Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced EARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the setting of this novel, and it's made me want to visit Savannah. It was beautifully drawn, and made me feel like I was there. The concept is fun and I'm interested to see where the author takes Emily's journey as she fully discovers her powers and navigates her love life dramas.
I occasionally found this a little slow and meandering, and finished the book feeling it was a bit of a set up for another, more detailed story. The characters are written very young, and I felt some of the references to Tiktok and Taylot Swift are likely to date the book very quickly.
Overall a fun idea in a beautiful, mysterious setting.

Having read all of Lindsey's work, I was thrilled to see her venture into YA/Paranormal/romantasy. While there were aspects of the book I enjoyed, the instalove and the ending were somewhat disappointing, resulting in mixed feelings about the read. I found myself wishing for more romance, though I recognize that at 16 or 17, I might have also declared love after just a few dates.
The setting captivated me, and the descriptions within the book were so vivid that at times, I felt transported into the characters' world.
The story's premise was intriguing, especially with its theme of self-discovery.

In summary, I found the story engaging and am keenly anticipating the next installment to see where the journey leads.

In the sweltering summer heat of Savannah, Georgia. Stood before the intimidating Bell House, a southern gothic fairytale brought to life.
Emily is about to unearth family secrets that will change her world forever, in fact it might just end it.

The story follows Emily, who after her father's death, finds herself living half way across the globe with family she never knew existed. While adjusting to her strange new home, the mysterious actions of her Grandmother and Aunt, she discovers secrets steeped it prophecy and magic. These revelations come with a weight of expectation that Emily is unsure she can live up to.

Genuinely Kelk's descriptive writing is transportive, from capturing the southern charm of Savannah to bringing to life the hauntingly beautiful Bell House. The attention to detail makes The Bell Witches an atmospheric and visually rich reading experience.

I adored the vivid writing style, those southern vibes and the way the house is depicted was delicious. I thought the magic system had a unique spin, I liked the ancestral links.
This book made me suspect everyones intentions, whether that says more about me as person or was just great on the books part for the slow unraveling of the mystery, following Emily's journey and learning her family history was very enjoyable.

I wasn't a big fan of the insta-love choice but that's just a personal preference and there were moments when certain characters made massive one-eighties with their behaviours and intentions that just felt unrealistic and left me a little unfulfilled.

That being said I am looking forward seeing what happens in the second book. I am hoping to get to know Lydia and Jackson more, anyone else wanting Lydia to come into her own witchy powers? It can't just be me.
Overall The Bell Witches makes a perfect autumn read full of mystery and magic.

I have pretty much read everything that Lindsey has put out, so I was super excited to see she was delving into YA/Paranormal/romantasy. There were things I really enjoyed about this book and things that I didn't so it was a bit of a mixed read for me.

I loved the setting and the way the setting was described within the book ... Genuinely at times I felt as though I was right there experiencing the environment like the characters. The supporting characters are good and most of the characters had quite a lot of depth.

The actual premise of the story was very interesting and has that getting to know yourself theme running through it but i really enjoyed it.

The things I didn't enjoy were the instalove and the ending felt slightly flat to me. I know there will be a sequel! The instant love thing was a bit far fetched tbh. I think I would have wanted a bit more romance!

Overall I enjoyed the story very much and I will be eagerly awaiting the next book to find out what happens next!

I adore Lindsey Kelk and have read all of her previous work, I was a little sceptical about this one as its most definitely not a genre I particularly enjoy BUT it’s Lindsey, so of course I gave it a shot. I was blown away by just how much I enjoyed it, the story had me gripped right from the beginning, the level of detail and character building and scene setting is incredible and despite this one not even being fully out in the world yet I am itching for the next instalment.
Bravo Kelk, Bravo!

This is exactly what I wanted it to be and I couldn't put it down. The YA witchy vibes with a mystery, southern gothic charm and lots of magic kept me turning pages so fast.

I was expecting this to be a standalone but it seems like it's a series and I'm not mad about it - although I'm not entirely sure where book two is going to go now the big mystery has been solved.

The story unfolds slowly but with enough action and intrigue to keep you reading. There's is a constant feeling that something isn't right but it's so hard to put your finger on exactly what it is and you feel increasingly unsettled alongside Emily.

While I did figure out the majority of the ending just before it happened, it was done so well that I really didn't mind. I did feel that we came to it super quickly though. There is a lot of scene setting and then all of a sudden it's time for the big reveal. Sometimes multiple chapters cover one day and the next we've jumped by several weeks.

