I was really excited about the premise of this book but was a little disappointed in its execution. Juliet's story is the main focus of the book, and she was the most annoying and not the most interesting out of the 4 reincarnations of the heroine. I would have liked to see more of Nora and Helen and less of Juliet and Sandra.
Also, there was too much detail provided about too many inconsequential things. As a DC resident, I appreciated a couple of the mentions of DC haunts, but they (and other details, like clothing labels, food, etc) were too numerous and added nothing to the story. I also thought there were some plot gaps and inconsistencies in the mythology of how everything worked. And poor Luke! His life/lives sucked... and who didn't see his ending coming from a mile away?

3 stars for originality.

My thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

While I typically love stories on witches (fictionalized or true) this one was a bit harder for me to get into. It wasn't the story, because the synopsis was original and intriguing. It was the character I just couldn't get around. She wasn't very likable and rather young for this concept.

I liked the concept and the characters. The book was well written and I enjoyed it immensely. I did feel like the end was a bit rushed and left a few unanswered questions. Nevertheless, it was a great read.

Thanks to Netgalley, Redhook Books, and Constance Sayers for the opportunity to review A Witch in Time by providing me with an uncorrected proof. 4 stars from me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Helen has lived many lives... she just doesn't know it yet. Newly divorced and reeling from the heartbreak of betrayal by her husband Roger, she starts dating. This is how she meets Luke, a stranger who is somehow utterly familiar to her. With his help, she begins piecing together her past lives. See, Helen has been cursed by her mother, of all people, to live out many lives, during which she relives a doomed relationship with Roger. During each of these lives, Luke appears to help her regain her memories and heal from the heartbreak... until her untimely death by age 34. Helen discovers that she began as Juliet, a muse to an artist named Marchant, who was a bit older than her. Her mother accidentally set her curse in motion when she became pregnant by him. Her life continues on as Nora, Sandra, and eventually, to Helen. In each of these lives, she deals with heartbreak at the hands of her lover and only then is shown her curse through the help of Luke, who is tasked with holding her to her punishment for eternity. She discovers a lot about her heritage and the reasoning behind her mother's actions. Her mother was a minor witch, able to do a little bit of magic-work here and there, and she slowly realizes that she has magic in her veins, as well.

Man, I've had some Netgalley misses lately and this one REALLY made up for it. For those looking for an intricate magic system, don't look here. The magic in this was so subtle and lightly interjected into the plot. For the most part, our characters are seemingly normal people who got where they are by extraordinary circumstances... which just happen to involve magic. I liked that. I wasn't looking for a fantasy read, when I read this synopsis. I'm not sure WHAT I was expecting, maybe more of a historical fiction? It kind of defies most of the tags you would normally try to tag it as. It has romance and is definitely focused on multiple love stories, but it's not a steamy, breathless, bodice-ripping novel. It has magic, demons, witches... but it's not saturated with it. It's different from most things I've read and that really helped me race through this book.

Helen revisits all of her old lives through visions that start coming to her after her heartbreak. This could have gotten really stale if the author made us replay the same story over and over, but thankfully, each life was evolved from the last. Helen and Roger's past lives were always THEM, but different. Her heartbreak was always different, their lifestyles were always different, the way they reacted to their situation was always different, the way they die is always different, sometimes their sexual orientation was even different. They kept characteristics true to themselves though; he's always involved with art of some form, she always discovers an affinity for the piano, they both love each other to some degree despite the heartbreak. Throughout all of this, Luke helps Helen through all of her lives. Sometimes he makes things worse. Sometimes he helps her completely work through what Roger has done to her. Sometimes she hates Luke for the things he has done to help her. It was all kept very fresh and thus, was an extremely easy and enjoyable read. With each life we learned more about the backstory of how Juliet's mother could have possibly cursed her daughter this way. We learn about why Luke is in charge of holding Helen to her curse. Many things that seemed like plot holes in the beginning, tidied themselves up by the end. There were times that the writing of minor characters seemed a bit immature or undeveloped, but not often enough to discourage me from continuing. This never seemed much of an issue with the main characters, either.

