It was a bit chaotic read for me. I was drawn to the blurb it took me a while to get into the story. Still, I would recommend it to the fans of the witches or ghosts stories.

Thank you NetGalley & publisher for this eARC..

When I saw the word Gilmore Girls, I have expectations but this book, unfortunately, it miss the mark.

There is a lot going on and it was messy. It was supposed to be cozy but there were events where I felt like it was too heavy and the writing? well, it felt flat to me.

anyways, I was expecting a cozy, whimsical, fantasy based on the book title and the cover but this was not it.

*1 stars*

References to Harry Potter and Young Living? Weird Christian witch ideology? Annoying main character and love interest?

This was so disappointing. The plot and pacing was all over the place, and it was honestly just really boring.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

Wow, this was so not what I had expected. I thought this was a cosy small town romance with snappy dialogue (Gilmore Girls) and whimsical magical realism (Practical Magic). I got a story that was set in California, but read like small town southern US. The combination of Christian religion with magic didn't make sense to me, neither did Sadie's insistence that she and her grandmother aren't witches, they are just good Christian women doing magic.

The MC Sadie is 28 years old with the emotional maturity of a teenager - was this supposed to be a YA/NA book that was re-written to fit a wider audience? She's self-centred and makes some questionable choices throughout the story (like: using a truth-telling recipe without consent, stealing a dog and refusing to return it). She's also under a curse, which she repeats in a "woe be me"-way over and over. Though the reader doesn't find out what exactly the curse entails until far into the story.

The secondary characters are all so bland, I didn't care for them at all. Jake, the love-interest, doesn't have any kind of backstory. The reader is supposed to root for a second chance relationship because the two of them went out together over ten years ago?

I could go on about the cringe-worthy writing, the secondary characters and strange plot parts (the twin brother, the suddenly returning mother who was absent all the twins' lives, the ailing grandmother, the ominous ghost, the curse, etc).

TW: rape and victim-shaming, attempted suicide, actual murder, fake pregnancy

I wasn't sure about this book when I first started it. But I kept going and ended up liking it.a lot. I loved the various siblings and their relationship with each other. It would be a good book for a book club. So many ideas, subjects, situations to discuss and evaluate. Highly recommend.

This book weaves a captivating tale of familial love and community support, portraying relatable characters grappling with insecurities, dreams, and the weight of their curses. The cozy, homely elements and the message of resilience against curses through love and togetherness truly resonated with me.

In this world, each member of the family has their own magic and their curse. Sadie's curse is that she will go through 4 heartbreaks in her life, each one worse than her last and with these heartbreaks, her magic becomes very erratic and unpredictable. Now, she avoids relationship with any guy to avoid this heartbreak and hence losing her magic. But now, her first ex is back in town while her life is also dealt with family issues and new secrets... and our poor Sadie has to deal with all that and come out better and stronger at the end.

While I found Sadie to be a compelling and relatable character, the predictability of certain plot points slightly diluted the impact of the story's twists. Nonetheless, the irresistible urge to witness the characters' happiness and resolution overrode this familiarity.

The narrative's pacing was also erratic, juggling too many plotlines, causing a lack of coherence and depth. The sudden introduction and rapid resolution of various subplots, like Bethany's arc, the strange involvement of animals, and the abrupt revelation about the mysterious spirit, left the story feeling disjointed and unsatisfactory.

The multitude of intertwined themes—ranging from grief, depression, and family to witchcraft and a complex curse—added depth but at the cost of a harmonious storytelling experience. Furthermore, the uncomfortable lack of deeper exploration into the darker themes, such as the mother's past trauma, left a sense of unease and a feeling of unresolved issues.
The story's conclusion felt rushed, leaving several threads hanging and an unsatisfactory resolution.

By the end, I really enjoyed the charaters and the enchanting familial bonds, but the convoluted and abrupt plot turns, coupled with unresolved themes, made for a reading experience that left me wanting for more clarity and cohesion.

