The Witches of Willow Cove was such a fun book that I had a hard time putting it down. Six teenage girls find out they have magical, witchy powers on their thirteenth birthdays and all sorts of fun, interesting things start to happen. It would have been exactly the type of book I would have read over and over again at ten years old, wishing I was was one of those girls, preferably Abby.

One of the things that I feel adults tend to forget is kids LIKE spooky stories, even really scary ones. I loved really scary stories as a kid and didn't really find them scary enough which is why I tended to read more adult novels even as a young kid, drifting towards authors like Stephen King at quite the young age. I don't believe in those criticisms as I think kids can think for themselves and just close the book if they are too scared to read further, and for those kids, like myself, who want scary stories, they can still find them. The one is a nice blend of spooky, creepy, and normal. There is a lot of mystery in it, tunnels for kids to creep through, old spooky houses that have been abandoned, and oh yes, don't forget the fog and strange lights. All balanced nicely between every day things like school and getting grounded. Throw in old secrets, centuries-old journals, and other things like this, you have the makings of a book that will just draw kids in, never mind adults like myself who couldn't put down the book.

The characters were quirky and worked well together. I liked all of them, even the ones who were more on the meaner side as there were reasons for their behaviour that were explained rather well in the book. I really liked that the story didn't necessarily revolve around the 'witches', but included another threesome who did some investigating on their own and helped the girls discover the truth to what was happening. It was nice to see the kids work together, even if they didn't realize it until the end, using different means to get there. So, while the story was about the witches, there was so much more to it and the non-magical kids got their chance to prove that they could discover important information and help despite the fact they were not witches. I think that is really important for kids to see.

The plot was fun, interesting, and literally took off from the first page of the book. I have a hard time putting it down and got invested in Abby and her friends quite quickly. However, this does not blind me to the fact that the story, while fascinating, was somewhat predictable and the conflicts were easy to spot a mile away. This did not take away from the enjoyment of the book though as I didn't really care.

The Witches of Willow Cove, so far, is my favourite juvenile fiction book this year by far. I loved the atmospheric setting, and truly appreciated the equal balance of magical and non-magical kids to have their moment in the sun, so to speak. The characters were intriguing, and the plot was fun and action-packed. I liked the parent involvement and was glad to see the kids get in trouble, even get grounded, for some of the things they did. And boy, was I happy to learn the author was currently working on a sequel to this book as he definitely left it wide open for some more amazing adventures to happen next. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves magic.

I have recently started to enjoy middle grade books and the magical worlds they take place in. The Witches of Willow Cove follows a group of friends as they discover some of them are witches. This story does an excellent job of showing the growing pains of middle school and how many changes are going on. The story line was fast paced and kept you reading by involving a mystery that keeps you guessing. I loved the ending of this story and I can only hope there will be more stories involving Abby and her gang of friends.

Thank you Netgalley and Owl Hollow publishing for providing me with a eARC in exchange for a honest review.

4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Witches of Willow Cove is a refreshing, extremely well developed fantasy story about witches. I didn't know what to expect when going in and honestly that made me love it even more. This is such a captivating and fascinating story and kept me gripped to the page.

Abby and Robby are best friends. On the night of Abby's 13th birthday, coincidentally Halloween, her and Robby decide to head up to Whispering Hill to explore what is said to be an old haunted asylum. In the face of danger that night, Abby discovers that she is a witch and can fly. Abby isn't the only witch in town but under the teaching of Miss Winters, her and her new witch friends start to discover a world of magic and more about her powers.

The world building in this was incredible and the intricate backstory and webbing of details makes for a wonderful experience while reading the book. It's been a while since I properly enjoyed a middle grade fantasy novel, but this just restored my faith in the genre.

The Witches of Willow Cove is a wonderful, fun, heartfelt, adventurous story about friendship and magic. Absolutely wonderful.

The Witches of Willow Cove is a middle-grade book full of magic! Six girls find out they are witches on their thirteenth birthday. A new suspicious stranger moves into town to teach the girls how to use their newfound magic. This suspenseful page turner book will keep you on the edge of your seat all the way until the end. Even at the end, you are left wondering if there will be a sequel. This is the perfect book for kids who want to read something “scary” but not too scary.