All in all, I really loved this book. The descriptions made me feel like I was dying in the Savannah heat, I loved how magic was portrayed and explained and the mystery was multilayered and really interesting. I'll definitely be picking up the next book to see where things go.

A different type of story from Lindsey Kelk, but does not take away from her amazing style if writing.

I was hooked from the first page and I could not put the book down til I knew every word.

The characters are so detailed and draw you into the story instantly and the overall story was brilliantly written and thought out.

I cannot wait to read more.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read in book in advance for free in exchange for my honest review.

What a great little book this was! The gothic/witchy vibes were amazing. I loved the main character, Emily: she was funny and relatable, and made me want to be her friend. Wyn almost instantly metled my heart. The other side characters were all amazing, and each felt well fleshed out. The writing was amazing, in that I could get lost in the story and pictured every character and the city very well. It didn't feel over the top, tryiing to be something it's not. It felt just right.
The plot was good: I didn't necessarily guess what would happen, which was also helped by the writing as I felt encouraged me to just go with the flow of the book and not try to desperately figure out what would happen.
Overall it was really entertaining, I had a great time reading it, and I will keep Lindsey Kelk on my radar for her next release!

I have read all of this authors book and I absolutely loved this book! It was absolutely perfect! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

I enjoyed the world building most of all in this book even though we don’t get too much movement within the environment, I just loved the southern vibe and the way the house is depicted. The pacing of the book felt a little slow in parts and had what felt like filler moments.

I like the unique way of magic and how ancestral it is. The FMC is also a great character, finding her feet in a traditional southern town with a family she thought was dead.

My main criticism is I didnt like the ending, all book we’ve been realising her family’s intentions and near the end due to tragic circumstance there’s a massive U-Turn on their behaviour and intention. I didnt like how drastic that change of heart was regardless of the reason.

I’d rate it a 3.5 - 3.75.

Wow, that was certainly a ride. I loved parts of this book, but others kind of made cringe… for instance, the word “unalive” was used by two different characters to reference killing or death, and that broke immersion for me. I also wasn’t a fan of the insta-love the MC had with Wyn, but I guess her magic might explain that (I can’t say why without giving away plot details).

Overall, I had a good time reading this book and I’m interested in reading a sequel if it becomes a series. It wasn’t a masterpiece by any means, but I think it explored some complex themes really well and the pacing felt right. I also really liked Ashley’s character development and I loved Lydia so much that I wish she were real. There was a lot done right in Lindsey Kelk’s latest novel.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 ⭐️

it's really hard for me to review this book. on one hand, there were many things I really enjoyed about the story and the setting. on the other, some things annoyed me to hell.

let's start with the things I liked:
🔔 the setting: the atmosphere was unmatched. I have never been to Georgia or the South of the US in general, but I feel I was there while reading
🔔 found family
🔔 character development of some of the supporting characters

what I kind of hated:
🧙‍♀️ the insta love, why? there was so much potential in making this mortal enemies to lovers, and yet..
🧙‍♀️ the tension. now don't get me wrong, I love it when it's done well but in this instance it was so superficial, the high stakes didn't match the conflict, or at least not in the right way
🧙‍♀️ character development of the FMC

will I continue the series? probably. I just hope that some of the things that annoyed me will improve in the second book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Magpie, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
I really enjoyed Lindsey’s first YA fantasy novel. I enjoy reading fantasy, however, I struggle with fantasy that is extremely in-depth with world building with lots of things to get your head around and remember. So I felt The Bell Witches was perfect for me. Seeing Emily develop throughout the book and learning more about her parents, and her family history was a good journey to be part of. I would love to get to know more on Lydia and Jackson. Lydia, especially had a great personality that I hope we see more of in book two.
There was a lot of family drama with her grandmother and aunt, which Emily starts to uncover when she moves to Savannah Georgia.
I feel like the book was well done and I look forward to seeing where things go with Emily and Wyn in the sequel, and seeing how they move forward with what’s happened in book one.
there were some lovely quotes throughout the book with a lot of messages that you can take away from the book.
The one problem with reading an ARC of a book you have fallen in love with is that you have even longer to wait for the sequel.

This was not at all what I expected. I'd like to preface this review to say that I have read a number of YA books and loved them, so this isn't an issue of not being a fan of YA.

One thing I loved is the way the author transported you to the deep south. I've never been to America, but I could really get a sense of the heat and the community that surrounded our main character. That being said, the rest of the book fell a little flat for me.

