It is an absolutely adorable cozy fanatsy about a magical town called Oak Haven, where magic has gone awry. The town is suffering from some sort of curse, and nothing is going as it should. Scarlett is called home for the first time in ten years to help her sister and her mother figure out the madness. Scarlett must not only face the rickety magic issue, but also face her own demons she ran from in the first place. All the while her childhood best friend Nate still remains in town, and let's just say there is some unresolved feelings. This is the perfect fall read, full of magic, mystery, and romance.

I was hoping for the perfect fall read but this was not it. The FMC is insufferable and I could not stop rolling my eyes at the unrealistic banter. The cozy, witchy, fall vibes felt completely forced. There just wasn't much substance to this and the writing was not my favorite. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I really wanted to love this book. I'm a big fan of Gilmore Girls and Charmed, witchy romance books in general, and I love the cover. Theoretically this would make for a perfect read.

The plot and characters had a lot of potential, but I think that the author relied too heavily on mimicking the Gilmore Girls world. The banter in the tv show flows easily but in the book felt forced and there was far too much of it. The replication of the inn, the town meetings, the Taylor like person in charge of the meetings, and the quotes 'Oy, With the Flamingos Already' (in the book) vs 'Oy, with the Poodles Already' (in the show) took away from the story and the authors original ideas.

I wish the book had focused more on the authors original ideas and omitted all Gilmore Girls quotes. I wish they had also spent more time with individual characters building their relationships instead of introducing so many random people who only appeared once or twice.

I think more time could have been taken introducing, and building up the romance, both in anticipation and emotion. It felt rushed and the Nate seemed almost over forgiving and understanding? And I can't even talk about the bookshop scene.

I also wish that the ending were formatted differently, perhaps each bit being a different chapter to show the passage of time instead of the chunks within one chapter?

Overall I like the idea of this book, but it felt like too much of a rough draft, I think it could use some serious editing.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley, Avon Books UK, and Emily Grimoire for gifting me with a digital copy of Impractical Magic
I loved the general idea behind this book. Not only am I a fan of Gilmore girls and charmed but honestly it reminded me a little of Halloweentown! What a perfect cozy fall mix! Also, being from New England, I can imagine the perfection of each season being perfectly decorated, since the town is run by magic. Only the females have magic (go us). People leave the town, and if the men leave for too long they forget. Scarlett was away for along time and beckoned back by her sister since something in the town is wrong, the magic is off.

This has family, magic, community and mystery. It was a wonderful read!

I want to start this review by thanking Netgalley, Avon Books UK, and Emily Grimoire for gifting me with a digital copy of Impractical Magic in return for an honest review. I am so happy to say that I loved this book and had a hard time putting it down. Honestly, I did not want it to end. The cover is what drew me to the book in the first place because it is so cozy, autumnal, and witchy looking. Really, what isn’t to love? Then I noticed in the corner that it said perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls and Charmed, which had me asking right away for the ARC. I am so glad that I have had the chance to read this one before it hits shelves. Emily Grimoire really delivered on the cozy fall vibes.

This story takes place in New England in a small town known as Oak Haven. This town is like no other town simply because it is run by magic. Seriously, there is actual magic in the air in Oak Haven. The town is always perfectly maintained and decorated for each season, and the smell of the town is the coziest of smells. Oak Haven is run by witches. The town is full of them, and only females are able to do magic. The men of the town hold no magic, but that does not seem to upset them because they all appear content with their lives. Anyone who enters this town once they leave it will not be able to remember a thing about it, no matter how much they loved their stay. The town is kept safe because of a forgetting magic that was placed upon it years before, and this spell is in every part of the town, right down to the crosswalks. When the men of the town leave it for more than three days, they will simply forget it along with everyone they know, whether friends or family; their memories will be gone.

