This was a cute book. At times it was too cute, but if you’re in the right mood it will definitely win you over.

Mika Moon was raised by the leader of a group of witches in England who believed that witches need to stay apart and stay secret to stay safe. This has understandable led to a rather lonely existence. When Mika is offered a job as a live-in nanny for three young orphaned witches being raised by an odd group of adults, she takes a chance on them.

I struggled to stay interested in this one at times, I think partly because the romance was underdeveloped—it felt shoehorned in, and took time away from the other characters. I didn’t feel like I knew the love interest very well as a person.

There were a few plot points that didn’t feel resolved, like how the witches were cursed so that when a witch is born her parents die. This was brought up many times, and seemed like something that maybe could be undone, but it never was? So I guess our happy couple can never have kids—not that they have to, but it seemed like something that needed to be discussed at least.

I also read this book thinking it would be a great selection for fall/Halloween, and yet most of the book revolves around the winter solstice/Christmas.

There were a lot of tropes that people might like, including found family and grumpy x sunshine. Overall, I can definitely see why people enjoy it but it won’t be a personal favourite.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mika Moon is a witch.

From a very young age she's been told that it's very, very dangerous for witches to congregate in one place so that means Mika has had to hide who she is from nearly everyone in her life. So she turns to the internet where she posts videos "pretending" to be a witch as a way to share herself with others without getting caught.

But that doesn't work when someone watching you on the other side knows what to look for. Only the situation doesn't turn violent or involve blackmail. No, what results from the discovery is a plea from an old man asking Mika to travel to a remote destination called Nowhere House. Nowhere House is the home to some interesting characters. An absent archaeologist, an older retired actor, two caretakers, and a handsome librarian. Oh, and Nowhere House is also home to three young witches who need someone to guide them along their magical journey.

The situation at Nowhere House breaks all the rules Mika has ever known but it also holds everything she's ever wanted. A community of witches and people who know what and who she really is.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches was a truly wonderful read full of hijinks and sweet interactions between everyone in Nowhere House. Both the set of adults and the set of kids are lively and it's a book with a decent amount of characters and yet there's no risk of confusing them once you get to know them because these characters are lively and jump off the page.

And, at the heart of the book, it's truly a heartwarming read all about found family and finding a place to belong, for everyone.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who likes witches, magic, found family, quirky characters, and heartwarming stories.

Absolutely brilliant book! Perfectly autumnal, romantic, and the best group of outcasts brought together for a found family. I will be reading this again!

What a fun book! Miku is a fun character and when she and the witch girls get together mayhem ensues! I thoroughly enjoyed this book

Rather too self-consciously heartwarming, but that didn’t stop me from immensely enjoying this story of found magical family and romance, and even tearing up in a few places.

Thank you, @netgalley for my copy of this book. This story was such a cozy, romantic story about magic and family. It was the perfect Fall read!

I absolutely fell for this. Imagine the cute, cozy vibes one feels as an adult watching Kiki's Delivery Service, and now transfer that feeling to an adult setting. Found family, sweetness, and a deep-rooted loneliness. Highly recommend!

If House in the Cerulean Sea had witches and was a little less heart warming it would be this book. It was cute but the characters fell a little flat for me and I struggled to emotionally commit to any of them really.

If you like The House in the Cerulean Sea + Mary Poppins + The Sound of Music; read asap. It is just so so cute, funny and cozy with a grumpy + sunshine romance, amazing side characters and three cute kids. I will be recommending to all looking for a cozy fall read.

This book was unexpectedly twee. I couldn't tell if it was meant to be a romance or a cozy family fantasy story. It felt a lot like The House in The Cerulean Sea. The romance honestly felt forced/ out of place, to the point that the sex scene felt awkward.

This is the cozy found family witch story you're looking for. I wasn't fully in love with it because I found it sagged in the middle — it can be tough to keep up a low stakes plot. And I wish some of the world building had been fleshed out a bit more (Why only women witches? That kind of thing sets off my radar a bit.) Also, the romance is sweet but it doesn't take up as much space in the book as I might prefer. Still, very cute, and a trend I hope to see more of.

I wish I could have lived in this book! I loved the characters, the setting, and the whole energy of the book. I found it to be completely charming without too much sweetness, Great humor and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The first word that comes to mind after reading The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is ADORABLE. Sangu Mandanna is a new author to me, and I am already looking forward to reading more of her work.

