I am going to start with the one thing I didn't like as there was so much I did like - I have decided I am against insta love! - Other than that, I loved the twists and turns of this book. I loved that it was modern with phones and social media and mac books but still stayed true to being an old timey witchy southern fantasy book. The twists and turns had some that were obvious and some that had me catching flies in shock!
I would really like to continue on with this series.
Thank you netgalley for letting me read and review.

Overall thoughts:
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
0.25 🌶️

‘Even though I know she meant to be reassuring, I couldn’t help but think her words sounded like a threat.’

Tropes: Witches, Magic, Ghouls, Wolves/ Werewolves, YA, Ghosts.

Newly orphaned Emily founds herself moving halfway across the world to go live with her only remaining & estranged relatives. But something is off.. The Bell family has a lot more secrets than Emily could imagine. They’re also not the only ones with secrets…

I wanted to like this one so much, but it just missed the mark for me. It felt like a story I’d read before & the twist was really
obvious from 50% into the book.

It was well written, however the use of TikTok & words like rizz ruined it for me. Outing myself as a millennial here! 😂

I did like a lot of the characters in the book though! Some of them were really fun, interesting & quirky. Sadly though, the FMC wasn’t great.

*Listened via audio & the quality of work was amazing. Only improvement there would have been having a male voiceover the MMC, but I’m guessing they didn’t because the book is only told from Emily’s POV.*

Thank you to Net Galley & HarperCollins UK Audio for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet YA story of a 16 year old called Emily who's lost both her parents and moves from the UK to live in Savannah, Georgia in the US. I enjoyed listening to this but found the narration at the beginning distracting, given that Emily was not born in the US but had American accent throughout. The other characters were voiced well, by the same narrator. This is probably just a personal peeve as a Brit! Overall this is enjoyable and cosy for listening to in the darker months of the year.

This was a re-read as I've already read the e-book of this. I absolutely loved the audiobook, it had me even more engrossed, especially with Catherine and Ashley's southern accents coming through. I just wish we heard more of Emily's british accent for contrast!

Here's my original review for the e-book: It's no secret that I love Lindsey's writing already, but wasn't sure if I would be a fan of her debut YA Fantasy... I LOVED IT. Honestly could not put this book down, it had me hooked from the get-go and it was such a great read. I loved reading the start of Emily's story, and her discovering being a witch. I loved seeing her relationships grow with Wyn, Lydia, Jackson and of course Catherine and her aunt Ashley. I really can't wait for the next book in The Bell Witches series to be out (no pressure Lindsey!) and to see more of Emily + the rest of the Savannah gang. Until then, I think I'll be re-reading this as much as possible!

Unfortunately I had to DNF this audiobook at 43% because it was just a series of YA cliches stacked on top of each other. I'm pretty annoyed it was comped to Buffy & The Gilmore Girls as it's more Hollyoaks with pointless family secrets and insta love matches.

This was an enjoyable listen, the audiobook was well narrated and the story is solid.
While the grandma being "evil" was expected it wasn't predictable to the extent that would make this unenjoyable. All the plot twists and turns were a surprise and the side characters play a good addition to the story and main character.
I am excited to see where the story goes from here.

A solid 3 star YA Fantasy, I think it's targeted at 12-18 year olds as it was a soft romance, a dash of insta-love, and no spice.

A gorgeous witchy tale with lots of twists and turns along the way. Emily is an inspirational lead for teens, but I would have liked her confidence to grow as the story evolved, she's been on an incredible journey and needed the boost to feel true to herself.

The world building was perfect, Lindsey has crafted a beautiful intricate story.

I really thought I would love this book but I just didn’t. It was really slow and i was bored throughout. I guessed all the plot twists but i usually don’t mind but there was no real build up that would make it worth it. The plot & magic system was not well written & everything happened so conveniently that there was no real stakes.

The narrator however did a great job and the only reason I actually managed to get through the book.

3.5 stars rounded up

With its witty banter, The Bell Witches is an engrossing southern gothic witchy tale that brings Savannah to life. This is a story of a young girl coming into her own power, found family, and finding your place in a world you’ve been sheltered from.

I enjoyed this, though at times it really lagged for me, waiting for Catherine to finally tell Emily about her past. That said I understand it’s the first book in a planned trilogy, there’s a lot of world building to happen. While the romance is insta-love, which I really dislike, I bought this because it’s fitting with the teenage characters for whom first love is all encompassing and everything moves fast. Emily has been sheltered for nearly 17 years, so I’ll believe it and I’ll believe her nativity in not realising granny knows all, sees all. I could’ve done without the use of Tik Tok euphemisms with ‘unalive’, which, while only twice in the book were still jarring. Same with the Taylor Swift references.

Narrated by Ashleigh Haddad with her clear enunciation and engaging southern accent, I was immersed in the humid, mystic world of Savannah. While Haddad is fantastic, I wish they had cast a narrator closer to Emily’s age—she’s almost 17, but Haddad sounds like she’s in her late 20s. Emily’s mixed accent was also portrayed with a full American one, which would’ve been better if more neutral. I’m picky about audiobooks, and mismatched voices can pull me out of the story, especially when it comes to age

I am hooked for books two and three. I am dying to know what happens to Emily and gang next. Bring it on!

Thanks to Magpie/Harper Collins UK Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

THE BELL WITCHES -
LINDSEY KELK -
AUDIOBOOK - ARC
To say I loved this would be an understatement! I adored it, devoured it infact! I love Lindsey's writing anyway but this is something else! The storyline was really good, the magic was easy to understand. the narrator was clear and well suited to the story. I listened at 2x speed and
listened over 2 days I think about 8 hours total might be slightly less though.
I cannot wait for there to be a second book!
@rachaelmcreads

An interesting premise and world but this was rather young YA.

