“Light hides the lies; truth lives in the dark”

Let me start by saying what an absolute pleasure it has been reading this ARC. At 60% in I had pre order the Waterstones signed edition and booked myself onto Lindsey Kelks event at their Liverpool store (November 13th for those of you wanting to get in as well).

If you loved Charmed growing up, but added The Covens addition of cool, then I think we’ve hit the sweet spot that The Bell Witches is offering. If you’re looking for a cosy witchy read this year, this has to be added to your TBR immediately. To add a little extra, head over to Kelks Instagram and she’s even given tours of the areas which inspired the book and I have to say, her writing was so beautiful it was exactly how I’d imagined the places in my head. Okay so maybe I should pause on hyping this up and tell you more about why I loved it so much.

We follow Emily who’s father tragically dies leaving her an orphan, faced with her only living relatives being in Savannah, Georgia she has to leave her home in Wales, England and move across the world to start a new life with her aunt and grandmother. THIS is where the fun begins. In strolls Wyn, and as any 16 year old there ensues a connection and spark that stays as PG as a 16 year old should, remember I said this is cosy so don’t come here for that. As she moves further into her secret family history with her Grandmother the two relationships play alongside each other growing a more complicated set of obstacles for Emily to overcome.
I should mention the friendship that Emily strikes with Lydia, I really loved the sisterhood and if this ever became a series of books I would LOVE to see that explored. Very wholesome, made me miss my friends.
The Savannah setting for this book is perfect, the details in the writing to make you feel as though you’re really absorbed into this world is fantastic. Some of this was predictable, but what seasoned witch loving enthusiast doesn’t suss these out, but there were a few chapters that literally had me put my kindle down and ask my cat what the actual hell. Please return after the final few chapters and tell me you didn’t fly through them like you were reading for your life.

To summarise, I loved this book if you couldn’t tell already. I can’t wait to pick up the stunning edition of ordered to adorn my shelves. If you’re a fan of stunning covers and sprayed edges, don’t sleep on this one.

Thank you to NetGallery for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins and Lindsey Kelk for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Discover the Magic of The Bell Witches!
Just finished reading The Bell Witches and I am absolutely enchanted! 🧙‍♀️✨ Dive into the world of Emily as she embarks on an extraordinary journey of self-discovery 🕵️‍♀️, unearthing her family's secrets and an ancient prophecy. This book is a perfect blend of mystery and magic, and trust me, once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down! 💫😍

If you're looking for your next captivating read that combines whimsy and intrigue, this is the one for you! 📖💕

When Emily's father dies, she is sent to live with an aunt and grandmother, a family she didn't even know existed. But all is not what it seems, it turns out she comes from a family of witches!

This was such an amazing cosy fantasy. It was filled with witchcraft, romance, crazy family dynamics and so much more!

I found myself instantly drawn in by all the Bell family secrets, and could have never guessed where this story was going.

I am well and truly into my autumn reading mood, and this one was the perfect fall read.

I am a huge fan of Lyndsey kelk books and when i heard she was bringing out a ya witchy book i was all over that!

This is the story of Emily who is sent to Savannah to live with her only remaining family an Aunt and her Grandmother. She soon finds that all is not as it seems and that they are witches, soon she's caught up in her new mysterious life and also meets Wyn who she falls for and very quickly too, just as i would expect of teenagers.

Really loved it and can't wait to see whats next!

First of all, I would just like to thank NetGalley, Lindsey Kelk and HarperCollins UK for an ARC of “The Bell Witches” in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited when I was first approved for this ARC because I LOVE Lindsey Kelk. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

The prose and the setting were beautiful. I really felt like I was in Savannah, and it was so abundantly clear that Lindsey had done her research.

However, considering Lindsey is a romcom author, I expected so much more from the romantic relationship in this book. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with such “Insta-love” before. This is INSTA, INSTA love. I’m talking, exchanging “I love you’s” by their third time meeting, over the course of about a week. I felt there was no chemistry between them at all, because there was no development. It was so rushed and instantaneous, I was shocked.

The plot was quite predictable and very slow paced- which made the book much harder to get through than it perhaps should have been.

I’m so disappointed because I love Lindsey as an author- “Love Me Do” is one of my favourite books- but this book just wasn’t for me, unfortunately.

