Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.

As I phrased it to a friend...was the plot phenomenal? No. Was it hilarious? Absolutely. Did it give me warm fuzzies? Oh most definitely. Was it absurd? Yes. So, no, plotwise it was meh but literally everything else from the characters and the quotes I highlighted to the interactions to just the absurdity of the court...it was fantastic. I binge read it. It is a read for when you need a palate cleanser or just happy feelings.

Aurelie -- the Baker -- also has magic, gets roped into helping a bounty hunter who is most definitely not hiding her true identity but then there's a troll person involved too and also a prince and it is a ragtag band but oh my goodness I loved it...even the romance between Aurelie and Prince Hapless.

I am the biggest Emma Mills fan ever, so I have been desperately counting down the days once she finally announced a new book. And! This is a fantasy, which was an interesting departure from her contemporary books but I knew it was going to be good. With the same heart and wit of Mills’s other works, Something Close to Magic was an adorably cozy fantasy with a lovable cast of characters.

A baker’s apprentice, Aurelie is resigned to a mundane life. When Iliana walks into her shop one day looking for a seeker—someone who can do the rare act of magic of finding—Aurelie agrees to help her with her bounties. Soon enough, she finds herself dragged along for a quest to find someone, alongside Iliana and Quad, an Uncommonfolk troll. They run into Prince Hapless after he was ambushed and detour to take him back to the capital. There’s a plan afoot though, and he might be in more danger than they originally anticipated.

Much like in my reviews of this author’s other books, I don’t know how to properly express my love for this book in words. I had to reread it just to put my thoughts in order, and even then, I’m still at a loss for how to capture what I loved about this book but I’ll give it a try.

If you’ve read Lucky Caller, you’ll probably recognize these characters’ names. While I don’t remember everything about the game in that book, I believe some of the basic characterizations took inspiration from the personas the characters in Lucky Caller played as. This was just such a fun connection to Mills’s other book and made me want to reread Lucky Caller all over again.

I loved the characters in this book, as well! Aurelie can do magic, which is more-or-less unfashionable in the kingdom now; she’s trained in seeking, which is even more rare since it’s so out-of-date. She very much just wants to live her quiet life until she meets Iliana. Once the quest to help Hapless sets off, how can she return back to her apprenticeship?

Iliana, meanwhile, is very different from Aurelie, in ways that sometimes frustrates her. She’s mysterious and keeps her secrets close to her chest, yet incredibly perceptive and helpful. Quad brought even more humor to this book with her acerbic asides about mortal inventions (including age, since trolls track their age by what rocks they’re older than). I laughed so much throughout this book! And then we have Hapless, a lovably clumsy and kind-hearted prince. He’s forever characterized by his penchant for being absent-minded, but he learns to stand up for himself.

The plot was fun to follow, and this book is a pretty fast read too. I just love Emma Mills’s writing so much that I flew through this both times I read it. There’s also a letter-writing interlude by the way, and Aurelie’s and Hapless’s voices shine through these letters. Mills is such a strong character writer, and I always love seeing how she builds up characterizations.

Something Close to Magic was such a sweet, soft fantasy with a new cast of characters that I adored. I genuinely couldn’t stop smiling and laughing while reading this book, and I need everyone to read it immediately. I can’t recommend Something Close to Magic enough, especially if you like cozy, light-hearted fantasies with a lovable found family and great writing!

What do you get when an outspoken troll, an aristocrat turned bounty hunter, a magic wielding baker, and a kindhearted prince embark on a quest? The coziest, most hilarious, and epic adventure. Mills had me laughing from start to finish with her incredibly clever and engaging writing coupled with the most endearing delivery of the found family trope. I love fantasy books that don’t take themselves too seriously!

More character driven and mystery focused, there’s not much world building, but I didn’t mind it because this group of unlikely heroes was so delightfully quirky I found myself enchanted by their charms and wit. I appreciated that the romance was on the lighter side and kept very sweet. The epistolary interlude between parts one and two might have been my favorite element of the story.

For anyone who loves a well written found family trope, always roots for the underdog, and enjoys magic, mystery and lemon meringue tarts, Something Close to Magic is the book for you ✨

This one just isn't for me. I might have been more hooked if it were a novella, but I couldn't get into the story. Fantasy is always hard me. Readers who enjoy the author's other work will like this book, and readers looking for a lighter romantasy should definitely pick this one up.

This book was so cute. Some overall information about this YA book: it contains adventure (hello quest!) and is a coming-of-age with found family tropes. Not only that but there is romance. There is LGBTQIA+ representation. There is magic. There are so many one-liners that made me laugh at least once per chapter.

I was not prepared for this book. I thought it would be a fun read that was about a girl learning to accept herself and her magic, but I didn't expect the book to have so many sections of the book that I could relate to the characters.

Was this book a heavy read? No. It was light-hearted read that hid the serious messages beneath the laughter. Did it make me think and relate to the characters? Yes. I also loved the magic system that was created in this story - it felt fresh and unique.

I want to read other Emma Mills books now - if this is how she writes, then I'll love all her books and I can't wait to start them. Also, I will be purchasing my own copy of this cozy YA fantasy. So, if you're into cozy YA fantasy, making new friends, and a budding romance, then this book is for you! It’s funny and full of heart with a touch of whimsy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me access to an early copy of these novels in exchange for my honest review.

Emma Mills never fails to disappoint, even as she hops from YA contemporary to YA fantasy in her latest novel, Something Close to Magic.

