Thank you NetGalley! This book is perfect for those who love cozy reads! Who doesn't love magic? The setting is in this adorable cottage town along the see. There's a competition along with enemies to lovers!

My problem with this book is that there wasn’t any that really stood out to me about any of it at all. All the characters were very one dimensional, the pacing was too quick, and the plot was very meh. There were also some very questionable things said from the mmc that left me a little weirded out (regarding their age difference)

The Modern Girl’s Guide to Magic by Linsey Hall
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for this arc in return for my honest review!

This cozy little story is the perfect book to read outside during the spring or summer! Set in a cute little magical english town our main character Aria must compete to win an enchanted garden, and in doing so save not only her grandmas shop but also possibly the entire town. Two problems though, her magic is notoriously unpredictable and disastrous, and a powerful wealthy mage that she hates will also be competing.
I loved seeing Aria come into her own throughout this story and gain confidence in herself. While this book is definitely and enemies to lovers (although a pretty one sided one) rom com, I feel like the real story was the competition and Arias journey to self discovery.
The cast of characters we get are wonderful, Aria has a grandmother everyone would love to have, her best friend and niece are supportive and funny, and a little badger named Boris is just fantastic and I want him!
Overall this was such a fun charming read! Only a few things kept this book from being rated higher for me, mainly that sometimes I felt like the solutions for Arias problems seemed to fall into her lap just a bit to easily so they didn’t feel as rewarding when she accomplished something. On top of this during the competition while the contestants were allowed help from friends and family I sometimes felt like Aria was getting a little bit too much help and would have loved to see her find solutions a smidge more independently.
If you are looking for a book to read while enjoying nature be sure to give The Modern Girls Guide to Magic a try! It comes out on June 2nd!

This was a fun, quick and magical read! I found myself smiling at the book as I was reading about Aria's adventures. There's something exciting about reading about witches but the stories can become formulaic. I did not find this to be true in this book; Aria's "plant witch" specialty was interesting and something I don't think I've read before. I enjoyed watching Aria come into her own and find her magic.

The relationship between Callan and Aria was so cute, I wanted to bottle it up! I enjoyed how Aria and Callan had a history but they were quick to overcome it and it didn't overshadow the entire book. My only complaint was that I wish the ending of the book was fleshed out a little bit more. I felt like the competition ended but we didn't really get to see anything after. Also, Callen's disappearance and their quick reunion felt rushed to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

— 3.5 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

"What are you thinking?"
"That you look like a sunrise after a decade of darkness"

"So here’s the deal—I’m a magical disaster. A witch from a family of witches, and the only one whose magic blows up in her face. Which is why I came up with my rules… 1. Never get involved with magic 2. If you must, do not enter a competition to win the biggest magical fortune in England 3. And definitely don't fall for Callan Hawthorne, the sexy billionaire mage who you've hated for years So how the heck do I end up in a situation that promises to break all those rules? It's the only way to save Seaside Spells, my family’s magical potion shop. But it’s cool. When I go back home to Charming Cove—a village of ancient pubs and foul-mouthed familiars—I will totally ignore Witch Weekly’s Sexiest Man of the Year. I’ll win the competition, and if I’m lucky, I won’t turn myself into a toad in the process. This'll be fine. It’ll all be fine. Riiiight."

Linsey Hall brings us book one, The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic, in a series of interconnected standalones known as the Charming Cove series. This book was fun, light-hearted and very easy to read. The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic begins with the introduction to our main female character named Aria. For the entirety of her life, Aria has had difficulty sourcing and controlling her magic. Feeling like an outsider and a failure Aria left her hometown village of Charming Cove to the bustling city life of London. Aria is struggling to hold down a steady job due to her uncontrollable magical outbursts, and the introduction to Aria is no different. After an unfortunate incident with a client leaves her fired and soon-to-be homeless, Aria's grandmother shows up at the perfect time to tell her granddaughter is needed at home. Back in Charming Cove, a magical garden is owned by and is run by an eccentric mage named Mr. Sparrow. Aria's grandmother sources the items for her magical shop from Mr. Sparrows garden, whom has announced his desire to retire. With his intentions to retire also puts in jeopardy all contracts Mr. Sparrow has with his clients, including Aria's grandmother. Without that contract, the shop will fail and Aria's grandmother will lose her livelihood. To determine the successor of the Enchanted Garden, Mr. Sparrow decides to host a magical competition to see who is worthy to take over his life work. Through invite only, Aria is a candidate in the competition alongside her self-declared enemy, Callan Hawthorne.

