Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Steam Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (very descriptive open door scenes)

Romina Tempest loves creating flora fortunes- flower arrangements that help one's love life- in the shop she owns with her sisters. When an opportunity comes up to get the money their shop needs to expand, Romina and her sisters jump on it. The only problem? It turns out the man who has the money they need is marrying the mother of Romina's first love, Alex. Romina hasn't seen Alex since they broke up, and she creates a ruse to prove that Alex no longer has a place in her heart. But when Alex starts to suspect Romina's true feelings, it's hard for her to deny her attraction. Can these two fix their past mistakes and finally make it work this time?

Let me start by saying that I completely understand why this book has mixed reviews. If you've read Sarah Hogle's previous books, then you know her humor is quirky and odd at times. I personally find it entertaining, and I enjoyed the zany personalities of the characters. I wasn't super into the whole witchy/magical store that Romina owns with her sisters, but that turned out to be unimportant as the romance took over and became the focus of the story. While Romina and Alex have a second chance romance, they gave off enemies to lovers vibes in the first half as Alex teased, taunted, and pushed Romina's buttons to get her to reveal that she really still loves him. Some readers may find Alex to be mean or immature for this reason, but it honestly worked for me. Another reason others may not love Alex is the secret that's revealed in the second half of the story. I was extremely thrown by this and thought it would ruin everything. Luckily, I felt like the author did a nice job of working things out between Romina and Alex, and the rest of the book had playful teasing, flirting, and some super romantic quotable moments. That really solidified my four star rating. It felt like You Deserve Each Other and Just Like Magic were meshed together to create this book. Go in open-minded, and I hope you'll enjoy it in the end like I did.

Thank you Netgalley and Putnam Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a decent story until we get to the little revelation after the halfway mark. At first, I was enjoying the banter between Alex and Romina and the witchy vibes gave a fun layer to the story. I was really looking forward to seeing how Alex and Romina would fix their relationship and I was hoping the author would address what had happened between them. It was difficult to like Alex at first because he was so arrogant but I have to admit there were some very cute lines. Despite him acting the way he does in the beginning, he was very sweet and swoony at times, and they definitely showed how much they knew each other once they started to show their feelings. However, the story went into a completely random direction around the 60% mark. I honestly didn't like this turn at all and I don't understand how there weren't more questions from Romina. It really seemed so random and Alex doesn't offer any details. I didn't understand why this twist was introduced and the characters acted very nonchalant about it. I had SO many questions about it.

I'm not sure if it just felt like the story dragged or not, but the story felt so long, especially after we learn about the secret. Overall, I think the secret was what ruined the book for me and I would have enjoyed it much more if it truly focused on the main couple. It didn't add anything to the story and instead, it felt completely unnecessary. We also barely get to see how they all interact together. It was a very unsatisfying ending for me.

I’ve been eagerly awaiting another second chance from Hogle ever since loving You Deserve Each Other. The premise of Old Flames and New Fortunes was just too good to pass up: magical realism, fake dating, forced proximity, childhood sweethearts, and an idyllic small town. While I didn’t love it nearly as much as her debut, this was a solid romance novel.

I loved the depth of Romina’s character we got to explore and get the timely reveals of her past were well executed. The small town setting was definitely my favorite aspect. I wish the magical realism/witchy vibes were more prevalent, just based on my expectations from the synopsis. But I definitely learned a lot about flowers! The side characters were lovable too and I almost wish Trevor ended up being the love interest simply because he was so damn fun to read about.

My only complaints were between the two romantic leads. I honestly didn’t care for Alex until the very end (except for his flashback scenes). Their banter and immaturity wasn’t really doing it for me, which is shocking since this is something that Hogle does well for me. The book was split into two parts and literally felt like two different books and not one seamless novel.

Overall, fun romcom that second chance and small town trope lovers will enjoy but You Deserve Each Other still reigns supreme.

