4.5 stars
Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a copy of this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

From the first page, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a delightful read. It felt like stepping into a hug or curling up under your favourite blanket. It's so cosy and whimsical, and I smiled a great deal whilst I read it.

The found family trope is one of my favourite tropes, and I loved how it was utilised in this novel. Mika, having grown up lonely because of being a witch, isn't used to having people to rely on or look out for her. The family she gains in the adults and children at Nowhere House is completely rewarding. She was the missing piece to their puzzle, and even with the angst of the house's secrets, I enjoyed how well Mika fitted into their slice of the world.

The magic used in the novel is whimsical, much as the world is. It's described so delightfully, that I couldn't help but wish for the type of magic in this book to enter my own world (especially some of the teas - they sounded so helpful). With the addition of the children's magic and the wonderful prose, I was truly enchanted.

The sub-romance plot was a good balance in this world. I loved the meddling of the side characters in Mika and Jamie's relationship, and the pacing was perfect. The spice level was just enough to keep in with the rest of the sweet nature of this book, without taking away from it being an adult relationship with adult feelings.

The inhabitants of Nowhere House were so much fun. I loved all the girls, and the caretakers alike. Everyone added their own charm to this world, and it was easy to fall in love with everyone as much as Mika did during her stay.

I adored the conclusion, and how Mika was able to blend her previous ways of being a witch into the way she hoped for in the world. It ends very optimistically and as a reader, I felt fulfilled by how this story closed out.

If you're looking for a delightfully easy read, with autumn/winter cosy vibes, then I urge you to pick this book up. It was such a wonderful read, and I'm going to look out for further works by this author.

Mika Moon lives alone, without family or friends, to keep the secret that she is a witch. All witches are doomed to this life. Only on her YouTube channel does she pretend to be a witch and assumes that no one will see through the show. But Ian recognises the truth behind the façade and turns to Mika. Because Ian has three young witches at home who are supposed to learn to control their magic...

This book was pure sugar. We get to know Mika and realise how sad and alone she is due to her lifestyle. So she takes the chance to teach the three witches to spare them this fate. The three are absolutely adorable, each in their own way: the curious, the protective, the trusting. And with them come many more characters who together make a great found family, not to mention the romance. Each of the characters has not a drop of bad blood and wants only the best for those around them. We have humorous, emotional and sad scenes. Of course, there is also an overarching plot, a problem to be solved. But that is not the focus and was dealt with quite quickly, which didn't bother me. I was there for the found family and the grumpy-sunshine-romance. The book reminded me a lot of The House In The Cerulean Sea and I think people who liked that book will like The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches too.

Thank you Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in return for my honest review!

4.5 stars rounded to 5

"The sea was the sea. It frothed and frolicked and had a beastly temper, but Mika would never wake up one day and find it gone. It knew all her secrets. It knew her. And it stayed."

This book has some of the most cozy vibes I've ever read - the setting of Nowhere House, a seemingly dilapidated house in Norfolk; the host of extraordinary and wonderful characters; the way magic exists and how its described... All of this blends to create a gorgeous book, something I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Even at the height of summer, this book made me feel like I was blanketed in Autumn and Winter, made me want to snuggle down with blankets and tea and just breathe in the atmosphere.

I'd say the main, overarching theme of this book, is that family can be created in so many different ways. And sometimes that's a mum and dad with their kids, but other times it's 'a housekeeper, a librarian, a gardener, a retired actor and three unlikely witches' and that's it's own kind of magic.

Surprisingly good story with a magical feel. Good characters and a story that mostly flowed well. Definitely a cosy style book

*thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

This book gave me the same feelings that I got from The House in the Cerulean Sea. (I loved that book to an extent I can't actually describe, so this is high praise.)

TVSSOIW just exuded cosy, comforting vibes and made me feel like I was wrapped up in a warm blanket with a cup of tea by the fire. Definitely a comfort read.

And as if this magnificent story couldn't get any better, the cute little references to Jane Austen did just that (especially to a major Austen fan like myself)!!

Anyway, if you like a good fantasy about witches with amazing representation and the found family and enemies to lovers tropes, you'll be doing yourself a favour by picking this up!

