What a delightful read! I laughed out loud at multiple points and was completely entertained by the wild twists and turns this story took along the way. Fun, flirty and doesn't take itself too seriously. This is exactly how I wanted to jump in to the fall reading season - highly recommend as we enter into September!

Synopsis:

With her sentient, Rapunzel-esque hair, ability to commune with ghosts and animals alike, her job at a magic shop and the giant house she shares with some older women who love to meddle, Poppy Thistlewood’s life is a little chaotic. In fact, chaos seems to be following her at the moment, particularly as she gets drunk after seeing her ex with someone new and accidentally curses a pendant she then sells in her shop. Finding the pendant, and stopping any further harm from happening, is a journey that will take her across London, back in time, to face offs with horrifying ghosts and into the path of the extremely hot, extremely tall Viking-looking illusionist Axl Storm…

My thoughts:

This was such a fun read and is perfect for anyone looking for a witchy romcom to head into the autumn months with. It is written with humour, the romance between Alex and Poppy is very cute and I loved the LGBTQ+ rep! Some elements were over too quickly for me (I wish they’d stayed in the past a little longer!) but I really enjoyed this one and hope there are some spin offs focusing on the other ‘coven’ members (e.g. the enigmatic Iris) or Poppy learning more about her magic!

I absolutely recommend it to fans of writers such as Erin Sterling and will definitely read more books by this writer. A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Poppy causes chaos wherever she goes… more so than her average witch. One night when she is drunk and heartbroken, Poppy curses a pendant that is accidentally sold to Axl Storm, a famous and vain actor with a body that won’t quit. They don’t quite get along but as they team up to control the chaos the cursed pendant causes the city they live in, it is no surprise that they don’t learn that they don’t actually hate each other. A tiny bit spicy and I love the enemies to lovers trope. This book is creative and cute.

Chaos, in all the best ways. It started off super strong and held through the entire story! It was fun, magical and endearing ride. Poppy and Alex were fun to get to know and their romance was hot. The plot was wonderful. 5/5. The spice was good 2/5. I absolutely do not like one aspect of this book but it isn’t my favorite trope to begin with so I won’t hold it against it. I’m keeping this vague because I want it spoiler free. This was overall a perfect fall read. I adore the Easter eggs from the previous book. I would say they are interconnected standalones but they are both worth it so check them out! This was an arc and I’m voluntarily leaving this review!

Hex and the City - @k8johnsonauthor 🧹🧙‍♀️🌉

*ARC ~ Release Date 3rd September*

Hex & the City is the second book in the series but can definitely be read as a stand alone (I haven’t read Hex Appeal… yet). This was a really fun read, the characters were really charming and lovable in their own way, perfectly imperfect. I thought Poppy & Axl, aka Alex had amazing chemistry. I really enjoyed all of the little twists and turns in this book and definitely didn’t expect the ending! I couldn’t put it down I needed to know what was happening and how this would play out

Thanks @netgalley & @onemorechapterhc for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

It’s cute! I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review (NetGalley).

I enjoyed the story and felt like it was a cute read for Halloween/spooky season. The beginning was a bit hard for me to follow, but once I got into the story it flowed a lot better.

It has MAJOR Tangled vibes. The character's personalities are fairly similar to Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder (IMO).

There were some parts that were a little rough, but I don't think it deters enough from the book to make a huge difference.

While drunk, Poppy cast a spell on an amulet. Sober, she watches as her friend sells it to an on-stage magician. When chaos ensues, it is up to Poppy to undo the harm. Axl, the on-stage magician, sets out to help her before he realizes she is a real witch. By then, he is drawn to her.
Opinion
I love witchy novels. This book had me fantasizing about my hair being able to do all kinds of tricks, just like Poppy's hair. I did wonder how she could have gone on so long before she knew she was a witch.
Johnson's imagination certainly made mine run. As I went from scene to scene in the book, I wondered what it would be like if we could actually do the things that Poppy and Axl were doing. I think a small part of me still wishes for the paranormal world to be a reality, which could be why I was so drawn to this book.
This is the first Kate Johnson novel that I have read but you can be sure that I am going to go and read Hex Appeal. (I had apparently gotten it at some busy point in my life as I have it but have yet to read it.)
Many thanks to Net Galley and One More Chapter for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Chaotic fun supernatural read. This is my first read by Kate Johnson and it took min to adjust to shifting dual POVs within the chapters, but I found I liked getting both Poppy and Alex's perspectives as the bizarre situations unfolded.

