I love a witchy rom com. I was very excited for the opportunity to read this book. It reminded me of Hocus Pocus x Tangled with a little bit of spice. It had cursed jewelry, magical hair, flying broomsticks, time travel, and a meddling mother. It sounded right up my alley, but it unfortunately did not work for me. The plot felt a little disjointed due to all the chaos happening. I also didn't fall in love with the characters. Poppy was quirky, but it read a little too immature. Alex had a little too much backstory. I did appreciate the light and fun vibes, but eh.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK, Kate Johnson, and NetGalley for this E ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was such a fun witchy read. It was pure chaos and I loved it. A perfect weekend read during the Halloween season. The book lost me at the time travel plot, personally I thought the author was trying to do too much and this part wasn't needed. Other than that it was an enjoyable and easy read!

📖My Thoughts📖

This was a fun book to read. I always enjoy a book in which witches are involved. This one not only has that, but a hint of Rapunzel element, which is one of my favorites. This rom-com with magical elements, witches and hint of Rapunzel, all rolled into one had no problem holding my attention. It was a fast paced easy read that I devoured. I don’t know why, but Poppy reminded me a bit of the tv sitcom character Steve Urkel in the sense that she seemed to always have things backfire on her or not work out the way she wanted. I had some good laughs with this one. I kind of wish it had been a little bit longer. Overall I enjoyed this fun witchy read. It’s perfect for the upcoming spooky season.
Thank you Netgalley, HarperCollins UK and Kate Johnson for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Now this was a cute, witchy romcom read I can get behind! I laughed out loud numerous times with the humor and shenanigans Poppy got into after her cursing of the pendant. The relationship she had with Axl and her friends were heartwarming and fun. I love a good thriller, but sometimes you just need a lighthearted Fall read to get lost in, and this fit that perfectly. The story is as adorable as it's cover!

This book is pure chaos, but not in a good way. I remember saying this same thing about book 1, and I gave this one about 15% to get it's crap together before I quit. There's too much going on; we don't have enough of a backstory to fully appreciate the unique characteristics of the cast.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

So cute! I loved that Poppy was such a relatable main character - imperfect and striving. I really enjoyed her budding romance with Alex. What a fun story!

This was feet kickingly cute. SO CUTE. An adventure full of chaos, romance, magic, mysteries, tall MMCs who I will forgive for being blonde! God what a charming story! Perfect witchy fall read!

Hex and the City by Kate Johnson is a fun, race against the clock story about a chaotic witch who accidentally curses a necklace and the poor recipient of said necklace. Poppy is the perfect character and I really loved her outlook on life and how she approaches everything with a sense of "Ill get through this!" Axl is very mysterious at first but I liked him more as his personality starts to show throughout the book. This book is a great story to read if you loved Practical Magic or Charmed. It's full of family vibes and silly situations with tons of magic and spells thrown in.

A fun, witchy romance perfect for October!!! This was a fun read.

Although I had never read anything by this author before, I thought this book was a great introduction to Kate Johnson’s work.

This book was quirky, relatable, and so hilarious!

Ok, ok I know I am so late in posting this for spooky season, but save this for your TBR for next October because this was everything witchy and adorable! The perfect mix of a cute lil romance and trying to solve a curse gone wrong. Not very spooky, but a whole lot of fun to read!

Poppy is a little chaotic and has hair like Rapunzel from Tangled. She just so happens to be a witch and lives with her friend and mentor, Iris who’s the head of their coven. She works at a pretend magic shop, until one day she sells a cursed pendant to gorgeous celebrity magician, Axl. When all hell breaks loose, Axl and Poppy must work together to fix the magic, but will they be able to over all the sparks that are flying between them?

I loved Poppy and everything about her. She was so chaotic in a fun way and so flirty. At times this book was hilarious, and it was so fun to read. I have watched Tangled too many times to count with my daughter, so it was fun to have the Rapunzel twist with this one – and its why I picked it up! I loved how Poppy came into her own over the course of the book. However, I did struggle a little with the pacing. At times I found it rather slow and drawn out. I did still love the book overall though. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Axl and Poppy. I hope that this is the first in a series so I can read more about Poppy and her special brand of chaos!

If you are looking for a laugh out loud funny witchy romance, then check this one out. I completely agree with the publisher that fans of Lana Harper and Erin Sterling will love this one.

A Disney-like witch who lives near a cemetery? Sign me up! This is the witchy novel that booklovers always seem to recommend first, and for good reason. The premise is enchanting and cozy and I adored the blending of the real world with Poppy's magical one. Poppy is silly, endearingly funny MC who you can't help but root for. Even when she makes mistakes with her magic, you can just tell that she's trying her best. I love a heroine that makes a lot of mistakes but truly means well - it makes her more realistic. She reminds me of a younger version of Cassie Nightingale from "The Good Witch" movies and tv shows (they both literally live in old homes and work at magic shops!)

This was a lot of fun!!

The perfect atmosphere and witchy vibes to really transport you in the autumn season!

I did feel like this was a bit too insta-love for my tastes, but I did enjoy seeing Poppy's growth, and all of the witchy elements really hit the mark with making this a great spooky season read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Unfortunately, I wasn't quite able to get into this book. I can see other people enjoying it to no end but it wasn't for me and I ended up DNFing the book.

Kate Johnson does it again with this cosy and cute magical roller-coaster of a romance. I really enjoyed her 2022 novel, Hex Appeal, and was super excited to read this newest release. I had a lot of fun with this book. I really liked Poppy the main character, especially her sentient hair which was a great unique and quirky aspect of her character.
Really the only thing I wasn't a huge fan of in this book was the unnecessary drama and conflict between Poppy and her love interest Alex. One wobble in the relationship I can handle, but the second round of conflict between them honestly made my eyes roll. I didn't see the logic in, mainly Poppy's reaction to the situation.
Overall a fun time though. Definitely a nice Halloween read to break up the more scary and suspense-heavy books I tend to pick up during this time of the year. Keeping my fingers crossed for more books like this from Kate Johnson.

It took me until halfway to actually get the plot of this one. Not in a bad way just in a way that made me pay attention a bit more while reading. I loved Alex and Poppy soooo much and the steam was perfect. I thought the witchiness was perfect for Fall and I just loved this one!

A delightful witchy romp that delivers on romance and magic in equal measure. Perfect for fans of the ex hex and Lana harper’s series- this book is a fun easy read.

I thought this was going to be a witchy Romance. It was more spicy chick-lit, though. With a dash of time travel (to the Great Fire of London) and witch politics.

The FMC, Poppy, was supposed to be quirky but felt random to me.

The man-bun wearing MMC, Alex, seemed to pile on backstory the further we got into this.

The saving grace, in my opinion, was Iris, Poppy's landlady, who managed to bury several husbands.

I finished the ARC but I'm not keen on picking up another book by the author - unless it's the well-edited story of Iris and her husbands.

After loving Hex Appeal, I was very excited to return to this world - and thrilled to find the new story filled with the same humour, hijinx and even some familiar faces! I loved both protagonists, and their relationship (for the most part). The third act breakup felt a tad silly, and the ending was rushed, but overall it was a fun book to read for spooky month!

This is a great witchy romantic lovely book- perfect for the halloween season. I think it takes elements of the romantasy genre with a good dose of comedy.