Too many teen hormones. Not enough plot, or character development. Very rushed and not very believable, but also very tropey and cliche.

I will say this about the book: it was kind of addictive... just not in a good way. But it was quick and easy, and the overall atmosphere of it was really neat. I liked the swampy setting and it added to the air of eeriness that the book tried for. I liked the side characters more than the main ones, primarily gran, but ... that was about it.
See, I said "tried for" because I feel like the author kind of forgot this was supposed to be a mystery. A good part of the book focused on Willow ans Beau's romance and that's fine and all, but there are dead people showing up, y'all. Once it happened, it just... that was it? And I was a little confused about it. It made the "mystery" of it easy to decipher and left the book feeling lackluster.

I just couldn't get into this YA. Wasn't doing it for me. The synopsis sounded good at the time, just not anymore. Thank you for the opportunity though!

Will her own instincts get her killed? This is driving question that carries throughout Wicked Charm for our main character. I find this book to be a bit twisty, but also found myself predicting quite a bit of it along the way. That being said, I really enjoyed it and SO want more in this niche from Amber Hart.

Wicked Charm was wickedly sweet and enchanting. The bog that acted as the backdrop for most of the story reminded me of Hogwart's forbidden forest, with its various mysteries and unknown creatures.

The characters themselves were pretty good too. I loved Willow's straightforwardness and Beau's secrets and the way they shaped him. Watching the two interact was the highlight of the book.

The mystery, on the other hand, had been too easy to solve. It took me only a short time to figure out who the killer was, even though I'm usually pretty dense about figuring it out.

So, even though the characters and the setting were superb, the mystery could've been better. A lot better.

Overall, it was a good, light read and I did have fun reading it, even though it was too easy to figure out.

Unfortunately, this book was not a good match for me, and I will decline to review. I hope plenty of other readers find it more compatible, and thank you for the opportunity to review!

First off, the main character had one of the most unique names and I loved it! Willow was such a great character with a really beautiful name. Plus, this book was really dark and set in the South. I didn't need to know much else to be interested! Girls showing up dead in a swamp? A serial killer? I'm sold! It was the perfect dose of creepy that I didn't know I wanted, but definitely got. Amber Hart's writing was so easy to fly through and I will definitely be picking up her books in the future!

“Wicked Charm” is standard young adult mystery and romance fare. It’s enjoyable and an extremely quick read, making it a good choice for a beach read. It just isn’t memorable.

Sorry but I couldn't get into the book at all. I tried though, I'm so sorry for my ADD brain.

This was so good! I couldn't put it down once I started. I love it when young adult novels have a blend of mystery and romance. Wicked Charm definitely kept me guessing!

*thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.

I absolutely love that cover! Thats what first caught my attention to this book. The story was quite good and I enjoyed it. The characters were relatable and nothing was over the top or cheesy. I wasn't expecting to have enjoyed it so much it it is definitely worth reading if you are in the mood for a clean YA romance with a bit of mystery added into the mix.

This book is what Twilight wishes it could be.

The story has it all: likeable characters, a great setting, suspense and mystery, and plenty of romance. I was hooked from the beginning.

The romance was nice, and I was rooting for the hero and heroine – they were a cute, realistic high school couple that I actually enjoyed seeing together. (There’s also a great subplot with their grandparents!) The mystery added just enough zing to the plot to give it a nice edge and keep you turning pages.

The twist was really good, as well. I did not see that coming, as there were enough suspects and clues to keep things moving. Plus, what setting is better for a mystery than a backwoods swamp?! It’s perfect!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute, easy read. I really, really enjoyed it.

wicked charm by Amber Hart.
willow moves to okegenokee with her parents and Gran. she befriends Beau who she grows close to. but then girls are showing up dead in the swamp.
who is it?
Will she be next?
wow an absolutely fantastic read. loved the story and the characters.
willow was my favourite. felt a lot of emotions. I would never have guessed. 5*.

Gripping and thrilling read! Also, the setting for this story was unusual and I loved it!

Willow and her parents have just moved in with her grandmother, who lives on the edge of the swamp. Willow is instantly attracted to her neighbor Beau but, while everyone warns her to stay away from him, they grow closer every day. When his ex-girlfriend shows up dead in the swamp, Beau is the obvious suspect, but he has an alibi. When more of Beau’s ex-girlfriends show up dead, Willow can't help but wonder if she’s next. And if Beau isn’t the murderer, who’s hiding in their swamp?

