This was a neutral read for me. The novel follows Scarlett, a witch from a small town who's been gone for 10 years and is called back by her sisters to help at their family inn. Awaiting her arrival is a town that's gone magically haywire and a childhood friend that she can't seem to forget about.

Pros: I liked the setting! A cozy, perfect fall town in New England with magic, witches, and community. Sounds idyllic and exactly where I want to be this time of the year!

Cons: 1. The FMC was incredibly annoying. As a reader, it felt like I was bouncing around with no clue what she was going to say, think, or do next. Her relationships with her sisters and mom were uncomfortable. I have a sister and even at our worst we wouldn't banter or argue with so much hostility (especially when it also seems like the sisters are supposed to be close?).
2. The "slow burn" relationship was not really slow burn or a focus of the story. There was a lot of time spent on the relationship in terms of pages, but it felt like it didn't add to the plot until the very end (which was super rushed).

Overall, this novel had the basis of a great story! It does have cozy, fall elements and is a quick read if you're looking for something lighter this fall.

Scarlett our FMC has just been called home to Oak Haven, where she hasn't stepped foot in 10 years. After running away one night without a word to anyone to San Francisco, she finds herself wondering what could possibly be so wrong and rehashing old memories. Oak Haven is a beautiful town in the northeast where all women are witches and everyone who is not a witch will forget about the town after leaving. Scarlett has been tasked with helping her sisters and mother (one of the elder coven witches) save the grove from catastrophe all while re igniting old and new feelings towards her old "friend" Nate.

I really liked parts of this book, and felt other parts fell a little flat. I so wished the author would have spent more time in some areas to make the book not feel as choppy with jumping between what was happening.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ten years ago, Scarlett Melrose left Oak Haven (and being a witch) but when her estranged sisters call to tell her to come home, she knows it's time. It turns out that the magic in town is acting up. Unfortunately, it's not an easy fix and the more time passes, the worse things get around town.

This book is described as 'where Gilmore Girls meets Charmed', so as a millennial I was immediately excited. It also didn't hurt that the cover is so cute. I like the premise of the story - a quaint town that's inhabited by witches. It's the epitome of Fall vibes.

Unfortunately, the story fell a little flat for me. In the beginning, there were a lot of nods to Gilmore girls, to the point that it felt like characters were created just to fit that narrative instead of using the shows as loose inspiration.

Scarlett has an incredibly toxic relationship with her family. They continually view her as a problem, even when that's not the case. It was also weird that they called her home to help fix the town's magic problem, only to turn around and either blame her for the mess or question her about her childhood crush (and if they'll finally be getting together now that she's home).

Nate is still hopelessly in love with Scarlett. It's almost like he's been cast with a love spell, just based on how devoted he is to Scarlett. It was a little pathetic, like his entire identity is based around Scarlett.

There's some romance and mystery, though the mystery portion is unsatisfying. I'm not sure if it's done to leave a door open to a sequel. It's easy for the reader to guess who is causing problems early in the book but there are a lot of loose ends and it left me with mixed feelings.

This story had a lot of potential but there are too many pop culture references that will age poorly. Also, Grimoire uses the term 'muggle' which really pulled me out of the story (I'm not sure that's a typical word for non-magical people).

I was drawn to this book by the beautiful cover and was after a read to match the current change of season. I mostly enjoyed this book. It was a little hard at times to keep up with who was talking during conversations, but I loved getting to know the interesting characters of oak haven. A lovely book to curl up with this Autumn.

This was absolutely a great addition to my fall reads of 2024! I love the heavy focus on magic and family, and the romance was still important (not to mention Nate & Scarlett are adorable) but it didn’t take the main focus. I laughed, cried and felt so content by the time the book was over. Now I’m hoping for future adventures in Oak Haven!

