Member Reviews
A fun, diverting read for witchy season. I like the feeling of Gilmore Girl fanfic and the isolated magical town. Although main character with a secret she is scared to divulge is not a favorite trope of mine, I thought it worked pretty well here. The last two chapters were a little strange to me and I think I would have preferred they were handled differently, which is the least spoilery way I can think to phrase that!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
Unpractical Magic ultimately wasn’t the right fit for me. While I appreciated the author’s creativity, the frequent pop culture references and the overly childish tone of the main character, who is supposed to be in her late 20s, didn’t resonate with me. It felt a bit reminiscent of certain teen-focused shows, which may appeal to readers who enjoy that style. I found myself disconnected from the story. That said, I can see it working well for those looking for a quirky read with a touch of magic.
The beautiful cover fooled me. I feel like I have whiplash from reading this book. My biggest issue was that practically all of the characters had the same voice. I could never tell who was talking, and the dialogue would go from levity to snarky/mean so quickly. I couldn’t keep up.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.
I'm being nice:
The novel wanted to be overdramic dramatic and a cute fall cozy read. Some points were overly dramatic for, in my opinion, no reason. The grove, but wait magic sloves all problems. Wait silly magicians are the cause, no a hurt teenager that get no real help. The novel kept trying to be high stakes, yearling Heathcliff-style, to just plain silly. Often leaving a whiplash effect.
Pick a lane.
Only reviewed on goodreads
Cute cozy read! Loved the world building and the characters. The pace was a little off and character relationships could have been deeper. But overall an enjoyable read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper UK for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.
This book had a lot of potential but it reads like a first draft. It felt like there were so many scenes that would move the story forward but they weren’t fleshed out enough. The book is very cozy so I loved that but at times it feels like the author was writing more to meet a “vibe” than give the reader a full story.
The FMC was also very unlikable. I think there needed to be more backstory about why she felt the way she did about Oak Haven because her attitude about being home read more “bratty” than “regretful about the past”.
I’m giving it 2.75 stars. I definitely think the author has potential and I would probably read another book by her.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
3.5 stars
I had really high hopes for this book because it has everything I love: fall setting, witches, magic, Gilmore Girl themes, and a cozy vibe. The cover is absolutely stunning. It took me a few tries to finish this book. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the vast number of pop culture references throughout the book. It kept pulling me out of the story.
It was hard for me to connect with the main character, Scarlett. Many times, she knew she needed to do one thing but would end up doing something else. It was a frustrating cycle where it seemed she had miscommunication with everyone, including herself. I did enjoy the relationship between Scarlett and Nate and would love to see more from them! The romance was definitely a side-plot. I also enjoyed the setting of the town of Oak Haven. It reminded me very much of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls.
Overall, it was a fun, light read that encompasses the cozy feelings you get around Fall. I would recommend as a seasonal aesthetic read.
You’d love this book if you like
- witches 🔮
- Hallmark 🎥
- cozy vibes 🧣
- Fall-themed books 🎃
- Small town romance 🏠
- Gilmore Girls ☕️
- second chance romance 🧡
Thank you Avon and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This book was very autumnal and cute. However, I think the characters background lacked much needed context and depth. I had issues connecting to the main character. Also the writing was cringe at times, especially with the references.
I really wanted to love this book—the description and the vibes were exactly what I was looking for. However, as I read, I found myself feeling disconnected from both the characters and the setting. After making it through 56%, I decided to put it down for now. Maybe I'll pick it back up in the future and give it another shot. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
This was a fun fall read. The setting is great, Oak Haven really came to life and the autumn aesthetic really came through. The mystery was light and fluffy, if quite predictable, but fun nonetheless. I disliked Scarlet for most of the book, she was very self pitying, and caused herself (and everyone else) a lot of easily avoided problems. I liked the romantic side plot, it was quite sweet but definitely isn't the main focus of the book. Overall this is a quick and enjoyable read for the autumn season.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eArc in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the witchy./fall and Gilmore Girls vibes of this book - however it was not an absolute favorite of mine. I think for this time of year its a great book for the overall aesthetic but the story fell a little flat for me unfortunately and was a little slow at times.
I would still recommend this as a fun, quick read for this time of year though!
