I chose to request this book because it sounded like a great read for spooky season! There are witches, hexes, witch hunters and time travel plus a little romance; all things I quite enjoy! However, this book was just okay. The writing at the beginning particularly was very slow paced and hard for me to give my full attention to and it didn’t really pick up until about 60% (and then I started to quite enjoy the story) into the book. I also didn’t find much chemistry between Josh and Essie and that really needed to be played up more for me to be emotionally invested in rooting for them.

Overall, this was an okay read.

3 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kate Johnson has a way of capturing your attention as Hex Appeal dove right into the story from the very first page. Her description of the world creates a vivid picture in the reader's mind. Now, while I did enjoy the jump into the deep end of the pool, I did get a bit confused. We don't get much backstory at the start although many characters are introduced. However, as the story continues, we do see much more of that which is fantastic. I do wish the transition between POVs was more prominent instead of just switching in the middle of the chapter. Essie and Josh keep you on the edge your seat, wanting more and more. The amazing side characters pull the story nicely together. Some chapters put a hex on your and others just made you laugh out loud.

Overall, I really enjoyed Hex Appeal. A great read if you are in a witchy mood for an enemies-to-lovers novel!

2.5 ⭐

I really wanted to love this, but found I loved the idea/potential more than the execution. I think this would have been much better if it was written in first person/multiple POVs.

(3.5) Well, this was delightfully cute. A nice cozy mystery that gives me some spooky season vibes. I really liked the characters, but do feel like this dropped off a bit towards the end.

However, would read again, and this definitely makes me want to read more by Kate Johnson.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

A unique romance and witchcraft story. Josh goes to the small land holding left to him by his father only to find one home on his land can't be found...and once found not remembered. Essie and Josh together change that. I fun and different story.

I was looking forward to this book, but I just didn't engage with the characters and it was written in the 3rd person which i struggle with, sorry its not a better review, but thanks for the opportunity to read it

Wow! Really adored this book. Felt like a great combination of history and the modern world. The incel talk did get a bit much but inherently not a bad thing to call out.

I was so excited to get this ARC because it was the perfect book for my current ‘spooky TBR.’ I’ve been reading a lot of witch themed romances lately and they can do no wrong for me but what I liked about this one was the twists it took. Halfway through I was like wait is this the end? And then BOOM something else crazy happens. I really liked Essie and her found family of fellow witches, and Josh and his sister as well, and everything that happened to them was fun to read! Definitely a book I would recommend!

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson is a fun witchy read. I couldn't put this one down.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Hex Appeal sounded like the perfect cozy witchy book to start the fall season with but it left me dissatisfied and confused.

The first half went by quick with us learning about Essie’s housemate’s and fellow witches. It was interesting to see all the different powers they have including the powers that Beldam house has. I honestly did not like Josh and didn’t think him and Essie had any chemistry. It felt forced. I did enjoy his relationship with his sister, she was my favorite character along with Avery.

The last half is where it felt so chaotic and I was so confused with the timing of the plot. I definitely wanted to end it there but it being a short book I pushed through.

My favorite thing about the book was the author’s note where they mentioned they researched the correct terms they used in British witchcraft and not just use the cliche Hollywood terms.

In the end there was very few things I liked about the book so it’s a 2 star read for me.

I was excited to get into this book as it’s starting to feel like fall, but I found it to be way too silly and completely bizarre. I felt like it was too in between reality and fantasy in a way that was disorienting and dissatisfying, so I gave up about half way through. Not for me.

This book was so freakin’ cute! And perfect for fall! It was funny, sweet, and romantic and I loved their banter!

A delightful, cozy read! This book features a no-nonsense witch, a cinnamon roll male lead, and cast of lovable, quirky side characters. The perfect fall book for anyone who loved The House in the Cerulean Sea or The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches!

I love reading theme books around specific celebrations, usually it’s festive romances at Christmas, so this was my first spooky season read for Halloween.

The blurb sounded interesting, but after finishing, this book was a 3.5/5 star read for me (rounded up to 4). It took me until about 30% of the book to get into it, but then I felt it dragged a little, so by the 60% mark I was skipping parts until closer to the end.

The book gave me total hocus pocus vibes, but something just felt a little missing for me to really get sucked into it. I left it for a few days before coming back to finish the book.

Some of the banter in the book was quite funny, but I wasn’t into the romance, the characters just fell a little flat for me so I didn’t really connect with them and their chemistry.

Overall it was definitely Halloween season appropriate!

3.5 stars. There was a lot of potential with this book. I loved the setting and the storyline. The fact that the house is a character is awesome and adds a lot of charm to the story. The main characters were a little one dimensional to me. It made the story boring and it dragged. Overall it is an easy and charming read with an original storyline. I also like the cover art! I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

This book features a fun, whimsical, and quirky cast of witches, an excellent supporting cast, and a lovely, cozy, autumnal setting. I loved the magic, the Hocus Pocus vibes, the romantic development, the fierce friendships, and the touch of history. This was the perfect light and flirty, sweet read to kick off the fall season with!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly, this fell flat for me. I loved the blurb and was so excited to read it. But I couldn't connect with the characters and felt the story was surface-level. Lots of stuff I would've loved to see was glossed over. I also didn't feel the connection between Essie and Josh. I did enjoy the diversity of the characters and how fun they were.

I was really excited for this book as the premise sounded really good and up my street.
However, I found it to be very slow in pace, and therefore a bit dull at times.
I wasn't intrigued or excited to keep going with this book - there wasn't anything that kept my interest to keep on going with this book.
Not for me.

Cute story and cute dialogue, even occasionally pretty snappy, but it just doesn't feel like the thing came together for her.

Hex Appeal - Kate Johnson

Loved the idea of this seasonal read, and I must admit the cover drew me in. I loved the magical feels throughout the story (especially the house) and found it very humorous in places, but I didn't love it as much as I wanted to. I felt a bit of a disconnect with the characters, and I'm not totally sure why, I really wanted to like them more and root for them. I also would have liked to know more about the smaller characters in the book. Thank you for letting me give this a go with the e-ARC!