Some books translate YA to older readers as well as young adults but The Bell Witches was not one of them. I know that if I was a teen reading this, I would have gobbled this up but older me could not gel with the immaturity of the main characters and all the instalove. There were so many "I love yous" and after no time at all. All this detracted from the plot which was pretty solid.

I can't see myself reading on because of this.

Audio wise, the narration was single POV with good narration and characterisation.

Thank you to Magpie for the audio review copy.

While this book didn’t 100% work for me, I think new fans to YA gothic/witchy stories are going to eat this up.

This books followed our protagonist Emily who moves to the town of Savannah following her fathers death, to live with her grandmother in the home she was born in but stolen away from by her father as a child. Very quickly, strange and unexplainable things begin to happen to Emily. Perhaps there’s more to her family than she thought! She also meets a young man named Wyn who she can’t help but fall for.

My biggest issues with this book were that I personally struggled immensely with the naivety of the protagonist. It was almost painful how these hugely strange events kept happening around her and she just brushes over it all.

Not to mention the very pointed millenial / Gen Z references like the “I can’t live without Starbucks” quotes that did my head in.

I also did not love the relationship, I wasn’t invested, I didn’t feel the tension. It was Insta love to the max.

I felt like this book was a combination of so many other “witchy” or other paranormal books I’ve read in the YA genre, I wasn’t particularly interested to see where the plot went as I felt like I’d read this book before.

In saying that, I felt like the characters did have depth and I enjoyed the storyline. I also wasn’t bored reading this at all.

I think if you are new to YA gothic witchy books, and you’re not a big romance reader, this book will defining float your boat

This book is perfect for witchy autumn season, and a real fun and easy read.

Emily has suffered great loss and moves to Savannah to a family she doesn't really know. And that has secrets that are of the witchy kind.
In the course of the story she finds herself, friends and love.

This is basically the plot, so don't expect too much. This book is all about vibes and atmosphere. Which it does real well.

There's insta-love with a (foreseeable) twist and everything is really YA.

Not much has stuck with me after a couple of days of having finished the audiobook, so I'll not go into analysis. The audiobook, however, is really well done. The narrator gives life to voices (some with a heavy Southern accent as is fitting) and the production value is great.

3/5 stars and some extra fallen leaves for autumn vibes.

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollins for the eARC!

#TheBellWitches #Netgalley #Bookstagram

I enjoyed listening to this book. This young adult fantasy novel touches on the universal themes of loss, love, family and identity.
I felt sad for Emma after the death of her father left her an orphan. She also had to move from Wales to America to stay with an aunt and grandmother whom she believed to be dead.
The young characters will appeal to young adult readers as they sound contemporary with references to pop culture, and phrases and trends typically found on social media.
The narrator does a great job of performing the characters and the Southern accent.
There are plenty of entertaining characters. Catherine and Ashley may be Emma's only surviving relatives that she knows of but it is clear to the reader that they are not to be fully trusted. Emma also makes friends her age. Lydia and Jackson are fun and full of mischief. I enjoyed all their interactions. Wyn is somewhat less developed but has an intriguing story that I'm sure will be fleshed out more as the series progresses.
There is just enough witchy magic and goings-on to keep me entertained and looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thai was so similar to so many other YA fantasies and doesn’t add anything new to the genre. Insta love between teenagers and a boring, forgettable plot.

Audio narrator was good.

3.5 stars

A dark YA witchy read. It felt too teenager than YA to me. I think the cover seems YA or adult, but I would recommend this for 12-18 years. I enjoyed the first 40% but it seemed to drag on in the middle.

So many times I wanted Emily to stand up for herself or open her eyes. I was getting frustrated at some points!

The plot was interesting and unique. I loved the narrator and the atmosphere of the book. I felt like I was in Savannah.

I am OBSESSED with Lindsey Kelk everything she touches is gold and this is no different I loved it .. even when dipping her toes into something slightly different she still hits the mark everytime !!

The Bell Witches is the first novel in a new witchy-focused, young adult novel from popular author, Lindsey Kelk.
Our story begins with the return to Savannah, Georgia by Emily, after the recent death of her father. Until his sudden death, Emily was unaware of the existence of her paternal grandmother and family, so you know that there are lots of secrets to be uncovered.
And the best part? Emily will uncover some painful and potentially, hazardous truths about her family history.
As mentioned, this is a young adult novel which has a gothic atmosphere and builds up the feeling of danger nicely. It's not difficult as an adult reader to guess where the storyline is headed, but it is a fun journey, filled with brilliantly descriptive paragraphs of magic and nature. I enjoyed the storyline and I look forward to seeing what challenges Emily and co., will face in book two.
The narrators add an extra dimension to the storyline by bringing the characters to life.

If you’re craving an easy and witchy audiobook to enjoy while stomping on some crunchy leaves, this one’s a pretty good shout. It’s southern gothic vibes with lots of family drama, but even for someone as chronically online as I am, the constant amount of pop culture references is pretty jarring.

It is very YA, and it took me a moment to get into it but settled in after a while. Emily’s journey is entertaining (albeit a little cliché), and introduces the characters pretty well, but there’s not a huge amount going on story wise, and you should definitely be ready for some instalove that moves faster than you can say “Spanish Moss.”

Kelk’s atmosphere really is brilliant, but beware: SpongeBob references, Taylor Swift shout-outs and coffee chain-esque lingo might break the immersion. Still, the narrator (Ashleigh Haddad) is great, and the accents make it a fun and highly bingeable listen,

Story: ⭐️⭐⭐.5
Audio: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A big thanks to #Netgalley, the author, magpie and HarperCollinsUK Audio for the Audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.