I enjoyed following the journey of Abby, Robby, and their friends. Middle grade readers who like stories about witches combined with a good mystery will enjoy The Witches of Willow Cove.

The Witches of Willow Cove! Such an awesome and fun book for any reader...of any age! I loved this book with its strong leading characters, believable development, and unbelievable acts of magic! It makes me want to belong to a coven too!!! The idea of girls being the witches and getting their power when they turn 13, will lead every girl out there wondering if her birthday will bring worth some magical special birthday wish! I love the strength of all the female characters and the power of girls together, and what they can overcome!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Every now and then I go through a phase of wanting to read books for much younger people so I take awhile and read books for middle readers or young adult books. This was one of my recent choices and I was not disappointed. I actually really enjoyed it. This is a book that is full of magic, danger, and a bunch of heart. It is a story that will captivate readers, young and old as we all root for Abby and her friends as they try to solve each new mystery that comes their way. It is a story of true friendship...both new friends and the ones you have all along but that you look at in a new way. It is a story of young witches you have recently learned who they are and how to use their powers that come to them on their 13th Birthday. It is a story that encompasses both witches in the past and in the present and twines them all together...I loved this book and I would totally recommend it to young readers and old readers who like stories of witches and friendship.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

The Witches of Willow Cove, is absolutely captivating from start to finish, Had I not been interrupted by my daughter numerous times I would have completed this in one day. I did not want to put it down at all.

Willow Cove is a place where witches exist and unexplainable things are happening to them. We are immediately thrown into the story and the pace never lets up. The story starts out by following Abby and Robby, but the cast of characters slowly grows from there, and while the cast is large it never feels overwhelming. We know who are main characters are and who are supporting characters are, but everyone gets just enough spotlight that you grow to love them all.

I loved Robby, when he was introduced I was afraid he would slowly fade to the background of the story but Roberts made sure that did not happen. While the story does focus on the witches and their power, he made sure that the non magical kids got their share of spotlight and were proven to be needed just as much as their magical friends. It made the storytelling balanced and more enjoyable to follow along.

All while navigating the magic and witchcraft of their world these kids are thrust into, they are also battling everyday life and the struggles of growing up and seeing best friends fight and struggle to communicate in this changing environment was gratifying. When peoples worlds change at alarming rates it does put strain on relationships, so the realness put into that made the story that much richer in context.

The only aspect of the story that did bother me some was the "instant" relationship of Robby and Becca. It was so quick and spontaneous that it didn't fit the flow of the rest of the context. Everyone else was gradually learning their powers, or gradually learning information about the witches, that their instant relationship was odd. I can understand and believe instant attraction to one another, but it would have felt more believable if they gradually worked their way towards a relationship.

The Witches of Willow Cove is a magical, and spooky coming of age tale that I think both boys and girls will love and enjoy! Ill be adding this to my shelf once its released!

I'm always on the lookout for wholesome, magical adventures and was immediately intrigued by The Witches of Willow Cove by debut novelist Josh Roberts. Following a particularly dramatic Halloween experience in which thirteen-year-old Abby Shepherd and her best friend Robby escape imminent danger by flying off on a broomstick, Abby discovers that she is a witch and that she is not alone in Willow Cove. Five other girls in the tiny hometown of Willow Cove are witches too and the mysterious Miss Winters arrives to teach them about their burgeoning powers.

Meanwhile, Robby is involved in a mystery of his own. When his step-mother goes missing and a local teacher is attacked, Robby seeks the help of his friends Zeus and new schoolmate Becca to get to the bottom of the events. Somehow he knows it is linked to the disappearance of his own mother years before.

Abby and Robby drift apart, their friendship strained by recent events, but their investigations soon lead them and their friends back together again as the group of children must fight a powerful force and prevent another great tragedy in the town of Willow Cove.

