What a witch to do when nothing seems to go right? Guess she heads home to the ones who love her best. But they seem to have some belief that she can save them, and she’s not so sure, not with her wonky magic. But maybe, just maybe, this time things will be different. It sure beats the alternative of being single, alone and miserable in London.

I keep saying I’m not a romance reader, but apparently I am, because this was a fabulous read and I loved it. Can’t wait for the next book. Awesome stuff!

Lovely low-stakes and cosy-feeling romance. Definitely recommend this if you enjoy enemies-to-lovers, witches, fantastical beasts and a bit of spice. I'd be so excited if this book would get a sequel to see where the characters are in a couple of years!

This is a cute book! I thought it was fun, witty, and cozy.

Thanks NetGalley for an arc in exchange for my honest review!

Quick Summary: An enchanting wonder

My Review: The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic by Linsey Hall was a perfectly wonderful example of a fantastical romance. It was a love story that was so much more. It shared a story of affectionate love, familial love, romantic love, and love based on charity.

At the core of the story, a witch who has not yet realized her full potential returns to her roots. She is lost, in a sense. She has to face her past losses, her past nemeses, her new competition, her community, and a love that was never given a chance to fully bloom. What will become of her hopes, her dreams, and even her heart once she is courageous enough to get past her issues?

Callan Hawthorne never forgot the girl that got away. She has haunted him. He never thought he'd have a chance encounter with her and yet he does. Unfortunately, she harbors a lot of anger where he is concerned. Will he get a chance to plead his case and win her heart once and for all?

As Aria and Callan face their challenges, they come to truly know themselves and are able to recognize how each of their unique talents contribute to true happiness.

My Final Say: Charming Cove, the Garden of Enchantment, and the people of this magical world hold many treasured delights. I loved it. I genuinely look forward to learning more about this whimsical place and its gifted residents.

Other: I know that the audiobook will be amazing!

Rating: 4.75/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Chemistry: 💕
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Series: Yes

Sincere appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (Bonnie Doon Press), and to NetGalley for making a digital ARC of this title available for review in exchange for an honest critique. The words I have shared are my own.

This book felt like a witchy Rom Com and I was a fun quick read! If you like a magical cap code city, with a rivals to lovers trope, and hilarious banter, you will enjoy this book.

The main character Aria is trying to figure out her place and her way as she is a mess of magic. She comes from a family of witches, but her magic isn’t quite like the others. It just seems to never work the way it’s supposed to so she starts to live her life by her own rules. Staying far away from magic, but it seems to cause mischief as she can’t control it.

One day she is visited by her Grandma and is asked to come home to help save the family business, Seaside Spells, a magic potion shop. The shop is set in this whimsical beachy community, Charming Cove. In order to save the business her Grandma convinces her to enter a competition for the biggest magical fortune in England, as the prize.
Only a few things wrong with this,,, Aria is a mess oh and her nemesis, the handsome, wealthy Callan Hawthorne is in the running for the prize as well.

Such a funny, sweet, lovely book! This is the perfect beach read, or something to read in between those high fantasy or thriller books! I was so pleasantly surprised how much I loved this book. Highly recommend!

3.5 rounded down

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

this was the cutest cozy small town witchy fantasy romance!! so many adjectives, but it really fits under all of these categories. I honestly only rated it as low as I did because it was obvious the ending was going to happen. There were no obstacles for the main character after a few chapters in the beginning.

I also didn't really care about the romance. At the start, I thought this was going to be some sort of enemies to lovers... but it was really only a one-sided enemies to lovers situation all based on a misunderstanding that got resolved very quickly. It was still cute, but I feel like it was advertised as haters to lovers and it shouldn’t have been because he never disliked her

I would still definitely love to revisit Charming Cove in the next book if there is one. There are a ton of side characters that could be explored more. Everything was just so happy and I loved how sweet this fantasy was compared to my normal war and destruction fantasies

I really enjoyed this book, you should go read it!! Available on KU and for purchase

MY REVIEW:
I really wanted to love this book. The billionaire mage, the klutzy witch, the badger familiar, gosh it had such promise.

This cute, low stakes read was marketed as a romance novel, but it is not. At best it is a YA read with romantic elements.

Some parts of the plot felt rushed, and there were chunks that were out of place, with no explanations given.

Also, this is an age gap read, which was not disclosed in the blurb.

