For all of my fairy cottagecore bibliophiles who love a swoonworthy, nice-as-pie romance with a dash of adventure, a sprinkle of drama, and a hearty helping of magic, this romantasy is for you. Homegrown Magic is as sweet as sugar and absolutely perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and TJ Klune. The story meanders a little, but honesty, I can't fully disapprove because the prose is so amusing and whimsical. The characters blossom like the flowers in the MCs greenhouse - Yael maturing from a spoilt, unreliable charmer to a young person with a purpose, and Margot finding her confidence and learning to share her burdens with friends. The stakes are low - à la cosy romantasy - and while I ached for some climactic drama, I thought the quiet and dignified approach the characters took against the antagonists was actually very charming. But the pièce de résistance was the queernorm imagined world. It's a safe place for the readers and the characters alike, to love and adventure, grow and enjoy themselves without the shadow of bigotry. Of course, Bloomfield isn't entirely safe since mammoths, salamanders and other fantastical beasts roam free, and if I was a character in this book, I would probably get stung or bitten because I would absolutely need to befriend and pet everything!! Speaking of, my need to become a reclusive plant witch (albeit a crankier one than Margot!!) has only strengthened!!

If you're a certified fairytale enthusiast, lover of LGBTQIA+ character arcs, and friendly fantasy universes, you will adore the natural whimsy of this novel. It ignites such delightful childhood nostalgia, so if you're inner child has been a bit neglected lately or you're seeking dreamy, flower-filled escapism, then brew a nice cup of ginger and hibiscus tea and grab your own copy of Homegrown Magic by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos March 13th, 2025.

🍓 Friends-to-lovers
🍓 Rival family drama
🍓 Found Family
🍓 Lots of magic!!
🍓 Non-binary MC
🍓 Queernorm
🍓 Riches-to-rags

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House UK, for giving this romantasy lover the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for approving my request to read an arc of this book.

Homegrown Magic sounded like an absolute delight, and so I requested right away. I was so excited for plant witches and for a main nonbinary character. It all sounded amazing!
Unfortunately I did end up dnf’ing after 74 pages. I gave it a try to see if I could get into it, but I just found the writing a little difficult to read and there were so many characters that it was a bit overwhelming at times. I’m sure that many others will love this book though, I just struggle with some writing styles due to part of my disabilities and so I found this one was not the right fit for me. I’m still rating four stars though because I’m so happy that this book exists and I think in the right hands, it could be someone’s favourite book