The cover of this book is really cute and the premise set things up for a fun sapphic witch romance. In some ways it lived up to this. I loved the cozy vibes of describing the meadows and woods and surroundings. But a lot of this story felt like it was waiting for something to happen instead of making something had. This made the plot drag at times.

Four to be nice and cozy, liked the love story and I loved the setting. But I thought It was paced very slow and found things to be quite predictable. I didn’t hate it though!

"The Honey Witch" promised a unique, atmospheric experience but didn’t quite deliver. The blend of whimsical and dark elements felt uneven, and I struggled to connect with the characters, who came off as more sketch than fully realized. The pacing was off too—some parts dragged on, while others were rushed, leaving me wishing for a smoother flow. There were hints of an interesting world lurking in the background, but those moments were too few and far between to really pull everything together. Overall, it’s an intriguing idea that just never gets enough depth to stand out.

Cute but also incredibly predictable. Everything I thought would happen, did. It's definitely cosy if you're into that kind of thing, but for me it lacked originality and bite. I won't be thinking or remembering it much in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5*
This wasn't as bad as I had heard but the MC was utterly obnoxious for far too long. I did enjoy the witches in the book and the magical island where the honey witches have loved sounded amazing, but the actual build up took way too long to get to the action and I kind of saw the reveal coming hence the middle ground rating

3.5 ✨✨✨

First a thanks to netgalley for letting me read this (but behind on them aren’t I I’ve had it over a year)

What a great story! I really enjoyed the whimsical ness of this book and how she came to be the Honey Witch. I love the involvement and progressions of her witchyness - loved it. Her relationships from beginning to end. It was just all growth and positivity really I mean obviously it wasn’t smooth but it was good to read.

I found it a little bit predictable but in a good way because you want that to happen obvs!

Bits to know
Enemies to lovers
One bed
Yearning
Sapphic loveeeeee


Some quotes from the book.
‘But there is only one small bed as well’ - how I kicked my feet YES we know what’s going down in there.

‘All I want is to touch you without hurting you’ - like literally metaphorically and mentally - my heart

‘She was the moon and I was the sea’ - cuttteeee

This was the first novel I have read by this author but will not be the last. This was a sapphic romance with witchy vibes. This was a cute read that was captivating. Would highly recommend it if you're looking for a sweet witchy read.

I really really liked this book and the cozy magical vibes it had. I’m a sucker for all sapphic romance and this really delivered. Such an interesting premise as well.

This book was an absolute dream. My heart for Marigold and Lottie was so big and I adored watching their beautiful love for each other blossom in such a wholesome story. I love how strong willed Marigold is, especially after going through so much trauma and was so pleased when Lottie entered her life (even if Marigold was less than impressed to begin with), and enabled her to find a path to healing herself. I loved the cosy fantasy and was fascinated by the honey magic (beekeeping), the descriptions of the magical land of Innisfree was perfect and sent my imagination off on a wild adventure. I loved that the sapphic love between Marigold and Lottie was so gentle and that the developing love and appreciation for each other shows that no matter how dire a situation is, love can surpass it all. A really beautiful and tender, cottagecore tale.

Combining cosy fantasy with sapphic regency era vibes.

I enjoyed the characters and seeing how they grew. I loved the magic system and how it worked. It is not something I have seen before. The love story was beautiful. The writing was whimsical and easy to read. I loved the found family, female empowerment vibes of the book.

Mild spoilers ahead:

This book started off strong, with a relaxed pace, and beautiful world building. You really fell into Marigolds life and how she grew into her powers. The ending felt like a different book, The resolution was too swift and its pace jarring against the rest of the book. It was also quite predictable, not in a bad way per se but the reveal did fall flat for me.

I loved the first 3/4 and wish the pace had stayed the same.

The story centers on Marigold Claude, a 21-year-old who becomes the Honey Witch of Innisfree—a role that comes with the bittersweet curse of never finding true love. The setting is charming, and the premise intrigued me, but the execution left me wanting more.

