Excellent plotting and pacing. The story features Emmy, a witch who has left her childhood home for the non-magical world. She returns to be the arbiter of the Gauntlet, a regularly occurring game ritual among Thistle Grove's founding witch families. There, she teams up with her best friend Linden (along with Linden's twin brother Rowan) and teen crush Natalia to give Gareth, the town golden boy and douche, his comeuppance.

Emmy goes through a lot in this book. She comes to terms with the relationship that hurt her as a teen, makes amends with her friends, and gets closer to Talia, since they have a mutual attraction. Both Emmy and Talia have dated men and women before, though Talia has a preference for women. This is a fact that isn't an issue with any of the characters.

I really liked how the author put in clues of things that would be important later. The clues were mentioned more than once so they'd stick, but not so often that it was annoying. Everything chugs right along, and it's an easy read.

For those wondering about the heat level, there is a significant kiss and a mostly fade to black sex scene.

Overall, a nice romance with an even more impressive journey for Emmy. It's the perfect light, witchy fun read for fall.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy from the publisher and NetGalley.

I enjoyed the whole magic competition aspect of this book. The fight scenes were really enjoyable. Also, the little twist at the end was a nice surprise. Although I felt like the whole fight and makeup between Emmy and Talia that happened in the last few chapters was resolved really quickly.

Really enjoyable, witchy read. Characters were well fleshed out and I enjoyed the development of the magical system. Also enjoyed that female characters were the focus. PAYBACK'S A WITCH is my ride-or-die, matching-tattoo BFF and my villain origin story in an alternate universe and I absolutely adore that about it. I also appreciate the LGBTQ+ rep - I feel like often, bi/pan characters end up with the opposite sex in most media so the fact that the (redacted) and (redacted) are planning their shared future by the end makes me even more likely to recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! What a great read! If you're in the mood for some serious witchy aesthetic vibes, small cozy fall towns, a cute romance, and a lighthearted revenge story then do read this book!

I spun this book to others as a more lighthearted "John Tucker Must Die" meets "The Craft". The story follows Emmy Harlow as she returns to her hometown of Thistle Grove: a town full of witches that get their magic from a lake in the town itself. The catch? If you leave Thistle Grove, you lose your power.

Emmy has returned for a competition between the four founding families known as "The Gauntlet". As the eldest Harlow and scion to her family, it's up to her to arbitrate the competition. All of this would be enough pressure in of itself, but Emmy has been away for nine years.

Upon her return, she reunites with her friend Linden, and high school crush Talia, where the three discover they have one thing in common: they've all been wronged by Gareth Blackmoore. Together, the three girls come up with a plan to beat the Blackmoore family and humiliate their scion, Gareth along the way, in The Gauntlet.

I was expecting more action and plotting in a book with this kind of premise, which initially intimidated me. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book ended up being less about revenge plots, and more about self discovery.

This is the kind of story that really pulls on the heartstrings of anyone that's moved away from home, or ever had a friend or relative live somewhere far. While at the same time it hits home, hard, the feeling so many have experienced when running away from their past at the expense of their connections.

The friendships and budding romance in the story are so natural and down right delightful, that I found it harder and harder to stop reading. This is definitely more of a soft magic world where we don't get a big info dump about how the magic works, so if you're into that kind of intricacy then don't get your hopes up. That isn't to say it's bad, far from it, in fact it makes the magic of the town and the people that use it seem that much more real and natural since none of it is spoon fed to the audience.

Every character in this felt real, including the town. Yes, the town was like it's own character, and that character lives in fall/Halloween/witchy aesthetic 24/7! It is absolutely perfect that this will be coming out in October, I can't think of a better month for it to debut!

The relationship between Emmy and Talia is perfect for those that love a good grounded romance. That being said, the LGBTQIAP+ representation in this was charming, and light. This is a story where people that are LGBTQIAP+ simply get to exist without their LGBTQIAP+ status being the focus of the book.

I can't wait for the next book to come out! I would recommend this to any readers that are fans of Erin Morgenstern, Shea Ernshaw, and Holly Black.

**I received this complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

This was everything I could have wanted: witches, Halloween, magic, and bisexual romance. There are incredibly sweet moments, and moments that made me laugh out loud, all falling perfectly together to make the perfect Samhain rom-com.