There are controversial themes: underage sexual relationships, forced child loss, rape. There are demons, witches, etc. Providing this as a trigger warning to anyone who prefers reads without this type of content.

A Witch in Time will be available in February of 2020 for you to pick up. Well done, Constance Sayers.

A Witch in Time is about doomed lovers, a large age difference, abuse and rape against women, a low opinion of middle aged women, and some supernatural thrown in.

2012 Washington D.C. - After her divorce, Helen is set up on a blind date with Luke only to discover that their paths have crossed several times throughout history. In 1895, Helen was sixteen-year old Juliet LaCompte, a young woman who falls in love with a married painter Auguste Marchant. Juliet's mother, a witch, summons a demon to curse the painter and accidently binds Juliet, Merchant, and the demon to continually play out their ill-fated romance through time. Each time that Juliet is reborn she is doomed to fall in love with the reincarnation of Marchant, a romance destined to end in tragedy. Unless Helen can discover a way to break the curse, they will be forced to play out their tragic rolls until the end of time.

A Witch in Time is a fantastic debut novel that takes two ill-fated lovers and a bound demon through time to play out their tragic roles as a failed curse fulfills its contract. Once Helen meets Luke she begins to remember her past lives in order. The first life begins in France in 1895 with Juliet, a young girl who sits for a married painter to help earn money for her family and becomes his lover. Her second life is Nora Wheeler, an aspiring actress from New York City. Set in 1932 we get look at the golden age of Hollywood and what it takes to make it as a star. She then returns as Sandra Keane, a young musician in a rock band during the 1970's Vietnam era where drugs, music, and war defined the nation. As Helen pieces together the stories of each of her past lives she searches for clues to break the curse once and for all. As Helen continues to revisit her history she learns more about herself and those who are cursed to share her fate. I really enjoyed this book and seeing how each of the lives played out differently. Luke's character is charming and often sarcastic in his roles but he has a soft side that makes him somewhat irresistible for a demon. I definitely recommend this novel as the perfect cozy up read for the New Year.

In this story, a young woman is the muse of a painter in the late 19th century. Her mother casts a curse on them, which was supposed to separate them, but instead causes the relationship to be relived over and over again. There is a young woman, who falls for the wrong man, and an administrator who protects the woman...

This book kind of grossed me out to be honest. There's a romance between a sixteen-year-old girl and a much older, married man. Enough said.

Other than that, this book was described as being similar to Outlander, which was my initial motivation for reading it. Unfortunately, the writing was bland, the characters were one-dimensional and annoying, the present-day timeline happened so quickly that I had no sense of how fast time was passing, and the original romance between Juliet and Marchant was disgusting to me and made me feel uncomfortable. Compounded with the fact that the book was described as being about a passionate romance, but was actually just lust and completely creepy, I had no interest in this book soon after beginning it and did not enjoy reading at all.

I had very high hopes for this book, since it was described as being like Outlander and the plot summary seemed a bit like one of my other favorite books (Overseas by Beatriz Williams), but ultimately I was disappointed and more than a little uncomfortable.

2.5 out of 5 stars

A Witch in Time is a story of a young witch, an artist and a demon cursed to be reborn over and over again to live out a doomed love affair. Once I heard the words witch, artist and demon - I was so there! I was so excited about this book and the cover is gorgeous.

Well this book was not what I expected. The characters were flat, one dimensional, the book jumped the shark in 3rd reincarnation and the ending was predictable.

My first problem with the book is the age gap between Merchant & Juliette. She’s 16 and he’s in his 30s with a wife and a kid on the way. Historically, I am aware that these things happened - but I honestly couldn’t get past the revulsion I felt when they had sex, or when he painted her nude. I don’t know but to me this is just pedophilia. They have a love affair, it happens in like 20 pages, like just happens, for purposes of the plot. It’s so unbelievable.

