I loved every moment of Witch of the Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland. It was such a unique, joy filled book with a great romance plot. As someone who finds themselves reading a lot of romances, you tend to start seeing a lot of the same plot/storylines happening over and over. It's not necessary a bad thing but sometimes you want to read something unique and I truly believe that this was the case with Witch of the Wild Things. I've read one of Gilliland's previous YA works and enjoyed it quite a lot. She has the ability to make magical realism blend so seamlessly with the storyline where it doesn't feel out of place or jarring. It's just enough to make the story special. I will be recommending this to quite literally everyone.

WITCH OF WILD THINGS - Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘐𝘷𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦.

⭐️ | 4/5
📖 | 320 pages
📆 | to be released 9/12/23 (mark your calendars!)
📨 | publisher: Berkley

This was an immersive story with many tropes and magical things which I love. Sage’s magical gift is that she’s a plant whisperer - she can communicate with plants and know what they want or need. Circumstances lead her back home where she’s hired by the local garden to search for unusual plants. The only problem - her work partner is her old flame.

Sage and Tennessee used to write together on AIM (online messaging) in high school, only Tenn never knew who the secret girl was that he messaged. Something happened that separated the two, causing heartache for Sage. To say she wants nothing to do with Tenn is an understatement. Tropes including enemies to lovers, second chance romance, workplace romance. 😍😍😍 all the goodies!

Along this story line we also have Sage’s family drama. Her sister Sky had died years ago from a hiking accident, but her ghost follows Sage around. Her other sister Teal blames Sage for what happened. Will they find a way to put their history aside and mend the bonds of sisterhood?

This story is about loss and love and everything in between. I always love good witchy vibes and this one was easy and fun!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for my advanced review copy!

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an eGalley of this from NetGalley for review.

Thoughts: I really loved this. It was a fun and heartfelt read with magic, mystery, romance and a lot about family. It was very well done and a breeze to read. I desperately hope that this will be a series and we will see books form Sage's sisters' POVs!

This book follows Sage Flores. Sage left her home town after her younger sister, Sky, died. Eight years later she has to return to deal with unfinished issues. Things get complicated when she takes on a job for a local farmer helping with botany and finds out her new partner at work is going to be Tennessee Reyes. Her and Tennessee Reyes had a "thing" during high school via an anonymous chatting app; he never knew who she was in person. He hurt her badly and she wants nothing to do with him now. Too bad no one told Tennessee about this unknown past between him and Sage.

Meanwhile things get really complicated when Sky's ghost starts to haunt Sage, demanding Sage make amends with her other sister. But things are complicated in this family and all the women have strange magical powers. Sage can't talk to her living sister without having her call down a storm on her, so how is she supposed to make any peace there?

This book is fairly romance heavy, but also had wonderful magic elements. The mystery behind what happened to Sky is a fascinating one and helps to drive the story forward. Another key element to the story is Sage's family and trying to heal all the ills between Sage, her sisters, and the aunt that took care of them all.

This was incredibly well written and easy to read. I enjoyed the magic, the romance, the family, and Sage as a character in general. Sage grows and finds peace throughout this book and I loved taking that journey with her.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this. It was a perfect summer escapist paranormal romance read. The romance is well done but so is the intriguing magic, the deep family connections, and the mystery behind Sky's death. This is a well-balanced read that I really enjoyed! I hope that we see more books in this world, maybe books from Sage's sisters' POV?

Earthy and plant-based witch powers feel very contemporary, like they'll be a future hallmark of this precise period in time. Sage was an interesting protagonist to spend time with because even though some of her decisions were questionable, I was very fond of her and felt protective of her. Tenn Reyes is a romantic interest par excellence--oh the smell of Earl Grey and leather, the cool car, the mushrooms, the white-woman-in-her-fifties reading history ("Brené Brown-- you've heard of her?"). I went back and forth on how much I could believe in Teal, although I truly appreciated the complexity of Sage and Nadia's understanding of one another and how that developed in the book. And Sky was so sweet, and such an interesting thread in this very character-driven story.

There's a Young Adult quality to the intensity of the main relationship that seems at odds with reality and/or someone who's 29. This affects who I'd recommend it to, as certain readers might absolutely adore the strong, electric dynamic, where others are going to find it a touch immature. (Maybe I just don't read enough romances to decipher whether or not this is on-form.) Still, it's a relationship that you root for early on and again, Gilliland did a fantastic job with Tenn.

After eight years away, Sage Flores is finally returning to Cranberry and her Aunt Nadia’s house. After the death of her sister Sky and the aftermath of anger and resentment from her sister Teal, she ran and never looked back. She shut away her gift and focused on her work teaching silversmithing and gem setting at Temple University. But after losing her job, she’s returned home with nothing left but her gift as a plant whisperer and Sky’s ghost, who only seems to come around when she cries. Now she’s back at her high school job, working at the Bowen’s farm, Cranberry Rose Company, and trying to avoid Tennessee Reyes, the boy who broke her heart years ago.

This was such a vibrant, imaginative story. I’ve heard it compared to Practical Magic on social media, and I partly agree. There are similarities, but this is a unique story that drew me in and kept me turning pages well into the night. Witch of Wild Things is a book about relationships- with family, lost loves, and with yourself. It’s a book about strong women with gifts many people don’t understand. But it’s also about reconciling with those you love and letting go of secrets. I would categorize it as Magical Realism with romantic elements, as I believe the main focus isn’t necessarily on Sage and Tenn, but rather on Sage reconnecting with Teal, figuring out why Sky is haunting her, and letting go of past hurts caused by her aunt and Tennessee Reyes.

