Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my review.

The hype for this book says "Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls" and that was not the vibe I got. PM kind of, but I didn't get any GG vibes. The "romance" was also lacking. If this was being marketed as families and witchcraft and learning to navigate the world, it would be better.

Overall a cute fall vibes book! Just don't go into it expecting Rory and romance and you'll be fine!

This was a perfect book for Halloween. A small town full of witches and magic. I enjoyed this more than Practical Magic.

I love witchy reads so I was excited to get my hands on this new book this season. Overall, not the best witchy book I’ve ever read but also not the worst.

This was the perfect way to kick off fall temps! I’ve loved KJ Dell’Antonia’s work since The Chicken Sisters and In Her Boots. Super atmospheric (yes, it’s basically Stars Hollow!) and does a great job exploring those tricky mother//daughter relationships.

Looking forward to reading whatever KJ writes next!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.

I love a good witch book with some drama going on. For Flair there is drama going on all around her. She has moved from St. Louis to a small town in Kansas that is filled with magic all around. However, Flair has forgotten about some of this magic that is happening and doesn't understand the town hierarch system that is going on. Flair is a town baker and owns a coffee shop/ bakery, which some of her cookies have become magical without her understanding how it has happened. Flair's mother shows up with her soon to be ex-husband who is under a spell and Flair needs to get this reversed. On top of it Jude her teenage romance has shown up to town as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all of the drama that was happening in the town and with magic happening all around.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance read!

I enjoyed the general fall and cozy vibes of this book, but the story and characters failed to capture me. I found it a little cheesy and boring, unfortunately. I wasn’t able to finish this one, but from the first 20% that I did complete, I felt this is a good fit for people who like slow-paced women’s fiction and who enjoy small town settings. It doesn’t feel like a romcom, more like a family and friends drama!
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

Thank you to Putnam and KJ Dell'Atnonia for providing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited for this book and the promise of this story. A mother who is coming back to her small town to have a fresh start with her daughter, only to be drawn back in to her witchy roots and demanding tarot cards...I was so excited for this!

Unfortunately, this story didn't quite live up to my expectations. This story started off strong with the eery witchy feelings of secretive magic and deeply rooted past with her grandma, only to start falling flat half way through. The story has such strong foundations and a well developed plot line, but I felt it was rushed towards the end, when the biggest possible climax of the story was occurring.

There was, also, a lack of character engagement on the romance-side, only to have a weird closure towards the end of the book.

Overall, I have to give this book a mediocre rating to match with how this book left me wanting more.

Oh my, oh my! The perfect atmospheric Halloween fiction book this season. For fans of The Good Witch on Hallmark.

I have been in a horrible autumn reading slump...no mysteries or seasonal autumnal reads have been doing it for me this year. And this ONE HIT THE SPOT. Halloween-y with all the notes, some mystery, a little drama, some magic, holiday decor....and a little bit of Tarot.

Secretly, I am not a fan of friendly contemporary witches; those realistic witches we now have in most contemporary fiction. The Good Witch on Hallmark Channel is the one that does it for me. But this story about magic-avoidant Flair taps all the right notes. If you like the The Good Witch on Hallmark. This will be your vibe.

I enjoyed the use of tarot cards, the small town, Halloween decor and the Halloween trail. That trail gave me good memory feels of haunted houses, haunted trails, trick or treating. All Halloween-y vibes from childhood...come back in adult book form.

Flair is a character who clearly has some issues to work through -accepting her life, her magic and love for her daughter. She is overprotective, a bit of an overachiever, and in the process of controlling every aspect of her life accidentally casts a magic spell on her ex-husband. This ends up causing a bit of mayhem as while trying to fix her own problems, she crash lands into all of the other witchy going-on's in her neighborhood.

I was pleasantly surprised by 2 "gentle", but strong twists that drove the plot line for me. I so wish this book had been more hyped for the season.

Honestly surprised that it hasn't been picked up by some of the bigger book tubers/bloggers/reviews. It's a super good Halloween-niche book.

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for an ARC of this book! Thank you to KJ Dell'Antonia for getting my out of my reading slump.

I made it about 70% through this book before deciding that it's just not for me. I think the main draw for me of this book was the comparison to Gilmore Girls, but somehow instead of being cozy and soothing for me, which was the vibe I needed, it actually kept making me anxious because the family drama had me CONVINCED everything was about to go wildly wrong and also, I don't trust anyone in this book. My reading experience of this book is obviously personal to me, but I would say that I don't feel like this book lives up to the promise of a Gilmore Girls comparison. That said, I hope if you pick it up, you enjoy it more than I did!