Callan Hawthorne is Aria's self-proclaimed enemy. From an incident that occurs years prior, Aria hates Callan with her entire being despite his attempts at rectifying it. As a character Callan was very likeable. Despite being obscenely wealthy he was known to be charitable and kind. He's driven and always goes after what he wants, whilst also being well-intentioned. He's not a malicious character and is quite the gentleman. He shows kindness and patience towards Aria, and is committed to showing her the man and mage that he has become. He's very supportive of Aria's journey in finding her place in their small, magical world, and is a big advocate in Aria's power potential.

Aria as a character holds a lot of self-doubt from the beginning of the book. We see her struggle to find her place of belonging due to the difficulty she faces with her magic. However Aria finds herself surrounded and championed by a wonderful support system. Her grandmother, her badger familiar Boris, her best-friend Tabitha and Tabitha's seven-year-old niece Catrina. We even witness Mr. Sparrow encourage Aria whilst trying to maintain a neutral ground amongst the other participants of the competition, although his favour over Aria is quite apparent. My favourite support character was definitely Boris the badger. I'd provide him with a lifetime of bacon sandwiches. The familiar was so grouchy and funny, but we see the progression in Boris as he cares more and more for Aria. Catrina was a delight to read. This feisty and driven seven-year-old is far wiser beyond her years, and hilarious to read as she set about giving bullies fluffy tales and turning sweatshirts bright pink. I really hope to see more of Catrina in future books.

As a whole The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic was an enjoyable, smooth and easy read. I devoured it in one sitting, and left me smiling in the end. The one thing I wished I could have seen was more conflict. Aria never faced much challenge when it came to resolving her problems. The tasks within the competition, discovering the source of her magic, her initial tension with Callan. All felt quick to be resolved, and I would have appreciated more of a journey with these things. It would have supported Aria's growth, as I unfortunately didn't connect with Aria's overall journey as much as I would have liked. Another minor issue I had, which is a minor spoiler, is the fact that Aria met Callan when she was seventeen and he was twenty-one. It was clear from the beginning that Callan wanted her, and despite his clear acknowledgement that she was too young for anything to happen, something about it felt off for me. Especially with the time-jump to the main story when Callan is still clearly thinking about seventeen-year-old Aria as he had not yet met her the adult she now is. I just wish Aria had been eighteen years old. Again it's minor thing that has no real impact in the story. Just a particular preference for this particular book.

Overall I did enjoy this book. Will I be likely to re-read? No, I wouldn't. However I will happily continue this series as light-hearted and fun reads.

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

This was a cute, quick read. I enjoyed the romance part of the book and reading about the magical challenges was fun. I do feel like there were some things missing. The main character isn’t very well described. The only thing you know about how she looks throughout most of the book is that she’s “tiny” (which seems like such a cliched, annoying description for a female main character). I like that she finds her true power, but the scene where that happens feels like it should be more climactic than it is. I don’t necessarily love stories when you know the mmc is pining the entire time. That really works better for single pov stories, in my opinion. It kind of removes any angst or slow burn. The romance part of the story is also put a bit on the back burner later in the story, which is fine, but it does end up feeling really rushed and abrupt at the end. Lastly, the Boris character was a fun idea and had lots of potential, but he could have been so much funnier. I could tell he was supposed to be the comic relief, but he just wasn’t actually funny.
Hopefully as this series goes on, the magic system is a bit more fleshed out. I look forward to potentially reading more from this world.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

Let me start off by saying thank you to Linsey Hall and publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read The Modern Girls Guide to Magic early!!

Rating; ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:🌶️

Wow, wow, wow this was such a cute take on a competitive, save your family, witchy rom-com and I found myself unable to put the book down from beginning to end. Truly I haven’t met a book written by Linsey Hall that I did not like and this one certainly lived up to the hype!!

Jumping right into this review I must first praise the plot in this book! It was so cute and I truly loved it from page one. In The Modern Girls Guide to Magic, we meet Aria a mid-twenties witch who has been labeled a magical dud in her small town, and has left for London as a way to get out of her towns magical shadow. Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately for Aria her town casts a big shadow and she’s drawn back when her grandmother comes knocking to inform Aria that she has been chosen to compete as an heir to their towns and in fact the worlds best magic garden. A place Aria has always felt at home in, but never dreamed that with what limited access to magic she has would ever even be considered for such a prestigious position. Aria isn’t the only potential heir chosen though and the competition is tough. But maybe… just maybe if she’s willing to give it her all and learn to grow past her limitations she just may have a shot!