Emmy leaves home to reinvent herself after a bad breakup, only to find herself back home and being forced to face the one who broke her heart. Most books would follow this by having her fall back in love with some boy-turned-man from her hometown and live happily ever after, but not "Payback's A Witch." Instead we get to see three scorned women band together to conquer the jerk, and his family, for all of their wrongdoings. We even get to see two of them fall in love along the way.

If you like w/w books, definitely add this to your list!

I was so excited to read about a cozy New England small town filled with witches, but it fell a little flat for me with the writing. I didn't connect well with the characters, so it was tough to finish.

Very cool witchy romance vibes. The pacing was a bit stagnant at times and my engagement went in waves, but I think its a fun, cozy fall read.

What is immaculate about this book are the vibes. The witchy small-town is perfection and I would absolutely love to read this in October at a cabin by a lake with a hot drink in hand. I loved the bisexual rep and all of the sapphic romance. The characters are also great. I was less intrigued overall by the plot but the fun atmosphere still made this fun to read.

I was really excited about the premise of this book but unfortunately was not a huge fan of it. Though the concept was entertaining and the magic system was interesting, the writing lacked for me overall and struck me as extremely corny and campy for most of the book. I wish I had liked the writing in this book more because I did really like the world the author built but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Although this sets itself up to be "Emmy comes home and shows up her ex by dating the town's hottest witch", the ex thankfully isn't in the mix much at all. He's an exaggeration, and one wonders how not one, not two, but at least three of the main characters fell for his charms at all. It's pretty clear from the get-go that Emmy and Talia are going to be quite good for each other. There's a "goblet of fire"-type magical competition that Emmy emcees, as is the tradition in her family, and that's all fine. Good sparks fly, there are long-lasting friendships and family bonds. What I want more of as a reader is Thistle Grove, where the stars are starrier, the sunsets are deeper, and everything is of a muchness. This looks to be a series opener, which is delightful: it's not necessarily one particular character (well, it's the Harlow bookstore; I want to work there), but the whole mix, the town itself as a character, that's going to keep people coming back to this series.

DNF. I tried with this book, but I just couldn't. It never grabbed my attention and I couldn't connect with the main character at all. I made it to Chapter 5 and feel like I had made very little progress in the story and what progress I had made, I didn't care about.

The supporting characters, Linden and Talia, were ok I guess, though I don't think I could have made it through the book with those two as a love interest (Talia)/side-kicks. They just seem boring, nothing special, not that hot.

On a positive note, the book is well written, so there is that. I guess the book just isn't for me.

I liked this book but it felt like there was too much going on. The story of Emmy Harlow's return home is a familiar one, young woman gets her heart broken, she flees town and returns older, wiser, but under dire circumstance. The magical twist to this story is interesting and adds dimension to this story but it also makes the story feel.... complicated. There are issues with her ex and her current potential romantic relationship that to me felt ethically unsound since Emmy was supposed to be in a place where she was arbitrating but with an ex and a current potential romantic relationship in play in the same competition she should not have been in that role at all.

Funny, sexy, and just the right amount of spooky! Emmy Harlow returns to her magical home of Thistle Grove after many years away. She's stayed away after being dumped by golden boy Gareth. Parental guilt got her home to play a role in the spell casting tournament (similar in concept to Harry Potter's Triwizard Tournament) that happens every 50 years. Soon after her return, she makes a pact with best friend Linden and the captivating Talia who have also been scorned by Gareth to get vengeance. As Emmy works with Talia in their plotting, she finds herself captivated by the witch. Is it enough for her to change her plans and make her return permanent? A perfect fall read to curl up and enjoy!

Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper is a sexy, witchy romp that gives the perfect autumn cider vibe.

Thistle Grove is a perfect small town embodiment of Halloween with a pumpkin patch, haunted hayrides and true witches. The four founding families all have witchy affinities.

Em, a member of one of the four families, fled nine years earlier after Gareth Blackmoore broke her heart and crushed her confidence. Emmy’s returned reluctantly to take up her family’s role as Arbiter in a magical tournament between the other three families.

And then Emmy discovers that Gareth broke the hearts of her bestie Linden and the mysterious and beautiful Talia - and Talia’s proposing to give Gareth the ultimate comeuppance by banding together to defeat him in the tournament. A chance to pay Gareth back plus spend time with the alluring Talia? Emmy can’t agree fast enough.