This wasn’t necessarily my favorite read for a variety of reasons. I am never sure how a book with magical witchy vibes is going to go, and unfortunately I am typically disappointed. That was the first downfall of this book for me. Secondly, there was a lot going on and the plot lines didn’t always feel 100% coherent. I also wasn’t totally invested in Romina and Alex’s relationship. There were too many holes and inconsistencies that threw me off.

Now, all this being said, I didn’t totally dislike this book. It was fast paced and whimsical. If you are a fan of this author, you’ll likely enjoy this novel as well.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC.

This was a fun/ cozy little read.

Brief Summary-
Old Flames and New Fortunes follows Romina trying to save her fortune telling florist business by fake dating the owner... who is also the newly crowned stepbrother of her old flame.

What to Expect
💚Forced Proximity
💚Dual Timeline
💚Witchy Vibes
💚fake dating
💚High School Sweethearts
💚Second Chance Romance
💚Cute Banter

My Thoughts-
I enjoyed this one. I do think that some moments and events were way to chaotic for this story. I also think it would have been deeper on character perspective if it were a dual POV.

The characters were well rounded and liked. I think the pace was up and down. Towards the middle the story really started to slow down. Over all a very fun book.

I would recommend this book to someone who like witchy vibes and second chance romance added with a little florist knowledge.

This is a sweet book with an interesting premise. It’s a bit of a mix of fake-dating/second chance/magical fate. I had moments of really enjoying the story and moments of wanting to stop reading. It was slow at times and felt too long. I liked the idea and it had redeeming moments but wasn’t a hit for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my very own.

I am such a fan of Sarah Hogle's previous books, which have always felt so fresh and original. Unfortunately, while this one started strong with some lovely world-building and touches of magic, I just couldn't get past the halfway mark (and boy, did I try). This second-chance romance reunites childhood sweethearts but only succeeds in making a solid case for why these two should never get back together (or even be in the same room). I could never understand why they initially broke up or what led to such a terrible fallout, which seemed important since they did seem to intensely dislike each other in ways they didn't hesitate to convey.

While this was a miss for me, I still enjoy Hogle's writing and can't wait to see what she releases next. Many thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

I do not like magical realism. Every witchy romance I have read I have hated. But I didn't hate this!!!! I am in LOVE with Alex and his family and while the beginning of the story maybe has tooooo many elements - it quiets down for the second half and we get to see Alex and Romina's love!!!

Thank you to the author, netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a light, engaging, quick read. The witches are delightful, using flowers as their language to help others. If you need a fun, happy ending book, this is one for you.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book. My reviews can be read on my GoodReads account here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1335387-kelly

As someone who loves Practical Magic + The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic + The Ex Hex + Love, Theoretically, I LOVED THIS BOOK! The small town, witchy setting in Moonsville, OH, which is like a little small town PLUS a second chance romance that is very unique and fun to read makes for an AMAZING read! I absolutely adored the tension and chemistry between Romina (FMC) and Alex (MMC) when they run into each other at Alex's mom's wedding! BUT the wedding is to the guy who turns out to be the father of Trevor, the guy Romina is currently fake dating (as of 5 minutes ago)... This is where the Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood vibes come in!
BUT the general sister love + witchy vibes (magic + candles + flora fortunes) gave me the same warm, happy feelings as an October rewatch of Practical Magic AND this book was set in the spring and summer so it brings a new, fresh background for this kind of story! The plot movements and back and forth between the characters is INSANE! THERE WAS A PLOT TWIST THAT I DID NOT SEE COMING!!! IN A ROMANCE NOVEL!!! I am already keeping my fingers crossed for future books in this series following the romance of the other two sisters, Luna and Zelda. I MUST go back and read all of Sarah Hogle's books if this is a good representation of the author's work!
Thank you so much to Putnam for an early copy of this fantastic read! It is GREAT to get you into a wonderful springtime mood!💖

Sadly, I did not finish this one. I absolutely HATED Alex and couldn't get past that to continue. He was just awful and I honestly couldn't see how the author could make him likable by the end so I put this one down. Didn't work for me, but I'm in the minority.

for me, the flaws of this book boil down to being Too Much - too many side characters (obviously all introduced for the inevitable future books about the other two sisters), too much going on with all the plot lines both major and minor, too much chaos and info dumping of the setting/magic situation right up front, and too many personalities for the MMC. seriously, Alex felt like at least three different people over the course of this book. I think if some things had been significantly pared back there is a tighter book with better flow in here but as is this was Not It for me.

