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.

The Modern Girls Guide to Magic is part of Hall's new Charming Cove series which is a series of stand-alone romantic comedies set in the magical village of Charming Cove, Cornwall. If you've not yet read this book, this review does include spoilers.

I didn't go into this book with many expectations as it's been a while since I've read a book centred around magic and whimsy and it was great that it is set within the real world which meant that there was no need for any world-building.

The book centres around Aria who is a 'failed witch' who left Charming Cove for London following Callan Hawthorne, billionaire property mogul, building on a place she told him meant more than the world to her, or did she?

The miscommunication trope is one that really bothers me, a lot of the time life would be different entirely if they had a conversation, or in this case, Aria told Callan.. Because she didn't and I guess that was supposed to be a bigger part of the plot than it ended up being and this is what makes it 'hate to love'. This for me was miscommunication to lust. Despite that, Callan was such a sweet and genuine guy and the dialogue he had with Aria was very wholesome.

One thing I did find lacking was the lack of description of people. I have no idea what Aria looks like except for golden eyes and nothing for Callan except he has incredible forearms. The other descriptors of people were the older witches who always had grey hair pulled into a bun... A high bun, a low bun, a messy bun. I understand this can be done to leave us to our own interpretations of characters but throughout I had no clue in how their behaviours or any particular characteristics could bring them together as a whole.

The entire book focused on the Garden of Enchantment competition and completing the challenges but the ending was so rushed and Mr Sparrow just being all 'Congrats!' really took away from everything and it could have been so much more magical. I think the story could have benefitted from another 20-30 pages (maybe even 50, which I'd have happily read) to include the descriptions I'm craving and really get into the storyline a little bit more as it sadly felt incomplete for me.

"Aria," he murmured, his voice still raspy with sleep. "If you keep looking at me like that, I'm going to kiss you."

The 'intimate' scene was also rushed and left me wanting more of their interactions, it felt as though Hall wanted to include a spicy scene but wasn't necessarily comfortable writing one. Throughout the whole book, there were a lot of repeats of words and phrases which at first, yes, I'm absolutely here for it but after the first one, we don't need the second or third, much akin to when you see "She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding" *eyeroll*

My favourite thing about this book was Boris, he's the real MVP and his attitude and confidence were second to none - I vote he needs his own book, I need Boris' origin story.

The Modern Girl’s Guide to Magic is for lovers of whimsy, magic, forced proximity, rom-com, hate to love and miscommunication.

2.5 out of 5 stars.

BUT, despite rating this a two and a half stars, I'll most likely read the seco

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!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Super cute, fun, magical read that was brimming with banter and second chances. Set in a quaint seaside village, The Modern Girl’s Guide to Magic is full of magical contests, riddles and quests.

It had some awesome tropes: only one bed, forced proximity, he falls first, witch finding her magic… but I couldn’t help but feel like I was reading a YA book. Everything came a little too easy to Aria and there wasn’t any grit - or all out self doubt that she had to conquer to rise up.

Also the relationship - it was sweet. I wanted more edge. Light on the spice too.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read this. All thoughts are my own.

It has been a while that I read a witchy book set in a mixed world of regular & fantasy.
But OMG this one was so cute, cosy and well explained, that it felt like I was part of it @ charming cove.

All the adorable magical creatures gave me Fantastic Beasts vibes, but it were the plants that stole the show. Not only Aria’s love for them but also the amazing Garden of Enchantment made me want to be a plant lady myself.

Where this is a romance with a love story between Aria and Callan, it was for me not the main part of this book. There was the competition to become the new keeper of the Garden of Enchantment and follow-up Mr Sparrow. But the part was the friendships between Aria and her grandmother, as well as the one between Aria and her best friend Tabitha. And towards the end perhaps even between with her new familiar, the sassy badger Boris. I really loved the genuine community vibes.

Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for the chance to read a free advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review

The Modern Girl’s Guide to Magic is the first novel in the Charming Cove Series by Linsey Hall. It’s a modern magical romantasy about a witch called Aria and her struggle to control her magic. It’s set in a whimsical village in Cornwall where a community of magical folk live their lives hidden away from the mundane.

