This was such a cute and fun read! I loved the book.

But let's take it from the beginning:
I'm always a sucker for new england history and especially the witch trials/ witch craft. So Willow Cove was the perfect place to read about these young witches and watching them discover their powers.

The book is told through the eyes of Abby and Robby, best friends since one evening on Halloween when they have a creepy encounter on Whispering Hill that ends with them flying on a broom. Things get complicated after that because Abby wants to keep Robby out of magical trouble and Robby has secrets of his own to discover.
While Abby learns about her powers she's accompanied by five other girls and I loved their group dynamic and blossoming friendship.

I found the writing good, nothing extraordinary, but it took me fast through the story, was funny and held the tension up. It was a fast read and I loved that about it. You could just disappear into the book for a few hours and follow Abby and Robby on a magical adventure.

One of two things that stood especially out me was first, that the witchcraft itself wasn't explained as detailed as expected and that it was more of a minor part, the friendships, relationships and trust were a much bigger theme in the book which I liked. It just showed that being able to do magic doesn't solve all your problems, you need to be a decent human too.
The other thing was that there wasn't a clear distinction between good and bad as you would've expected. Characters who do horrible things can just as much care about someone as someone who is deemed 'good'. I liked that a lot, the book was much more about morally grey characters.

I truly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who wants a fun, immersive read with great characters.

This book is middle-grade, and I adore middle-grade books. They are fun and easy to read, and this book was no different.

It jumps straight into the story and pulls you in instantly, keeping you curious right until the end. There are quite a few characters but not once did I find myself confused. There are two main point of views, Abby's and Robby's, her best friend, as they both try to figure out what is going on in their little town. I really enjoyed the relationships between the characters and watching them develop throughout the course of the story.

It's very well written and very creative, I will be keeping an eye on this author for any further books.

This is probably my favourite middle-grade book that I've read this year, and this has gone straight on my wish-list, ready for the release.

A wholesome, feel-good middle grade fantasy with nods to Harry Potter and the Salem witch trials. Plot-driven, the characters were sometimes superficial, as were some of the relationships - but then who understands the crushes and anxieties of a 13 year old anyway?! Enjoyable and easy to read; recommend for grades 4 and up.

In a little town with a dark past, we follow Abby and five of her classmates as they discover they’re witches as well as Abby’s best friend, Robby, who is trying to find out what happend to his step-mother who vanished without a trace.

I liked the setup for this but the execution was only okay in my opinion.

I found that I preferred reading from Robby’s POV because I could connect with him and his plot line more.
Abby’s was a bit all over the place, like the author was trying too much or wasn’t sure about how he wanted to go about it. Abby’s training to become a witch felt like a mix of Hogwarts and vague wiccan ways; we never actually witness the classes, instead we get told that they learned something and that they now know how to fly/magic a door open/et cetera. It felt a bit rushed, I would have liked to ease into it a bit more, to get a feel for the kind of magic that it is supposed to be.

Also, I was never sure about how Abby felt about her teacher. The book starts off with both Abby and Robby being afraid and later mistrusting of Ms. Winters, but after she becomes Abby’s teacher, it seems Abby ignores everything that happened beforehand in order to learn more about her powers. It’s like all of the sudden we’re following two story lines that don’t overlap. Sometimes the author throws in a couple of sentences about how Abby tries to keep Robby away from Ms. Winters in order to protect him and that she wants to find out more about what the older witch is all about but then she just keeps on doing magic and never actually doing anything to help her friend whose MOTHER WENT MISSING (which seemed like it was kind of not a big thing to anyone; it happend and everyone moved on).

Also, I found it really irritating, that Abby and Robby - who were supposed to be BEST friends - stop talking to each other for no real reason and find new friends and their parents don’t mention it once. Again, it feels like a very rough way to keep them apart in order to have two plot lines that could and should have overlaped way sooner than they did. It felt forced and I think it would have made more sense for Abby and Robby to not be friends and Abby meeting Ms. Winters thinking she was a nice person and only later learning to mistrust her.

