1.0 Star

Thank you NetGalley, Avon Books, and Emily Grimoire for this arc in exchange for an honest review!


Thoughts:

Oh boy. Came for the vibes, and left disappointed in pretty much everything. Where does one even start?

This read was truly a slow one, and I couldn’t find any aspect of it that could hold my attention. The world-building disappeared alongside some of the magic in the town and never made an appearance. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. The romance (or lack thereof) felt forced, and there was zero spark between our leads in general. Our FMC, Scarlett, frustrated me too much with her constant need to throw herself a pity party every other chapter and/or verbally-vomit her emotions onto anyone in close proximity.

I’m good with cutesy, but the amount of cheesiness that we have to suffer through even when it’s a “serious” moment is too much for anyone to handle!

With comparisons to Gilmore Girls and Charmed on the cover, most of it felt too on the nose instead of a nod to. To be quite frank, it seemed like a lot was copied from those shows, which led to a lack of originality on top of everything else.

To sum it up, this read was just not for me.

Paperback/Hardcover/Audiobook/E-book:

E-book

Pace:

Slow/Medium

Cover thoughts:

Fun and cute!

Triggers:

Mentions of death, mild swearing, etc.

I wanted to love this one but it's not for me. The characters all feel forced in their interactions with each other, I'm struggling to connect with any of them and the story feels like it's been done better elsewhere. DNF for me.

I absolutely adored this book. I was in a bit of a reading slump when I first started it so I really dragged my feet through the first 20% but once I got to know the characters and the plot started picking up, I flew through it.

This book is the <i>perfect</i> mix of familial love and romantic love - it never left me wishing for more of one or the other. Although I guessed the twist almost immediately it was still a really fun read and I loved the process of Scarlett, Delilah, Luna and Nate figuring out how to save Oak Haven.

If only Oak Haven were a real place, I'd surely move there in a second!

(Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books, and Emily Grimoire for an early copy for review!)

This was such a good book! Perfect for spooky season. I loved getting to know these characters and all of their interactions.

I thought this one was super cute. But the story just wasn’t for me. I just couldn’t really get into it. I was looking forward to it so I think I hyped it up in my head a little too much.
I do really appreciate the chance to read this egalley for my honest review.

Love reading fall books to get in the spirit ands really looked forward to this read. It was okay. Slow at times.

A perfect balance of witchy fall romance vibes. I just can’t get enough witchy romance this year. A must read for sure!

This book has a sweet, cozy feel that was very obviously taken from Gilmore Girls. I found it to be an easy autumnal read. I enjoyed it!

There is second chance love, friends to lovers, sisters relationship, a curse, witchy atmosphere, and it is presented as Gilmore Girls meets Charmed so I was quickly sold and, yet, I was disappointed. I loved the Stars Hollow-like magical town and the autumnal vibes, but the pace was slow, the main protagonist, Scarlet, spends too much time in self-sabotaging and questioning herself, her love interest is sweet, but I could have appreciated a more in-depth description, and I couldn’t keep track of some of the characters because there were too many. I wanted to like this novel and I kept reading hoping it would get better, but, unfortunately, it wasn’t for me.

Love the cover art, really caught my eye. Than talk of similar to Gilmore girl really had me. Loved hearing about the small town, it did sound a lot like Gilmore. But it was a bit long winded for me and the ending had me upset, we didn’t get to experience her coming home to her family and than it skipped right forward to thanksgiving, it was this me of the biggest jumps in the book and I was left wanting to know what happened between. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the early read for my honest opinion. 3 star from me and will recommend to my fall girlies.

I wanted to like this book. The premise and description made it sound perfect. The banter between the sisters was cute but I found this to be really lackluster unfortunately.
It seemed like a hallmark’d version of Gilmore Girls with bits that shows banter and the magical sister of Charmed but it almost seemed TOO on the nose.

This is for sure "Gilmore Girls" meets "Charmed", and while some parts of that really worked, others felt like a bit of a let down. I enjoyed the cute autumnal small town vibes, the banter and the sisterly fighting, but the romance bit was lacking, and the love interest felt underdeveloped. I also have no problem with pop culture references - that's a trademark for "Gilmore girls" for sure - however, it felt a bit annoying when something is a word for word rip off of a "Gilmore girls" episode (4 Thanksgiving dinners) without acknowledging it as a reference to the show. This felt like the author is misrepresenting the writing of others as her own, and it left a bad aftertaste.
Probably not my favourite witchy read this season, but I think it will find its audience.

From the moment I cracked open Impractical Magic, I was spellbound! Starting it yesterday and finishing today, I couldn't put this book down – a rare treat that delivered on every page. Imagine a cozy blend of Gilmore Girls meets Charmed with a dash of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and the heartwarming charm of a Hallmark movie, all wrapped up in a quirky, magical town perfect for a fall escape.

Emily Grimoire crafts a world that feels familiar yet enchanted, weaving warmth, wit, and a touch of magic that kept me glued to the story. Her characters are wonderfully quirky, the small-town setting is dreamily atmospheric, and the magical elements give it just the right amount of sparkle without losing its relatability. If you're looking for a book to curl up with as the leaves start to fall, this is it. An absolute must-read for fans of heartfelt magic and small-town stories!

I was excited to add Impractical Magic to my fall witchy reads but I just couldn't get into this one and kept putting it down. DNF for me unfortunately.

If you’re a Gilmore Girls fan, this one is for you. It’s cute, fun, and witchy. It’s exactly what you expect of a quirky small town seasonal story.

BUT I do have major issues with the writing. Grimoire acknowledges her mirroring of Stars Hollow and the show itself, with a quick joke of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery and a hope that their lawyers agree in the acknowledgments section. But at times some of the references just hit as unoriginal and… lazy? In my opinion you can have a quick reference to someone else’s work and have it be spot on, or you can write an entire novel and make it your own but show inspiration. Grimoire just seemed to write a whole book that was full of someone else’s ideas and plots.

This book was the sweetest love story, perfect for cozy fall days! I instantly loved the characters and the setting—it all just felt so inviting right from the start. The writing is super easy to dive into, and there were actually moments that made me laugh out loud. The characters were amazing, and it was impossible not to cheer them on.

If you're looking for a cute autumn romance with plenty of laughs, this one’s for you!

This was a DNF. Really wanted to like it, based on the premise. The description was everything that I usually look for in a story, but I could not connect with the MC.

This was a different style book for me to read. Some of the magic parts were a little hard for me to read through. I like the gilmore girls feel to it and the love story.

3.5 stars from me! The first half of this book didn’t grab my attention and I felt it was dragging on. The second half really picked up and I was pleasantly surprised. I was left with some unanswered questions and there were some loose ends in my opinion. I would recommend this book as a cute fall, fantasy, mystical read!

This is a solid 3.5, but I rounded up!!
I really enjoyed this cozy, witchy read. I loved this small town and the family dynamics at play throughout the story. This was really sweet and I thought the writing was really good!! We get a lot of “will they/wont” they (but actually just “when will they” lol)

This mainly just lost a start for me because the ended made me mad and I wish we had a bit more of a conclusion hahahaha