I think this is a cute lighthearted witchy read, but it was too light and felt a bit immature and not quite for me.

I enjoyed the setting and a witch falling for a magician sounded like so much fun. Unfortunately I wasn't digging the execution. It was very insta-love which I am not a fan of and you hear a bit about Alex's womanizing ways which always put me off a MMC especially when it's one of the first things you learn about them. The plot was a bit chaotic as well. I also want to warn people there are talks about disordered eating in this book.

I don't think I would check out more books from this series.

*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

3.5/5

This was a fun, witchy, madcap romp set in London. I enjoyed it, there were so many crazy moments and situations that kept the momentum of the book going and held my engagement as the reader.

I had my issues with this book, hence the 3.5 stars. Mostly, I was put off by the immaturity of the characters. There were also aspects of the plotline that were super disjointed.

However, overall I think this was an enjoyable book that many readers will fall in love with!

Hex and the City-Kate Johnson

Star rating - 3.5

Synopsis:

Poppy is a witch who chaos tends to follow. She works in a small magic shop where nothing is actually magical, that is until one day, when she accidentally curses a pendant. Now she must track down the handsome celebrity magician Axl Storm whom she sold the pendant to, and try to fix the mess that has followed this unfortunate incident.

This was a super cheesy, and super cute witchy romance. Just like the main character Poppy, this book was a bit chaotic. From Poppy's magical hair constantly getting her into trouble, to some rushed parts of this story, I felt like this book needed to slow down and add more to the background. That being said, I am a sucker for witches, spells, and covens, and this book provided it all. It also would be a great fall read, very light-hearted, and seasonal. This book read more like a young adult romance and I would say that is my biggest complaint about this book. Overall, if you like fun instant love kind of books, then this is for you!

Thank you, NetGalley, Kate Johnson, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and author for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After getting drunk and accidentally cursing a necklace after seeing her ex on a night out which is subsequently accidentally sold to Alex, a magician with a vest selling stage show, Poppy finds herself working with Alex to find and disable the necklace before it hurts anyone else.

I enjoyed the magic and overlap with our modern world and the banter and slow burn with poppy and Alex is good fun but overall and some of the adventures their task leads them on.. but some of this felt a little predictable and overly cutsie for my personal tastes.

That said, if you want a cute fluffy autumnal witchy romance with some magical drama, spice and secrets then this may be the book for you, it just didn’t suit my personal taste.

Hex and the City by Kate Johnson is a laugh-out-loud magical romantic comedy that shocked me with a few fascinating twists.

I loved the magical system, which has a unique aspect with Chaos magic. Poppy, the main character, learned that she was a witch when she turned 18, and ever since, she’s been learning how to develop and control her magic with the help of Iris, an experienced witch. Her talent is in chaos magic, which makes sense since chaos surrounded her all her life, including her hair, which truly has a life of its own. I am fascinated with chaos magic and all that it can do.

The relationship between Poppy and Alex, a famous magician, is steaming hot almost from their first meeting. Their relationship goes through all sorts of twists and turns - none of which I saw coming, and I enjoyed all the surprises along the way. Those twists created a fresh and original story while maintaining the traditional elements of a romantic comedy.

Written from Poppie’s perspective, the pace stays fast from start to finish, helped by several thriller-style elements introduced with the many twists and turns. And there are some doozy twists, which I already mentioned. Can you tell they were my favorite part of the story?

Hex and the City is a magical choice of reads - perfect for the upcoming fall season.

Chaos follows Poppy wherever she goes... And that's the exact word to describe this book - CHAOS. There is just too much going on in this book and I had a hard time to keep up with everything. I felt like I was missing something when I started to read it. It took me a while to get into the story. But I really liked Poppy, the female MC, and all she is was struggling with. Some parts of this book was hilarious. The relationship between Poppy and the hot magician Axl wasn't completely believable to me. Overall a fun witchy fall read.

Thank you @netgalley and Harpercollins UK for the advanced copy. Hex And The City releases on September 3th.