Witchy, wholesome, and wonderfully witty!

"Niceness is all about what we do when other people are looking. Kindness, on the other hand, runs deep. Kindness is what happens when no one's looking."

7 months down yet this is my first 5 star read of 2022!!!!

This is the comfort book you'll find yourself reaching for this year! This book was like the creamiest bowl of pasta, the biggest hug from your loved one, a slobbery kiss from a baby, the music that makes you want to dance, the comfiest sweatshirt, and the scent of home!

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is one kaleidoscope of a story. Sangu Mandanna has beautifully crafted a feel good story with a mosaic of vibrant characters that you will instantly fall in love with. It is an exuberant tale of finding family and love in the unlikeliest of places. I devoured this book in less than 24 hours and I am on a bookish high right now!

The story begins when a 31 year old witch, Mika, finds herself at the Nowhere House after receiving a WITCH WANTED advert. Mika lives in a world where witches are taught to live alone to protect themselves from harm. Mika has never known the warmth of a loving family and finds herself awestruck when she meets the eccentric members of Nowhere House. She is hired as an in-house tutor to hone the magical skills of 3 very different and extremely brilliant young witches. However, there are secrets that can break Mika away from the family she always wanted.

Pick this magical romance up to warm your hearts. The book will be released on 23 August 2022.

A massive thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton, and Sangu Mandanna for giving me the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had such a great time reading this!

Mika (love her name, by the way) is a great protagonist. I loved her dynamic with the kid witches and I also loved her relationship with Jamie aka the broody librarian love interest.

Sangu Mandanna pulled off the found family trope exceptionally well. I usually don't like kids in books all that much, the author managed to make me really like them here.

This story was just so refreshing and fun. And of course witchy. I think what really sold me was that it didn't take itself to seriously. There isn't a huge amount of world building, it's just fun and quirky. I mean, look at the character's names: Mika Moon, Lillian Nowhere (who's mostly absent), Terracotta (kid witch, like her sisters named after great archaeological discoveries by Lillian).

Overall this was a lovely read and I really hope the author decides to write a spin-off of this book.

I received an ARC of the book from the publisher, via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a tender read that's heartwarmingly enchanting. While the first chapter has already intrigued me with its off-beat humour, what made me fell in love was seeing how much Mika genuinely cares for the children, even before her relationship with them develops. That said, Mika's positivity and all-inspiring magnanimity aside, the children and the rest of the family were all hilarious and lovable, making it easy to see how quickly her feelings for them grew. Most importantly, what I loved about this book is the way it focuses not on the characters' backstories (which were undoubtedly rough to say the least) but how they work and overcome the limitations faced by them individually to build a loving, wholesome family despite all of its irregularities. This is highly empowering to me as it frames them as survivors and not victims and its a message that needs to be further shared today.

Little Witch Academia x The House in the Cerulean Sea alert!

A truly lovely story about found family and cozy witchcraft! I must admit that I fell in love with all the characters (especially the three young witches) head first. The writing style is simple and fluid, the storylines make sense and I loved the side romance (grumpy x sunshine stan account forever). The fact that most of the cast are people of colours and that lgbtq+ people casually appears... My heart. We need more stories like this one please!

I'm starting to feel as though there ought to be a category called 'books I know other people love but which just don't work for me' and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (or TVSSIW, as I plan to refer to it from now on) fits neatly into that. Often the first clue is the use of words like 'wholesome' or 'cozy' cropping up in other people's reviews, as those aren't particularly qualities I'm looking for most of the time when it comes to books.

The basic premise of TVSSIW is that it's the story of Mika, an orphan who happens to be a witch, who was brought up by a succession of nannies as her guardian (also a witch) is very strongly of the belief that witches can't live together. Rebelling a little against this by posting on social media in a kind of witch-cosplay experience, Mika is contacted with a request to come to the Norfolk countryside and teach 3 children whose experience rivals her own. She agrees, letting herself in for more than she anticipates and a massively-foreshadowed romantic sub-plot all of her own.

