A cute, whimsical witchy fantasy with a mystery plot at the heart of it- a lovely light read for the spooky season.

If you like small town, Gilmore Girls but make it witches, and cinnamon roll MMCs, this is going to be right up your alley.

The plot is interesting and suspenseful, with stakes just high enough to keep your attention, but not high enough to detract from the lightheartedness of the book. This is a quick read and has some interesting characters and a sweet, somewhat slow burn, friends-to-lovers romance running in conjunction with the main plot throughout the story.

This was an enjoyable read, but had just a few things that somewhat diminished the reading experience. Scarlet, the FMC, is the daughter of the town’s matriarch and head witch. The way that she was treated by her mother, and her sisters -yes, both of them- was infuriating. I would’ve stayed away for 10 years too, if that were my family. There was a little too much miscommunication and over-complication of easily solvable matters in the romance between Scarlet and Nate; the relationship and everyone’s attitudes towards it was a little too cutesy for my personal taste.

I do think that a lot of people will like this one, especially in the fall/winter months- it’s a great book to curl up with on a slow weekend when you’re in the mood for something light and fluffy. Overall a good time!

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for the Earc in exchange for an honest opinion.

Cozy witch vibes are always a fun way to get into spooky season. This however was a very disjointed story. It should have been executed and edited with more care and precision, If it goes through a re-vamp it could turn into a wonderful witchy season story. It feels rushed and band aided with pop culture and out dated references.

I was not invested or entertained.

Gilmore Girls and Charmed, sign me up! When I heard the premise for this book, I was ecstatic to receive an ARC, a perfect way to kick off fall! This book had great potential, as the cozy fall vibes were prevalent, but its execution fell flat. Some parts seem to be over descriptive and extremely slow while other crucial conversations related to both character and plot development were very rush. I understand this is a debut novel and it appeared to need a bit more editing before being released. This was a 2.5/5 stars from me.

“Down in the Valley, Oak Haven hid coyly behind a veil of autumn leaves, which made a patchwork quilt of crimson, amber, and evergreen.” 🍁🍃
⭐️⭐️⭐️.8/5

Thanks to Net Galley and Avon Books for gifting me this ARC. It is perfect for fall season.

Scarlett is living a normal life in San Francisco when one day, her sister calls her asking her for help, so she needs to go back to her hometown, Oak Haven.
Scarlett left 10 years ago when something very bad happened, which she blames herself for. Oak Haven is a very different small town compared to others, and what makes it very special is that it is magical and every woman living there is a witch. But something has been happening, and the magic is a little crazy. Everyone in town is worried because they don’t know how to fix it. Hence, Scarlett coming to town to help her two sisters and mother fix this problem. When she comes back, she needs to deal with everything that she left behind when she left: family relationships, using magic again, and Nate, her best-friend/almost-boyfriend that she hasn’t seen in 10 years.
Things in Oak Haven are certainly a mess, but Scarlett has the opportunity to finally heal all the traumas she has while saving her hometown and her family.

I really liked this book. The vibes that it gave me were very similar to Halloweentown and Gilmore Girls. The small town energy mixed with magic is so cozy but spooky at the same time. It has amazing references to fantasy books and magical culture in general.
The main character was very funny and relatable. She had certain attitudes that made me want to scream at her, but overall, her character development was really good and she was a good heroine. Her dynamic with her sisters was fun to read, and even though, at first, I didn’t like Delilah, I understood her a little bit more at the end. Luna was so quirky and cool, she was incredible. At times, the dialogue was a little cheesy and it made me cringe.
The romantic aspect of the book is well done, I love a friends-to-lovers romance but it had a certain change that made the relationship have more sense.

I would recommend this book during fall and Halloween season. It really made me fell like I was in this small town, surrounded by witches and magic, and it was fabulous. Just what I needed this time of year.

It comes out October 1st, 2024!!! 🧙‍♀️🪄

Thank you Netgalley and UK Avon for the ARC opportunity. This novel was a fun witchy, cozy read. It did have all of the small town elements I love. This novel did have quite a bit of description which I really really appreciated. I did enjoy this novel. It will not be for everyone but it was a cozy, small town, witchy romance. This was my first romantasy ish novel.

This is a great novel for fans of cozy, small towns, slow burns, and grumpy sunshine.

I was excited to start off my October TBR with this book, marketed as "witchy Gilmore Girls". And while this did read like GG fan fic, it also felt extremely juvenile to me.

Scarlett is summoned back to her hometown of Oak Grove by her older sister for a magical emergency. After ten years away, Scarlett is reluctant to return but decides she is overdue. The magic in town does appear to be on the fritz, but Scarlett has not been practicing in the decade that she has been away so in order to be helpful she will need to resolve the trauma of the spell that went bad that drove her away in the first place.

The banter between Scarlett and her two sisters, Delilah and Luna, felt more fitting for middle schoolers than grown adult women. It had potential but the writing style was not my scene at all. Why ask your sister to come back if you're just going to be catty to her every time she opens her mouth? Yuck.

