this had a super cute, small town witchy premise for spooky season! i enjoyed the main character, but it became very slow for me personally and lost me somewhere in the middle. it was cute enough but somewhat predictable, yet some parts were a bit out there? while i didn't dislike it, it was definitely not a new favorite.

I thought I would share a couple of suggestions for anyone looking for something with seasonal flair, but easy on the scares. KJ Dell’Antonia’s Playing the Witch Card and Stacy Sivinski’s The Crescent Moon Tearoom deliver cozy fall vibes with some witchy magic.

Playing the Witch Card —

Flair Hardwicke may have turned her back on magic years ago, but magic isn’t done with her yet. Flair flees, from a philandering husband, with her daughter, to start over in the hometown she left behind. Rattleboro is a bit Star Hollow, only with magic, and the town is about to celebrate the annual Halloween Trail, under a Black Moon. Things are getting stranger by the minute, but when Flair’s batch of tarot shaped cookies start influencing her customers, she knows she is in trouble. But the trouble is only starting, and Flair may have to embrace the magic she’s rejected, and play the witch card, in order to protect those she loves.

👩🏻‍🤝‍👩🏼mother/daughter relationship
❤️ second chance love
🃏 magic tarot
🪄 powerful adversary

The Crescent Moon Tearoom —

The Quigley sisters, Anne, Beatrix and Violet, have run the Crescent Moon Tearoom, since the untimely death of their parents. They have one another, and the customers that pleasantly buzz about the shop sipping their peony tea, eating their strawberry scones and waiting to have the dregs of their tea read to them. All is well until the Council of Witches call on the sisters, inform them that the city Diviner has lost her powers, and impose an impossible task upon them. At a time when the sisters need to pull together, they only seem to be pulling in different directions. Time is ticking, several destinies and the Tearoom are at stake, will the sisters meet their task, will the family curse separate the sisters, will they lose it all?

👗 sisters
🫖 magical brews
🔮 divination, a magical house
🖤 family curse

Many thanks to the authors @KJDA & @Stacy_Sivinski, the publishers @PutnamBooks & @AtriaBooks, and @NetGalley for the pleasure of reading these delightful digital books in exchange for an honest review.

In Playing the Witch Card by KJ Dell'Antonia, readers are treated to a delightful mix of family, witchcraft, and romance that feels reminiscent of Gilmore Girls intertwined with elements of Practical Magic. The story follows Flair Hardwicke, who returns to her small Kansas hometown to run her grandmother's bakery after escaping a broken marriage. As she prepares for a Halloween celebration, Flair’s fun tarot cookie creation inadvertently unleashes chaos, bringing her unpredictable mother and her cheating ex-husband back into her life. This charming read is perfect for fans of magical realism and eccentric family dynamics, filled with humor and a touch of witchy fun​.

This was a fun read. A little slow in the beginning, but it picked up in the second half. I liked the characters and the general plot, I wish there would have been more interaction with Flair & Jude, and even Flair & Josie.

Definitely gives Practical Magic & Gilmore Girls vibes, a perfect fall, witchy read!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book!

This book took several turns I was not at all expecting, some I liked and some I didn’t. Much of the book seemed to be going in 1 direction: having to come to terms with the magic you’ve rejected and repairing relationships at the same time. This remained part of the plot, but the main focus was more on eliminating an evil being (with so much build up and very little payoff!) that was completely unknown until the last 20%. Not enough time was spent on actually resolving the family conflicts that were built up to be so incredibly hard to address and then suddenly everything was fine. Many of the characters actions are never addressed and everyone just moved on which doesn’t fit with how much the author stressed these problems. Despite these frustrations, I did ultimately enjoy the book and appreciated its nods to practical magic.

Okay, so the first half of this book is so slow and at times I’ve had to put it down and then pick it back up. But it does pick up the second half of the book and makes up for what the first half lacked.

They compare this book to Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic. I am totally getting these vibes. And I am totally here for it. But now I want to go and binge watch Gilmore Girls and Watch Practical Magic.

This book was such a lovely time. It definitely had the feel of a mix of Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic, it promised and delivered!

I love a good witchy romance but sadly this one didn’t deliver. I found the romance part of the book to be a little lacking and there just wasn’t enough in the book to make up for that. Cute cover though!

A "dnf for now," because it's literally been sitting in my "currently reading" for months without much progress. I loved the concept and I honestly liked the writing well enough too, but it's just not scratching whatever mood reader itch that I've had. So I'm going to put it in my "revisit later" shelf and we'll try again some other time.

🫑

This book was marketed as a mashup of Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls. It would have been physically impossible for me to not snatch this one up. It does give off Practical Magic vibes, but I didn’t get Gilmore Girls. Anyways. The romance in this is more of a minor side quest to the main plot line, so don’t go in expecting that to be in the forefront. I honestly rolled my eyes at the FMC because of how ridiculous she acted at points. I did love the pull of Tarot into the plot line, and the cookies. I didn’t see one of the major plot points coming, but the rest was kind of predictable. But it was still enjoyable.

