Regretfully this was not for me. I really prefer a character driven story and the characters in this one were immature and shallow. If this had been a YA novel it might not have bothered me so much.

This book had me flying high, ecstatic, brimming with laughter. So much that I had to start a group text to tell book friends they needed to read this IMMEDIATELY. Along the way, while I searched for the publication date, the worst happened - I read a one star review. It reveled that a one of the characters had a SECRET, a secret that evidently ruined the book for them. I was crushed. Flattened. Wings cut, nearly in tears. This book was perfect. Noooooo!

So I read on, a little more cautiously, had some more moments of pure joy and laugh out loud bliss. Then, the plot twist came. And... it could have went better. Was I annoyed at this character and the way they chose to reveal things? Yes, I was. Was it a jolt? Also yes.

From this point on in the book, the mood also shifted. Before we had snarky, one-upmanship reminiscent of "You Deserve Each Other", one of my go to books when I need some laughs and the reason I love Sarah Hogle in the first place. The reason I was madly texting and assembling the book club. After this moment, we're left with something a little softer, more fragile. We find out more about the past, and we have the final tension keeping them apart.

Because of the mood shift, for me, that moved this book down to a 4 star instead of a 5. Did I still love this book? A little woundedly, but yes. Would I still recommend it? Absolutely.

I'm also glad that this is set up to be a trilogy - I'm not ready to leave behind these sisters, or their quirky, nosy little town!

DNF: I'm a huge Sarah Hogle fan, but the tropes in this simply were not a good fit for me. As much as I love her quirky writing and fake dating fun, the second chance romance was not for me, especially once there were some revelations partway through. I ended up leaving this one unfinished, but am absolutely looking forward to whatever she writes next.

I was very excited to read this one as I requested it after reading (and loving) You Deserve Each Other. This one started a little slow for me. There was a lot of story building, and I was honestly a little bored with it all. Once the story really got started I did fly through the book. Sarah Hogle books are so much fun, filled with fun banter and silly comedy which I love. Part of the reason for the lower star rating is that I didn’t love Alex in the beginning and then had trouble moving past it. I adored Trevor and wanted more of him! Also, once they got together I kept waiting for something new to happen, but it didn’t. I do love Sarah’s writing, but I just didn’t love the way this story turned out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Old Flames and New Fortunes.

I LOVE Sarah Hogle and I loved this book. She writes the most sweetly dramatic characters--if you loved YOU DESERVE EACH OTHER, I think you'll love this one. It has second-chance romance, witty banter, and playfully-antagonizing-each-other antics between the main characters, with the added bonus of a somewhat witchy band of sisters, but it's more of a cozy "we can read what flowers tell us" and "our candles are magical" type magic instead of spells and such. This was just so good, I really can't string words together about it. After reading some reviews, I know there's been some controversy about some things said about 35% of the way through; I saw it and questioned it a bit too, but as you read it kind of plays itself out. Other than that, this book is cozy and witty and the characters are both so darn lovable, and I LOVE Moonville. I laughed out loud so many times and smiled almost as often because of how sweet the story was. Sarah Hogle is an auto-read/auto-buy author for me, and I hope to see more Moonville stories in the future!

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of Old Flames and New Fortunes!

Sarah Hogle is one of the funniest rom-com writers of our time. That's all.

Okay, but truly I have loved all of her books and those of you who have enjoyed her previous work are sure to love this one too.
A second chance romance, witchy vibes, and fake dating are some of the antics you can expect in Sarah Hogle's newest book, Old Flames and New Fortunes.

Moonville, Ohio - the idyllic setting for a bookshop and the perfect place for Rowena Tempest to practice the art of floral magic. A floral witch who helps those who need her services find love, Rowena takes pleasure in helping the people of Moonville but isn't seeking her own happily ever after. Her only desire is to grow her business and help her family's store. When a powerful investor announces his wedding, it's the perfect opportunity for Rowena to pitch her business ideas, but one thing leads to another and she finds herself in a bizarre fake dating scenario with her friend and zany coworker, Trevor, who also happens to be the investor's son. When she finds that her crazy fake boyfriend's new step-brother-to-be is her former high school love, Alex King, everything becomes that much more complicated.

Filled with Sarah Hogle's signature humor and loveable characters, Old Flames and New Fortunes is sure to be the spring rom-com you need on your shelf.

This book was a warm, quirky read that contained the best of both of Sarah Hogle's books. It combined the hilarity of You Deserve Each Other with the fantasy of her recent books. There were parts that dragged for me, but overall it was a satisfying read.

