I found this romance story to be quite cute. I didn't enjoy quite as much as Abe's middle grade work, but the worldbuilding was really nice and the characters were endearing. I really liked the glimpses we got of Ellie and Lia's friendship.

This book was cute. I don't typically read books in the young adult genre, but this had magic so I was intrigued! I enjoyed the magic and fun that it created. But, I felt like the characters could use a little more development and the story moved a little slow. Don't get me wrong, the book was lovely. I think I just needed to adjust my expectations to fit the genre. Still worthy of 4 stars though!

This was cute, and overall I enjoyed it. There were moments I really loved, and others that left me a little let down. I *loved* the world and the plot, but I do wish there had been more angst and drama. I do think I would have liked it more if the characters had been a little older. But overall this was a cute YA contemporary and if you're looking for something quick and sweet with a happy ending, definitely check this out.

An adorably fun YA book with a bit of magic mixed in. Elle tries to be normal teen but she is a part of a magical realm that she cannot even tell her best friend about. She used to be able to bond over this secret with her friend, Jack, because his family is also part of this realm. But she and Jack have a falling out so living a normal teenage lifestyle gets harder for Elle because she has no confidante. She decides to make a list of 13 things that will bring her out of her shell and make her feel more confident when they are checked off. Then comes the news that she will have to go on a road trip with her former childhood friend, Jack. That is when the fun started.
The characters are well written and I cared greatly about what happened with Elle and Jack. The supporting characters were wonderful in helping to make this story magical and complete. The magical realm that they visit on their road trip was described perfectly and felt like a truly magical place I loved visiting with them.
I happily recommend this book that feels like a warm hug on a rainy day. I am so grateful to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this magically sweet book in exchange for a honest review.

A YA full of magical realism in a friends to enemies to lovers story that will make you swoon, this book gives the cutest look at first love. Told in single POV by our main character Ellie, these two friends are forced together as their families prepare for and attend the Magical Convention. Rival families with strong ties, a road trip and the wonder of a hidden secrets in the magical community make this book a joy to read.

What I liked most about it is what a quick and easy read it was, but with characters who had a lot of spunk and that stationary store made me wish it was real! Add in the whimsical town, and the escape room at the convention and I was just in awe of how creative and fun the settings of this story were. I loved that we weren't just told the characters were magic, but that spells and charms were a part of who they were and what they did throughout the story.

"There's so much left unsaid as we dance under the stars. Yet, at the same time, the stark truth doesn'd need to be said at all. Together, we share a regognition of the past we had and the beauty in those all-too-soon fleeting moments. My heart feels full, to every corner, with memories we've shared, our past that is only know to the two of us. It's a world all our own, just like this cottage."

This book left me feeling all the warm fuzzy feelings about first love, growing up and wishing for a bit of whimsy, and I know I'll be reading more from this author in the future in hopes of more feel good reads!

Thank you to Wednesday Books + NetGalley for the advance copy, and to Once Upon a Book Club for sending me their "Charmed Summer" Box to feature!

Is it just me, or does magic just make every rom-com that much better?

For the most part, this YA tale of friends-to-enemies-to-lovers was rather archetypal, but the creative magic system elevated an otherwise predictable story to something more.

But I suppose that’s magic realism at its finest. I especially liked the idea of a secret magical community and enterprise that pervaded throughout.

I even found a new life-goal: to own a charmed teashop of my very own.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. This was a fun YA romance with an element of magic. It was a road trip that forced childhood best friends turned enemies to spend time together. I felt the narrator's voice was a little old to be a teenager which made the story a little off.

recommend: considering this actually wasn’t as corny as the last few YA chicklits i’ve read (even though this one has every trope under the sun), sure. the urban fantasy adds a little something new, and this would work well as a quick feel-good summer beach read. understand before reading that it is beyond cliche, though. and sometimes there’s nothing wrong with that if it’s what you’re looking for!

This was a clean and sweet YA novel about love, friendship, and family. Oh, and there’s magic! Like Ellie, my TBR would reach the moon if I stacked it up, but I’m glad to have fit this one in!

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Ellie and Jack used to be best friends and then seventh grade happened and everything changed. When a summer bucket list goes magically (seriously) awry, these two enemies find themselves thrown together on a road trip to a magical convention and on a journey to find their way back to each other.

This one just didn’t check the boxes for me. I didn’t feel the chemistry between Jack and Ellie and a lot of the supporting characters felt a bit superficial. A solid YA book, but I just couldn’t get into it the way I had hoped.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I haven’t read anything by this author before but the description of the book interested me. This was a light, somewhat magical read that would be a perfect pick for the beach or hold onto until October. It was sweet and fun and I feel like my high school students would really enjoy it!

This book was adorable! I don't know what I was expecting when I picked this up, but I was pleasantly surprised. The description of the book mentions magic, but it doesn't mention in the way that I thought the characters would actually be using magic, or that there was a magical world, but there was, and it was beautiful. I loved the characters in this book and their arcs, it was the perfect coming-of-age story. It had love, loss, friendship and magic. Everything you need for the perfect YA love story. Will definitely recommend this one.

This was an adorable enemies to lovers YA com com. I loved the contemporary setting mixed with the magic of charms. I liked that the magic system was all about bringing joy to people. The little shops we visit throughout Ellie's road trip were so fun and unique. It was well developed and isn't unrealistic to think that little charms are every where.

I'm so glad I picked this one up and definitely recommend it to those who enjoy a good YA rom com! It definitely checks all the boxes...(Pun intended)!

What a “charming” story about two childhood friends turned enemies on a magical road trip. There were some really sweet and swoony quotes. Jack and Ellie were adorable! This was about as magical as Sabrina the Teenage Witch so it doesn’t get very fantasy-ish if that isn’t your thing. A really cute book and solid book for teens.

