Witch of Wild Things: Welcome to a wild, magical story of ghosts, sisters and love. Sage has a special gift that she keeps quiet about, but once she returns home it seems her gift really flourishes. Fired from her job that she loved, she is left feeling aimless and heads home. She moves back in with her Aunt and sister, but she talks with her other sister all the time. More specifically, her dead sister who brings her gifts and talks to her when she cries.

I liked the story, characters and plot in Witch of Wild Things. A little bit of magic (or quite a bit) is reoccurring throughout the romantic suspense novel. The themes include dealing with grief, magic, guilt, love, second chances, forgiveness and secrets. The writing is solid, and I really enjoyed the whole story. Definitely recommend!

A twist on second chance romance, a touch of magical realism, a small-town setting, and a tragedy/mystery that puts pressure on already strained family relations bring heart, whimsy, and a dose of heaviness to this latest novel by Mexican American author Raquel Vasquez Gilliland. Honestly, this book is so good. I simply loved it.

When Sage Flores returns home with her gift and her ghost, she does not want to be there. Historically, she has been the one taking care of others, and historically, she has been the one that has been abandoned. But back she is after a recent breakup and job loss, and she’s working again at Cranberry Rose Company. That gift I mentioned? It has to do with plants, but Sage doesn’t have just a green thumb. Her connection with plants is magic. She can understand them. She can hear them. She can make them grow. Everyone in her family has gifts, and Sage happens to be the Plant Whisperer.

Being back at Cranberry Rose Company brings her face-to-face with a crush from her younger years, her new boss, Nate, and with her first love, Tennessee Reyes, who also recently returned to town. Here’s the catch, though: Tenn does not know that she used to be in love with him.

Do you remember AOL Instant Messenger? (Am I dating myself???) Sage and Tennessee connected there as teenagers, so there is a delicious—but also heartbreaking—young love, epistolary element to this story.

And there’s a family saga as well. All those family members and their gifts? There’s tension there. There used to be three Flores sisters, you see, and now one of those is bringing Sage coffee in her incorporeal form.

There’s plenty of heart and healing to go around in this one, but it’s definitely not smooth sailing. It’s beautiful and lyrical and emotional, and I highly recommend it.

I received an advance copy from Berkley and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

How could you overcome the death of your baby sister, not only her death but the thought that you were somewhat responsible for her death as well. Sage Flores fled the town that she grew up in and everything that she knew to get away from all the pain that she believed she caused. However, when losing her job, she finds herself going back to the town and the family that she left years ago, only to come back to find out that her high school crush is back as well. Oh, and to make things worse he will be working with her at the Cranberry Rose Company. Oh, how could I forget, not only do you have to deal with all that, but your baby sister is now haunting you more and more.

I thought this was a cute witchy romance book and so much more too. I loved that it wasn’t about just finding the right person to love and understand you, but to find ways of healing yourself and the connection you used to have with your family before. I thought the plot was well developed and the pace was just right for me, it was not slow, and it did not drag at all. I loved that it was character-driven but at the same time you can see that it did have a small bit of plot-driven as well since Sage was on a mission to help her baby sister crossover. The way that this book is written is so beautiful, the author you can tell took great care making sure that everything flowed. The characters were easy to connect with and I found myself being able to relate with Sage on things.

Sage is a complex character but at the same time she is not. She just wants what is best for her family and to make them whole again. I love that she showed her flaws and understood what they were and was really trying her best to fix them, to better herself. I can understand the fear of loving one that has hurt you before but really wanting to open yourself up to them again. I think this slow burn romance was perfect for Sage .

Tennessee Reyes really is swoon worthy. He is not perfect, but I did enjoy his flaws too. I loved getting to see his POV in the teenage years of AIM and then again when he was older and just wanting to make a wrong right for the girl he came to care about. I liked that he was different from the other men in the book and really did a great thing for Sage to help her see that romance in the sheets with a male is not something that will be horrible all the time. I loved that he was not pushy and just waited for the perfect time for everything.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading witchy romances, ghosts, elemental magic, second chances, and some steamy moments.

I want to thank NetGalley and Berkley pub for the opportunity to review this book.