This book has so many story lines that fall squarely within the romance reasons category. They include fake dating a friend, business reasons, high school soulmate, a surprise wedding, and more. Romilda and Alex have a past breakup to overcome plus current day obstacles. Can they build a love that lasts?

This book was lovely, angsty, and funny, but it also had a lethargic vibe for this first half. It felt like it just floated along with story building until Part 2 came along and turned up the tension. After that I was all-in on this couple and they had a lot of heart wrenching moments. I think the conclusion ended up being a whimper and not a bang and this might be the one time I would advocate for a stronger third act break-up.

I think I've finally figured out Sarah Hogle. Her first book (You Deserve Each Other-my favorite) almost feels like an outlier. I think she writes in the same style as Sally Thorne. You have to be willing to ride the chaos and know it will all be worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's and Sons for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Old Flames and New Fortunes is a quirky, witchy romance. There was a lot I liked about this book - the fake dating, the sister relationship, the sweet flashbacks. I would have liked more development in some areas, like the floral fortunes and how they work, the shop (I could never quite picture it), and Alex's character. I hadn't read anything by Sarah Hogle before and I'm intrigued to read more. Old Flames and New Fortunes wasn't a perfect match for me, but it was cute and I really appreciate the way Hogle writes about emotions. I'll be on the lookout for books featuring Zelda (and Morgan?!) and Luna.

“Ro! Why’d you ride with him for?” To Alex: “King, you flirting with my girl?”
“No,” he returns with a lazy dazzle of a smile. “I’m flirting with mine.”




My heart. My heart is so full. When I opened up this document to write, my heart grew warm and fuzzy and my stomach erupted in butterflies- but is that surprising when it comes to Hogle? I feel like I will always be a broken record when it comes to my favorite contemporary author. She writes in the quirky manner in which I think. She doesn’t do cookie cutter. She makes at least every other FMC a little unhinged. And, mostly, for whatever reason, she writes from not only her heart, but mine.


Someday. For now, I still have today, and I will make it a lovely one.


I don’t know if I ever would have tried this author if not for my long time friend on goodreads who INSISTED I give You Deserve Each Other a try. And it just goes to show that it’s not always what YOU know but WHO you know, because we cannot POSSIBLY catch all the new authors or series that manifest every year.

My inability to forge deep, serious, lasting connections with the men I’ve dated throughout my twenties might stem from the fact that I am not, as is painfully obvious to my family and friends, all the way over Alex.
And I don’t like the effect he had on me when we were young, either, so I’m sore about that, too. When we started dating, I was a wild, self-centered, carefree young thing, and he stunted my development with his pretty, hypnotic eyes and slow, deep, “There’s my girl.” Now I weep at diaper commercials. I invent distinct personalities for each of my crocuses, I prefer the company of chickens to people, I chalk hopscotch boxes on the sidewalk for kids to play on. I am overly emotional when I watch videos of babies reacting to eating lemons. It is all his fault. He brought all of my nerve endings to the surface, when life would’ve been smoother if I’d remained feral.




That being said, I will never find a book that speaks to my soul quite like YDEO does with Nicholas and Naomi and their toxic battle to end the relationship without being the one to pull the plug. And it’s so funny to me because that book, by all accounts, has so many realistic triggers for me….but it made me feel seen…heard…and perhaps a little more sane. It reached me in a way no author has because she writes in the sporadic and adhd way my brain works and it made me feel better about myself [with Naomi being just a little less certifiably insane, though it’s by a very thin margin]. And with all that being taken into account, Old Flames and New Fortunes-For about 50%-seems to be the closest to that book Hogle has gotten.


“Aren’t you going to congratulate us for being such a pretty couple?” Trevor wheedles, and Alex laughs.
Laughs!
I hate him for it. Who does he think he is, pretending to be unbothered? He has to be bothered. I would be, if my ex were presumably sleeping with my soon-to-be stepsibling.
It is infuriating that he might not be bothered.


I will say that y’all had me scared on here with the angry spoiler warnings and, I guess?, trigger warnings for the latter half of the book-and on that I can say that it did not bother me in the slightest….but maybe it’s because I am in a different mindset than probably ten years ago (I still like to think that with such consistent and strong writing I would have still loved it or gotten over it). I will begrudgingly admit that, with this new twist, it did change the tone and leave a little of the YDEO vibes behind-and that’s okay. For some, that’s a turnoff. For me, well, I didn’t want a carbon copy of my other favorite by her because, obviously, that was done and this is a totally different couple AND for this book it showed growth. It showed maturity. And…I’m sorry….if you don’t know it’s coming then perhaps you didn’t really get what the FMC was all about.


