The description of Gilmore Girls meets Charmed was completely spot on for this book. The setting is enchanting; truly the town is described in the most endearing, idyllic way (despite everything going wrong in it!). Kudos also to the author who was super creative with the store names. The descriptions of places and events were solid - enough to give you a good visual picture but not enough to bog down any pacing (the pacing was pretty good). The magic system was both simple and unique, although that is an area where I would have welcomed more details on how it possibly varied (or not). I adored the MMC Nate and his unwavering love for the FMC Scarlet.

Despite some very strong things going for it, this book missed on a few fronts. The mystery was light and fun (which I can easily enjoy in novels), but everything in the town kept going wrong and wrong and wrong. Which is not my favorite trope. More importantly, the utter toxicity of the familial relationship between the mom and (also amongst) the siblings was hard to stomach. It was the toxic that appears in snipes and small morsels, that creeps up innocuously and permeates the entire situation. It frustrated me to no end; if that is what the author was going for - cementing in the reason for Scarlet’s self-hatred and complete lack of confidence - then she nailed it. It just was consistent, constant, and I did not enjoy that aspect. Scarlet believing every criticism down to her core and convincing herself that she did not deserve anything good was also not enjoyable. Her growth came a little abrupt. I do hope that readers suffering from the same toxic type of situation can read and objectively see how others’ words can affect someone’s self-esteem. For that would make this storyline arc worth it. But to me, unfortunately it kept me enjoying the book as much as I wanted.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC one change for my honest opinion

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the ARC of Impractical Magic in exchange for an honest and independent review.

While this book has all the feels and makings of the quintessential autumn read, there are also parts that I really struggled to make sense of or maybe went a bit too far in the context of what was necessary to the storyline.

To start, the idea of the town of Oak Haven itself is actually really interesting. The fact that it is run by witches and anyone passing through who is a non-witch will eventually forget about it's existence (even the men that live within its boundaries) was a unique plot twist that I haven't encountered before. This idea creates a very interesting dynamic when attempting to solve some of the mysteries currently plaguing Oak Haven. Emily also created a very interesting origin story when it came to how the town of Oak Haven came to be and filled that town full of very intriguing characters.

However, it was with the main character and her family where I took the most issue. This is obviously my own personal opinion, but I really could not stand the main character, Scarlett Melrose. You learn that Scarlett has been absent from Oak Haven for the last 10 years after she suffered a huge magical mix up, which she believes resulted in the loss of her father. Upon returning to town after 10 years at the request of her sister, Scarlett spends the entire book blaming herself for everything that is going wrong (now and in the past) and is continually playing the martyr. After the first 100 pages of "woe is me," I found it difficult to handle anymore of it. Eventually you just want to shake her and tell her to shut up, accept what happened, and grow from it. Unfortunately, she just ends up living in a pit of self-deprecation and pity for almost the entire book. The only thing potentially worse than the main character's outlook is the way her mother and two sisters openly treat her. Honestly, they are awful to her and talk down to her the entire time. Why ask her to return if you're just going to rip her apart the entire time? I immediately thought to myself, no wonder she's stayed away for 10 years with family like this to look forward to.

Lastly, her hot and cold relationship with her hometown love interest, Nate, also drove me over the edge. You're either in it or your not. I hated that one minute she was going to end it with him and the next she was considering a future with him. I was getting emotional whiplash by the end of the book and I just wanted to tell Nate to run in the opposite direction and cut his losses now.

I think the overarching storyline had all the potential for a great book, but in all honesty, the main characters ruined it for me. There were points where I just didn't want to finish it, but it's almost against my religion to give up in the middle of a book. I had to see it through, and I'm glad that I did because I did find the end of the book very interesting, all be it rather rushed. There were some great high points in this one, but there were some big lows for me that I just couldn't get past, which is unfortunate. I think this book has all the potential to be really great, but I'd essentially want to overhaul the FMC and her family in order to do so. Am I wrong here? Let me know if you've read this one as well. Curious to hear your take on it.