I adored Mika and Jamie, and Rosetta, and Terracotta, and Altamira, and Lucie, and Ken and Ian; they were a wonderful cast of characters. The love story between Mika and Jamie was so sweet, both were hesitant and more than a bit skeptical about each other, but the attraction was there from their very first meeting.

Mika was a lonely witch, she always had to hide her true self, she could never trust anyone's real intentions, she never had a real family, and in Jamie and Nowhere House she found her people, she found a home.

"More than anything, I just want one place I can be myself. I just want a home."

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches had everything good; enemies to lovers, magic, found family and it left me feeling happy and warm inside. A fantastic read to start the fall season.

This was what I wanted House in the Cerulean Sea to be. That other book was massively underwhelming, but this met all the things I wanted. The romance was 100x better, and far less forced. The children were more true to how children truly behave. I enjoyed all of this. We have sold a few copies already as well.

I have to admit I didn't find the romance portion of this romance novel at all compelling, but all the rest of it was a delight, so it didn't even matter. All the characters, the magic, the plot—all highly enjoyable

This book is so good! It gives all the cozy fantasy vibes that are needed in the SFF community.

Found family perfection about a young witch who is hired to tutor three young witches in an old, but cozy estate. Raising these young witches are two older gay married men, a grandmotherly housekeeper, and a grumpy (and hott) young male librarian. The gumpy-sunshine romance is also perfection, but the real heart of the story is the found family.

For fans of all cozy sci-fi fantasy books. And perfect for a display by the same name!

Read this book. :)

This was an absolute comfy, cozy, joy of a book to read! I was immediately taken with the setting and the way Mika thought through situations as our narrator. This is a perfect read as we ease into spooky season!

Such a warm and cozy book. For readers looking for low stakes cozy fantasy this is the perfect book. Also a great Halloween book because of the witches, but also surprisingly could be a Christmas read too because of the timing in the book.

What a delightful, beautiful, magical read, surely to lift your mood up with all the love and laughter that flows in this.

Mika Moon is the youngest witch in her coven, a coven that meets only couple of times a year and doesn't stay together or talk to each other. She has a jolly attitude and is sunshine person who is looking for a home and always wanted one.

One unexpected message arrives that gets her into Nowhere House teaching three young witches whose existence is not known by anyone from the coven. Terracotta is smart, with good questions and a murderous attitude (in fun way) for Mika. Altamira is the sweetest and cutest kid. Rosette is the elder one and has a good nature. They are amazing.

The characters are diverse with great personalities and nature which I absolutely liked. The author has a brilliant imagination which is seen in this story. I loved how she interwove everything and how uniquely she wrote about witch magic and every character. She gives a plot twist that you won't see coming.

This book is entertaining, funny, mysterious, has a bit of romance, found family, chapters that will leave you with all good feelings, a page turner ride. I highly recommend this one.

Review will be posted on 9/21/22

Mika Moon has lived a nomadic life, moving often, and not putting down roots. There's a few reasons for this: one, being that her parents have died, and two, she is a witch. She doesn't want to bring too much attention to herself; however, she does dabble on the internet as a "pretend" witch by posting videos. Mika does meet every few months with another group of witches, but it's all very secretive. One day she receives a message asking her to come to a country estate to help young witches control their powers. Mika finds this very intriguing, so off she goes to a country estate aptly named Nowhere House. While there, she meets three young children who are learning the ropes and trying to control their magic. There are also other people that live at the estate, a caretaker, a retired actor, and a hot librarian. Before she knows it, she has become close with not only the kids, but the other quirky people who live there as they accept her for who she is. She doesn't have to hide her magic here. But things aren't all rainbows and unicorns. There's a lawyer investigating some things at Nowhere House and this threatens there very perfect world they have built for themselves. Sangu Mandanna's adult debut, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is an adorable romance that is perfect for fans of a cozy fall read.

Mika is such a fun character in The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. I loved watching her let down her walls and have real relationships with the people at Nowhere House. Each person brings something special to the story and Mika slowly let them in. It was nice to see this as she has always been on her own. The cast of quirky characters in the novel were very well done and I especially liked the good looking Irish librarian, Jamie. Lastly, the three young witches were also very entertaining and were adorable to say the least.

My only issue with The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches was the fact that the pull to keep reading wasn't there. I liked the story, the characters were quirky, and it was an adorable romantic fantasy, but it didn't pull me to keep going. Something was definitely missing. However, if you want a fall read that is cozy and on the quieter side, give this novel a try. It left me smiling, so, really, what more could you ask for?

Is The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches on your TBR list? Have you read it already? Do you like a good witchy tale? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.