I had hoped that enough time had passed, that I had changed enough, that I had become unreadable to him. It never occurred to me that he’d figure me out all over again exactly like he did the first time.




What I mean to say is that it’s a very obvious character trait of our female lead and I KNOW it comes as a shock to some but if you look at the way it is leading up to what our character wants out of life…it can be considered very on the nose, in my opinion. And, ya know, I’m not just saying this because I adore Hogle, but it’s OKAY for a female lead to want less than or to crave something people don’t all identify with. Some may find it hard to relate but I, personally, was this way, am this way, and will always be this way and-shocker-Hogle somehow managed to pin down my wildest, darkest, deepest innermost thoughts and longings and dreams and she made me feel like I wasn’t crazy for that being my main goal in life. Somehow her passages always melt my heart, draw me in to the story, and make me feel like an extension of our MC.


This quiet pain is unbearably worse than cursing, shouting. There is nothing more awful than Alex rolling up his sleeves to show me all the wounds I left on him, and him reckoning with the ones he gave to me.





Another thought may be some people just didn’t love how the trope was introduced or handled…fair. I get it. But, other than that, I think it can be a pretty easy guess where the story goes when it’s time to be more serious. ALL THAT ASIDE-

“Is it the same picture I uploaded to Instagram two years ago that you liked at four in the morning last week, then quickly unliked?” He’s gloating.
“I was hoping you didn’t notice that.”
“I notice everything.”
I glare. “Damn you, Alex King.”
He smiles at me, eyes molten.


This book had banter. Rivalry. The BEST chemistry…I truly think this story is weirdly beautiful, as all of hers are, and will reach many people even WITH the end being less bantery and more about heart and what makes you happy in life. I absolutely loved how Alex was in the end, what he was willing to do…I am all about gestures and this one melted my heart and made it sing. I adored Romina’s story and I loved even more that it was a small town…sometimes these work for me, other times not-I felt the vibe here and I enjoyed it. NOW, this one may be biased LOL I have zero idea if someone else did it if I’d love it but eh….I dig it. I do not always dig.




“Chickens as pets,” he muses, getting up and wandering over to my cabinets. He starts opening them, poking around. “Is that allowed? You’d think there’d be codes about that. Livestock within city limits, etcetera.”
“My chickens aren’t livestock, they’re family. What are you doing? What are you looking for?”


So, you know, I think with all Sarah Hogle books I recommend them with a grain of salt because this author has time and again proved she is unhinged and you should know by now she doesn’t go by any mold. I do recommend this with my whole heart….but not for everyone. Just as I recommend all her other stories…but for each person I recommend different books based on their personality. There is a Hogle book for everyone, you just need to find it.

Twice Shy is one of my all time favorite romance novels. The novel felt whimsical and magical to me. And so I was very excited when I saw that Sarah Hogle had a new romance featuring a witch as the heroine.

Old Flames and New Fortunes has a lot that I really liked. I enjoyed the small town setting of Moonville, its quirky townspeople and businesses. I liked Romina and her sisters. This book even has some truly laugh-out-loud moments (the car chase scene in particular!), I really liked the twist on fake dating. I liked the second chance romance and I liked the small snippets we got of their early romance from when they were teens.

Perhaps you've noticed that I've said "I liked" a lot. I liked this book. It was cute and easy to read. But it never swept me off my feet, I never loved it. I would still recommend this to anyone looking for a romance read with witchy vibes!

3.5 Stars

Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalleyfor the ARC

Old Flames and New Fortunes will be out 4/2.

Thank you so much to Penguin GroupPutnam and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC of this novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this second chance romance novel. It was quirky, full of interesting characters, and plenty of complex relationships. This was an extremely slow - slow-burn romance. When Alex and Romina reconnect unexpectedly many years after a break-up, the tension is amazing and funny. I really enjoyed how they got under each other's skin and the sexual tension was wonderfully written.

Spoiler alerts:

There were times (after the romance) when I think Alex was a little too perfect. I actually thought he might be under a spell. I loved his character but I also keep getting red flags -- at one point he said something like he didn't have any thoughts except about Romina. It felt a bit stalkerish. I know it was meant to show how in love he was but it was bit like -- is Alex really okay? Maybe we should check in on him and explain healthy boundaries. Again, I kept expecting he was under some accidental spell Romina accidentally cast.

