Absolutely completely enchanting. This is exactly what it promises to be -- cozy and steamy and full of found-family goodness. I've loved Sangu Mandanna's style in her YA short stories, and I am very glad to see her continuing to publish across genres and audiences and finding great success! The characters in this one are well-layered and so lovable, the writing weaves magic into every aspect of the story and transport you straight into this strange and wondrous and entirely whimsical world. I wish I could articulate just how deeply I love this book, but suffice it to say I can't recommend it enough.

This was the coziest and most comforting fantasy book I've read in a long time. Charming characters that I still think about.

This book is so stinking cute. I had so much trouble putting it down! I love the relationships between all of the occupants of Nowhere House and how they work with Mika. It was so magical and sweet.

I am so sad I ended up hating this book, because I honestly thought it was going to be a super cozy and super wholesome read and that I’d fall in love with the characters.
What I got instead was a mediocre book, which was trying to enforce tropes by telling and not showing them. I do not care how many times you tell me the heroine is a sunshine girl and the hero a grump, or that the heroine had never had a family before meeting the characters, I will not buy it, if you are only going to tell me that, and not actually show it.
I did not like any of the characters, because they did not have a personality. They were walking stereotypes and it bothered me to no end. The were flat, uninteresting and boring. I do think they had some potential in them, but it was not used as it could have.
The romance was also not it. The two main characters had no chemistry whatsoever, and only ended up together because there had to be romance in this book. I mean, without the romance there wouldn’t have been anything else, I guess, but still…
Which leads us to the plot. There was a tag on an Italian fanfiction site called “pwp”, meaning “plot what plot” or “porn without plot”, which indicated erotic stories without any real plot. I am going to borrow the “plot what plot” definition, but in this case there wasn’t even the porn. There was nothing at all in this freaking three hundred pages book. I’m mad.
In the last few pages the author did actually try to make something happen, but let’s just say it was so absurd I eye-rolled in real life and I am not even kidding. There’s a fine line between cozy fantasy and bad writing, I believe, and this author did not have the right balance.
Now, onto the writing style we go. What can I say? It was bad. I am sorry, but it really was. The author was constantly trying to be funny, but it only resulted in me cringing every other page. Moreover, it read like both a middle grade and an adult book at the same time, but not in a good way. I have no idea what the editor was doing, but they surely weren’t editing.
Overall, I hated everything about this book. I would not recommend it to anyone, honestly, because if you are looking for a cozy fantasy you’ll be disappointed, and if you are looking for a romance, there was none in here to speak of. On the other hand, it was a Goodreads Choice Awards nominee and people have been raving about it, so maybe it’s just that I did not understand how wonderful this book actually was (if I sound sarcastic, it’s because I am). Every year, I am more and more baffled by Goodreads nominations, but I digress.

I absolutely adored this book! It is a perfect recommendation for people that enjoyed The House in the Cerulean Sea. It was very warm, comforting and in general lovely. I do wish that the book was marketed as more of a fantasy than romance, because I feel like in the romance section it will get lost among other more popular titles. I can’t wait to give this recommendation to so many customers!

Thank you so much Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for a copy of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.

"As one of the few witches in Britain, Mika Moon knows she has to hide her magic, keep her head down, and stay away from other witches so their powers don’t mingle and draw attention. And as an orphan who lost her parents at a young age and was raised by strangers, she’s used to being alone and she follows the rules...with one exception: an online account, where she posts videos "pretending" to be a witch. She thinks no one will take it seriously.
But someone does. An unexpected message arrives, begging her to travel to the remote and mysterious Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. It breaks all of the rules, but Mika goes anyway, and 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…Jamie. The handsome and prickly librarian of Nowhere House would do anything to protect the children, and as far as he’s concerned, a stranger like Mika is a threat. An irritatingly appealing threat."

This book holds a dear place in my bookish heart! It gave me all the warm and fuzzy feels. From found family, to magic, to unlikely romance. I loved every second of the novel and cannot wait for more adventures of Mika and Co.

This is a beautiful story of found family and the small, beautiful ways we can make our world a better place. There's a limited amount of steam, but it's done well.

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!!

Apparently, I need to check out more of Sangu Mandanna's books! I loved all of the characters and the plot flowed very well. It is one of those books that you just keep wanting to read!

Wow, I don't know why I put off reading this for so long! The story itself was fairly simple with no complicated plots or villains. However, the way the author digs into emotion and found family.. chef's kiss!

I got Miss Peregrine's vibes from this - but better! Can't go wrong with a bit of Grumpy x Sunshine!

This was utterly delightful. I'm not generally one to go in for witchy books, but this one was so incredibly good. Mika has had a frankly terrible life and has responded by being aggressively sunny and cheerful. Jamie has responded to his terrible childhood by becoming aggressively grumpy. I don't think I've ever met a grumpy/sunshine book I didn't like.

Add in a cast of charming and wacky and heartwarming characters, a trio of young witches and troublemakers, a plot that isn't what it seems, and you have the makings of an excellent story.

I loved this story so much. When Mika responds to her guardian's stricture that all witches must live alone and with the least connection to other witches possible by playing a witch on the internet, when she shows up to Nowhere House with a dog and a car full of, among other things, a greenhouse and floating koi pond, when she befriends the girls and finds her way in to even Jamie's heart... every moment was wonderful.

If you're a fan of TJ Klune's House in the Cerulean Sea, you'll want to get this one immediately as it gives the same heartwarming vibes.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an early copy for review.

This is a charming supernatural romance, though it is more than a romance as it explored ideas of family and connection and belonging. Magic is a big part of the book, but the setting is the world in which we live in (similar to the Harry Potter series, though this magic is more limited than that). I love the quirky cast of characters!