Brilliant book my kids loved it too we love be Abby and her friends. Full of magic, weirdness and friendship a really good read.

A fun if derivative fantasy for middle-grade readers. The fast pace sped me through the early chapters, although I found the pile-up of names confusing at times, and the breathless pace became a little too frantic in places.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Witches of Willow Cove is a magical middle-grade adventure, about six teenage girls who discover their powers of witchcraft on their thirteenth birthday.

What I loved:
- This book was quite the pageturner: once you get into the story, you want to see where the adventure takes you. 12-year old me would have loved this book for that.
- The friendships in the story started off a little iffy for me: there was some girl-girl-rivalry between friends that I wasn’t sure I would enjoy, but the author addresses all of this wonderfully and develops the friendships in a way that made me appreciate the individual characters even more.
- It’s often hard to find the appropriate level of “creepiness” in a middle-grade novel, especially since children round that age are very different in their ways of interpreting this. I felt like Willow Cove was a perfect mix of being atmospheric and slightly spooky, without terrifying readers to the point of nightmares. A perfect early-fall read in my opinion, even for kids who don’t enjoy scary stories.
- One of the best and most unexpected things about this story was how both the magical- and non-magical kids were viewed equally, and offered their chance in the spotlight. Often we see the chosen-characters taking over the story and having to save the world for the rest of us. Here there was a clear place for each individual character to shine and take control for themselves, no matter their powers. I think it’s a wonderful and important message for children to see you don’t need magic to be a hero in your own story.

What I didn’t love:
- I can’t help but feel the plot wasn’t too original, and although I enjoyed the story, I did feel like I had read it before many times. I felt like a lot of inspiration was taken from the Harry Potter series, Roald Dahl and even Victoria Schwabs middle-grade writing.
- Much of the magic and history of the town is explained by one character to another, rather than shown. Especially when it comes to something so vivid and interesting as magic, I feel this is a big missed opportunity. It really dragged the pacing down and hampered my enjoyment a bit at times.
Overall, I would definitely recommend Witches of Willow Cove to children ages 10 and up, or even any adult interested in middle-grade witchy stories. I’d wish this book was available in Dutch already, because I would love to give this to my nieces to read some time.

#netgalley #arcreview #justreleased
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The witches of Willow Cove - Josh Roberts
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Abby is just an ‘normal’ teenager, at least that is what she thought she was...
I loved this book, it shows friendship, characters bonding, help from an surprisingly front.
It’s an fun read, that sucks you in from the start and I en-suite a lot 📖🙌🏻
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Blurb

Six teenage witches. One mysterious stranger. A secret that could destroy them all.

It's not easy being a teenage witch. Seventh grader Abby Shepherd is just getting the hang of it when weird stuff starts happening all around her hometown of Willow Cove. Green slime bubbling to life in science class. Giant snakes slithering around the middle school gym. Her best friend suddenly keeping secrets and telling lies.

Things only begin to make sense when a stranger named Miss Winters reveals that Abby isn't the only young witch in town--and that Willow Cove is home to a secret past that connects them all. Miss Winters, herself a witch, even offers to teach Abby and the others everything she knows about witchcraft.

But as Abby learns more about Miss Winters' past, she begins to suspect her new mentor is keeping secrets of her own. Can Abby trust her, or does Miss Winters have something wicked planned for the young witches of Willow Cove?
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Genre; children fiction, middle grade, ya, fantasy, paranormal
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Stars; ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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#witchesofwillowcove #released #fun #witches #tbr #bookreview #excited #magic #bookstagram #book #reading #blastfromthepast #creative #photography

This book was fast=paced with lots of magic and mystery thrown in. It's a great story about friendship and coming-of-age, perfect for middle grade readers. I enjoyed the world-building/explanation given for how the magic in the story worked.

The different plotlines came together perfectly and the author kept me guessing until the very end. Most of the characters were compelling and it was hard to pick a "favorite". They were all unique, funny and interesting, with the mysterious Miss Winters very intriguing.

