Thanks so much to NetGalley for sending me an ARC for this book!

I always need more cozy queer fantasy books in my life and this was PERFECT. I adore the little elementals and I love Nettie and Rowena so much! This was a wonderful cozy story and I cannot wait for the next book and seeing more of those Characters and how their stories will continue.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it has since come out. I didn't know I needed a sapphic romance werewolf witch paranormal book but I definitely did. This was adorable. It just flowed off the page into my brain more smoothly than tea (team tea here).

meh, this seemed cute but the writing is a slog; dnf. The main character is sheltered, but she's also not very bright-- the one is forgivable, the other is less so. The writing is extremely clunky. The plot seemed cute, but a *very* strong editing hand was needed and no-showed.

eARC from NetGalley.

review posted to GoodReads 6/12/25; no end date, posted indefinitely.

I loved the premise of this story, very cute and cozy. I do feel like it did veer into the cringe a bit too much for my liking but as someone who read all the Wattpad werewolf stories in my teens, I do think younger me would have really enjoyed this book.

What an adorable book!

The story follows Nettie, a runaway werewolf with nowhere to go. She finds herself in Wisteria Grove, a hidden witch village that is tucked away in an enchanted forest. There, she finds Rowena, a reclusive witch that everyone seems to be wary of, who runs a cafe. After Rowena offers Nettie a job, Nettie plans to work for a while to get money and then be on her way. Yet, the two find themselves tangled together in more ways than one.

What starts as a cozy slice-of-life story delves into one that is about love, family, strength, and the courage to stop running. Nettie and Rowena are both lovable in their own right, and the chemistry between them is so sweet and grounded.

I loved the setting! It was so whimsical with the enchanted garden, portals, and adorable elementals. I highly recommend reading this with a mug of something warm, a sweet treat, and a rainy day!

Thank you, NetGalley and Victory Editing, for this ARC.

This sapphic romance was super cozy and fun. It felt low stakes and very slice of life, in the same vein as Legends and Lattes. The characters were really cute, especially the elementals! I wanted a little more show and not tell in the writing style, and the romance moved a bit quick over the timeline of the book. Overall, this is a good choice for a fall-themed palate cleanser between heavier books.

This was such a cozy book. This would be so perfect for the autumn season, a baked good and hot tea to keep it company. The atmosphere of this book was so comforting and the café was nicely detailed. The characters were as well, the plot kept my attention, and the romance was really sweet.

Plot: 8/10
Pace: 8/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 9/10
Enjoyability: 9/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Would I Recommend? Yes
Favorite Character: Rowena

Favorite Quote: ❝ "Well... no offense, but I think your father is wrong. Forgiveness isn't about forgetting the past. It isn't about throwing away what caused you pain and forgetting it ever existed. If you want to forgive your mother, you can still acknowledge that what she did hurt you. You can confront the past instead of locking it away. Together, you and your mother can analyze it, process it, learn from it. Then, once you're truly ready to move on, you can.” ❞

4.5 Stars

The Lone Wolf Cafe follows Nettie Clarke, a werewolf that runs away from her small werewolf community, only to find herself lost in the human world and ending up in a sanctuary for werewolves enemies, a witches village. Luckily for Nettie, the first place she stumbles upon is the Lone Wolf Cafe and its proprietor, Rowena, a quiet herbalist witch that embraces the opportunitity to fill her missing baker position with Netties, baking skills. Nettie gets into a rhythm in Wisteria Grove but how long can she stay before anyone realizes she is a werewolf.

I really enjoyed this book. It is another nice cozy fantasy read that takes place in a cafe. The story is told only from Nettie's point of view, and she was enjoyable to navigate the world with. She is a bit anxious but willing to stand up for herself, and her growth throughout the story felt natural and exciting. I like Rowena, but I do wish I got a little bit more about her. That is probably my own desire to have POV from her, but her story also comes full circle with a few heartwarming moments.

All in all, this was a fun and cozy fantasy book, which I am totally here for. I was a bit surprised that it takes place in the modern world but ultimately, it didn't really effect the story. The characters were fun and engaging and I look forward to more books by this author.

I received an ARC from Netgalley

Thank you to NetGalley and Sydney Wilder for this ARC!