And last but not least: the timeline of the book. The story takes place over months. The kids take their sweet time. It felt like they do one thing, then nothing happens for weeks at a time, then they find out another thing, they don’t do anything. Time goes by - and they just keep on living their lives.
I feel like the plot could have been happening over a couple of weeks. That would have made it more high risk and would have made it more realistic that Abby’s and Robby’s fight was still going on and that they were trying to find out more about what was going on in all of their free time, not just once every couple of weeks.

I did like the wide cast of characters and the creepy atmosphere of the novel though.

This first book in a new witchy series got a 3/5 for me!

The Witches of Willow Cove is a middle-grade paranormal book introducing a new series by the debut author Josh Roberts. We follow two friends, Abby and Robby, as they decide to go explore an abandoned building on Halloween night. Things don’t go as planned, and a mysterious story involving magic, witches and gargoyles ensues.

I have mixed feelings regarding this book. It has all the elements of a story made for me: magic, a small city, middle-grade, friendships, ... However, it didn’t meet my expectations. I believe this author has amazing ideas, but was not able to execute them to their fullest potential, especially when it came to the magic system.

The story starts with a lot of action and its adventure right away, but the middle part dragged. I felt like things were more said than showed, which was frustrating and not as exciting. I also didn’t really care for any characters, unfortunately. We follow different friendships (and love stories), but there is a strong girls hate relationship between Abby and another character, which I don’t like to see in stories, especially in a middle-grade book. We can do better in 2020.

THIS COULD BE CONSIDERED A SPOILER, but I wanted to also point out two things that felt wrong or weird to me. There is a young girl of 13 years old who lives alone. There’s also a character who goes missing (or worse), but their closed ones don’t seem to be affected by it, which felt weird. END OF POSSIBLE SPOILERS

On the other side, this story, as I said, has all the amazing elements of a great middle-grade paranormal book. It will make you dream of living a fun adventure similar to theirs. I enjoyed seeing the young characters acting like kids of their age. This is something that can be difficult to write, but this author captured that feeling well. The book ended hinting at a sequel, which I will most likely read. I’m excited to see this author grow with each book written.

The Witches of Willow Cove is an interesting book about witches and friendship that is sure to make every child dream of living an adventure of their own.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange from an honest review.

This review will be posted on Goodreads, and shared on Twitter. It will also be posted on Amazon Canada on it’s released day.

This was a fun read! I loved the fun witchy atmosphere to this story and really enjoyed the friendship between Amethyst and Abby! This book is filled with magic, friendship, and adventure. The pacing was great and the themes about friendship and family were a nice touch. A pleasure to read and honestly would recommend for all ages! I really loved the storyline and can’t wait to see where the story continues!

This is a fun read, and while age appropriate for the audience, at times it verges on something darker and doesn’t completely shy away from slightly more mature topics. Things that I very much appreciated when I was an avid young reader. This is more like something I would have read at my daughter’s age, 8 or 9, even if the characters are about 13. By that age I had moved on to college level reading and probably would not have enjoyed this one.
As an adult, I love revisiting middle grade reads and it was a refreshing change from authors like Gaiman or Sanderson.

I did enjoy this story, but it felt a little long to me, and some of the plot and character development left me with questions.

