Cute, cozy, and sweet enough to rot your teeth out! The vibes of this book are impeccable, complete with a quirky found family of misfits living in a tucked-away manor near the sea, three young witches in need of a tutor, a grumpy librarian with a soft heart, a witch-turned-magic-tutor with a traumatic past, and lots of descriptions of magical teas. I felt like the messaging was really on the nose and the final conflict(s) were rushed (and a bit underbaked tbh) but overall I had a good time reading this book!

Mika Moon’s magical social media videos aren’t faked for the clout: She’s actually a real witch, hiding in plain sight. When she receives a desperate plea to tutor three young witches on a remote Norfolk estate, she follows her magical instincts and accepts — and winds up in a tangle with a hot but scowly librarian, a coterie of elderly caretakers and three children with far more magic than they know what to do with. And then, horribly, lawyers get involved.

This book is as soft and unsubtle as a pile of golden retriever puppies drenched in glitter — but the longer I read, the more I found to love. There’s a sadness at the root of the world-building here, which I found compelling: Witches are all orphans whose parents die young. Lonely children become isolated adults, figuring out their magic on their own and living in a familiar kind of semi-secrecy.

Mika wears the anguish of her upbringing like a suit of armor, awkward and constricted by it but painfully vulnerable beneath. She doesn’t dare imagine a better world for her own sake — but she’ll move mountains if it means these children will not have to suffer as she did.

It makes for a slight but meaningful shift in the angle of the happy ending, which is usually so focused on the central characters’ bliss in the present. This romance, more than many, looks to the future, and imagines imagining a better world. Inheritance not only as something you receive, but something you pass on. Not in titles or land or money, but in a more precious currency: love and support and hope.

Thank you to Berkeley and Netgalley for the complementary audiobook!

This book was an absolute pleasure! Cozy fantasy with witches and romance, what more could you ask for? It kind of reminded me of House in the Cerulean Sea. Quirky found family, grumpy love interest, and delightful magic! Anyone looking for a feel-good spellbinding book will love this!

A story of love, acceptance, family, and belonging, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a delightful read. The story follows Mika, an orphan and witch who lost her parents when she was young. Raised knowing she had to keep her magic a secret and stay away from other witches so as not to draw attention to their magic, Mika is used to her solitary life. All of that changes when Mika receives a message asking her to journey to the Nowhere House to teach three young witches, and she decides to go.

When Mika arrives at Nowhere House, she gains more than she ever expected. She meets a wonderful group of people, including a retired stage actor and his housekeeper husband, a curmudgeonly but sexy librarian, and three young, orphaned witches with little control of their powers.

Mika has such a big heart, and I loved her character throughout the story. She is so positive and holds an optimistic outlook on life despite the hardships she’s endured and the loneliness she feels. I think she finds herself at Nowhere House. The relationships she gains, the acceptance, and the feeling of belonging are everything she wants and more, and her connection to Terracotta, Rosette, and Altimira is lovely. Mika always wanted children and a family, and that’s exactly what she finds over the course of the book.

All of the characters are well-developed and layered, and I love the found family they create. The banter is great, and you can tell they really care about each other in the way they act and talk and treat each other. There are some lovely tender moments and some fantastic laugh-out-loud conversations, and there’s also a swoon-worthy budding romance between Mika and the grumpy librarian Jamie! Yes, librarian! What’s sexier than a man who loves books? Jamie is enigmatic and has a mysterious past. I loved watching this grumpy man reluctantly fall for Mika. They are so different, yet they complement each other well.

I remember once a fellow book blogger referred to a book she enjoyed as a “warm hug,” and that’s what this book feels like. It’s a wonderfully entertaining story with rich characters, a fabulous found family, and moving messages that I would compare to messages in many of T.J Klune’s books. I would definitely recommend the book to readers who like sweet and charming stories and am thankful to Berkley Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts are my own.

