I received an ARC from Netgalley but all opinions are my own.

Not going to lie The Honey Witch was definitely one of my most anticipated releases of this year - I read the synopsis and saw cottagecore, witches and a sapphic relationship and I was SOLD.
Thankfully, I can confirm that I really enjoyed this book and I honestly would love to read anything else set in this world and with these characters.
The story is set in historical times, presumably around Ireland (given that the main place is the isle of Innisfree) and the historical setting was actually a surprise for me as I hadn't realised it wasn't going to be a modern setting but I really felt this worked in the books favour and made the world make so much more sense with the expectations that were expected of the characters.
We follow our very new Honey Witch, Marigold as she leaves her family to learn the craft of magic using honey with her elderly grandmother. I loved their relationship and Marigold's whole journey throughout this book of finding confidence in joy in who she is was so wonderful to witness. However Marigold suffers from the family curse that states that all honey witches are cursed to never fall in love and so after a tragedy she must steel herself for a life lived alone. At least that is until her childhood friend and his gorgeous if grumpy female friend arrives.
I'm not typically a massive fan of the grumpy/sunshine dynamic but when it's done well it REALLY works and I think it did work for the romantic relationship in this book - Lottie's grumpiness made actual sense the further in we got and I honestly just adored Marigold and her optimism (even when she occasionally loses it under the burden of the curse) really carried their relationship through.
I found this book to be very readable and I enjoyed the writing style. Don't go in expecting this book to be a fast paced romance however - this very much leans more into the slow burn and indeed we don't even meet Lottie for around half the book. The set up really helps us get to know Marigold though and understand her and her life so well to better know exactly what she is missing. The world building was interesting if not fully detailed and I'm always a sucker for books who place their characters in a world where bisexuality is considered a norm within society.
The only critique I really have to give is that I did find the overall plot somewhat predictable at times but given it was mostly stuff I WANTED to happen I didn't mind too much and I was looking forward to the payoff. The antagonist also felt like something of a trope and I wish there had been more fallout with this character as it really did feel like her eventual appearance was a little anticlimactic and arrived much too late into the book. I'm not always a big fan of romance and I did admittedly find this to be a bit overly sappy in places but generally I loved what this book did and I really loved the characters and the story that was told.

I found it to be Reminiscent of Emily wildes encyclopaedia and Fire endless duology.

Beautifully enchanted story with lovely characters rooted in a cozy cottage core feel with tender moments that might make you tearful and some stakes threatening the land.

We follow a young woman, Merigold, who finds herself travelling with her grandma to become the new protector of Inisfree, eventually finding herself catching feelings for another woman, with a lingering threat from another type of witch.

The book and characters are well written, you’ll have an entertaining time watching the characters develop and build their relationships.

I found the plot a little slow at times due to personal preferences but the ending of the book really picked up its stakes.

If you’re a fan of cozy magical books with a bigger emphasis on romance and character building then this is for you.

This blurb screams cottage core with witchy vibes and I was excited to try something new. However whilst the plot is good, its execution fell short for me. You were barely into the story and you have suddenly time jumped a year forward and very little happens in terms of character growth. There is so much more that could be explored within the plot. We are informed about dark magic and multiple bad omens but then within the last third of the book these are ignored and there are no consequences. This leaves me with more questions than answers.

The characters are nice but could have developed more throughout the story. Whilst I initially liked Marigold, her character was not explored enough and it left me feeling rather disconnected to her. However Lottie had a sudden unexplained character growth which did not seem to be organic and left an irritating character turn into one I did not care for.

The romance is sweet but the possibility for a relationship the reader could connect with is missed. I also felt that the ending was finally giving some jeopardy and helped develop the story but it was over so quick.

Overall there is a lot of potential for this story but I felt it was lacking in a lot of places which left me deflated. Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for the advanced copy of this.