The women of the Flores family are gifted with magical abilities, and after the death of her sister, Sage Flores is forced to return home to face the broken relationship with her other sister and come face to face with the boy who broke her heart 14 years ago. After losing her job, Sage is forced to return home to the family she ran from after her younger sister Sky died. Now she's seeing Sky's ghost who tells her that the only way to help her is if Sage heals the broken relationship with her other younger sister Teal, who blames her for Sky's death. Sage takes up a job at the Cranberry Rose Company, where she uses her gifts over plants to help discover unusual heritage specimens.... except she is being forced to partner up with Tennessee Reyes, the very same boy who broke her heart 14 years ago after they built up a strong relationship through AIM messages (think along the lines of Hilary Duff's Cinderella). Tenn never realized it was Sage and she ghosted him after he broke her heart, now years later they are forced to work together and the chemistry is still there... and Tenn is asking for her help in finding his mystery AIM girl... will she finally tell him the truth? All the while she is also dealing with family drama, from her younger sister Teal's anger at her ( think along the lines of 27 Dresses sister's relationship) and her own family secrets that could unravel everything. This book was a lot and it definitely read more Young Adult rather than reading about people in their late 20's early 30s. Sage felt like she was an 18 year old girl rather than a 29 year old woman. Also the misunderstanding trope in this one was ugh, seriously, and the fact that Sage purposely lied and continued to lie to Tenn throughout their relationship was infuriating. Teal got on my nerves and her only real personality trait was irrational anger. When you find out the real misunderstanding and reveal of what happened between Tenn and Sage in highschool that leads to Sage's lying, it's just so frustrating. Overall, this one just wasn't for me at all. I really tried to like it but it just fell flat for me. I didn't care much for the romance, which barely felt there, and the characters were also barely likable. If you are a fan of family drama and misunderstanding tropes, then give this one a go, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did!

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Read if you like:
✨ Magical Realism
🌱 Plants
🥈 Second Chance Romances
👯‍♀️ Stories about Sisters
😭 Stories about Grief & loss
👻 Ghosts
🫔 Mexican Culture & Characters
⏳ Past and Present Timelines
📚 YA Vibes
🌶️ Spice

This one was such an interesting read as when in the past the writing definitely had YA vibes to it and then in present day the writing effortlessly moves to feeling more mature. I loved the single POV from Sage throughout the story with the mix of so many things, but they all worked together so well and blended beautifully to be more than just a romance but also a story about magic, family, relationships, nature, respecting the earth, and so much more.

If you are a fan of magical realism in your books I strongly recommend this one as it did the magical realism so well in the various aspects where magic plays into the plot.

I also loved the second chance romance between Sage and Tennessee where he never knew who she was back in the day as they messaged via AIM as it felt very A Cinderella Story to me and I was obsessed with that movie to the present day where they are working closely together and fall for each other.

There was a third act break-up with miscommunication trope but I feel like a lot of people will be able to see past that with the rest of the plot and how everything weaves together in this story.

Ultimately I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it as a witchy fall romance read! Thanks so much to Berkley for my ARC!

Once upon a time there were three sisters, three witches: Sage, Teal, and Sky. After a terrible accident, only two were left, and after some angry words were shared, they separated.

Sage hasn’t seen her family in years, not since she left her home with a broken heart, full of grief and resentment. But after losing her job, she doesn’t have anywhere else to go but the home she’s been avoiding for years, and all the memories it comes with. Unfortunately, being at home isn’t easy. Her sister, Teal, still hates her, and to make matters worse, Sage has to work with Tennessee Reyes, whom she used to have a massive crush on as a teen until he broke her heart. But even though she’s been away for so long, she knows where her roots are, and before long, magic creeps into her life once again.

I received an advanced reading copy of Witch of Wild Things in exchange for an honest review.

Witch of Wild Things is a fantasy novel by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland. It could also be classified as a romance novel, with fantasy or magical realism elements. It’s a novel that might have plenty of magic, but more than that, it is absolutely full of emotion.

When I say emotion, I mean that there are a lot of relationships that Sage has to deal with when she moves back home. She has old friends living there, old crushes, and what I thought was most interesting, her family. I always find family to be a fascinating topic in books, and especially when there’s multiple siblings involved. Here, we have Sage and her sisters, and how their relationship has changed.