Thank you for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review. This is one of those books I only heard about through bookstagram and I was interested in it because of the author’s description of it as Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls. Unfortunately, I just didn’t like this book very much and I didn’t end up finishing it. I stopped reading at about 10% of the way in, which is usually earlier than I give up. I felt like I was dropped in the middle of the book from the beginning and I couldn’t really get into it or find my way. I felt like I was missing details or backstory or something and I wasn't sure what was going on. I couldn’t connect with the characters and I didn’t like the writing. Since I have to give a star rating, I will be rating this book at 1 star.

Unfortunately, this novel was a DNF for me. I tried to pick it up a few times, but everytime it felt short. I even switched to the audio book to help but ended up stopping at 50%. The plot just felt so slow and nothing really hooked me. I wish I could have pushed through but life is too short. The way it was advertised as a Gilmore Girl Rom Com just did not fit the bill.

I am so sorry this was just not for me.

Small town, cute, magical novel. I don't necessarily classify it as a romance specifically as there are a few other genres this would a part of. I enjoyed reading this book and read through pretty quickly. I really liked the magic aspect of it. I learned a lot about the family and their history and I appreciated how they all come together in a time of need. This book was very slow-paced, but I feel like that made the book better. Gave me time to really connect with some of the characters before diving into the main ideas of the book. It fell flat for me in the romance area. I was not a big fan of Jake mainly because I thought his situation and his morals were off putting from the beginning. I saw Sadie as a bit self absorbed at times. She really made a lot of things about her and that drove me nuts. I 100% got Practical magic vibes, but not Gilmore Girls. There were too many things going on at once and I wish the author had focused more on one plot. The best part of the book for me was learning about her family history and what happened with her mom. I enjoyed reading that play out. I wish there was more to the romance or that I could have connected with it better.

It was a good read for this time of year, cozy vibes, and overall I am glad I read it.

This was a DNF for me.
I couldn't click with the writing style no matter how much I tried.

It seemed like it was cut off a lot where it wanted to be a full description or thought.

Ugh, I was really excited for this debut, especially with all the Practical magic/Gilmore Girls comps but sadly the poor reviews were not wrong. This was kind of a hot mess, all over the place sort of story. I enjoyed the family curse, second chance romance, small town witchy aspects but there was just soooo much going on and nothing ever felt fully explored.

There were mouth-watering recipes included with each chapter, the brother-sister relationship was complicated and relatable. I especially appreciated the mental health focus on anxiety and depression. But there was also grief related to terminal cancer and parental abandonment plus the 'romance' felt more star-crossed than hopeful or joyful.

Okay on audio narrated by Laura Horowitz. I would still read more from this author. I think her debut just needed better editing so it had a more cohesive plot/purpose. Recommended for fans of books like Midnight at the blackberry cafe or The magic of lemon drop pie. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

*4.5 STARS*

Sadie has always believed that the curse of the 4 heartbreaks would be worth the price of her magic. When her beloved Grandmother is diagnosed with cancer and her first heartbreak, Jake, comes back into town things begin to unravel. This thoughtfully and beautifully explores the walls we build around our hearts to retain our own magic.

This is the PERFECT spooky season reads if you love witchy vibes this time of year. It's lighthearted and fun but also deals with grief, family drama and you have a great romance in the mix as well. I found it very balanced between "deep" and "light" and overall really enjoyed it.

The recipes at the end of every chapter were such a special touch and perhaps my fave part of the book. I looked forward to each one as I read along.

Highly touted as "Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls" by media and the author, it mostly delivers. I got the same warm fuzzies and felt the drama and magic run deep. However, I missed the GG witty banter and there was some dialog that felt a little forced.

It seems like the author left it open for a sequel so I'm hopeful we have a little more Revelare magic in our future.

Overall, really enjoyed this one and if it's the only witchy book I read this season (it won't be) I would be satisfied!