My second problem is that this book is VERY rape happy - why? Just to show that Juliette has a hard life. Juliette is to marry a young man who is cruel and abusive to save her family. It’s very Tess of the d’Umbervilles - a young woman, trying to save her family gets raped by the richer man, then she is disgraced and discarded like trash. Not to mention that once Juliette leaves - her younger sister marries this awful piece of trash and gets abused by him. WHY?! I felt so awful for the sister! Why didn’t Juliette ever help her?! She was only obsessed with herself - that’s why. Which brings us to why I dislike Juliette.

Then we have Juliette - a spoiled brat who never really grows up. The wold is just against her and she makes all of her own problems. And I understand, she’s still in her teens, but I just couldn’t care for her. Honestly, I couldn’t care for any of her reincarnations, like at all, and especially Hellen. WOW I have not disliked a character this much in a long time. She’s shallow, self-obsessed, self-important, and one dimensional. She only cares about what kind of designer she wears, what kind of party she attends/throws, who is present at this party, how it can benefit her, how her house looks - honestly she needs to be Instagram ready at all times. If I wanted to read about any of this - I’d pick up a Vogue, not a historical fiction book. And then Merchant (the artist) is just there to break her art and Luke (the demon) to pick up the pieces and put her back together.

The magic and the demon take up maybe like 10 pages total of this book. Basically what drew me to the book in the first place was not there.

And then there are descriptions like: “She turned to see a middle-aged woman with long hair and low breasts leaning against the doorway.” Why are her breasts mentioned in this? What’s the purpose of their description? I honestly don’t think this author likes women very much, what with all the rape, descriptions of saggy breasts and the misfortune that befalls them She likes them only if they’re wearing a 2013 Alexander McQueen gown at a gallery opening.

There are parts of the book I did enjoy: the way the curse worked with the administrator (if it was done better), Juliette’s mother’s back story, traveling through time and seeing Paris in the 19th century.

This could have been a great book, but instead it’s just a shallow piece of work that made me angry and depressed.

Thanks net galley for the book in exchange for a review.

I loved this!! I mean witches, a curse, rebirth? Yes PLEASE. This story navigates a young witch cursed to die in her 20s and be reborn. We read several lifetimes My dislikes were the repetitive elements in the book during the multiple life times. I also felt the main character was a little dumbed down, now this could be due to age but it made her borderline unlikeable.

I received this e-arc from NetGalley and the author for an honest and unbiased review that is solely my own.

The title and especially the cover are what caught my attention when I first saw this novel. The premise was icing on the cake. I want to preface by stating this is not like a young adult novel of curses, witches, demons and love. This isn’t even like Practical Magic level of witchery. This novel is a curse of revenge done by a lesser witch to “protect” her daughter but it backfires, ensnaring her daughter, the lover and a demon in a continual loop of repetition over lifetimes. We come in to the daughter’s life at a stage where she might have the tools and possible powers to break the curse. Don’t expect pages of magical spells and witchery. This is more a story of love. Think 50 First Dates meets Groundhog Day.

Reliving the many lives of Helen and seeing each one merge into the other was captivating. I was engrossed in the forbidden and downright underage love of Juliet and Marchant. Hating and loving aspects of each new Helen as they grew and came into knowledge of their Groundhog Day type existence for each era. I don’t want to mention too much of the characters because that will just give too much away.

The author did a wonderful job of depicting each era and surrounding culture. She notes for the reader that historical and fictional incidents are woven throughout the story and edited to fit her tale. Though the story moves back and forth there was no confusion and it flows. I will say that there are some portions that seemed slightly rushed compared to reliving Juliet’s life but it doesn’t take too much away from the story.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a love story that crosses lifetimes. I also want to mention that there are incidents of rape, underage sex, physical abuse, drugs, overdose, forced abortion and demonic ritual.

Thank you to Redhook Books and Netgalley for this ARC for my review of this book.
This is one of the best books I've read all year. If you like Witches and Time Travel then this book is for you.
It starts with teenage Juliet in 1895 in France and goes back and forth through time for over 100 years, because her mother casts a very bad spell on her. She is reborn as different women every 30-40 years with no knowledge of her past lives. The spell leaves her in the care of an Administrator, whom is being punished for his own bad deeds. He falls in love with her. He is cursed with living his life as a Demon and has to wait for her to summon him every 30-40 years. Each time she is reborn she is in another country or city. As she gets older she starts to have dreams of her prior lives, but she can't live past her 34th birthday. She will start to realize she has powers as well.
Travel through time with her as she tries to figure out why this has happened to her.

