No because sapphic YA just hits me so differently than typical YA. I adored this book. I couldn’t even tell you why. It probably had to do with a believably and genuinely flawed main character who just wants to be loved. I mostly enjoyed how the author interwove the tarot card meanings into the end of each chapter. That was a beautiful summary that kept me engaged with the story. There was a love story here that was sweet but it was more about self love than anything else. Lastly I appreciated that a villain of this story was a bisexual character. Some times it’s hard for me as a bi person myself to read about a bi person being crappy but it was ultimately humanizing and I don’t feel it played into any harmful stereotypes.

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC!!

I received a synthetic-voice audiobook advance copy from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know if it was because of the synth voice or the story, but I had a really hard time getting into this book. It's a sweet story of Eleanor, a teenager who is coming to terms with the events of a year before. She is an outcast at her school and when she meets Pix, someone who has no idea of her past, she hopes she's finally found someone who can love her.

I did care about Eleanor, and I was invested in finding out what happened with Chloe a year prior to the events of the novel. I liked Pix, and I wanted to know more about her and some of the other side characters - at points a lot of the side characters felt like stock characters with little personality. Susan and Eleanor's mother are delightful, and really show how much found family matters (I'm a sucker for found family). The mystery of what happened with Chloe is unraveled at a good pace, and the romance is cute and fun. All that said though, this wasn't a story I was desperate to get to the ending of and I felt like some parts dragged on a bit.

such a cute story! loved the witchy aspect and good pacing. i loved the inclusion of tarrot cards throughout the books

First, thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for giving me free access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Note: I listened to this book produced by a synthesized voice, so not the actual narrator(s) that will be reading the final released copy.

It took a few chapters for me to realized that there was more than just the main character’s POV voice. There were also a number of times I was unsure what were things she thought and things she said. However, I do assume that these things will be clear in the published audiobook with a human narrator.

I really cared about the main character. Though that was in large part because I could relate to her mindset in many ways. I don’t know if it’s because I recently read a book with an unreliable narrator, or if it was the things main character said or thought, but for most of the book I wondered how much her recounting of the past was accurate versus seen though a distorted lens. But this kept me compelled to keep reading and wanting to know more. Wanting to know if her version would ever be corroborated by another character.

I enjoyed the few moments where Scelsa took the book a few steps away from being self-aware.

I think one of the things I liked most about the book though, was the world view Pix and some of the other characters held. It was also lovely to hear this kind of portrayal of witches.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

Improbably Magic for Cynical Witches is the wiccan realistic fiction you've always wanted! Complete with a sweet f/f romance, supportive parents, and great intentions, this coming of age is magic!

In Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches, Eleanor's world of doom and gloom is transformed by a mysterious book and a new romantic interest, Pix, entering her life. While this transformation may feel magical, this book is 100% realistic fiction.

Eleanor lives in Salem and works at the kitchyest gift shop for her mom's friend Susan. Eleanor does not care about magic. She tries to not care about most things. From her mom's Lyme disease to a traumatic past relationship, Eleanor has a lot going on, but she chooses to put up walls instead of dealing with things head on.

One day, a unmarked tarot guide shows up and, out of boredom, she reads it. On the same day, a cute girl who might just be flirting with her shows up too. Over the coming weeks, Eleanor continues to explore the major arcana cards and develop a relationship with Pix and her coven. Yes, you read that right, a coven! It's a real coven too. No spells, no levitating. Just intention, herbs, and the rule of threes.

I have to give Kate Scelsa MAD PROPS for this book! It is the most accurate depiction of wiccan and pagan beliefs I've ever read. As a tarot reader myself, I found her depictions and explanations of the cards to be accurate, insightful, and humorous.

Disclaimer: I work for a bookstore, all thoughts and opinions are my own and not affiliated with the store or company.
Thank you to Netgally and Harper Audio for providing me with a VoiceGalley audio version of this book.

This book was a pleasure to listen to, and was easy to follow. I will admit I listened to it while painting a room, so I did not necessarily pay attention to every single sentence, but the writing flowed well enough that I never felt lost and was able to maintain the story.

