Fans of Harry Potter will love Witches of Willow Cove! Witchcraft, witch trials, wands, spells, and mythical creatures will keep middle grade students involved from beginning to end. The characters are easy to get to know and relate to as friendships form and change throughout the book. The historical aspect of the Salem witch trials adds a suspenseful twist to the plot. The eerie setting that Josh Roberts creates makes the reader feel like she is really part of this haunting story.

The Witches of Willow Cove by Josh Roberts is a fantastic middle grade adventure. It follows the story of friends Abby and Robby who have been friends since childhood and are still close as they enter their teenage years, though that is not without complications as they navigate crushes and first kisses. The biggest complication however is that Abby is a witch. a startling revelation to both of them, but one that excites and intrigues them. When reclusive orphan Amethyst starts to exhibit magical powers too, along with several other girls in Abby's grade it seems like something strange is happening in their small town. When a mysterious new substitute teacher, Miss Winters, arrives and starts teaching the girls to use their powers in secret, Abby struggles with the guilt of keeping it from Robby, but he has worries of his own, his step mother has disappeared and he is worried about Abby and trying to keep her secret from new girl, and crush Becca. When he learns about the history of the town and the six young women who were killed as witches centuries ago, he begins to wonder if Miss Winters is more than she seems and sets out to investigate.
I really liked the dual narratives in this book, both Robby and Abby are great well developed characters, and I liked the message that just because you don't have magical powers, it does not mean you have nothing to offer. Both of their stories contribute to the overall story equally , and when they combine it makes for a very satisfying conclusion that requires both groups of children to work together. The secondary characters are also a lot of fun, particularly Amethyst, who is probably the one we get to know best in this book. I loved the small town setting, and the wonderfully descriptive writing which added greatly to the atmosphere without slowing down the pace. Speaking about pace, the book moves swiftly and the mystery is revealed in a way designed to keep the reader engaged. I believe this is a stand alone book but I definitely see potential for more adventures for this coven of young witches, and I hope that the author chooses to revisit Willow Cove.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This is a great MG and YA book with a bunch magic, mystery and some history wrapped into one.

Abby just turned 13 and found out she was a witch. Come to find out, there are more girls in her school with the same abilities. Her friend Robby, Zeus and Becca try to figure out the mystery that has plagued their town.

This book is perfectly written with a 13 year old in mind. It definitely held my interest and I didn't want to put it down.

I liked how this book mixed in some historical fiction of the Salem Witch Trials. I could totally see this book becoming a series.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I love YA witch stories thanks to Shea Ernshaw so I knew I had to read this one! Definitely recommend if you are into this genre. I would love to see this turned into a tv show. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book blends elements of mystery, fantasy, humor and historical fiction to create quite an entertaining and interesting read. There were definitely parts of the story that I got very wrapped up in and could not put the book down. It was also a little darker than I expected, but not in a bad way. I especially loved the theme of friendship that ran throughout this book. But probably my favorite aspect of the book was the setting. I loved the twists and turns of the caves, the spooky lighthouse, and the creepy house on the hill with the strange chimera statues. It was very atmospheric and would be a great story to read around Halloween or whenever you are in the mood for a spooky story. There were a few parts of the book that felt rushed and I wish there had been a bit more character development as there is plenty of potential for these characters. At times, I felt like some actions or thoughts of the characters didn't make much sense, which I think comes back to the pacing and character development. However, I would be interested to see more of these characters and Willow Cove, so I look forward to additional adventures if this is to become a series.

I asked for this book since it looked like the kind that might be good for my nephew and niece. And I'm certainly recommending it to them (9 and 14).

The story has a great start, with a really nice scene at the high school gym with the giant snake, reminding a bit of Harry Potter, but ending the reminiscence here. From then on, we also find a mistery to solve, a disappearance and deceptive appearances in which the relations among the characters and their mutual trust will be put to test, both on the side of the witch apprentices and them and their regular friends.

There are some other great moments, like the fireligths at the swamp or when Abby went into the big house with her broom. And it was a nice scientific touch having a human condenser helping at the end :)

For an adult tick tock reading the book, it might fell short on the issue of power transmission [Spoiler](there might be other witches besides Joanna's descendants to be a Council, and unless the came from England, she should have known who they are due to her following her bloodline)[/Spoiler] or having the Council supervising Willow Cove, but not discovering what Becky discovered in a few hours browsing the internet..

