This book is an absolute joy.
Do not expect to be surprised by the ending but it is great fun getting there.
The idea of a magic community in Britain is genius and I loved the story and the characters who fill this world. Great fun.,

What I liked the most about The Modern Girl’s Guide to Magic is the world-building, specifically the setting of the novel.

The way the author has described Charming Cove instantly adds a comfy vibe to the story, and it reminded me of why I love reading fantasy books with witches and wizards.

I could read several more books set in this seaside village location! That’s how mesmerising it is.

The story unfurls in a world where humans and witches co-exist, but the former don’t know about the latter’s presence.

The chapters alternate between the POVs of Aria and Callan, which is essentially done to showcase how their dynamic changes over the course of the story.

Usually, with an enemies-to-lovers romance or a second-chance romance, authors tend to prolong the angst to keep the readers on their toes. That doesn’t happen here. In fact, Aria and Callan’s feelings for each other are so evident that you can predict what’s going to happen.

From the beginning, it felt like their characterisation wasn’t in-depth. I would’ve loved it if their personalities had shone through the narrative.

There is somewhat of a character arc for Aria because of the conflicts she faces. But even through that, you don’t get much of a feel for who she is or the quirks that make her “Aria”.

Moreover, I couldn’t bring myself to care much about Aria and Callan’s relationship. The misunderstanding they had or even its resolution didn’t feel convincing enough. The romance aspect is not heartwarming either.

On the other hand, the multiple quests that these characters had to embark on – that kept me hooked to the book. I always like it when there’s some sort of competition or contest at the core of the plot.

Here too, for the challenges, Aria ventures out of her comfort zone and the journey is interesting to read.

Linsey Hall’s writing is engaging. It’s sufficiently descriptive. I just feel like a couple of elements in the book could’ve been improved upon. That said, I am definitely going to pick up the sequel to this novel.

If you are looking for a light, fun fantasy book to snuggle up with, The Modern Girl’s Guide to Magic should be your next read.

This was such a cute and cozy witchy romance! I love our MMC Callen so incredibly much. Definitely recommend for those looking for a fun and cozy romance, with all of the whimsical witchy vibes!

I really enjoyed this magical book. Aria and Callan are very likable characters, as are all the supporting cast of characters. I especially liked Aria's familiar, Boris the badger. I can't wait to read the next installment in the series.

This was such a cute and cosy read! A slowburn romance sprinkled with magic and humour, as well as friendship, family and plants. This is a light and straight forward read, so I finished it within just a few hours and it left me feeling all warm and happy.

All the characters were great, but my absolute favourite part of this book was Boris the badger. What a freaking amazing character!! He's just there accompanying Aria and eating?? I love it. I want a magical badger of my own.

The plot is quite simple and predictable, but it's all written in such a charming way you can't help but fall in love with the characters and the setting. Definitely recommending this if you're looking for a read to put you in a good mood 🥰

Cute and very original, I could easily find myself falling more into the Charming Cove series. My only complaint was the repetitive nature of the POV switching between Aria and the male-love-interest. It felt a little lazy at times with how often and when the POVs switched.

This was such a fun, cute and cozy fantasy read. It gave me cozy autumn vibes in the summer and I am here for it.
This is a romantasy I guess, but I loved that a huge part of the book was just the FMC, Aria, through her journey to self acceptance and assurance. She's a pretty great lady at the beginning of the book, and at the end, she's a badass witch who learned so much about herself and has formed/rekindled amazing bonds with some pretty great and supporting people in her life.
Of course, the romance part of the story was also fun to read about. I loved this sort of enemies to lovers and the forced proximity. I wish it could have been a bit more developped and that we'd had a deeper understanding of Callan. But, he was sill a pretty great cinnamon roll MMC and we all need those in our life.

All in all, if you're looking for an easy witchy fantasy read, look no further, this one is for you!
I for one cannot wait to read book 2!!

Thank you NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press for an eARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't get through this book fast enough. I really enjoyed the characters and the story. The badger was my favorite supporting character though!

Another charming witchy book added to my forever shelves. This was so cute and left me with warm feelings. I loved the characters and they story. the whole plot was creative and it was a joy to read. I cant wait to see where the rest of the series is going to take us. This is a perfect read for the spooky season.

I really enjoyed this novel, it was so different from other fantasy novels that I have read but in a good way. The setting and the characters worked in good complement to each other and I look forward to continuing the series.

The Modern Girls Guide to Magic follows Aria, a witch who has always struggled to control her magic, who’s living in London and jumping from job to job. But when she’s contacted by her Gran, requesting her return to her home town, she can’t say no. And is thrust into a battle of sorts, to control the most beautiful, resourceful garden in the magic community. Unfortunately, this means competing against Callan, an old spark and someone she deeply dislikes after he built on top of her Grandfathers favourite spot. But all isn’t as it seems. And as it becomes apparent that wires we crossed between herself and Callan, her feelings towards him grow. And with the competition hitting its peak. Who will win the garden? And can Aria finally figure out her magic and her feelings for Callan?