Beyond the plot I really enjoyed all of the characters in this book! Aria was amazing from the get go, with a strong sense of right and wrong. Even if it sometimes gets her in trouble! I loved the growth that Aria had in this story from learning to forgive not only others but herself, as well as working to overcome any and all obstacles in her way! Not to mention every member of her family whether biological or chosen was hilarious and supportive and truly added to Arias character, making me love her all the more. Let’s not forget that this is a romcom though so we absolutely can’t forget about Arias leading man Callen. I loved Callen… I mean who wouldn’t swoon over a chiseled, dark haired, blue eyes billionaire mage? Well Aria for one due to a pretty big miscommunication that happens between them when she was 17 a miscommunication that cost Aria something precious that she’s not willing to just forgive. Unfortunately, while Callen knows he’s done wrong he doesn’t realize how wrong and he’s determined to win Aria over!! I truly loved Callen, he wasn’t an Alphahole but he wasn’t a cinnamon role either, he was basically the perfect combo of both willing to protect Aria when she needed it while at the same time basically worshipping the ground she walks on. I also just loved his personality. Yea he was a billionaire and while he enjoyed the convenience money brings he wasn’t bullheaded or snobbish about money and was more than willing to get his hands dirty and help out where he was needed in many occasions throughout this story!! He really was just an amazing book boyfriend that I unfortunately could drool over Callen all day but if I give you any more information about him I’m going to end up spoiling something!!

Lastly, the romance in this book. I’ll honestly say this is where unfortunately I took one star away. The romantic tension and build up between Aria and Callen was there and it was amazing!! And when there was something romantic happening I was in love, unfortunately it felt like the romance was a bit sporadic as we really focused on the characters and the competition. Personally while there is romance in this book I would’ve loved to see just a bit more romance, such as a date of some kind over just the constant underlining romantic tension.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book though and would definitely read at least two more books about Aria and Callen!! And think that if you want a good, low spice, supportive family, witchy rom-com with an interesting take on a magical competition then this is definitely the book for you!!

HAPPY READING 📖

I love witchy rom-coms, especially cute cozy ones like this! The Modern Girls Guide to Magic was a perfect story to snuggle up to and finish in one sitting. I couldn't put it down.

I felt like the characters and story was so well developed, but wished there was more romance and more scenes including it, but I still loved it regardless. The competition and Aria were so addicting to read about and how her rules were something she ended up breaking one by one. Aria and Callahan were cute, but again I wish it was a little better than what it was. I think that is the only thing I'd say wasn't enough for me.

I assume this will be a series and if it is, I am so excited to read more. I finished it so quickly, I already want to read it again just for the moments it made me laugh, smile, and root for Aria. I will one hundred percent be buying the physical copy, because I did really enjoy it, but the cover is also so stunning to me.

Thank you Net Galley for providing a free arc copy for my honest review!

I never knew I needed a witchy romcom in my life until I read this 🥹 I had no idea it was even possible to mix the two to be honest and I'm so glad the author did!!
how great it was to have tension between rivals in a competition involving magic and witches and powers 😍 I couldn't have enough of it!
the only downside was the relationship aspect and development of their relationship, it felt almost like a background plot with a scene or two here and there, not enough happening between the two of them. it's regrettable because all the characters feel so real and alive, even the side ones, it could have been so easy to add more scenes between the two protagonists.

highlyyyy recommend this book for any romcom reader! bonus points if you're into powers and withcraft, this is the book for you 🪄

I was blown away by how much I loved The Modern Girl's Guide To Magic by Linsey Hall! It's a delightful, cozy rom-com set in a magical English village called Charming Cove.
✨️
Aria's story is a comedy of errors. She's a witch whose magic never works the way it's supposed to, and now her grandma is begging for her help to save the family potion shop. Aria, of course, wants to help. The problem is the way to save the shop is to win a magical competition. Not great. Even worse is that her main competition is the country's most powerful mage and the man who broke her heart as a teen.
🌿
This book is full of so much love and cozy vibes. From close family, lifelong friends, to a seriously snarky badger familiar named Boris. Boris is rude, sneaky, and not above błacķmail to get an espresso and some pastries. Same, Boris. Aria has her hands full with him and figuring out her magic. I found Aria refreshing. She's grumpy and a little flippant but so loving to those important to her. Her anger at Callan is justified, but she acknowledges her non-communication didn't help things. And Callan! He's intense, ridiculously powerful, and never stopped wanting Aria. He's a bit of a loner and kinda sad so I loved seeing Aria's family accept him as part of the group. The book has almost no spice, but the banter and longing were so yummy.
🦡
If you love enemies to lovers, one bed, he falls first, you need to try this book. If that's not enough, then think about the old pubs and cozy seaside vibes with tea shops, apothecaries, and all the warm comforts of a witchy town! Thanks to NetGalley and the author's team for the ARC!