Scarlett Melrose (one of the main characters) has been away from this little autumnal paradise for ten years, and she has no intention of returning anytime soon. It isn’t until her oldest sister reaches out and tells her that something is wrong and she needs to get home now. It is not long before Scarlett leaves California and heads back to New England, where she notices that something is definitely off the second she hits the town. The off feeling she has only gets worse when she walks into her family’s Inn. The signature smell is off, just as it was in town. Not to mention that she has been warned not to use her magic because the magic has been unpredictable. Granted, she hasn’t used it in the ten years she was gone, but it can’t be that bad, right? Scarlett soon discovers just how unpredictable the magic is when she tries to move a piano with it. It is up to the Melrose family to figure out what is happening with the magic. It is clear that if it isn’t fixed soon, the whole town will be struggling. Since the Melrose women come from a long-standing line of witches in the town’s history, it is up to them to figure out what is going on with the magic. The responsibility rests upon their shoulders.

This story is not only full of magic and coziness, but it is also full of second chances, discovery, spells gone wrong, and finding your place in the world. I loved the complicated relationship that Scarlett has with her quirky family and the realizations that she came to toward the end of the book. I thought the author did a great job with the descriptions of the town, and it really made me want to live there. I think that the way the author handled the magic was great. I also enjoyed learning about the different witches that reside in the town, along with the sense of community and belonging. The mystery of what was happening with the magic in the town and the steps taken by the community to try and solve the problem kept me interested. The slow-burn second chance romance I found to be sweet (I mean, he waited forever for her) and meeting all the endless Earls made me smile. Once you read the story, you will understand what I mean about the Earls. If you are looking for a story to get you into the autumnal vibes, then please give this book a go because I do not think you will be disappointed. I know I wasn’t, and I may have suffered a bit of a book hangover after I finished it. The story was just so darn good.

Trigger Warnings:

Talk of Parental Death
Missing Person
Extreme Guilt

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my opinion.
This has potential but was hard to follow. It is advertised as Gilmore Girls with a magical twist and the author did a great job at that, I just felt it was hard to follow the conversations. What makes Gilmore Girls great is all the words they can fit into a sentence quickly, but when reading, it just moves a little slower.
But a very cute premise of a quaint little town that our FMC, Scarlett, does not want to return to. She left for San Fran and wanted to never look back. But one phone call from her sisters brings her back to Oak Haven and to her mother's inn...which is now cursed.

The plot is great, and I'm glad I read it, but could see it benefitting from just a little editing.

This book read like a first draft to me. It felt like it was pumped out of the publishing office as a story for cozy time and they hit a headline and decided to submit before improving anything.

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

This was not the book for me. The writing was painful for me to get through and reminiscent of when I’d write creative stories as a middle schooler. The way the author tries to come off as the witchy version of Emily Gilmore while also acting like she doesn’t know what Gilmore Girls is was such a turn off (could honestly not tell if she was trying to be funny and failed, or if she is that delusional). Everything seemed to be either over explained and fall flat, or under explained and had me rereading parts that left me confused. Usually a book can be redeemed for me if the characters are likable enough and there’s good dialogue/banter, but unfortunately that was not the case for me here.

⭐⭐⭐½

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of Emily Grimoire's "Impractical Magic." This charming novel is an absolute delight and perfect for fans of shows like Gilmore Girls and Charmed.

The book exudes an adorable, cozy vibe that’s incredibly comforting. Grimoire’s writing creates a warm, inviting atmosphere, full of whimsical magic and endearing characters. The small-town setting and close-knit community feel like a hug in literary form, making it an ideal read for those who love a touch of enchantment mixed with heartfelt connections.

While the overall experience is delightful, there are moments when the plot feels a bit predictable, and some storylines could have been developed further. Nonetheless, the charm of the characters and the enchanting world they inhabit more than make up for these minor issues.

In summary, "Impractical Magic" is a lovely, feel-good read that combines cozy magic with endearing character dynamics. It’s a perfect choice for anyone looking to escape into a heartwarming, magical world, and I’m excited to see what Grimoire has in store next.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I wanted to love this cozy fall read, set in a small New England town with witches and magic, but I hate to say that it missed the mark for me. The story felt like a rough draft, with many scenes underdeveloped and the main character’s decade-long absence from home not convincingly addressed. The focus on her high school crush, rather than deeper family bonds, felt unrealistic, and the strained mother-daughter dynamic echoed Gilmore Girls almost TOO closely, and I found that distracting.