This was a 5 star prediction for me, and it should have worked for me on all counts, but somehow it didn't. The writing was very pretty, but I felt like it lacked substance, and I really disliked the main character, making it hard to root for her. Everything felt way too bland for something that should have had such an amazing atmosphere.

Once we started seeing Marigold talk more about her curse, I started feeling very alienated as an aromantic person. I love reading romance, and I understand that people want it for themselves. However, the way everyone spoke about how dreadful it was that no one would ever fall in love with Marigold honestly hurt to read. I also felt like there was a message of romantic love being the only love worth living for.

This made me decide to DNF the book at around 65%.

This sapphic book is one you just want to cuddle up with by a warm fire and read as the night curls on. The story of this heartwarming character truly did warm my soul and my bookish heart.

A journey of love and curses, family, magic, and most importantly, the sweetest witchy romance. Many say do not judge a book by its cover, but for this one I would 100% say the cover design tells us all. Warm, sunny, and the perfect book to curl up with in the warmth of the spring air as the beautiful bees buzz around you collecting nectar for their honey.

Thank you so much orbit for sending me an early copy and the most beautiful PR pack, I cannot wait for the rest of the world to warm their hearts with this story, and of course I’m going to see if I can design an edge that can do this beautiful tale justice.

3.75⭐️

A cozy fantasy read, with cottage core vibes and witches🍯
The book started off strong but the pacing was unfortunately a bit off for the first half of the story. Some chapters seemed quite repetitive and very slow as they focused on Marigold’s inner dialogues and I didn’t immediately like the love interest when she was introduced, as i found her to be a bit rude and childish.
However, the author definitely has an immersive and poetic writing style and from the 2nd half of it, the story really picks up! There’s a lot of tension between our heroines, we see other cute couples bonding and there’s more action.
The plot twist was a bit predictable, but i appreciated the direction the story took.
Overall it was a lovely, light read but i wish it had picked up sooner and that the pacing was more even and phased.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own!

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book.
This book was pitched as cosy cottage core fantasy that revolves around bees and honey. That had me hooked!! I love a good witchy story like Practical Magic. However, the magic system and the actual story was quite dissapointing.
The magic family our main character is from are generational honey witches and together with the evil Ash witches bring balance to the land.
This book is a witch in training setting and it is so obvious the ash witch is going to be her love interest but it did not pull me in at all. While the writing is ok, the character work and athmosphere was not living up to my expectation. It felt extremely YA and that is not bad but just not for me.

I'm not usually a big fan of cozy fantasy books. Most often I find them boring and can't get engrossed. That was happily not the case with The Honey Witch. I enjoyed this book a lot. It's definitely cozy (even though it gets a little dark towards the end), but it was fast-paced and had plenty going on to keep me intrigued and actually had me itching to get back to it between reading sessions. It's sweet and full of "found family" and lots of love. Sure, there are some cringe moments (like the amount of times the word soulmates is used), but for me that's kind of unavoidable in a cozy story. It's cozy for a reason, I suppose. This was a fun, quick read that I definitely recommend. It's a great debut by Sydney J. Shields and I'm looking forward to her future work.

“It is better to be lost in a beautiful daydream than trapped in a dim reality.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty-one-year-old Marigold Claude has always preferred the company of the spirits of the meadow to any of the suitors who’ve tried to woo her. So when her grandmother whisks her away to the family cottage on the tiny Isle of Innisfree with an offer to train her as the next Honey Witch, she accepts immediately. But her newfound magic and independence come with a No one can fall in love with the Honey Witch. When Lottie Burke, a notoriously grumpy skeptic who doesn’t believe in magic, shows up on her doorstep, Marigold can’t resist the challenge to prove to her that magic is real. But soon, Marigold begins to care for Lottie in ways she never expected. And when darker magic awakens and threatens to destroy her home, she must fight for much more than her new home—at the risk of losing her magic and her heart.