I love Lindsey's books so was excited to read this. It was quite different to her usual style, being a YA novel but I still enjoyed it.

I knew I had to read this as soon as I heard about it. I've been a fan of Lindsey Kelk for about 14 years now when I first read "I Heart New York".
The Bell Witches follows Emily as she moves from Wales to Savannah,to live with her paternal grandmother and aunt, following the death of her father. once there she discovers she's a witch and learns about her family history.
This was a classic witch coming of age story with a Lindsey twist on it. I loved it. I found Emily to be believable as a character and I can't wait to see what she does next. I'm hoping we get more of Lydia and that she regains her family's gifts. Wyn is a complicated one as in his storyline, I can't predict what'll happen next but I can't wait to find out.
I have so many questions at the end of this book that the second book is needed now.

I went to a recent event and Lindsey did a reading from the start of this book and talked about it so passionately that I was intrigued and got an ARC via Netgalley. I have to say I am not the target audience (YA) for this book so that may have affected my opinion. I wasn't a fan of some of the language used (pet hate 'unalived) and felt the book was ok to start with...but then it picked up towards the last quarter of the book and I have to say the ending has left me intrigued...

I think The Bell Witches is more suited to a younger audience, potentially as they'll be able to relate to Emily and the complexities of being a teenager, with the added bonus of her being a witch.

I enjoyed the plot but I admit I did cringe a couple of times when Emily and Wyn were talking and Wyn delivered the most cringe-worthy dialogue. Maybe it's just a case of me being an old fogey now and not appreciating romance, who knows?

I felt sorry for Ashley towards the end. At first I thought she was just really miserable and grumpy for the pettiest of reasons but it all made sense in the end.

I predicted the plot twist surrounding Wyn pretty early on so it wasn't a surprise when it happened and I'm not 100% sure how I feel about it.

All in all, a good read but will probably be more appreciated by the under 20's.

I’ve known Lindsey Kelk more for her romance novels, so when I saw this on NetGalley I was definitely intrigued!

I did enjoy it and found myself turning the pages to see what happened next and discover the family secrets.
I like books with a magic rooted in nature based system, the description of plants and herbs and their magical properties included were a plus.

I wouldn’t say it was a cosy witch read as there were dark elements to it, but it’s nothing too heavy.

I’m not the right audience as this is a YA so I am remaining neutral, but the romance was the least interesting aspect in my opinion.

Interested to see if LK brings us more in future!

4⭐️
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

I’ll start this by saying I do really like Lindsay kelk’s usual romance books, have throughly enjoyed them. However this was a slight disappointment but maybe I’m not the right audience for it. I’m now questioning if I’m too told for YA and if I’m now done with the Romantasy element that seems to be the current fantasy obsession. I was disappointment by that element, do I think this would be good for younger and less experienced fantasy readers…. Yes! It’s not you, it’s me

3.5🌟

Thanks NetGalley for this arc, I really enjoyed it. The book is a fast past easy to read with a small amount of dark content. The book is definitely a YA book with an interesting magic system. The book definitely upped its plot lines in the last 30% making it a proper page turner. It definitely had me hooked.

When I see a pretty cover, read a nice blurb and discover a book is published by Magpie, I pre-order right away. I don't think I've come across many Magpie books disappointing me in the past. And since I'm currently in a witch mood, I really wanted to have this book. Luckily I discovered that the book was also available through Netgalley. I requested a digital copy and I was really happy that Magpie granted me one.

In a way this book is a typical YA novel. A teenager grew up living a normal life and after both parents pass away she discovers that she's actually special. Really special. It's also clear from the start that the boy she meets is destined to become her boyfriend and won't be liked by her grandmother. There is also a prophecy involved. And of course the entire story is taking place in a small and slightly old fashioned town.

This book is not very original. I predicted quite a lot of plot twists way before they were revealed. That didn't bother me however. I enjoyed this adventure and the heroine's journey. That's partly because of the writing style. The book was easy to read and I flew through it. It's also because it's sometimes nice to have a book that's not trying to surprise you all the time. The book has enough excitement to keep you entertained, without the extreme and intense shock and emotions.

Of course, the romance is a little rushed, as is quite typical for teenagers. They know each other for a few weeks and it's an epic and eternal love, but since they were actually doing quite well together and since it seemed they respected each other and really cared about each other, it was also really nice to see them together and to see them use love to make the world a better place and to make better choices. I'm not entirely sure if I'll read the sequel, but if I stumble upon it, I'll probably read it.

