ARC READ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 for a perfect charmed/ Gilmore girls fall book. Perfect for spooky season. This reminded me so much of the old charmed tv show and I LOVED it. Based of other reviews I saw this isn’t for everyone but you have to go into knowing it is what it is a fluffy romance. I’m not a huge fan of second chance romance but this childhood friends to lovers was really really cute. This books releases Oct 1st of this year. Highly recommend for my witchy read girlies or any fan of charmed. thank you to @netgalley abd the author and publishers for giving me this arc to read and review.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon for approving me to read Impractical Magic by Emily Grimoire. This was a really fun read, perfect for those looking for something with great autumn vibes. That said, while the tone of the book was very light, there’s some stuff in there that is actually kinda dark if you think about it too much, mainly the memory spell that protects the town Oak Haven. This isn’t a major spoiler, but do stop reading if you want to read the whole book with a fresh slate. While the book focuses on how it protects the town and its witches from outsiders, it reveals but then glosses over the fact that all the town residents who aren’t witches are the essentially held hostage by the spell, since they can’t leave town for very long without forgetting everything that happened there, which for lifelong residents would be literally everything…I kept waiting for breaking the memory spell to be a major part of the story but it never really came about. Also, while I liked Scarlet, she didn’t have as much main character energy as either of her sisters, and the family dynamic never warmed up enough for my taste, so much so that I honestly think Scarlet maybe WAS better off in SF versus her hometown. Again, I want to reiterate that this was an enjoyable read, but there are also aspects that just didn’t land the way they were intended, at least not for me.

I tried so hard to like this.
It just felt so unfinished. The dialogue drove me insane and read so badly. A lot of the narrative was quite good, but then descriptors like "mansplaining" or "Canadianishly" would be thrown in and I very almost put the book down. Also, I feel like the author was adding words in that sounded impressive but actually made no sense in context. There's a specific word that's used to describe a pillar of smoke which actually describes something to do with calligraphy. Using words to make a sentence seem more impressive are fine as long as they make sense.
It had potential, but I just couldn't gel with it.

Overall, I love the concept of the book and think it’s a cozy fall read! My main struggle getting into the book was that it took too long for us to dive into the main problem of the book. It just felt like it was trying to emulate Gilmore girls but there was no main conflict for a while. I forgot entirely about that plot line because there wasn’t a big focus on it. I also thought this was a YA book because it felt so young, but there was spice and cursing. If this IS an adult book, I think we can go further with the adult humor and spice. If it is YA, we can take those back even more. It just felt like a weird in between book and I couldn’t quite place what audience is being reached with this one. The main romance, although I think it is meant to be a side plot, lacked depth or care. I completely forgot about that plot line as well and didn’t care too much. In the end, I did enjoy my time, however I just felt like it was chaotic trying to read this book. I’d be interested to read another book by the author! 2.5/5 but I’m rounding up to 3!

I absolutely devoured this book! If you are a fan of Gilmore Girls and identify as "an autumn," this book is for you. This book follows Scarlett, the middle daughter in a family of witches, who lives in an Inn (that reminds me a lot of the Dragonfly Inn). Scarlett is called home to Oak Haven from San Fran to help save the town and restore the magic. There are a lot of twists and turns and magic mishaps along the way, and you'll just have to read to find out what happens. And in the joy of being from a small town, Scarlett comes face to face with her old friend, and potential love, Nate. I loved the slow burn between the two. However, I could have done well with a little less indecisiveness from Scarlett. Overall, the vibes of this book were just what I was looking for- cozy, fall, love, magic, small town. If that is the kind of book you're looking for this crisp spooky season, this is the one for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really liked this book, I think it was an enjoyable silly, fun fall read. This was a bit of a palette cleanser for me after reading some denser high fantasies, so I appreciated I was able to get through this book on vibes alone. Scarlett felt a bit immature especially at the start, I didn't understand why she didn't expect that people had changed in the 10 years since she left, but was also confused people were upset with her for not having contact/visiting in 10 years. Aside from the rocky start, I think the book improved once it found it's rhythm.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

This is exactly as described - a perfect mixture of Gilmore Girls and a little witchiness, with just a dash of second-chance romance and yearning. This is the perfect book to curl up with in the summer - though it felt like sometimes the plot meandered a bit (I was particularly annoyed at the magician in this book from the get-go, just bad vibes I guess?) I felt like this book somehow captured coziness - even if it was a bit in your face about it. Perfect fall read!

Thank you to NetGalley and to Avon UK for sending me an early copy of this book. Although I did love all the witchy and fall vibes, this one fell a little short for me. The writing seemed a little chaotic and some parts of the story were not easy to follow. The plot of the story had a lot of potential, but this one was not for me.

“Impractical Magic” by Emily Grimoire was, unfortunately, not my cup of tea.

As advertised, I found the story to have very fun, whimsical and witchy vibes.✨”Magic isn’t something you do… [it’s] something you are”✨

However, the plot never really “hooked” me and I struggled to get invested in the story. I found myself getting bored of how much backstory was being set up (up until around the 35% mark) before the action actually began. Honestly, I think this (the pacing) may have been the biggest factor in how difficult it was for me to want to continue reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am super excited for this book to come out! I will be picking it up on the publication date to support the author. I love the premise of witches and who doesn't love a good story about magic going astray? especially when the only one to help is the old flame; sign me up!

