I loved this very summery book and absolutely adored the themes of grief, family, and friendship. Edie has such a great character arc, driven by her grief and need to find herself without magic. Her amazing friendships drive her to develop a sense of true self as well as acceptance of who she is. I also loved the queer rep with the development of a relationship with Rhia!

A huge thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours & Laura Sibson for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed reading this! When I saw the stunning cover and that it was about queer witches, I was excited getting into it then I saw that it also dealt with grief, friendships and accepting yourself which made me love it more!

After her mother’s death, Edie is left to explore a side of her she still hasn’t accepted and with questions she still needs answers to. Reading about her journey as she explores the magic she has and her role as a witch with the help of her new friends was so interesting! Alongside this, she still has to come into terms with what her mother leff her with and it was both saddening and eye-opening! The alternating chapters between the present and excerpts of her mother’s journey really helped in the plot’s progress.

The witch aspect of this was what I found most enjoyable! I loved the magic system! I especially loved the instructions for spell incantations, they were so fun!

Besides the amazing lead, I loved her friends! Her blooming romance with Rhia was so cute and wholesome, I appreciated that they started out as friends. GG was an interesting character as well and I loved that Edie had her to guide her in her journey towards being a true witch.

Overall, this was a fun witchy read with queer rep and a relatable lead that I would recommend if you’re looking for a quick and light hearted summer read about love, family and friendship!

4.5 out of 5 stars

Edie in Between is such a beautiful story about loss, living with and through grief, friendships, first loves, and accepting yourself as you are. This story actually took me by surprise and got me all up in my feels.

Edie has just lost her mom, she’s never known her dad, she’s made to leave her life in Baltimore and join her grandmother on her houseboat on the river. Edie is a witch, but she’s always just wanted to be normal and not follow her mom or her grandmothers path. It’s been ten months since her mother’s death, and Edie goes through the motions of living, keeping mostly to herself with the exception of two friends she’s made, Tess and Rhia. But life takes you down paths you never thought you’d walk down, and when Edie becomes infected with corrupt magic she takes a risk and tells her new friends she’s a witch who doesn’t know magic, and is now in danger. With the help of her new friends, and her grandmother trying to teach Edie about magic- Edie learns what it is to love and live through grief, and how to come to terms with who you are, to accept yourself so that you can grow.

This story is a steady medium-paced story told from Edie’s present day point of view as well as her mother’s past through journal entries from the year before Edie was born. And I absolutely loved the way this was done. There is so much emotion woven into this story, and it shines through the writing.

I also really loved the imagery used throughout of Edie taking on corrupt magic and visiting the perpetual woods, and anytime magic was used really. It was so well written that visualizing the story was like watching it on a screen. I was so drawn in and captivated, that when the story ended I immediately wanted to be drawn back into Edie’s world.

I wasn’t immediately captivated by this story, but after getting past the first few chapters, I was all in. And by the end of it, I was in tears. Happy tears, emotional tears, feel-good, a weight lifted off of my shoulder tears. This book surprised me in the best way- it was a story I didn’t know I needed and one I definitely love!

EDIE IN BETWEEN is a cute coming of age story about a young witch dealing with grief over her mother's untimely death and the loss of her home in Baltimore. Edie has been torn between the magical and nonmagical world for years, with the intent to be as "normal" as possible. When she finds an abandoned cabin that belongs to her grandmother in the Chesapeake Bay, Edie becomes infected with a. dark spirit and must learn all about her family's bewitching past to save herself.

A very cute and heartwarming coming of age story, EDIE IN BETWEEN is infused with supernatural plots and sweet sapphic romances to make even the most anti=witchy person turn the pages furiously. FULL REVIEW COMING 08/26 ON THE BROKE BOOK BLOG.

Edie in Between follows Edie, whose mother died a year ago—yet her ghost has never left Edie and her grandmother. In the Mitchell family, it’s tradition for the dead to linger with the living, and Edie is having none of it. Having no interest in her family’s legacy as local witches, all Edie wants is to move on. That is, until she finds her mother’s journal and her family’s legacy of magic and mayhem becomes too much to ignore. As Edie embarks on a scavenger hunt to find objects that once belonged to her mother and delves into her memories of the year when Edie was born, she’s determined to get to the bottom of her existence—and perhaps, to finally let go of her grief.