Mika Moon is a real witch, pretending to be a fake witch on social media. When a message comes in asking her to teach 3 young children to control their magic she somehow finds herself moving into Nowhere House with three young girls, and a handful of misfits keeping them safe. Their grumpy caregiver Jamie is not too keen on this idea, but with the others support, Mika goes to Nowhere house and their magic starts becoming a measure of power and not chaos. But just as Mika feel's like she finally found a place to belong, she finds out her new found family has lied to her. Can she rebuilt that trust and save what she found at Nowhere House? Or is it better to be isolated from the rest of the world just like her mentor suggested.

Ugh my heart! Did I stay up way too late to finish this book then proceed not to fall asleep cause I had a giant book hangover? YES. I. DID! To me this was very much a collaboration of "nothing to see here" and "Witch Please" we get a compelling family drama with a cute love story intertwined with it. THAT TWIST! I never saw it coming. The adults were heartwarming, even Jamie, the grump of the story, was so lovable. The three girls were adorable, even when they fought and were at odds. This is a story about embracing your differences, accepting the love of those around you and fighting for what you will believe in. I cannot get enough!

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches was such a heartwarming and cozy novel. It’s a magical story about love and family - those we’re born into and those we choose. It’s a quiet story filled with so many small and tender moments. As sweet as the story is, however, there are some heavier topics addressed, so please check the content warnings.

Things to look forward to:
- This is one of my very favorite found families ever. Every character grabbed my heart and I loved how fiercely loyal and loving they were to each other.
- The themes of home and being loved and accepted exactly as you are. I especially liked the distinction between being kind and nice. I loved how these themes played out in the novel.
- The romance! It’s not the focus of the novel, but the build up between Jamie and Mika was chef’s kiss. They each have emotional pasts that have shaped them into the people they are, but I loved how they slowly opened up to each other. I was also very pleasantly surprised by the spicy scene! Tropes to look forward to: slow burn, forced proximity, enemies-ish to friends to lovers, caretaker, grumpy + sunshine, and workplace-ish romance.
- The magical world. I loved Nowhere House and how the house and grounds became almost a character. The magic blended with the “regular” world so well.
- The twists! I didn’t really see those coming and will admit that one brought tears to my eyes over the hurt it caused. These played out so well and were perfectly executed.
- I both read and listened to the audiobook of this book and Samara MacLaren’s performance blew me away. She captured all the joy, love, humor, hurt, and vulnerability of these characters so well. Every voice and accent was distinct and wonderfully done no matter the age/gender. Samara MacLaren is a new to me narrator, but I’m looking forward to listening to more of her performances in the future.

This is truly a wonderful book and I can’t recommend it enough. Triple hugs for all!

Audiobook Review
Overall 5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 5 stars

CW: death of parent/loved one (past), parental neglect (past), physical abuse from siblings (past), grief, mentions of homophobia (secondary character, past), profanity

*I voluntarily read and listened to a review copy of this book*

What a marvelously magical tale. I absolutely love a good with-y tale and this one was pure perfection.

Mika Moon meets with other witches on the 3rd Thursday, of every 3rd month. Otherwise, they rarely interact with one another in the real world… it would cause people to notice. But she wants to be “normal”, not having to hide who she truly is. She allows herself one small online video account, where she can be a witch out in the open, with people thinking she’s not really witch out in open. Except someone did notice that she was the real deal.
Now she finds herself at Nowhere House, trying to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks the rules that witches have adhered to for centuries. Surely uncontrolled magic will draw someone’s attention. Being in the young witches lives, as well as the caretakers of the house, and the handsome librarian Jamie, Mika finally feels like she belongs… like she has a family. But trouble is brewing and Mika must decide if she will help this unconventional family or Nowhere House or will she walk away.

This book absolutely tugged at my heart strings. You can feel every emotion that Mika has. All the secondary and third party characters were amazing and made the book whole and complete. I would love to see this group down the road and see where they have evolved to in life. I highly recommend this – you will not be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for the opportunity to read and review this book. I look forward to reading more books by Sangu Mandanna.