DNFing this. I have no desire to continue. The main character is one dimensional and boring and I have no interest in seeing where the story goes. Thanks anyway for the arc.

This was not what I anticipated based on the promise of Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls. I feel like I was waiting to connect to it in the ways that I have connected with both of those witchy, cozy, small town classics. I was hoping for a lighthearted cozy witchy read for the month of October, and was left disappointed.

We follow Sadie, a small-town baker with magical powers that runs a café. Sadie has a curse that says if she experiences four major heartbreaks in her lifetime that she will lose her magic. Sadie goes about her life keeping an emotional distance after already experiencing two heartbreaks. When her ex-Jake comes back to town with his new partner, Sadie’s feelings start to emerge once again.

There was too much happening in this for anything to be properly executed leaving many plot holes and grey areas. The romance was undeveloped and boring. We don’t know anything about Sadie and Jake’s past other than they have a past but are expected to believe how important they are to each other. As a main character, Sadie isn’t very likeable. She is immature, rather selfish, and complains way too much about her heartbreaks using them as an excuse for her behavior.

The lightheartedness and witty personalities of Gilmore Girls were not present, the inspiration must have been solely the small town. While Sadie and her family had magical powers, I didn’t make the connection to Practical Magic at all. Especially as there was a religious agenda being pushed in witchcraft?

My favorite part of the book were the recipes that are shared at the end of every chapter. That definitely added some charm.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sadie Revelare has always known she has the curse of four heartbreaks that comes with her magic. She’s already had two when her grandmother receives a diagnosis that doesn’t leave her much time. Then her ex, Jake, moves back home and her twin brother, Seth, returns home with family secrets and drama. Sadie has to figure out if love or Magic is more important.

I liked this one but it wasn’t quiet what I expected. I love witchy books and enjoyed the small town feel with family drama. I needed more romance though and I didn’t get an emotional connection to any of the characters. Overall a cozy read for this time of year. There are also recipes at the end of chapters which is cute and a fun detail:)

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for an arc for review.

I would probably have given this 3.5 but 3 feels WAY too harsh so I will go with 4.

I binged this book in a day and a half. Whilst it won't be a book that I re-read again and again, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Despite having some tough themes - the scenes dealing with grief were very touching and authentic - the book overall was lighthearted and fun.

If youre looking for a short, wholesome fantasy read - that doesnt have huge amounts of complex lore and world building - then this is a lovely short read.

Sadly, I found this book unfortunate…

2.5/5 ⭐️⭐️💫

Sadie and her family are magical. However, every persons magic also comes with a curse. Hers is 4 heartbreaks. This book follows Sadie as she goes through her last 2 heartbreaks.

Without giving too much away this book has a lot going on. Some really great (family coming back together, small town vibes) and others not so great (rape, suicide attempt, death of a family member). I almost wish the romance in this book was left out. The family aspect was so much more beautiful.

Overall, I felt like the book dragged and I ended up skimming a lot.

My review is a bit unfortunate…

I wanted to read this book because of the description that it was a mix of Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls. I got the Practical Magic vibes, but I didn’t see much of Gilmore Girls happening. I wanted more quick wit from the characters which is my favorite aspect of Gilmore Girls, but I just didn’t get that.

My favorite part of the book was the recipes. Other than that, the story fell a bit flat for me. I didn’t care for any of the characters. I thought that Sadie was whiney and annoying and I’m not really one to like second chance romances.

Another thing that felt odd was that that these witches were…religious? I’m not knocking religion but, I wasn’t really sure why they went to church. It just takes away from the witchy vibe and felt like the author was probably wanting to push their beliefs on the reader?

I do not think this book was billed correctly. It was described as Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic, but that was not the vibe. It felt like I was dropped into a story that was already happening with little explanation. The characters were fun but there were too many of them.

Wanted to love this one. It’s got so many rave reviews. But it just fell flat. And in a book steeped in magic, the most unbelievable thing was a positive church experience at a southern Baptist church as a magic wielding witch.