*I really loved Kate Johnson’s first book in this series, Hex Appeal, and while you don’t need to have read it to follow along with this second book, the world building is considerably less, and I think you would over-all appreciate Poppy and her reality more if you did.*

I love a good witchy-romance! I’ve been holding off reading this ARC all summer, waiting until just before publication, as the stores are finally starting to stock fall decor, and candle. It’s been an awesome week to sip PSLs, smell apple-cinnamon candles and read about witches. The atmosphere is everything! My reading experience started strong and overall was really enjoyable. I love Poppy’s hair and the adventures and shenanigans that she and Alex went through, but individually neither character really were like-able to me. But I still enjoyed reading, which lends itself really to the storytelling which is fast paced, absolutely chaotic and witty. There is a plot-twist that wasn’t my favorite, but you see it coming a mile away and it advances the story, so it wasn’t a deal breaker for me. The spice is pretty mild, but just zesty enough to not be Hallmark level. This story was a wild ride and I can’t wait for more. Really hoping it’s not just a duology! 3.5 ⭐️

Thank you One More Chapter, Harper Collins & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review!

ARC from Net Galley - a great witchy rom com. This is the second in a series but you don’t necessarily need to read the first to understand the world.

On more than one occasion I thought I knew where the story was going only to be yanked another direction - it was fast pacing with twists that I didn’t see coming. Characters are well written and easy to like, I really enjoyed this book.

5/5 stars: Johnson's British witchy world that was introduced in Hex Appeal now continues in this delightful novel. I very much enjoy the magical world Johnson's crafted, it's whimsical and quirky and just plain fun. Her characters are complex and yet remain incredibly relatable; Poppy and Alex are a treat and I adore the London witches and can't wait to see where Johnson takes us next in this universe. And the fact that Poppy's casually bisexual and it's never an issue for anyone is a joy. Additionally, I very much appreciate how thoughtfully Johnson portrays Poppy and Alex's mental and personal growth journeys, but take care and check the CWs. If you're looking for a great paranormal romance with great characters, plenty of humor and off-the-charts scorching sexiness be sure to pick up this book.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Prepare to be enchanted by this delightful paranormal romance that weaves a tale of magic and love! The story revolves around Poppy, a young witch possessing hair as enchanting as Rapunzel's, and her journey through the mystical realms of her newfound powers. As a novice in the world of magic, Poppy grapples with the art of control, often leaving a trail of delightful chaos in her wake!

Enter Axl, a charismatic celebrity magician with an undeniable allure. The plot thickens when a cursed pendant, "accidentally" traded by one of Poppy's colleagues, falls into Axl's possession, setting the stage for a series of misadventures. With a touch of time travel and a dash of mischief, the narrative takes off on an exhilarating escapade, leaving readers eagerly flipping through the pages to unravel the ensuing adventure.

At its core, this book is a spellbinding fusion of witchcraft and romance, adorned with the charm of a coven's camaraderie. The dynamic portrayal of Poppy's journey from magical novice to adept enchantress is a captivating element, drawing readers deeper into her world with every spell she casts. This is witchy chic lit at its finest!

The narrative not only explores the complexities of magic but also paints a vivid picture of relationships forged amidst the whirlwind of supernatural events. The seamless convergence of Poppy's world with Axl's lends the story an irresistible allure that keeps readers invested in the outcome.

As the story unfolds, the chaos and camaraderie both build to a crescendo, creating a symphony that resonates long after the final page is turned. The coven's solidarity and growth add layers of depth to the narrative, showcasing how unity can blossom even amidst the most enchanting (and chaotic!) circumstances.

This bewitching tale is more than just a paranormal romance—it's an odyssey through a world where magic intertwines with matters of the heart. The author masterfully crafts a narrative that dances between whimsy and suspense, leaving readers craving more of Poppy, Axl, and their enthralling magical journey.

Thank you HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. Hex and the City will be released on September 3, 2023.

A cute and quirky rom-com with witches. I really enjoyed this and will be looking for the first in the series as we get closer to Halloween.

A few parts dragged for me a little bit, but overall this was a really fun read. Thank you for my ARC.

Where can I start with this adorably cute book! I loved The Ex Hex and i knew I would adore this one as well. This book is based on an entirely different cast of characters,(there may be a quick snippet of an old favorite of course). Poppy was such an awesome character to follow - she is super clumsy, loses everything all the time, and barely manages to make it to work on time on her best days. Then she goes and curses a necklace and it gets sold to someone famous.... Inset Axl....

Just go and read this book and you will love it! Magical, witchy, funny, amazing!