Member Reviews
I was really ready for this to be a great read. I absolutely love the film Practical Magic (less so the book) and was hoping for a cute, autumnal witchy romance. That's clearly what the author was trying for and on the surface achieved, but there was just a such disconnect between the setting and the timing that I couldn't get past. I just couldn't get a hold on the characters and their motivations, the sisters are presented as being in their late 20s/early 30s in a year close to 2024, which is my age, but their references to pop culture felt kind of all over the place. Their motivations were very unclear, they all seemed so keen to blame Scarlett for everything, even when it clearly wasn't her fault, that I just felt annoyed. There was no discernable chemistry between Scarlett and Nate, there was a distinct issue around show don't tell for this aspect.
Overall, despite really wanting to, I just didn't enjoy this book. As this hadn't improved by the 40% mark I decided I had to dnf.
I really wanted to love this and was excited to read it when it said for fans of Gilmore Girls, but would give this 2.5 stars. The storyline dragged on and was so slow at times. I felt like the ending wrapped up quickly and a little melodramatically. It had cute small town charm & fall witchy vibes, but I didn’t connect with any of the characters that much.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
I love the cover of book so much; I just wish I loved the actual book as much. While I enjoyed the cozy fall vibes of parts of this book much of the rest fell flat. The characters, especially the FMC, were sadly one-dimensional, and felt a bit too similar to Gilmore Girls characters. Overall, the pacing was off, the story leaned too far into “cutesy”, and a bit more refining. Though this didn’t tick enough boxes for me, the premise is fun and will delight plenty of readers.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
If you're looking for the a blend of coziness and adventure, then "Impractical Magic" by Emily Grimoire is a perfect fit. The summary of this book promises a mix of "Gilmore Girls" and "Charmed" and doesn't miss. With the sisterly bickering, the town of eclectic characters, and a mystery to solve surrounding magic, this book delivers a wonderful story of family, adventure, romance, and facing your fears.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC
This one had me with the cute cover, the "Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic" vibes it promised, and the coziness of a fall book. Sadly, this one didn't quite deliver. At times, the author was extremely descriptive, but then all of a sudden was off on another tangent. I also could not tell you what any of the characters looked like, all I know is their personalities were atrocious. The way that the family treated each other was extreme, especially for Scarlet. I felt like their were decent bones to this story, maybe, but it definitely needed some more editing and fleshing out.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
This book makes for a great quick autumnal read. It advertises being a mix of Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic, but I feel like there is some Charmed vibes too. The plot is easy to follow and I was able to read this with my daughter interupting every few minutes too.
🏘Small Pucturesque Town
🍂Autumn Vibes
👫Second-Chance Romance
✨️Magic
👩👧👧Family Reconnect
🔍A Dash of Mystery
I was so excited to be approved to read this galley. Thank you to the publisher! I so enjoyed this novel and will be purchasing a physical copy for my library.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to review this book. This, on paper, sounded like a cute and cozy fall read to get into the spirit of the season. However, I felt like I had to pay very close attention to make sure I followed along, and while I appreciate world and lore building, I wanted something more like Gilmore Girls like this was promised: light, snappy, fun, and cozy like LukeMs flannels.
Impractical Magic by Emily Grimoire was described as perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls and Charmed. and to a good extent it lived up to that description. Scarlett Melrose is a witch no matter how much she has tried to live without magic since she left her home of Oak Haven years ago, so when her estranged sisters call her for help as the magic in the town is going awry, despite her misgivings she returns home. The last thing she expected to find when she got there was her sort of ex/former best friend Nate working as a handyman in the family's inn. Of course her attempts to help go disastrously wrong, forcing her and Nate to work together to solve the problem.
This is definitely a cute and cosy read that has great autumnal vibes but I struggled to care about the characters, which is definitely a problem when the romance is central to the story, I am also not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope and there was a lot of that going on in this book. Speaking of a lot, there was also a lot going on in terms of the plot, it felt quite messy and disjointed at times, like a few too many ideas had been crammed together.
Potential but it did not quite work for me.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
Impractical magic is a cosy autumn read with magical sisters and a sweet romance. I really wanted to love this book but I was disappointed in the writing and overall story line, especially near the end. It had a lot of potential it just felt a little underdeveloped and lacking depth. Saying that, I did enjoy the story and the Melrose sisters. A cute read for this time of year.
