A fun spooky season romance! Would recommend for fans of Lana Harper (Witches of Thistle Grove series) and similar authors.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for this ARC!

I was so excited for this one when the blurb said it gave Gilmore Girls meets Charmed vibes. Those are two of my favorites. I love cozy and witchy fall reads, and this one sounded like it would be just that. However, I found that the writing style just didn't work for me. The writing style made it to where the story didn't flow for me. I couldn't really relate to the fmc and found it hard to like the other characters. Some areas I loved how descriptive Emily was, but others barely had any description and left me wanting more.

Overall, this one didn't work for me, but it might for you!

Welcome to Oak Haven, where the leaves are always golden, the coffee is eternally spiced, and there’s just a bit more magic in the air than anyone wants to admit.

If Gilmore Girls had a magical baby with Charmed, you’d get Impractical Magic, a swoony, witchy second chance romance that feels like wrapping yourself in a cozy, enchanted blanket.

Scarlett Melrose, our reluctant middle child witch, is called back to the small town she’s been avoiding like the plague. And for good reason, her family’s inn is cursed, and her estranged sisters need her help. Cue the magic, the sibling drama, and oh, did I mention the ex-boyfriend handyman situation? Yep, Nate, the gruff yet charming guy who’s apparently been fixing more than just the inn’s leaky roof while Scarlett’s been off in San Francisco, is very much still in town…and very much still good with his hands.

But when Scarlett’s first attempt at breaking the curse backfires, causing more chaos than a black cat on Halloween, she realises she might need Nate’s help (ugh). As much as she’d rather escape back to her spell-free life in the city, Scarlett is forced to confront not only the curse but the emotions she’s tried to bury. It turns out that Oak Haven’s not the only thing with a complicated history—her heart’s got a few tangles, too.

With a perfect blend of grumpy x sunshine energy (seriously, Scarlett’s snark vs. Nate’s low-key charm is chef’s kiss), a slow burn romance that will keep you hooked, and a town that feels like it’s straight out of an autumn dream, Impractical Magic is the perfect cozy read. It’s got all the witchy aesthetics you crave, bubbling cauldrons, moonlit spells, and a touch of whoops, did I just summon something weird? alongside a heartfelt story of family, forgiveness, and finding your way back home, both literally and emotionally.

Emily Grimoire’s writing is as light and warm as a pumpkin spice latte, with just enough magical mishaps to keep you laughing (and swooning) along the way.

The town of Oak Haven feels alive with its quirky residents and charming, small town vibe. Seriously, you’ll want to move in and start your own magical candle shop by the end of this book.

Cosy autumn witchy read about a witch who must return home to help out her family, even if she doesn't want to be there like at all! I adored the town and wanted to learn more about the magic system!

This was a cute, cozy, rom-com fantasy, with witchy elements and a light magic system. It honestly gave Charmed vibes with the one sister moving away for some time due to a catastrophic accident and being asked to return home to assist the family with town troubles.

Very cozy friends to lovers small town romance.

Thank you, Netgalley, Avon Books UK | Avon, and Emily Grimoire for the ARC to this book. My honest review is given voluntarily and without coercion.

I loved Scar! This book was so cute and well put together, each page made me want to keep reading to find out what happened. I could picture the Oak Haven and people in it, I could almost smell the pumpkin and spice. The way Emily used each chapter to give us a bit more of Scarletts history was fun, I enjoyed that you could picture her as a child in the town and as a young woman finding her way before she left. I love the way Nate came into the story and was her right-hand man, how she had the push and pull with him in the relationship gave us the perfect conflict to love. I cant wait to see what Emily comes out with next, I've followed her on good reads for the next book!

I wanted to love this, truly.

It starts great. A little bit witchy, has some fun references, perfectly cozy for autumn, and then it just... bursts apart at the seams.

The little nods and references quickly become WAY too much, taking over any existence of a plot. The town of Oak Haven doesn't make sense to me at all. The characters are all insufferable, and there are just far too many people to keep track of. The conversations and dialogue are super stretched out and run off on tangents. And... I just didn't care about the characters or development at all.

I finished reading this so that I could leave a review in good faith, but I'm honestly regretting it. The story just feels like it's trying hard to be funny and quirky with all of the pop culture references, but the characters and story overall end up lacking depth because of it.

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓸 𝓝𝓮𝓽𝓰𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓐𝓿𝓸𝓷 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪𝓷 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓲𝓷 𝓮𝔁𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝔂 𝓱𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀.

What a cute little read!

I loved the cosy vibes from this, perfect for the time of year.