I think this book would be perfect for young readers who enjoy stories about witches, mysteries and friendships..

Boy, do I love a good witchy tale.

When I saw this book's name and cover, I knew I would love this story. While this YA book focuses on a group of 13 year old girls new to their powers and their non-magical friends, the sinister elements surrounding Miss Winters will leave you wondering if she is a good witch or a bad (i.e. misunderstood) witch.

This book was excellent from start to finish. I did learn that there is a difference between the word riffle and rifle. I had to look it up, because the author kept using riffle and it bothered me. I always thought it was rifle. Ends up, you use the word rifle when it is involved in a crime (think of the rifle as a gun to remember to use this term when a crime is involved). All other times, use riffle.

Beyond that little word lesson, I found myself wrapping my mind around how we always remember the big events, like in the Salem Witch Trials. We remember the event, but we never ask what happened before that and why it led up to the witch trials. We don't even ask what happened immediately after in the years that followed to the families or the town.

Back then, Salem wasn't just a town. It was an entire area, filled with farms and such. That's just the background information you will learn from this book.

I really can see this book turning into a film or a TV movie, because kids love witchy stories. After all, the number one film I reach for every Halloween is Hocus Pocus. This book is nice and clean just like Hocus Pocus.

The ending was surprising. I didn't even expect it to turn out that way, but I am glad that it did. It teaches a very valuable lesson to all.

All in all, I recommend this book for those who love witchy stories, YA lovers and middle grade readers. Such a good book. I was entertained from start to finish.

Maybe Disney could option this???

Very fun adventure for kids (and young at heart, ha) Abby finds out she is a witch, so are others in her class with powers activating on their birthdays, and some adults in her life are too. Murder, mystery and adventure. Set near Salem, Massachusetts for an even more witchy vibe.

The kids make the book! Hiding secrets, new friendships, new places- so many exciting changes in a short time. Great fun read!

What a fun ride! WITCHES OF WILLOW COVE was a fast-paced, tightly written tale of adventure, friendship, mystery, and - of course - witches.

There was a lovely sense of familiarity nestled in this book, with wands and broomsticks set side-by-side with middle school life. Sometimes, combinations of such familiar elements can feel too tired or cliche, but Josh Roberts did an excellent job of exploiting all the best parts. Abby was a great protagonist, but perhaps the best part was her relationship with her coven. I adored seeing how the girls grew with each other, especially set against the backdrop of an exciting mystery - is their teacher really who she says she is? What does it really mean to be a witch in Willow Cove?

A classic, confident debut that I'm sure will be popular with all kinds of young readers. 4/5.

The Witches of Willow Cove by Josh Roberts is a captivating debut, ideal for late primary or early teen readers. The strong narrative and engaging writing style paired with realistic young characters are perfect for that intersection of middle grade and young adult. This is a readership that is often neglected, so it’s great to see books being released that cater to them.
The story is set in Willow Cove, a small town near Salem. On the surface, it is a regular small town, but bubbling underneath is a centuries-old mystery that no-one has ever managed to piece together. The narrative alternates between the perspectives of two best friends, Abby and Robbie. The mystery they stumble across has more connection to them than they realise and they are thrown into a dangerous magic world of magic that challenges their relationship, who they think they are and what they know about the town in which they live. Along with a group of fellow teens (some more friendly than others), they must put together the true history of their town and keep each other safe. Each aspect of the mystery is carefully threaded through the book, both clues and red herrings and, with so many twists and turn she uncertainty of what is the truth, and who can be trusted, stays with the reader right up until the final moment when everything ties together.
I love a book with a strong cast of characters and The Witches of Willow Cove delivers a great variety of kids working through their interpersonal relationships and figuring out how to work together and help each other. I particularly appreciated the way the story highlighted the contribution of both the magical and non-magical characters in a realistic way. The characterisation is excellent, the teenagers read very much as thirteen-year-olds but each in their own way. The parents' level of involvement in the story also worked really well.
Even though the book is full to the brim with magic and dangerous mysteries, at its core is a strong focus on human relationships, primarily friendship, but also budding romance and with parents. The story has a satisfying conclusion, while still leaving room for the possibility of more adventures. I hope there will be follow up books.
I’d particularly recommend if you enjoy Diana Wynne Jones.