The Modern Girls Guide to Magic is a cozy, fun(ny), and heartwarming read. It’s low stress and low conflict (which made it a bit anticlimactic) and was honestly what I needed at the moment.

The story revolves around Aria coming home to be part of a competition to win the Garden of Enchantment which would ultimately save her grandmother’s shop. Personally, I found the competition and the love and power of family much more interesting than the romance aspect, but I did enjoy that as well.

Aria and Callan’s relationship felt rushed and not as fleshed out as I would’ve liked it to be for a romance, but I did love the two of them together. It didn’t always make sense why they were so infatuated, but you know what? This is a book about witches who can communicate with plants and animals, so I was willing to suspend my disbelief entirely.

Catrina and Boris were the stars of the show. I hope to see more about the witch Catrina will grow up to be and Boris was truly so funny. There were definitely some laugh out loud moments for me.

If you love magic and small coastal towns where the sense of community and family is strong, where you can feel the love between the characters jump off the page, I highly recommend this book! A very easy and comforting read and you’ll be rooting for Aria from the very first page.

This was my first book by Linsey Hall so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I had a blast reading it and will 100% be continuing the series if there’s more to come.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Modern Girl’s Gide to Magic is a hug in book form! It gives modern cottagecore, Sabrina the Teenage Witch vibes and I adored every second of it. You need to add this fantasy romcom to your tbr ASAP!

Tropes
✔️ enemies to lovers (one sided)
✔️ he falls first

💖 “I wanted to know everything about her and I couldn’t wait a moment longer.”

Thank you Bonnie Doon Press and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

ARC provided by NetGalley and the author in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun read! A tale of overcoming adversity and falling in love. The story follows Aria through a magical competition for ownership over an enchanted garden in her hometown of Charming Cove. With the help of her Gran, best friend Tabitha, resident billionaire Callan, and of course her trusty “familiar” (magical animal friend that only she can communicate with) Boris the badger, Aria navigates through 3 magical challenges that teach her about her magic and about herself.

There were parts that felt a bit rushed, but maybe that’s just because I was having such a good time reading it that it could have gone on another 100 pages! Highly recommend!

This was a nice start to what I assume is going to be a series. If it's not, it was still a nice book. There could have been more between the two main characters. When I closed the book there didn't seem to be much other than he was hot and he's been attracted to her since she was seventeen but I was okay with it.
Aria is moving back to her home town. London was an okay escape for awhile but her latest job has gone bust and it works out that she's been invited to participate in a contest to take over the local gardens. She needs to win; this is the garden that supplies her grandmother's potion store. Do you know how hard it is to find a supplier these days?
Callan has also been invited to compete. His face graces the covers of many magazines in the witching world. He's handsome and rich, the right combination to break any number of hearts. Except Aria's, he broke hers many years ago when one of his projects means she can no longer connect to her grandfather.
In the very first round, Aria and Callan are paired up. While working together, she discovers more about him and a lot about herself. But I didn't feel like we learned a lot about Callan. He could have been fleshed out a little more but the story was overall just very charming.

Four stars
This book comes out June 2, 2023
ARC kindly provided by Bonnie Doon Press
Opinions are my own

I read 50 pages, but could not get into it. I didn’t like the crass language and felt like it clashed with the cliche hallmark movie vibes. I would have liked some word building and explanation of how the magic worked. I felt like the magic piece was just thrown in and not explained scientifically or magically. I didn’t connect with the characters. I had a hard time believing that they were pining over one another so deeply after such a short interaction so many years ago. The book just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I enjoyed this read a lot. The plot was focused on romance, but also on personal development of the female main character, which I felt brought a good balance to the story. I enjoyed the magic in it and felt like the author created a unique magical town set up that was imaginable in my head. I also enjoyed the multiple POV’s, so you could also get some insight into the male main character’s head. The one thing I would’ve wished for more is actually a little bit more of the male main character’s perspective, because this was definitely mostly told by the female main character. Overall this is definitely a book I would purchase and it is listed as the first in a series, so I am excited for it to continue!

This is a cozy romance/fantasy novel that has an incredibly detailed setting. Linsey Hall does a wonderful job of taking the reader into charming cove in all its whimsical glory. I am looking forward to seeing what Hall does next with this standalone series.

I’m not going to lie when I tell you that the cover is what sucked me in at first but then I read the premise and I was sold.

