Cute Romance, Magic and a little bit of mystery? I loved this so much. Lia and Beckett were such good characters and the plot was so good!

I knew going in I was going to love this, and I was right! I'm a big Amy Noelle Parks fan - I loved her debut, and this new book definitely didn't disappoint! Lia and Beckett are so much fun, and this was such an enjoyable read. It was pretty short, immersive and I absolutely loved the magic and kind of mystery aspect to it.
The only downside is that I couldn't legit watch the show - but Parks does a really good job at describing it really well - so it was pretty vivid in my mind.
10 out of 10 - totally recommend!

I was granted complimentary eARC access to Lia and Beckett's Abracadabra by Amy Noelle Parks by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

A blend of fantasy and romantic comedy for a young and young-at-heart audience, Lia and Beckett's Abracadabra is a will-they, won't-they story about rival teen magicians choosing between a family feud and the undeniable attraction between them. It's a little bit Romeo & Juliet (with less impulsive poison and dagger usage,) a little bit The Night Circus, a little bit The Magicians, and a little something all its own.

I can see this book appealing equally to readers who are all about romance and readers who are all about character-driven fantasy. I'm one of those readers who avoid most romance-first type stories unless it's a paranormal rom-com and this book kept me turning pages late into the night with glee!

Main character Lia really won me over from the very first page, and I love to see a determined character like this who's open to having her mind changed but also absolutely not simply accepting traditions because they're what has always been done. Beckett, her rival and love interest, was a little harder for me to connect with, and I think readers will find him to be more of a divisive character. People are either going to love him from the get-go or be warry of him throughout the entire book, but I can't quite put a finger on why.

Readers who criticize YA romance for being too fresh and loose with the instalove trope will be relieved to hear that this book avoids that pitfall. The slow dance between Lia and Beckett is exactly that, slow and drawn out, with ample opportunity to second guess whether or not you think they'll end up together, and whether or not you think they should (which were two different feelings for me at points!)

The author does lean hard into the identity the Wisconsin setting lends to all of the characters, so if you love Americana or grew up in a midwest-type culture, you're going to feel quite at home reading this book. If you don't or didn't, you'll have to decide whether or not you can look past it, because it is a little in-your-face at times.

In terms of the stage magic, the magic-related plot threads, and the settings for all of the magical performances, this book really scratched an itch I've been feeling for quite a while. I know the premise is quite different from Grossman's The Magicians, Lia and Beckett aren't whisked off to a secret, competitive school for magicians, but the competition and air of secrecy elements are there in a way that made me think this is the sort of story I was looking for when I first picked up The Magicians 12 years ago. I suppose that means if you're a fan of the Grossman books or TV series, or if you wanted to be but found yourself disappointed like I did, this might finally be the book you were looking for.

AHH!! This book was super cute. The perfect YA Rom-Com.

Do you like Juliet and Romeo type forbidden romance? Do you love a good slow burn? Do you love magic? Do you love women breaking gender stereotypes?

Well this is certainly the book for you.

Meet Lia. Math geek. Magician. Probably Studying for the SAT. Unsure of what she wants to do for college.

Meet Beckett. Handsome and charming. Supports your dreams. Waits two months to kiss you. A romantic. Heartbroken over the loss of his previous gal.

Combine The Summer I Turned Pretty, the tension from the Inheritance Games, and add a little bit of magic: you’ve got Lia and Beckett’s Abracadabra.

Please check this book out. 4.25 ⭐️‘s. Not a perfect 5 because the beginning was a bit too slow for my taste. It comes out this week!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Amy Noelle Parks, and the publisher for the eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Lia is so excited when she receives a secret and mysterious invitation from her grandma, who was also disappeared, to compete in a magic competition. Her parents aren't very thrilled, but Lia wants to prove that even though she is a girl, she is a true magician and not just an assistant. That is until she meets Beckett Blackwell, son of one of the best magicians around. How is Lia going to stay focused?

This was a cute and witty YA rom-com! I will recommend it to friends who love cute YA reads!

I really enjoyed this one! I loved Amy's first book and I adored the writing in this one. The relationships between the characters was fun and easy. The writing sucked me in from the first page!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of "Lia and Beckett's Abracadabra" by Amy Noelle Parks.

"Do Magic. Fight Crime. Fall in love. Not necessarily in that order."

