Old Flames and New Fortunes is a second chance romance between a feisty florist named Romina Tempest and her high school sweetheart Alex. This book is full of magic, banter, and small town charm. I was really looking forward to reading this book based on the blurb, and although there are many wonderful bits of writing, description, and world-building, the romance between Romina and Alex fell flat for me due to the overall tone. I never felt like I could really get into and understand their connection because the writing flip-flopped from too silly to overly sentimental with rarely a moment spent in the middle. During the more spicy scenes, words like "boinking" took me out of the romance entirely.

My favorite parts of Old Flames were the moments spent in the town of Moonville itself! I loved the side characters and the quirkiness of the setting, and I wished there had been more of those to read. That said, in a romance where I'm supposed to be rooting for two characters to fall in love happily ever after, I probably shouldn't be thinking, "Man, I wonder what happened to that gal we read about for one page..."

This is the first book by this author that I've read, so I would happily read more of Sarah Hogle's work in the future. Her style is confident and funny, both things I admire in romance writing. I hope to read more from her in the future.

Sarah Hogle is back with her fun banter, quirky characters, and perfect settings with Old Flames and New Fortunes. Her books crack me up and make me want to cozy up with a blanket and warm drink at the same time. This wasn't my favorite from this author (I'm not sure anything can top Just Like Magic) but it was still. super cute and fun romcom read.

I absolutely loved the town of Moonville and the witchy shop Romina and her sisters own. I would seriously go visit if this was a real place! I'm super excited to know there is at least one more book in this series, and I can't wait to read it!

The still there chemistry between Romina and Alex was fun and we all know I love a second chance romance. Add in fake dating? I'm so in. Romina and her sisters and niece were so delightful, but I wasn't a huge fan of Alex to be honest. Something about him just really rubbed me wrong.

The second half was definitely better than the first, and things ended up working out better than I anticipated.

Can't wait for the next one!

Thank you to @Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC! I’d heard great things about Sarah Hogle’s writing so I was very excited to read this. This didn’t quite live up to the hype for me and there were a few things I didn’t love about the MMC. However, this had some great tropes (2nd chance and fake dating)!

This one absolutely stole my heart. I love the banter and the second chance romance mix with the fake dating. Normally, I prefer the fake dating for the couple that’s supposed to get together, but I enjoyed the tool that it was utilized as in this book; essentially to make Alex, the ex-boyfriend, jealous. Like this man has been head over heels for her since ever, but she doesn’t know that and so they like keep each other apart for no reason and when he realizes that Trevor, the fake boyfriend, is her boyfriend ( so he thinks) he gets like really jealous but also sad. But he’s also wicked smart and so he catches on pretty quickly that these two are not dating and then that sadness turns into playfulness and it’s just the most banter type of flirtation and I loved it and this book had me smiling and wishing that I could stay up late to finish it and like I was crying out of happiness, but also at her explanations of why she stayed away and couldn’t have her heart broken again.
It’s just also really cute. I loved the witchy aspects of it, especially the language of flowers. Trevor was an absolute delight and I wish I could have him as a best friend. Alex is the biggest sweetheart of a boyfriend/partner/surprise something else, and I just loved everyone and everything about this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the read!!

I just cannot get into the audio version of this book. I think I will try the copy at a different date. Thank you for my copy!

I am so conflicted by this book, I honestly don’t know what to feel.
On one hand, I really enjoyed the characters (especially the Tempest sisters) but at the same time some of their choices drove me Insane.
Like Alex for example.
By the end of the book I loved him, but when he was first introduced he was arrogant and pushy and rude. Like, I don’t care if you think that she might be lying to you about her current relationship with your future step brother, that is Her Choice, you’re not together anymore, it’s been years, you don’t control her life just because you still love her.
Even though I liked him by the end he still had no right to treat them that way.

Old Flames and New Fortunes by Sarah Hogle. Pub date: April 2, 2024. Rating: 2 stars. I wanted to love this one, but sadly this one fell flat to me. I was taking a chance on this novel because I have liked some of her other ones, but did not enjoy her last novel Just Like Magic. Unfortunately, this novel did not deliver. I found the storyline to be a little weird in the respect of fake dating your step brother when your former lover enters the story. I found the characters to be childish. I enjoyed the magical elements with their flower shop, but that was about it. This was a big miss for me. Thanks to #netgalley and #penguingroupputnam for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars
This was so cute!! I'm a huge fan of magical realism romances and this one had all the witchy/magic vibes! I loved Romina but I wasn't a huge fan of Alex at least for a good portion of the book. I really loved the setting of Moonville! And including the different flowers at the beginning of each chapter was really fun!

