I loved this gentle, low stakes magical book! It's the kind of book that makes you feel warm inside. The characters are believable and above all kind (although not always nice!). This is a feel-good book with a witchy vibe featuring a sweet romance and lots of shenanigans! Would recommend to anyone who wants a fun read.

I might go out on a limb and say that The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is likely to end up in my top ten of the year. With the perfect balance of magic, found family and meddling, it was just what I needed to read for the cosy autumnal vibes.

Following the story of Mika Moon the witch, she finds herself isolated and wanting more from life. So that's why when she receives a mysterious offer to be a teacher to three young girls, she decides to give it a whirl. What she doesn't realise is that she has just entered the world of a family brought together by magic and circumstance which she is soon to fall in love with. Not to mention Jamie, guardian to the three budding witches she is to teach, who definitely gives off enemies to lovers trope from the off.

I loved this story so much - from the writing style to characters (who are in their 30's and still don't know what they're doing which is hugely comforting to read) to the magic, it was the perfect blend of found family, discovering who you are, and working through past trauma to be your best self. While reading, I felt really attached to Mika and the way her character unfurled. Her development was beautifully done and heart warming to read. There really isn't anything to dislike!

I've already bought my own copy and will definitely be gifting it to friends that are sure to love this story.

This story is an easy feel good read with quirky characters and magical mishaps.
It has a sense of unity about it - different races, sexualities, and ages.
The eccentric character Ian is my absolute fantastic - I love him and I have some flamingo pink wool he can have 🤣
And they have a moody handsome librarian 😍

I was a little disappointed as I found it really hard to get into the physical book and the audio book for this one. I finally tried reading the physical book along with the audio, I still struggled but did get into it eventually.
I'm not sure what I was expecting with this book, but it didn't meet me expectations. It lacked a little something in the romance and I felt it a little rushed in regard to the growth of the characters.

Overall, a good light-hearted book, just not something I am likely to read again.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such a warm squishy cinnamon roll of a book. The perfect book for some witchy vibes for Halloween but without the scariness. If you're the person who love The House In The Cerulean Sea, Practical Magic, any of those magical and sweet books then this one is 100% for you!

Mika is hired as teacher for 3 little witches, this sounds fine doesn't it? But in this world witches aren't meant to live together or magical craziness ensues. Which is honestly what happens in this book, but in the best possible way. We get lots of cute magical lessons with the girls, plus some suspense as things start to go a little crazy. Plus there's some heartwarming bonding through the book.

My only negatives are the romance and sex aspects, I didn't feel that this was helpful in the overall story. Plus there was quite a lot of swearing involved which again I felt didn't sit well in the book.

Overall I found this to be a lovely heartwarming book and I can't wait to read more by this author.

**Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC, all thoughts are my own.**

I had heard a lot of hype about this book, and fellow bookstagrammers were over the moon with this when they read it, so I was lucky also to get a chance to read this before its release.
What can I say about this book? I was pleasantly surprised, and I loved every aspect of it. The world-building, the characters, and how Mika's journey unfolds.
It was easy for me to go on the journey with Mika, from losing her parents, and growing up hiding who she truly was. To be sent somewhere to help others, and find her own family in the meantime.
I enjoyed the magic realism, and the found family aspects of this book, as well as the banter and grumpy x sunshine tropes.
it was such a cozy, fun read, that I definitely would recommend it!

Mika Moon is a witch.
Witches need to stay apart, and she is lonely.
Trying to use her powers for good, she disobeys this rule but instead of disaster she thinks that she might have found a family.
I loved the idea of this book, and I found the characters engaging.
Highly recommend.

I loved this book , it was so enthralling I would recommend to anyone and everyone, I really enjoyed it ❤️

An absolutely stunning read and one I’m glad I left until this time of year to read, I enjoyed this from start to finish and binged it in 48 hours! Definitely recommend to anyone who loves fantasy and a bit of witchery in their books

This book is such a breath of fresh air and the perfect cosy autumnal read for both romance and fantasy readers. It is whimsical, magical, heartwarming, and funny with a style that makes all the successes of this book seem so casually effortless.