For some reason, going into this book, I thought it was YA... it's not. It's most definitely MG and at that, one of the most enjoyable MG I've read in a while.

If you know me, you know I'm always up for a witch story. My favourite time of the year is Halloween so any spooky, magical, witchy story is right up my alley. And while The Witches of Willow Cove was not spooky, it definitely ticked all the other boxes.

The story follows Abby and Robby (have I only copped now that their names are very similar - yes!), who are best friends, and on Halloween night they go to snoop around an abandoned mental hospital, to try and solve the mystery of Robby's mom's disappearance, but instead they meet the new owner of the Whispering Hill, get chased off by chimeras and find out Abby can fly (none of this is a spoiler, as it happens literally in the first chapter). Needles to say, they get in a bit of trouble, especially after two more people mysteriously disappear.

The Witches of Willow Cove was a really enjoyable, fast paced and magical story. It had everything I love in MG - exciting plot, likable characters, great atmosphere and heaps of amazing friendships.

I really liked Abby as the main character and I kind of wish the whole book was told from her perspective, instead of alternating with Robby's. I understand Robby's POV was important to solving the mystery, but I didn't much care for his relationship with Becca. I very much enjoyed seeing Abby learn magic and discover secrets from the past. I loved all of Abby's new friends (Amethyst in particular) and Zeus! They were all fun to read about and had distinct personalities.

The ending definitely had me intrigued, as it's hinting at a series... if it is, I'll definitely be reading future books.

Alright, so, I'm always here for witchy things, and middle-grade is my safe bet whenever I want fun, and this delivered. The basic gist of this story is that Abby, upon turning 13, becomes a witch. Which, in and of itself is a big change, but then she finds out that five other girls in her class are witches, too, and just to add the cherry on top a new, mysterious teacher comes along and offers to teach them how to be witches - on top of all of that, turns out the town has a long history of witchcraft, and everything is connected.

I loved how rooted in friendship this was. Abby may be the main-character, but her best friend, Robby, quite frankly also felt like a main, and the two almost have two separate but interwoven plotlines, helped by their own little group of people, given that Abby has taken up with the witches and Robby gets a girlfriend. You know, through this story, that if it wasn't because everyone has friends who are there for them and who will protect and help them, none of it all would be possible. Quite adore that.

"So," you might say, "if you liked it so much, what's up with the rating?" And lemme tell you what's up, because it's quite simple (and this contains some spoilers, don't tell me I didn't warn you): there were too many side-characters who didn't seem too relevant to the story (some of the witches, for instance, are given next to no page-time) and while it is middle-grade and not everything has to be super logical, there'a a limit to how much you can suspend disbelief. A parent disappears and it's.. fine? We move on? A teacher disappears and is replaced by a mysterious lady nobody's ever heard of before but who seems to know stuff about everyone and that's just fine? Last, but not least, a 13-year old girl is living alone. With her pet raccoon. I know she's a witch and all, but still. How.

Thank you for this review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I didnt want to put it down when I had to do real life. I just kept thinking about getting back to it. The author really kept me guessing until the very end. Nothing I thought would happen happened. So good!

The Witches of Willow Cove is a great middle grade story. Follow Abby and Robby as they try to figure out what's going on with people coming up missing and magic occurs by happenstance as they flee one frightful night. Friendship trouble and new friends, magic and secrets.

Can they find their way back to one another and solve the mystery before the worst could happen or will this entanglement of magic and past and present be the end of Abby and her friends?

If you enjoy stories about witches, coming of age, and/or friendship then this is for you. This would be a great book for Halloween or Fall; although, it it features Christmas as well.

What a great middle-grade spooky tale! Discovering she’s a witch on her 13th birthday makes Abby draw away from her best friend Robby. Robby knows that there’s something more mysterious going on in Willow Cove than just witchcraft and starts to investigate with concerned friends. The normalcy of middle schoolers changing friendships, keeping secrets, and adding new interests creates a strong foundation for the magic, witchcraft, and mysteries. The story twists and turns in the spooky atmosphere until the ending leaves you wanted to stay a little longer in Willow Cove.