Myth: 5/5

Everything about this book hit me right in the feels. From a cold (literally) start, this book builds warmth with every page. A solitary witch, called upon by the most unexpected and unconventional family to help wrangle some young witches magic before a looming meeting. But there are rules for witches, and this assignment might break all of them.

So you get to enjoy delights like this from the kids Mika works with, “That was some excellent Mary Poppins shit right there.”

While you also get one of the best grumpy/sunshine romances I’ve ever read.

Magic: 5/5

Mika’s magic is so interwoven with who she is, but it’s also been a huge part of why she’s been alone for all of her life. Magic is inherently a part of Mika’s journey as she figures out how to keep it secret, but how to live her life to the fullest with her magic included.

Overall: 5/5

Mika is an amazing heroine, daring herself to open up to a new family that might like her, not just need something from her. Allowing herself to bask in a freedom that she’s been told she could never have, sharing her magic.

I really think that heartwarming is the best label I can give this story. I highly recommend it.

magic, fantastically-fantastical

This book was more true "Romance" than I expected, and less "House on the Cerulean Sea," which I was hoping for, but it was pleasant, nonetheless. Quirky, lonely witch takes up a job caring for quirky, magical children in their quirky magic protected house by the sea. There's a brooding Darcy-esque love interest with a heart of gold and a penchant for cozy libraries. He's also fiercy protective of those he cares about, a bit "Discovery of Witches" without ths vampires. There are some secrets, some hurt feelings and traumatic-childhoods-that-color-everything, and some very goofy dialog. Though there was a lot of cheese, some not incredible writing, and some rated R content, I did enjoy the characters and the whole magical vibes.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is the feel-good rom-com I didn’t know I needed.
It made me feel all kinds of warm and fuzzy, with its lovely found family (the yearning to have something like the affection Ian, Ken, Lucie and Jamie gave to the girls is very strong in me right now) and adorable ships dynamics. It showed many different kinds of love, in such an attentive and caring way.
I‘m also really found of the way magic was handled and described, and reading about Mika's relationship with it was like reading about an old friendship.

This is a book I recommend to those looking for an easy and cute read, with a simple but brilliant plot and a writing style perfectly fit for this kind of story.

This story was so wholesome! I loved all of the characters and their relationship to each other. The setting was cozy and atmospheric. Overall, this is the before fall read. I'll definitely be looking for other works by Sangu Mandanna.

An enchanting story perfect for fans of The House in the Cerulean Sea and Practical Magic. Easily one of my favourite books of the year, casting its spell over me with its charming characters, wonderful premise, and strong themes of family, love, and belonging.

A must-read for anyone who enjoys found family tropes and romantic enemy to lovers stories with a dash of magic.

This book.

Oh my gosh this book.

It was such a whirlwind of emotions that occasionally turned into a cyclone and then a soft warm rain that just makes everything all cozy and fresh and perfect and .... well .... magical.

I honestly wasn't sure when I started it what to expect. I wasn't even sure that it wouldn't end up on the DNF list before the ever-crucial 15% mark where I tend to find myself giving up on things. There are too many books and not enough time, after all.

That, obviously, didn't happen.

Instead, I devoured it.

My only complaint? It was over far too soon ... and the alarms would start going off far too early since, of course, I couldn't bring myself to stop reading and go to bed until it was done.


Full teaser post published on 7 August 2022 at https://wellreadpiratequeen.blogspot.com/2022/08/ill-sleep-when-ive-read-very-secret.html

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is an eccentric read with vivid characters, heartwarming chapters, romance, magic, secrets, and entertaining schemes. The romance plot is wonderfully swoony, but there's just as much emotion tied into the way Mika finds a home and family of her own - and the writing style sparkles too, full of charm and wit as well as moments of piercing emotional insight. This book was just a pleasure through and through.

What a magical book. So heartwarming and funny. I love Mika - she just loves magic and it's beautiful. The kids were absolutely adorable and hilarious - especially Terracotta. The rest of the family is just as funny and loveable. Just a great witchy read about finding your place in the world - and making one. I loved it.