Marigold seems to be quite the ray of sunshine. She adores nature and feels most at home amongst the trees and wildlife over the circus that is society. She certainly thrived becoming the Honey Witch but I felt we could have dived further into her journey. We got a lot of time jumps but not massive amounts of growth between each one which I had hoped for. I feel like Marigold is a good character but there is so much more we could have learnt about her. We only went a few layers deep and could have gone much further in my eyes. So much was left unexplored.
Lottie seemed like quite the brat to me for a lot of this book. Sour in face and attitude, she was not a likeable character. I didn’t like how immediately dismissive she was of everything Marigold stood for without knowing her. It was rather frustrating that she was so unlikable that I wanted her to change and grow. However I wasn’t too thrilled when her personality brightened. It was too much of a quick change, like a switch was pressed and there was instant positivity. This turned me off from her character quite a bit.

The blurb of this book caught my eye rather quickly. A cosy witch romance with some possible impending doom? Sign me up! However, it just didn’t wow me like I hoped it would. The plot is good, with a decent flow. Before you know it, a year passes as we’re seemingly barely into the story. I felt like it was rather bland until we hit the last quarter of the book to be perfectly honest. We’re told of dark magic and its dangers yet despite multiple bad omens and hints towards trouble, it is ignored and there is little consequence which is such a shame. It just didn’t feel like there were any high stakes. The characters were nice. It’s a relatively small cast which is good to see but I do wonder if we could have gotten to know them better. More often than not, it was surface level interactions which very little depth into them and their personalities. The romance was sweet though did come across a bit more like lust for the main characters. I found that the secondary characters’ romances were slightly more enchanting which is a shame. There was the possibility for such a wonderful relationship and I feel this was missed. The ending finally brought some panic and high stakes but it was also over so quickly. I’d finally got to experience a high and then it quickly deflated. I was just hoping for so much more from this story.

Overall, The Honey Witch is a story I hoped would wow me but just missed the mark.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Orbit for an advanced copy of this book. This review will be live on my blog on release day and will be posted on Goodreads 2 weeks before release, on 2nd May.

4.5 ☆
This book has healed me 🐝💛
Spring is here so I want to talk about a book that I loved and that has all the perfect spring vibes!
•
The Honey Witch by Sydney J Shields is a gorgeous cosy cottage core fantasy with a sapphic romance, witches, forbidden love, friendship, grief and a lot more!!
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Marigold Claude has never felt like she belongs in Bardshire village’s bustling social scene. She loves to run barefoot through grassy fields, dance under the full moon and hates going to social events.
One fateful night, her grandmother, Althea Murr, shows up without warning to appeal to Marigold’s mother about finally disclosing their magical family legacy to Marigold.
Each first-born daughter of their bloodline is a witch.
When her grandmother whisks her away to her cottage on the tiny Isle of Innisfree with an offer to train her as the next Honey Witch, she accepts immediately. There she reconnects with old friends and meets the beautiful, prickly Lottie Burke, a notoriously grumpy skeptic who doesn’t believe in magic and soon, Marigold begins to care for Lottie in ways she never expected.
And, when darker magic awakens and threatens to destroy her home, she must fight for much more than her new home-at the risk of losing her magic and her
heart.
•
I loved everything about this book!!
The vibes are immaculate, and as a true lover of cosy fantasy I felt at home! This book really healed me! The mourning and grief part really touched me deep inside and I felt understood, the author managed perfectly well in describing these strong emotions!
The writing is poetic and very sweet as well as all the characters. The plot begins in a very calm way but as the chapters scroll through the action and the tension begins to rise until the end.
Everything was truly perfect!
•
Thanks to Netgalley OrbitBooks UK and Sydney J Shields for providing me with this arc!!
The Honey Witch is coming out everywhere on May 14th, don’t miss it!💛

The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields is a captivating debut novel brimming with enchantment and heart.
Marigold Claude, the Honey Witch of Innisfree, grapples with a curse that denies her true love until a skeptical visitor, Lottie Burke, challenges her beliefs. Shields weaves a tale of magic, hope, and love against the picturesque backdrop of the Isle of Innisfree. The tender bond between Marigold and her grandmother exudes warmth, while the slow-burning sapphic romance adds depth to the narrative.
Shields' ingenious concept of honey and ash magic infuses the story with a delicate balance of beauty and intrigue. With thematic commentary on women's autonomy, this novel is both poignant and astonishing.
The Honey Witch is a must-read for fans of fantasy romance.
hank you so much to NetGalley and Redhook Books for the ARC!