In some ways, this is a bit of a shame because the whole thing starts off so promisingly but (for me at least) devolves quickly into plotlines you can see coming from a mile off. There's the older gay couple, one exuberant and one effusive, the handsome librarian who's primarily there to be Mika's love interest and scowl a lot (often concurrently), not to mention the 3 plot moppets. Child characters are really hard to write well without things disintegrating into plot moppet territory and it was tricky at times to try and remember which of the them was supposed to be which.

Meanwhile, for example, there's a throwaway plot point about children born with witch powers being orphaned young, which everyone seemed to just shrug their shoulders over and nobody seems to have tried to do anything about in the hundreds of years since it came to be. Likewise, while Mika's own neglectful upbringing is touched on, it's done in a relatively heavy-handed way and that just didn't work for me.

So, all in all, there's a bunch of books where I could comfortably say 'if you liked X, you'll like this' and the vast majority of those didn't work for me either. This isn't a bad book, it's competently written and there was a reasonable sense of place, but it just seemed to promise a lot more than it might have delivered.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley. This is my honest review of the book in question.

I didn't think I would love this book so much. It was heartwarming but also a bit sexy. I was afraid it would be to childish for me but on the contrary. I truly loved it.

This is such a joyful, adorable little book! I went into it completely blind, no expectations whatsoever but charmed by the description. I'm glad I was, because this is one of those book that just make you feel really good for a while, and don't we all need that in these trying times?
I was especially enchanted by the first part of the book. I loved our protagonist, the witch Mika Moon, who's whimsical and adorable and flawed and insecure and just wonderful. Witches aren't allowed to mingle much outside of their regular meetings every three months. It's just not safe enough to have too much magic in one place. Mika abides by these rules until she gets a very irregular job offer: Be the magic tutor to three orphaned witch girl who have noone else to teach them and who live in a place called the Nowhere House. This is, basically, the gist of the story - it's not particularly complex but it really doesn't have to be. What awaits Mika at Nowhere House is the best kind of found family trope you could possibly wish for, including a sexy grumpy love interest as the figurative cherry on top.

The writing is wonderful and really makes you feel for Mika and her love interest, Jamie, who has some minor pov chapters too. I actually wouldn't have needed those as I felt they weren't perfectly weaved into the story flow. I enjoyed Mika growing to be part of the family, and I loved her relationship with the three girls. The romance was cute, too, but a little fast paced in placed so it felt rushed. I would have preferred more time being spent on this found family and Mika teaching magic than the way the story develops in the second part of the book, which is admittedly a little bonkers and all over the place. There was also a lot of telling instead of showing when it came to Mika's issues and trauma which I think could have been done a little more organically. The characters were wonderful, but most of them weren't developed too much so I didn't really feel too much about them either. But I still enjoyed my reading experience immensely.

So, all in all, a wonderful little book of happiness! 3,5 stars, happily rounding up to 4.

🫖The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches🫖

By Sangu Mandanna

Description:

As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon has lived her life by three rules: hide your magic, keep your head down, and stay away from other witches. An orphan raised by strangers from a young age, Mika is good at being alone, and she doesn't mind it . . . mostly.

But then an unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches, and Mika jumps at the chance for a different life.

Nowhere House is nothing like she expects, and she's quickly tangled up in the lives and secrets of its quirky, caring inhabitants . . . and Jamie, the handsome, prickly librarian who would do anything to protect his charges, and who sees Mika's arrival as a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat.

As Mika finds her feet, the thought of belonging somewhere starts to feel like a real possibility. But magic isn't the only danger in the world, and soon Mika will need to decide whether to risk everything to protect the found family she didn't know she was looking for . . .

🫖🫖🫖🫖

Tasha Suri described this book as “The cosy magical romance you’ve been waiting for” and I couldn’t agree more.

TVSSOIW (because I’m not writing that title out every time!) is the kind of book that feels like a warm hug, a hot cup of tea and a plate of your favourite biscuits. It’s sweet, funny, has fantastic representation and a lovely, heartwarming story.

I loved every character, even Primrose in the end. (Damn it Primrose!)

The grumpy/sunshine romance is perfect, and without giving too much away, the steam level is just right, and very well written.

