The Holloway Girls follows an intriguing YA premise of a family of women with the ability to bestow good luck with a kiss. Older sister Maggie enjoyed a glorious year, smooching numerous people during her “season.” But when the teen magic passes to Remy she immediately disobeys the inherent rules, injuring and cursing her crush. This well-crafted YA novel focuses on the fallout from that decision and her determination to avoid finding love to protect others – or at least until she can reverse the curse.

The sisters and their enticing new neighbors are vividly drawn, and readers see into the depths of Remy’s emotions as she bakes out her angst and tries to hide from a world that’s suddenly turned dark and unpredictable. For YA – and adult - readers who prefer complex, emotional journeys with magical overtones, this book casts a lovely spell.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for providing an ARC copy.

The Holloway Girls drew me in due to the interesting premise. Each Holloway girl has one kissing season and their kisses can bestow good luck on the recipient as long as they have follow the rules. Unfortunately for Remy, things don't go as planned for her and she plans on keeping her lips to herself. Until the new boy in town shows up...

Overall, the Holloway Girls was a quick, easy read with a fun romance, perfect for summer time. Very fluffy! Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

The Holloway Girls focuses on Remy, the current youngest Holloway Girl who is about to turn 16. And that means inheriting the kissing magic that brings others good luck. But when her kiss brings bad luck to the first receiver she doesn't know what to do.

Yeah. I had higher expectations from that cover and idea. It was fine to read for the moment but once you start to think about it, it is getting a whole lot of nope from me.

The first thing would be the instant slut shaming that Remy has towards her sister Maggie whose kissing season is just ending. Because she kissed so many guys during her season but she wants her recipiant to mean someting. Gag. On the other hand everyone around her is prude shaming her and shoving her into any available guy. Even her father at one point. If she wants to spend this kissing season kissing no one how about accepting that? And this is just about kissing mind you.

There are also holes in the magic for me. Why is the magic going to 16 year old girls? What about the guys in the family (who aren't even mentioned might I add)? Why write down the rules like no kissing someone who is in love with someone else but not give a solution for when it does happen. Because you cannot always know this up front. Sometimes people don't even realize it themselves. Why isn't it the first idea to disconnect Remy from the magic of the book to cancel the curse? Why does her family believe in luck from a kiss but not in a curse when not following the rules?

Lets not forget the whole victim blaming of Remy by the whole town for Isaac's bad luck when he knew exactly what he was doing by kissing her. How do all those teens not have a mind of their own? Why does the whole town know anyway?

As you can see I could not actually make sense of a lot of things in this book and the more I think about it the more I dislike it.

This was a cute book. Remy starts off her kissing season with bad luck and the book catalogues her journey to stop the bad luck and perhaps find true love on the way. It was very cute. Remy was my favorite character and the characters all seemed very real, not contrived.

I felt like in the middle however, that there could have been more development of Tobin and Remy getting to know each other rather than Remy just complaining about having to stay away from everyone. The middle just seemed to drag a bit. But overall, it was a cute story and I enjoyed reading it! The premise was interesting and the author did a great job bringing it to life and showing us the story through the lens of a sixteen year old. Remy didn’t feel like one of those 16 year olds that suddenly knows better than every adult. She had big feelings and sometimes didn’t know what she could to do resolve her issues.

Overall a cute and fun story! I’d give it 3.5 stars.

Being a Holloway Girl means your kiss is literally magic. One kiss and good luck knocks on your door. Each Holloway girl gets one kissing season. But there are rules to follow. Break one of those rules and who knows what peril will befall you?

Remy’s older sister, Maggie, had her kissing season and now it’s Remy’s turn. She hopes and dreams of an amazing, successful season. Alas, her luck runs out with her choice for her first kiss, which starts a mess that spirals her life down the drain.

The story started out well, though I can’t imagine kissing anyone just to bestow luck. I did like Remy’s outlook on that, on being more selective than Maggie, on choices that actually meant something. I loved all the baked goods and the new characters were quite charming. I loved the intensity and pull between Remy and the new boy.

That said, the book dragged a bit at times, and the ending was kind of anticlimactic for me. I wanted the people who’d wronged Remy and her family to actually get their comeuppance and wished Remy had a stronger character. But all in all, it was a nice story.

I was going to review the book a day before the release date but decided to wait a few days because of my 3-star review. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.v

When your kiss is good luck, the wrong kiss could change everything...

I enjoyed this book. Magic, baking, and a summer of fun compiled into a short and easy read that made me forget I was actually reading and not a part of the magic. Remy, like her sister Maggie and every Holloway girl that came before her, has the power to bestow good luck on anyone. As long as they kiss before her season is over. Remy has grown up on the stories of her family, and the stories of luck that came with them. She’s determined to use her season to win over her crush, and that’s when things go wrong.