I won’t be speaking too much about the audio aspect as it was a synthesized voice which will not be the finalized version. This thankfully did not affect my enjoyment of the book but I can’t wait to see the narrator give personality to these characters and truly bring them to life.

Now for the story. I loved the scenes that take place in the present. Although I personally do not know much about Pagan practices it was interesting to get an insight into this religion. I am interested to see reviews from those that practice it personally to get their opinion on the representation. I loved the friend group and the way that they included Eleanor. While there was not too much opportunity to show their growing relationship with Pix, I still enjoyed the encounters they had. I really enjoyed the way this book was very brutal in its portrayal of mental health and going through unhealthy relationships, especially in the LGBTQ+ community as so often young queer kids don’t always know how to recognize when a relationship is damaging. The only part of the book that had me questioning was when we relive past memories. Spoilers for plot discussion: While what happened to the main character was awful and should never have happened, I really wish the part of Eleanor sitting outside of her ex best friend's house was not included. Eleanor was put in a very tough situation that no one should go through, but this felt like it definitely pushed boundaries by showing up to someone's home unsolicited multiple times, and personally this felt like the stereotype of queer characters being predatory. I do understand that mental health, especially depression, can make us want to do wild things, but I was slightly uncomfortable when reading this. As for the rest of the story it covers a lot of hard topics in which the main character had to cope with. This book was big on pro drug use (specifically marajuana) which is another tough conversation to have surrounding teenagers and YA. At this point I am not sure where my opinion is on the main character's use of it. I can see both pro’s and con’s, and would also love to see more opinions from fellow readers. I definitely felt this story was more coming of age than romance as it mainly focused on Eleanor's journey through mental health, but this was not a negative for me.

Overall this book was an easy read and I listened to it in two sittings. While I enjoyed it I am not sure if or who I would recommend this book to in my personal life. However, I would recommend it to those wanting to give it a shot if they have read the content warnings and feel that it would be a suitable read for them.

Again thank you to those that let me read this story early.

I still think the premise of this book is interesting, and I appreciate the opportunity to hear the audiobook first. However, after trying this one with a synthetic voice, I won’t try that again. It’s like listening to your Alexa or Siri or whatever read you an entire book. I just couldn’t get into it, and I won’t request a book with a synthetic narrator again. I’ll be curious what others think of the book once they’re able to read it. I’ll wait for that before I attempt it again.

What a fun book! Even with the automated reader I loved the story! Witchcraft, small town, lesbian romance, first love. These are all great descriptors for this book. Eleanor is the girl in Salem who is most unlikely to join a coven, but when a book describing Tarot cards gets sent to the kitchy souvenir store that she works at, and Pix and Ophira show up on the same day, she finds herself becoming immersed in a world she never expected. While navigating a new circle of friends is never easy, Eleanor is also constantly fighting against her past. This is a great book with wonderful side characters. Coming of age and learning how to be okay with the past.

DNF, the automatated voice messed up the rhythm of the story and really threw me off. Maybe it will be better with an actual voice actor

I think this book hit nearly every square of a "Book Banning Bingo" sheet- lesbians, witches, drug use, underage drinking, rape, tarot/witchcraft/divination! And don't forget the free space in the center- empowered female characters. Bravo! Let's get it on every library shelf : )

Cute teen romance and friend drama in a female-centered world with creative and supportive friends and family. Made me long for my own coven/squad and to search for my old tarot deck.

I was granted a digital voiced advance listening copy, and I have to say that I felt the flat narration to be distracting enough that I felt like I was translating the emotion of the book as I was listening and couldn't focus on the plot as much. I would not have accepted a digital ALC if I knew what I was getting into. However, with the right spunky youthful voice for Pix and goth-girl-gone-infatuated voice for Eleanor, this would be a hit!

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches is an endearing story of a young woman wracked with guilt and fear over an unhealthy relationship and the mistakes that followed. Despite living in Salem and working at a witchy shop, she isn't a believer.
When another young woman and her coven breeze through the shop, the main character begins a journey of growth, healing, and love.
This story is sweet, funny, a little sad, and a little dramatic. I enjoyed it very much.

