I was approved for this book on Netgalley but my opinions are my own.

When I read the blurb of this book I immediately thought it was right up my street. It had Romeo and Juliet vibes with two people from rival families being thrown together despite their differences, and a non-binary main character (which I love to read more of, when it’s done well). Add to that some magic and a dramatic deadline to save a town and I was hooked.

It took me a little to get into though, hence the four stars, there was a little bit over explanation sometimes - I found myself reading a line and going “I know! I just read it!” A couple of times. This might have also contributed to some of the Yael chapters feeling a bit jarring at first, the repeats and many they’s just confusing me for a second. But this could have also just been me getting used to being in a non-binary character’s perspective - which could be helped by simply more representation.

Either way, I stopped feeling this way at around the 1/3 mark so the rest of the book just zoomed along nicely.

I really liked how the D&D references were sprinkled in (bag of holding, etc.) which was really nice as a player myself. It felt like we were just comfortably embedded in that world, and it made me smile every now and then too.

The main characters were easy to like and bond with, and I really cared for them by the end.

Little things I also loved were the honorific “sir’ram” in place of sir/madam, showing how inclusive this world is in terms of gender as well as sexuality, it really made a nerdy lesbian like myself feel warm and welcome - and is the goal for the real world too in my opinion.

Another thing was the outfits described, the red suit Yael wears at one time with black floral embroidery and a deep v neck showing off their black linen binder nearly made me swoon and/or go out shopping for myself!
Plus it was great to see a binder just casually mentioned and worn in a book, lots of things I just wish I saw more of elsewhere, especially if they were handled and shown as well as they were in Homegrown Magic.

Overall I loved this book, and will recommend it to all my queer and non-queer friends alike.

If you liked Legends and Lattes then this is a fantastic book. I personally love cosy fantasy but there was something about Legends and Lattes and Homegrown Magic that just didn't click for me sadly.
I think I like cosy fantasy with a plot with a beginning, middle and an end. I couldn't say what the main plot was for this book. It felt mundane at some points, like I could skip a chapter or two and still nothing important happened.
But that's a personal thing. If you love cosy fantasy that's a warm hug. I recommend a hot chocolate and your favourite chair for this book.
For me, I was more invested in Margot's story and the village.

Yael Claunek is the heir to an obscenely wealthy banking family. After finishing their education it's time to fall in line and join the family business. Except they'd rather not, and impulsively run away on a mechanical horse during their graduation party. There's not much of a plan, but luckily Yael runs into childhood friend Margot in the Bloomfiels village pub. Margot is a plant witch desperately trying to keep her family business afloat, and Yael decides to stick around as her gardening assistant...

I really wanted to love this book, and it has a lot of elements to it that I do love, but unfortunately it just never fully clicked for me. The world it is set in is really cool, the story was interesting, and the main characters likeable, but the writing style just did not work for me.

I think the authors created an incredible queernormative society. The magical world was also really interesting, and I would have loved to see more of it embedded in the story! The story itself was really sweet, and I especially enjoyed spending time in Margot's greenhouses and the village of Bloomfield.

The writing style unfortunately just didn't really work for me. It felt a bit like the old advice to 'show, don't tell' had gotten misinterpreted. Instead of telling a little and implying more depth, there was a lot of visual description 'showing' the world. The end result is sweet, but a little superficial. This is to a large extent a matter of taste, and I know there are readers who will love this book exactly because of it's beautiful descriptions - the writing style just doesn't fit my reading style. I probably won't purchase the sequel myself, but I'll happily borrow it from the library if they have a copy.

This was a lovely, cosy book - perfect for all times of year.

I found the witchy, cottagecore atmosphere to be very endearing. The chemistry between the two main characters was on point and the resolution in the book couldn't be more perfect.

I really hope there is a part 2 soon, I don't think I'm ready to leave this cosy world back yet!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for approving my ARC request!

Homegrown Magic is a cosy, cottage-core queer fantasy. Once I started to get to know the characters, I definitely became invested in Margot and how she was going to save Bloomfield. The relationship between Margot and Yael developed quite simply, but there was a good amount of slow burn to keep me interested. There are a few spicy scenes too for anyone wondering!