The Witches of Willow Cove by Josh Roberts | Book Review The Witches of Willow Cove is the type of book that I usually love but sadly I didn't love this one. While JK Rowling certainly didn't invent magic or Latin, readers will recognise incantations, magical creatures, wands and broomsticks from the Harry Potter universe.

I also found the astonishing lack of response to Robby's step-mother's disappearance implausible. When people go missing, family members can't breathe and are crippled by the uncertainty of it all; they don't carry on their lives as normal as we see with Robby's father. Finally, the novel depends heavily on a mean girl trope. While Olivia has a history of bullying Abby and puts her trust in the wrong person, Abby's extreme physical violence towards Olivia is not justified and is never properly explored.

I give The Witches of Willow Cove a disappointing three out of five stars and would be unlikely to read further if this were to become a series.

I don’t tend to read a lot of middle-grade, normally sticking predominantly to YA and adult, but I really enjoyed this!
The subject matter is something I always love. I’m obsessed with witches so I had high hopes from the start. I loved the friendship in this story and the elements of magic.
It was fun to read and difficult to put down!

Fans of Harry Potter will love Witches of Willow Cove! Witchcraft, witch trials, wands, spells, and mythical creatures will keep middle grade students involved from beginning to end. The characters are easy to get to know and relate to as friendships form and change throughout the book. The historical aspect of the Salem witch trials adds a suspenseful twist to the plot. The eerie setting that Josh Roberts creates makes the reader feel like she is really part of this haunting story.

The Witches of Willow Cove by Josh Roberts is a fantastic middle grade adventure. It follows the story of friends Abby and Robby who have been friends since childhood and are still close as they enter their teenage years, though that is not without complications as they navigate crushes and first kisses. The biggest complication however is that Abby is a witch. a startling revelation to both of them, but one that excites and intrigues them. When reclusive orphan Amethyst starts to exhibit magical powers too, along with several other girls in Abby's grade it seems like something strange is happening in their small town. When a mysterious new substitute teacher, Miss Winters, arrives and starts teaching the girls to use their powers in secret, Abby struggles with the guilt of keeping it from Robby, but he has worries of his own, his step mother has disappeared and he is worried about Abby and trying to keep her secret from new girl, and crush Becca. When he learns about the history of the town and the six young women who were killed as witches centuries ago, he begins to wonder if Miss Winters is more than she seems and sets out to investigate.
I really liked the dual narratives in this book, both Robby and Abby are great well developed characters, and I liked the message that just because you don't have magical powers, it does not mean you have nothing to offer. Both of their stories contribute to the overall story equally , and when they combine it makes for a very satisfying conclusion that requires both groups of children to work together. The secondary characters are also a lot of fun, particularly Amethyst, who is probably the one we get to know best in this book. I loved the small town setting, and the wonderfully descriptive writing which added greatly to the atmosphere without slowing down the pace. Speaking about pace, the book moves swiftly and the mystery is revealed in a way designed to keep the reader engaged. I believe this is a stand alone book but I definitely see potential for more adventures for this coven of young witches, and I hope that the author chooses to revisit Willow Cove.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This is a great MG and YA book with a bunch magic, mystery and some history wrapped into one.

Abby just turned 13 and found out she was a witch. Come to find out, there are more girls in her school with the same abilities. Her friend Robby, Zeus and Becca try to figure out the mystery that has plagued their town.

This book is perfectly written with a 13 year old in mind. It definitely held my interest and I didn't want to put it down.

