It’s a me problem not the book.
Honestly I did not enjoy this book I couldn’t even get through it, I was excited because it was Halloween based but the mc was not someone I enjoyed reading about and I didn’t enjoy the writing.it just wasn’t for me.

There was a lot going on in this book - a mother/daughter relationship, a romance, a bunch of magic and a whole lot of chaos. I think I wanted more from the romance honestly. Maybe I would have liked/appreciated it more if I actually read around Halloween but I'm not entirely sure? Overall, there were some things I did like (small town vibes & mother/daughter relationship being compared to gilmore girls in the description) - but I think there was just too much going on to really love it.

This book was okay, while it wasn't life changing and I am not sure I would buy it to have a physical copy, I would definitely recommend it to friends who like this genre of books.

The writing was good and flowed well, the cover is really pretty, and the content of the books was a great combination.

Thank you to netgalley and penguin group for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book!

Playing the Witch Card is a unique fiction story about Flair who recently moved back to the small town she grew up in after inheriting her grandmothers home and shop. Flair has done everything to avoid the magic in her family line. It's almost Halloween and she's asked to bake for the town's large Halloween event, but when Flair actually starts baking, she surprisingly and unexpectedly makes cookies that look just like the Tarot cards that are the source of her family's powers. They're still just cookies though, right? Hard to tell with the chaos that ensues!

This was a fun a story about family, fate, and love (the romantic AND familial kind!) perfect for reading around Halloween. It had a unique magic system, relateable characters, and just the right amount of toil and trouble.

Though I did feel like the book was trying to do a lot in 350 pages, it kept me on my toes and got me in the spooky mood. Definitely perfect for someone wanting to feel the vibes of small town magic akin to Practical Magic or Hocus Pocus!

I listened to 52% of the book before deciding it’s not for me. I liked the premise, but the story didn’t pan out, I found Flair very selfish and her relationship with her ex husband had terrible communication for having a young daughter. I did enjoy the Gilmore girl small town vibes.

Thank you @putnambooks for the gifted ebook.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the eARC! Yet again another book that promises Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls vibes. I did get some Practical Magic but not so much Gilmore Girls. The beginning of this book was rough to get through but it did grow on me. It’s not my favorite of the authors but was pretty good!

This mix of family history, tradition, and forging your path is interesting. When Flair returns to her hometown to run her Nana's bakery, everyone expects her to keep up the practice: the magical practice, that is. Her grandma could tell fortunes with tarot cards and kept the bakery busy with that side business. Flair refuses to give in to using her magic and has rejected it ever since she left her town. Her teenage daughter is fascinated by it and wants to be magical, while Flair opposes this. When circumstances get out of hand with her ex-husband, her daughter's father, she has to come to terms with her magic and seek a way to put him back to right and save the town.

Fun read about a magical town founded by witches, and the lives of their descendants from one of my favorite authors. Highly recommended!

ARC from publisher via NetGalley, but the opinions are my own.

When Flair takes over her grandmother’s Kansas bakery, she refuses to use her family’s legacy - magic. On Halloween, Flair accidentally bakes a set of cookies based on the family’s tarot cards. Chaos ensues - Flair’s mother arrives back in town, her magic obsessed daughter is tempted, her first love pops up, and a powerful witch tries to steal her magic.

I enjoyed this so much! It is definitely women’s fiction and not my usual romance, but there is enough of a romance to keep me reading. It’s a story about family and magic and the magic of family. I’ve loved every KJ Dell’Antonia book I’ve read, and I’d 100% recommend the audiobook.

I loved this concept of a Gilmore-Girl's style witchy tale. I really enjoyed the family dynamics and reading about all the family drama. I was excited when I saw other reviews calling this a meet-cute between Gilmore Girls and Practical magic, and I definitely felt those vibes throughout! This is perfect for those of us who want to read something Halloweeny but not scary!

This book's premise promises and chaos and it delivers. A fun, cozy novel set in a small town... Perfect halloween vibes. It was an enjoyable read but it didn't get me raving like I thought it would. Perfectly decent and that's about it.