I though the setting of this book, and the ideas of magic were wonderful. I would have loved to learn more about the magic, and see Margot's grow even more. I loved the village of Bloomfield and how coy and self sufficient it was. I would love to visit those greenhouses and the development of Margot's business through Rastanaya was great to see.

I thought it was great to have a main character in Yael that was non binary. It took me a few chapters to get used to how this was written, but it all fell into place very naturally, very quickly.

A very enjoyable, cosy book that I would have happily read more of!

I am not sure what stars to give to this book, because even though it is well enough executed, I didn't enjoy it that much. Let's say it is a four stars in execution and a three stars in enjoyment for me.

"Homegrown Magic" is very cosy story, with a magical setting that doesn't change that much from our world a few centuries back, tough there are mechanical steeds (and of course magic). The book is full of tea, beautiful gowns, strawberry, and of course romance.

I must say that, for an adult book, the romance and its characters feels rather YAish, which isn't a problem if you like these kind of things, with all the huge emotions and littles dramas it entails. Sure, the characters have to deal with grown ups issues, but it still feels quite... young. Given that I genererally don't understand teenager's reactions (even when I was a teenager), it was a bit of a struggle for me to care about the stakes the characters have and the decisions they make, even though I understood why it mattered to them. Again, not a real execution issue I think, it is more a "me" issue here.

The plot is rather simple, streaming slowly, with some time jumps and a resolution that felt quite anti-climatic, because it was obvious (and because I wasn't invested).

I do wish magic would have been present on page. It is fueling the world, it is also a major plot point for one of the character, but we don't see that much magic. It is a choice, and I respect it, but it means my interest deemed a little.

Overall, a nice queer cosy fantasy romance if you like YAish characters, calm stories and sweet romance!

For all of my fairy cottagecore bibliophiles who love a swoonworthy, nice-as-pie romance with a dash of adventure, a sprinkle of drama, and a hearty helping of magic, this romantasy is for you. Homegrown Magic is as sweet as sugar and absolutely perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and TJ Klune. The story meanders a little, but honesty, I can't fully disapprove because the prose is so amusing and whimsical. The characters blossom like the flowers in the MCs greenhouse - Yael maturing from a spoilt, unreliable charmer to a young person with a purpose, and Margot finding her confidence and learning to share her burdens with friends. The stakes are low - à la cosy romantasy - and while I ached for some climactic drama, I thought the quiet and dignified approach the characters took against the antagonists was actually very charming. But the pièce de résistance was the queernorm imagined world. It's a safe place for the readers and the characters alike, to love and adventure, grow and enjoy themselves without the shadow of bigotry. Of course, Bloomfield isn't entirely safe since mammoths, salamanders and other fantastical beasts roam free, and if I was a character in this book, I would probably get stung or bitten because I would absolutely need to befriend and pet everything!! Speaking of, my need to become a reclusive plant witch (albeit a crankier one than Margot!!) has only strengthened!!

If you're a certified fairytale enthusiast, lover of LGBTQIA+ character arcs, and friendly fantasy universes, you will adore the natural whimsy of this novel. It ignites such delightful childhood nostalgia, so if you're inner child has been a bit neglected lately or you're seeking dreamy, flower-filled escapism, then brew a nice cup of ginger and hibiscus tea and grab your own copy of Homegrown Magic by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos March 13th, 2025.

🍓 Friends-to-lovers
🍓 Rival family drama
🍓 Found Family
🍓 Lots of magic!!
🍓 Non-binary MC
🍓 Queernorm
🍓 Riches-to-rags

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House UK, for giving this romantasy lover the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for approving my request to read an arc of this book.

Homegrown Magic sounded like an absolute delight, and so I requested right away. I was so excited for plant witches and for a main nonbinary character. It all sounded amazing!
Unfortunately I did end up dnf’ing after 74 pages. I gave it a try to see if I could get into it, but I just found the writing a little difficult to read and there were so many characters that it was a bit overwhelming at times. I’m sure that many others will love this book though, I just struggle with some writing styles due to part of my disabilities and so I found this one was not the right fit for me. I’m still rating four stars though because I’m so happy that this book exists and I think in the right hands, it could be someone’s favourite book