This was such a great book! Easy read, heartwarming, and a nice little boost of serotonin. I hope I get to read more of Aria’s story soon!

Love it love it love it! The story is really good can’t wait to read more!

She had her rules she broke them all! Love the magic love the couple!

Having been a fan of a lot of Linsey Hall’s previous work, I jumped at the chance of reading this e-ARC. I’m preparing myself for my cosy autumn witchy reads, and this book really didn’t disappoint. It’s a very fluffy adult book that reads a lot like YA, has lots of plants in it, and a cute familiar called Boris the Badger.

This was a fun and light-hearted read, if not lacking a little depth. World building was beautiful, and I can’t wait to revisit Charming Cove in August for Hall’s next book. I really would have liked to delve deeper into the characters of Callan and Aria. Overall, it would have been better if the part about Aria being seventeen and Callan being twenty-one when they met was kept out. It does just read a bit strange and wasn’t necessary, and ageing her up to eighteen would have avoided that awkwardness.

Aria escaped her home town of Charming Cove because her magic is a mess and she needed to get out of town where everyone knew her as a failure. However, she finds herself roped into returning to enter a magical tournament to gain ownership to the towns special garden which will help save her family’s shop. Doing so places her in close proximity to the mage Callan Hawthorne, a man she loathes, who has always had an eye for her.

This is a cozy, light hearted, quick, fun read. The family and friends are cute side characters, there is a badger familiar who likes snacks, and as a plant lover I loved the idea of a magical garden and plant specific magic.

However, I wish the pacing had been better, the characters had more depth, and the romance move developed. It doesn’t read like an adult book despite the ages of the characters. When they finally say “I love you,” I was left feeling like there was no chemistry and mostly lust, and don’t get me started on the one spicy scene. Mostly, I disliked that Callan was 21 and Aria was 17 when they met, because he definitely had a thing for her when she was underage.

Vibes:
Enemies(ish) to lovers
One bed
Magic
Plant lover
Billionaire
Magical competition

CW: bullying, death of parent, grief

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

That moment when you realize cozy books definitely aren't your thing... eek! This was cute, but defintely too cozy for my liking. I did actually choose this book for one of my bookclubs, and several people really loved it. I don't think this was a bad book, it was just not the book for me.

Thank you, NetGalley, the publisher, and the author, for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.
Overall, I really like Aria's family dynamic. As a reader, I could really feel the warm and fuzzy vibes. I especially love Boris and his interactions with the characters. (The pancake scene at the end was so cute.)

While I enjoyed the romance between Aria and Callan, I believe there could be a little bit more interaction and development between these two. It was a slow start, but it eventually picked up for me. The age gap in the beginning did make me feel weird. I felt like it could have been avoided.

Callan really said that if he wanted to, he would. Kind of hope Callan could've had a small interaction with grandpa though. I do wonder what his spirit would've said. 

3.5–4/5 stars 🌟

I truly enjoyed this book, a FIVE STAR read for sure! This book held my attention, and all the magical aspects just kept me reading along. I think my favorite character just had to be Boris!

This is the type of book you thoroughly enjoy when you want to read something light, funny, and good for escaping reality.
It's a paranormal rom com that I thoroughly enjoyed and had a lot of fun.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I freaking loved this book! I didn't want to put it down because the chemistry between Aria and Callan was so so good. And I loved the funny character of Aria's familiar Boris the Badger. I loved his cheeky behavior and how he seemed to charm every single person in the story.

I liked the story a lot and thought it was really original. It was a nice enemies-to-lovers story, with a good backstory of how they came to be enemies. But as hard as Aria tried to resist, Callan is just too perfect to resist. He seems like your usual billionaire hottie, but he's just way more than that and is really fighting for Aria's heart from the start (so perhaps, he didn't really see it as an enemies-to-lovers book, haha). I thougth the book was CUTE AS HELL (as Callan would probably describe it, read the book to know what I'm talking about).