Book review 📚
Impractical Magic by Emily Grimoire
⭐⭐⭐⭐

I won’t lie to you – the two reasons I requested this book? Firstly, impractical magic? I know I was not the only person who thought of ‘Practical Magic’ almost instantly. Second, Emily Grimoire? That, that is a goddamn genius move on the authors behalf. I LOVE it!!

Anyway, that’s why I wanted to read it but now let me tell you why I continued to read it and I why I rated it 4 stars. It is the perfect book for autumn, cute and cosy vibes all the way through, with some added Gilmore Girls vibes along the way. The characters we’re “okay”, some were annoying and irritating and some were just …. Meh. They could of done with some more work as they just wasn’t very standout-y. The whole family dynamic/drama, is a bit much. I get it, we all have these moments but we didn’t need quite that much.

But the ending made it as good as it was. I wasn’t left disappointed, or angry, or heartbroken, or anything. It was a good ending and a lovely wrap up to the story. There is definitely some room for improvement, but I fell in love with the overall theme and plot of the book.

What I loved about Impractical Magic it’s cosy autumn witchy romance book I loved reading it, loved the plot fully enjoyed reading it I’m now going to pre order it and thank you NetGalley and Avon books for the arc

I had high hopes for this book. The vibes were so cute in the beginning. But by the end I was questioning what the heck was even happening. Didn’t really love.

Unfortunately this was not for me and I had to DNF about 40% of the way in. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in wxcjange for an honest review

Thank you Avon Books UK and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book wasn't for me as I DNFed at 35%. I have never seen Gilmore Girls, so perhaps if I understood the reference more I may have felt differently?

Impractical Magic follows Scarlett Melrose as she returns to her hometown (and by default, returns to her estranged family). Magic throughout the town has been acting up, and Scarlett and her family will do whatever it takes to bring it back to normal.

Unfortunately, I did not resonate with the author's writing style. The dialogue was tough to get through. It felt like I was watching a early 2000s sitcom - the jokes were cheesy, the pop culture references were overwhelming, and the pacing was sporadic. I'm sure others will enjoy this, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

1.5 ⭐

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eArc.

This wasn't for me. The premise of Oakhaven, a mashup of Halloweentown and Stars Hollow, was interesting. But, the execution was lacking. Impractical Magic read like a first draft. It tried to emulate the banter of the Palladino's writing style, and failed. The dialogue is unrealistic and flat. The result was word soup with some really bad jokes (I cringed several times). The characters were undeveloped, and the story lacked any real tension.

Stars: 3.25/5
Spice: 1?

What I liked: cozy fall small town vibes; endearing MMC; cast of characters; bit of mystery; creative resolution and interesting storytelling device in that chapter.

What I disliked: the FMC was whiny and self-centered, the sisters and mother were horrible to her, but we're supposed to be okay with it in the end; the town mystery has holes (how does the G&S society book a yearly event at a town they're not supposed to remember? How does the mom have a friendship/maybe more with a celebrity who is supposed to forget the town?); the MMC is maybe a little too hung up; a lot of the story lines were left dangling or just conveniently sorted out.

I have very mixed feelings on this one. By the end i was invested, but I got separated a few times a long the way. It's a nice, cozy idea that's missing something.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this eARC.

This book should have been an email. There was so much unnecessary filler, the whole book takes place over like a few weeks then all of a sudden the last 5% jumps a whole year? And for what? Something that could have been solved if people would make a search party correctly. Couldn’t stand Scarlett. Violets sub plot didn’t have a resolution so why even put in? Also the whole mystery aspect was solved so quickly and easily with no lasting effect it was hard to wonder why it was such a big deal. This whole book was a big fluffy mess.

This was a super cozy and fun fall read. Definitely Gilmore Girls vibes (with some portions that felt straight out of the show) - with a hint of witchy/supernatural built in. Definitely recommend as a quick read to get in the mood for the fall season!