I received an advanced copy of Playing the Witch Card by K.J. Dell’Antonia from the publisher Penguin Group Putnam via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Flair Hardwick knows magic is real, but she wants nothing to do with it after she watched it destroy her mother’s life. But when she inherits her grandmother’s home and tea shop (that she converts to a bakery) in Rattleboro, Kansas, a town famous for a Halloween trail unlike any other, she finds magic drawing her back in. When she makes the Tarot card cookies and they unleash the magic of her family’s long hidden family’s deck. The magic unleashed leads to her mother and ex being brought to town and pushing her even more towards magic. To make matters worse, her relationship with her daughter becomes more and more estranged.

What I Loved: I thought the concept was interesting. I liked the book’s general cozy fall vibes. There’s a storyline we get here about 70% into it, that makes the book work plotwise that I thought was fun but wish was introduced earlier.

What I Didn’t Like: I found this book annoying often. I really found that our character’s were very immature. Flair’s entire character is driven by a hatred and fear of magic and the reason isn’t entirely clear, her fear blinds her and makes her make more decisions and make poor interpersonal decisions. I did not buy that Flair was an adult, she seemed incredibly self-centered and was painted as someone who is selfless. A lot of the conflict could have been avoided with conversations. Perhaps, I also found this story irritating because I don’t have a teenager, but I also didn’t understand how Flair’s conflict with her daughter Lucie kept getting out of control and Flair just won’t parent. Flair’s behavior pretty much ruined this for me.

Who Should Read It: People who want books set on Halloween. People who can overlook an immature character.

Summary: A woman hoping to avoids magic moves to a magical town.

This would have been so much more enjoyable if the main character was more likeable. Flair finally becomes relatable at the cookout her mother throws. Until then all she does is complain about Halloween, Magic, and divorce. For a book promoted as "Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic" they only share a small town and magic. I think bringing up the WHY of everything sooner would have helped. Just hinting at the reasons didn’t do much to endear her to the reader at all. The side characters were absolutely fantastic! I loved the town, the mother best friend and love interest.

3.5 stars! #3 on deck for my october spooky reads! I could see the Practical magic element but Gilmore Girls? I didn't quite feel it. thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for the honest review

I went in expecting something totally different than the book that I got. It felt like there was so much time spent not focused on the plot that I didn't even know what the book was about until well past 50% of the total book. While the ending was entertaining, there was just too many unimportant pieces to this very strange puzzle. Just felt like the editing didn't happen as much as I wanted it to. I enjoyed the fall vibes of the book, but left wanting a lot more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

A cute little witchy read for spooky season.

I don't think it was anything unlike the other halloween romances out there, but I still enjoyed reading it.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a rough one for me. I love the premise, and had moments of interest, but overall it just didn't capture me and hold my attention like i wanted it to.

This novel REALLY dragged on for me - it felt like way too much was going on. I wanted to like it, but around the 70% mark, I was just ready for it to be wrapped up in a bow and done. If I wasn’t OCD about finishing all books I start, I feel like this would’ve been a DNF contender. I did enjoy the tarot aspect, which I’ve always found fascinating, but the immense amount of filler in this book made it difficult to get through. I see the Gilmore Girls vibe for sure, so I can say that that aspect held true. And I wouldn’t classify this book in the “romance” category - small hints here and there, but that’s not the main goal of this story (in my eyes, anyways).

I really wanted to like this book as it has so much going for it: small-town Kansas, Halloween, witches, complicated family dynamics. But I honestly think it tried to do too much. There were so many little plots floating around that it was hard for me to keep everything straight and care about any of the characters. I found myself skimming the last 20% to get to the ending. 2.5 stars

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 - I loved the family story at the heart of this one and it gave a lot of fun Practical Magic vibes. I think it could have benefitted from a little more world building since there were so many types of magic included but overall a good witchy read for spooky season!

This witch book is the perfect blend of Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic in the new novel from the bestselling author of The Chicken Sisters! This fantastic fantasy book has characters and a story that are irresistible.

Flair Hardwicke must navigate three generations of magic, two exes, and a Tarot deck that insists on making itself known. This whimsical tale had me loving Flair more with each page and hoping that she would be able to navigate her own past in order to create a happy ending for herself and her daughter. If you love witch books, this pick is the perfect pick.

Playing the Witch Card's summary seemed like it would be a fantastic read for me with the promise of Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic. I found it to be quite slow-going. It definitely falls into the women's fiction category. If you enjoy Halloween-vibe books, you might enjoy this one. However, I didn't find the characters likable so it wasn't for me.

Thank you to Putnam and Netgalley for the ARC. The above opinions are my own in exchange for an honest review.