Or, well, I guess I should say Sage and one of her sisters, Teal, who we learn early on absolutely hates Sage. While Sage wants to reconcile with her sister, a large part of her resents the little sister who always got, and still gets, her own way. All the whole Teal continues to lash out. I loved this relationship so much, even though I was occasionally frustrated. Did you ever watch 27 Dresses? Because there was part of the book where I felt like it was very similar to the sister relationship in that movie. You’ll see once you read it. But I am happy to say that once I reached the end, everyone’s behavior and reactions made sense.

But I know what you’re thinking: “Steph, you said this was a romance. Why aren’t you talking about the love interest?” While my main interest tends to lie in family, I will say that I thought the romance here was really well done. It’s almost but not quite an enemies-to-lovers, since Sage really hates the guy for breaking her heart, while he can’t even remember that they attended high school together. But it was all very sweet, and there was a point where I gasped and literally put my hand on my heart. Why can’t men in real life be like this love interest?

Not to say that Tennessee Reyes was so perfect he was unrealistic. While he was certainly a great guy, especially when compared with some of the other guys in this book, he does have several flaws, and he is, like the rest of the characters in here, human. Maybe he just felt more superhuman because, like I mentioned earlier, a lot of the guys in this book are absolutely awful. Like, the women in this book were too good for them.

I had a great time reading Witch of Wild Things. It was a much quieter read than the intense fantasies I tend to dive into, the ones with world-ending consequences, but it was perfect for a lazy weekend. I think it’ll work perfectly for romance readers who don’t often read fantasy but what to start getting into the genre, or for those fantasy readers who are looking for cozy fantasies, which are getting more popular nowadays. For me, it was exactly the kind of book I needed on a weekend where I barely left my couch, and I think this would be the perfect read on a rainy afternoon.

Witch of Wild Things will be released on September 12. You can preorder your copy from Berkley here.

For as long as they can remember, the Flores women have each been born with a unique gift. For Sage, this means an ability to connect and communicate with plants. Eight years after the death of her little sister, Sage is still struggling with the loss and has avoided her hometown ever since. After losing her job, she has no other option than to return and face everything she has tried to run from.

I really enjoyed this one! This is a beautiful story filled with heartbreak and loss, but also so much strength and love. It has romance elements, but it also focuses on Sage and her relationship with her sisters and the aunt who raised them. I also thought it did magical realism so well! If you are looking for a witchy/paranormal story that isn't over the top with fantasy elements, this one is a great option (also includes Cuban & Mexican rep). I knocked half a star off though because I really just can't stand the deception by omission/misleading trope and honestly don't think it was at all necessary to the story. 4.5/5

Oh my gosh, I loved this book so so much that I tried my hardest to savior it and when I really do enjoy reading a book up my alley, well I read real slow (LOL). For me, it's been awhile since I've read anything witchy but I do love reading them when I get the chance. The relationships between Sage and her siblings was so relatable to me as an middle sister. Not only did this book have a great plot, it also brought up important topics about domestic violence and white fragility. I also loved the messages that were throughout the book about the environment- especially given Sage’s powers. 5/5 stars if you love witchy romances!

Ohhhhh how I loved this one! Pretty sure I spent quite a bit of time wiping up my tears while reading this one. I wasn't entirely sure what we'd be getting into once I started, but I couldn't put this book down at all. I'd say that this is a romance/women's fic combination that we've been seeing a bit of the past couple of years. There was quite a bit of different things that we're focusing on besides Sage's personal story.

Let's dive in. With Sage coming back to her hometown, which holds a lot of pain, one of the last things she expected was to be working side by side with her teenage crush. I got a little nervous about this element, but I think it's tough to have a solid reason to be mad about something that happened during their teen years. And have it be life-altering.

On top of that, she has a lot of family issues to work through...and that's an understatement. The more the story unfolds, it is absolutely heartbreaking to see everything that happened to Sage. And just the need to have an ounce of recognition of what she had to sacrifice as a child to help her family out. I don't love how she was treated and there's this huge gesture she does towards the end, which I loved. But she deserved more meaningful apologies from her family.

Sage definitely wasn't innocent in some of her choices in the present time, a few that had me shaking my head, but they were definitely quick reactions to what happened in that moment.

I truly loved her and Tenn together, plus their digital age epistolary (of sorts) was a major highlight. And I was just eager to know what happened between them, I would definitely love to see Tenn's POV during that time. But I'm sure I'd be sobbing through it all.