I did think that the first part of the book was very slow and harder for me to get through, but by the time I got to the second half I was really invested!

I'm excited to see what she comes up with for the other books in the series!

3.5 stars.

I liked Alex (though he felt like two separate characters in a lot of ways. Either shy and soft spoken or confident and cheeky. No in between). I enjoyed the small town setting. I read this fairly quickly and enjoyed the tension and banter, between the love interests and the side characters. Unfortunately, the magical components didn’t land for me. A lot about this story needed to be fleshed out a bit more. The sudden TWIST at the wedding was too sudden. It felt disjointed and then drove the rest of the storyline. My final thoughts upon finishing were “meh”.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC to review.

The romance in *Old Flames and New Fortunes* is rich with tension and longing. You can feel the characters' hesitations and hopes as they slowly come to terms with their feelings. The chemistry between them is electric, but it's the emotional depth that truly makes their story stand out. It’s not just about falling in love again; it’s about rediscovering yourself and the person who once meant everything to you.

Set against a backdrop of professional and personal challenges, the book also touches on themes of ambition, success, and the sacrifices we make along the way. This adds a layer of complexity to the romance, as the characters must figure out how to integrate their past with their present lives.

Overall, *Old Flames and New Fortunes* is a heartfelt, engrossing read that will appeal to anyone who believes in the possibility of rekindling lost love. With its well-drawn characters, emotionally resonant story, and a satisfying blend of romance and real-life challenges, it’s a four-and-a-half-star book that will stay with you long after the final page.

3.5
it had its good moments for sure but i put you deserve each other on such a high pedestal nothing will compare tbh
sarah hogle just knows how to do a GOOD second chance but everything besides the romance i couldn't care less about fe alex was cocky as hell and that is my cup of tea so ofc i was eating up the banter (she's nothing if not laugh out loud funny) and we got a little steamier up in this joint so i still highly recommend!

This was so darn magical & adorable! Old Flames & New Fortunes has a great balance of fantastical and contemporary elements while maintaining a cozy small town feel! BRB packing up my family and moving to Moonville! ✨🌙✨

✨ Magic
💐 Flower Shop
💖 Romance
🥈 Second Chances
🏡 Small Town
😹 Hoot & a Half
🫶 Friendship & Family

I loved this so much and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for more books in this magical town! 🤞🏼

Thank you G.P. Putnam's Sons for sending me a copy!

This one is a small town book full of baked goods, romance and magic and my absolute favorite: banter. I love for banter, angst and butterflies.

This book features a second chance romance that's starts out a little bumpy but I'm glad I kept reading.

This is a good book. The main character is Romina. She is a flora witch. She makes up fora bouquets to help people in their love life. She ask Trevor to be a fake date to a wedding but unknown to her it is to a former high school boyfriend who broke up with her eleven years ago. She goes to the wedding and her heart heals.

This was a fun read and if you're looking for something to spend time on, you will probably enjoy the story.
Thank you Netgalley PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC.

I liked this book more than You Deserve Each Other, but it was still just ok. It felt too long, and the relationship development between Romina and Alex was uneven - rushed at some points and too drawn out on others.

This is by no means the worst writing, but this is my second Sarah Hogle book and I think I just don't connect with her writing style and characters.

I love a whimsical small-town romance, quirky antics and personas, and watching two people fall in love.

Sarah went witchy and open-door in this one! 😍

Her books are weird and whimsical in the best way and OFaNF delivers.

This is a must-read for second-chance, small town romance lovers.

Things I loved:
ANY moment where the love interests are talking to each other. The chemistry was amazing
The flower magic- especially the way the love interest uses it throughout the book. SO Romantic
The sisters + Trevor- Sarah Hogle is hilarious and any group scene with these characters was hilarious
The backstory of about how our main characters ended up breaking up was well written and so sad

Things that were a miss:
The current day conflict felt so manufactured and after a certain point it felt like we were just waiting for the main character to get it together

Overall enjoyed this immensely during dialogue and actual story progression more than I disliked the filler giving this 4 stars for me.

Old Flames and New Fortunes is Sarah Hogle at her best! If you love magical realism and romance, this is the book for you!