This book was SO COSY and wonderful!! I love a cosy spooky fantasy and this was it! I didn’t want to leave this world or the characters and I’m just in love with the magical world that was built. I loved it so much that I bought a physical copy for my shelves!

I was so excited to get into this book because I can’t enough of witchy romances. I have also heard fantastic things about this one, so I was eager to see whether the hype was real. I’m delighted to say that it is!

There aren’t many witches in the UK but Mika Moon is one of them. She knows to keep her powers secret and stay away from other witches in order to keep the magic under control. She posts videos online pretending to be a witch and she’s pretty sure no one will be convinced that she’s the real deal. Until she’s invited to Nowhere House to teach three young witches to control their magic. Unsure whether this is a scam, she travels to the house where she meets a band of wholesome, quirky characters including the aloof librarian Jamie and three little girls who are undeniably witches. As Mika settles in, she becomes aware of the dangers of four witches living together and the potential of catching feelings. When another threat rears its head, Mika needs to decide where she really belongs.

Mika has been alone for most of her life. Witches are always orphans and must live alone to ensure that there isn’t too much magic in one place. I would have loved the book to go further into the supposed orphan curse and explore why witches always end up parentless. Perhaps that’s scope for follow-up books?

I loved the imagery of magic existing as gold dust and it took me back to the Disney movies that I grew up watching. Mika’s lessons with the girls at Nowhere House were so much fun to witness and although this isn’t exactly a role she has asked for, she is a natural teacher. I got major Miss Peregrine and House in the Cerulean Sea vibes from these parts -the perfect cosy, magical feels.

Nowhere House is the stuff of fairytales but its inhabitants are written in such a way that they felt very real. They jumped straight off the page and I honestly didn’t want to leave them after I finished the book. I wanted to keep watching the beautiful romance between Ian and Ken, listening to Lucie bustling around the kitchen and gazing at Jamie through the bookshelves of the library. The characterisations were just so good and I can’t wait to meet more characters created by Mandanna.

The library at Nowhere House is everything you might expect it to be. It’s cosy, whimsical and packed full of knowledge and stories. It’s the perfect hideout and retreat for an introverted book lover like Jamie. It also has a sea view just in case you thought there was something missing! I could easily have spent forever in there, preferably with his handsome, moody self for company!

Terracotta is the young witch who has her reservations about Mika initially. She has a fantastic personality and provides a lot of the dark humour in the book. She is written in a way that although she says evil things, she has a sweetness to her that lets you know that she’ll never act on her words. Her bond with Jamie is really lovely to see too and I loved seeing how she grew to trust Mika more, as Jamie grew closer to her.

Mika has trouble forming meaningful relationships because she has been alone with her dog Circe forever. However, Jamie encourages her to take a chance on love and find her place at Nowhere House at the very moment that she’s considering running. Seeing her open her heart and allow herself to be loved was a really beautiful process to watch and it was so refreshing to see a woman in her 30s do this for the first time.

The romance was quite subtle at first but as soon as I realised that they both liked each other, I was willing them to get together. They are so good for each other and I cared about both of them as individuals, making their relationship even easier to root for. However, I also loved that the romance wasn’t definitely going to happen. It wasn’t predictable but rather a desperate hope on my part that it would blossom.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a heartwarming, magical story with twists galore towards its end. The characters are so fantastic and I know they’ll stay with me for a very long time. With themes of found family, secrets and endless magic, this cosy Halloween romance is perfect for autumn!

"They loved them wholly, without exeption. Because of everything they were, not in spite of some things."

A beautiful, heartwarming story about a witch and her dream of finally finding what she's been missing for her entire life. I've actually marked a lot of great spots here.

Nobody suspects that the young Indian woman who brews moonlight potions in her internet videos, is a real witch. None but Ian - an aging stage actor who convinces his husband and the housekeeper that she can help them with their problem.

This easy feel-good story has a wonderfully diverse cast 🏳️‍🌈 and a really beautiful "normal" slow-burn love story. One might remark that the gardener is stereotypically Japanese and the housekeeper is the typical good-natured chubby woman. The reason why Mika came to them at all is sometimes lost. But that's complaining on a very high level.

En la spooky season nos encanta hablar sobre brujas y hoy os traemos un libro ideal para el otoño. Se trata de «The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches», una novela autoconclusiva de fantasía actual escrita por Sangu Mandanna y que, por ahora, solo está en inglés.

