Mika Moon was taught to hide her magic and to avoid other witches. She gets invited to teach three witch children, and even though it goes against the rules, she can’t help but be a teacher. Slowly, she finds herself something she never thought she could have: a family.

I enjoyed the children in this book, which never happens to me. They were so cute and desperate not to be hurt.

The one big negative is that I didn’t like the love interest. He was very judgemental initially, and I never warmed up to him. In the end, a huge secret is revealed that was so important I was appalled the information was kept from her by the others. Keeping that information from her made me question the trust level her found family had for her.

This is an amusing, cute story of a witch named Mika Moon who has spent her life lonely because she grew up an orphan, raised by a string of nannies, and she’s had to keep a huge part of her life secret because of the discrimination being different brings. Because she can’t reveal her excitement about magic or who she really is to nonwitches, she posts videos of herself online doing magic, assuming, for the most part correctly, that people will interpret it as a person who *pretends* she can do magic, that she’s portraying a character. But Ian sees through the act. He needs a witch to help his three young charges to control their magic, so he reaches out to her with an offer to be a live-in nanny.

Mika has always been told that she can’t spend too much time around other witches because all that magical power put together could cause a kerfuffle that will be noticed by the nonmagic community, and their identity will be blown. But Mika needs a place to live, and the hidden house with Ian, his husband, the housemaid, the scowling but sexy librarian Jamie, and the three great kids grow on her. She’ll just help them out for a little while, she thinks, and then she’ll be on her way.

There is romance, but what I loved was the three little girls, especially eight-year-old Terracotta, who is initially plotting how she can kill Mika, because she doesn’t want this new person disrupting their happy lives. I found it hilarious when Terracotta would ask whether Mika would prefer poison or another method for her demise.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES AUGUST 23, 2022.

This was such a wonderful story. I loved Mika, who even with a tragic past, is such a resilient and optimistic person. And the quirky but loveable cast of characters at Nowhere House is the ideal found family.

The storyline moved along at a good pace, the writing style was compelling, the setting was inviting and immersive, and the character development was top notch.

Please understand that when I say this book is a heterosexual version of The House in the Cerulean Sea, I mean it as a compliment! The perfect combination of kidfic, slow burn romance, and cozy fantasy vibes, with a twist that I for one did not see coming at all. Touches on racism (the heroine is a woman of color, as are the three orphans she’s tutoring) with a light hand but matter-of-factly, which definitely sets this apart from most other cozy-fantasy-romances I’ve seen. While the primary couple is m/f, there are queer characters whose marginalization is also matter-of-factly addressed. I really enjoyed this one and I’m looking forward to recommending it!

I adored this quirky and cozy slow-burn enemies-to-lovers book. Very Mary Poppins meets Practical Magic with touching themes of loneliness and found family. I've read a number of witchy romances recently and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a standout! I look forward to reading more from the author. Can't wait to recommend this to my patrons!

Mika Moon has been taught to hide who--and what--she is. A witch, in a contemporary Britain that doesn't treat magic kindly. Mika is more or less alone in the world, except for the very secret meetings of witches, until a mysterious letter arrives. Someone has been watching her online videos in which she "pretends" to do magic, and they beg her for assistance. Three young witches living at a remote estate, aptly named Nowhere House, need help learning to control their magic.

Mika arrives to find a chaotic but happy home, where everyone is glad to have her except one person--Jamie, librarian and tutor to the girls. Could this be the place Mika has been searching for?

What a warm and charming fantasy romance. Mika, Jamie, and all the eccentric characters around them are such fun to read.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

OMG I Loved absolutely everything about this story. The witchcraft, the secret witch meetings, the magic! This was a book I just wanted to fall right into.

The characters were just wonderfully done and each so unique - Mika and absolutely everyone at Nowhere House just grabbed my heart and didn't let go until the final page

Oh my goodness but I loved this one! It read with all the magic of a TJ Klune, and that's high praise coming from me... Mandanna has done a magnificent job with world-building AND characterization, establishing a universe that is the perfect blend of magical and mundane and a cast of characters that grabbed me by the heartstrings early on and never let go.