By the way, in the beginning I thought the bad one might be [Spoiler]Becky's mother :lol: [/Spoiler]

This is a really endearing book and, whilst it’s not particularly original, it’s one I would definitely want on the shelves for readers not quite ready to cross over into teen books but who are looking for a bit of romance. It’s very sweet and reminded me of Scooby Doo and the Witch’s Ghost, which is a compliment.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Woah. I LOVED this book sooo much! By page two I was HOOKED and I knew that I was preordering this book because reading it was not enough, I NEEDED to own it. The characters of this book were amazing. AND a debut novel?! WHAT?! Josh Roberts did such a fantastic job of introducing lots of characters to the reader while making sure each and everyone of them felt genuine, unique, and had their own personalities/goals. The plot was everything I love in a book, secrets, twists, friendships, humor, vivid settings, but it was also totally spooky! Seriously, I loved everything about this book, this is definitely a new favorite book of all time!! I will be reading anything else Josh Roberts writes... MORE PLEASE.

If you love witches, spookiness, and friendship then this is the book for you. Hands down, AMAZING.

Thank you to Josh Roberts for sending #BookAllies an eARC of his book in exchange for an honest review!

I've never picked up a book about witches before. Honestly, I've never been drawn to them. That has definitely changed. The way Josh Roberts crafted this novel, it seems like it took him years of planning. His development of the characters, the word choice, it all seems too good to be true. I was honestly blown away by this fantasy novel.

For one, I never classified myself as a fantasy lover because it's hard for me to get "in" with magic and things that cannot happen in real life. The blend of the magical elements in this book worked for me. This was done with absolute mindfulness to the figurative word choice and imagery Josh portrayed.

What I loved about this book was truly the characters themselves. The personalities of Abby, Miss Winters, Robby, Zeus, Amethyst, Olivia, Piper, Daisy, and Delphi were fun to keep up with, especially since they were so distinctly different from another. I adored the quirkiness of the twins, the need for an inhaler from Piper, and the snarky, yet playful remarks from Amethyst.

It was a suspenseful page-turner that I know my fantasy lovers with thoroughly enjoy!

I had a great time reading this novel and would highly recommend it if you like middle grade.

*Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for approving my request*

Thanks to Netgalley and Owl Hollow Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Witches of Willow Cove is perfect to read during Halloween. It's mysterious, historical and has to do with withes. We meet your main character who one night learns how to fly a broom, and it entitled in an entire new chapter of her life.

I did enjoy the most of this book, but at the middle I found it a little draggy. Like it was a long book, even though it isn't. I don't know if it just me that wanted a little more depth than a middle grade can give me, or if it was that the books just wasn't as action packed that I'd anticipated. Overall I find the story logical and easy to follow, and in some parts the books was impossible to put down cause' you needed to know that would happen next.

I did not understand the two perspectives from the start, but it turns out to be of interest by the end of the book. I also did not enjoy the girl-on-girl hate that in some aspects is used in this book. But I found that the main characters acted like their age, which always is a big plus for me in literature.

This was such a cute middle grade novel about friendship, first crushes, witchcraft, disappearances, and history. Set in Willow Cove, a town near Salem, it focuses on Abby, a young girl who learns she is a witch on her 13th birthday, and Robby. A few years back, Robby's mother disappeared mysteriously and he has wanted to solve the mystery ever since. There are other characters that the story focuses on including other young girls who gain magical powers and Zeus, an old friend of Abby and Robby.

I had a great time reading this novel and would highly recommend it if you like middle grade.

trigger warning
<spoiler> disappearance of a parent, grief, memory control through magic, bullying </spoiler>

Abby and Robb sneak into an abandoned hospital on Halloween night and get attacked by a woman who sends the ornamental statues after them - and they only are able to escape because it appears the broom that belongs to Abby's costume it not a mere prop.
Next day in school, they meet their new sub and it's the woman, again.

This novel is straightforward. So much so that you'll know what'll happen the entire time.
The connection to the Salem witch trials was surprising, but that may be because I have no sense of geography in the USA.