I found the entire plot very predictable to the point where I guessed all the plot twists by about 20% of the way through. The romantic part of plot in my opinion had no depth to it. I understand the element of "fated mates" from basically every other fantasy book I've read, but this just felt a little too easy and quick. And for me, her age played another role in my dislike for the romance.

The other gripe I had was the modern language and the little added popular culture things such as Taylor Swift being shoehorned in it (I love Taylor but this just felt unnecessary and trying to force cool points).

All of this being said, I don't think this is a bad book. However, I would say that being published as a YA story is incorrect as it feels very young. I would say this is more like teen fiction, for those who would possibly believe the love story and appreciate the easy storytelling and modern language. For this reason, I have rated it 3 stars for a target audience of young teens.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this early ARC.

Will be posted to my bookstagram @hanreadingjournal and on Goodreads.

Lindsey Kelk's *The Bell Witch* sets up an intriguing Southern gothic tale with a richly atmospheric setting in Savannah, Georgia. The novel introduces us to Emily, who, after her father’s death, is thrust into the enigmatic world of her aunt and grandmother, uncovering a family secret that’s steeped in magic. Kelk excels in painting vivid, detailed scenes that bring the haunting beauty of the Bell family home to life. Her descriptive writing is the novel's standout feature, capturing the eerie charm and the mysterious undercurrents that flow through the story.

However, despite the compelling setup, *The Bell Witch* struggles with pacing issues that detract from the overall experience. The narrative moves slowly, and while a slower pace can work in gothic fiction, here it often feels uneven. Key events that could have been more fully explored are instead glossed over, leaving readers wanting more depth and insight. On the flip side, certain moments are drawn out unnecessarily, as if the author was attempting to fill space rather than advance the story, which disrupts the flow and diminishes the tension.

When the action does arrive, it delivers excitement and intensity, but these moments are all too brief, leaving the reader craving more sustained engagement. The relationship between Emily and Wyn, which is central to the story, feels underdeveloped at times, lacking the depth and gradual build-up that could have made their connection more impactful.

In conclusion, *The Bell Witch* offers an atmospheric and visually rich reading experience, but its uneven pacing and occasional lack of depth hold it back from being truly compelling. Fans of Southern gothic tales might still find much to enjoy, especially in Kelk’s evocative descriptions, but the novel ultimately earns a 3-star rating for its inconsistencies in execution.

What’s not to love about a witchy mystery meets Lindsey Kelk ?? Wonderful setting, storyline and characters! I love this new genre for Kelk and I cannot wait to see what she does next! Highly recommended! Thanks so much to NetGalley and to the publisher for my ARC ✨

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

2/5 stars

I wanted to love this book so much. It had witches, secrets, werewolves and a historical setting! Unfortunately it just missed the mark for me. The romance sub plot felt rushed and too convenient. This was a fun coming to age storyline but the romance was distracting and didn’t fit.

Emily should have had a lot more questions than what she did. Wyn left and came back and she acted like he wasn’t gone for 2+ weeks. Her aunt tried to kill her and she just kind of shrugged and moved along. I feel like she should have questioned more things and researched information before just going along with half the things that happened.

Wyn came out of nowhere and left just as quickly. I do think his story arc could have been axed completely and we wouldn’t have missed much. I felt like most of what he brought was all bark no bite. He mentioned his pack was coming for him but no one showed up? Just felt way too convenient especially since they were worried about a dark force.

I liked the setting and learning about Bell House and the previous Bell witches. The aunt had a really cool storyline that was over shadowed by how hot and cold she was. The magic system was interesting and I would have enjoyed learning more about that.

I love Lindsey Kelk and I was very excited to read this and I enjoyed this YA title although I felt it lacked the specialness that you normally get from her writing. I did enjoy it and it gave me vampire diaries vibes when reading - but obviously witches! The characters are well written and the story is twisty enough to keep you turning pages I will definitely be interested to see where we go from here.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I know have another author that I want to read more from. This book was so good, a lovely story, I loved the characters. Would I recommend this book oh yes I would.

It's no secret that I love Lindsey's writing already, but wasn't sure if I would be a fan of her debut YA Fantasy... I LOVED IT. Honestly could not put this book down, it had me hooked from the get-go and it was such a great read.

I loved reading the start of Emily's story, and her discovering being a witch. I loved seeing her relationships grow with Wyn, Lydia, Jackson and of course Catherine and her aunt Ashley. I really can't wait for the next book in The Bell Witches series to be out (no pressure Lindsey!) and to see more of Emily + the rest of the Savannah gang. Until then, I think I'll be re-reading this as much as possible!