Despite the gorgeous cover, this was not for me. If you are a YA reader who loves witchy books, you will likely get more enjoyment from this and I did.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

I received this ARC through NetGalley, all opinions are my own. I would like to thank you the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a fun, cozy, paranormal romance, with low stakes and just nice feelings. It was great to read this after some heavy high fantasy book, and get lost to the magic and romance of Charming Cove.
I recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a nice, cozy story that will take you away from reality for a bit but will not give you emotional damage.

This was a good magical read. It would be perfect for spooky season but I loved it! I really adore witches coming into their own and owning their magic. And this also had a one bed trope?? Sign me up! I think this cozy read will be such a good fall read for anyone who loves witchy romances!

I want to thank Linsey Hall and Bonnie Doon Press for this ARC. This is my honest opinion about this book

Linsey Hall is an author I really like, and trust when she comes out with a new book.

and once again I was not disappointed. This book is a very cute romance, with a theme of second chances and forgiveness. I liked the magic of this book, which remains discreet. It's not a book where the magic is very developed and, above all, very impressive.
I liked the change in the romance: it's Callan, the male character, who makes the effort and takes the lead role in the romantic aspect.

I would have liked the book to be a little longer and to spend a little more time with the characters, I found the ending rather quick. But that's also why I prefer series to one-shots.

Firstly, it’s worth me noting that romcom fiction is not typically my bag. However, there was something about this that drew me to it. And, it ended up being a really fun start-of-summer read! Billed a magical romantic comedy, this is exactly the stuff I loved to read during my summer holidays as a teenager and I enjoyed it now, too.

Aria is our magical protagonist. Hopeless at all of her part-time jobs and deemed a bit of a magical disaster, she finds herself back in Charming Cove with her grandma. Of course, there’s a mysterious handsome man, Callan, involved – a powerful and rich mage – who Aria who she had already hated years ago when they took over a place that she held close to her heart. Of course. When a competition arises in Charming Cove, the pair team up.

What ensues is a silly, cosy, witchy little love story. There are animal familiars, magical creatures, a quirky cast of characters and a little witchy competition to boot. And, I loved it! I devoured it in about two and a half days! This isn’t a groundbreaking story and there could’ve been far more romance but, sometimes, all you need is a magical lil romcom to start summer with.

Fabulous!
I was a little dubious for the first few chapters of the book but soon got round to thoroughly enjoying the book.
I love the concept of witchcraft and magic being integrated into modern society so would have liked to see a little bit more of that rather than just a village that is all magic and sometimes I felt some of the struggles the characters faced were a little easy to overcome. That being said I loved the characters and was rooting for them all the way through the book!
I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!

A sweet and comical witchy romance! This book was so much fun to read! Aria must compete in a magical competition against the man who took her happiness and save her family shop. The only problem is she has little control of her magic and her competition include past bullies.
Watching Aria journey from doubting her own abilities to magical confidence was very satisfying. I loved the way plants and connection to place was so integral to the story.
I found that the romance was hit and miss. They went very quickly from enemies to sort of friends and their main misunderstanding was solved by talking. Having said that there were some really sweet moments between the two.
Loved the townspeople and the spunky animals and familiars.
Overall a great story worth reading!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The premise for this book was so good! A witch whose powers don't work well, a magical competition, a charming competitor that used to be her enemy (and I love enemies-to-lovers stories), and a badger as a familiar? Sign me up!

Unfortunately, this book was not that great for me. I am sorry to say that lots of things did not make much sense to me. For example, the MC is terrible at magic, she says everyone thinks so and she repeats it at least a thousand times, but somehow everyone in her village believes in her so much that they think she will be the one to win and save them, even though she hasn't lived there for years and there are other skilled people from the village who are participating? I don't understand it. Some dialogues also made me cringe.

The MMC was cute and super sweet, I liked him! But I couldn't relate to the FMC at all. I found her annoying most of the time... I liked the fact that she was different, and that was partially explained, but I would have loved to hear more about that, to have more characterization of her magic, what she could do, etc. Maybe it's because I had just finished reading a book with a strong world-building, so this felt not enough for me. Or maybe this genre is just not for me anymore.

I really liked this story. It was funny and sweet. It also had some pretty good character growth of the two MC's not to mention a nicely developed relationship. The side characters added a nice depth to the community. Overall, a very enjoyable paranormal romance. *I received an ARC of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.

Failed witch aria is not just falling at magic. She is failing at life. After being fired from yet another dead end job she returns to her home town to enter a magical competition in order to save her family business. She must compete against 5 others to win ownership of a magical garden. Magic being the main problem because every time she tries to use her magic something explodes.

This book is so beautifully written. A love story where the girl not only falls in love with a man but also learns to love herself.

There are some delightfully funny scenes along the way mostly involving a talking badger.

