LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS BOOK SO FREAKING MUCH

I honestly don’t even know where to begin with this review, because this book was so unique and unlike anything I had ever read before.

It’s a classic friends to enemies to lovers and was so cute and sweet, but what made it, well, magical, was, well, THE MAGIC!

The world Julie has created is just *chef’s kiss* spectacular. It made me smile, made me feel safe and cozy, and honestly I’m so upset it isn’t real (BUT ALSO MAYBE IT IS?!)

Ellie is about to start her senior year of high school and has grand summer plans to become less of a wallflower over the summer. She and her BFF make a whole list of things to do, but when she accidentally exposes herself and her family’s INCREDIBLE magical community to those who don’t know it exists, she is forced to road trip with her nemesis to a magical convention as punishment.

Jack, Ellie’s former best friend turned nemesis, has a lot of secrets he is keeping, largely around why he has distanced himself from his childhood best friend. But when he and Ellie embark on a road trip through hidden magical communities throughout California on their way to set up their families’ booths at the magical convention, those secrets start to be shared and lots of healing and feelings start flying.

Just go into this story without knowing much and I guarantee you, you will be whisked away and craving some yummy treats that may or may not have some added charms to make you feel more brave, confident and secure.

I highly recommend this quick story of friendship, adventure and young love to EVERYONE!

I enjoyed this audiobook! It started off a bit slower at the beginning but once it picked up, it was super cute.

An ARC of this audiobook was sent to me by NetGalley for reviewing purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I actually had troubles getting into audiobooks in the past due to disliking the voice of the narrator, but Natalie Naudus's narration is amazing.

I really liked this book! It was a simple read, and I loved the characterization of Ellie. The dynamics between the characters were great, and I had a blast listening to it.

“The Charmed List” by Julie Abe. This book has one of the most entertaining enemies to lovers I have ever read. I never had read a Julie Abe book before this one and now I wished I did. Their writing is just perfect and I can’t find a way to describe how much I have enjoyed

I will be posting my review on my blog. It would be more in-depth talking about the overall plot of the book, but I won't be posting till we are closer to the publishing date.

This was a sweet best friends to enemies to lovers YA summer romance I didn't know I needed. Set in a magical alternate reality of Palo Alto, Ellie and Jack belong to a secret magical community and are sent on a road trip by their families to attend a convention for magical store owners. Initially planning to go on the road trip with her best friend, Ellie's secret gets revealed causing a rift between the two and leaving Ellie left alone to complete their "Anti-Wallflowers" list. An attempt to get Ellie outside her comfort zone and take some chances before her senior year, Jack ends up helping Ellie come out of her shell and the two slowly rekindle their friendship and maybe more.

I loved the magical world the author created - the setting gave me lots of Ex Hex and Witches of Thistle Grove vibes but geared towards a younger audience. While lighthearted, the book does touch on some serious topics including the death of a parent from cancer, depression and the burdens of medical bills. Excellent on audio narrated by Natalie Naudus. I think her narration really elevated the story for me since the romance between Ellie and Jack was just a bit so so in my opinion. I liked their friendship journey more than I felt they had any serious chemistry. Overall still a fun summer read. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy!

3.5 ⭐️ a cute and light summer read! Absolutely loved the rekindling of the main pair and enjoyed listening to their adventures. The magic was a nice touch and didn’t feel overdone or too much. The character motivations felt a little lacking which brought down the rating for me. But overall, very cute!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Wednesday Books for the free book. This was a cute YA book. I really enjoyed the magic elements - they were unique and interesting. I liked the growth of Ellie and Jack through the book, but I wish it didn’t end up romantically because I had a hard time believing the pace of this relationship. Yes I know it’s YA, but there was a lot of hurt here, and I wanted to see more healing, I guess. It’ll be perfect for readers that want a story that shows what authenticity in friendships and more look like. Natalie Naudus narrates and is so spectacular in her performance. I love how she captures the characters voice, tones, and emotions in her narration.

I enjoyed this one. I think I would have enjoyed it a little more in print for some reason but don’t get me wrong this one was a treat! I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers and loved the riff between Ellie and Jack and how they came together. I loved the themes of family, friends, and let’s not forget about the magic. Throw in the road trip and Anti Wallflower list this one was a fun read that I listened to within a day!

First things first, magical realism is my JAM. I love unique magic systems that are integrated into contemporary stories.

However the mcs felt under developed and their conflict didn't seem plausible. I understand this is YA and kids don't make sense but with their lives being so intertwined and then abruptly NOT, it just didn't quite fit to me.

It was a cute little magical roadtrip story, but not a new fave.

Ellie is a wallflower, she’ll admit that to anyone, especially her best friend Leah. Hence why Leah and her have chosen to embark on a road trip and create a checklist to help E break out of her shell. The catch? Ellie has magic inside her bones that Leah absolutely cannot know about.

Jack is the boy next door middle school friend turned high school enemy. His dad owns a magical shop just down the street and is running for lead sorcerer versus Ellie’s mom. He abandoned Ellie in the middle school cafeteria and hasn’t given her kind looks for the last five years.

As luck would have it, Leah is unable to attend the road trip at the last minute and Ellie’s parents make the executive decision to have Jack go with her… or else she loses her magical powers. With the wallflower list in Ellie’s mind ( with items like fall in love, make her art Instagram public) these enemies hop in the car and make selling stops/ magical inn visits on the way to convention.

Will Ellie be able to come out of her shell with the charmed list in her back pocket? Or will the enemy tension between her and Jack halt any and all life choices?

The Charmed List was a fun friends to enemies to lovers read that had me wishing for magical lands. Julie Abe crafts tension in both main characters and lets it explode in the last fifteen percent of the novel. The side characters pop in for some fun throughout the journey and are like able enough. Although life is all about the journey, I do wish there was more about the list and how Ellie completes more of the given items.

It was a pleasure to listen to this book on audio. Nadus is the perfect narrator for this YA adventure and inflects emotion and passion into the journey. I definitely recommend that others listen to The Charmed List.

Thank you Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for my Arc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.