Lia is the flighty one, the one that falls in and out of love at the blink of an eye, the one that loves sparkles and makeup and being a cheerleader. Basically Lia is everything her sister Emma is not and it's obvious to her what her parents want. However, when Lia receives a postcard from her grandmother, who had disappeared two weeks earlier, inviting her to Mirror Lake for the summer for a magic competition Lia cannot say no. Upon getting to Mirror Lake Lia meets a boy on the beach who breaks all the rules, most specifically that you don't interact with the Blackwell boys. The competition would help keep the Starlight theatre in the family name is Lia wins but can she do something so serious without losing who she really wants to be on the inside?

I thought this was a well written book. The overarching theme of competition kept the story interesting even as the romance and other plot lines ebbed and flowed. The romance and the competition kept me coming back to this book and kept me picking it up. This book really embraces the concept of slow burn with the relationship between Lia and Beckett not really getting anywhere until the very end of the book. I also appreciate how Parks kept Lia who she was through the story, it can be so easy to see the main character have to change who they are to make things work but Lia gets to have it all while still be able to love all the things that she does love, like makeup and sparkles and math.

Overall I thought this was a refreshing take on a YA romance and I loved the magic aspect of it. 4 stars.

Oh, this book was fun. It’s the perfect fluffy contemporary romance to read during the summer. I love the focus on magic and Lia wanting to be a magician and to save her family’s legacy, and I love Beckett and all the drama of the Blackwell boys. (They're definitely swoonworthy.)

I appreciate how in-depth the magic side of things was. And I like how the between Lia and Beckett relationship played out. I don't see a lot of YA books with characters that decide to wait before diving head first into a relationship or kissing or more just because they like each other. It made for an interesting dynamic between the two and gave the book some great romantic tension.

I also love the sister relationship and all the shenanigans they get up to getting revenge on Elliott. It was so bad but so fun at the same time. Lia is a fun protagonist and I like that she continually surprises people by what she does and likes.

There is a lot of teen drama in this book. I expect that in most YA books, but some of it felt a little over the top in this one. Because the rest of the story was so darn cute and full of such fun magic, I could let it slide. Plus, with the way everything ends in the final show, it's perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This story was a cute and quirky book that felt original from start to finish. I enjoyed most of the storylines and characters, even though they were a bit cringy, but it sometimes felt repetitive and kind of boring throughout. The character growth of the main characters was well done, and I enjoyed how it recognizes sexism and the sometimes questionable ethics in the magic industry. Overall, a pretty good book that I reccomend to anyone who enjoys magic tricks and rom-coms. 3.5/5 stars from me.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy.

This was a cute summer contemporary story.
I loved the themes of family and responsibilities.

Unfortunately, I wasn't too big a fan of the romance and the story focused on that aspect a bit heavy for my liking so my enjoyment levels went down a bit but still an enjoyable family story.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I have read and enjoyed books by Parks, but I have to say, this is my favorite. I may have come for the romance, but there were several other things that really ended up being highlights for me.

The Setting

Mirror lake was a such a fantastic small town. It seemed so magical which makes sense with all the actual magic being performed in and about the town. The town had a rich history, and I loved that Lia, Beckett, and his cousin Chase were committed to preserving and reenergizing Mirror Lakes.

The Magic

Off the top of my head I can only think of one other book that had so much magic in it (The Lightness of Hands), and to be honest, it is a world I do not know a tremendous amount about. Therefore, I really enjoyed getting a peek behind the curtain. Parks took me on a deep dive into the tricks, performances, and the secrets magicians keep. I found myself engrossed with learning the ins and outs of it all. As with most industries, there seems to be quite a bit of sexism surrounding magicians, and I appreciated the way Parks incorporated this issue into the story.

Lia’s Personal Journey

Giving deeper meaning to this story was Lia’s personal journey. Lia struggled with trying to live up to what her family expected and wanted her to be. Often assumed to be “not serious”, she longed to be able to show all the parts of herself without judgement. This challenge from her grandmother resulted in Lia figuring out what she really wanted for her future and going after it which I was pretty excited about.

Overall, this book had me under its spell from beginning to end, and I loved sharing this magical summer with Lia and Beckett!