This book is full of endearing, quirky characters including a grumpy, bacon sandwich loving badger. Although there is a fair amount of romance in this novel, it’s almost a side story to the main plot, which focuses on a competition to win the local magical gardens. Aria must compete against a group of other witches, including one of the most influential mages in the world, to try and save her Gran’s potion shop.

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time, definitely my favourite this year so far. I finished it over a week ago and I still can’t stop thinking about it! I am so excited for the second book in the series and really hope we see lots of familiar characters again (especially Boris!)

Thank you to Linsey Hall, Bonnie Doon Press and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Really enjoyed this! I loved the backstory and history to the characters, the idea of a missed chance that came too early. I always enjoy a witchy/magical story and I liked the community setting in this one. It includes:

- enemies to lovers
- one bed (kind of)
- a bit of a second chance romance

Overall I enjoyed the book and it was super fun to read. I do think I could’ve done with a little bit more tension it just never felt like there was that much at stake. However if you are looking for something a little calmer and cozy this is a good one to pick.

This book was AMAZING!

Aria is a magical disaster and after escaping her seaside hometown 8 years ago, she is summoned back by her Gran when the Garden of Enchantment needs a new owner. Unfortunately Lionel Sparrow the current owner has created a competition to find the person who deserves to inherit it. What will happen when the man she loathes, Callan Hawthorne (a billionaire mage) is in town and also wants to win the competition.

I loved this book! It is a 1st person, dual POV, fantasy romance.

The backstory of Aria and Callan was written really well. I loved the supporting characters, especially Tabitha, her best-friend and Catrina, Tabitha's seven-year-old niece. This book was one of my first tries at magic realism and fantasy romance and I think Linsey Hall did an excellent job.

The competition was well executed with lots of highs and lows to keep you invested. I loved the growth in Aria's confidence and the story of her magic. Callan is a character with a lot of depth that isn't explored deeply but you can still understand where he is coming from.

I would definitely be interested in reading more books in this series.

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

I'm a big fan of merging fantasy with reality, it's arguably my favourite book genre. In this one, we meet a failed witch (Aria) who is dragged back to her home town and reunited with the mage (Callan) who she never forgave for destroying something precious to her. She is forced to overcome her issues with magic in order save her family's business, while competing against Callan.

It's a very fun story, and I liked both the lead characters. It's told from both perspectives, which I much prefer as a narrative style. I loved the use of plant magic and particularly liked Aria's badger familiar called Boris.

I really wanted to see some more tension both with the romance and the competition. Most of the plot points were resolved too easily for my personal preference, and it never felt like there was really that much at stake anyway.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself though, and absolutely know this book will be a bit hit with fans of books like A Good Witch's Guide To Fake Dating A Demon and The Wisteria Society Of Lady Scoundrels (although possibly aimed at a slightly younger audience).

Aria is a failed witch. Every time she tries to use her magic, it blows up in her face. Literally. But when she’s tasked with trying to win The Garden of Enchantment in order to save her grandmother’s spell shop, Aria must learn to harness her magic once and for all.

This is a really cute book, but it is a little corny. Aria seems a bit immature for her age, and this reads more like a YA book, especially with the Boris the Badger character. I don’t mind YA books, but that’s not how this one is described. There’s some spice in the last third of the book, but it’s fairly mild, which I personally prefer. I enjoyed Linsey Hall’s writing style. It’s fast paced and funny, and her prose is descriptive but not superfluous; I was able to imagine Charming Cove without needing to skim paragraphs to get to the plot. There wasn’t a ton of time spent on Aria’s past as a failed witch who was bullied. Instead, it’s woven throughout the book as she’s getting to know Callan better and working through the competition. I also enjoyed the characters, especially Gran. She’s the typical sweet old lady, but she’s also funny and smart. The Callan chapters were very short and sporadic. They didn’t feel necessary, and I would have preferred sticking with Aria’s perspective, but I did like their will-they-won’t-they tension throughout. Overall this is a cute, fast read. Thanks to NetGalley, Linsey Hall, and Bonnie Doon Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.