Witches of willow cove
Middle grade
Out may 2020
Josh Roberts
Plot

When seventh grade Abby shepherd is just getting the hand of school strange things start happening. Across the hometown of willow cove. It’s not long before Abby finds out she a witch and a few other are Witcher’s two. Abby home town have a few secrets in her town she must discover.
The character Abby Robby Zeus amethyst
Piper becca Tina mrs Winters T. rex Olivia the twins.
My thought
This is a middle grade book based on Halloween So it could be read on Halloween as a spooky read but I could’t wait two read it now.
I love anything two do with witches so I was excited two read this book. It was well written easy two understand the plot you was thrown into the action straight away.
He described the history of the six sisters of witches they took you back in time with them so you got the feel of the time before they died as well. My favourite character was Abby. The villains in the book mrs winter and T. rex and joey and Sarika. I would have loved two science becca and Robby romance blossoms more in the book. And I would have loved two scence Abby and Zeus romance blossom more than just a kiss well it is middle grade after all.
I love how Abby and Robby knew she was a witch from the begging of the story then my favourite part of the book the when they met the new girl amethyst that told Abby she was a witch in the science lab where they were partners and she cast a spell in the class and slime green went every wear I loved that scene. Then in the lighthouse where mrs winters showed them the other Witcher’s in the class there was six of them. And I loved the part where mrs winters taught them two fly the part was great.
The plot of the story was fantastic I loved every chapter was difference plot and new eventure I give this a five star rating.

Thank you for netgalley and owl hollow press for giving me a advanced copy.

On Halloween night, 13-year-old Abby discovers she is a witch when she suddenly can fly. She soon discovers she's not alone as there are 5 other girls who have magical powers in her school. With the help of their new and mysterious teacher, Miss Winters, they learn to control their powers. However, Miss Winters has a secret and Abby tries uncover who her mentor is and if she is trustworthy.

I loved the mentions of Salem. The history of Salem mixed into the story was one of the best parts and the story of the 6 sisters. Also, Abby and Amethyst friendship is so fun! I loved them both. Moreover, I liked Piper and I wanted to know more about her powers.

However, I felt that the story was slow at times. The beginning was really fun, I loved the process of Abby discovering she is a witch and controlling her powers. The middle, however, dragged on a little to much for me. Also, I felt like it was too similar to Harry Potter. Latin isn't really trademarked to the HP world, but the magic system could have been something different. Furthermore, Robby and Becca's relationship was meh. I didn't particularly like it as it was too instalove-y and I felt it was pointless to the plot. Finally, I had many questions at the end of the book: why is Abby more powerful? why can Piper talk to animals? what happened to Olivia's friends? Is Olivia now friends with the other 5?

Overall, it is a fun mystery for middle-grade readers and I believe that 13 year-old readers, especially girls would love this book!

This book had me hooked right from the very beginning! The story moves along at a good pace and the writing style makes it a quick and enjoyable read. I liked meeting the other teen witches and seeing their individual personalities. They all come to terms with their powers pretty quickly, but to have them do otherwise would have very likely slowed the story down and made it drag. Miss Winters is a great villain because there is more to her than just evilness.

I liked the friendship between Abby and Robbie and was so glad that their relationship remained as just friends. However, I did think Robbie was a little unfair to Abby about keeping secrets considering everything he wasn't telling her. It was nice to know by the end that they were able to realize that they work best as a team and they will always have one another's backs.

The ending leaves open the possibility of future books which I very much hope there will be. I would love to get to know the other characters more, especially Amethyst and Olivia. Amethyst because she has such an interesting backstory and I'd like to see her continue her journey from loner to part of a close group of friends. Olivia's need to impress and be the favorite of Miss Winters suggests she is more than just a typical "mean girl". I would also like to learn more about the Council and what they will ask of the new witches.

3 1/2 Stars

The Witches of Willow Cove was such a fun read, especially with the Harry Potter references throughout the book. It's entertaining with a good pace and an interesting story with several layers, in addition to some twists and turns. I also liked several of the characters and found them relatable, even if they were 13.

Also, I hope this will turn into a series, as there's lots more to explore.

This was a really fun, witchy middle grade book! Upon turning 13, Abby discovers that she has magical powers. When the strange Miss Winters shows up and wants to teach Abby and several of her friends magic, a chain of suspicious events begin to occur in the town. Meanwhile, Abby’s best friend Robby is trying to research what really happened to his mother, while drawing connections to the town’s mysterious history. Abby must work with her friends to uncover more about magic and friendship. Is Miss Winters truly trying to teach them magic or does she have other motives?