Star-crossed? YA? Romcom? Check, check, and check. This was such a fun book! But also really informative? I wasn't expecting to get so much information about women in magic and all of the awful things they have to experience in that industry. Even though I was surprised by that revelation in the book, it felt very natural to have that there. Magic is this book and Lia in particular is passionate about magic and it's so wonderful to see that. She was a great MC as well who I felt like was so different from many other YA MCs we get. I liked her journey of discovering her worth especially in an industry that continuously underestimated her. Her relationship with Beckett definitely was slow at first and I was wondering how they'd get past their immense distrust into even liking each other but it worked out well. I will say I didn't love Beckett at first but he grew on me as the story continued. I also must commend the author on her research. It was so clear that a lot had been done and I appreciated that as it made for a more well rounded book I think. Thoroughly enjoyed this and it really surprised me!!

This is a cute teenage romantic comedy, and i definitely had its interesting moments, especially since it’s the first book that involves magic that is not a fantasy-type, but it’s not one of my favorite reads hence my average rating.

Super original premise, Lia and Beckett were fun characters, it did read a little big young for me, but I don't think that's a problem, just something to be aware of - this would be excellent readers advisory for someone on the younger side of YA.

This was a very cute and adorable book, the characters were tons of fun and I loved their chemistry. Everything about this made me giggle and I genuinely enjoyed it.

I felt iffy about this story from the start. In Lia's first interaction with Beckett, he assumes she wouldn't be interested in his book on advanced mathematics because she's a girl. I'm so sorry, but that is not fixed by the fact that he gets excited when he learns she has not only read it, but enjoyed and understood it and that he doesn't make her feel like it's strange for a girl to know those things. His initial assumption was that a girl couldn't possibly know or understand, and that's problematic.

This story just could have been a lot better in a lot of ways. Overall, Lia and Beckett were meh, and their relationship needed a lot more development. I don't think the subplot with Beckett's cousin should have existed, that guy was too good for Lia and I liked their friendship and I just felt like that messed with both their relationships with Beckett, especially when Beckett's last girlfriend got with his other cousin.

The magic in this story was fun, and Loved how much these people loved what they did. Some parts were fun, and I kind of liked most of the characters. But I don't think it hit the feminist mark very well, and that annoyed me, seeing as how the point was to show how woman could be magicians in their own right and not only a magician's assistant.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

This book I had no trouble sinking my teeth into I love the setting so much and the characters were definitely unique and creative in the world building was imaginative.

When I tell you I absolutely adored this book, I really, truly mean it. I just love LOVE when a young adult book honestly reminds me of how life felt when I was a teenager. Both Lia and Beckett (and Emma and Chase and even Elliot) gave me VYBES. They were thoroughly explored in personality and motivations and that made me invested in the story.

And speaking of the STORY. Who doesn’t want to read a whole book about TEENAGE MAGICIANS? Especially ones that are big nerds obsessed with math and memorizing cards?! I tell you, these kids are DEDICATED.

Lia Sawyer is the granddaughter of a former magician assistant and Becket Blackwell is grandson of the magician assisted by Lia’s grandmother. Confused yet? Well you have a whole lot more coming since they both and along with a bunch of other CERTIFIED COOL TEENS are roped into a summer-long competition of MAGIC, full of mishaps and kissing and misunderstandings and revenge.

I almost forgot that it was so refreshing to see so many secondary characters done RIGHT. From the adult magicians including the ever-fabulous grandma Matilda, and the mysterious grandpa Henry, and then both sets of parents from the main characters were LOVELY too.

So basically if you haven’t noticed yet. I LOVED THIS BOOK. Thank goodness for the day we crossed paths and may we keep seeing each other in the dark, doomed days forever. *praying hands emoji*

Lia is a math whiz, destined to become...something. Her mom wants to make sure whatever Lia uses her math genius for, she "puts good into the world". Lia adores her magician grandma, and isn't sure she wants to make math her career- she might prefer following in her grandmother's footsteps, a move that doesn't sit well with Lia's mom. Beckett, whether he likes it or not, is a member of the notorious "Blackwell Boys", a family with a reputation for their cavalier attitudes and sexist treatment of the women in Lia's family- especially her grandma and sister. I truly enjoyed how the teenage characters are portrayed here. All of them, even the bigoted and rude Elliot, are intelligent and clever. I enjoyed the honesty Lia and Beckett showed when exploring their relationship and how their feelings and reactions were something I could actually envision happening. I will be purchasing this book for our school library.

It was a very cute read with the slow burn romance. I really liked the plot line and the characters; they were very fun, entertaining and enjoyable to read about.