I liked how this book mixed in some historical fiction of the Salem Witch Trials. I could totally see this book becoming a series.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I love YA witch stories thanks to Shea Ernshaw so I knew I had to read this one! Definitely recommend if you are into this genre. I would love to see this turned into a tv show. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book blends elements of mystery, fantasy, humor and historical fiction to create quite an entertaining and interesting read. There were definitely parts of the story that I got very wrapped up in and could not put the book down. It was also a little darker than I expected, but not in a bad way. I especially loved the theme of friendship that ran throughout this book. But probably my favorite aspect of the book was the setting. I loved the twists and turns of the caves, the spooky lighthouse, and the creepy house on the hill with the strange chimera statues. It was very atmospheric and would be a great story to read around Halloween or whenever you are in the mood for a spooky story. There were a few parts of the book that felt rushed and I wish there had been a bit more character development as there is plenty of potential for these characters. At times, I felt like some actions or thoughts of the characters didn't make much sense, which I think comes back to the pacing and character development. However, I would be interested to see more of these characters and Willow Cove, so I look forward to additional adventures if this is to become a series.

I asked for this book since it looked like the kind that might be good for my nephew and niece. And I'm certainly recommending it to them (9 and 14).

The story has a great start, with a really nice scene at the high school gym with the giant snake, reminding a bit of Harry Potter, but ending the reminiscence here. From then on, we also find a mistery to solve, a disappearance and deceptive appearances in which the relations among the characters and their mutual trust will be put to test, both on the side of the witch apprentices and them and their regular friends.

There are some other great moments, like the fireligths at the swamp or when Abby went into the big house with her broom. And it was a nice scientific touch having a human condenser helping at the end :)

For an adult tick tock reading the book, it might fell short on the issue of power transmission [Spoiler](there might be other witches besides Joanna's descendants to be a Council, and unless the came from England, she should have known who they are due to her following her bloodline)[/Spoiler] or having the Council supervising Willow Cove, but not discovering what Becky discovered in a few hours browsing the internet..

By the way, in the beginning I thought the bad one might be [Spoiler]Becky's mother :lol: [/Spoiler]

This is a really endearing book and, whilst it’s not particularly original, it’s one I would definitely want on the shelves for readers not quite ready to cross over into teen books but who are looking for a bit of romance. It’s very sweet and reminded me of Scooby Doo and the Witch’s Ghost, which is a compliment.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Woah. I LOVED this book sooo much! By page two I was HOOKED and I knew that I was preordering this book because reading it was not enough, I NEEDED to own it. The characters of this book were amazing. AND a debut novel?! WHAT?! Josh Roberts did such a fantastic job of introducing lots of characters to the reader while making sure each and everyone of them felt genuine, unique, and had their own personalities/goals. The plot was everything I love in a book, secrets, twists, friendships, humor, vivid settings, but it was also totally spooky! Seriously, I loved everything about this book, this is definitely a new favorite book of all time!! I will be reading anything else Josh Roberts writes... MORE PLEASE.

If you love witches, spookiness, and friendship then this is the book for you. Hands down, AMAZING.

Thank you to Josh Roberts for sending #BookAllies an eARC of his book in exchange for an honest review!

I've never picked up a book about witches before. Honestly, I've never been drawn to them. That has definitely changed. The way Josh Roberts crafted this novel, it seems like it took him years of planning. His development of the characters, the word choice, it all seems too good to be true. I was honestly blown away by this fantasy novel.

For one, I never classified myself as a fantasy lover because it's hard for me to get "in" with magic and things that cannot happen in real life. The blend of the magical elements in this book worked for me. This was done with absolute mindfulness to the figurative word choice and imagery Josh portrayed.

What I loved about this book was truly the characters themselves. The personalities of Abby, Miss Winters, Robby, Zeus, Amethyst, Olivia, Piper, Daisy, and Delphi were fun to keep up with, especially since they were so distinctly different from another. I adored the quirkiness of the twins, the need for an inhaler from Piper, and the snarky, yet playful remarks from Amethyst.

It was a suspenseful page-turner that I know my fantasy lovers with thoroughly enjoy!

I had a great time reading this novel and would highly recommend it if you like middle grade.

*Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for approving my request*

Thanks to Netgalley and Owl Hollow Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Witches of Willow Cove is perfect to read during Halloween. It's mysterious, historical and has to do with withes. We meet your main character who one night learns how to fly a broom, and it entitled in an entire new chapter of her life.