While I initially struggled a bit with accepting why Edie doesn’t want to use her magical powers (I mean, really, who wouldn’t want to be able to use magic, am I right?), Sibson has crafted a really deeply story with Edie in Between. At its heart, this story is about the family dynamics—the loving, yet sometimes stifling relationship between Edie and her grandmother who only wants her to embrace who she is while Edie is fighting her hardest to break free from magic. Beyond that, we have the family dynamics between Edie and her mom prior to her reliving her mother’s memories and the nuanced way in which the relationship develops afterward. It’s a difficult task growing up with the support of your loved ones while also trying to break away from it and this was definitely showcased in Edie’s relationship with magic, which I really enjoyed witnessing in the story.

Not to mention that there is quite the sweet romance between Edie and Rhia, who works at the local occult shop and is, in a word, cool. Really, there is no better word to describe it because Rhia tinges the pages with her laid-back (yet not uncaring) demeanour and her come hither attitude toward life and danger. There are also great friends of Edie and the scavenger hunt that made for quite the heartbreaking and tension-filled journey.

That being said, Sibson shined most in her unflinching, layered depiction of loss. Losing your mother brings an unspeakable level of pain and grief and Edie portrays this, even a year after her mother has died. I loved how we got to see this kind of juxtaposition where people don’t tell you that you’re supposed to have moved on by now but the implication of doing so is always there, with this idea of reclaiming your memories of your loved one in secret, which Edie does through the scavenger hunt. The loss Edie feels is visceral and tugs at your heartstrings and will make sure that no eyes stay dry reading this story.

Also, as we get to see Edie dive into these memories of her mom and relive them, we see this switch between Edie thinking of her mom as a mother and gradually, as her own person. For some reason, that resonated a lot with me because I remember being a kid and being shocked when family members would talk about what they were up to before I was born and how they were connected to other family members because it seems so surreal that these people had a life before I even existed—and that is so expertly depicted in Edie in Between, the way Edie slowly comes to the realisation that yes, her mother was everything to her, but she was also someone else to other people Edie has never and will likely never meet. All in all, I think there is so much to this story that will keep readers heavily invested in Edie and her magical fate.

With atmospheric writing, two lush romances and a painfully nuanced depiction of grief, Laura Sibson’s Edie in Between is the Practical Magic-esque coming of age story that every witchlover needs in their lives!

Thank you so much, Netgalley and Viking Books for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm so surprised by this fantastic book! I thought it was going to be a sweet, witchy coming of age story, and it was so much more! Scary, creepy, thrilling, heartfelt.

The characters of this really brought it alive! In the beginning of the story, I didn't love Edie, but the more I read, the more I related with her and liked her. Rhia and Tess were the sweetest friends ever, and I loved the banter between the three of them. Edie's Mom and Grandma were also very layered characters.

The story and setup was so cool! It started out interesting, and just got darker and darker the more I read. I loved that this book included 'real' magic (through bloodlines) and 'ordinary' magic (through wanting to learn). I also loved the incorporation of mythology and old dark forces, they really brightened the story, and I learned a lot.

The writing was super good, and I absolutely adored the switching timelines that became closer and more important as the story progressed. I'm not sure what this was about, but in my copy there were pages that were missing? So I did miss maybe 10 pages in total, but that's not the book's fault.

The pacing was amazing! Going into this, I thought that 385 pages was kind of a lot for a story that didn't sound too complex, but it was just right! The restraint in storytelling really made it a page turner.

Anticipation: 4: The cover is GORGEOUS jgkfajgla
Enjoyment:5: THISSSS

--> 4.5 stars

4/5 stars, a really fun summer story about magic, family, and the love that comes with it

The summer vibes with this book were immaculate! Reading this and reflecting upon it, at times this felt like a middle grade, but it always went that extra step to talk about important topics. The story follows Edie after the death of her mother as she moves with her grandmother back to their family town. She wants nothing to do with the witchcraft that is a part of her family's bloodline, despite her grandmother's insistence on it as a tool. But when Edie discovers dark magic that's been locked away for years, embracing her witch bloodline and her family might be the only way to banish it.