If you’re looking for a romantic, whimsical, witchy read then this book is for you!

This story follows 16 year-old Emily who’s father passes and she finds out she has remaining family (a grandmother and an aunty) who live in Savannah in the United States. She makes the move from Wales to the USA to be with them however secrets of her family unveil themselves and all is not what it cracks up to be.

I had a lot of fun with this book. I feel like it was a perfect transition from summer to spooky season reads. It was great to see Emily’s coming of age story and see her character development throughout the book.

There were some great characters in this book. Lydia really brought the southern feel to this book and she was extremely loveable.

The romance in this was very fast paced and at times the writing style was a bit too juvenile for me and the plot was quite predictable.

If you’re looking for an easy read, something to transition you into autumnal reads then this would definitely be for you. If you are looking for something with a heavy plot then I would skip this.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for a copy of the eARC🧹

The Bell Witches was a perfect cozy, witchy autumnal read. Initially, I was a little worried it might feel too YA, but I ended up really enjoying it.

I loved the small-town setting,I felt like I was right there the entire time I was reading. Emily was a great protagonist. She was clever, determined to uncover the truth, and eager to learn how to use her powers. The romance between her and Wyn developed quickly, they fall hard and fast (like usually in YA romances). It didn’t feel forced, given the prophecy and visions surrounding them, it felt natural.

There were plenty of surprising twists and turns. This book was a great start to the trilogy, setting up a lot of intriguing elements for the upcoming books. I really want to know more about Ashley, who she is now that she is not in her mother's shadow anymore. I loved Jackson and Lydia, and I can't wait to learn how their and Emily's mothers were connected. I also suspect Catherine still has a few tricks up her sleeve. It will be interesting to see how Wyn faces off against the werewolves and what the consequences will be.

It feels like this story has only just begun, and I can't wait to see what happens next!!

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the eArc, I can't wait to hold my exclusive edition of this book in my hands!!

This was such a cosy witchy read and was perfect for Autumn. I loved the characters and the setting, I really felt it come alive through Kelk’s writing. I saw of the twists coming, but still enjoyed it. I know it was YA, so I went along with the instalove.

This has to be one of my most anticipated reads of this year and it has not let me down! It was everything I wanted it to be and more, I’ve seen it be described as instalove but the FMC is 16 so it’s fitting in this book. The vibes in this book were immaculate, I really felt like I was in Savannah (I really want to visit now) the descriptions were just perfection. I really enjoyed the storyline it was exactly what I thought it would be and it was just like a massive cozy hug in a book! The book may have been a little predictable but I didn’t mind as it was well written. I kind of want to see Em with Jackson though 🙈 I can’t wait to receive my physical special editions of this book!

Thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC of this book in digital copy.

I read Love Story by Lindsey Kelk this summer and loved it. As romantasy made me accept my swoon for the romance genre in its entirety, I requested this book. I have to say it’s really well written and the writing is so different from her usual romcom style.

I liked the plot, characters and world building but something was missing to make this a blow away read for me. This may be as it is YA and I could see the plot coming from a distance which to some is comforting of course.

Perfect for lovers of Twilight, Beautiful Creatures etc.

This YA/emerging adult gothic fantasy/romance by Lindsey Kelk was a surprise. It's a step away from her usual genre but it really works. She captures the feelings of a being a young adult transplanted from rural Wales to Savannah who faces a succession of family secrets, the discovery of a world she didn't know and the exhilaration of first loves and new friends. The story is pact, the dialogue convincing and I raced through it in a day. If you grew up with Buffy, loved Vampire Diaries you'll love this. (Copy received from Netgalley in return for an honest review).

This was okay. Not my favourite from Kelk but an okay read.

I really enjoyed the main character and the friendships she made. However, I was not a fan of the insta-love. There was also some very obvious foreshadowing which made one of the twists not really that twisty, bit I could see the potential. There were a lot of modern slang and references which kind of took me out of the story when they were mentioned, but the worldbuilding was excellent and I truly felt like I knew what Savannah was like.

Definitely a great YA Witchy Gothic read, which was enjoyable but didn't hit that sweet spot for me. I enjoyed but wasn't obsessed.