This book was absolutely lovely! It might just be one of my favorite books I’ve read this year! Highly recommend this cosy romance to anyone who needs to escape from reality for awhile. A phenomenal debut!

What a wonderful, heartfelt, feel-good story. I read this book at just the time I needed it. I'm recommending it to everyone I meet! All the stars.

The Very Secret Society of irregular Witches is a cozy, charming and romantic tale of belonging and home.

Our story opens on Mika Moon, an orphaned witch feeling lost in the world. Due to the rules of the witches, she is not supposed to befriend other witches - too much magic can cause attention with humans, and she struggles to befriend regular humans without being able to tell her secrets. She, as a very modern witch, skirts the rules and films herself for YouTube in her own made up potions and tea shop where she performs magic and connects with people who think she’s just pretending. Until one person realizes she’s the real deal, which is how Mika finds herself at Nowhere House and meets Ian Kubo-Hawthorn - retired actor, housekeeper and guardian of three magical girls. He wants her to teach them to control their magic, before they are discovered by a lawyer who suspects things aren’t as they seem and could threaten their livelihood. When Mika agrees, we are thrown into a delightful adventure filled with zany and wild characters that just charmed my heart.

Mika is charming and gentle and just wants to be loved for herself. At Nowhere House, she finds herself falling for the three young girls who she’s tasked with teaching. Mika knows having a group of witches together will cause people to notice - the energy levels go a little haywire when magic is happening. But Mika is willing to risk it when she meets Rosette, Terracotta and Altimira. Each girl, like Mika, is an orphan because of a curse that kills a witch that has recently given birth - which is a real bummer because Mika has always dreamed of having a large family. The three girls - found all over the world: as an Indian girl raised in Britain, Mika wants to make sure these girls feel like they belong. The girls range from sweet and shy to fierce and powerful: one has a delightful streak of terror that made me laugh out loud.

This is an enemy to lovers' swoony romance with the house’s sexy and grumpy librarian. Jamie has his own mysterious past, and watching the curmudgeonly librarian fall very much against his wishes with the quirky and zany Mika was so wonderful. I adored their chemistry and how they fought so hard against their attraction but took care of each other in the small and subtle ways that make your heart yearn. If this book was turned into a movie, it would have some of those hand-grazing scenes from Pride and Prejudice that I adore.

Nowhere House is a fantastical and magical setting, the type of house I dream of getting lost in. And the house helps Mika find her own voice and stand up against the things she sees as wrong in her witchy society. Mika fights against her loneliness and her sense of never belonging in order to make sure the three girls she’s teaching get to stay together. This book is a lovely romance that also meditates on the idea of home, belonging and loneliness in today’s manic world. This is a cozy, whimsical and lovely book that has been added to my reread shelf, because I will be returning to Nowhere House anytime I am sad and lonely.


Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a heart-warming novel that will pull you into the secret world of witches from the first page.

While the story has some of the same themes as Under the Cerulean Sea, it also has a bit of humor and mystery to keep you entertained. Loneliness, being different and learning to trust outsiders are all tackled head on in this magical story. My ever-loving witch heart was so happy with all the magic. Heads up, there is quite a bit of swearing but they were all my favorite phrases.

I absolutely loved Mika and her huge heart. It does not take long for her to be absorbed into the unconventional family at the Nowhere House; Jamie, Ian, Ken and Lucie are the only family the girls have ever known. Since Lillian is often gone, they hire Mika to tutor the girls so they can control their magic.

There is so much to love in this book; magic, a found family, a potential romance, humor and mystery. It is perfect for reading wrapped up on the couch in a cozy blanket. Make sure to grab your own copy.

Thank you to Net Galley and Berkley Publishing Group for my eArc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is such a fun book! I love that it has desi MCs. I requested it after seeing @bookwormbuklet’s video on it. This book is MAGICAL.