The story is told in alternating chapters from the points of view of Willow and Beau, but their voices are so similar I kept forgetting who was narrating. While Beau is described as “wicked”, he never does anything to warrant that title and, because we get the story from his viewpoint, it’s obvious that he’s not the killer. I would have preferred the story to be told only by Willow, keeping open the possibility that Beau is the culprit. I guessed the identity of the killer straight away and then proceeded to collect the not-so-subtle clues left by the author. Even though not much happens (apart for a few murders that take place off-page and of which we are given no details) and there is no build-up of suspense (because we know Beau is innocent), I kept reading to see how long it would take for everyone else to figure it out. I don’t know if I missed something (like the fact that it's summer break) because the characters are never at school; they just spend their days swanning around the swamp or the swimming pool, drinking sweet tea and suspecting each other of being the murderer. Towards the end of the book, there is much talk about how terrible storms can be in the swamp, and I was expecting an exciting climax, but the storm never eventuates. Then, once the murder is caught, too much time is spent wrapping things up. The story is saved by the brooding and atmospheric swamp that serves as the backdrop and has a personality all of its own.

An okay read if you’re looking more for romance than murder mystery.

I received this book in return for an honest review.

There are two things that I really love about this book. The first is the setting. The southern heat and swampy environment was described in such a lush, beautiful way. I could see it so clearly. It made me want to go live in a old cabin on the edges of a swamp, down an old dirt road, away from the bright city lights. I loved it. I wanted to crawl inside the books warm descriptions and live there.

Secondly, I loved how suspicious I became of everyone. For quite sometime, there is no indicator of who the bad guy really is. With some books, you just figure it out immediately, but fortunately this wasn’t immediate. It took sometime for me to decide on who I expected the person to be. Even though I ended up right, it still took me a long time to get there. I also couldn’t figure out exactly what connected the events on my own, my reason was different than the way it played out. I really appreciate that as well.

Speaking of immediate things… one of the things I didn’t super enjoy was the insta-love. While this is common in YA, I guess I never really get used to it. Willow attempted to drag him along for a bit, but all the while still swooning over him. It’s definitely not as bad as other books, and it didn’t stop me from enjoying the story, so don’t think too much on it if you are interested in reading. One other thing that bothered me a tad bit was that it’s really more a romance than thriller, in my opinion. That’s just how it felt while reading. I was so excited about the thriller aspect, because they are some of my favorite types of books. (Side note: this would have been an AWESOME new adult novel!)

The writing is beautiful, story is engaging, and I definitely recommend this book to YA readers – it is very mild on the level that the romance goes. Check it out, and enjoy!!

Okay, first off, look at that pretty cover! It's beautiful! I love the purple color mixed with the white to create this really original looking cover that totally stands out. I think it was one of my favorite things about the book, to be honest!

I read Wicked Charm pretty fast - in the course of a single afternoon I found myself wrapped up in this one, beginning and then finishing it. I enjoyed how fast paced the whole book felt - there was nothing slow about it, so if you have an afternoon and you want a good romantic mystery, this is one that I think would be perfect.

"The swamp is the kind of place a girl can get lost in and never find her way out."

Willow has moved to her Gran's house in the swamp with her parents - the swamp that is known as The Devil's Swamp. Alligators, fog, and all kinds of mysterious things are said to happen here - and not many people want to be around to find out just what.

When Willow moves in, she becomes the new girl, and to her amazement, she immediately gains the attention of Beau Cadwell, the boy who lives next door. She is enchanted with him from the first time she lays her eyes on him - keeping in mind their childhood friendship from years ago.

"'He's taken to you already. That's not a good thing, by the way.'
'Maybe it could be a good thing.'
'You think that now,' she says, 'But your tears will tell you differently later.'"

Both Willow and Beau start a dangerous game where they continuously flirt with one another, even though Gran and Willow's new friend is telling her that she absolutely must stay away from him, because he is not a nice guy and she is only bound to get her heart broken. Willow, on the other hand, can't stay away - the feelings that she is developing for Beau are taking front and center stage, and no matter what, she finds herself drawn to him, and him to her.

While they are flirting and starting a relationship that is almost forbidden, strange things begin happening in the swamp - murders. Girls from school are turning up dead, and there's only one thing that ties them all together - Beau.

While Beau claims innocence, Willow tries to help prove that he is right, and that the murders that are occurring are definitely not his fault.

"'I can't promise to give you myself, the real me. And I can't promise to give you what you need or deserve, but I also can't stop wanting you.'"

As the two of them keep their relationship growing, they also work together to find clues that will prove that Beau didn't commit the murders, once and for all.