This book is such an easy read. I enjoyed every page, it really made me smile and giggle. Linsey knows how to hit all the right emotional spots! And with me being a UK reader, this book felt so familiar, in a way that I feel made me enjoy it even more!

I adore all the characters. They all have their own massive personalities, especially Boris (hehe).

All in all it’s a lovely refreshing, quick read for anybody who enjoys romance and fantasy or wanting to get into the genre, without all the massive world building and over complex descriptions. In all the good ways, I would recommend this book to anyone.

Thank you so much to Linsey Hall and the publishers for sending me the arc!

It was a okay read for me. The story in the first half was very engaging but the second half felt flat. The characters were flat. This story and the characters lack depth which I think is the main point that I gave it 3 stars but I still recommend to read it because it’s a happy lighthearted read for those who love to get flowed by the story , this one is for you. Though I felt the lack of depth the novel was very easy to read through and I finished it so fast

Thanks to NetGalley and the editors for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sincerely, I thought this was a really good book until 60%. The magic, the relationships between characters... All great! But I like my romances with some spicy scenes, and I noticed that the MC's chemistry started to fail around the 65% of the book. Maybe that's only my perception because I would've included a sex scene there, but I felt that the relationship wasn't evolving. And then the "spicy" scene (that wasn't explicit) was a bit meh for me. It was kinda hard for me to end the book because those are important aspects in a romance for me.

I liked the rest of the book, and I recommend it to people that want to read romances without very explicit sex scenes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

This book is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets contemporary witches and gardens. My favourite part was Boris the badger familiar. Definitely the highlight of the book for me.

I struggled with some of the conceits of this book. A big one was that one of the leads has been obsessed with the other since they met them as a child and the obsessor was an adult. He acknowledges this is "pervy" but that's really the only condemnation and he still pursues her.

I was also confused on whether this is the most important witches' garden in the world or Cornwall or the UK because surely if it was the world, you'd have way more people not from this teeny town or even the UK to compete? But they keep saying they can't get any of this stuff anywhere else? So I don't really understand what's up there.

Also, there are an instance where the main character is told she's "not like [the other girls]. you're better.", so -- gross. I really wished someone would tell Aria she didn't need to unlock super special powerful magic to be herself, she just needed confidence.

The competition ending was pretty anti-climactic and <spoiler> Callan gets rid of the cafe for Aria even though it seemed like the whole town loved it and it provided jobs and entertainment and stuff, so that's pretty selfish. </spoiler>.

The book definitely has it issues, but there is a cute romance in there. Too bad we're gonna have to eat Callan when we eat the rich. 3 stars.

This book was such a fun, cozy, charming read. I adored the characters, the pacing, and the village of Charming Cove.

Callan & Aria's relationship grew organically and helped contribute to the storyline. This really was an enjoyable, quick, and fun witchy read.

This is a cute book full of magic and family working together. I had a hard time following the romance side of the story though. The main characters were enemies for the majority of the book. It felt as though sometimes he would disappear completely and they didn’t have enough time to be “in love”. The story was a bit predictable. Overall, not a bad book a good light magical read. This was an advanced reader copy #netgalley

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Modern Girls Guide to Magic by Linsey Hall!

Thanks, NetGalley, for this ARC.

The premise of this book held so much promise; sadly, it disappointed me.

With the promise of romance, magic and even a little gardening, as a green-fingered romantic, I wanted to love the story, but the romantic interactions were flat and awkward, making it difficult to invest in the relationship. Some moments felt forced, and long-held beliefs were overturned quickly, leaving an unconvincing connection.

The magical elements were intriguing, particularly toward the end, but I wish they were more fleshed out.

That being said, if your looking for a quick magical cosy read, this might be just the ticket. It has charming characters, quaint settings, and whimsical adventure. A sweet spot to get lost for a little while.

Things I loved: the plot really sucked me in. This felt like a Hogwarts Legacy side quest in a book and Aria's village felt like visiting Hogsmeade.
Things didn't love: basically whole the love interests
POV. There was some weird age gap commentary that felt unnecessary to the story and the only thing he ever describes liking about her is the way she looks.
The writing itself was okay but the plot was so good it more than made up for it.
Tags:
- dual POV
- he fell first
- enemies to lovers
- forced proximity/stuck together
Overall, this was a cute magical read that I think just needs a little re-working/editing.

‘The modern girl’s guide to magic’ is a story about Aria, a young witch who left her hometown because she felt like she didn’t belong. But when her grandmother asks her to participate in a competition that could help them save the family’s shop, she cannot say no. Returning to her hometown, Aria discovers that not everything (and everyone) is as it first seems.

This book was really cosy and read easily. Aria is a fun character and the setting is described really nicely. But there are two reasons that made me decide to give this book ‘only’ three stars.

First of all I felt like some parts of the story were really slow, while others went by really fast. Sadly, the most interesting parts felt a bit rushed.

The second reason has to do with the characters. Aria was described well and I feel like I got to know her, but I cannot say the same of the other characters. Compared to Aria, they felt a bit flat. I cannot say that I feel like I know who they are.

But all in all the story was nice and I was invested in finding out what would happen to Aria, so if the author writes a sequel, I will probably read that one as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and … for the ARC of this book!