I loved this book. When I first realized that it was set in Salem around Halloween I was prepared (and a little excited) for a shallow story about some spooky business, but it was a lot more than that. It dealt with some tough topics like bullying and homophobia, the challenges of being queer and having a crush (or more) on someone who isn't, and how to let your guard down and let someone in after you've been hurt.

I liked the multiple timelines. I loved how the tarot meanings tied in. I thought it was great that the coven of witches were actual real world witches focused on tarot, cleansing, etc. and not the kind with other-worldly powers (although those are great too in other stories).

Even though Scelsa does not live in Salem, the book reads like it could be a map of the place, containing a lot of landmarks both contemporary and past. I don't know how accurate they are but it all sounded good and was useful in making a mental image of Eleanor's world.

I'd recommend this book to readers who like contemporary realistic YA, Halloween enthusiasts, and romance readers.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio for an arc of this one. I listened to a digital voice galley.

When Eleanor moved to Salem with her mom, she wanted to reinvent herself, and with Chloe, she did. But then everything went wrong. A year later, she meets a coven that might help her make it right again.

This one was pretty cute! I think this is the first book I've ever read with a character who has chronic Lyme before!!! So that was interesting.

This book is told in two time lines... Eleanor's first year in Salem and what happened with Chloe, then her current time and Pyx, the coven, the tarot. I honestly though the flashback timeline was more interesting? The current part felt too much in Eleanor's head and not enough of what's going on outside.

Anyway, this was cute!

CW: toxic relationship, drug use/abuse, sexual assault, chronic illness, injury

I really enjoyed this book, even with the robot reader! Improbable Magic for Cynical WItches is the story of Eleanor, an angsty teen suffering the curse of most teens in her inability to view the world from a perspective other than her own. As one of the newest residents of the town of Salem, she has made several social missteps and finds herself feeling ostracized from the local high school culture. She meets a girl named Pix at the shop where she works, eventually finding herself absorbed into Pix's coven with the potentiality of having actual friends and maybe even romance.

Eleanor's constant self-flagellation and mental loop of her mistakes felt like an authentic teen perspective. The misplaced importance afforded to the few peers with the appearance of confidence, the impact of her actions on others' opinions, and the assumed long-term consequences of her actions are the definition of the teen experience and this story did a great job illustrating the wrong-headedness of this type of thinking. There was a lot of humor in the book but was a bit hard to pick up on sometimes because of the synthesized voice. This is from the prologue when this book first had me laughing out loud: "the bell sleeves of your Renfaire tunic are blowing delicately in the wind." All of the characters were unique and well-developed, and I always love a happy ending.

I would not categorize this book as fantasy, because the "magic" mentioned and practiced in the book is realistic magid (does that exist?) anyone could do, i.e. tarot, rituals, cleansings, etc., and think categorizing it as such could potentially cause it to miss readers who don't care for the fantasy genre. Overall, this is a pretty clean book and could even work for middle-grade readers, but the frequent self-medication with pot might require a conversation.

The synthesized voice was not a bad as I expected, but I can't wait to hear it animated with a live narrator!

I received a digital ARC of the book from the publisher, but I also received an advanced copy of the audiobook, so I decided to listen to the book as I did chores around the house yesterday. The audiobook came with a warning that it was going to be a digital voice reading the book and that it was not the final reader, but I decided to listen to the book anyway. Ultimately, I think the voice affected my appreciation of the book, not to mention the annoying "watermark" (I don't know how it would be called in audio format) that would sporadically chime in by saying "Harper Collins" in the background.

I know there is a lot to love in this one: I enjoyed how the plot of the book is arranged around specific cards in a tarot deck and Scelsa does a phenomenal job portraying Eleanor's heartbreak and depression. In fact, the robotic voice was fitting during these times, however, I listen to audiobooks because I want a storyteller to woo me with a tale, and in the happier moments of the book, I zoned out. I even found myself zoning out in a pivotal scene that I had to rewind three times.

This is a bummer, because I love listening to audiobooks and I would hate it if these digital voices become prevalent. If I wanted a robot to read my stories, I can program my tablet to read aloud from my e-reading apps.