This book gave me just enough breadcrumbs of things I enjoyed to get me to the finish, but it was honestly a slog. Honestly the spice was minimal enough that I feel like it would be better enjoyed by a younger reading audience.

I was very happy and interested in this book when I saw that it was for fans of Gilmore Girls and Charmed, two amazing shows and this book did deliver some of those vibes, a family of 3 sister witches with their mom that owns the inn in a small town.
It was cute but it didn't work for me as much as I wanted too. It had alot going on for my taste. It was a bit all over.

I only read the first few chapters, so maybe it gets better, but I don't care. The writing and the dialouge are ridiculous and cheesy and I don't care about or like the main character.

Impractical Magic by Emily Grimoire

Release date: October 1st

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️/5

My Thoughts💭

Gilmore girls and charmed? Sign me up! This story was a cute read filled with lots of fall and witchy vibes! Definitely gives charmed vibes(3 sisters), I really enjoyed the pacing and the overall fun aspects of problem-solving of how to restore the towns magic(definitely gives some Halloweentown vibes). The subplot of the small town romance between Scarlett and Nate’s romance was adorable (Lorelai and Luke vibes) but I was definitely more interested in how Scarlett was going to help her sisters recover the magic in the town. The only thing that sort of took me out of it was the fact that it is set in modern times, so we saw some references to Uber and TikTok but that’s just my personal opinion. Overall  if you're looking for a fun autumn read filled with witches, cozy small town vibes, and entertaining plot lines, look no further!

If you’re looking for

-Small Town Witchy Romance
-Grumpy/sunshine
-An enchanted inn
-Cozy Fall vibes
-Charmed vibes
-Magicians

Then this is the book for you!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 (rounded up!)

In a cozy New England town called Oak Haven, our story about a charming little town full of witches takes place. The Melrose Family comprises the matriarch Kelly, and her three daughters Delilah, Scarlett, and Luna. Following the tragic death of her father a decade prior, Scarlett has been living a magic-free life outside of Oak Haven. One day her older sister Delilah calls her begging her to return - something is wrong in the town and their magic isn’t working as intended.

Our main character and protagonist Scarlett was not dealt an easy hand in life. She wasn’t the most responsible daughter nor was she the smartest, which left her feeling like she was the worst daughter. In fact, she was often on the receiving end of a lot of emotional abuse from her mother and older sister, none of which was earned. It was hard to understand the vitriol hurled at Scarlett most of the time and it really impacted her self esteem and ability to function in her family and in the town.

You really get a feel for the town of Oak Haven. Shops like the Spellbound Books bookstore, the All Who Wander travel agency, the Hexpresso cafe, and Tout Le Temps (a store dedicated to selling and repairing time pieces) line the streets. There are town meetings, a hardware store that serves coffee, a gazebo, and festivals that add atmosphere and nostalgia to the story.

Certainly fans of Gilmore Girls will find themselves transported to a magical version of Stars Hollow. “Impractical Magic” was sometimes a little on the nose in its references (some chapters literally play on episode names from the show) however; the plot of the book is nothing like its inspiration and I genuinely enjoyed the book. The story felt well crafted and I understood its beginning to its end. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Avon Books UK and Net Galley for providing me with an e-ARC of “Impractical Magic” in exchange for my honest review.

I had high hopes for this book. It is pitched as Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic, which is right up my alley. Unfortunately, though I did not enjoy this book. You do get Practical Magic vibes, but not Gilmore Girls ones. The only thing that really connects this book to Gilmore Girls is that its set in a small town. There is none of that quirky small town charm or fast witty dialogue that would give it those Gilmore Girls vibes that I was looking for.

The story is interesting enough and its pacing is steady. Emily tries to hook readers in with this dual mystery plot. The first one is around the town’s magic that has suddenly stopped working correctly. Spells are backfiring, left, right, and center, and no one knows what the cause is. The second mystery is about what happened between the Melrose sisters ten years ago, which ended in such a disaster that Scarlett no longer wanted to live in their small town. I enjoyed the magical world that Emily had created. It was interesting enough and Emily does a good job at giving her readers the information they need to understand what is what. The author does a good job of capturing those fall-ish vibes and weaving them throughout her story.

What fell short for me was Scarlett’s character. I just didn’t like her. For whatever reason, I couldn’t connect with her character. She has weird combinations of pricky and snarky attitudes and is also childish. Don’t get me wrong, I love a heroine who is prickly, snarky, and sarcastic, but Scarlett’s character just rubbed me the wrong way. I liked her sisters and I didn’t mind Nate. But their interactions felt forced and were lacking that witty banter I was expecting. Things just weren’t clicking for me. The relationship between Nate and Scarlett was ok. If you like childhood friends to lovers, forced proximity, and small-town romances, then you should enjoy the relationship between these two. I could see the chemistry Emily was trying to go for, but it wasn’t clicking on the page.

Impractical Magic is a small-town witchy romance bursting with cozy fall vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for sending this ARC my way. This book was presented as a cozy fall read with the following:
Grumpy x Sunshine ☀️
Slowburn Romance 🔥
Witchy aesthetic 🔮✨️
Cozy small town 🍂☕️

"Magic is something you are. You can deny it, ignore it, push it away... but magic is still there, alive in you."