Furthermore I loved how Aria was being backed by her grandmother and best friend Tabitha with her little girl. Every person in the story simply rooted for Aria even though she still had a loooong way to go with her magic being wonky. But with the advice and help of her family and friends Aria is in good waters to bring this competition to a wonderful conclusion. If she really does bring it to her perfect outcome? You'll have to go and read it for yourself! I highly recommend this book and can't wait for a second book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. This one took me a bit to get into. I'm used to magical books more along the lines of Alice Hoffman or Sarah Addison Allen. I was expecting a beautiful, lyrical prose style book. This was more like a cozy magical book. Once I realized that and accepted the cheesiness, I actually enjoyed this story.

The main character Aria is a disaster of a witch whose powers never work correctly. She is close with her grandmother and best friend who are also witches in this cute little magical town that are all hidden from humans. Aria is entered in a contest to win the chance to take over a magical garden that will save her grandmother's shop She just so happens to be up against her childhood bullies and her love interest/nemesis, the most powerful mage in England. This was a cute little story and I would actually read book #2 if one comes out.

It's an interesting read. Learned about few magical creatures and the tension of how the FMC wins the competition is just right. Lot of predictable twists results however, the MCs are loveable in some way so was able to tolerate the cringy stuff.

Love Boris the Badger, sassy familiar 😅

I would like to thank netgalley and Bonnie Doon Press for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable.

Thank you to the publisher for the arc.


This just wasn’t for me. The characters were bland, and I didn’t care for the romance at all

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.

This was a really cute romance with witchy-ness thrown in! I really enjoyed the world, the characters, the romance, and especially Boris the badger familiar who just wanted to eat bacon sandwiches.
It had all the feels of a romance book with some Harry Potter-esque creatures and magic mixed into the plot.
I will say that the romance was really good, very slow burn, but the spice level was pretty minimum so if you're expecting a steamy time, you may be disappointed.

A thoroughly enjoyable romance with a magical twist!
I like the fact that the magic was very matter of fact and hidden within the real world without a big deal being made of it. The story flows well as a result and you will be rooting for the garden to end up in the right hands as the true powers of one competitor are revealed!

The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic was such a fun read! Like honestly, I loved it. I read it in a single sitting, it was that entertaining. The thing that set it apart from so many other witchy romances was the world. The plant magic was so extremely fun, and Boris the familiar was an amazing secondary character. I can't wait to return to the world of Charming Cove in future books!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I love a good magical witch story; however, I had mixed feelings about this one.
There were moments in the story that was really good, I love the town Charming Cove. I want to visit this town and feel all the magic.
There were parts where it dragged and left me bored, the competition in the town was weird. I didn't feel like there was much of spark between the main characters. If felt rushed or pushed, however I did like the main character Aria, she was relatable, and her Gran was too cute.

Aria is a witch, but her magic is a disaster. but her family and town need her. There is competition she must win to save her families magical potion shop. However, things get a bit crazy and there is a sexy billionaire mage, but he is not going to get in her way of winning. His handsomeness will not detour her from the prize she needs.

Can she save her families business, get her magic in order, and not fall for sexy mage?

Thank you NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press for a copy of this book for my honest review.

Rating: 4.25/5 ⭐️

Thank you @victoryediting & @netgalley for the eARC of The Modern Girl’s Guide to Magic which is out NOW and on KU! 😉

The Modern Girl’s Guide to Magic is a lighthearted, romcom with a witchy twist! The book itself is very fast paced, however, it took me a little bit to become invested in the story. I had to set this one down and come back to it but once I was hooked, I was HOOKED.

Aria and Callan (the MCs) were cute, but my favorite parts of TMGGTM were the plot and the magic that Hall came up with for this book. The story follows a competition consisting of several trials and I found each task increasingly interesting and exciting. I also just love witches and anything magical!

TMGGTM is the type of book that you want to read while curled up in a chunky sweater and fuzzy blanket on a rainy or wintery day. It’s lighthearted, fun, and cozy all in one!

Overall: TMGGTM is a light, mood booster for a rainy day! ☔️🩵

LIKES:
👥 Dual POV (Aria & Callan)
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 English setting
🫶🏽 Found family
✨ Witchy
⚔️ Enemies to Lovers
🌱 Plant centered
🔮 Magical realism
🩷 RomCom
🏆 Competition plot

I loved it, cute and witchy! The exact vibes I like to read about. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my eArc of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an arc of this book. I loved it so much. The characters were great and I really enjoyed getting to know them.