Thank you to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for access to this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was perfection. That's all. Everyone should read this tender, beautiful book about found families and all encompassing love.

This book is basically a cozy hug. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator had such a soothing voice, it was such a pleasant experience. I loved the themes of found family and acceptance. I will definitely be picking up any future releases from the author.

A cute romance sprinkled with magic, secrets and the bonding of a new found family.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this!

Mika knows she needs to hide her magic and keep to herself. She does expect for an online account which she is certain no one will take seriously. But, she was wrong. With an unexpected message, she finds herself at Nowhere House where she is asked to help three young witches control their magic. This goes against everything she has been taught, but she takes a chance. As she starts to get more involved in Nowhere House, Mika starts to realize that maybe things aren't what she has always been told.

This book had sounded adorable. I was thrilled to pick this up and see where this story would go and couldn't have been more thrilled. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches was an adorable cozy book that made me smile and really felt like a warm hug.

With the witches, I really did come into this expect this to have more of a vibe that fits fall, but I was pleasantly surprised at how many winter feels this one had as well. It is set around the holidays, so while I started it thinking I read it at the wrong time of year, I was wrong and picked it up at the right time.

There was so much to love her. the family family trope was done so well here. The change in, not just Mika, every character as they got to know one another was wonderful to see. The reader could see them healing as they got to know one another and formed a stronger bond. As the story went on, it became more and more clear how much they all needed one another. It got to the point where I really felt like I was part of the family as well. They all worked so well together and really figured out how to help one another and communicate as they learned more about one another. With each interaction, it was clear how much they cared about one another and wanted the best for each other. The way they treated each other really added to the warm hug feeling.

Mika and Jamie did have a little budding romance and what I loved most about it, was that it was really in the background. The whole focus was on the found family and finding a family can really help heal you. Now, the romance being in the background I do feel like it was a little weak. It was important and a slow-burn, but it did feel a little weak for me. Truthfully, this wasn't a problem for me as I do feel like the found-family aspect was done so well that it made up for it, but I know it could be a problem for others, so keep that in mind as you dive into this one.

The main character, Mika, was a wonderful character. She was so well written and easy to fall in love with. I found myself able to easily empathize with her. With how she was raised, she easily could have been a completely different character, but I love how she kept this wonderful energy and had such a positive outlook.

Another important thing that I adored about her, is she really looked back on her life, how she was raised, how that made her feel and made sure to go and help the three girls. It would be breaking the rules she was trying to abide by, but she didn't want them to grow up feeling like she did. Mika was determined to break that trauma and I admire her for that! It's something I'd love to see more of.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is now the standard for the found family trope with me. It was a warm hug and quickly climbed to the top of my favorites list. If found family tropes or cozy books are your thing, give this one a chance. I can't imagine that you would regret it.

Seriously, this sounded like an absolute delight and I just had to read it.

Mika Moon has been a social media witch for a while, but other than that has been hiding her identity as a witch her entire life, as she taught. Things seem to be following the normal, until one day she gets a message from Nowhere House. There, three young witches are coming into their magic and desperately need a teacher to help them understand how to harness it. Mika, feeling that maybe she could help, goes to Nowhere House and finds many things there that she did not expect.

Firstly, I am just going to lay it out there. I LOVED, loved this book. The cast of characters, the setting, the kind of Mary Poppins esque little bits of magic here and there. And the magic that was uniquely the book's own. It just was such a joyful delight overall.

I really loved the dialogue too. The times that Jamie and Mika were giving each other crap back and forth. I laughed quite a few times.

I think there was just a great mixture of cozy vibes in this, but also some fantastic magical realism. It's a book that you almost kind of want to walk into the world and become friends with the characters. That's such a fun world to read.

Thank you so much for the ARC!

This book was perfect from start to finish. I could genuinely not put it down because I was so invested in Mika and her story. It gave me similar cozy, uplifting vibes as the movie The Holiday. The characters were all so unique and I felt like I knew them personally, and there was not a single twist or conflict that felt out of place. The use of magic was clearly well thought out and never felt like it was just being used to move the plot along, it had its own purpose and life outside of the events of the story.I will be recommending this book to a lot of people.

I was lucky to be given an ARC of this book to review, though I’m behind and just not getting to it. This was my first book by this author, and I couldn’t wait to see what they had in store for this highly anticipated (by me) book. And it did not disappoint! I fell in love with the characters from the first page, and I couldn't get enough of the story.

This is the perfect cozy, fantasy book. The setting was so vivid and all I wanted to do was go live in Nowhere house, and read books with Jamie in the library or help Ken in the garden. I also fall head over heels for not only the romance, but also the kids in this house. By the end, I would protect any of these characters with my life.

This book also has a conversation about human connection. The author mentions in her note at the end that she wrote this during the pandemic when connection was non-existent. And you can really tell the topic was important to the author, and (in my opinion) she did it justice! Human connection and family are so important, and the themes of found family in this book showcase this. The book was filled with all the perfect cozy fantasy and romance vibes, but it also tackled this topic in a way that felt realistic for our main characters with a resolution that is both realistic and satisfying.

I’m not sure I can do this book justice with my review, but I fully fell in love with the story and the characters. I highly recommend it to anyone who thinks this sounds remotely good. Seriously, you’ll be doing yourself a favor by reading it, I promise you.

An absolutely pitch-perfect, cozy romance for the fall season. I adored this tale of magic, found family, and burgeoning love between a sunshine and a grump. Can't recommend enough for spooky season (or any time of year, really!)