I thought this book was a perfect book as we transition into autumn. However, there was something about Scarlett that really started to bug me. In addition, I feel like the romance aspect could be emphasized more, it felt kind of like a subplot? However the romance between Scarlett & Nate was cute for what I did see. 3 stars for me

If you’re a big fan of fall or seasonal romance, you’ll like this one! It has alllll the Gilmore girl, autumn cozy vibes. I think witchy, magical novels are hard to do. But this wasn’t a bad one!

Oh I LOVED this!

A must read if you love Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls.

It's the perfect Autumnal read.

Grumpy sunshine tropes, lots of magic, lots of autumn vibes.

I just completely got lost in the story and it was the pure escapism that I crave when reading.

THANK YOU to Netgalley and the Publishers for letting me read this before publication.

All you Autumn / Fall loving girlies, please read this asap!

Thank you Avon Books UK, NetGalley and Emily Grimoire for this eARC

I rated this 2.5 stars, the story was heartwarming and I enjoyed the last half much more than the first half.
I do have a few issues though.
1. I felt like the 28 year old FMC and her sisters all spoke like they were 15
2. The MMC was only given a few descriptive words, he seemed very one dimensional and only there to serve the purpose of awkward side character.
3. Without giving much away, a certain character at the end completely 180 degree personality turned, just for the purpose of a happy ending.


Things I did enjoy.
1. Night at the Museum type fun spell errors
2. I liked seeing the trans representation done nicely.

Impractical Magic was a sweet, lighthearted, cozy read that’s perfect for the fall! Our main character Scarlett returns to her magical hometown to help her family find and fix whatever is affecting the source of all their magical power. This is a perfect, inclusive read for lovers of Gilmore Girls and Halloweentown! Readers should pick this up when they’re looking for a sweet, fast paced story with a Luke Danes-esque love interest to snuggle up on the couch in a flannel and a mug of tea. Thank you for the opportunity to receive and read this ARC!

Ok so I really enjoyed this book. It was fun and lighthearted and a perfect cosy autumnal read.

Scarlett has come back to her home town after a self imposed exile for 10 years, when she is requested back by her sisters to help save the town after all the magic has turned into chaos. Scarlett plans to leave as soon as this mess is cleaned up, but in the process she has to face things from her past which have stopped her from returning for all this time.

This book includes a slow burn, second-chance romance that kinda felt like a side story to the main plot. I would have liked more of this romance story line as I was left wanting extra detail about this, especially their relationship before Scarlett left as it’s mentioned a lot but not delved into. Nate makes for a super interesting character and the storyline between them flowed really nicely, I just wanted to read more of it and to really explore their connection and what keeps drawing these two together, time after time.

Also, the town of Oak Haven was perfectly cosy and enchanting, I wished to be there along with the characters. The description and world building was something I really enjoyed about this book!! It’s just a lovely witchy super enjoyable read that I devoured super quickly!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of Impractical Magic!

I had a lot of trouble getting into this book. Our main character, Scarlett returns home to Oak Haven after 10 years. The sister that asked her to come home spends basically the entire first part of the book making fun of Scarlett and berating her for leaving. The family dynamic really just confused and irritated me. There was little to no explanation as to why her family treated Scarlett the way they do throughout the whole book.

Also, the references to “muggles” really took me out of the book. The Harry Potter (and general pop culture) references made it hard to stay focused on the book. They didn’t really add a lot to the book and felt more like filler than anything. If you enjoy that type of writing/humor, this is definitely the book for you, but it definitely was not my cup of tea.

Overall, this book was “cozy” in the sense that it was set in autumn, but the plot felt like it was meandering in all directions. There was something was missing from this book that made it hard to enjoy and fully immerse yourself into.

This really is for fans of Gilmore Girls and Charmed and I couldn't put it down. It's the person returning-home cosy, witchy book for autumn and is a lot of fun.

I really enjoyed the explanations of different types of magic, as well as the family dynamics. The romance angle was a bit predictable and I think it could have had more fire to it but it was cute - any guy who waits 10 years for someone deserves a happy ending.

The magician aspect was interesting too and I hope that it's going to be looked into more in a sequel. I'd love a book for each of the sisters as they're all such strong but different characters.