I found the familial relationships to resonate with crystal clarity, as did Mika's inner conflict (and its eventual resolution) about interpersonal connections. The emotion is very real and leaps off the page thanks to the marvelously lyrical (and often deliciously snarky!) writing, which captures the nuances of relationships without ever devolving into over-the-top saccharine sweetness or into a tone of preachy admonitions.

It was a brilliant story and I cannot wait to read more titles by this fabulous author!

This book was so wholesome and just the right amount of witchy. Mika is an easy character to love and relate to. This book is about wanting to belong, be loved, and family. I adore a found family trope. There was just a wee bit of miscommunication/lying and usually it drives me crazy in a bad way, this time not so much. This book is beautiful and so are the characters.
I wish I was in the society of irregular witches!!!

This was an absolutely lovely read for a lazy day curled up with a book! The characters were well-written and likeable, the setting unique and atmospheric, and the plot fast enough to keep me interested but not slap-and-dash! Feelings of isolation and self-worth battle with the search for a found family and a place to call your own. It was a lovely escape that I would love to visit again!

A wonderfully light magical romance. Mika Moon was a joy to read about. I did find it unusual why Lilian and Edward couldn't meet up for paperwork, but this plot point is solved by the end of the book.
I loved the author's description between being nice and being kind. It really resonated. I am going to look up other books by this author to read.

Pure Magic!

So good! While reading and when I finished this book, I sighed a big sigh of happiness. This book was just a pleasure through and through!!

Mika Moon was raised by strangers after her parents’ death when she was little. She spent most of her time alone and never felt part of a family. Now an adult, she is a witch who makes her own videos pretending to be a witch - are you still with me? Ian Kubo-Hawthorn has seen one of her videos and unlike others who think they are watching someone pretend to be a witch, he knows what he is seeing- a true witch! He sends her a message asking her to come to Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic.

This is a big no-no, but Mika decides to go, and this is where the magic truly happens. Not only does she meet the three young witches, but she meets the others at Nowhere house at all. Sometimes, life puts you where you truly need to be. I love the message of family and what makes a family. It was heartwarming and charming. There is also some romance, some humor and three unique young witches.

This book cast a spell on me!

Charming, full of heart, and magical!

#TheVerySecretSocietyofIrregularWitches #NetGalley

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a lovely book. I like how the discrimination (against witches) is worked in to represent society. I love the girls! I love the descriptions of magic, especially the gold dust, very nice blending of nature with magic. The eclectic group in the home is reminiscent of The House in the Cerulean Sea, along with how "nice" the characters are in general. Teeny bit of steamy sex which makes it not a kids book ;) Overall, lovely writing and I hope to see more!

Mika Moon is an orphan. All witches are, because of a powerful spell that backfired. They gather together infrequently to stay below the radar. It is a lonely but safe life. She's discrete in all her life except for an online account, where she posts videos "pretending" to be a witch. She receives an mysterious message begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House. While there she is introduced to three young witches and asked to teach them how to control their magic. Raising witches together breaks all of the rules, and Mika is immediately tangled up in the lives and secrets of not only her three charges, but also an absent archaeologist, a retired actor, two long-suffering caretakers, and a handsome and prickly librarian. Both welcomed in and treated like a threat, Mika must determine if this is a place safe enough to put down roots.

Why I started this book: I requested this on a whim from Netgalley based on nothing more than the cover and the title.

Why I finished it: This book was the gentle hug that I needed to encourage me to try something new. It's understated, quirky and insightful. And filled with compassion and humor for and about it's characters. This book was delightful, and I need more like it. This is the witch story that I have been trying to find. I will be reading more from Mandanna.

