DNF @ 20%

The writing style and story were way too chaotic for me to follow and I just couldn’t get into the book. the more I read the less interested I became in the characters and where the story was heading. I also found the constant use of ellipsis (…) to be very distracting. I wanted to love this story it seemed so perfect for spooky season, but it was a miss for me.

I absolutely loved this. The setting of a magical house that was constantly changing was so whimsical and perfect for this book. I loved the characters and how we got to see witches from different time periods. Each character was so unique and so much fun to read about. The plot itself was amazing. I couldn't put the book down. The plot spanned generations and the way everything wrapped up was perfect. Josh and Essie were perfect together and I loved seeing them grow closer through everything that they've been through.

This book was a great contemporary magical story. It had great atmosphere, very Fall in New England. I thought the many characters were interesting, no character felt like they were only surface level. It was reminiscent of the Practical Magic movie and the book The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (which if you have not read, you should). Overall a book that can be enjoyed any time, but would be best in the Fall months. In addition, it works fine as a standalone, which seems to be the intent. But I would not be mad if there was an eventual sequel.

Hex Appeal was a quirky fun romance perfect for the month of October to break up some of my more chilling reads! I enjoyed the characters and general plot, though the story did seem to be a little longer than it needed to be. Towards the end, I was starting to lose interest in the story and characters. While this was not my favorite read this month or year, I would still recommend it to anyone who wants a light read with unique characters.
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A huge thank you to the author, HarperCollins UK One More Chapter, and NetGalley for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. #HexAppeal #NetGalley

Loved, loved, loved this book. From flying glass parrots, to knitting the future and the flexible sexuality of Avery, I loved the vibrant imagination that went into this magical world. Essie is a wonderful heroine, smart and sassy while Josh is an absolute sweetheart. This is a lovely gentle romance with a magical witchcraft background and it was everything I could have wished for.

Hex Appeal is the absolute perfect read for spooky season. The playful writing style gave me big Good Omens vibes, while the setting was just the right side of witchy. Bonus points for the fact that it was set in the UK, and not America - no shade on American witches, but there’s something just extra delicious reading about magic mixed in with typically British snark.

This story is a dual point of view, which always makes me so happy, and both MCs do not disappoint - I found myself chuckling more than once at their inner monologues, as well as their banter. The side characters are also fantastic - I hope we get more stories about the coven and their crafty, if unusual, tricks.

Are some aspects of the story completely bonkers? For sure! But I loved it all the more for that. It was like the perfect witchy hug on a cosy autumn day, and probably one of my favourite reads this October.

This was a fantastic read filled with delightful characters, an interesting premise and some fun twists and turns. Highly enjoyable and I really hope there is a sequel sometime soon. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC!

This was the perfect, witchy fall book. It was a quick, easy read, and I really enjoyed it. It was so nice to read something fun with quirky characters that's not a serious read that takes all of my concentration. This book had a little bit of everything - found family, found self, romance, LGBTQ+, time travel. I look forward to reading another Kate Johnson book in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, a cute October read! I liked Essie and Josh as a couple and I wanted to get to know them a little more. I think the 3rd person POV made it a little more difficult to put myself in their shoes and with what they were feeling. I loved Essie's house that changed with the witches moods and had its own personality. I felt like the other witches were a welcome addition. It was a cozy read and I very much enjoyed.

Thank you netgalley for gifting me this in exchange for an honest review.
Where to begin, at first I was reading a nice cozy, witchy romance and then I was thrown into a magical thriller!!
This book truly covered all the high points, you have great characters, brilliant chemistry both platonic and sexual all with a twist of magical thrills.
It truly is a great read with twist you won’t see coming and an ending that leaves you smiling with a warm fuzzy feeling.

Essie Winterscale is not your average woman, she is a witch and lives in the village of Good Winter. Josh Henderson has left America to start his new life in England to a property he has inherited in the same village. The place is a total shambles. He finds out a place called Bedlam House owes him rent for several hundred years but Josh seems to forget the house as soon as he leaves. The house has a perception spell on it and changes daily. Essie brings in the winter every year with a ritual but this year is different. What could possibly go wrong?