3 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to review this book.
When your last name is Grimoire, you’re pretty much destined to write a story about witches! (I thought the coincidence was pretty fun). Scarlett moved away from home years ago but when her estranged sisters call, it’s clear something is up in her small hometown of Oak Haven. From fixing the mess of a curse to reconciling with her magical family and the ex that got away, Nate, Scarlett is faced with the ultimate test.
This was a cozy-ish magical romcom perfect for witchy season, but sometimes lacked any depth or continuity of how plot points came to be. Also didn’t get Gilmore Girls vibes (as it was marketed to be like) beyond the small town.
Thank you to Avon Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Scarlett gets a call from her sister saying that magic in their hometown is acting up so after ten years of steering clear of home she finally returns to help restore order, and maybe even rekindle things with her childhood crush.
This honestly felt like I was getting whiplash. It’s a cute concept, that felt a bit like a rip off of the premise for the thistle grove series, and partly like a toddler threw spaghettios at the wall. Some of the time I felt like the dialogue was well written, and then a character would address her sister as “sis”. There’s a way to write a cute cozy witchy fall book without it being so quirky that there are exploding gourds or bad Star Wars jokes. There’s also a way to write a romance without miscommunication every other chapter rather than being a third act breakup. Furthermore, if Grimoire isn’t a pen name I’d be astounded but less disappointed.
Thank you Net galkey and Avon books..
Loved it. Quick & cozy fall read. It was full of detail, I really had to pay attention. It did feel.lije more work then it should have been. But over all a good book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advanced Reader copy of this book!
Pitched for fans of Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic. I was so excited to read this book! It had every vibe that I love for fall.
Unfortunately I struggled to get absorbed in it. It felt sort of one dimensional to me. And I really really did not click with the main character, I felt she was very immature and brash. I also didn’t like her poor relationship with her mother and her older sister. I just felt like this book didn’t really have a lot of the depth that I was looking for.
We start out with Scarlett, who is returned to her magical hometown after being away for 10 years. As a story goes on, we learn more about why she left and didn’t come back and how it relates to the problem at hand. The problem was, I couldn’t find it in myself to really care.
The book had a good plot, I just struggled to immerse myself in it. Overall it wasn’t a terrible story.
This book was cute, it just was not for me. I will say, however it's perfect for the fall season if you want a cutesy book to read! I was just personally bored.
Thank you to Net Galley and Avon Books for this arc. I DNF at 31% as I wasn’t really enjoying it. I got too confused during conversations and couldn’t connect to any of the characters. I think it definitely had potential and could use a bit more editing. It just wasn’t the book for me.
If you are looking for a descriptive, fall, cozy read, you might really enjoy this!
I enjoyed the rich descriptions of the small town where the book is set. Scarlett, the main character, has returned to her enchanted home town to find the magic isn’t working as it should. What is going on? And where did the magic come from to begin with?
We find out, while meeting a cast of characters! The book has a lot going on- romance, sisterhood, magic, and many pop culture references. It’s fun to read a witchy novel set in present time!
It’s billed as a Gilmore Girls X Charmed inspired book, and it does have elements of both. I liked it, but didn’t love it. I found Scarlett to be not very likable, and the dialogue often felt unnatural. I also wanted more depth, but that’s not what this book is meant to be. It’s a quick, fun read.
Give this a try if you are looking for a cozy, easy read full of autumn vibes! 🍂🍁🍂🍂🍁
Ticks all the cosy autumn boxes - romance, witchy, gentle, falling leaves, small town... but has a surprising depth to it too. Loved all the well-crafted magic, especially the quirks of Oak Haven, and Scarlett's backstory was equally compelling, Nicely paced plot too (although I felt the final few chapters felt a little rushed). Overall, a lovely magical and atmospheric read.
I think this book has great potential. It's good if you're looking for a quick cozy read during the fall. It was advertised as Gilmore girls but add in some magic. I think what I struggled with the most was the dialogue it just wasn't for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the gifted ebook.
This was such a fun read to start out my October to be read list. This gave so many Gilmore girls vibes. I love the main characters so much this was fun and magical. Everything I could have imagined.