I loved the witchy details in this book and it had me cracking out the tea leaves for a proper cup of tea. Tonight’s tea is a gorgeous Black Forest from @birdandblendtea 🫖

Thanks to @netgalley and @hodderbooks for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches will be released on the 23rd of August.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

This book shows Mika Moon finding herself tutoring three girls how to use and control their magical impulses, while unveiling the secrets of the house.

There is good representation in this book for both people of colour and the LGBTQ+ community.

The developed relationship was the predictable choice, but I found the characters didn't quite match in the way I'd expect, especially with the Austenian imagery throughout.

The premise was good, enjoyable, but also someone forgettable. It is a nice and light read, good for a summer break or holiday.

#IrregularWitches #NetGalley

I mostly wanted to read this because it was shelved under Romance genre instead of fantasy, and I falsely assumed it would be a witchy romcom like The Ex Hex which I read last year and enjoyed it very much.

Sadly, I was wrong.

Until 20% there was no sign of any romantic plot line and if it was supposed to be a romance then it's not a good sign. Instead. what I got was a story that was very similar to The House in the Cerulean Sea, which I also DNFed. I don't think these fantasy stories with low stakes and extra sweetness are objectively bad. It's just that they're not my cup of tea.

Hopefully, it works for you if you liked the House in the Cerulean Sea

This is such a feel-good book - I would probably class it as a cost fantasy. It does strike me as similar to House on the Cerulean Sea, with its sense of finding a place where you belong and learning to love yourself.

I loved the characters, how can you not love a witch called Mika Moon!, and the very whimsical magical system that is built. I also love witchy books that are set in England - this makes it feel even more whimsical.

The group of outcasts are just so loveable - and watching the relationships build across the span of the novel was ridiculously heart-warming.

The pacing was a little unusual, starting off very slow and then going very, very fast towards to end.

I would definitely recommend this book! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The description of House in the Cerulean Sea meets Practical Magic.... couldn't think of a better way to describe it.

Mika has grown up living a pretty solitary life, being a witch and always being warned that it's too dangerous for witches to be together for too long, she moves around a lot and never forms attachments, how can you when you need to hide such a big part of yourself. When Mika is contacted about a job, in a remote house, hidden by wards, she could not have anticipated what she would find there, and how it would change her and her outlook on life!

Amazing book, with relatable characters who don't always do right, but are trying their best. I just loved this sweet little band of outcasts all muddling through together.

This book is just SO GREAT. The pick me up you didn’t know you needed. It’s about belonging, feeling loved and finding your place in the world. Yes, it is about witches too - and my hope is that this doesn’t mean the book is overlooked by some readers, because it’s the life affirming read one needs every time.

Five stars and telling all my friends about it next!

3.5 stars.

This is a magical, heartwarming story filled with magic, and I absolutely loved every second of it! The world was fun and cosy, and, although it could be vague at times, I particularly loved the whimsical magic system. I really enjoyed reading about every character and I thought they were all well developed and unique. There was no part of the plot and narrative all really gripping and engaging, which was also partly due to the lovely writing style.

The one thing I would've liked to see developed more was the romance. It was cute, but the development of the relationship wasn't as convincing and seemed a little rushed - especially considering the dynamics between them in the beginning.

Overall, a fun, magical read with unforgettable characters. I'd definitely love to read more things by this author!

5 Stars

This book was absolutely lovely to read and I really enjoyed it. This story is about Mika Moon and how she has spent most of her life alone due to being an orphan and a witch. After a desperate call for a live in Nanny for three young witches in need to training, Mika Moon takes a leap of faith and goes to help. After being told that witches can’t live together due too all the combined magic and problems that it can cause and normal people potentially finding out due to magic surges.
Mika also meets all the other adults in the put together family and thinks she won’t be around long as she never stays in the same place for more than a couple of months.
I found the young witches to be extremely likeable and really well wrote for characters. There’s is romance between Mika and Jamie the librarian which is a slow romance. My favourite character had to be one of the children Terracotta who has a bit of a thing about murder and how she would constantly ask Mika her preference for how she would be killed which was pretty funny.
I definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and Hodderbooks for this early eARC.