Lastly, the magic element was a fave! I loved Sage's gift with plants or well the earth in general. It's so poetic how it was all written. Knowing that Sage's sisters had their own set of gifts, I hope we get to learn more about them. ;-)

Well that's my ramble of a review, simply said, I loved the heck out of this and can't wait to do a re-read.

4.25/5

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

While I ultimately enjoyed the book it was a rough journey mainly because I felt every single member of Sage's family was terrible and that she took their abuse way longer than she should have, especially considering that she had no trouble going off on other people unrelated to her that deserved it. And no one that tried to give her an explanation for their bad attitude was warranted in my opinion.

That said, it was a beautifully story. I loved the witchy vibes and magical realism. I loved the back and forth style Sage's presence and when she was AIMing with Tenn as a teenager (and wow did those nostalgic vibes hit). I loved Sage's journey to standing up for herself with everyone, including Ama Sonya and her friend Laurel cause she definitely needed a hard come to the altar talk about a lot of things.

However, I didn't enjoy how she was the one who felt she had to make reparations to *everyone* in her life. Truthfully the only person she owed any apology to was Tenn and that was just due to her lie of omission about the fact she was Silvergurl. Aside from that people owed her a genuine apology and it felt lackluster at best. I get Sage just wanted her family back because she had been without them so long but I also feel that htey owed her more than she owed them.

Again I did enjoy the book and will be recommending it to my audience. I just feel that there should have been more justice for Sage and that there needed to be more comeuppance for Nadia who should have been a better adult and guardian and there's no exuse...NO EXCUSE....for why she wasn't.

Oh my gosh! I loved this book so so much!! I love reading witchy books and this was right up my alley. And a plant witch?!? 🌱 I’m so jealous!!! I want Sage’s powers! 🖤🍃 The relationships between Sage and her siblings was so relatable as an older sister. Not only did this book have a great plot, it also brought up important topics about domestic violence and white fragility. I also loved the messages that were throughout the book about the environment- especially given Sage’s powers. 5/5 stars!

Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Narrator: Krysta Gonzales
Rating: 4 stars
Steam: 2 chilis
Pub date: 9/12

Once upon a time, Sage’s family was blessed with magical gifts they kept secret for years. When Sage’s sister, Sky, dies and her other sister, Teal, blames her for it, she moves away and doesn’t return for eight years. When she does return, she finds a job working at a local farm, where she uses her gift of talking to plants to find rare ones that might help restore it to its former glory. The only downside is working with Tennessee Reyes, the boy who broke her heart in high school. But with rare plants to find, a dead sister whose ghost haunts her, and repairing her shattered family relationships, Sage has no time for romance.

This story hooked me right from the start, and didn’t let go. With its witchy vibes, paranormal elements, complicated family relationships, and second-chance romance, I couldn’t have stopped reading even if I wanted to. Add in enemies to lovers, workplace romance with Sage’s first love, and I fell hard for Sage and Tenn.

The Flores women are complicated, and their family dynamic is hard to figure out at first. Once I began to understand the hierarchy, the rift between them began to make more sense. There is so much heartbreak amongst them that it makes it difficult for the women to communicate. But even when they’re not getting along, they have each other’s back when it counts, and that was one of my favorite parts of the story.

While I enjoyed the story, one minor issue for me is that the story reads like YA, even though the characters are in their late 20s. Sage comes off as incredibly immature regarding relationships (with men and her sisters), and the two explicit spicy scenes in the second half felt out of place.

There are also a few loose ends that never get tied up, and I wish we had gotten more closure on a few things. But overall, this was still a great read! I listened to this on audio while reading along, and I’m grateful I was able to hear the proper pronunciation of names and places in the story. Krysta Gonzales did an excellent job bringing all of the characters to life.

Elemental magic is my favorite, and Sage’s gift of talking to plants (her nickname is the Plant Whisperer) was a lot of fun. I highly recommend Witch of Wild Things for spooky season! Thanks so much to Berkley for my advanced copy and PRH Audio for my free ALC.

Read if you like:
*elemental magic
*Practical Magic
*ghosts
*magical realism
*single POV
*open door spice

This tale of second-chance romance between teenaged chatroom-friends to lovers, blended with some beautiful magical realism, garnered quite a mixed reaction from me by the end. If you dislike the deception by omission\misleading trope as pertaining to a "hidden identity", you might want to skip this one.

