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.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets The Amazing Race but make it witchy and romantic. This book was so fun. This is a story about a witch in her 20's that has struggled with her identity and her magic for most of her life, to the point where she felt like she was the town pariah. She left her hometown and family behind to try to get on her own two feet, but continued to struggle. She cannot hold down a job and still cannot control her magic. Until one day her grandmother convinces her to participate in a competition to become the new owner of her hometown's magical garden, known globally to all witches and mages.

At the root of it all, pun intended, this was.a feel good story about a girl that learns to find herself, appreciate what makes her different and special, and even more, the best person for the job. When your passion lines up with your purpose, when you find your self worth, reconnect with your family, and build your future with all of the pieces. This was beautiful.

Not to mention the romance! I love how the male main character was written: smart, charming, rich, and powerful but not afraid to take a step back and let the woman shine. There was the use of the miscommunication trope, but it does not drive the entire plot, which is refreshing. The conflict gets resolved early and it is up to the characters to decide to grow and move past it.

The magic system was interesting to me. There was typical witchy magic you would expect but also magic in direct correlation to plants, which was new to me and intriguing. (This coming from someone who struggles with common succulents, I still found it interesting.) It is appealing when you are introduced to new magic systems and it does not feel ridiculous.

This is the first book in a series of stand alone romances, and I will definitely be coming back for more.

Aria is a witch, but her magic doesn't work. She's been living in London, performing various jobs for a while. Unfortunately, her wonky magic gets in the way of each job and she finds herself out of a job. After several years of this, her Gran shows up to take her home. Aria is needed to win a competition back in Charming Cove and Gran thinks she's just the witch for the job. If only she could fix her magic.

She gets back to Charming Cove and soon discovers her competition, which includes her childhood bully Serena and Callan, the powerful mage that she has a major grudge against. Soon she's in the midst of competition and is finding out more about herself and those around her.

This was a cute story about an oddball in the world of magic. It goes a long way to show how we can all fit into our society. It's a matter of finding our own spaces. The romance with Callan goes much as expected. He's not all he seems and there is a connection between the two. I was a bit underwhelmed by the hows and whys of Aria's magic. It would have been good for the world-building to provide a better explanation and fit it into the magical world created there. I'd also have liked to see more of a buildup in the romance with Callan. Otherwise, there were some interesting characters along the way. This seems to be the first of a series, so I am interested to see where this goes next.

Overall, an enjoyable read that leaves me wanting more. I give this 3.5 stars out of 5. Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnie Doon Press for giving me an advanced reader copy. I have provided this review voluntarily.

I'm sorry I can tell this is going to be a really popular book, but I could not get into it. I just think there is an overabundance of stories with little tiny, dainty femcs with a little bit of an attitude. If I'm going to enjoy it at this point, it has to be done really well and this was just... alright. If you're not tired of that trope, you will definitely enjoy this book, it just wasn't it for me.

(3.5 stars rounded up to a 4)

The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic by Linsey Hall is a contemporary paranormal fantasy romance, and the first book in the Charming Cove series. We follow our two main characters with alternating points-of-view.

Aria is from a magical family, but her magic has never worked like everyone else's. She's been away from her hometown of Charming Cove for seven years after everyone there assumed she was a magical dud. After being fired from yet another mundane job, her grandmother asks her to return home to enter into a competition to help save their family shop. Of course, as soon as she returns, she runs into Callan--the wealthy mage she's held a grudge against for years.

For starters, Charming Cove lives up to its name and it seems like a really cute place! I adore Aria's grandmother and her friends. Her best friend Tabitha is also great. Aria feels a bit immature for her age, but overall I did like her.

I really enjoyed the magic system here. I'm a bit of a plant person, so magic + plants is a big draw for me. Boris the badger familiar is a phenomenal character and I love him.

The "miscommunication" that is the impetus of the sort-of-enemies to lovers trope didn't really land for me. The pacing also felt a bit off, especially with how quickly their romance goes from 0 to 100. I would have appreciated a bit more depth throughout the whole book.

If you're looking for a cozy fantasy romance, or something that's pretty light-hearted, this is a great option to pick up. It's a really quick and cute read.

Tropes in this book include: enemies to lovers (light), rom com, competition, forced proximity

🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑 3.4/5

Aria has run away from her hometown where she is labeled a “magical disaster” by her classmates and the town she grew up in. However, she is forced to return to Charming Cove when her grandmother asks her to participate in the Garden of Enchantment competition to help save their family’s magical potion shop. The competition requires her to work with Callan Hawthorne, a billionaire mage who she loathes, and the two must navigate their complicated relationship as they compete to win the contest.