I love when witches are portrayed as in sync with nature and not the monster under the bed. This is a sweet story about a witch who lives a solitary life. She is advised that witches can not congregate because it is too dangerous and no one can know about them, so she finds it easiest to live alone and move every time she gets close to people. That is a great plan, until it isn't. After all, that is no kind of life. Isn't it better to be with other people and accepted for who you are? This is the story of how Mika Moon transitions from loneliness to a full life with other people. Throw in some precocious kids and a romance (with a librarian), and I'm all in.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love the recent trend of witchy romance novels popping up! Mika Moon is an incredible protagonist, I loved her from the start. She has her own special talents as a witch that she must keep secret from the rest of the world, thus creating a very solitary and lonely kind of life. As a result, she pretends to be a witch on social media, where no one seems to take her powers seriously. Except for one. This was such a cozy, comforting read, and one I would happily read again and again!

I LOVED THIS ONE!! It is so cute. I love how popular these kind of romcom/witchy books are getting! I love Mika Moon - first of all, her name? Amazing! I loved her patience with the young witches and how she never gave up on them. I loved the build up of Mika and Jamie’s relationship. It had everything! Sweet moments, sad moments, spicy moments, character growth and magic! Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I just finished the very secret society of irregular witches by Sangu Mandanna and this is my honest review

Mika moon has some very special gifts, the kind of gifts that she has to keep secret from the world but also means she has to stay away from other witches, as together, they create too much attention. Her life is very solitary but she has a social media account where she can pretend to be a witch and no one takes her seriously. That is until someone does.

A random message has her uprooting her life and going to teach 3 young orphan witches how to control their magic. She cannot let anyone know where she is going as it is forbidden for the 3 young girls to be living together. Here she finds the family she has always wanted and a sexy librarian with a beautiful scowl that melts her heart.

She starts to feel at home but the real reason she was bought to nowhere house has everyone on edge and the deadline to protect the girls is closing fast.

This book was FANTASTIC! I was blown away by the caliber of the writing and the whole pace and tone of the book was phenomenal.

I loved the backstory of why the witches live the way they do but I would have loved to have known more and whether the curse could be broken. I won’t spoil it for you but that was the only question I wish had gotten answered.

I loved the story of Mika. I felt her pain coming through the pages. Her life, and the life of all witches, is so desolate and tragic that your heart will constrict whether you want it to or not. I did enjoy that she and Jamie both found their way through their trauma to become the people they are today and opened themselves up to something they didn't want to explore.

Nowhere house was the perfect setting for a novel all about young witches and how they learn to control their powers. I felt so deeply connected to the book as I was reading and enjoyed every single word. I was sucked in from the first page and didn’t want it to end.

I am a total addict for witch novels and this one exceeded all my expectations. It had a little romance, a little supernatural and a whole lot of excellence for one book! If you love witchey fantasy reads then you need to get this one on your list today!

5 stars and it earned every single one!

Thank you Netgalley and berkley publishing group for my ARC in exchange for my honest review

was fine! it was okay i liked the characters and such i just found myself bored very often. cant wait to see what this author comes out with next.

I absolutely *adored* this book. I mean, really. It's got witches. It's got found family. It's got enemies to lovers. It's got queer grandpas. It's got cute little kids. It's got plot twists. What more could you ask for from a book, honestly.

Also--you know that feeling you get when you're deep into a good story, or maybe you've already finished it, and you find yourself wanting to go back to that world and those characters? You could be doing anything and then suddenly you have this weird urge that maybe you can't place for a minute, until you go, oh, I just want to go back to reading/watching that.

I get that a lot, but in most cases it's not until I'm a good ways into the story, unless I'm rereading a childhood favorite or something like that. What's weird about The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is that I started feeling that way almost right from the beginning. I was barely into the book, and still would feel myself drawn to the characters. I didn't have a lot of time to read it at first, so I made my way through the first third the book pretty slowly, and it was surprisingly hard to not just drop everything and read it all so I could stay in the story.

By midway through, I sort of *did* drop everything to finish it. I couldn't help it. And agh, I just, I loved it so much. I have no idea if the author plans to write sequels, but I hope she does, just because I feel like I could spend so much longer in this world and with these characters, and never have enough.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.