I fell in love with Sarah's writing style back when I read You Deserve Each Other. She does charming and whimsical so well. While Old Flames, New Fortunes did not replace You Deserve Each Other as my favorite book of hers, it was a really enjoyable read. While not all aspects hit, it was original and creative and engaging, so big points for that. The strong sister bond spoke to me so strongly, it may have beat out the romance bond. Maybe! Second chance and fake dating are some of my favorite tropes and I loved how they were handled in this quirky tale. I will continue to seek out and read Sarah Hogle books. Also a big fan of this beautiful cover. True rating: 3.5 stars!

I was immediately attracted to the summary. However I felt the setup of fake dating your ex’s future brother in law distracting. I never got attached to any of the couples in this book, and did not find myself rooting for the main couple.

eeeeeek… this was my first book by sarah hogle, and based on what i’m reading from other reviewers, i need to give one of the others a fair chance! but y’all, this one was not it. i listened to the audiobook, and from the very beginning, there were way too many characters to keep up with. i found the main characters to both be very immature to the point that i wasn’t rooting for them? and don’t even get me started on the plot twist…

I think, unfortunately, magical realism just isn't my cuppa tea. I struggled a bit through Hogel's other magic-themed christmas book and even more-so with this read.

Charming and whimsical! "Just Like Magic" was my favorite Christmas book last year so when I saw this new one by Sarah Hogle coming out, I was so excited to get my hands on it. This one didn't quite live up to "Just Like Magic" but it was still a good one! It was very creative and original. The main character, Romina, is a flora fortunist at a magical, enchanting shop called The Magick Happens where her 2 sisters work, too. I enjoyed the strong and loving bond between Romina and her sisters. This book was quirky and eccentric, with second-chance love and fake dating tropes. The magical realism isn't quite as good as "Just Like Magic" but it was still there and added some whimsical vibes to the book. Some of the banter was really immature which I wasn't too crazy about. I saw that this book is being made into a series and I will definitely check out the next book. I also was very drawn to the cover of this one, it's so pretty and aesthetically pleasing! 3.5 stars!

I really did enjoy this book, but it took a minute for me to get into. I am a fan of second chance romance and this book definitely delivered on that.

Thank you to netgalley and Penguin for the arc!

this was the coziest most magical read of my year so far!! i really loved all the magical elements, the banter, the chemistry.. literally everything was so spot on!! our two MC’s meshed together so well, i’ll never get over them!

Sarah Hogle's books are hit or miss for me. I loved You Deserve Each Other and Twice Shy, but was hesitant to pick up another magical realism book from Hogle after really disliking Just Like Magic. However, I ended up really enjoying Old Flames and New Fortunes! Once I picked it up, I couldn't stop reading and finished it one day. Perfect combination of fake dating and second chance romance tropes. The small town setting was charming, the characters were quirky, the banter was fun, and Romina's flower magic was a delight. So happy to see that this is a series, so I can read more abut the Tempest sisters and the magical world of Moonville, Ohio.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the arc of this! I absolutely adored it. I loved the flower theme and how each chapter could correlate to the meaning of a different flower. I loved how hard the MMC worked to gain the FMCs trust back and of course all the hijinks with the wedding. I will definitely be reading book 2 and everything else by Sarah Hogle in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this one! It was a sweet read and I loved the magical elements and the amazing banter between the main characters! Romina was a unique FMC and I loved how she was so unapologetically herself. You really can’t help but love a FMC like that. The banter and chemistry between her and Alex was amazing. I couldn’t get enough of them!

There are some romances where you have a hard time rooting for them as it like of just makes you want to scream at them to get it together! This book had me doing that with the fake-dating aspect between Romina and Alex. As they both had feelings for one another but there were always other people or circumstances in the way hindering them to be together, I was yelling at them to stop denying their feelings for one another and tell each other already! I am glad they got a second chance at love as they both changed since being high school sweethearts. I did enjoy a little bit of a magical twist to this second chance romance with Romina's magical ability of the language of flowers. Thank you NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This book started so strong, but somewhere in the middle it lost steam. Seemed very disjointed and rushed. It did redeem itself in the last couple chapters.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this title. I really enjoyed this second chance romance, filled with magic and humor. Romina and Alex were a perfect match and I really enjoyed their banter as they rediscovered their connection to each other. I also enjoyed the secondary characters, including Romina’s sisters and niece, who I hope we will meet in a future story. 4 stars.

We found the book to be whimsical and charming second chance romance book set in a small town! Romina and Alex story was something that truly defined all odds, their romance was written with so much heart. We felt like were in a magical rom-com movie! We love Sarah writing and books!

Sarah Hogle is the queen of magical realism! This was such a heartwarming, cozy second-chance romance with a faint touch of magic. I especially loved the realistic way it looked at families of all forms and the path to parenthood. Sarah's writing flows so beautifully, and her descriptions of the flowers throughout the book were stunning, coupled with some laugh-out loud moments. So many great side characters in this one as well, so I can't wait to read the sequel and see who comes back!

Old Flames and New Fortunes is a sweet, magical second-chance romance. I enjoyed reading Romina and Alex's journey back to each other..

What you can expect to find in Old Flames and New Fortunes:
-second chance romance
-forced proximity
-quirky family dynamics
-lots of longing and angst
-swoony love declarations

I'll be honest - it took me a long time to get through Old Flames and New Fortunes. The book started off a bit slow for me. I initially started it and then put it down because while I loved Romina and her sisters, a few of the characters were a bit too chaotic for me (ahem, store owner and bestie Trevor). But I recently picked it up again and as usual Sarah Hogle has a way of weaving a beautiful story. I loved learning more about Romina and Alex. Why did they break up in high school when they clearly loved (love?) each other?

The fake dating ploy with Trevor got to be a bit much and I'm glad that it didn't last throughout the entire story. But the book threw us a curve ball that I wasn't expecting. I still ended up really enjoying the story and have multiple passages highlighted.

I think it will always be hard to beat the masterpiece that is You Deserve Each Other. But I still really enjoyed Old Flames and New Fortunes.

Reading is subjective, I fully understand that. What works as a reader for me may not work for a majority of people and authors should challenge themselves, but is it wrong if I sometimes want an author to stay in their lane?
Sarah Hogle, author of You Deserve Each Other and Twice Shy, two solid books, is back to writing magical realism and my heart is not happy. After the disappointment of Just Like Magic, I hoped Sarah would go back to the contemporary romances my heart craved, but instead Old Flames and New Fortunes came into the world. I was insanely bored and it felt like the book was written to get a check. There was no delight and the characters felt flat. Honestly, it didn’t even feel like they wanted to be there. Looks like my new fortune is no more Sarah Hogle books in this readers future.

I freaking loved everything about this book! Likable characters, magical elements, small town, fun family dynamics, and one swoon worthy man. This had me laughing and smiling most of the time. It also had moments where my heart was tugged, so this just about had everything that I needed in a romance. 💝