Unfortunately despite everything above being all the things I love in a fall read, this book fell flat for me. The biggest hurdle I had was the FMC. She's a total martyr and no matter how many times LITERALLY everyone around her tells her it's not her fault she won't accept it. The first few times it was annoying but hey I'd let it go. After that it was clearly a point the author was driving home entirely too hard.

The next thing is probably just a me peeve, but the book could benefit from some additional editing in the sense that the language used is either not consistent OR feels very out of place. The characters go back and forth on either swearing or using swear place holders. Pick one. Either they swear or they don't. I also found it VERY jarring for the author to use the term "muggle". I'll just leave that there I don't need to go into why that's off.

The "slow burn" was basically a no burn. I wasn't buying into the second chance romance the author was trying to sell. It wasn't believable and didn't feel organic. Nate just felt like a character I barely knew by the end of it all. There are some other unbelievable plot points that I think again, the author could have benefited from extra editing. I get that this is a magical town but somethings here are still beyond belief.

DNF @44%

I agree with everyone that this book reads as very AI written.

What this book promised:
Grumpy x sunshine ☀️

Slow burn 🔥

Witchy aesthetic 🔮✨

Cosy small town 🍂☕

What we got:
immature FMC

Outdated References

No Coherent characterization

Forced Romance

Thank you, NetGalley, for my arc in exchange for a review! The magic system was hard for me to follow & I was bored at times, but this author nailed complicated sister relationships & small town autumnal setting!

Ahem, google play the bolter by taylor swift!!!

This was a very cute and cozy read perfect for autumn! I love the idea of a hidden witch-only town that feels like Halloween year round! The drawn-out, will-they-won't-they relationship between Nate and Scarlett was super cute and I loved seeing their relationship evolve to a place where they both felt comfortable being together. Reading Scarlett overcome her grief and feel confident in her abilities was so special, and I loved how her relationship with her family impacted the plot.

This book has the perfect cozy and magical atmosphere for fall. Unfortunately I couldn't fully get invested in this story. I didn't really see any chemistry between the FMC and main love interest. I also wasn't a huge fan of all the references to modern day music, movies, social medias, etc. I know it's set in a modern day but it just felt like there were references every other page. I also felt like the FMC brought up about why she left way too often for how long it takes to even get the true backstory on what actually happened. Overall I feel like a lot of people would love this as it is a more cozy mystery for fall! I will also be including a review in my monthly wrap up on my YouTube channel

Although this is a cosy, autumnal read, I did struggle with it feeling a little disjointed. At times I found it hard to follow the conversations with the characters and it felt like it flitted from one thing to another without me noticing until I was confused at how we got to where we were.
I did like the characters and the plot, I just didn't love it. There was alot of random references thrown in like Taylor Swift, Star Wars and The Office to name a few and it just felt like they were being forced in there to make it more popular with people. I also wasn't 100% sold on the ending, it felt very rushed towards the end and was kind of wrapped up but also left open for a possible sequel, which I just don't think is needed at all. I would have preferred a less rushed ending that left me feeling satisfied.

My review will be posted on goodreads and my bookstagram @hanreadingjournal

I love a grumpy x sunshine and witchy vibes romance so I immediately fell in love with this book, this was the perfect read for me on my holiday and gave me all the cosy vibes that I was searching for.

When Scarlett Melrose is called back to Oak Haven suddenly by her estranged sisters, she has no choice but to face her past and save her witchy hometown. Not only does she need to face her sisters and mother after significant time away, but also her friend-turned-almost-lover, Nate, as well as the rest of the residents of the nosy town. Something strange is going on and it is up to the Melrose family to save the day without any major losses.

I've read quite a few books that claim to be a "Gilmore Girls" fall book, and while they usually disappoint, this one did not! The setting had a variety of quirky characters that lived there that were all enjoyable and I found myself wanting to know more about. I enjoyed the second-chance romance between Scarlett and Nate, as well as the plot line of Scarlett needing to save her town. I thought how the town operated was super interesting and it made a lot of sense with the forgetting spell instead of the typical idea that witches just hide their powers within a town.

The one thing I didn't love was the miscommunication between Scarlett and her family, especially concerning her father's death. It obviously wasn't only Scarlett's fault and had she just had an open conversation with her family, a lot of the heartache they all experienced could have been avoided. The ending of the book also felt a bit rushed in my opinion, and then everything almost wrapped too quickly and perfectly, despite presumably being "a year later."

I hope Emily Grimoire continues the series with stories centering on Scarlett's sisters. Perfect book to kick off a season of witchy, cozy reads!

This is a super easy cozy autumnal book although not super memorable. Although marketed as a romance I found the main couple a little insalovey however I found they lacked chemistry. I liked the family dynamics between the sisters and their mother and wish there was more focus on them fixing their relationship instead of the main characters romantic relationships.
The setting gave a really cozy atmosphere which I enjoyed! Perfect for this time of year.
A quick read but not one I’m likely to remember years from now.