This was an enjoyable read. Perfect amount of magic and witchiness. I can see how it was compared to Gilmore Girls with the family vibes and banter/qualms between Flair, her daughter and grandma. Love that the town focuses so heavily on Halloween.

Leaving a cheating husband behind, Flair Hardwicke and daughter Lucie start over in Rattleboro, Kansas, the town that once broke Flair’s heart. With a failing bakery and a daughter intent on moving home, Flair’s life hasn’t been easy lately. Add her chaotic mother, cursed ex, cute first love, and crazy family secrets, the stakes are higher than ever.

The vibe of Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic is a spot on description for this book.. It masterfully brings magic into the day to day life of mothers and daughters, with the twist of magic and heavy secrets Getting to explore love, friendship, taking control of power and the grips of fate, this book really accomplishes so much in so few pages. I loved the contrasting relationships of Cynthia/Flair vs. Flair/Lucie, as well as the romantic relationships of Flair/David vs. Flair/Jude. From the characters to the plot to the magic system, this book was well thought out and executed. It lacked a little build up of the world and the magic at first, but the twists and turns and never quite knowing what was coming really made up for that.

Like a warm hug of magical goodness, Playing the Witch Card is the ultimate October read. I cannot recommend enough.

I love all things witchy, magical, and Halloween-y, and this book did not disappoint. It will be a great fall read when it comes out in September. I did get Practical Magic vibes; David = Jimmy Angelov, pretty much. I can definitely see them making a 2nd book, but from Lucie's perspective, and her starting to learn magic from her mother and grandmother. Before reading this book, I knew a little about tarot, and this has made me want to learn more. Overall a good read. I wanted to give this one 4, but it's more of a 3.5 for me. Was a little slow at the beginning, but it picked up. Has all the witchy, magical, charming vibes needed for a fun Halloween read with just a dash of romance. I just wish I had read it in the fall, and not the spring.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP
Putnam for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

It took me awhile to get into this book. The first 25% was really confusing. It’s slow until around 45%, and then really picks up at 75%. The end is pretty packed with cool witchy Halloween tarot / magic goodness. I don’t love slow builds so in my opinion the first half of the book needed to be edited better or have a bit more action.
Basically, we have a main character (the mom) who spends the entire book blaming everyone else for her problems, doesn’t take responsibility for her parenting mistakes, avoids her magic for *reasons* despite moving back to the TOWN OF MAGIC and is terrible to her kid in the guise of protecting her from a mysterious bad fate we all know will happen regardless because it’s a book. Then boom, the *bad thing* happens and mom goes oh shiz my magic is dope and why am I the way I am and why did I spend the first 85% of this story/my whole life in denial about myself and why was I lying to my child about magic I should have told her the truth from the beginning. Smdh. The book had two big twists I didn’t see coming, even though I knew a bad thing was coming, I didn’t know what bad thing it would be and that part was pretty cool.
There was potential For the backstory to be way cooler if it was presented in a way less confusing way. The random memories made Marie (mom’s grandma) - seem to have multiple personalities and the animosity with Renee was all weird hints and slights with no depth. Jude was not a believable human let alone character, but he rounded out the book and I love that he existed because warm fuzzies for the man who puts up with all of this insanity. Josie is either the most amazing friend everyone needs or a total doormat of a human, but main character mom would have been totally screwed with out her. I wish we had more than the one person pov, I think that would have really helped me because the Mom was just really annoying and stubborn. 3.75 stars cause while it was a good read, it had a few flaws I couldn’t get past to fully enjoy the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Why I loved the book
-Tarot is my favorite magical practice so I get very excited when it features in cute/fun stories
-The main character's frustrations with both love and her magical abilities feel grounded and relatable.
-Pacing was handled very well
What didn't work as well for me
-dialogue was somewhat stilted between the main characters and side charterers.

Who I would recommend this title for
Readers looking for a fun romance sprinkled in magic and mystery will find themselves at home in the pages of Playing the Witch Card by KJ Dell'Antonia.

Thank you so much to Penguin Group Putnam for sending me this arc reading the description, I was compelled to request . However, I have decided to unfortunately Dnf this title . I honestly had another type of story in mind . However, all this being said , I highly recommend this book to a younger/YA audience. This book has corky characters along with a small town Halloween vibe.

A magical second chance romance with chaos galore!

With a cast of loveable and deplorable characters, you'll find yourself immersed in a world of misbehaving magic, teenage rebellion, and self-discovery.

I wasn't a fan of Flair's mother in the beginning, but by the end of the book, I loved her! She's so corky and outrageous.

If you love Practical Magic, you'll definitely enjoy Playing the Witch Card.

There's tarot cards, a hexed ex, magic with Gilmore girl/practical magic vibes. This was a fantastic witchy book. I enjoyed the magic and the romance.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

The book "Playing the Witch Card" by KJ Dell’Antonia is an entertaining and charming read that blends magic, romance, and family drama in a delightful way.

The protagonist, Flair Hardwicke, is a strong-willed and relatable character who has turned her back on magic and love after witnessing the destruction they caused in her mother's life. However, when she inherits her grandmother's home and bakery in Rattleboro, Kansas, Flair finds herself drawn back into the magical world she thought she had left behind.

