If you took Buffy, crossed it with John Tucker Must Die, and smashed in a bit of The L Word, you'd get this -- I love me a story about witchy empowerment, and doubly-so when those witches are queer and badasses! Harper has crafted a fun cross-genre romp here, equal parts romance, feminine rage-fueled revenge plot, and witchy fantasy.

Thinking about how mainstream fiction has changed in just the last fifteen years, it's so heartening. When I started my career as a bookseller, my store had a tiny LGBTQ fiction section, barely more than a single shelf, hidden in the back of the store under the self-help/sex guides, and all of the books were independently published with badly Photoshopped covers, treated like nothing better than crude smut. If there were queer characters in a mainstream book, they were almost always side characters or bad stereotypes.

And now the major publishing houses boldly tout same-sex couples in their book descriptions and on their covers! There are entire bookcases in the store full of queer romances and stories! Actual queer authors are writing their own stories! It's just so, so nice knowing that there are Sapphic stories with pretty covers across a breadth of genres that I can recommend to all the Baby Gays that come into my store. And Harper's Witches of Thistle Grove series has been a big hit!

This book was sooooo charming, I loved everything from the prodigal daughter returned narrative to the excellent witchy vibes, this one was an excellent seasonal read and what a great title!

I unfortunately did not finish this one - I could not get into it at all. I. am not a huge fantasy person to begin with but I was hoping the sapphic story would intrigue me more. Rating 4 stars since I didn't finish, therefore no real critiques to standby.

Witch Emmy Harlow returns to her hometown of Thistle Grove to referee a magical tournament, and end ups falling in love and mending broken friendships along the way.

I wanted to love this book. It certainly had some elements I love, particularly the small town setting in a witchy version of Stars Hallow. But, but, but...I just didn't fall in love with it. The characters were not memorable or interesting. Talia probably had the most personality, but I found the other characters to be rather boring and predictable. The romance between Emmy and Talia also failed to entice me. The tournament was probably the most interesting part of the story, but it lost much of its impact because I didn't care for the characters.

When I really ponder my disinterest, I think it comes to the fact I found this story too formulaic. If you don't mind the standard romance fantasy formula, then you will probably enjoy this book more than I did. It also might make a great comfort read. But if you are looking for something more original, skip it. You wont find anything new or unique here.

I absolutely adored Payback's A Witch! We read it with my book club, The Literary League, and LOVED it! I zipped right through it and immediately had pre-ordered the follow-up for my entire book club team. Truly impressed with how immersive this book felt. Lana's so talented!

Wanted to get a witchy book in this month, and this witchy sapphic romance scratched that itch! It really reminded me of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova. It kept me intrigued, but to be honest, I don't remember the details a few weeks after reading it - so it didn't have much staying power for me!

I don't know why I waited to read this one, it's such a fun spooky-season read. Thistle Grove is where I want to be living - it sounds so charming and whimsical. After reading this book I immediately moved on to the next and reserved the third at the library. Happy to get lost in Thistle Grove for a spell!

Payback's a Witch is the perfect sapphic witchy novel for fall. A bit like Hunger Games (with less death) and a bit like John Tucker Must Die, this book had a lot of things I love. I loved Emmy and her struggles with accepting her home and who she is. Her love interest, Talia, was a very interesting character and I enjoyed their growth throughout the book. I didn't feel super connected to any of the secondary characters, but I see the next book is about Talia's wild child sister so I will definitely be checking that out soon!

Well, this was a damn delight.

I loved Emmy. She’s a bit unsure, a lot hopeful, and I truly loved being in her head for this. I loved Linden’s goodness and Talia’s mischief and could have read a million more scenes with the three of them.

Plot wise, it was good. The world building is interesting and I loved the different types of magic. I could have done with a bit more of the town history, but it worked. And I’m hoping we’ll get more info going forward.

Overall, it was a super fun read and I can’t wait to dive into the next book.

“Places from the past are usually much smaller than you remember when you return to them years later, shocked that they'd ever managed to command so much space in your brain at all.”

This just makes my forever Autumnal witchy heart happy. I love Lana Harpers writing, and it transported me to watching Halloween town on Disney channel growing up. Add in the sapphic elements and I just adored it. I really enjoyed this story and Emmy and Talia as characters.

This is totally not the type of book I would read willingly but a lesbian at the library recommended it to me and I had to. There were things that I liked about it. It was sexy. But I don’t love these type of romance books so that’s on me not a fault of the book. I adore the witchy theme

Overall this was an entertaining read. Always nice when a selfish person gets what they deserve, and with some romance along the way, it just makes for an even better journey! This story concept, while not new, is done well by Harper, and the witchy vibes were an added bonus.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I really wanted to like this but I couldn't connect with any of the characters or the plot. I didn't care who won the tournament and wanted more of the town fleshed out, but it never was. I didn't really see the spark between the two main characters and don't understand how she left everyone and her magic over a guy. 2.5 stars

Emmy and Talia were great characters on their own and as a couple. I loved the world-building and the plot. I will be buying this one and buying the rest of the series as well!

Thank you to the publisher for approving me to read PAYBACK'S A WITCH! This was such a fun new universe to dive into, and I'm always grateful for new sapphic reads in the space. I enjoyed the world building especially, the town really came to life.

When you need happy reading I definitely think you should pick up Lana Harper’s Thistle Grove Books: Payback’s a Witch, From Bad to Cursed and Back in a Spell – you have time to read all three before In Charm’s Way comes out this fall! The romances are sweet, the magic is exciting and each book gave me a little bit more than I was expecting. Definitely books I’d read again for fun.

Payback’s a Witch (Thistle Grove Witches #1)

Lana Harper

Independent twenty-something Emmy Harlow has forged a private and professional life for herself in Chicago, a virtual world away from her mystical hometown of Thistle Grove. Yearning to be something more than a Harlow witch, Emmy has rejected her magical heritage for years. When her father beckons her home to temporarily resume her position as Harlow scion, her sense of duty ignites. Emmy’s role as arbiter in the town’s sacred, high-stakes magical tournament is quickly complicated when she joins forces with a couple old friends to tip the scales away from a shared nemesis Gareth Blackmoore. Emmy, her best friend Linden Thorn, and edgy/sexy/cool Talia Avramov round out a trio of women scorned by privileged pretty boy Gareth. Soon, Emmy is forced to confront her abandonment of friends and family as well as a burgeoning attraction to elusive Talia.

Payback’s a Witch is full of sumptuous descriptions of a quaint town steeped in magical tradition. Harper’s writing is sensual and stylish. I loved the abundant descriptions of fashion, food, drinks, and local establishments. Readers will enjoy a vivid sense of Thistle Grove and its varied residents. The book reads like a primer to hipster millennial culture, especially in dialogue. As an older reader, I found this less appealing and didn’t quite connect with Emmy as a main character. Overall, however, the story is an easy read with a perfect balance of action, intrigue, and romance. It’s a great fall weekend read.

Payback’s a Witch is the first in the Thistle Grove Witches series. From Bad to Cursed, book two in the series, is previewed at the end of the book and has a 2022 publication date.

John Tucker Must Die meets Practical Magic meets love story and female friendship. The perfect Halloween read. The worldbuilding was super fun too.

Unfortunately this one was that I did not finish. It just didn't suck me in. I can see how and why it would be enticing to others, and I appreciate the inclusion of more genres within the romance world, this one just wasn't for me!