❤️ Tropes ❤️
💋 second chance romance
💋 witchy romance
💋 small town romance

Flair knows magic exists. She just doesn’t want it to. So when she caught her husband sleeping with the nanny, she moved her and her daughter back to the magical little town where her grandma had lived. She inherited both her house and the shop from her, but she’s making changes. No longer a tea shop with a back door open for customers looking for some guidance from a tarot reading, she opens a bakery. Well, she would be if she ever had any customers. When the opportunity comes to design treats for the annual Halloween Trail comes, she can’t afford to say no (even though she avoids all things Halloween) While decorating cookies in a trance, she realizes that she made them look like tarot cards unlike her original plans. And they seem to be moving. She might be done with magic, but it isn’t done with her.

I enjoyed this book. However, it took me two or three chapters to really get into it. After that, the pace of the story seemed to pick up which made it more interesting. If you like tarot cards and witches you will like this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I was excited for this one as it was described as "Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic." So I was a little disappointed as I never did get a small town *feel* even though it is indeed set in a small town in Kansas. I will agree that it's Practical Magic-esque. I enjoyed the magical tarot card aspect. I think this would best be enjoyed in Fall as a cozy witchy read.

Includes:
complex mother-daughter relationships
witchy small town
magical tarot cards / cookies
enchanted husband
sprinkle of romance

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

this is a simple book to read during fall. the first half of the book was slow but the end made up for it.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author because KJ Dell'Antonia just doesn't miss!

This book was a little frustrating for me. What initially sparked my interest was the description of the main characters being akin to the gilmore girls. I didn't see that at all. What I saw was a mom trying to do her best while probably not always making the best decisions, and a preteen who "hates" her mom for making them move across the country but then telling her nothing about her family history. To be honest I might have hated mily mom too if she dragged me back to where she grew up and then kept secrets about my heritage and where I came from.
The romance was there but it was lack lustre. I don't think the male main character had real emotions. I also couldn't tell what he was thinking about his own family half the time.
The book may have been better if it had a multiple POV instead of just the single mom.
I may have been more empathetic and understanding if I had different perspectives.

As someone who isn't super into Halloween but loves a good witch-y story, this book exceeded my expectations. While, I didn't get to read this during spooky season, the timing didn't impact my overall enjoyment of this book as it focuses on so much more than those fall vibes.

If you go into this wanting solely a romance read, I think this would let you down a bit, but if you go into this wanting a story about love, family, and change/growth (while staying true to yourself) set in a small town with what feels like a Stars Hollow backdrop, you will feel refreshed.

This book surprised me with how much it was focused on motherhood, generational trauma, and healing from wounds. I wasn't expecting it to hit this hard at all, and while I wasn't able to fully empathize with the main character fully, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and found it cathartic in a way. 4.5/5

Thanks to Netgalley, and Putnam Books for this digital ARC. The thoughts expressed below are entirely my own with no outside influence.

Playing the Witch Card has a contemporary setting. The FMC, Flair, decides to proceed with separating from her husband after discovering an affair (with the babysitter, ew). Flair along with her daughter, Lucie, move back to Flair’s hometown in Kansas. Flair struggles with facing the parts of her past that she left behind a long time ago. While considering how much of her life is left to “fate”, Flair must also learn to trust Lucie, even if the result may be frightening and unknown.

Playing the Witch Card was centered on themes of motherhood. While I don’t typically choose books from the perspective of middle-aged women, I found that this book was a welcomed refresh to my reading. Following three generations of women witches, who are each on their own path towards discovering their magics was delightful to follow. The plot wasn’t focused on the magic as much, but more so on the dynamic relationships between these powerful women.

A plot point I particularly enjoyed was the intentional journey toward ending generational trauma. The FMC, Flair, had to learn to trust her daughter, Lucie. Flair allowing Lucie to make her own choices, although they may be scary, was a large challenge to overcome. I felt that introducing Flair’s mother, Cynthia, to the story and working towards healing the past wounds between the two left me with warm fuzzies.

I felt that the second chance romance was a bit too “insta-love” for me. I don’t think there was enough time spent exploring that relationship to arrive at the point they reached by the end of the story.
Another challenge with this story was with the pacing. I found myself struggling to get to the 50% point. Beyond the half-way point though, the story progressed in a satisfactory manner.

Overall, it was a cutesy story, with a mostly predictable plot. So, I would certainly recommend this to someone who is looking for a cozy read to enjoy alongside a warm cup of tea. Readers looking for a story that is more “magical realism” versus “fantasy”, or who typically steer towards Lit Fic will likely appreciate this as well.

Content Warnings:
Infidelity, Divorce, Posession, Death, Murder, Domestic Abuse

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley

Fun witchy read perfect for the spooky season. So much fun.