I absolutely adored this book. If you want super cozy fall vibes all within a book this is definitely the book for you. I really loved the writing within this book, the author definitely has a knack for putting us into the sensations that our main character, Nettie, experiences. The world-building was so well written, and I enjoyed getting such pleasant descriptions of everything. The reason I am rating this 4.5 is due to the fact that I wish it had gotten to the main plot and action quicker, but that was really my only gripe. But once the action took off, it was super interesting and really went fast!

If you want to be in a book that feels exactly like a fall paradise, this is for you!

The Lone Wolf Cafe is the first novel in the Mainely Magic series that takes places in this cozy world of magical beings. The story is first person POV with a very relatable FMC, Nettie, who flees from her secluded home island to the mainland and stumbles upon a village of witches called Wisteria Grove. (Oh and did I neglect to mention the FMC is a werewolf?) With little knowledge of how the world works Nettie befriends a cafe owner, Rowena, who in turn gives her a job and helps her with a living arrangement. Trouble of course ensues when the local werewolf pack causes Nettie to question her comfortable new way of life.
Along the way we get to meet many of the towns inhabitants along with some fun elementals that you just want to know more about, each having their own unique personality. During Netties time in Wisteria Grove she learns a lot about life, friendships, and acceptance. The relationship that builds between Nettie and Rowena is a slow build and throughout the book kept me smiling because we get to see the feelings that each has for the other growing and the awkwardness between them is so relatable. While this story is a paranormal romance there is more to this story that will keep you hooked until the very end, and then make you want more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4.5/5
🌶️1.5 Spice level
🏠Small-Town Romance
🔥Slow-Burn Romance
👩‍❤️‍👩Sapphic Romance
📖Cozy Fantasy

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early.

The Lone Wolf Cafe follows Nettie, a young werewolf who runs away from home and finds community and love in a town of witches, the long time enemy of werewolves.

I really enjoyed the story of this book and the world it began to set up. Nettie and her elemental Aria were some of my favorites in it and I really enjoyed seeing Nettie's friendship and relationship with Rowena blossom as they grew closer working in the cafe. It was so cool seeing a cozy cafe romance with all of the magical elements added in.

However, I wish the first couple chapters were focused less on simply telling us about Nettie's past and instead got right to the story as that was what I was most interested in. The entire book also took place in less than a month which made the main romance feel a little rushed (but that timeline does make sense with the wereworlf element of the book). The world and how magic fit into it was also a little confusing at times but as this is the first book in a series the world will almost certainly be cleared up in future instalments.

But overall this was a fun and cute romance between a werewolf and a witch that was a delight to read!

Thank you Victory Editing and NetGalley again for the chance to read this early.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

As soon as I saw this cover on NetGalley I immediately requested it. Witches, werewolves, cafes and baking are everything I want in a book 😍

This absolutely lived up to my initial thoughts. I loved it and didn’t want to put it down.

Although, Nettie gets some slight minus points for the Earl Grey slander 😉.

This was a perfectly comforting sapphic romance with some beautiful messages of acceptance and forgiveness.
The shared understanding, if mostly hidden towards the beginning that Nettie and Rowena had for each other led into amazing chemistry.

One of my favourite parts was the emotional reveal and reunion towards the end. I didn’t expect or see it coming but it made sense looking back at the story and I was glad to see a happy ending for all.

An absolute recommendation for autumn. I mean if that cover does scream cosy autumn read, what does!

I’ll be keeping my eye out for the next book in the series 🧡

Get ready for cozy and comforting ✨🍂

From the get go, the book does a great job of building ambience. To me, that’s HUGE for a fall or cozy book. You need to feel sort of hugged by all the coziness.
I found characters to be charming and to have a personality of their own. I feel like some cozy books try to be too ‘easy’ or plain thinking it’ll be too complex or something but I think the author made a great job at balancing story and simplicity.
I very much look forward to rereading this one once fall season hits!

This entire book is like a Halloween-themed weighted blanket made of pure serotonin.

Rowena (an ostracised witch) employs Nettie (a runaway and secretly a werewolf) as her new baker in The Lone Wolf Café when she finds Nettie has let herself into the closed café and started eating her own (extremely tasty) baked goods. The audacity 😅

They are like chalk and cheese but have instant chemistry. Nettie is very friendly, and loves coffee but hates tea, and Rowena is a quiet loner, who loves tea but hates coffee. Rowena is quite taciturn and aloof most of the time but also extremely protective of Nettie, which I find incredibly cute.