In high school, protagonist Sage Flores used to AOL chat under a pseudonym with Tennessee "Tenn" Reyes, a local hottie and passionate mushroom forager, until a misunderstanding made her ghost him (him never having known who she was). Sage is also a natural green witch, able to sense trees' moods, identify plants & origins by touch, and nurture anything green back to health. When it comes to romance and interpersonal relationships with people, though, she's not so intuitive. As an adult, Sage is forced to return to her Appalachian hometown and the various festering wounds of her past.

So...Sage reunites with (though he doesn't realize he knows her), then misleads Tenn, almost the entire book. And she gets in deep, to the point of pretending to help find that old chatroom crush of his, while Tenn genuinely goes above and beyond to be gentle and caring with her damaged self, emotionally and physically. Her manipulation of him is not justified, and many of her actions are childish or cowardly. Sage herself realizes her shitty treatment of him as she stares in the mirror, <i>past the seventy percent mark</i>. And then she opens the door and goes to sleep with him again, thinking about her mountain of lies. Gah. The hidden identity and prolonged concealment of what happened fifteen years ago to make her ghost him was an awfully frustrating combination (The revelation was simple and stupid, too! She admits it, ruminating on-page!)

When things come to a head at the eighty percent mark, I found myself rooting for Tennessee to ditch Sage completely. I was so removed from the romance at that point. The kind of petty drama and childish behavior the whole book gave it a YA feel, like other reviews have noted.

I was, however, very much there for Sage despairing at the environmental destruction wrought by humans in the name of development and capitalism. She mourns nearby land leveled for construction, and loss of the wild, something I really connected with as a green witch reader. The author excels at on-page introspection, and beautiful passages filled with philosophical musings on the natural world, like mushroom connective tissue underground, or budding flower metaphors, are highlights of the prose.

Honestly, I think the book would be better marketed as women's fiction; Sage is a terribly difficult love interest to root for. I think the best moments are the non-romantic ones, like everyone drunk at Aunt Nadia's house (think that one scene from Practical Magic), the sisters bonding, or Sage confronting an abuser on Youtube Live.

<b>TWs: death of a sibling, violence between siblings, MIA parental figures</b>

rating: 3.5/5

i was soooo excited to read this book. it's a witchy second chance romance!! like, hi doesnt that sound amazing? AND the fact that the main character is mexican american, being one myself i felt like this book was tailored made for me!

but sadly it fell in that in between line of hate and love. it's not bad my ANY means. there's not some big reason for me to have not loved this book. it's more like there were just all these tinny little things that kept adding up to me just not falling madly in love with the story. i'm sad i didn't love it but i have heard from friends who've listened to the audiobook that they LOVED it. so maybe its one of those books that better on audio?

I was expecting something different for a witchy book, but this one didn’t disappoint me. I enjoyed the characters, especially Tennessee. However! I hate hate hate miscommunication and lying. It’s my most hated trope. I understand why she did it at first, but she went way past an acceptable time to say anything. Same as Nadia. Her lie was awful. But back on track, I liked the differences in powers that the women had. Each one was unique.

Witch of Wild Things seamlessly wove magical realism within a story about love, loss and grief. I haven’t felt so much for a character as much as I felt for Sage Flores in a long time; when she cried, I cried.

The people Sage loves the most never chose her, starting with her mother, who left her and her sisters, Teal and Sky, when Sage was just a child. From an early age Sage was forced to take responsibility over her younger sisters. When a tragic accident results in the death of her sister Sky, Sage is left devastated and leaves home.

Ten years later, and feeling just as broken as when she left, Sage returns home. She is still grieving the loss of Sky, her sister Teal still hates her, and she now has to work with the guy who unknowingly broke her adolescent heart.

Witch of Wild Things is a story about second chances, but not only in a romantic sense. Tennessee Reyes was definitely a wonderful love interest, but the most beautiful part of Sage’s story was her devotion to her sisters. We get to experience Sage finally allowing herself to fully break the cracks in their relationship in order to finally heal her broken heart.

I loved every page of Sage’s healing journey and I really hope we get to see the rest of the Flores sisters get their own story.