Wicked Charm was absolutely not a bad book. It was full of romance (like super insta-love) and mystery, while delivering a setting that was described wonderfully and practically put you right into the book.

I liked Beau's character, and while I tried so hard to like Willow, I just felt no connection to her and because of that, really wasn't a fan of her sections of the book like I was Beau's. I did love that this was told in alternating viewpoints between Willow and Beau, because we were able to get a look into the minds of both characters, making them really jump off the page.

I think my favorite character in Wicked Charm was definitely Willow's Gran. There is so much going on with her - she tries to keep Willow away from Beau, but we don't find out her real reasons for doing so until a little later in the book, making it take on a whole new perspective. I love her foul-mouthed ways and how she feeds the alligators - she's overall just funny, mean-spirited at times, and really a character that I feel we haven't really seen before in a book like this. Plus, the relationship that she and Willow share is a really special one.

I really wish that there would have been less in terms of romance and more in terms of mystery and a bit more suspense. Sure, there was plenty of mystery, with the murders going on, but I feel like that whole subplot kind of took a back burner to the insta-love that was going on between Willow and Beau. Sorry, but I kind of think that if a bunch of girls were turning up murdered, all with a connection to the boy next door, I would definitely be staying far away from that.

The story really was engaging, though, and I loved trying to solve the mystery of the murders. I did manage to guess who it was, but there are some really interesting twists and turns in Wicked Charm that will really make you think twice!

Wicked Charm is a great new YA romantic thriller that fans are sure to love. There were several things I really enjoyed about the book, along with some that weren't the best (in my opinion). I'm a huge fan of thrillers, so I read them constantly. I've come across so many that it's truly hard for me to get stumped anymore. That happened with this book. I figured out the big mystery - the killer's identity - by about the third or fourth chapter. This had nothing to do with the book or writing. I personally have just read so many in the genre that it happens a lot for me. I did enjoy trying to figure out the motive, which I had to wait until the end before it was revealed. The author did a fantastic job with the setting - deep in Georgia's swamps. I don't have much knowledge about areas like this, but the author wrote about it in such detail with vivid imagery and description that I felt like I was right there alongside Willow and Beau the whole time.

I liked the two main characters - Willow and Beau - and loved getting to know each of them separately along with seeing their feelings for each other grow throughout the novel. It is labeled as a romantic thriller for a reason - Willow and Beau's romance plays a significant role through the entire story line and is vitally important to the plot. One huge thing I loved was the author's choice of writing style. It was done in the first person point of view (my favorite), but on top of that - it was written in alternating perspectives between Willow and Beau. I think this was absolutely perfect for this story and the author was spot on choosing this style. If it had just been done in one character's perspective, say Willow for example, I would have still liked it but not as much as having an alternating peek into each of their minds. That was a huge plus for me and definitely impacted my overall experience. Definitely recommended for fans of YA, contemporary, mysteries, thrillers, and romance.

Willow Bell moves with her parents to live with her grandmother in Waycross, Georgia, on the edge of the Okefenokee wetlands. When she sees Beau Cadwell, the grandson of Gran's neighbour, she is instantly smitten and it's not long before her feelings are reciprocated. However, Gran holds an intense dislike for Mr. Cadwell and believes he and his grandson are evil.

Beau is exotic and mysterious. He breaks the hearts of all the girls in Waycross and fully expects to do the same to Willow. Gran warns her away from him, afraid he will steal Willow's soul. Rumours and whispers spread through the town about him and his family. Willow feels intensely drawn to him, though and sees another side to Beau that is thoughtful and kind.

Willow is fascinated by the swamp and feels at home there, even with an array of hidden dangers lurking behind the heavy trees and beneath the murky water. But she has more to fear than gators, snakes and a smooth-talking heartbreaker, when Beau's newly ex-girlfriend is found murdered in the bog and the killer remains at large.

The novel kept me transfixed wanting to know more of the history between the Cadwell and Bell families, what caused the rift between Virginia Bell and Parker Cadwell and what had really happened to Beau's parents. Beautifully written, descriptive and atmospheric, Wicked Charm is filled with mystery, darkness and secrets.

One of my favorite books to read are thrillers so I was excited to dive into Wicked Charm! Wicked Charming is a fun suspenseful read with plenty of romance. I was a little disappointed that the romance was more of the main focus than the serial killer. I did still really enjoy Wicked Charm, it just wasn't what I was expecting. I loved the writing! The descriptions made you feel like you were there. Overall I really enjoyed reading Wicked Charm. If you like romance books with a little bit of a mystery then you should pick this one up.