This was really sweet!

If you go in here expecting some deep philosophical diatribe on the nature of romance and belonging, you'd be knocking at the wrong door. This is a lovely little book about sapphic witches falling in love, set in some parallel world where being gay is a thing you can totally do in the 1830s. It's more cozy fantasy than some other "cozy fantasy" books I've been reading, while also being a comforting tale of life after loss. The author talks in her acknowledgements about how she wrote this book to give her own grandmother a better death, and that is exactly what I felt. Because while the main love story in this book is between the main characters Marigold and Lottie, there is also the secondary love story of Marigold and her grandmother, Althea. A bittersweet tale, which ends just as all things do, and yet asks the question: Is it better to have loved and lost, or to never have loved at all?

Unfortunately, the one thing that irked me about this book were the anachronisms. From the characters overusing the word "okay" to the frequent drinking of Earl Grey tea (which did not exist in 1832, yet), sometimes I felt as if a bit more research into the time period would have been beneficial. Or, alternatively - I feel like not much would be taken away from the story if it had been transported into a different time period. Cottagecore dreams are eternal and enduring, after all.

TLDR: A sweet, lighthearted cottagecore romance, intensely readable and diverting.

2.75⭐ rounded up. Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the ARC.

The Honey Witch was one I'd hope to be a next fave, what with the cottagecore witchy aesthetic and sapphic romance. The story really picks up once Marigold's, our heroine, witch grandmother comes into the picture to reveal the former's magical capabilities and legacy. Althea brings her granddaughter to the isle of Innisfree, where she then proceeds to teach Marigold on what it is to be a Honey Witch like her. I immensely enjoyed their familial moments! I have to commend Althea being quick to chastise Marigold when the latter had a Not Like Other Girls moment, a character trait best left behind in the 2000s. Author Sydney Shields was also able to pull my heartstrings just 25% in.

Unfortunately, that's when THW peaked and never really reached that high for me again, once Lottie the eventual love interest came in fully. The romance fell so far flat that I can't help but be disappointed at the lost potential. Marigold—cursed never to be romantically loved—and Lottie went from "Can't Stand Each Other Because Lottie is Nasty" to "Secretly Head Over Heels From the Moment We Met" in a period of a mere week. The attraction they feel for each other was so rushed and jammed in, such that their declarations of love felt unearned to me. It is a shame because had the book taken its time with them, the slowburn would have likely worked better given the novel's overall cozy vibes.

I do however enjoy Shield's writing style, one that I'll describe as poetic and breezy to read after you've finished a particularly heavier novel beforehand. That coupled with her interesting ideas will have me picking up a possible sophomore novel, as the disappointing execution in this debut nonetheless showcases her potential.

This was a pleasant read that I'd categorise as a gentle fantasy - meaning that it's a step up from a cosy fantasy. It's not super high stakes but nor is there no stakes at all - there is a bit of action and a bit of romance/intimacy.
I liked the witchcraft/nature theme within this story and found it easy to follow what was going on. I would definitely recommend this book to people that want an easier fantasy read.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book.

I enjoyed this book very much. It was cosy and romantic and the magic was interesting. I also really liked the Bridgerton style society in the background of the story. I struggled with the rating of this book and settled on 3 stars because I felt the love interest wasn't introduced soon enough so the characters didn't have as much time together through the book as they could have, and from about half way through the book I could see exactly how the story was going to play out so it took away some the suspense for me.
I would still very much recommend this book because the writing was lovely and the story is unique and interesting. I'll definitely read more by this author in the future.