While the synopsis promises a story of bad luck and potential doom, I found that the story almost glossed over that portion. Sure, Remy does end up gravely injuring her crush, but after he’s taken to the hospital and his friends don’t let her in, she doesn’t really do anything about it. It’s almost as if she forgets he exists and continues on with her summer. I found that it focused more on the bad things that happen to her because her crush’s friends think that she cursed him, and Remy’s talent for baking, which was written nowhere in the synopsis.

Then there’s a new love interest, who moves in next door and seems to fall in love at first sight. I did enjoy the banter and adventures that occurred once this happened, but Remy was such a Debby Downer that it felt more like telling vs showing, as if there was supposed to be some more edits. Also there were some weird parts that had sentences like “... she felt hopeless/afraid/scared.” which I found sort of broke up the writing in a very choppy way, and it didn’t feel like it was edited.

That being said, this is a wonderful quick summer read that involves everything a good summer romance needs. Thank you to NetGalley, SourceBooks Fire and the author for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was expecting something cute, but honestly this was a little bit stressful. A young girl is bullied after being taken advantage of by a boy and is pressured into having relations with another boy by her own family despite not being interested. This type of thing is fine to include in books, but I’m not sure why it was marketed as a fluffy rom-com when these aspects of the novel are so dark and impossible to ignore. I had some trouble connecting with a lot of the characters with the exception of Juliet. The ending and epilogue also left much to be desired. It’s not great, but if you like reading stuff that’s maybe a bit trashy, I’d say go ahead.

It's finally Remy's time; her kissing season has begun. Everyone knows the Holloway women can give you luck with just a kiss, but only during their one year kissing season. When Remy sets her sights on her crush it all seems to be going her way....until the kiss happens. Everything that follows is horrific luck for the boy involved, and with a cute new boy moving in next door will Remy be able to resist? Or will her curse be passed on?

If you're looking for a light and fun summer read with peppered in romance and a pinch of family mysteries then look no further than The Holloway Girls. The characters are fun and unique, despite sometimes sounding like a broken record(I'm looking at you, Remy!). A well paced story will keep readers turning pages long after they should be sleeping with a well thought out conclusion to greet them.

Five stars for this fun read, recommend for ages 12+ and for those who love a little romance with their fantasy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Holloway Girls follows Remy who has magic in her family. Every year for a few months they have what is called the kissing season. Anyone who gets kissed by Remy or her sister will have good luck for a year. This year happens to be Remy's first kissing season and the first person she kisses ends up having bad luck. And now Remy has a cursed kissing season. She does not want to kiss anyone else until she finds a way to break the curse. But then a new boy moves into town making it harder and harder for Remy not to kiss him. In order to be with him she has to break the family's curse or else their legacy will fall.

I am usually not a fan of fantasy books but I really liked this one. I think because it was a very light fantasy. I thought this one was very cute. I thought it was a very interesting plot. Loved how Remy would stop at nothing to get her family's curse lifted. I liked how her main love interest in the story was willing to help her and wait for her. This was also a very fast paced read. I enjoyed how this book was different from the others that I have read. But not so different that I did not like it. Overall a very cute YA read that I would suggest.

If you’re looking for a light read that’s cute and magical, this is it! Quick and easy read.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I binge read this whole book in a single setting, and enjoyed it through and through. It did feel like something was missing, but I need to sit with it to better process my thoughts. Full review upcoming on my blog "Abby's Coven"

The Holloway Girls by Susan Crispell

The Holloway girls are magic. For one year after they turn 16 their kisses grant good luck. The kissing season as it’s known in their town has boys and girls falling for the Holloway girls in hopes of becoming lucky for life, but there a few rules that will instead cause bad luck or more unknown consequences.

This was a very fun read. It was light and quick and enjoyable. My only complaint is that I wish it had a bit more of everything. A bit more explanations, a bit more magic, a bit more family history. But taking it as a fun YA book it definitely hits that mark.

Do you enjoy reading young adult books?

This one is out on June 7th! Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooksfire for my copy!

#netgalley #sourcebooksfire #thehollowaygirls #books #yabooks #yabookstagram #bookish #bookishthoughts #mybooks #reading #read #kindle #ebooks #newreleases #bookstagram #reading #book

This was a really cute, fluffy read that I would give 3.5+🌟’s if I could, but since I can’t I rounded up. It’s a fast, easy, well-written read. More of a teen romance with a small hint of Magic than the other way around but it was enjoyable all the same and I would definitely recommend this to others looking for something in this genre.