Nobody is just one thing....

Josh Roberts wrote an AMAZING story of friendship and self-discovery about a 13 year old girl and her circle of (mostly) friends. Strange things start happening to Abby on her 13th birthday, but it takes a classmate breaking it down, for her to finally accept that she is a witch. Along the way other girls from school discover they have the same abilities and they are all taken under the wing of substitute teacher Ms. Winters. Women keep disappearing in the town, things are burning down, can Abby and her coven figure out what it all means?

Josh really does a great job creating a coven of diverse characters. Abby is an athlete, Daisy a drama queen, and Amethyst is a snarky loner(my favorite). I like that Olivia is someone they wouldn't normally associate with outside of the coven.

This was definitely a page turner, and I was unsure up until the end about who the girls could really trust. I kept thinking "I can't wait to see this on Netflix"

This book is amazing and I hope a ton of people pick it up when it comes out!

The plot of this book is about a young girl named Abby who learns that she and other girls in her town are witches and when an older witch offers to train them Abby has to deal with the knowledge that their teacher might be evil.
This is actually told in dual perspective with one main character being Abby and the other being her best friend. We follow both of them as they navigate middle school, solve the mystery of the older witch, and deal with friendship problems.
I LOVED the two perspectives and thought that the story worked really well told this way.
My favorite thing of this novel was for sure the characters! There is a large cast of characters that is both kids and adults and each one is unique and remember-able! I like how the story started with just the two MCs and then we get to see them make more friends who we also start to love just as much.
My second favorite thing of this novel is that even though there is magic and mystery as the main plot, we also get to see these kids be kids. There is young love and awkward dances and family arguments. I really appreciated that we see these middle schoolers act like middle schoolers!
The main plot was super interesting and I was very happy with the whole arc of it, my only issue with this story in general was there were a lot of time skips, it would skip a week at a time. I don't hate this because I appreciate the story taking the course of the year and us not having to go through the boring days I just wish that it was more seamless rather than "one week later".

Overall this book is the whole package, it is interesting, funny, touching, and intense in some scenes too. If you are wanting a fun magical story that will make you smile and gasp then you should definitely pick this up!

I was so happy to have found this book. I have read books by the Owl Hollow Press before and loved them and was adamant to love this book too. Now I’m not quite sure what to say about “The Witches of Willow Cove”. I liked and didn’t like this book in a way, so it’s hard to know where to start.

Good things first: first of all, I am in awe of Josh Roberts writing style. It is atmospheric and engaging and it made me feel at home. I definitely felt like I was right there and that’s not always an easy thing to do. I applaud you, sir.
Furthermore, the overall story of Abby who discovers she is a witch and has to learn to control those powers all while navigating school, home life and friendship, is engaging and fun. Some scenes have a more grey-ish, darker tone to them, but that is definitely what you would expect from a story about witches.

The book has two main characters who are best friends – Abby and Robbie. The chapters are alternating between their points of view. While at first I was a little surprised, I was soon also engaged with Robbie’s storyline.

But I think that was also where the crux lies with the story for me. While the story lines where interesting and fun on their own, I always felt a little like they didn’t quite fit together. Some things didn’t quite make sense, like the secrets Robbie is keeping from Abby. Since we know everything Robbie is doing, there are no secrets for the reader to uncover, nothing to wonder about what Robbie is up to. Sure there is a third party that has the most secrets of all, but in a way it felt like two different stories in one, each with their own friends and sidekicks.

I liked the characters as a whole, although some could have been a little more fleshed-out. I especially liked the new teacher Miss Winters who teaches Abby and her coven witchcraft. There was always an air of danger and mystery around her and it was fun to discover what she was up to.

All in all it was a good story with atmosphere and a great plot. The characters were a little on the weaker side and some question were left unanswered which I found rather unfortunate. But it’s a great start and if the author continues this series or writes something else I will gladly read it.