The setting of this book was the big summer vibe, it takes place in a small seaside town during actual summer lol. Edie and her grandmother live in a boathouse, which is actually really cute and an interesting little addition. There was also a hidden away beach, an ice cream shop that Edie worked at, a spirituality shop, and the magic forest. All of these combining together really made a whimsical and fun setting for this witchy story, especially one during summer.

This book centered heavily around themes of friendship, grief, and family. It expanded on these themes as the story went on and it was very nice to see the characters work through things. The family aspect was the most important and impactful for me, I really enjoyed it. It talked a lot about family trees, and connecting with your family history, and this is what I enjoy doing! The grief aspect was also crazy important to the story and is handled delicately but directly. The friendship with Edie and her friends was equal parts heartwarming and sometimes challenging, in the idea that they are able to challenge each other to be better. I really loved these aspects of the story.

Edie was a really nice main character, she had a big character arc in this book and it was so enjoyable to see her grow. She started out being a bit self-centered and completely uninterested in anything to do with her powers and witchcraft. She was still trying to handle her grief by pushing away everything, especially the things that reminded her of her mother. As she settled into the town and grew more adventurous in what she wanted to experience, Edie really opened up. With some amazing friends and a great grandma by her side, she opened herself up. She realized being your true authentic self is the most important thing you can do.

Overall, a very cute and fun witch story that's perfect for summer. It presents themes such as grief, friendship, authenticity, and family that are so important to young readers. The atmosphere was great and so were each and every one of the characters. At times it feels like it's meant for the younger side of young adult but there was nothing wrong with that!

[TW: grief, death of a parent, teen pregnancy, dark thoughts, generational trauma]

3.5 stars
EDIE IN BETWEEN is a fun, magical, girl-power novel that is perfect for the late summer/fall part of the year! Our main character, Edie, lost her mother a year ago and has moved in with her grandmother on her boat and is thrown headfirst into some witchy happenings along with two girls she's met in the small town she's living in now. First, I really enjoyed the dynamic between the three girls as they went on their mission; their banter and their growth as friends was so much fun to see, especially the fact that there was no competition or big arguments, just friendship. Edie also has a blossoming friends-to-lovers f/f romance which was slow-burn but sweet to see play out over the course of the novel. There was also some family drama, partly because the magic travels back through the women in the family, and it was an entertaining subplot. As for the magic element, I liked it for most of the book and thought it was explained well, but at the end I got confused with motives and magic and couldn't quite keep up, but this was like the last 10-15% of the book so for the most part it was easygoing and fun. If you're looking for a small-town, friendship focused, magical book, this is definitely the one for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and PenguinTeen for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I need more queer witches!

Edie in Between is a YA contemporary about grief, magic, and first love. This book was so sweetly charming, I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. But this combination of magic, mystery and all sorts of love was exactly what I needed at the moment. BRB while I go read Sibson's debut The Art of Breaking Things.

It's been a year since Edie's mother died, but her ghost has never left. Then her mother's teenage journal falls into Edie's hands. Along with that, a mysterious darkness haunts the old family cabin and it's gotten its claws into Edie. If she doesn't find the items her mother imbued with magic, the darkness could destroy her.

This was such a good story. Reading about Edie's grief at her mother's death was hard. But seeing her get to continue to celebrate her mom and rekindle her own connection to magic was amazing. This book surprised me so many times and I absolutely loved it.

Rep: Sapphic (possibly aspec) MC, Black sapphic love interest whose grandmother has dementia.

CWs: Alcohol consumption (underage), death, death of parent/grandparent, fire/fire injury, grief, violence, abandonment, pregnancy, dementia.

Really enjoyed this YA fantasy about grief, family, and love.

Edie is a teenager grieving the loss of her mother, and author Laura Sibson writes with an authentic voice as she tackles such a hard subject. I love the memories that Edie gets to explore- as she begins to see her mother as a real person with her own feelings, instead of just a mom. We all get to that realization as we get older, and Edie being able to explore that in a magical way was really special.

While I don't understand Edie's reluctance around her family's magic, I mean who wouldn't want to be magic???, I understand the idea of struggling with expectations that come from being a part of a family. And yay for Edie's romance with Rhia! Super cute, and love the queer rep.

Recommend this magical coming of age story!

Trigger warnings for loss of a parent.

Thank you Netgalley for this ebook arc to review.