I would have given this book 5 stars but the ending was a little predictable. However I finished this book in one day and look forward to reading more books by Linsey Hall.

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

La verdad es que pese a que tiene unos detalles, el libro me gustó mucho.

La historia, si bien avanza rápido, es entretenida y dinámica, lo cual hace que siempre estés enganchado en saber qué va a seguir.

La trama es creativa, lo cual se aprecia, y se supo tomar muy bien en cuenta lo referente a la magia, sin embargo siento que, a momentos, faltó un poco de profundización y desarrollo de las escenas, para darles más energía.

Aria es un personaje con el cual es muy fácil sentirse identificada, de verdad, porque pese a todo, y a su realidad, es demasiado humana, y comete errores y tiene inseguridades. De Callan puedo decir que es un personaje maravilloso y debe ser protegido a toda costa, y me habría encantado ver más de su background.

A ratos sentía que los ambientes no eran descritos en su totalidad. Me costó un poco adentrarme al universo porque algunas caracterizaciones eran un poco vagas, pero cuando logré agarrarle la idea, tenía una imagen muy clara de lo que era Charming Cove, y eso me encantó. Sentí algo muy similar con los diálogos, que a veces no eran lo suficientemente descriptivos y me desorientaba, pero la autora logra darle una voz particular a cada personaje(cosa que no todas las autoras logran), que permite después reconocerlas.

Mis personajes favoritos fueron Tabitha y Boris, porque ella era simplemente demasiado buena par ser real (quiero una amiga como ella, y siento que odos merecemos una amiga como ella), y Boris me hizo reír todo el rato.

El romance, si bien escaso, fue muy lindo. Creo, personalmente, que el foco principal de la historia estuvo en que Aria sanara y aprendiera a amarse y aceptara su poder, más que su relación con Callan. Creo que este libro fue un viaje de autodescubrimiento, y me encantan los libros cuando son así.

Soy amante de la magia, y creo en la brujería, y este libro me hizo reconciliarme un poco con esa parte de mí que ama leer sobre brujas en el mundo cotidiano.

Es un libro de verdad muy lindo, con personajes entrañables y una protagonista que, a través de sus errores, va aprendiendo. En mi opinión, el libro deja un mensaje muy bello: no porque no seas como los demás significa que estás rota.

The Modern Girls Guide to Magic

7/10 ⭐️
1.5/5 🌶️

Struggling to conjure or successfully use her magic Aria is needed home, Cornwall, by her Gran to save her shop. The only way to save her Grans potion shop is to 𝙒𝙄𝙉 the magic competition for Mr Sparrows Enchanted garden, but how is she going to down that when her magic is volatile and unresponsive? Not to mention the powerful, and very handsome and charming, Callan Hawthorne is also competing.

This book was so lovely, charming and funny I loved every minute of it. Aria’s witty and sarcastic familiar badger, Boris, is perfectly loveable. Mostly written from Arias POV I love her attitude and wittiness and contrasted by Callan’s absolutely charming-ness I loved both characters and was rooting for them to just bloody do it! 🌶️ This was a real slow burn - 80%!!

This book is a perfect summer read with all the right vibes, sun, beach, coastal living, beautiful magic garden. I imagine old stone building and old stone walls on small narrow roads and paths and perfect seaside living.


⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️

I really expected and wished that the Garden of Enchantment wasn’t were her powers were unlocked like she assumed, and that after failing to get her powers she went back to the abandoned tower - now Keep Cafe and she saw what a beautiful job Callan did and her powers lit up and under the full moon she saw/felt her grandfather 1 more time - However the ending was otherwise the perfect fix that we needed re: Grandads Tower.

Also when the competition was over, I sort expect a bit more of a magical fanfare and celebration, an official announcement kind of ceremony but it all wrapped up pretty quick.

I look forward to more of the Charming Cove Series. Thank you Linsey for this ARC read.

Thank you NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A witch leaves her home town after a local billionaire gets rid of her Grandfather’s spirit and she vows to never forgive him. One day she has no choice but to return, and finds there to be a competition to save her family’s shop. The only thing is, her arch nemesis is her competition.

A Modern Girl’s Guide to Magic is an enemies-to-lovers romance. For me personally, I didn't find this unique and would have liked much more of the development of their relationship, because it felt like quite a lot was skipped. It also felt like the author was trying to squeeze in as many romance tropes as possible, some of it out of the blue and it didn’t feel like it flowed that well. It was more like ticking them off of a checklist with little development.

Aah, this was so good to read - I whizzed through it. Really enjoyable.

Thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.