This book is a good addition to the cozy Fall witch genre, but doesn’t QUITE live up to some of its predecessors for me. It was a quick read and has all of the necessary cozy mystery ingredients- Scarlett has just returned to her magical small town following a desperate call from her family. The magic that usually keeps the town secret and safe and well, magical, is all over the place. The small town has to come together to help the family solve the mystery and get everything back in its place.

As I was reading, I found the family components to be super annoying. We’ve all read books where family drama is a major trope, but this one pushes it to a new level. The sisters are all fighting and snarky and the mother is a narcissistic pain in the butt. The level of snarkiness goes beyond sister feuds and quickly grates on the nerves. Scarlett blaming herself and accepting the blame placed on her by others becomes very repetitive.

With that said, I really enjoyed the ending of the book. The way that the problem is solved (no spoilers!) and then the way it is wrapped up to show the next year was really magical and it was reminiscent of the Practical Magic series. (Not the storyline, but HOW it was written.) I just found it to be the best part of the whole book.

I appreciate so much the opportunity to read this advance copy, thanks to Emily Grimoire and Avon Books!

I tried really hard to get into this book, but I think it ultimately wasn't for me. I loved the autumn/witchy vibes and the overall fall feeling of the story, however the plot seemed to jump around a lot and the dialogue between the characters felt disjointed. It just seemed to move from one character to another in a way that didn't feel natural. I do think the concept of the story was a good idea overall and that it could be great with some minor tweaking.

This was such a fun, witchy read! Perfect for the cozy vibes of the fall season!

This book was filled with lovable characters. The family tension was really well written, and the small town setting is absolutely dreamy. I loved the magic in town, the twisty portals, and I love a mini-trope of magic-in-trouble!

My real issue with this book though is just that I wanted more! More depth in some of the side characters' stories. I wanted more from the reckoning between Scarlett and her mama. Their relationship is so complicated and while they worked through a big trauma point for Scarlett, there was a lot more of their relationship that could have been explored. And finally I just wanted more from the ending. I wanted to feel more before we tied things up so neatly. The ending took place over a long period of time, but we only got to see it on a small number of pages.

Overall, this is a wonderful, sweet cozy fall read. Best enjoyed with an oversize sweatshirt, warm beverage of choice, and crisp autumn air! Bonus points for brightly colored leaves and chubby squirrels. Even if they aren't wearing berets.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions. <3

such a good book to put you in the mood for fall & halloween!!

i am so glad i read this :) it was a intense mashup of gilmore girls x halloweentown x charmed.

with the scene set in autumn heaven, oak haven new england, the author creates the most perfect town of witches - imagine stars hallow and halloweentown had a baby, but when non-witches leave oak haven, they don’t remember anything. thanks to the forgetting spell that is cast over the town to protect it.

the story follows the melrose sisters, specifically scarlett, and the downfall of their beloved town. the sisters work tirelessly to solve the problem with magic in their town and restore it and all its glory.

the story has elements of romance - which had me hooked. i was rooting for nate and scarlett (as was the entire town). it also had family issues built in the story, with the difficult relationship between scarlett & her mom and sisters.

the storyline and the plot twist all fell into place and i thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

there wasn’t anything that sucked me in and made me obsessed with any of the characters. but overall it was a enjoyable read that took me a week or so to finish.

thank you netgallery for sending me this arc!!

Unfortunately I did have to DNF this book as I wasn't a fan of the writing and the characters within. I really enjoyed the premise from what I read and it had a lot of potential, I just couldn't get on with the childlike dialogue. For the right person though this will be a chaotic and fun read!

2.5/5 ⭐️

I am normally a fantasy reader but have found some great contemporary witchy books. As a super fan of both Gilmore Girls and Charmed I figured this would be the book for me. Unfortunately it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea.

The characters felt a little one dimensional and fell flat for me. The romance happened so fast and didn’t seem realistic.

The fall Halloween vibes were there, but overall I’m not sure I am the target audience for this book. I would have probably given an extra star if there were less pop culture references (muggle?!?) and less dialogue heavy scenes.