When I was little, my mom and I would turn on the TV at 10 am every day to catch old CHARMED reruns. She’d seen the show countless of times, and I was obsessed. Three sisters, like my mom and my aunts, all with names starting with P, just like my mom and my aunts, all magical and dysfunctional in their own ways but it was always so clear how much love and devotion existed in them.
This book made me feel like that. It pulled at all the things that made me over the years— my obsession with Poison Ivy, my fascination with mushrooms, the peace and serenity I get when I’m in a garden. I think the best part about it is that I was able to feel like I was in a whimsical magical world that I recognized as my own. The excitement I felt when I read that Tennessee Reyes was Dominican— his bracelet with my mother’s hometown on it—is something I don’t think I’ve ever felt before. I saw myself in Sage, in her insecurities around her curly hair, her insistence to keep her identity hidden and her stubbornness that didn’t let her see how loved she really was. I saw myself as an eldest daughter, an older sister, in how she took care of her sisters. I felt that raw, too-big love in her heart for everyone around her and the loneliness she felt when it was all falling apart.
I love this book. More than the funny bits and the hot sex scene and the adorable romance, I love Sage and her sisters. I love that it always remained their story.
Definitely a favorite re-read!

This book blew me off the edge of my seat! The prose was written in such a beautiful manner that I was immediately immersed in the story. The intricate complexity of the characters throughout the story had me torn between supporting them and not. I guess that’s just one of the beauties that normally comes with reading books on magical realism. Overall, I did find myself falling in love with this read and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, heart-pounding, magical read!

This might be one of my favorite books this year which is no surprise to me since Raquel has written one of my favorite books of all time and this one is just as special. If you’re familiar with Raquel’s writing you know how deeply rooted she makes you feel and this was no different.

Sage and Tenn were special and deep and their second chance at romance was everything.

Sage and her sisters? That storyline was amazing. The hurt, the love, the elder sister guilt and responsibility, and the bonds that know no bounds made this book breathtaking.

This will be the perfect fall release. Not only is it witchy, but it’s cozy and full of love and things too grand for us to understand in this world.

Witch of Wild Things is yet another reminder of how incredible of a writer Raquel Vasquez Gilliland is. I am one of the biggest fans of Gilliland's debut, How Moon Fuentez Fell In Love With The Universe, and Witch of Wild Things brought back so many memories of how much I enjoyed that book. The magical realism, sister dynamics, eldest daughter trauma, and angsty romance swept me away immediately from the first several chapters of the story. I related to Sage as a character so much, especially as the firstborn child of immigrant parents who ended up missing out on their formative years because they were forced to raise their siblings instead of their parents.

The romance between Sage and Tenn was also full of a ton of nostalgia on Sage's end, and I adored the second chance romance vibes between them. I do wish there was a little more focus on the romance than Sage and her friends and family, as the story made it seem their "relationship" was an insignificant encounter at times, especially when the big confrontation turned out to be a big misunderstanding. For this reason, I'd rate the novel 4.75 stars, rounded up.

I think fans of Raquel Vasquez Gilliland's previous works will definitely enjoy With of Wild Things, and I can't wait to read any future adult romances!

The book I didn’t know I needed to read! Shoutout to NetGalley and Penguin Randomhouse for the e-arc.
The story of the Flores women and their magical gifts is also a story about healing our wounded parts, embracing our gifts, and the way that we reconnect to our loved ones as we grow.
Following the story of Sage Flores was cathartic and I think so many WOC need to hear more from women like Sage and her familia. Ranging from the way our first love stays with us, to how sometimes the best way to grow requires we first break at the seams, this book has so much to offer. I cried and laughed and rooted for Sage and her sisters as they find themselves in a challenging time in their lives and navigate sisterhood in a way that feels authentic. The relationship between Sage and her former crush, Tennessee Reyes, also feels familiar to anyone who has ever experienced the ache of both disappointment and longing. Told partly with short excerpts made up of past AIM conversations, millennials everywhere will feel returned to the anxious and exhilarating world of receiving that AIM message from your crush/partner. As if all of the relationship plots weren’t deep and nuanced enough, there’s also beautiful writing about the sacred connection we have with Mother Earth and nature. Sage communes with plants thanks to her don, or magical gift, and the way Raquel Vasquez Gillian’s writes about the interconnectedness of plant life and human life is inspiring. If you love magical mujeres, healing mujeres, stories of familial healing, passionate (steamy, even!) romances, and stories of redemption you will not regret picking this one up.
Slight trigger warnings for topics of neglected or parentified children, and includes a brief retelling of sexual assault.