So much mischief and magic gone wrong, whilst serious for the characters, it made for some funny scenarios.

Scarlett kept putting her foot in it and making things worse but she was so funny.

The romance was cute and developed well. Kind of "it's always been you" vibes.

I really did enjoy this. Just a nice light-hearted, comfort read.

This book was packed with cosy witchy vibes! Oak Haven sounds like an absolute dream especially in autumn! Full of interesting characters, lots of back story details and fun anecdotes it felt like you really knew the village. ⁣
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I loved the magical mishaps going on. Especially the gnomes that packed their bags and left ⁣
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This book definitely has a refreshing modern twist. So many witchy books tend to be historically. I loved the topical references, like the spell that tells you which streaming service a program is on! And the introduction of mobile phones to the village which caused a big stir. ⁣
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You could definitely feel the tension in the Melrose family. I did think they were particularly harsh towards Scarlett and used her past mistakes against her a little too often! ⁣
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Overall a wonderful seasonal read with lots of lovely magical moments 🥰

I really wanted to love this one, but it was just ok for me. It was cute and perfect for this time of the year, but it just didn’t wow me and I did get bored in places. I just didn’t gel with the main character, Scarlett. I just think I wasn’t in the right kind of mood when I read this. Maybe if I listened to the audio in the future I may love it more.

Thank you to the publishers Avon UK for the e-arc copy.

Magic is dying.

Scarlett left her magical hometown 10 years ago, and only her sisters calls could make her come back. Then there’s Nate, her once could have been, might have been, never was.

Stairs are high to save the magic of her town, and Scarlett has to believe in herself in order to save it.

Ok, so this was an excellent little witchy book! Absolutely perfect for the falloween season! There’s magic, spooky times, romance, small towns, and I was there for it!

Miss Grimoire does a great job telling the story, reeling you in and keeping you hooked. I loved her way with words, and the banter between sisters and friends? Top notch!

If you’re looking for a fall read, pick this one up!!

A cozy, witchy fall romance set in the small, fantastical town of Oak Haven, where witches and magicians are not the same. Magic is not how it once was and family tension is high. Blending second-chance romance and immersive autumn scenes, lovers of Gilmore Girls and Halloweentown will be captivated.

Impractical Magic has all the cozy, autumn vibes. Emily Grimoire’s descriptions were immersive and I felt like I was personally walking through Oak Haven.

While comparison is drawn to Gilmore Girls and Charmed, the story felt unique. Modern elements were woven into the story that I thought were necessary for the plot, but I understand might not be for fantasy lovers looking to completely escape into a new fantastical world.

Social issues and diversity of the supporting characters were presented with care and the story was told with ease.

The story begins with the main character, Scarlett, returning to her magical hometown by the request of her sister. It will be the first time in a decade that Scarlett has visited after unexpectedly fleeing her father’s funeral. Oak Haven is in trouble because something mysterious has the magic out of sorts. Guests of the family Inn are walking through portals to other areas of the world. Artists are performing concerts in the middle of dinner. The witch sisters must resolve their shaky history and join magic to save the town from the chaos. I honestly adored Scarlett and her sisters. They were a bit snarky, but isn’t that how witches are supposed to be?

The romance was subtle but came full circle in the end. Through half of the story, I felt Nate was a supporting character to Scarlett because Scarlett’s character development shined in this story. The end redeemed that perspective and left me in awe (no spoilers).

Impractical Magic was exactly what I search for in a witchy small-town autumn read.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon UK for this ARC of Impractical Magic by Emily Grimoire in exchange for an honest review.

Full review on blog dandelionlit.com

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
🌶️ 1/5

As always, thank you to NetGalley and Emily Grimoire for allowing me to read an ARC of this book and share my thoughts with other readers.

There are some wildly mixed reviews for this book but I personally really liked it. I wouldn’t say love, but did thoroughly enjoy. It was interesting with a novel plot concept and it was exciting but it was a bit predictable at times particularly when it comes to the “mystery” of what is poisoning the oak trees in the groves. Again overall, it kept my attention the entire time though, I liked the contrast of witches vs. magicians in this book, which is something I really haven’t seen before in my paranormal romance adventures. That was a creative element!

All of the characters were overall well crafted. I do have a few issues with our FMC and MMC though. Scarlett and Nate were another borderline miscommunication trope which is always a bit of an ick for me, but the childhood friends to lovers kind of made up for it (except the end was a bit… weird? It was sweet but also kind of weirdly drawn out?) I don’t know, maybe that’s just me that didn’t love it, I loved that he waits for her but it nearly lost me. The spice between the two of them was lukewarm most of the time with two hot moments. The spicy scene was also very awkwardly written, sometimes it makes it less weird to just go for it but this was kind of descriptive in non-linear ways… if that makes sense. It made it confusing to understand what EXACTLY was physically going on, if you know what I mean.

