up. It was a fast read and I loved that about it. You could just disappear into the book for a few hours and follow Abby and Robby on a magical adventure.

One of two things that stood especially out me was first, that the witchcraft itself wasn't explained as detailed as expected and that it was more of a minor part, the friendships, relationships and trust were a much bigger theme in the book which I liked. It just showed that being able to do magic doesn't solve all your problems, you need to be a decent human too.
The other thing was that there wasn't a clear distinction between good and bad as you would've expected. Characters who do horrible things can just as much care about someone as someone who is deemed 'good'. I liked that a lot, the book was much more about morally grey characters.

I truly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who wants a fun, immersive read with great characters.

This book is middle-grade, and I adore middle-grade books. They are fun and easy to read, and this book was no different.

It jumps straight into the story and pulls you in instantly, keeping you curious right until the end. There are quite a few characters but not once did I find myself confused. There are two main point of views, Abby's and Robby's, her best friend, as they both try to figure out what is going on in their little town. I really enjoyed the relationships between the characters and watching them develop throughout the course of the story.

It's very well written and very creative, I will be keeping an eye on this author for any further books.

This is probably my favourite middle-grade book that I've read this year, and this has gone straight on my wish-list, ready for the release.

A wholesome, feel-good middle grade fantasy with nods to Harry Potter and the Salem witch trials. Plot-driven, the characters were sometimes superficial, as were some of the relationships - but then who understands the crushes and anxieties of a 13 year old anyway?! Enjoyable and easy to read; recommend for grades 4 and up.

In a little town with a dark past, we follow Abby and five of her classmates as they discover they’re witches as well as Abby’s best friend, Robby, who is trying to find out what happend to his step-mother who vanished without a trace.

I liked the setup for this but the execution was only okay in my opinion.

I found that I preferred reading from Robby’s POV because I could connect with him and his plot line more.
Abby’s was a bit all over the place, like the author was trying too much or wasn’t sure about how he wanted to go about it. Abby’s training to become a witch felt like a mix of Hogwarts and vague wiccan ways; we never actually witness the classes, instead we get told that they learned something and that they now know how to fly/magic a door open/et cetera. It felt a bit rushed, I would have liked to ease into it a bit more, to get a feel for the kind of magic that it is supposed to be.

Also, I was never sure about how Abby felt about her teacher. The book starts off with both Abby and Robby being afraid and later mistrusting of Ms. Winters, but after she becomes Abby’s teacher, it seems Abby ignores everything that happened beforehand in order to learn more about her powers. It’s like all of the sudden we’re following two story lines that don’t overlap. Sometimes the author throws in a couple of sentences about how Abby tries to keep Robby away from Ms. Winters in order to protect him and that she wants to find out more about what the older witch is all about but then she just keeps on doing magic and never actually doing anything to help her friend whose MOTHER WENT MISSING (which seemed like it was kind of not a big thing to anyone; it happend and everyone moved on).

Also, I found it really irritating, that Abby and Robby - who were supposed to be BEST friends - stop talking to each other for no real reason and find new friends and their parents don’t mention it once. Again, it feels like a very rough way to keep them apart in order to have two plot lines that could and should have overlaped way sooner than they did. It felt forced and I think it would have made more sense for Abby and Robby to not be friends and Abby meeting Ms. Winters thinking she was a nice person and only later learning to mistrust her.

And last but not least: the timeline of the book. The story takes place over months. The kids take their sweet time. It felt like they do one thing, then nothing happens for weeks at a time, then they find out another thing, they don’t do anything. Time goes by - and they just keep on living their lives.
I feel like the plot could have been happening over a couple of weeks. That would have made it more high risk and would have made it more realistic that Abby’s and Robby’s fight was still going on and that they were trying to find out more about what was going on in all of their free time, not just once every couple of weeks.

I did like the wide cast of characters and the creepy atmosphere of the novel though.

This first book in a new witchy series got a 3/5 for me!

The Witches of Willow Cove is a middle-grade paranormal book introducing a new series by the debut author Josh Roberts. We follow two friends, Abby and Robby, as they decide to go explore an abandoned building on Halloween night. Things don’t go as planned, and a mysterious story involving magic, witches and gargoyles ensues.

I have mixed feelings regarding this book. It has all the elements of a story made for me: magic, a small city, middle-grade, friendships, ... However, it didn’t meet my expectations. I believe this author has amazing ideas, but was not able to execute them to their fullest potential, especially when it came to the magic system.

The story starts with a lot of action and its adventure right away, but the middle part dragged. I felt like things were more said than showed, which was frustrating and not as exciting. I also didn’t really care for any characters, unfortunately. We follow different friendships (and love stories), but there is a strong girls hate relationship between Abby and another character, which I don’t like to see in stories, especially in a middle-grade book. We can do better in 2020.

THIS COULD BE CONSIDERED A SPOILER, but I wanted to also point out two things that felt wrong or weird to me. There is a young girl of 13 years old who lives alone. There’s also a character who goes missing (or worse), but their closed ones don’t seem to be affected by it, which felt weird. END OF POSSIBLE SPOILERS

On the other side, this story, as I said, has all the amazing elements of a great middle-grade paranormal book. It will make you dream of living a fun adventure similar to theirs. I enjoyed seeing the young characters acting like kids of their age. This is something that can be difficult to write, but this author captured that feeling well. The book ended hinting at a sequel, which I will most likely read. I’m excited to see this author grow with each book written.

The Witches of Willow Cove is an interesting book about witches and friendship that is sure to make every child dream of living an adventure of their own.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange from an honest review.

This review will be posted on Goodreads, and shared on Twitter. It will also be posted on Amazon Canada on it’s released day.