I wanted to love this book. It had a different magicky premise than other books I usually read, but it sort of just fell flat. It was just an ok magic story with an ok romance. There were parts that were good, it just didn't grab me the way the synopsis did. I'd still recommend it though.

This book focuses on Remy Holloway during her ‘kissing season’, it’s said that whoever a Holloway girl kisses gets good luck. When Remy’s kissing season started, it didn’t turn out like she hoped, this book shows how Remy grows and becomes a better person with the help of Tobin, Juliet and Maggie <3
I really liked the plot and the whole idea of this book, I’d definitely read it again. Tobin’s character was just overall well written, I loved the way he stuck around for Remy no matter how many times she friendzoned him hahahah. The way he had a whole playlist made for her ahhh <3 The development of Remy’s character was just amazing as we see how she learns and becomes her true self at the end.
This book comes out June 7th, I definitely recommend reading this.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC!

I really enjoyed The Holloway Girls by Susan Bishop Crispell!! I enjoyed Remy's path through her "season", a year of magical luck earned only through the kiss of a Holloway girl. Rent's struggles, despite often being magical, are relatable (and often humorous)! I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a bit of real-world magic in YA books!

The premise of the story is fantastic (kisses that can give luck to life, but if you break a rule there are disastrous consequences), and it could have been very good, but the execution left to be desired.

Early on it really troubled me how two people made a mistake, knowing that there would be consequences, and only one of them was to blame. This was so little explored, it was only thrown into the book to cause conflict and nothing more.

Then came the change of mind of Remy, the protagonist. Which is totally understandable, considering what she went through and was going through, but I think it was very abrupt and poorly developed. Besides being extremely repetitive, her speech talking about how her previous version no longer exists, and now she no longer has friends and was closed to love. Literally in every single chapter until the end.

The events throughout the book are kind of disconnected and pointless, many could have been taken down or improved to make the story less tiresome.

Remy's relationship with her older sister Maggie was very strange to read. In one paragraph they seemed to be well and interacting normal, and in the other they talked about not being able to forgive one another and how they were hurt.

Another point that was very uncomfortable was the way her older sister and her father kept repeating and insisting on her needing to kiss other boys and move on, even when she wasn't comfortable with it and felt very bad.

The dynamic of the protagonist with her romantic partner was very chaotic. His insistence on winning over Remy, and how even her family meddled in it, was very boring and tiresome to read. She just wanted to protect him, and no one could respect that, even when she was right all along.

The family magic system could have been more in-depth. Its origin, how it works, why only her family has it and why there are no other magical things in the world. Or, if they exist, why don't they show up.

Finally, I found the conclusion dull, even though it makes sense. I could have had an explanation of why that resolution wasn't written in the rules of the Book of Luck and why it was so easy. The book dragged on a lot for nothing. 

It was kind of fun, but tiring.

In the Holloway family, when girls turn 16, they acquire a sort "kissing magic". During their year-long season, the Holloway girls gift good luck to anyone they kiss. There are only two rules: You must not have given your heart away to anyone else, or the luck will be bad luck instead. You can't take a kiss, either - it has to be freely given. There is a book that has been passed down through the generations to record the names of those who each girl has kissed. On the first night of Remy's season, Remy knows exactly who she wants to kiss. But when they kiss, and it turns out that his heart was still with his former girlfriend, he begins to have bad luck, and everyone including Remy is convinced she is cursed. Now a new boy has moved next door, and he is making it really hard for her to keep her promise to herself not to kiss anyone. Especially because he seems to really want to get to know her, and isn't just using her for the Holloway luck. But before she can even think about kissing someone else, she'll have to find a way to fix the curse, or else her family's legacy will be tainted forever.
This was such a fun book. I read a previous book from this author - "The Secret Ingredient of Wishes" and loved it, so even though this was classified as a Teen/YA book, I wanted to check it out. This book was just as fun and magical. It had a fresh storyline, likeable characters, and you really wanted to root for Remy. I highly recommend this!

2.5 stars
I was totally hooked by the synopsis and feel misled. I was expecting magic, family, maybe something Charmed-esque… instead I got a meh CW show-like-book that I suffered to get through. I think the concept was great, but this seriously fell flat for me unfortunately.

3,75⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending a copy of this book in exchange of my honest opinion. This was very light-hearted!! We follow a girl named Remy, who is a Holloway, meaning a kiss from her brings good luck. However, when her kissing season begins, it’s quite the opposite. Instead of good luck, she brings bad luck.
I enjoyed discovering the main character, and even if I didn’t loved her sometimes, she felt very real, and true. Her interactions with Maggie, Tobin and Juliet were genuine, and it felt right.
Overall, the story was cute and it’s definitely something I recommend reading during summer.