Member Reviews

*Thank you NetGalley and Inkyard Press for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!*

I loved Totally Psychic so much! It was such a fun story full of ghosts, family, friendship and figuring out life as a psychic tween in a brand new city. I highly recommend this for the middle grade readers in your life!

I loved the characters so much! I thought the family dynamics were wonderfully written and I enjoyed seeing the mother/daughter and sister/sister problems find a heartwarming resolution. While the story had its fantasy elements at its core it was about the struggles any 12 year old girl might face (fights with her mom, fights with her little sister and struggles fitting in at a new school.) I am curious to see if this becomes a series because I would love to see Paloma and Magdalena or tour with their grandmother!

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The book was really interesting and grabbed my attention from the first paragraphs. The familial relationships were interesting and relatable. Paloma and Abuela’s bond and similarities reminded me a bit of Moana and her grandmother. This is a huge compliment, as I absolutely love that movie and the relationship between them. I liked how the work with supernatural was sprinkled with warnings about how it’s not something to play around with, and you’re supposed to use gifts for the greater good and not for selfish reasons. Paloma’s struggles with friendships was very relatable and realistic. It touched on many things that children have to deal with on a daily basis so it made it very relatable to children. The book kept my interest, and the ending was a bit of a surprise which was great. It was an easy read yet will engage readers of multiple ages.

My only real criticism of the book was some of it was a little too unrealistic in my opinion and I thought the dangers of playing with the Ouija boards was glossed over. Paloma was too easily able to deal with opening a portal and it never really delved into the dangers of what her and her friends were doing.

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This was such a cute book! Full of family, new friends, old friends, and learning what it means to make mistakes and ask for help. Paloma is psychic, just like almost everyone in her family (except her mom, who moves them across the country away from the fame of Paloma's Abuelita!)
Paloma's grandmother is her best friend and her mentor. Paloma is so excited to have her powers and wants to be able to tour with her famous, psychic grandma on her South American tour. But her grandmother doesn't think she's ready yet, so Paloma starts Totally Psychic at school to read her classmates and give live, social media readings. But when Paloma goes bigger and riskier in her readings to impress her new friends, all heck breaks loose!
It was a feel-good, bonds of sisterhood (both familial and not!), adventure full of ghosts, spirits and flowers!

Highly recommend this middle-grade novel for anyone who loved Junie B. Jones, The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, anything by Beverly Cleary, and Ella Enchanted.

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Paloma finds herself in a new school after a cross-country move with her family. Coming from a long line of psychics, Paloma finds a way to make friends - provide classmates a means to communicate with beings close to them that have died. As is often the case, it doesn't quite go as planned. With the help of her extended family as well as her immediate family, Paloma finds a path to making things right while learning to value her gifts and the responsibility they demand.

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I was overjoyed to have read this book! It is a wonderful coming of age story that is lighthearted but still emphasized on important topics. I can definitely see children of all ages enjoying this story.

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In a large extended family with psychic gifts, Paloma's 12th birthday finally came, and her particular gift bloomed. She can see and talk to ghosts, and she sees symbolic flowers that give her messages. Her big dream is to go on tour with her (ultra famous) Cuban psychic Abuela who does shows and helps people connect with relatives who have died--for healing.

However, just as Paloma's gift emerges, her mother announces that her family is leaving Miami and her grandparent's home--being surrounded by aunts and cousins, and the only place she has ever known--to live in California. Her plan is to impress Abuela enough to join the tour this year.

Surprises, many ghosts, and some disasters, are in Paloma's future. Can she learn to follow rules before new friendships are ruined? Will her online readings help or hinder? Who is Eloise? This ghostly middle grade adventure is fun, not scary, and it's quite a ride!

4/5 Stars

Thanks to Inkyard Press (Harlequin) and NetGalley for the temporary digital copy of this book; any reviews are voluntary and completely my own opinion.

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Paloma is psychic and can talk to ghost, but her whole family as powers, except for her mom. To escape from fame and a psychic family Paloma's mom forces he family to move across the country and forbids her form using her newly developed powers. However, in typical pre-teen fashion Paloma us determined to make friends and what better way than to use her special powers. Chaos ensues and Paloma must fix her life before she is left with no friends and ghost galore.

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This was such a sweet book. I think middle grade readers will love getting to know Paloma and her new friends (both humans and ghosts).

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A well thought out novel containing adventure and whimsy. A great coming-of-age story that touches on important topics.

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I receive this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

This book is about a young girl in a family of psychics basically trying to find her way between learning about her new ability and school.

The story is very creative and I loved the writing. Paloma is a very strong headed kid. The book goes over what it’s like to be a young kid and learn about responsibility.

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Paloma Ferrer comes from a long line of psychics. In fact, her grandma is a famous medium and their family can’t go anywhere without being recognized. Paloma loves the attention and can’t wait to follow in her grandma’s footsteps. The only problem is that her mom is determined that her children go on to live normal lives with nothing to do with their psychic abilities. What better way to escape following in their family’s footsteps than moving across the country? Paloma is furious, but she’s determined to help people and realizes she’s in over her head when she wants to impress her new friends and accidentally rips open a hole in the spirit portal.

I absolutely love this book. We follow Paloma, a 12-year-old girl who has recently come into her psychic abilities, as she’s forced to move across the country with her family. As a pre-teen, she’s faced with starting her entire social life over at a new school while her two best friends appear to have replaced her with a new friend already. Paloma is going through some typical feelings about the move, such as not understanding her parent’s choices and being irritated by Magdalena, her little sister, who always appears to be perfect in her parent’s presence.