That sounds like a lot of complaining, but I swear this was actually really good! It had great pacing, interesting characters and a novel concept. It’s hard finding something different but still in the same genre for spooky season witchy romance but this was a gem of an addition to my tbr and it will be to yours too! 🖤

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Advertised as Gilmore Girls meets Charmed, Impractical Magic follows Scarlett as she returns to her mother's inn to help her estranged sisters break a curse.

This is one of those books that I think readers who don't mind simply flitting from trope to trope would love. There's a lot going on in that regard that is definitely enjoyable, from the autumnal witchy vibes to the small town coziness. For me, though, a book still has to live up to those tropes, and Impractical Magic felt like it really didn't. The writing seemed more concerned with the vibes than the characters or the story, so a lot of what, to me, actually makes a good story fell frustratingly flat here. The text was also chock full of references that started off kind of fun but quickly got exhausting, especially as there was no meaningful substance -- specifically rich character building -- to really back them up. I think with a good amount of character work, and an overall edit to tighten up the writing, this book could've been fantastic, but ultimately it left me feeling a bit underwhelmed and wanting more than what I ended up getting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for this ARC. Honestly, this was a big miss for me. While it does give off some fall vibes as promised, it was really hard for me to get through. The similarity to Gilmore Girls were blatantly obvious and a little forced with the Williams Hardware store and a chapter called "Oy, with the Flamingos already" for instance along with a couple other nods at the show, but other than a small town with fall vibes the comparison stopped there for me. The writing seemed very juvenile and the plot didn't make a ton of sense to me. For Scarlett, the main character, to be in her late 20's, she talks like a child. As do her two older sisters. And for her to be gone for 10 years with basically no contact and to just jump back into things with the town and with Nate, like basically nothing changed? That makes no sense. There were also several typos and missing punctuation throughout the book. Overall this was a tough one for me to get through and unfortunately did not hit the mark for me for the fall, cozy, witchy vibes.

Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley, and the author for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It is out now.

Full disclosure: I did DNF this book at 19%.

This book has such a promising premise but it just fell a little flat for me. The main character, Scarlett has been away from home for the last 10 years after an accident with her magic. She moves to San Francisco to live a magic free life. But she gets called back to her tiny, witchy town when the magic starts acting up. She has to reunite with her sisters and her mother to try to get to the bottom of what is disrupting the town's magic. And there is a very handsome handyman from her past that shows up and perhaps she feels as connected to him as she used to.

I think partly what fell flat for me was what the description of this book was comparing it to. Comparing anything to Gilmore Girls, Charmed, and Practical Magic (which I assume the title is a reference to) is a tall order and one that should not be done lightly. What makes those stories especially great are the characters (their depth, quirks, flaws, relationship to each other, etc) but even through 19%, I could tell these characters were very one dimensional and frustrating. Sometimes I'm in the mood for something quick that I don't have to think too much about but that isn't what I'm looking for right now.

I do think the autumnal vibes are wonderful and the descriptions of the town are so cozy. If you are looking for a super light and quick read, this will be for you. But unfortunately it wasn't the right fit for me.

Thank you for allowing me to receive this copy for review!

If you love a witchy tale with Gilmore girls and charmed vibes combined then 100% this is for you! Within this book we have the true journey of saving the magic and learning to heal. This story is a true wholesome vibe and I love the magic; the town 100% gave me Stars Hollow feels and id love to see more from this tale and explore the magic further with the siblings of Scarlett!

The concept of this book was very fun, I loved the idea of a town being only for witches and the ‘small town’ vibes we got throughout. However, the plot was quite bland along with the characters who seemed to only ever be arguing with each other. The side characters were very surface level which was fine but really made the relationships pointless and the story feel quite slow. I felt zero connection with Scarlett and Nate so wasn’t really rooting for them at all and Delilah was so hard to read, everything she said was so negative and she just wasn’t a fun character to read at all.
I would recommend if you’re someone who wants a cozy book with magic and very low stakes.

Very slow moving. Not at all a mixture of Gilmore Girls and Charmed like advertised.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and Avon Books UK for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

A captivating read for fans of slow-burning romance, cozy small-town settings, and magical realism, who will be swept away by the story of a strong-willed witch's journey to save her family's inn and discover the true meaning of love and responsibility.