My main criticism is that this book ended a bit abruptly -- especially considering how long the romance took to pick up, It left a doorway for this to be a series about Romina's sisters, but it just felt a little off b/c as I stated, the romance was SLOW and then suddenly we finally got there and boom we were done. The pacing in general was a little off for me at times. The week leading up to the wedding was okay, but then suddenly the wedding was over and the very next day was the Night Market (maybe I just missed it). I'm not usually a big fan of characters falling deeply in love in a week (sorry Hallmark) so that timeline was strange for me. Then as I said, the "courtship" seemed to take forever with build up. I sometimes got confused when we were suddenly in a flashback, or the starts of some of the chapters made me think I missed something and I had to go back and re-read it only to find out that the situation would be revealed several paragraphs later.

This is why it got 4 stars instead of 5.

That said, I did really enjoy the story and will likely read future novels if this is a series.

This was just such a mess. I hated how clunky the info dumps and worldbuilding felt. And the cast of characters had the potential to be charming, but felt cluttered and obnoxious instead.

I’m really disappointed by this one because I loved Hogle’s contemporary romcoms.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

A moving second chance, single dad romance set in a small magical town. Full of female friendship, family, romance and charm. I really enjoyed this on audio and highly recommend for fans of authors like Hazel Beck and Erin Silver. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and @prhaudio for a complimentary digital and ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: a couple of open door scenes, mild details

Read the first chapter, for some reason did not realize it was going to have a witch as the main character. Which is just not my vibe when it comes to books! I’ve loved other books by Sarah Hogle though so maybe I’ll have to retry this again sometime

What a sweet second chance romance from Sarah Hogle! I had a great time with this one! I loved the witchy vibes, the humor, the romance, and the familial aspects.

Romina is such a fun and likeable character. Her unique career kept me intrigued and made for such an interesting setting. Her relationship with her sisters and niece was so lovely as well and I loved every single scene with them!

What I love about Sarah Hogle is her ability to write a true rom com. This book was FUNNY but it was also so romantic. Alex is definitely one of those book boyfriends that says alllll the right things!

There were a few things I would’ve liked to see more of. For example, we’re told but not often shown scenes from their past (there are small instances however where we actually get “then” chapters) and I would’ve personally liked to have seen them. There’s also a reveal that I’m not quite sure how to feel about but will reverse that for later since it’s spoiler-y!

I can’t remember exactly why I requested this book- probably because I was on a magic/witch kick for awhile- but I have never read this author before and I was so pleasantly surprised by this ARC.

This is a second chance romance between our heroine Romina and our hero Alex. They broke up many years ago and we don’t know the details of why really, but it is clear neither have moved on. I actually wished that was discussed a little more. There is a vague reasoning given and later on that is clarified but for awhile it makes it really hard to understand the characters actions. I think a flashback to that day would have really helped the story- and show exactly the bond between the characters. I have to admit I really loved the flashbacks that were given- especially the one where he asked her to the dance. It was unbearably sweet.

Anyway, in present times Romina is helping run her grandmother’s magic store with her sisters and their friend, Trevor. Romina is a flora fortunist - which means she basically puts together floral arrangements using the language of flowers to help (magically) bring a person's hopes to life. Due to a bunch of circumstances they need an investor to help them expand. Enter Trevor’s dad. Trevor and Romina go to meet with him thinking he wants to discuss their business plan, and instead find out that he is getting re-married- to her ex boyfriend Alex’s mom. All after telling everyone that they were dating. So we get the fake dating trope as well. Turns out the surprise wedding is that week and so Alex is also there. And that’s where we begin.

First of all the banter between the characters was awesome. I definitely laughed and really enjoyed their friendships. Romina is very funny and I enjoyed seeing things through her POV. I don’t know how anyone actually thinks she and Trevor are dating- but they are really funny friends. Everyone is pretty likable… shockingly the character I connected to the least is Alex. I think part of it is that we don’t really get his side of the story, it’s single POV, and also we don’t get to see much of him in flashbacks. The one area that I am going to just vaguely state- so that there are no spoilers- is that I think his current circumstances were glossed over. He owed her a conversation first and it was treated as if that would not be shocking/upsetting for her. And it made me mad at how he dealt with things. At no point did he think this was news that would upset her? I wonder how he would have felt if the roles were reversed. So that was one downside I think.