I enjoyed the banter between Aria and Callan but it didn’t hit like I thought it would. I wasn’t giggling or kicking my feet as much as I wanted to.

The FMC comes off a bit childish at points, especially when reading her inner thoughts. The MMC is quite the charmer and I fell for him pretty fast. I loved that it was dual POV but there weren’t that many chapters from Callan’s POV which frustrated me because I honestly found his chapters more compelling than Aria’s.

The entire book actually gives off YA vibes even though it’s supposed to be an an adult novel.

I found some parts of the book to be a bit and slow and draggy. It was hard to get into it but once I did, I was immersed into the cozy magical town.

I enjoyed the competition aspect. Once I got 3/4 through the book, it felt like it wasn’t even close to ending. Therefore, the ending definitely felt rushed.

Overall, I recommend this if you’re looking for a cozy fantasy with a bit of romance sprinkled throughout. It’s a fun read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press for this ARC!

Aria returns to her charming hometown of Charming Cove (see what I did there) after years in London, at the request of her beloved grandmother, where she is greeted with open arms by old friends and town members. Due to feeling like a magical disaster growing up, Aria escaped to London to try to start anew, but try as she might, disaster continued to follow as she lacked control over her magic. When she returns back to enter into a magical competition in order to help save the family potion shop, Aria has little to no faith in herself. Things take a turn for the worst (or the best?) when she finds out that magical millionaire, Callan Hawthorne, renowned mage and past crush who wronged her is also entered in the contest, magical sparks fly (figuratively and literally of course). Aria is pulled between her bullies of the past reminding her that she isn't talented and her desire to prove herself.

First things first, this was such a good time. This book was full of so many things I love; magic, small town, family & community, tension, a crotchety familiar, PLANTS, you name it. Once I got settled into this book I flew through the rest of it, not being able to wait to jump back into the tension and magic. If I had two critiques, they would be these (spoilers starting....now)
First, while I absolutely loved how supportive and spectacular Aria's friendship with Tabitha was, I didn't love how the book seemed to imply that they had literally no contact in the years she was in London. It's a small thing, but I couldn't help feeling like I would be so hurt if my best friend left and never made contact in the age of texting and social media. I feel like some contact would have made more sense.
Second, and more importantly. I really didn't like the age gap part of the story between Aria and Callan when they first met. Underage age gaps are so problematic and something I never want to see romanticized for younger generations, and while yes, Callan stopped before anything happened because of his age, and in reality, the age gap wasn't very big, but still, it wasn't necessary for the story and just added a level of cringe that wasn't needed. They easily could have had the same fallout minus the age gap, and either just not have kissed or had a kiss and then his "betrayal." I could see the author making a genuine attempt at covering this up, but it just led to Callan acknowledging how creepy it is for him as an adult to be remembering and longing for this 17-year-old now as a grown-up. I just think it could have been the exact same, just with less cringe had this been omitted.


Overall I really enjoyed this book and can't wait until Charming Cove #2! I feel as though I have a guess who it could be and I definitely hope I am right!!

Aria is a witch who vows not to get involved with magic because her magic is uncontrollable. But she falls for a sexy billionaire mage that she has hated for years...

Funny, LOL scenes, terrific characters keep this book going. The romance is sweet and swoony. It's a sweet and charming story and great for those who like their stories relatively clean. A fun read.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

3.5 / 5 stars

The Modern Girl’s Guide to Magic follows Aria who is a powerful witch with little with to no control of her power. She left her small hometown in Charming Cove behind years ago and moved into a big city life. But with her magical failures following her with every steps, she is soon called back home to save her family shop when the owner of a magical enchanted garden in Aria’s hometown wants to retire.

If you’re looking for a book that is a cosy, witchy romance book that has a low stakes plot then this is definitely for you. However if you go in expecting this to be enemies to lovers and has spice then leave that idea behind. It’s more of a one side enemies to lovers story and Aria pretty much ends up changing her mind and ends up liking him a couple of chapters in anyways and that “spice” scene is VERY mild.

This book definitely started off strong but felt a little bit weak towards the end. There wasn’t much conflict happening so when there was something, it got solved rather quickly. Furthermore, for a book that has a dual POV, there was very few Callan chapters. I felt like it would’ve been better having the book marketed more towards Young Adult rather than Adult as it reads more like a YA book, but that’s just my opinion.

However, I did enjoy reading about the magic and felt like it was something different compared to other magical elements that I tend to gravitate towards. And Catrina!! I love her character and would love to see her have a spin off book so I read all about her being the smartest witch, because let’s face it. She could be more powerful than Aria and Callan because of her brains.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.