This book was very entertaining, and I found myself reaching for it at all possible times! I loved the magic realism and how witchy the plant powers were and the other powers the other family members had. The romance felt right, but I especially loved that the relationships with family also played a major role. So we get a great love story (yay) but also a great storyline with multiple family members. I did wish I wasn't teased so much with certain things- like we had to keep reading to find out X, but I wanted to know right then and there. I get there's the suspense in doing so, but I didn't think that suspense added to the plot whatsoever.
Highly recommend to anyone who liked magic realism and romance!

Arriving back in Cranberry after a disastrous relationship with a professor at her school and getting fired for "budget cuts" by said professor, Sage isn't sure where her life is leading her. Until her dead sister, Sky, pops up one day and tells her she has to make things right with their sister Teal so she can finally pass on from being a ghost. But ghosts aren't Sage's powers, plants are. She's known as the Plant Whisperer for her gift of being able to communicate with plants. So why is Sky haunting Sage? And how will she reconcile her relationship with Teal when Teal hates Sage and blames her for her sister's death? Throw in the fact that Sage is now partnering with the boy she's loved since she was 15 for a work project and Sage doesn't know what to do!

There is a lot going on in this witchy novel by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland, but it's a lot of fun, emotion, and some of the most beautifully written, atmospheric descriptions. Gilliland has created a unique dynamic between all of the characters in this novel, connecting them together through emotions and history. This is all at once a romance, a story of sisters, family, and also friendship; about the ties that bind us to our past and the fragility of the present. Gilliland reminds us that sometimes relationships need to bend and break to evolve and grow. There were some parts that were juvenile to me (a specific sex scene felt especially immature with the language she chose), and I felt more like it read closer to a young adult novel, but that's not necessarily a negative opinion. It flowed easily and I was able to pick it up with anticipation, a sure sign of a positive reading experience. Sage is a fantastic character, and Gilliland really showcased her internal growth through her strength in standing up for herself even when seemed to backfire. Her feminist tenacity was a highlight for this character. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the Flores sisters and I think readers of magic realism and family dynamics will greatly enjoy this novel as well.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for offering me this beautiful novel by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland in exchange for my honest review.

Cozy fantasy is a term that I both am a bit skeptical of (it seems like another way of differentiating “serious” SFF from “that woman stuff” which I don’t think benefits anyone) and a subgenre that I’ve struggled to enjoy. But I do like romances and I do like sister drama and I do like low-level family magic, so I thought this one was definitely worth a shot. However, in the end, I don’t think this is the best example of any of these themes.

But I’ll start with what I did like. For the most part, the main character was a good lead. I enjoyed her voice, and in particular, her relationships with a few of the women in her life were very interesting and explored a level of complexity that I hadn’t expected. For example, Sage has a close friend who has a struggling marriage, and I appreciated the care that went into the balancing act that is supporting a friend in this situation where, to an outsider, the problem and solution seems easy, but to the friend whose life is in the balance, things are much more complicated. I also really appreciated the exploration of Sage’s relationship with the woman who took over the care of Sage and her sisters when they were young. There were some very nice points about grief and the burdens we can place on those around us when caught up in devastating positions. But, even here, there were moments where the depiction of this relationship took a bit of jarring turn towards the simplistic, with Sage taking on a rather “perfect victim” persona that left me wanting.

And this speaks to many of my problems with the other relationships in this books. Many of the characters, including Sage herself at times, came across as simple and without any real depth of character. The romantic hero is the most bland example of handsome perfection that I’ve come across in a long time. Pick out some romance hero tropes, and he checks them all of neatly, right in a row. And then the relationship between Sage and her angry younger sister, Teal, verged on the ridiculous at times, with Teal coming across as an unbelievable caricature of irrational anger.

Beyond this, I struggled with the overall tone of the novel. At times, Sage definitely took on a more YA sounding voice, testing my ability to believe her to be a 29 year old woman who has actually lived in the world. This isn’t helped by the inclusion of some truly cringe-worthy AOL conversations from her teenage years. And, unfortunately, these blasts from the internet-past can’t be simply skipped as they are key to understanding the unfolding relationship between Tenn and Sage in the present day.

There were bits and pieces of the story that I liked, which did help me get through it. But I often found myself struggling to really invest in any of these characters or care about the romance at the heart of it. I do think there are readers who will enjoy this, but I think the biggest failure lies with its inability to depict adult characters who…well…behave and think like adults.

Rating 6: Not for me, though I do think the depictions of the beautiful location and some of the lyrical moments had merit.

(Link will go live Sept 13)