Si habéis leído «La casa en el mar más azul», entonces os va a molar este libro. Mika Moon, la protagonista, es una mujer solitaria que va de ciudad en ciudad sin dejar demasiada huella. Hasta que un día le llega un mensaje inesperado: Se busca bruja. Inesperado y raro, porque Mika es una bruja, sí, pero en teoría no debería saberlo nadie, solo las otras 20 brujas que hay en todo Reino Unido.

Sin embargo, algo le dice que responda la llamada. Y esa decisión la llevará por un camino desconocido para ella: Mika acabará educando a tres niñas brujas que no controlan sus poderes y trabando una bonita amistad con un grupo de adultos a cada cual más peculiar. Mika no buscaba un hogar, pero quizá ya lo haya encontrado.

Es una de esas obras que te dejan una sensación agradable por dentro. Se lee rápido y enseguida te encariñas de los personajes. Es ideal para leer en otoño, tapadite con una manta y una taza de té al lado (los personajes son British y se nota). Te hace sonreír, entre las travesuras de las niñas, lo patoso que es el interés amoroso de Mika y las ocurrencias de la misma bruja.

En definitiva: muy recomendable si buscáis algo ligero, bonito y que os deje un buen poso.

(Ejemplar cedido por Hodder & Stoughton a cambio de una reseña sincera).

This reminded me so much of House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (which I loved).
The writing style is easy to read and very descriptive, I liked the introduction of the MC witch as a kind of rule breaker who then has to go teach young witches. The characters feel like they're written well and thought out.
Really did enjoy this one (so much so that I bought the FL copy)

This was perfect. A perfect cozy book to warm the cockles of your heart and soul. I wish this book would go on and on. As someone who reads so infrequently from the cozy genre it makes me warm and fuzzy. I didn't want to put the book down and wished I had started it earlier in the day so I could read it in one sitting. Every character was loveable even Terracotta who if you didn't think of Wednesday Addams then....who even are you? Mika Moon was adorable, as the witch who protected her heart by never getting too close to anyone and not staying in one place for too long until she met the inhabitants of the Nowhere House, where they reminded her what a mixture of people make up a family.

A lovely book about love and found family and witchiness. To be honest, I did find the beginning to be quite slow, with a lot of backstory dumping but I’m glad I stuck with it. A great read for this time of year.

This was such a cute, cozy romance with the best found family vibes. It was so much fun and so unique and intriguing. The perfect spooky season read!

Mika Moon lives in a world where witches are under the radar and only meet rarely in the oddest of locations. Witches always end up as orphans (which is enough to put off any witch from having children) and when Mikas parents die in an accident she is taken into care by Primrose, England's head witch.
Primrose provides an absentee style of parenting and Mika is raised by nannies and tutors none of whom she is ever close to as if she displays any magic that nanny or tutor is mind wiped and replaced. So her formative years are friendless and never knowing the true warmth of family life.
Mika starts to rebel against the seclusion that has been enforced on witches, initially in small ways by setting up a blog on magic (which she figures the general public will think are tricks). This catches the eye of the Ian, one of the residents of Nowhere House in Norfolk, who is guardian to three girl witches who desperately need guidance on how to harness their nascent powers.
I was rooting for Mika in her new home in which she discovers some truths that will change her life forever. I loved this book and provided a welcome relief to some of the traumas of the world.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this ARC .

This really was an adorable story of found families. Mika was a brilliant character and I thought it raised some fantastic points throughout, I think this is perfect for anyone looking for a heart warming, witchy read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review!

I really, really enjoyed this witch-y found family story with a pinch of romance thrown in.

Mika is a lovely, relatable protagonist and her growing relationships with Lillian's household is so lovely. Our cast of characters is strange, diverse, and so loveable. Highlights being the matchmaking old couple Ian and Ken, and the three precocious girls, Altramira, Rosetta, and Terracotta (who amusingly plots the death of anyone who crosses her).

The romance between Mika and Jamie is really sweet and the whole story feels so cozy and fun.

If you're looking for a comforting, witch-y read, I would definitely suggest checking out these Irregular Witches!

Five stars.