This debut had a lot of great starts. If you’re looking for a witchy fall book with cozy vibes and small-town charm, this is a cute and fast read that will deliver on those things.

Where it fell flat for me was the writing. I’m honestly still not sure if this was written by a person or by AI. But it felt very much like a first draft that had not found its voice. It read like it was written someone who had only experienced American culture through media, but the author is apparently a US native. A few more round of edits would have helped this story be told in the way it deserves to be. I hope this author finds a better editor moving forward because she had great ideas, I just don’t think they were nurtured enough.

This was such a good solid cozy fall read. I do not understand the hate at all. This is a readable in one day type of read and I found it very cozy and funny if I’m being honest. I would definitely recommend as a quick palette cleanser. I will say more than “Charmed” vibes I was getting Halloweentown/Thistle Grove by Lana Harper vibes but I did really enjoy!

this book was such a good way to start fall off! it had the perfect amount of cozy fall vibes! if you’re looking for something super cute and witchy look no further! it’s giving gilmore girls, charmed, halloweentown- all the nostalgic cozy vibes we know and love! felt the ending was a little rushed but overall a really fun read!

thank you to netgalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book promised fall vibes and it certainly delivered! This is a cute, quick story where the FMC returns home after a decade away to join her family in fighting against a threat to their magic. The overall story line is a good one but the execution fell a little flat. The writing feels very YA, as do the relationships between the characters. The pacing felt off, especially towards the end where important events were sped along very quickly. I didn’t hate this book in the slightest but it felt underdeveloped.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC provided in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun book to get me into the spirit of fall. It has all the cozy vibes you want in a fall read and the slow burn grumpy x sunshine romance was exactly what you want during the fall. It reminds me a lot of books from Erin Sterling who also writes books perfect for the fall. I would definitely pick this one to kick off your fall TBR.


Perfect for fans of:

Grumpy x sunshine ☀️

Slow burn 🔥

Witchy aesthetic 🔮✨

Cosy small town 🍂☕

Sweet, funny and the perfect treat for autumn. This is a gorgeous little novel which will capture hearts and attention.

Scarlett hasn’t set foot in Oak Haven in a decade, but when her older sister asks for help, she reluctantly returns. Oak Haven is a magical town where women are witches, and anyone who leaves forgets it exists. Back in town, Scarlett quickly realizes that something is wrong with the magic, and no one seems to know how to fix it. Alongside her sisters and mother, she tries to unravel the mystery while rekindling unresolved feelings for Nate, her old flame. With its magical, small-town charm, family dynamics, and romance, this book makes a cozy fall read.

While this wasn't my favorite, I feel that the author has a lot of potential, and I would be willing to read more of her future books.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Gilmore girls meets Halloweentown and makes a very cute and cosy fall read.

It was nice to have a magic system, where magic just existed and different communities accessed it differently, the minutiae of how the system worked wasn't important and I'm glad the story wasn't bogged down by it. I laughed at the little shoutouts to The Magicians and Harry Potter!

The setting was very reminiscent of Lana Harper's Thistle Grove and Erin Sterling's Graves Glenn, but for a younger audience. It was easy to read, but could still use some work, perfectly paced (except for one year at the end), and only frustrating at times because Scarlett being blamed for everything and never believed, hit a bit too close to home but the pay off was worth it.

I stan an unproblematic unconditionally supportive boyfriend, and Nate was just the cutest. So much was mentioned about his familial line I really expected something to come of it, but maybe that's for another time.

While the story works as a stand alone, there's still some mysteries unanswered. I look forward to reading more from Emily Grimoire, hopefully about Delilah and Luna's adventures, and maybe with Viz and Handsome Dan as the office bosses?? cough cough..

I was so excited to get this book because it looked like a cute, witchy, cozy fall book. I loved Charmed and Gilmore Girls growing up so this would be perfect for me. Unfortunately, this book did not live up to the hype. There are way too many pop culture references in this book. When I like to read I don’t wanna have to think about worldly things as much, but let the book be more of an escape. Also, the FMC was annoying and immature. Her relationship with her mother and older sister, wasn’t that great and hard to read and like her for because of it. The romance part was way too drawn out as well. This could have been a great book but needs a lot more editing.


Thank you AvonUK & NetGalley for advanced readers copy. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.

Impractical Magic takes place in the magical town of Oak Haven, when Scarlett returns from San Francisco and ten years avoiding magic. The town she returns to, though, is in chaos as the source of all their magic has been tainted. She and her sisters, and the town, come together to try and purge the poison and save their home and their magic.

Feeling really hit and miss with this one. I wasn’t anticipating the greatest book I’ve ever read and yet I still feel let down by it.

The long and the short of it is - I know this wasn’t for me, but it’s definitely for someone out there. For me, the stakes and the writing don’t align, which made the whole book confusing. I loved the quirks of the messy magic throughout the story, and I appreciated that Grimoire unabashedly made the story very 2024, with modern references and slang. PLUS, the Halloweentown vibes? That’s nostalgic for me.

But the overall story plotting and magic system didn’t make an awful lot of sense to me and made this book feel more like a slog than an enjoying read for me.

Thanks Net Galley and Avon Books UK for the Advanced Digital Reading Copy.