The writing was very accessible and I think many readers will be pulled into the mystery and magic of Willow Cove. I would recommend it for all readers 8 and up who are looking for a magical read about friendship and witches. While this is a middle grade book, I do think any older readers or parents who like stories about magic or witches will enjoy this. Harry Potter fans will appreciate the clever references to Harry Potter throughout. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more books from this author! Thank you to Josh Roberts, Owl Hollow Press, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A great KS3 book, possibly for mature upper KS2.
A story of witches and mystery.
Who is Miss Winter and why does she enlist the 6 girls from Willow Cove? What is their connection to the witches born 300 years ago.
An easy and enjoyable read.

I received an eARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

I was searching through Netgalley one day and, I'll have to be honest, the cover grabbed me.

I enjoyed reading this story. I like how the author actually gave us 13 year olds that actually acted like 13 year olds. I think Middle Grade readers will really enjoy this. The plot was good, the characters were great and the story rolled along just right. Other than the week's missing between chapters, I can't complain about anything. I will definitely recommend this to everyone.

Full of magic and twists and turns, the story of Abby and her journey of self discovery is a great read for UKS2 children. The reader follows the challenges of the life of Abby and her best friend Robby, and the very real issues that best friends can have. When a new girl arrives, along with a brand new teacher, Abby and Robby find themselves drifting apart, but both on a mission to solve the mystery of disappearing citizens of Willow Cove.

The book makes links with real life history, such as the Salem witch trials, which children may wish to research further if they are interested. However this may also mean that that the book is not suitable for more sensitive individuals or those with particular religious beliefs. The characters the reader follows throughout the book, range in personality and circumstances so also provides opportunities for more children to be able to find a character that reflects their personal circumstances. The book also deals with loss of a parent and therefore this may also deem it unsuitable for some readers.

I love reading books about magic, so when I saw "The Witches of Willow Cove" on NetGalley as a ARC, had to ask to read it. I was not disappointed.

Six 13 year old girls find out they’re witches. They form a coven with their new substitute teacher, Miss Winters, as their teacher. She teaches them how to master their powers, how to work together to accomplish goals, and how to be there for each other when needed. But something is wrong. People are dying or disappearing without a trace. Do those things have to do with the sudden appearance of Miss Winters in town, or is it just some crazy coincidence? The girls, and 3 other friends, will have to work together to figure out just what's going on in Willow Cove before it’s too late!

I found this to be a very well written first book. It was intelligent enough that adults and parents can read it and it’s not dumbed down like some middle grade books can be. I found it to be suspenseful, without being scary. Funny and sometimes sad. It kind of took me back to what it was like to be 13 and in middle school again. The clicks, the drama, the fun, the boys, etc. Made me want to go out and start exploring caves and spooky woods again. Made me wish I could be a witch myself! It was engaging and it held my attention right to the very end.

I would recommend this to anybody 8-100+ that likes witches, magic and little mischief! It would be nice if this were to become a series so you can follow these kids as they grow with their powers and friends. I’d be very interested in reading them if the author opts to write them.

Otherwise, I’ll be looking for more from Josh Roberts. I think more great books will be coming from him.

Thank you netgalley for the advanced ecopy.

It took a couple chapters to get into. Willow cove is home to some witches, they get their powers when they turn 13.

Full review on my blog in a couple of days.

I loved every moment and aspects of this book: the plot, the world building, the characters.
It's an engrossing and entertaining read that can be appreciated by children and adult.
Hope to read another story with these characters soon.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I really enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the sequel immensely. The plot was well-developed and interesting, although the story started very quickly. This would definitely keep younger readers interested from the start.

If you like stories with secrets, intrigue, danger, and magic, this would be an excellent choice. The language is appropriate for the age group and there is some very light romance/romantic interest (age-appropriate for characters, who are 13 years old).

It was easy to read, and remained interesting throughout. While it ended in a satisfactory conclusion for now, it is definitely a cliffhanger and I can't wait to read the sequel! My enjoyment of this novel was not affected by the age of the characters (important to note given that they are almost 20 years younger than me).

Thank you to NetGalley and Owl Hollow Press for providing a copy of this eARC for review.