While there are serious romantic vibes and more than a little heat between Emmy and Talia, what I loved about this book is the other types of love it highlights. We watch Em discover that her parents aren’t quite the quiet, reserved even weak people she thought they were. And friendship - Emmy and Linden reconnecting, forgiving past hurts, and helping each other through their current problems was touching and relatable.

Not to deny the incredible sexy sparks and steam between Em and Talia. Combustible!

Payback’s a Witch is an incredibly satisfying girl power, sapphic love story wrapped up in a witchy, small-town cozy sweater. Perfect reading to with your PSL and apple hand pie.

Perfect for fans of The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon, the Enchanted Bay mysteries by Esme Addison, or the Magical Bakery series by Bailey Cates.

As a lover of Halloween and all thing witchy, I was so excited to pick up this debut novel! The publisher's description ("Chilling Adventures of Sabrina meets The L Word") is spot on. Plus, throw in a little Triwizard Tournament vibe and you'll know just what to expect.

Emmy Harlow returns to her magical hometown of Thistle Grove after years avoiding her past with Gareth Blackmoore. She's there to oversee a spellcasting tournament (and reconnect with her family and friends) but gets quickly pulled into a vengeance scheme against, who else but her terrible ex.

Emmy, her best friend Linden, and the stunningly gorgeous Talia make up the witches three who aim to bring down Gareth and his whole stuck-up family. Although Emmy is supposed to be neutral in judging this competition, she can't help but be drawn in by Talia's dark flirtation.

Such a fun sapphic witchy read! I can imagine this being a fave especially around Halloween! What a fun experience when reading this, will recommend to all!!

This book was a fun, fast read. It will be perfect for autumn/witchy vibes. There's a lot of crossover appeal for YA readers - it read a lot like a YA book (pacing, characterization, plot). The queerness on the page was done in a refreshing way - it was normalized and accepted, and while it played a major role it didn't add to the conflict of the story.

3.5 stars

Emmy Harlow left Thistle Grove years ago, disappointed in her family's position as the least magically proficient and coming off a particularly harsh breakup with Gareth Blackmore - of the powerful Blackmore family. But the Gauntlet is coming up, a competition where the scion of each of the founding families competes for a generation of magically enhanced luck. As the scion of the Harlows, Emmy is expected to serve as the judge.
Planning to do her duty and leave, Emmy returns to Thistle Grove. But on her first night back, she meets the scion of the Avramov family, beautiful and mysterious Talia. Talia, having also been dumped by Gareth Blackmore, has come up with a delightfully vengeful plan to keep the Blackmore's from winning the Gaunlet this year. But she'll need Emmy's help.
Payback's a Witch is a fun and delightful tale, filled with pop culture references, creative magically competitive tasks, and a little bit of romance. Though it wasn't mold-breaking, it was an engaging read full of colorful characters and worlds.

This was such a cute read. Goes to show you should judge a book by its cover. Or at the very least, its title. I really enjoyed the author's writing style and her pace kept me wanting to read just one more chapter, at the end of every chapter.

Entertaining and fun fantasy/romance. Emmy Harlow returns to her hometown of Thistle Grove for the Gauntlet of the Grove tournament held every fifty years. Three of the four founding families scions get to compete and the Harlow house scion is the Arbiter. (Think Tri Warzard Tournament from Harry Potter.)

Emmy has left home and magic behind for nine years going to college and working in Chicago. She left after a broken romance leaves her doubting herself and her place in Thistle Grove. She returns home to honor tradition without plans of staying. Emmy reunites with her best friend Linden Thorn and Natalia Avramov witches from two of the houses. They find that all three have been dumped by Gareth Blackmore of the fourth house and decide to work together to beat him if they can.

Fantasy is not my genre but I was captivated by the story. I love the existence of the town and all its Halloweenie charms. The story includes heartbreak, coming home, importance of family and finding love. Lana Harper creates a magical world where I was rooting in the challenges and for the romance. For anyone who enjoys fantasy, witches, and sapphic romance. (4.5 stars)

My copy included a preview of From Bad to Cursed the next book in the series. I will definitely be looking forward to it. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.