This book reminds me a bit of Ella Enchanted and Howl’s Moving Castle and does such a great job taking elements from typical cozy fantasy and introducing it in a new way. The romance is a little slow burn but absolutely darling. The character dynamics are so fun and I found myself, on more than one occasion, smiling at the banter between them. The magic is simple yet effective, working perfectly within the scope of the world.

All in all, Something Close to Magic is a delightful cozy fantasy with the best banter, an adorable romance, the most ridiculous shenanigans, and a cast of characters that fill me with happiness. I need more fun fantasy in my life, and this book fulfills that need and more.

This book was absolutely adorable. It captured whimsy and coziness so well, perfect for a quick, cute, and easy read. I'd definitely want Mills to write more fantasy books after reading this.

this is literally if foolish hearts, my all time fav ya contemporary, was a quest-based goofy middle grade fantasy, my favorite subgenre.

the actual Plot part is a lil weak but who cares. i'm in it for the banter and the crusty bread and cheese

more authors should write the same narrow niche for ages and then just be like "f*ck it we ball" and write a totally different, equally specific book. it worked for tjr, it worked for emily henry, and imo it works for emma mills!

This is definitely going to be an "it's not you, it's me" review because I can't find anything glaringly wrong with this book--other than the fact it just didn't do it for me. I am a HUGE fan of Emma Mills' YA contemporaries. I have loved all of them (which is really saying something because, as a general rule, I don't enjoy YA contemporaries). So when I saw a new Emma Mills book on Goodreads, I immediately TBR-ed it and didn't even read the description. Which resulted in me being surprised (and also maybe a little disappointed) when I started this and realized it was actually a fantasy.

And like, it was fine. The writing was fine, the dialogue was fine. I didn't love the characters but they were fine. I just couldn't vibe with this for some reason.

This book was a delight. I really enoyed this book. This book gave me once upon a time vibes back in the early seasons. It was such a quick pace read!! I loved the love/hate dymanics between the main characters. I also really loved the banter and the writing of this read! I thought the world building was a bit flat and i wish it would have a been a bit expanded. I think this book was a so fun and loved seeing emma take on this world and hope she writess more in this genere. I realy loved both characters!! Def a new favorite!!

Emma Mills' first foray into fantasy is reminiscent of Patricia C. Wrede and Diana Wynne Jones, which is the highest possible compliment that I can give it. The magic system is intriguing and the story takes on classism, wealth privilege, and worker's rights with a deftness that regularly surprised and delighted me. There was less baking than I expected, but that's fine. The banter is very Mills-y and I loved it. Would give anything for a sequel.

One note: The cover doesn't work for me. It's the green, I think? Doesn't feel like it matches the vibe of the book!

A baker’s apprentice finds herself reluctantly going on an adventure when a strange bounty hunter walks into her bakery asking her to help her rescue a prince from the dangerous woods. What she never expected was to find magic, friendship, and even romance on this adventure. Aurelie is a seventeen year old apprentice at a bakery. she’s over worked and under-appreciated, but she keeps her job because she needs the stability and yet when a stranger asks for her help on a quest she can’t help but take the opportunity. Soon Aurelie is going through portals, meeting trolls, and writing letters with a very charming and sweet prince. The only question is, is Aurelie willing to give up her stabile life for magic and romance or is risking her heart too much? This was a pretty cozy fantasy read with heart and friendship and a bit of romance. It can feel a bit slow but honestly if you are into cozy sweet fantasy I think this would be right up your ally. The romance between Aurelie and Hapless was cute but i liked how the friendships in the book were done and how supportive everyone was with each other.

*Thanks Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Atheneum Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This is adorable. A fun, frothy rom-com with no pressure on anyone. I hope she returns to this world and develops the magic more. I think the king needs to find someone.

This book was absolutely enchanting! I was completely consumed by this book. The story was so good!! I will definitely pick up a hardback copy for my to keep shelf!
I just reviewed Something Close to Magic by Emma Mills. #NetGalley
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This was such a good read! I absolutely loved the characters and the journey they went through. The author did an amazing job of keeping the story interesting with twists and turns. I will be recommending this book to everyone and looking out for future books from this author.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

This was a lot better than I expected. I thought the author did a fantastic job with how they wrote the friendships here, I fell in love with all the characters. I also love how the author writes fantasy, it feels unique. I will say it felt like the plot took a backseat here and I wasn't sure how to feel about that.

4.5 ☆

I already suspected it after reading and adoring all her previous books, but Something Close to Magic definitely confirmed that Emma Mills is the author for me. Even when straying from her usual genre and delving into fantasy for the first time, she was able to take a premise I’d normally be less than uninterested in and turn it into not only a pleasant reading experience, but an enchanting one.

Just like with everything else she’s written, the characters were the best part of this book. I loved them all so, so much—as individuals, but even more so as a group. Emma Mills has the ability to write some of the best friendships I’ve ever read about, and this book was no exception: Aurelie, Iliana, Quad and Prince Hapless were an excellent core four. These characters were first “introduced” in Lucky Caller, but to me Aurelie, Iliana and Hapless were quite reminiscent of Claudia, Gideon and Iris from Foolish Hearts, whom I love so very dearly. Quad was the most original one out of the four—not that the rest were carbon copies of her older characters, don’t get me wrong—and proved to be a charming addition to the dynamic. The romance was also as sweet as usual, and it had me kicking my feet from the very first time Hapless and Aurelie met.

It’s definitely a character driven rather than plot driven story, but I didn’t mind at all, and even though there were some moments in which the plot was a little thin, they didn’t make the book any less enjoyable.

If you’re into cozy fantasy, whimsical adventures, heartwarming friendships and tender romance, then this book is for you! It’s fun and captivating and so full of heart, it will give you no chance but to love it.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.