With of Wild Things drew me in with its lovely cover and kept me enraptured with its equally beautiful writing.
What I Loved about this Book
-interesting family relationships and a grounded view of what types of damage can happen to those bonds over time
-Slower pacing allowed for a focus on a strong character development
What didn't work as well for me
-I wanted to see more of the magic in action
Who I would recommend this title for
Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland is a book that will be beloved by fans of such works as Practical magic by Alice Hoffman.

Loved this title! Loved the tie in with nature and the elements. Enjoyed seeing the byplay between sisters, the past and present. There were so many good things about it. I can't wait to share it with my patrons.

I think the book had a slow start, but soon enough I kept wanting to get back to reading during my breaks and before bed. I think that our patrons will enjoy the read, so we will be purchasing for the collection.

DNF at 10%. The story is making me feel very confused, angsty, and bored.
Not what I expected out of a witchy book.

The texts are also very confusing to me. I’m not intrigued enough to keep going with the story.

This book is a revelation. The nostalgia of AIM is heartwarming. The messages between the characters move the story forward. Sage is a compelling main character. In parts when she seems immature, she is reeling from the young age when her sister, Sky, passed on. She is learning as she is reckoning with her grief. There is trepidation that eventually opens her up in beautiful bloom.

The humor is top-notch. Cranberry, VA is a charming small town that gets a full read. As much as the story is about magic, it is grounded to be true and realistic.

Teal is a great push to Sage as they are sisters, not estranged but not exactly having a loving relationship. Her boyfriend, Johnny, is a great example of the pitfalls and often idiocy of influencer culture.

Reading about a woman receiving pleasure is one of my life's greatest joys. Tennessee Reyes is an excellent male character, sensual and ambitious. Love is a centerpiece that makes someone need to experience it. The story manages to not be preachy and speak on societal conversations.

The tension and resolution in the story are solid. The story does not falter.

I was reminded of Practical Magic, Little Shop of Horrors, and Tortilla Soup.

Ate this book up in a day! The paranormal was fantastic, the romance soft with the right amount of heat, and the familial love between sisters was everything.

Oh my god the AIM messages were too real, my middle school flashbacks hit me hard. Why did I actually have conversations like that??

Sage Flores has hit rock bottom and must return home to Cranberry, Virginia, to figure out how to get her life back on track. Unfortunately, that means falling back into the old antagonistic patterns with her sister Teal and being followed by the ghost of her dead sister Sky. Even Sage's plant magic can't help her with family dynamics, but at least it can get her a job at the farm she'd worked at before. What she doesn't expect is for the handsome Nate Bowen (her boss) to use her plant skills to seek out new varieties for the farm -- and to work with the guy who broke her heart in high school: Tennessee Reyes.

This work of magical realism focuses on Sage's family and their history of magic as well as the things that have pulled them apart over the years. Both Sage and Teal as well as their great-aunt Nadia have many difficult things to work through, including their shared loss, and the book gives them the space to heal themselves and to heal their relationships. But there's also room in the book for romance and healing between Sage and Tenn.

A little slow to start but gradually a lush, complex story. 4 stars,

Thank you, Berkley Romance and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Magical realism, a beautiful love story with hints of enemies-to-lovers and workplace romance tropes, a heart-wrenching dysfunctional family story with spine-tingling paranormal vibes; this is the best combination for a nerdy bookish person like me. I adored this book and I literally devoured each chapter.

Sage Flores has a special talent for identifying plants - she's like a real-life identification app, a PLANT WHISPERER. But that's not her only gift. She can also connect with the plants' souls, making them grow longer and wider. She also has another secret related to her dead sister Sky, who she lost to an accident eight years ago. Sage can see Sky, who appears every time Sage cries, making her favorite chocolate raspberry coffee.

When Sage returns to her family's house in Cranberry Rose to live with her aunt Nadia, who has a special gift for knowing things, and her estranged sister Teal, who can create lightning in the sky, she has to confront problems related to their past.

Sage gets a job offer to work at the Cranberry Rose Company to discover more plants to increase the farm's sales. But the job comes with a catch: she has to work with Tennessee Reyes, her high school crush who broke her heart into a million pieces. Despite her hesitations, she needs the money to get out of town for her own sake. But things are not going to get easier as the sparks keep flying and their attraction is palpable.

Sage has to confront her past, solve her family issues, mend her broken heart, and embrace her future. But first, she has to embrace her power and tell her loved ones how losing the people in her life hurt her more than they expected.

Overall, this book is pure magic! The characters are lovely, and the blooming romance is so sweet! I enjoyed every part of it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.