Helen goes on a blind date that changes her life when a man from her past shows up and turns everything she thinks she knows about her life upside down. A wonderful telling of four very different lifetimes that tie together kept me on the edge of my seat. I really liked this book- the flow of the story could have easily been confusing, but it reads seamlessly. I had a hard time putting it down!

I have to say this book was disappointing. It had so many things going for it--past lives, witchcraft, old Hollywood, love triangles-- but felt like many never fully came to fruition. We never even meet this all-powerful demon that set the whole curse in motion. The book also seemed like a knock-off Taylor Jenkins Reid novel with magic thrown in. Nora's story is straight out of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Sandra's story is very similar to Daisy Jones and the Six.

She and Marchant are forced to live over and over again – each time playing out their short-lived love affair, which always ends in heartache, and the cycle always stops with her tragic death on her 34th birthday. To make matters worse, the curse’s demonic administrator has been hopelessly in love with her since the first go-around.

This plays out time and again until 2012, Washington D.C. when something has changed. This time around, Juliet-of-the-many-lives begins to remember each one of her previous lives, and she discovers that each time she lives again, she gains some new power. Now that she truly knows herself and what she might be capable of, she may just be able to break the curse.

Full disclosure – I basically requested this ARC because of the following statement:
A Witch in Time is perfect for fans of A Secret History of Witches, Outlander, and The Time Traveler’s Wife.

I haven’t read A Secret History of Witches yet, but I loved The Time Traveler’s Wife and I’m currently watching/slightly obsessed with Outlander, so I was intrigued. This story had me from the beginning. By the end of the first chapter, I was thoroughly hooked. I honestly can’t believe this is a debut novel – Sayers has a real talent for storytelling.

There’s some magic here, plenty of star-cross’d lovers, a little light demon business, some blood rituals, and trips through late 19th century France, 1930s Hollywood, 1970’s LA, and recent-times D.C.

The only thing keeping me from rating this book higher is that for a story that hinges upon a demon-driven witch-curse, there is remarkably little of any of that to be found. The curse is almost an afterthought. I mean, I get that the real story here is the love story, but…I feel a little let down. That being said, I still really enjoyed reading this, and based on the quality of the work, I still find it hard to reconcile that this is Constance Sayers’ first novel.

I loved traveling in time with this magical story. It captivated me from the very beginning. There is romance, time travel, history, lots of heartache and a dark curse that needs to be broken. This is a book you will not want to put down!Thank you @netgalley for my copy!

I featured this book in The Young Folks (100K pageviews per month) list of "25 Spooky, Witchy and Overall Fantastic Books of Halloween."

Blurb: Are you a fan of The Time Traveler’s Wife or Outlander? What drew me to both of those movies was the love affair that spans across time and the slight paranormal element that created such an alluring narrative that I fell deeply in love with the concept. This book is the same and if you enjoy rereading (or watching) those books during the Fall, you won’t be able to resist A Witch In Time.

Wow. I haven’t been this captivated by a book since Circe! A Witch in Time had me glued through every twist and turn, imagining the different eras and lifestyles of the main character. I’m absolutely blown away by the intricacies of this story!

A Witch in Time, is a generational story of a young girl cursed by her mother to live in a never ending life cycle loop. Each time she is born again, to relive a doomed love and die young. That is until the 4th re-birth where she figures out how to reconcile all of her lives and end the curse. This book started out slow, I almost gave up, but it does get better as it goes along. It is a lengthy book, that does drag at times. However, Sayers does a good job of revealing new pieces of information with each new life. Solid 3.5.

A Witch in Time is the perfect mix of time travel, romance and fantasy! The layers of the story are so well intertwined, you will travel seamlessly between time periods, locations and characters. It's a hard book to put down.