The narrative had its sweet moments, and I appreciated the cozy, magical atmosphere Shields created. However, the plot felt somewhat predictable, and the pacing dragged in places, making it a bit of a slog to get through. The characters, while endearing, didn't fully develop, leaving me less invested in their journeys.

Overall, it's a decent read if you're into light, witchy romances with a cottagecore vibe, but it didn't quite cast the spell I was hoping for. A solid 3 out of 5 stars from me.

Marketed as cosy fantasy Bridgerton, but falls flat on every single count. Poor characterisation and plot. Had to DNF

This is fantasy, fantasy romance.

Our female main character has never been interested in the life that she's expected to lead, so when her grandmother invites her to come live on this island and become the Honey Witch she jumps on the opportunity. Even though it comes.with a curse that no one can ever fall in love with her.

She accepts that until her childhood best friend turns up on the island with a girl and then things get complicated. And not only that, there seems to be dark magic which is creeping into the island.

This should have had everything I wanted, it's regency time period, forest setting, soul mates - I love all those things, but I didn't love this overall.

It's definitely supposed to be an adult book, but it reads almost like a children's book, with the characters reacting like people barely into their teens (which does make the spicy scenes less appealing).

There are also lines throughout the book which don't feel like the belong - like they've been included for quotability rather than fitting what's happening or the characters.

I didn't think the magic system.was very well defined - there didn't seem to any limits to her powers other than finding the right Honey and navigating a 6000 page book. And for the plot, I don't understand why Honey and ash witches had to be specifically opposites as that really didn't make sense despite multiple explanations.

2.5 stars

This book was absolutely amazing, I could not stop reading it once I picked it up, first off the cover is absolutely eye catching and beautiful, but the writing is absolutely otherworldly and whimsical, the type that sweeps you into another world when you’re sat reading in your kitchen. This book was like a peaceful fairy tail which I adored. The characters were written amazingly and I loved them all!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this eArc.

This was okay. I can't quite put my finger on one specific reason why that's how I feel about this book. There were parts that were honestly brilliantly written but, between chunks of info dumping, the pacing feeling rushed and inconsistent, and the dialogue often feeling unnatural or forced in my opinion this just didn't hit the mark for me personally.

The cover was beautiful and the concept had me ready to fall into a rich and sweet (if you'll excuse the pun) story but, unfortunately I didn't find those vibes.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me.

I found the author on Instagram and was instantly captured by the story she pitched and was delighted to get my hands on an eArc.

This book reads like an advanced draft. It needs work on the pacing. Some very important things were left unmentioned when other things that could have been skipped were given too much time. The plot twist is predictable but that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you want a cosy read.

I skimmed after page 145 mostly to confirm I knew what was going to happen.

While I am aware there are some flaws and issues with this, such as how glaringly obvious the truth of our love interest was, the writing was beautiful, the magic was whimsical and it made me cry at two different points, so I can't give it less than this. 4.5 stars!

DNFed at 42%
I found this so boring, I just couldn't keep reading it. Everything seemed skimmed and rushed over. It was weirdly preachy in parts and about as subtle as a brick. Also, the curse made no sense at all. Unfortunately, this was nothing like I thought it would be.

This just lacked the magic.

When Witch is mentioned in the title I expect there to be more magic.

Saying that the romance lacked the magic as well.

The characters were very juvenil.

It really did not appeal.

2 stars because I did finish it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit and author Sydney J. Shields for this eARC

The cottagecore vibes in this are immaculate.

I loved the magic system, the cozy vibes, the whimsey and the love story. The way it deals with grief and loneliness is done really well. It’s very slow paced, which I absolutely don’t mind in a cozy fantasy.
However, I disliked what the author did with the curse and the final “battle” and the triumph over the villain was just so… *eye roll* - cringey and cliche.

3.5 stars