Overall, while the witch lore and side characters were enjoyable, the book didn’t fully deliver. With more editing, it could be a charming fall read.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollins for allowing me to receive an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Impractical Magic by Emily Grimoire was a delightful read! It has whimsy, familial love, small town charms, with a tiny dash of romance. Overall a very fun read, I am so looking forward to what this author has in store for us next!

This is a sweet witchy book. It’s not my normal read as I prefer it a bit darker but I feel this would be quite popular for the romance readers.
I enjoyed the authors writing style

The fall spooky vibes of this book are so perfect! And a while a second chance romance isn’t always my favorite, this was a very sweet story about coming home too.

Impractical Magic by Emily Grimoire had all the makings of a perfect cozy fall read—witches, magic, a charming New England town, and mystery. But unfortunately, it didn’t hit the mark as much as I’d hoped.

The biggest issue for me was the FMC, Scarlett. She’s been away from her family, her hometown, and her high school crush for years without so much as a word, but suddenly she returns and starts chatting about boys with her estranged sisters like no time has passed? It felt unrealistic, and I really wanted more of that emotional sisterly bonding before jumping into the romance.

As a fan of Gilmore Girls, I appreciated the nods to the show, but after a while, it felt like the book relied too much on those references instead of standing on its own. The comparison between Scarlett and Lorelai didn’t quite work for me either. While Lorelai carved out a new life for herself, Scarlett’s reason for leaving her family turned out to be based on a simple miscommunication that felt too easily resolved for the 10 years of estrangement it caused. It made Scarlett come across as more naive and bratty than I think the author intended.

That being said, it was a cozy, quick fall read. I enjoyed the witch lore and a few of the side characters, and there’s potential in this world Grimoire created. The ending definitely leaves room for a sequel, and I’d be curious to see where the story goes next.

If you’re into witches, small-town vibes, and some Gilmore Girls nostalgia, it might be worth checking out!

2.5⭐️ rounded up. I was hooked by the “Gilmore girls meets Charmed” description of Impractical Magic, but it just fell short for me. I got the small town vibe of GG and of course the magic from Charmed, but the storylines and relationships felt immature and there were so many odd usages of question marks that it became distracting. Overall not for me but someone else might love it!

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Would be better suited for Wattpad than a published book. I get what the author was going for with the fall New England, witchy vibes, but she spent too much time describing the decor and not enough time fleshing out the characters or the plot. I'm also not convinced AI didn't play a role in the writing, the dialogue especially felt choppy and unnatural.

This was such a cute read, it really did give pumpkin spice cafe vibes and in LIVING for it!

A super cute and great book to kick of the spooky season

/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Impractical Magic
Author: Emily Grimoire

The spooky season reads continue! Thank you so much Netgalley and Avon for this ARC! This was a super cute, and cozy romance read. Scarlett had been summoned by her sisters to help her mother’s cursed inn. As soon as she walks in to her old home, she runs into her ex boyfriend Nate who is now the family’s handy man. You need to go in to this book expecting what it is.. fluffy and cute witchy romance read. I thought the second chance / childhood friends to lovers romance was super cute. The spells and curses was perfect to get me in the mood for spooky season. No word on this being a series yet but I think it would be a great one. 🧙. This book will release on 10/1!

Impractical Magic
By Emily Grimoire
2.5 ⭐️

This one was a hard one to get through. I love a good witchy romance especially when its a whimsical small town romance but the line between too much and just enough is a fine one. I felt like this book tried a little too hard and came off as very trooper. I wasn’t a fan of the writing or dialogue either. I did enjoy some of the vibes of Oak Haven but it just didn’t work for me. I think if I had been able to connect with Scarlett more then I would have had a much better reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this gifted arc!

I wanted to like this book but could not get into it. The premise sounded so good but the writing and the dialogue were very elementary and not well written.