The story is well-paced and engaging, with a cast of colorful and memorable characters that add depth and humor to the plot. Dell’Antonia's writing style is clear and engaging, and she has a talent for crafting vivid and enchanting descriptions of the magical world.

Overall, "Playing the Witch Card" is a delightful read that will appeal to fans of magic, romance, and family drama. It is a perfect blend of whimsy and heart, and a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good tale of love and magic.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP
Putnam for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Really liked this book. I loveeee a book with some magic in it. And I liked that things progressed gradually and there were some surprises. I like a book with a little more spice and this had basically none but that’s personal preference! I’d love a second part from the same universe!

Flair Hardwicke has always been skeptical of two things: love and magic. When she inherits her grandmother's bakery in Kansas, she's determined to keep her business strictly magic-free, even though her grandmother had a side hustle in fortune-telling. However, Flair's world is turned upside down when a batch of Tarot card cookies she bakes for the Halloween celebration unleashes the power of her family's deck. The unexpected consequences include the return of Flair's first love, her magic-obsessed daughter, and her unpredictable mother's arrival in town.

As Flair tries to manage the chaos, her efforts backfire and she falls into the clutches of a powerful witch. Suddenly, she realizes that she can no longer ignore the magic within her. With her ex under a curse she cannot break and more than just her reluctance to become a witch at stake, Flair must embrace the magic she's always avoided if she hopes to save herself and those she loves.

Wow! “Playing the Witch Card” was a captivating story full of small-town charm and magic. I wish there was a Rattlebones trail to visit! As a mother, Flair’s relationship with her daughter and her mother were nuanced and I think it’s something I’ll reflect on as my kiddos grow into their teen years. It took me about 4 chapters to really get into the writing and the characters, but once I did I could not put the story down. I have never been one to dabble into tarot but after reading the book and the acknowledgments at the end, I might get myself a deck!

NetGalley and Putnam were kind enough to provide an advanced copy of this book to read. I LOVED IT!

I always enjoy a good contemporary witch novel, and this one surpassed my expectations. It was highly entertaining and the “romance” aspect was very minimal (which I prefer!). Sometimes you read these and the “one that got away” storyline can hijack the action. Not so in this one, it was definitely all about the women at the My only complaint was the main character, Flair. You just want to shake her and tell her to get over herself! Her foot dragging IS a major component of the story arc and how the action plays out, but you still want to smack her and tell her to get her head right 😆

Very quick read, and it will be a very timely seasonal read when it releases this fall. This was my first experience with this author, and I’ve already added another of hers to my TBR. I’ll definitely be buying the finished copy of this one for my collection.

I was totally surprised by this. I thought it would be ok, but boy was I wrong. It was absolutely stunning. I would give it 6 stars if I could. I highly recommend this.
I just reviewed Playing the Witch Card by KJ Dell'Antonia. #PlayingtheWitchCard #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls is the perfect way to describe this delightfully spellbinding story about mothers and daughters, fate, forgiveness, reclaiming one’s power, and embracing one’s magic ✨ Writing about female relationships and magic paired with food is definitely Dell’Antonia’s strong suit - and you can’t go wrong with a bakery that serves up magical treats!

I went in expecting a story about mothers and their magical daughters, and was delighted by the darker mystery that unfolded. The small town setting was charming and readers find themselves completely immersed in Rattleboro where people travel to experience its Halloween festivities, spooky trails, and witchy thrills.

Overall, I really loved how this was a story of turning fate on its head and the possibilities within tarot. I especially loved Dell’Antonia’s acknowledgements and her statement on tarot - “even when we can’t control the plot of our lives, we still control the narrative: the story we tell ourselves along the way.”

Thanks so much for the ARC. I enjoyed her other 2 books more but it was interesting to see how things worked out in this one. I learned a lot about tarot cards.

Magically chaotic!
Flair Hardwicke is just trying to survive - starting over in the town she grew up in with her daughter after separating from her unfaithful husband. Taking over her grandmothers bakery shouldn’t be too difficult, right? WRONG! Enter an overwhelming Halloween festival, nosey townspeople, an old flame, a cursed almost ex husband, an eccentric overbearing mother and an ancient big bad magical doomsday - it’s a bit overwhelming to say the least! Full of baked goods, an Emily Gilmore vibes mother, teenage hysterics and a budding romance - Playing the Witch Card was a fun and unique read!

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The book is described as Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic, two of my very favorite things and that just absolutely hits the nail on the head.

Flair Hardwicke moves back to the town she grew up in when her grandmother passes and inherits her grandmother's home and bakery. Flair has magic in her blood but she fears it so rejected it at every chance she got and kept this secret from her own daughter. Their family's magic says to stem from one specific deck of tarot cards that Flair had kept hidden and as much as she wanted to could not find it in her to destroy them.

Flair is asked to provide a desert for a Halloween trail so one night she is decorating cookies to bring to a committee of sorts to share what she will provide as the desert she finds that had somehow decorated the cookies to look just like the tarot cards she had hidden.

Not long after her mom shows up to her home in the middle of the night with Flair's soon-to-be ex husband in the trunk of a car under a spell of control. (very Practical Magic, we love this) The story is so riveting and I finished it in a day. It was one of those cannot put down books. The characters are all unique and we experience love, found family, re-connections. It has some darkness in it, but it was still a beautiful tale.