Tropes:
-Slow Burn
-Grumpy/Sunshine
-Small town
-Fall/Halloween vibes
Thank you Netgalley and Avon books for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review
I wanted to love this book, just because of the fall vibes. 🍂 I wanted it to be the perfect fall/halloween read, But it fell a little short for me. The first half was a little slow, then it got really good and interesting, but then the ending ruined it for me. Maybe that’s just not my kind of ending. I just wish it had a little bit more of witches spells, and more on Scarlett and Nate’s relationship. What I loved about this book is it had witchy aesthetic🔮
Grumpy x Sunshine ☀️
Cozy small town vibes 🍂
Thank you @avonbooksuk for allowing me to read this ARC.
*Received as a free ARC*
A very comfy cozy witchy book for fall! I enjoyed this a lot. Scarlett is very interesting and I think a lot of the characters malign her more than she deserves. I will say, as much as I enjoy Gilmore Girls, the small town aspects of this book would have been more interesting and realistic if they didn't feel copy pasted from the show. I already watched it, I don't need version 2.0 witches. But if that's what you're looking for, here you go!
A cute fall read that had me laughing a lot. I enjoyed the snark, humor and some pop culture references. All in all it was a sweet story about coming home when you feel unwelcome and finding where your true home is. Family drama and romantic drama abounds. Will recommend for my fall book lovers. Thank you for the opportunity to read it!
Impractical Magic follows Scarlett who receives a call from her estranged sisters and knows something is wrong. She has not been home in years but knows she has to. Her mother's inn is cursed and she has to help. Scarlett is a witch and her town has magic. But there is something wrong with the magic. While Scarlett is home she runs into her old flame Nate. Not only does she help the town but she might have feelings for Nate again.
This was a very cute fall romance book. Overall I really liked this book. It had very cute and cozy vibes. It also had quite a bit of action. However, I felt like this book was very repetitive which was annoying. It also had a bit of family drama that I did not care for. But I loved the relationship between Nate and Scarlett. I loved the fall vibes of this book. I think this is a great read for this time of year. But this was not my favorite romance book. But with all this said I would suggest this book.
Thank you Emily Grimoire, Avon Books, and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.
Impractical Magic was a cozy read that somehow simultaneously felt a little slow and a little rushed. I didn't get the Charmed and Gilmore Girls vibes I was hoping for, but maybe that was just me. It's a cute story, just needed a slightly different delivery for me. I want my attention grabbed from the start and this wasn't it for me, but I could see other people enjoying it!
I had high hopes for this book but no matter how much I tried to enjoy it, it just felt like there was something missing.
I loved the premise and the different magical lore was really interesting and I also loved the description of New England in Autumn but overarching storyline and execution of the plot just weren't for me
The book is advertised for fans of Gilmore Girls and Charmed which I am completely a fan of. However I was only able to read about 20% of this book as I just couldn’t get past the overall writing style. It felt very rushed and crammed in my opinion. I am not trying to drag this debut author and the book may be perfect for someone, but it just didn’t do it for me.
I wanted to love this book based off the blurb, but it just didn’t do it for me. It felt like the author took things from every witchy, pumpkin spice, fall, hallmark movie/book and tried to cram it into this book. As always, my opinions are my own, and this may be perfect to someone else.
Oak Haven is a town where magic is still present and is where Scarlett's sister and child hood crush reside. People who live here never leave, except Scarlett did just that after a horrific accident resulting in her father's death which she blamed on herself. After her sisters told her that she was urgently needed back home since magic was going haywire, she reluctantly returns. There she has to face her past trauma with her family as well as her childhood crush.
Crazy thing begin happening in Oak Haven like books attacking people in the book store, needles becoming polyamorous, flamingos in people's yards. It is up to Scarlett and her sisters to solve the problems and figure out who is behind releasing dragonflies that are throwing the balance of everything off. While I was suspicious of the culprit from the start, I really enjoyed reading about how it got to that point.
I enjoyed Scarlett reconnecting with her childhood crush Nate. I do think Scarlett was a bit too stubborn, but her reasons were justifiable. I like that they were able to move past the tension and all of the other problems that seemed to be preventing them from moving forward.
This was the perfect cozy read for the fall season. I enjoyed every bit of it and I liked that the chapters were short enough for me to sneak a chapter in here and there throughout the day. The characters were very well thought out and all stood out individually. Thank you Netgalley, Avon Books UK, and Emily Grimoire for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.