I did enjoy the most of this book, but at the middle I found it a little draggy. Like it was a long book, even though it isn't. I don't know if it just me that wanted a little more depth than a middle grade can give me, or if it was that the books just wasn't as action packed that I'd anticipated. Overall I find the story logical and easy to follow, and in some parts the books was impossible to put down cause' you needed to know that would happen next.

I did not understand the two perspectives from the start, but it turns out to be of interest by the end of the book. I also did not enjoy the girl-on-girl hate that in some aspects is used in this book. But I found that the main characters acted like their age, which always is a big plus for me in literature.

This book was a bit too much like the trope clones that came predictably rolling in post Harry Potter. Unless the author is really going to make an effort to bring something new to the table - something different, something original - then really, what's the point? I know this is aimed at middle grade (and read like it was) and I'm certainly not the intended audience, but to have witches waving sticks and chanting in Latin or worse, chanting in rhyming English, is so old and trite now that it's really not worth reading. Making your protagonist a female Harry Potter and doing the same thing with your villain isn't changing it up enough to get close to an original story.

The worst thing about this novel was the Salem angle. The Salem witch nonsense has been done to death and really, does it show any respect for the poor women who were murdered back then on the blatant religious lie that they were witches? No, it does not. It's shameful to keep dragging that out of the closet. For goodness sake let those poor women rest in peace. Even if the story had been brilliant, it would have tedious to read yet another witch story that tries to set its roots in Salem, but the story wasn't that interesting.

I didn't finish this, but the idea seemed to be that of a long-standing grudge, and so the question became: why was it so long-standing? Why didn't this evil witch carry out her revenge three or four hundred years ago? Why now? There seemed to be no answer to that, unless one popped-up in the very latter part of the story, and even if it did, what was the point of this revenge? It occurred to me that unless this person intended to reincarnate those victims from centuries ago in the bodies of her juvenile witch recruits, this revenge really offered her nothing, and even if she was planning on some reincarnation routine, the question of why now - at this time rather than a few hundred years ago still lacked a good answer.

So for these and other reasons, I quickly grew tired of a story that felt like one I'd read many times already, but under different covers and by different authors, so I did not finish it. I can't commend it based on what I read. There were too may tropes and too many clichés.

This was such a cute middle grade novel about friendship, first crushes, witchcraft, disappearances, and history. Set in Willow Cove, a town near Salem, it focuses on Abby, a young girl who learns she is a witch on her 13th birthday, and Robby. A few years back, Robby's mother disappeared mysteriously and he has wanted to solve the mystery ever since. There are other characters that the story focuses on including other young girls who gain magical powers and Zeus, an old friend of Abby and Robby.

I had a great time reading this novel and would highly recommend it if you like middle grade.

trigger warning
<spoiler> disappearance of a parent, grief, memory control through magic, bullying </spoiler>

Abby and Robb sneak into an abandoned hospital on Halloween night and get attacked by a woman who sends the ornamental statues after them - and they only are able to escape because it appears the broom that belongs to Abby's costume it not a mere prop.
Next day in school, they meet their new sub and it's the woman, again.

This novel is straightforward. So much so that you'll know what'll happen the entire time.
The connection to the Salem witch trials was surprising, but that may be because I have no sense of geography in the USA.

That doesn't matter, though. I came for a story about teenage witches that's slightly spooky but not gory, and I got that. I got a tale of friendship, some cute furry sidekicks. Also, you can either read this as a standalone or an entryway into a series. ... though I don't know if it will one. There simply is potential for further plot that could be explored in the future.

I liked it. Could have done with more diversity, though. We have one latina-jewish character, which she mentions out of context and what puzzled me at the time. In retrospect it feels like the editor said "Dude, you can't write something about white cis heteros, you need to change something!". So that would be a wish for a future installment: More diversity.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.