"Playing the Witch Card" presents a charming narrative that captures the essence of a small town, reminiscent of Gilmore Girls. However, while the setting aligns with the beloved show, the promised parallels fall short. I think I went into this book with high expectations because of the comparisons to Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic. Despite the unmet expectations, the book is an enjoyable Halloween read.

A classic witchy novel for Halloween! I love discovering new witch lit each October and this one was such a fun ride.

Playing the Witch Card by KJ Dell'Antonia. Pub Date: September 12, 2023. Rating: 3 stars. If you're looking for a cozy fall novel, this is the book for you. Set in a small town around Halloween, this novel has a touch of magic, family, love, loss and fall spirit all wrapped into one story. This novel is about second chances and change with the backdrop of fall vibes. It's an easy read that would pair nicely with a pumpkin coffee and a fall scented candle. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #playingthewitchcard #netgalley

This one was a little slow for me to get into. I think it had some pacing issues, at least for the first half. But by the last third of the novel, I was hooked. I had a tough time understanding the town's background and I guess the lore behind the witchcraft of the town. Some of this was resolved by the end of the book but I think it would have worked better early on. Overall it was a fun little book. It did give HEAVY practical magic vibes. Like, maybe too heavy. But overall, I enjoyed it.

Many thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this one, in exchange for my honest review.

What I Liked

The magic system in this book is really interesting, with some cool twisty hereditary stuff happening that gave it a bit of a spooky vibe I wasn't quite expecting.

If you enjoy multigenerational stories this one definitely has plenty of mother/daughter/granddaughter action going on. Some elements of this worked really well, while others did not (we'll get to that in my "what I didn't like" section).

The Tarot magic in this book was really cool! I loved how the deck had a life of its own and made itself known through cookies when Flair tried to ignore the actual deck.

What I Didn't Like

From the cover and the promotion of this book, I was sort of expecting a lighthearted rom com with some extra family drama on top. However, I found this book was actually pretty dark with some deeper issues and darker moments I wasn't expecting from the tin, so to speak.

The mother/daughter relationship was supposed to be a big part of the book, but I had trouble getting a grip on the daughter as a character. She was so filtered through her mom's perspective that she didn't feel real, which made it hard to feel invested. In fact, most of the side characters felt this way, a bit distant and more caricatures than actual well-rounded people.

The last third of the book went really quickly, with issues resolved far too quickly and easily compared with all the build-up. I would've liked to see a bit more payoff for how much time we spent dealing with certain issues and characters. Certain storylines really felt like they just got cut off at the end without ever resolving.

In all, I think I'd have liked this book a lot better if I was prepared for a slightly darker mother/daughter story rather than a lighthearted witchy rom-com. The romance was a bit of an afterthought and the tone wasn't what I was expecting, which made me enjoy it a bit less. That said, I think Playing the Witch Card is a great fit if you love a multigenerational story with a slightly more serious tone than its cover and marketing suggest.

I loved this book. I loved the tarot cards and how they were woven into the story, and I adored the characters. The powerful female family angle was heartwarming and a little bit stressful to read!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Really great Halloween read and it was easy to imagine being in that exact environment. I enjoyed the character development throughout the story but did feel at some points that it was a bit dragged out.

"Playing the Witch Card" grew on me to the point where I liked it by the end. But the first half of the book is a slog to get through. It’s boring and messy, and if I hadn’t been reading an advance review copy, I wouldn’t have finished it.

But I’m glad I hung in there, because the second half is a huge improvement. Everything that’s wrong with the first 50% somehow manages to right itself, allowing the book to become the fun, witchy mother-daughter tale KJ Dell’Antonia intended it to be.

It just takes a lot of patience to get to the good stuff. Too much patience, probably. So I only recommend giving the book a try if you really want to read it.


My sincerest appreciation to KJ Dell'Antonia, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book about 40% of the way through because the plot was so slow. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.