This fun story was definitelty a good one for Halloween month. It is full of witchy vibes, a dash of adventure, quirky characters with some funny moments stirred in and not to mention the romance. If you are looking for a great witchy read don't go past this one.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK / One More Chapter for a copy of this book for an honest review.

DNF @ 56%

The book was a little slow initially, and whilst I didn't mind that too much, things didn't really pick up too much for me. I think it has a lot of potential, and the vibes are perfect for the spooky season, however, it just wasn’t for me personally. I had different expectations of what the book would be like and I think it just wasn’t what I was looking for. I thought it’d be a fun, flirty rom-com but it wasn’t really the case for me.

I found it quite difficult to relate to the characters, and I couldn’t really get into the actual story - I kept finding myself putting it down to reply to comments or messages. The romance felt a little forced, and I couldn't see any chemistry between the main two characters, so I wasn't a huge fan.

I got to this point in the story where things took a really different turn than from what I was expecting, and just didn't wish to continue with the story for now. I think I may return back to the book when I get into the right mood for it, but for now I'll be putting it down.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins UK and One More Chapter for providing me with an arc via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and Kate Johnson for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Here is my honest review.

I think this was a perfect book during the Spooky season. It is a romcom with witches. We have time traveling witches and witches with different magic abilities, an enchanted house and ghosts and monsters.

We have Essie Winterscale in Essex Good Winter village who is a witch with freezing abilities and we have Josh who is a lawyer from the US. Josh has recently quit his job and moved into a house in England. A house he inherited from his dad. Essie and her coven have lived for many many years in Beldam House. The house is special because it has a spell that makes everyone forget its location when they leave. For some reason the spell does not work on Josh so Josh and Essie meet several times and they start to like each other. Everything seems fine until the day it is time for Essie to take care of an old secret and curse.

I loved all the characters and I really enjoyed this book. It was heartwarming, funny and sometimes steamy.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and of course Kate Johnson for providing me with an eARC of this book. I am voluntarily leaving a review, all opinions are my own.

I read this book more quickly than anticipated, but how could I not? It's basically a RomCom involving witches. I loved the details about the house and each of the witches. The coven interacting with Josh was fantastic and I absolutely loved every little moment.

The characters in this book were all great and I enjoyed learning about each of them over the course of this book. This is the perfect book for October and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who's a romance lover and a lover of all things witchy. Great read!

I fully enjoyed Kate Johnson's "Hex Appeal". Funny, Romantic, Witchy= What more could you want?? Great read.

Hex Appeal was entertaining and perfect for a quick read during October. I enjoyed the sass, the magic, the crazy house and side characters.

This book was…chaotic. The author tried to build a very detailed world within the pages, but it was a lot to process. We had witches, and ghosts, and humans, and a baby, and old houses with rules and changing rooms, witch hunters, time travel, horny plants, and a future-knitter. Half of these pieces would have made for a better story because each could have been better developed. I enjoyed parts of this but skimmed others.

I’d be interested to read more from this series because there were some very likable characters.

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

This book sounded so great but unfortunately it didn't work for me. I nearly DNF it many times but eventually got through it. I hate to say it, but I found it very boring.

I'm definitely in the minority with my negative opinion so if it sounds of interest, you should check it out.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from One More Chapter through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, One More Chapter.

This was such a fun book to read at this time of year. It’s cute, cosy, full of interesting characters and the witchy vibes were just perfect. Witches who fly on actual broomsticks? Yes, please!

I absolutely loved the premise, and found myself laughing out loud at so many situations within the book. The fact Josh couldn’t work out what had happened to the house made for so many entertaining moments - especially during his interactions with Essie! The romance was very cute also, and I enjoyed watching Josh and Essie fall for each other despite the strange circumstances!

Overall, this was an adorable spooky season read and really got me in the Halloween spirit. If you’re looking for a wonderfully witchy romance full of quirky and intriguing characters I’d definitely recommend picking this up!

Thank you so much to One More Chapter, Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for this review copy. 😊

Hex Appeal captured my attention initially. However, I did have trouble getting into the story after the 35% mark. I’ll average about half a chapter each day. While I did enjoy the banter between the characters. I wasn’t invested in the romance. The timeline was a bit too fast paced for me. However, I believe this story would be a great light read for Halloween/spooky season. The atmosphere and witchy setting was well written.