That doesn't matter, though. I came for a story about teenage witches that's slightly spooky but not gory, and I got that. I got a tale of friendship, some cute furry sidekicks. Also, you can either read this as a standalone or an entryway into a series. ... though I don't know if it will one. There simply is potential for further plot that could be explored in the future.

I liked it. Could have done with more diversity, though. We have one latina-jewish character, which she mentions out of context and what puzzled me at the time. In retrospect it feels like the editor said "Dude, you can't write something about white cis heteros, you need to change something!". So that would be a wish for a future installment: More diversity.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a part of the ARC-sharing group, #BookAllies, I received an advanced copy through in exchange for an honest review.

In this coming of age story, I appreciated the main character’s platonic friendship with the neighbor boy, the relatable struggle of balancing new and old friendships, and the way Josh Roberts depicted the setting. I loved the way Roberts described the different locations in Willow Cove, from the previously abandoned asylum to the cool, damp caves. Throughout the story, the author beautifully describes magic as a way of knitting the threads of nature’s magical elements together to make something happen. Readers who enjoy a bit of middle school drama mixed with supernatural adventure and suspense will love this book. My middle school self would be obsessed!

Perfect for fans of Hocus Pocus, this dark and mystical story contains just the right mix of ingredients needed for a fantastically-spooky witches’ brew…erm, I mean…for a fantastic middle-grade novel 😉

Set in a small town in Massachusetts – Willow Cove – the book begins on Halloween, setting the scene perfectly for things to come. We meet the main protagonists, Abby and Robby, as they are about to set off ‘trick or treating’. On their way, when they bump into Zeus (who is wearing a costume that completely contradicts his name!) and mention that they are actually headed for ‘Whispering Hill’, you just know that trouble (f)lies ahead…

The reader doesn’t have to wait long to find out what form that trouble takes, as the action kicks off early in the book, towards the end of the first chapter. I was completely hooked in by the time I had read the beginning of chapter two, and things only served to get better from there on in.

With new girl Becca arriving at their school, and the purple-haired Amethyst revealing the secret she shares with Abby, the two main characters begin to go their separate ways whilst the reader follows their two paths. This was cleverly-handled by Josh Roberts. Reading along with Robby and Abby as they learned about the mysterious ‘Miss Winters’, and sharing their different experiences with them, added to the suspense, until the two paths intertwined towards the end to reach a nail-biting yet satisfying conclusion.

Add into the cauldron flourishing friendships, first crushes, a great balance of likeable (and deliberately despicable) characters who all play their own important part in the book, and cute – yet unusual – animal ‘familiars’ and you have the perfect potion!

The Witches of Willow Cove makes the reader laugh, smile, gasp, cry, wince and hold their breath. I would recommend it to older middle-grade readers (11+) and young adults due to the romantic references and some sensitive content. I think the author has definitely left room for a sequel, and I would be first in line to read it!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publishers for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a nice easy read, it was definitely a welcome read in between a heavy fantasy month. I found that I read this book at night in bed where I just wanted to relax and wind down for the night and this was a perfect choice.

I did enjoy the characters I found that they were very complex and enjoyable. I felty like I built a good connection with them to the point where I wanted to know more regarding them and could sympathise with them.

The plot of this book I feel is really unique compared to other middle grade stories I have read before. I find it difficult to find original ideas especially in this age range and genre, they are normally the same stories written in a different way. The Witches of Willow Cove did not do this for me and therefore I enjoyed it a lot more.

I would recommend this book to others and will be recommending it to my friends.

I felt like this one dragged on a bit. The twists and turns of the witches and the mystery around Joanna was good and kept me wanting to know more. But I felt that there was a lot that happened in this book and some parts got a little boring.

The Witches of Willow Cove is a fun and engaging title, perfect for fans of Harry Potter and Hocus Pocus. Along with the exciting fantasy elements, readers will relate to the universal MG themes of friendship and finding your place. This book also fills the need for more upper MG with 13-year-old characters. Highly recommend.

Oh my god this book was so fun !!!
It's my first time reading middle grade books and I loved it !
The plot was awesome, the characters were so lovable!
My only wish is that we get a sequel to know more about the Order and if Joanna was right !!! I need more of this universe with all our witchy squad ! ❤️
5⭐

Really liked this book. Reminded me of Harry Potter meets Hocus Pocus. Excited to read more. Hopefully this becomes a series. It would also be good to adapt to TV.