If you want a cozy cottage, witchcraft, soulmates, curses, and a bittersweet story that pulls at your heartstrings, this is a book for you.

The Honey Witch follows Marigold as she comes into her magic, and captures a young adult's mindset so well. Marigold has a strong sense that her beliefs are the right ones and can't comprehend why someone would CHOOSE to primp and preen and seek attention for a husband. However, as she learns how to care for customers and her new friends, she begins to realize that her selfishness can bring hurt - and in more ways than she might expect...

"What any woman wants for herself is not for you decide. You would do well to remember that." If Marigold wants a hope of success through her struggles, these are words she must learn to live by.

Initially, the dialogue feels a little stiff and awkward, almost like the characters are reading scenes from a play. I did find the writing and plot truly to life when they arrive to Innisfree. From the moment they step onto the island, I was hooked. I smiled, I blushed, I cried, and I enjoyed every moment of this heartfelt and sometimes heavy story.

I had to DNF this at less than 20%. The authors description of her family and love life were way too complex for a book claiming to be cosy fantasy. I became bored and didn’t ask to read a book about the workings of court. I wanted a witch book from the start.

The Honey Witch is the perfect enemies-to-lovers, cottagecore, sapphic witchy story. I loved the setting and the atmosphere. I loved Marigold as a main character, and I loved her relationship with Lottie so, so much!
This book was a little slice of magic, the sapphic cottagecore love story I didn’t know that I needed. A honey sweet love story with all the ingredients to make a perfect fairytale. All I want now is to put on a float dress, put flowers in my hair and go foraging on a meadow. Perhaps dance in the moonlight too.
Needless to say that I loved this. The Honey Witch is a true delight.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is one of the most hyped up books in social media and with a good reason. The magic system is intriguing and original, we have a f/f main couple, all set in a lovely cottage.

The Honey Witch is told by Marigold's POV who is our honey witch. We start off before she realizes that she's a witch, and we get to see how torn she's felt all her life like something has been missing. The author portrayed her feeling of not belonging very well, and I felt for her. With the help of her grandmother, she comes to own her magic and she truly blooms into herself.

Lottie is our love interest, and she's a non-believer. Her best friend is a childhood friend of Marigold's who believes in magic, so Lottie is half-pushed to Marigold's presence and magic. I have to say, Lottie's snarky comments were a bit annoying, which was the actual point and had a very good reason which is explained later in the book. But while I read those comments, I can't un-feel annoyed lmao. However, Lottie was also a relatable character, a person you understood.

The world building is utterly unique. I mean, her magic and spells come from HONEY?!!!! I've never read anything like it before. It added to the story's cozy vibes and it stood out. It's actually the plot that takes 1 star from the review and two things specifically. First, one discovery was the book's "big" plot twist; though, it had been very clear throughout the book. If it was that clear, and we see it coming chapters away, then it doesn't make a very big plot twist. Secondly, there was a choice that Marigold made around 60% in the book that didn't make sense to me. It felt that she made that choice only so that things get worse confict-wise. But to me, it was illogical, so it didn't land so well with me...

BUT I really enjoyed this book!! I liked Marigold! I liked the world-building! And I liked its cozy and LGBTQIA+ vibes!! Finally a fantasy without a war or rebellion lmao! And with a queer normative world, too! I'll definitely read another book by this author!

As a lover of cozy fantasies and sapphic romances, this book was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and, on the whole, it didn't disappoint.

The atmosphere was whimsical, the writing lyrical and the characters were very charming.

The only downfall for me was the romance. It seemed a bit insta-lovey and I wished that the love interest was introduced earlier so that the romance could have some time to blossom and grow throughout.

Will I be buying a physical copy? Likely yes, because look at that cover! 😍