🥰liked
🤟magical, enemies to lovers, childhood friends
📚Better Than the Movies
🎶Sunshine by Lily Meola

This book was ok to me. Nothing special. But I think my students will enjoy it and I will be purchasing multiple copies for the library.

Ellie is your typical, somewhat shy, high school student, just finishing 11th grade - with an added little item: she, and all of her family, can do magic. Not big magic, but little things that can ease your way - give you a little added luck, maybe some confidence, some bravery, or fix a small broken item. Like many high school students, she's rushing headlong toward adulthood, while still clinging to a few issues from her past - like her broken relationship with her former best friend, Jack, and her desire to break out of her self-contained, introverted shell, at least a little.

This is a nice book about growing up, which recognizes that growing up can be hard, and misunderstandings can make it harder. Some years before the start of the book, when both children were in 5th grade, Jack's mother died of cancer, and the resultant upheaval shattered his friendship with Ellie; he was focused on his father, and she was focused on losing her best friend just as they entered middle school. Ellie and Jack are real people, with real problems - not the sugar-coated personifications of some characteristic often seen in this type of novel - and they have to work hard to overcome their past when their present throws them together. Added to the usual high school angst is the magic that pervades their lives; Ellie's parents own a magical tea shop, while Jack's father owns a magical stationary store. Magic is key to the plot, and yet, not so much of a focus that the reader misses the rest of the book. I enjoyed reading this novel, and hope the author will write a sequel, either about Ellie and Jack, or about their younger siblings.

The Charmed List introduces shy loner Ellie Kobata, who is part of a secret magical community in Palo Alto, California. Even her only friend Lia is unaware of her powers. Jack Yasuda, her estranged childhood buddy whose parents also run a magic shop, shares the knowledge, but for reasons unknown he ghosted her several years ago. Prior to a summer road trip with Lia, Ellie decides to come out of her shell, starting with an Anti-Wallflower list of 13 challenges. When #4, "revenge against Jack," goes terribly wrong, she finds herself at odds with Lia, who is angry about the magic, and going on the road trip with Jack instead. Their parents are sending them to a magical convention to set up and man each family's magical display. As they travel down the coast, Ellie finds herself completing many of the challenges, including falling in love. The magical elements like an enchanted summer cottage and joy infused tea make this an unusual second chance romance.

Ellie spent high school as the quiet girl, but she's ready to shed that persona with her Anti-Wallflower List. Her list includes things like a best friend road trip, riding rollercoasters, and revenge on Jack. But when crossing off revenge on her list doesn't go quite as planned, she ends up stuck on a road trip with Jack instead of her best friend.

The Charmed List was such a cute story. Jack and Ellie have such good chemistry, and the characters are very well developed. This was a perfect summer read.

⭐️ rating: 3 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 genre: young adult, fantasy

I'm going to start this review by saying that SOMEHOW when reading about what this book was about, I totally missed that there was any magical element involved. So - right from the start of this book, I was very confused. Luckily, and in a way unluckily, since there isn't a lot of world-building or. magical history to keep up with here, it was easy to pick up the magical elements and move forward with the story.

With that said, I just wish this book had MORE. I loved the idea of having little nuggets of magical villages in big cities - where you could pick up magical items without even knowing it (candy to be chill, tea to be calm & courageous, yes please). But I wish there had been more history about HOW these communities came together, why they're in the places that they are, etc.

Additionally, while there was magic & the use of magic, there was not a lot of lore surrounding how you learn magic, who teaches it to you, or even many instances of USING magic. Which would have been really cool! Most of the magic in this novel is commonplace & solves everyday problems, and that would have been fun to see people learn or to watch mistakes play out.

Ultimately, this was a cute book. It's a book about childhood friends who lose each other & then find their way back again (with the help of some meddling siblings, because what book doesn't need those?). Definitely a great palate cleanser between heavier novels.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this arc. All thoughts are my own and this review is not paid or sponsored.

THE CHARMED LIST by JULIE ABE is a young adult novel of mixed genres: contemporary, romance, and fantasy. It follows the perspective of Ellie, a teenager that has felt lik she's been living parts of her life in secret. Her best friend doesnt know about magic and the community she's in, she keeps to her friend group, and her art private. She created a list of thirteen things that she wants to do before her senior year- her Anti-Wallflower List. She hopes that the list will help her come out of her shell and have the best summer possible. However, when the fourth item on her list- getting revenge on Jack Yasuda, her ex best friend- goes horribly wrong, she's for sure that the list is cursed somehow. Instead of the perfect summer she planned, she's stuck on a road trip to a magical convention with Jack... and somehow he knows all about her list.

THE CHARMED LIST has an interesting premise and was charming from start to finish. However, I was not fully invested in the main characters as I hoped to be. For me to be more invested and give this book a higher rating, I would have liked to see a more in depth conversation about Jack's grief and his mother. Even though this is a lighthearted story, I think more of that conversation could benefit readers, especially those that are younger and may be in a similar boat as Jack. The magic system was a little confusing to me because I didn't get how it worked. It seemed mostly used for convenience and reminded me of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Another issue I had was that this book is marketed as enemies-to-lovers but I didn't feel that they were truly enemies. Jake and Ellie aren't on the friendliest terms ever since their friendship fell apart and also are a part of families that own competing businesses. The enemies label makes sense for marketing but I don't think it matches their situation. Besides those, I enjoyed the story and wouldn't mind picking up another by the author.
3.75✨️


Tropes: ex best friends-to-rivals-to-lovers, road trip, one bed, closed proximity, bucket list,
Content and Trigger Warning: parental death mention, cancer, grief