I think there are some pretty good lessons in the book for young readers. For example, Paloma feels the pressure to impress her new friends or possibly find herself friendless at her new school, but her decisions lead to a supernatural mess. If your friends ditch you for not letting them crash over your boundaries, are they really your friends? That’s always a good lesson to learn, and I like that the book features it with a supernatural spin.

Another thing I love about this story is the family relationships. Paloma has a good relationship with her grandma that we get to see play out, but we also see her bond with her parents and her sister over time. While I do wish there was more time spent on Paloma and Magdalena’s sister bond, I do love what we did get. Overall, I think there did need to be more character development with her friends at the new school because they were very one dimensional. The ghosts we frequently saw had more depth than them, which I think was a little strange given how much we saw of the three new friends.

Otherwise, I think this is a great book that middle schoolers will enjoy. I’m looking forward to seeing what else Brigid comes out with because this was such a good story.

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I loved the journey this book took me on. Paloma is the main character and comes from a family with psychic gifts. Her's manifest in flowers. But before she can learn how to harness her powers, her mother moves the family across the world from Florida to California. Without proper guidance she makes mistakes but learns to take responsibility for them. This was a fantastic coming of age read that reinforces the importance of strong family ties.

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"Totally Psychic" follows a middle school girl named Paloma who moves across the country just as she gains her family's psychic powers.
Feeling lost in her new surroundings and disconnected from her famous grandmother, Paloma decides to practice her new abilities and make friends at the same time by providing live-streamed psychic readings for her new classmates.

This story was full of flowers and fun while having family at its heart. There were aspects that did not quite work for me personally, but I know the target age will be enchanted by this title.

Actual rating 3.5/5

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Totally Psychic is an instant favorite of mine. I found Martin's book to be written very well, with a plot that flowed smoothly and an authentic voice in Paloma. The story itself, while mostly lighthearted, touched deep and important topics, like family, friendship, peer pressure, and grieving. I found myself feeling every emotion that Paloma was going through and deeply connected with her.

Totally Psychic is a book I would definitely make available to students in my classroom, because I'm sure a lot of children, specifically tweens like her, will be able to relate to her. It's also a fun read that I think anyone would love!

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I received an ARC from NetGalley on behalf of Inkyard Press and Brigid Martin in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly absolutely loved this story. It was such a positive journey of self discovery and learning to navigate your responsibilities.

This story follows a young middle-schooler, Paloma, as her life is completely uprooted; her parents decide to move them to California from Miami and away from the rest of her family that they lived with all her life. Paloma is convinced it's due to her mom's distaste for her Abuela's fame for being a famous medium.

In fact, her entire family has some connection to the spirit world and Paloma absolutely loves it. She has just discovered her own talents and Abuela cautions her on the rules of communicating with the dead and what it means to be a medium.

Paloma is convinced if she just proves she can be a good medium, she will be able to leave California and to go on tour with her Abuela. She just has to prove her talents first.

Needless to say, things get a little out of hand and Paloma finds herself in over her head in many ways. She will have to rely on more than just her Abuela to make things right.

A heartwarming story which seconds as a cautionary tale of responsibility, the importance of friendship and family, and listening to your elders.

A truly beautiful story.

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Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital advanced copy. I really enjoyed this sweet middle grade read. Paloma is a Cuban American tween who has just come into her psychic powers. Her family has achieved varying degrees of fame, but her grandmother always highlights helping others in using their abilities, and her mom wants nothing to do with it. When Paloma, her parents, and her little sister move to California from Florida, Paloma struggles to manage her psychic powers while navigating a new school and new friendships. Giving live ghost readings to her classmates on social media quickly gets out of hand, but the story is resolved well. I loved the magical elements, as well as the realities of social media that are relevant to any child or teen. This was a wonderful book and would be great for readers of all ages!

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I loved this one! It is hard for anyone to have to move, especially across country.
I liked seeing Magdalena & paloma become closer through their psychic abilities.
Paloma learns a lot about the people around her doing their readings and it helps her make friends.
They both learn more about their mom too.
I loved all the flowers also!

Thanks NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC!

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The WAY this book caused so much joy in me is unbelievable. I wish more books like this had been around when I was younger and in school. It's such a beautifully written fall tale that encapsulates the vibe of October SO well. Paloma was a great character that I can really see younger kids connecting with and relating to. Even if they don't see ghosts with floral auras themselves. I bet they'll want to after finishing this! I can't wait for my daughter to read this when she's older.

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I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the chance to read it.

Being a medium runs in Paloma's family. The gift comes on about age 12. Her grandmother is famous, and, except for her mother, who dislikes ghosts, her extended family is all involved in the business, When Paloma movesto California, she tries to use her gift to both make friends and to make her grandmother see that she's ready to take in place. Except things don't always go well. This is a fun middle grades book that kids who enjoy magic will find a pleasant read. There is nothing inappropriate for school or classroom libraries in this book.

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Was given an ARC by Netgalley and Inkyard Press in order for an honest review. These thoughts are my own opinion. I really enjoyed this ghostly middle grade perfect for October!

Paloma is a Cuban American medium who can talk to the dead! Her Aubelia also has this gift! Paloma’s mother does not approve of her daughters gift! They are moving to LA and making friends is never easy! But at least she has new ghost friends right? Paloma is about to realize having a gift is a difficult balance especially when misbehaving ghosts are about!

I really loved that Paloma’s gift of being a medium involved the book of flowers where each ghost she communicated with had a different aura of flowers about them to help Paloma communicate how they died or what they need to tell their loved one in order to pass on! I loved the growth of Paloma throughout the book! I loved the mystery element throughout as well!

Be sure to pick this up on August 15,23.

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