Overall, I found "The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic" to be an enjoyable and entertaining read. While the story was unique enough to stand out, some areas could have been further developed. For instance, while the magical elements were engaging, I felt that the characters could have been more fleshed out. I didn't connect with any of the characters like I wanted to and felt that most of the time they fell flat on the pages. Aria’s struggles made sense but it didn’t feel so though she struggled as much as she said she did. Everything came easily to her, and she didn't have to overcome much aside from the fact that her magic was different from everyone else's. Which was just handed to her without any struggle. Her emotions felt erratic and unpredictable switching quickly from being mad to no longer angry about something she had spent years being pissed about. The writing relied heavily on telling the reader how the characters were feeling, without enough internal struggles to make those emotions feel authentic and believable. Callan came across as flat and lacking in personality, aside from being enthralled with Aria. Although he voiced his struggles, they didn't come through as much as they could have. For being a “billionaire playboy” his dialogue was the complete opposite.

The POV bounced back and forth between Callan and Aria but their voices were nearly identical so there were times I forgot who was speaking. The actual romantic interactions felt forced. I’m usually very giddy when the enemies finally give in to their passions, but it felt lacking. The spicy scene was incredibly uncomfortable too, one second they were standing there the next they were laying on the ground. It, too, felt forced.

Overall, "The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic" is a fun and lighthearted read that will appeal to fans of romance and magic. The book is not without its flaws, however, as some of the plot points feel a bit too easy or forced and the characters lack depth. Despite this, the magical elements and plant descriptions are engaging and the story is unique enough to keep readers interested. The enemies-to-lovers trope is present but could have been developed further to make the romance more believable. Those looking for a cozy and easy read will enjoy "The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic," but those who crave deeper characters and more complex plotlines may be left wanting.

The Modern Girls Guide to Magic is a wonderful book about Aria a witch from a powerful town and family who has despite everyone’s best efforts to help her has never been able to properly use and control her magical abilities. Because of her shame and the constant bullying she endured when she was young Aria moved to London to learn how to live on her own in a new life without the pressure of being unable to use her powers. When a magical competition to win the most prestigious and beautiful garden in her home town. The garden supplies almost every magical plant for spells and potions for not only the town but more importantly her grandmother’s potion shop which has been in the family for generations. If Aria can’t win the competition the shop will surely go out of business. But how can Aria win without her magic.

And if that’s not bad enough she must compete against one of the richest and most powerful mages in the world. And of course this same mage took away her only ability to spend time with the spirit of her grandfather after he bought and renovated a place so beloved to Aria that she will never forgive or forget what Calen did. Although she never fully explained to him why the old grounds were so important to her can Aria find happiness again, embrace her powers, find love, save her town and grandmothers shop while find a way to compete against Calen for the win? Whew sounds like a lot of work! Grab a copy to see if Aris is up to the challenge in this wonderfully fun and engaging read! I highly recommend it this was a fantastic book.

Very cute start to this new series from Linsey Hall! This book screams Ready Player One meets Sabrina the Teenage Witch (the O.G., not the dark Netflix version).

We all love a bumbling, uncomfy-in-her-own-skin FMC, and that’s definitely what this book gave us in the first few pages, no questions asked. Aria was funny, self-deprecating and aware of her limitations, sometimes to the reader’s detriment.

On the flip side, I felt like I barely knew Callan, our MMC, outside of his ambition and attempts to live up to the expectations/dreams of his father, a ruthless businessman.

Aria and Callan’s relationship formed super quickly for my taste, and I struggled rooting for them when it felt like they didn’t know each other at all.

Is one full star for Boris the Badger? Yes, yes it is. Overall, I enjoyed reading this, but am unlikely to pick up further books in this series.

Thank you, Netgalley, Linsey Hall, and Bonnie Doon Press for the ARC

A lighthearted, fun, enemies to lovers, romantic comedy full of magical mayhem. Yes please!


Thank you Netgalley and Bonnie Doon Press for the advanced eArc in exchange for my honest review.

It was a fast read, I enjoyed the premise of the story.
Nonetheless there were a few mistakes and some things that kind of annoyed me.

1. “…. along with my friend Tabitha. Tabitha, as we called her, …” there’s no reason to mention that if it’s the same name. Later on in the book she’s suddenly called Tabby, just once.
2. They mentioned the importance of the garden a bit to much, we know it’s important but we don’t need to read it 50 times.
3. In the airplane to Germany Callan and Aria are drinking champagne when they suddenly mention wine for 2 sentences and go right back to champagne. Example “you’ll just have to down your wine”.
4. Mentioning things multiple times but different ways, feels like you are writing an essay for school and you need to hit a certain amount of words.

I liked the idea of Aria being a plant witch, it was a refreshing take. I’m excited to read about them some more.

A cute urban fantasy with a second chance love interest and the main characters needing to prove themselves, not to forget an adorable badger named Boris as a familiar.

This was a super quick read with great pacing and supportive characters which added greatly to the storyline. I also loved that Aria embraced her differences to become what she needed to be.

Pick this up if you are in the mood for an easy, fun read or to cleanse your palate after an intense read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnie Doon Press for the opportunity to read this sweet book

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

This book was a cute & cozy romance book with some magic sprinkled in. It was a super lighthearted and comical read. If you love romantic/fluffy comedy, you’ll love this book!

It is listed as an adult book, but I think that some of it tends to read a little bit younger.

Overall, it was a very cute read! Definitely a good palette cleanser!