So although I don’t think the connection between the characters is obvious to the readers- their friendship really is. I loved their scavenger hunt. I love their flashbacks (really we need more) and I love how much they love each other. I just wish it was a little more obvious earlier on. I think this was a book that could have definitely used an epilogue. I think it would have been nice to see them a little further down the road. It is very clear where they are going in the future and it is an HEA- but I still would have enjoyed seeing more of them. However, this is a series and I am assuming books about both of her sisters, Luna and Zelda will follow in the future so I think we will hopefully get glances of them later.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a very quick read. And I really enjoyed the banter between the characters. A sweet cozy read. I would definitely recommend it and I will absolutely check out this author’s other books. I am looking forward to seeing what is in store for Luna and Zelda for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley for ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the earc in exchange for my honest review!

I have read 2 of Sarah's other books and was really looking forward to this one as well! The premise was also very interesting. Romina and her sister run their magic shop in the small town of Moonville. After their grandma passes away, an outsider bought the shop from them. Romina and Trevor, the new owner, decide to fake date to try to get a loan to start their night market on a new lot. Turns out Trevor's dad is engaged to Romina's ex's mom... and he's in town too!

Spoilers ahead!

This is a very slow burn, like at 50% I'm still kind of wondering what's going on, but finally around 60% my heart was shattered and the story gets in the groove. Romina and Alex dated in high school and broke up due to an misunderstanding. Feeling lost after their loss of love, they try to make each other jealous. Romina loses her virginity in a fit of jealousy. She eventually meets a much older man with an infant daughter, who she becomes the mother of. After their relationship fails, she is denied access to her now 5 year old not-child. Cue the tears.

A story of getting over past heartache and trusting new relationships.

Old Flames and New Fortunes is an adorable second chance romance with plenty of longing, some swooning, and a bit of modern witchcraft.

Romina is purveyor of flora fortunes, small floral arrangements that may help someone find their way to their true love. She sells these at her grandmother's magic shop, where she works with one of her sisters. Though the shop is currently owned by Trevor, a young and aspiring businessman. The trio want to expand the store into the empty lot next door, but when it turns out the lot is not buildable in its current state, they decide to ask Trevor's dad for a business loan when he is in town. Unbeknownst to Trevor and Romina, Trevor's dad Daniel is only in town for a week to marry Kristin, the mother of Romina's ex-boyfriend Alex, in a surprise, spontaneous wedding. Alex and Romina had a terrible breakup years ago, and have trouble moving on. But when an innocent mistake occurs, Trevor and Romina have to pretend to be dating, or risk upsetting Daniel and potentially losing out on the loan, which they desperately need sooner rather than later. Alex isn't fooled by the relationship though, and it seems that the fake-dating ruse may end up hurting more than it helps.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was a refreshing read after some intense fantasies, and I liked that it was a contemporary romance with some witchy elements, without being a fantasy book. It was a quick read and I enjoyed the characters quite a bit. Alex and Romina are still hurt by each other's behaviors after their breakup, and it comes though clearly in their actions. Trevor is sweet, despite his sometimes less than great ideas, and he was fun to read. Like with most contemporary rom-coms, the premise is a little manufactured, but It was a fun read, and I definitely found myself laughing at some parts and cringing at others. There are some really emotional moments as Romina recalls bits of her past well. And of course, I swooned at the parts when Alex and Romina express their feelings and explore the changes in their lives during the past ten years they have been apart, and what that means for their future. The witchy flora elements were fun, but not really necessary for the story. Though I felt that the magic speaks to Romina's personality, and how she had changed and grown since her time with Alex.

This was a fun read overall, and a nice witchy rom-com with some surprises sprinkled in. Thank you so much to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for the electronic advanced reader copy.

I really loved the first half of this book, so I'm giving it four stars. In the first half, we are introduced to the cutest small town and a perfect witchy store. I love the cast of characters and the fake dating aspect! The second half of the book felt like a different book to me, and I agree with other reviewers that I wasn't sold on Alex. All that said, I was really happy to read this book. Excellent cottagecore vibes!

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

Old Flames and New Fortunes is the new romance from auto-buy author Sarah Hogle. It follows floral witch Romina Tempest, who uses the language of flowers to help locals manifest love in their lives. When a potential financier announces he is getting married, Romina uses it to discuss her business. Hijinks ensue and she must fake date her colleague..who ends up being the stepbrother of her high school sweetheart. The man who broke her heart.

This was a fun, magical small town romance. The writing style took a bit to get the hang of, but I loved the storyline. I will read whatever Sarah Hogle writes.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.