The worldbuilding is well-developed, easily capturing my attention from page one. I enjoyed the magical elements, well rooted in folklore and Sage’s family’s cultural history. I think Sage is a character readers will root for, I know I did. There were times her honest reactions and inner thoughts about certain people and events made me laugh out loud.

The romance is slow-going, as Sage is still harboring feelings for Tenn, but mad at him for events that happened back in high school. Readers quickly learn that they communicated over IM back in the day, growing a friendship, but never meeting in person. Those communications are slowly revealed before the start of every chapter before the BIG thing that happens at the end when everything plotwise comes to a head. It’s a sweet romance, not really spicy, but there is a HEA.

The ending made me smile. It was wholly unexpected and I liked that. Now I’m hoping to get more books in this series, there are more stories to tell. Especially Teal, a certain bar worker, and a kiss that could have been more.

This is one of my favorite books of 2023.Fans of Like Water for Chocolate and Practical Magic will find this beautifully written book unputdownable. Sisterhood and romance meet expertly on its pages.

This was so delightfully cozy and warm. Encanto meets Practical Magic and You've Got Mail, Witch of Wild Things is a must read cozy fantasy romance!!!

I don't want to say that I'm surprised that I really enjoyed this book, because it does have many elements that I usually enjoy. However, a lot of these types of books feel same same to me, and this one kind of did, but there was something unique about this that kept me reading. I felt frustrated and defensive of the main character. I also really wanted to see how the mysterious elements were going to unfold.

For starters, what a great title?! And, great cover! This book meets the expectations of the title with witchy vibes meets a story about sisters meets enemies to lovers romance with just a touch of mystery and a focus on trauma.

I love magical realism witch books, particularly ones with a focus on celebrating and viewing the magic in nature. If, like me, they make you want to buy a cabin in the woods and live off of the land, then this book will speak to you.

After Sky, the youngest Flores sister, dies, Sage Flores has avoided her magic, her family, her hometown, her high school heartbreak, and acknowledging the pain of her sister's death. But, when situations force her to return home, she is forced to confront all of it and more.

Using her power to communicate with plants, she gets a job at a local rose greenhouse to discover interesting flowers in surrounding lands. Unfortunately, she is partnered with the man who, unknowingly to him, broke her heart in high school. Even more unfortunately, she is being haunted by her youngest sister while her other sister continues to blame her for Sky's death.

The ending was (slight spoiler) a little too perfectly happy for my taste, but I do like a happy ending, so I got over it and really enjoyed this perfect, cozy read!

I wasn't personally connecting and stopped after chapter 3 (6%). However, the writing is easy, the pacing so far feels good, and I can see this being an easy three stars - and four to five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

Witch of Wild Things is magical realism at its finest. The seeds of grief, loss and regret in Raquel Vasquez Gilliland’s debut blossom into an enchanting story of love and family that is both deeply healing a true delight to read. I wasn’t able to put it down!

Intrigued by this one due to the popularity of her YA novel, but it just did not work. There was an incredible amount of information overload at the beginning of the book with no explanations or context. A secretive magical system with ghosts and old gods and offerings and nature powers, dual timelines, two potential love interests right away, a dozen plot threads introduced. Any of that would have been compelling if there had been just any additional context or world building.

If we do end up ordering this, it will be off of the reputation of her YA novel, which has a Nutmeg Award for CT, in addition to the national ones.

This was definitely slow to pick up. for me, but I did enjoy it mostly. I love the magical realism and and it gave me Practical Magic vibes.

RATING: 4/5 STARS

Racquel Vasquez Gilliland writes a lush, atmospheric romance with touches of magical realism. This novel is grounded in nature, botany, and witchy spirituality. Her writing style is so unique and descriptive.

PSA: It’s okay to not include dirty talk during your sex scenes

Anyways, I thought this was such a sweet book and I loved the over arching theme about humans and the environment and standing up for yourself, hit good lord her dirty talk just… took me out man. Also, I was getting very bored about 70% through and it was a real struggle to read the next 10-15% of it before I cared again. Overall, it was fine and would have been a 4 star had it not been for that 70-85%

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I tried to get into this book but did not connect with the characters.

This was a slow starter for me, I couldn’t engage with the characters. The turning point was when Sage confronted her sisters boyfriend and she met Tenn again.
I loved the magic elements of the story and the three sisters and their individual talent. I would have liked a dual storyline with Teal so we got more of her story, Maybe there could be a sequel to follow her life?
A really good dose of magic realism made this a solid read. If you liked Practical Magic but want something a little lighter and romantic, this is for you.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

First, thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this advanced reader copy of Witch of Wild Things.

This book was solidly 5 stars for me. The writing was engaging, and I didn't want to put this one down. I really hope the author publishes another two books about the other sisters. The best way to describe this book is dreamy. I want more just like it.

I haven't been reading much lately, and I have been having a difficult time finding stories that I enjoy, and this book was just what I needed. I want to be a witch of wild things. :)

A beautifully enchanting tale of a second chance romance, the reconnection of a broken family and the magic of nature. I absolutely couldnt put it down. I loved the chemistry between Sage and Tenn! This modern day witchy story has everything you need to feel loss and love; anger and redemption.

This book was super cute! I enjoyed the fact that magic is an aspect, but it still seemed like the events that took place could still happen in real life. The idea that the main character can talk to plants is very fitting with the "plant mom" trend. I think a lot of us talk to our plants! The romance is sweet, but predictable so I took a star off for that. Lets not forget the dead sister. An interesting twist, and a positive one!