If you enjoyed The Witches of Thistle Grove series, Hex Appeal and The Ex Hex, this should be your next read.

A fun, diverting read for witchy season. I like the feeling of Gilmore Girl fanfic and the isolated magical town. Although main character with a secret she is scared to divulge is not a favorite trope of mine, I thought it worked pretty well here. The last two chapters were a little strange to me and I think I would have preferred they were handled differently, which is the least spoilery way I can think to phrase that!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Unpractical Magic ultimately wasn’t the right fit for me. While I appreciated the author’s creativity, the frequent pop culture references and the overly childish tone of the main character, who is supposed to be in her late 20s, didn’t resonate with me. It felt a bit reminiscent of certain teen-focused shows, which may appeal to readers who enjoy that style. I found myself disconnected from the story. That said, I can see it working well for those looking for a quirky read with a touch of magic.

The beautiful cover fooled me. I feel like I have whiplash from reading this book. My biggest issue was that practically all of the characters had the same voice. I could never tell who was talking, and the dialogue would go from levity to snarky/mean so quickly. I couldn’t keep up.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

I'm being nice:

The novel wanted to be overdramic dramatic and a cute fall cozy read. Some points were overly dramatic for, in my opinion, no reason. The grove, but wait magic sloves all problems. Wait silly magicians are the cause, no a hurt teenager that get no real help. The novel kept trying to be high stakes, yearling Heathcliff-style, to just plain silly. Often leaving a whiplash effect.

Pick a lane.

Only reviewed on goodreads

Cute cozy read! Loved the world building and the characters. The pace was a little off and character relationships could have been deeper. But overall an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper UK for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

This book had a lot of potential but it reads like a first draft. It felt like there were so many scenes that would move the story forward but they weren’t fleshed out enough. The book is very cozy so I loved that but at times it feels like the author was writing more to meet a “vibe” than give the reader a full story.

The FMC was also very unlikable. I think there needed to be more backstory about why she felt the way she did about Oak Haven because her attitude about being home read more “bratty” than “regretful about the past”.

I’m giving it 2.75 stars. I definitely think the author has potential and I would probably read another book by her.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
3.5 stars
I had really high hopes for this book because it has everything I love: fall setting, witches, magic, Gilmore Girl themes, and a cozy vibe. The cover is absolutely stunning. It took me a few tries to finish this book. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the vast number of pop culture references throughout the book. It kept pulling me out of the story.

It was hard for me to connect with the main character, Scarlett. Many times, she knew she needed to do one thing but would end up doing something else. It was a frustrating cycle where it seemed she had miscommunication with everyone, including herself. I did enjoy the relationship between Scarlett and Nate and would love to see more from them! The romance was definitely a side-plot. I also enjoyed the setting of the town of Oak Haven. It reminded me very much of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls.

Overall, it was a fun, light read that encompasses the cozy feelings you get around Fall. I would recommend as a seasonal aesthetic read.

You’d love this book if you like
- witches 🔮
- Hallmark 🎥
- cozy vibes 🧣
- Fall-themed books 🎃
- Small town romance 🏠
- Gilmore Girls ☕️
- second chance romance 🧡

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was very autumnal and cute. However, I think the characters background lacked much needed context and depth. I had issues connecting to the main character. Also the writing was cringe at times, especially with the references.

I really wanted to love this book—the description and the vibes were exactly what I was looking for. However, as I read, I found myself feeling disconnected from both the characters and the setting. After making it through 56%, I decided to put it down for now. Maybe I'll pick it back up in the future and give it another shot. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a fun fall read. The setting is great, Oak Haven really came to life and the autumn aesthetic really came through. The mystery was light and fluffy, if quite predictable, but fun nonetheless. I disliked Scarlet for most of the book, she was very self pitying, and caused herself (and everyone else) a lot of easily avoided problems. I liked the romantic side plot, it was quite sweet but definitely isn't the main focus of the book. Overall this is a quick and enjoyable read for the autumn season.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eArc in exchange for an honest review.