The little accidental touches and longing looks, as they work alongside each other in the café, edge you to perfection. When the spice hits it's so sweet and gentle; just two lovers basking in each other's beauty. Also, Rowena is a consent Queen 👑

Wisteria Grove keeps a lot of secrets, and the tension is palpable. The confrontation with the mysterious man in Rowena's garden had my heart in my mouth! And the revelation near the end was like a sledgehammer to the ribcage.

The ending is so beautiful! It filled my heart with joy and my eye holes with tears 😭😍

Omg the little recipes at the back! What an amazing touch, I can't wait to try them.

So the reason I wanted to read this is because I actually follow the author on tiktok, and when she mentioned that this was very similar to Legends and Lattes but make it werewolves and witches I knew I wanted to read it. When I saw that it was on Netgalley I applied for it straight away! Friends, this was everything that I wanted from a cozy fantasy and more. First of all, the world building in this story was beautiful, I genuinely sat there feeling like I was in the places the author was describing. The author really took their time to describe every scent, sight, magic etc but did so in a way that wasn't too overly descriptive. This book was beautiful, and magical, and I genuinely feel like this would 100% be the perfect Halloween read. I loved the characters, and the magic system and almost every little thing about this story. The only one downside I had with this book, was it took a little longer than I'd of liked to get into the "good parts". However, once it was there, it was incredible. There was so much action, so many twists and turns I was just not expecting and it really had me on the edge of my seat towards the end. I was fully rooting for our main character and genuinely fell in love with both Nettie and Rowena. Heck, it was truly hard to not fall in love with all of the characters. I cannot wait for this to come out and will 100% be picking up a copy for my shelf. I am also excited to see the future books in the series and can't wait to see where their stories go.

I absolutely adored this book. I’m usually not into super cozy or fluffy romances—they lose me fast—but this one totally won me over. The main characters were so lovable, and the tiny side characters, the “Elements,” were ridiculously cute. I wanted to squeeze them all. I also loved the world-building, and the pacing was perfect. I couldn’t put it down.

Highly recommended!

I absolutely ADORED Nettie and Rowena’s story. The concept of the elementals was beautiful, and I loved that they had mutually beneficial relationships with their bonded witches, which is what all great real friendships should have. This book was hygge wrapped up in a warm blanket crocheting and drinking cocoa on a cold day type of cozy. 🥰 It was also so important on the lessons it reiterates about healthy boundaries, misunderstandings, nature, ostracism, diversity acceptance, kindness, friendship, compassion, making amends, breaking ancestral trauma/curses, and doing the right thing. It also brings up important issues like post partum depression and anxiety - and methods to heal from them, even if delayed - in a gentle, empathetic, respectful and loving way. Just an all around, amazing, cozy, fluffy book. I can’t recommend it highly enough. 🫶🏻

Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book!!

WOW I loved this so much. A cozy witchy sapphic romantasy complete with free therapy, found family, and so much magic? PER👏🏻FEC👏🏻TION👏🏻. I immediately added this to my books-to-buy list 💕

Also, without this being a spoiler - what Wilder reveals about Nettie's magic towards the end had me feeling so seen and validated and in awe. I absolutely loved this one 😍

Thank you netgally and Sydney Wilders for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I did not expect to fall in love with this book as quickly as I did. Usually it takes me a little bit to connect with the story but Nettie had me in her hold as soon as I read the first page. I thought she was adorable trying to buy something with her scones instead of money.

The storyline also was very well written. It had me on the edge of my seat at certain parts and I really didn’t know how they would fix things. I also did not expect the big red thing. Looking back it all makes sense but I just overlooked all the clues.

Rowena and Nettie are perfect together. The way Rowena took Nettie under her wing and helped and protected her? I love to see it. But also Nettie taking care of Rowena after she got bitten en taking care of her wounds, perfection.

Lastly, the recipes at the end of the book are such an amazing touch.

A sapphic romance plus a cozy fantasy?! Count me in! Set in a world where magic beings exist in hiding from humans, a werewolf sets out to explore a world she's never been a part of. Things get exciting when she accidentally stumbles into a town just for witches.

Set during fall with a lead up to Halloween, this is an excellent book to read while curled up with a blanket and an apple cider.

A must read for anyone who loved Rebecca Thorne's, Can't Spell Treason Without Tea, and Travis Baldree's, Legends and Lattes.