I found this a delightful, funny and thoughtful love story that made me cheer for the characters every step of the way. At first, I thought the story would be a little like the TV show, "Bewitched," but it wasn't, the story was more about how ex-lovers, who truly still love each other, connect again. This is what real love should look like.

The chemistry between Romina and Alex can be felt the moment they meet again at a Alex's mother engagement party. The reason Romina is at the engagement party happens to be a fluke, but it quickly becomes a reason for the universe to throw Alex and Romina together again every chance it can get, and slowly and thoughtfully the terrible things that had separate them are unfolded and solved, and love is allowed to open their hearts to each other again. So romantic.

I want to mention there are a few secondary characters that are involved in the plot that makes the story so enchanting and funny that without them the story would have been to simple and not as much fun. There is Romina's sisters and niece, who throw a little magic of their own in to the plot and who stands by Romina as she tries to figure out what to do with Alex, then there is Trevor, Romina's landlord and friend, who is a complete hoot and who definitely thinks outside of the box, and who goes along with a plot to help Romina save her business, to funny.

I want to thank PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for an advance copy of this enchanting love story that made me happy.

You Deserve Each Other is my favorite romcom book in the world so I was so so excited to get the ARC of her newest novel Old Flames and New Fortunes. I was definitely a fan of this one! Sarah Hogle knows how to write banter between two characters in a way that feels so natural the only other romance author I think that can also do this is Emily Henry. I love a second chance romance and I loved how there was also a twist on the fake dating trope. Instead of love interests Romina and Alex fake dating like how the trope usually goes it was between Romina and her coworker Trevor. It was a fresh take on fake dating and I loved seeing how jealous Alex got.

When seeing other reviews I saw a lot of people were upset about the twist in the middle of the book and that Alex kept a secret from Romina. I however feel like it was fine since when the “secret” is revealed it was not even a week since Alex and Romina reunited after not seeing each other for ten years. It seems natural to me that they don’t know every aspect of what was going on for the last decade of each other’s lives. However, I can also see the other side and why people weren’t a fan.

Overall, I would recommended this especially if you are a fan of Hogle’s other works. If you haven’t read her work though, I would say to read You Deserve Each Other first.

A wonderfully magical romance. Our heroine uses the magic of flowers to open people's hearts to love. She knows her true love is out there, but she's getting tired of looking for him. When her good friend and boss wants her to pose as his fiancée, she agrees, only to discover the guy that broke her heart is going to be his stepbrother.
Hilarity ensues and so does romance.
Excellent book!

This romance follows Romina and Alex and their second chance romance. I am not super well-versed in this trope, so I can’t say for certain whether I usually like them or not, however, I will in fact say that I loveeeddd You Deserve Each Other (a second chance romance by the same author. Because of my love for that book, I thought I would love this one too, but unfortunately I just didn’t.

Now, with that said, this wasn’t a bad book. I feel like the reader is given lots of insight into Romina as an individual and I very much appreciated that. Also, the last 40% or so of this book was so fun! The sex scenes were hot and seeing Romina and Alex come back together and make a relationship work again was really cute. I also enjoyed the inclusions of Romina’s sisters and friends. Although everyone in this book is a little too eccentric to seem completely real, the side characters weren’t under-developed and I cared a decent amount about their own plot lines.

My real issues with this one lie in the first 60% of it. I was having the hardest time reading because it was simply not enjoyable throughout the entire first half. Romina and Alex’s antagonistic relationship in the beginning felt strange and immature and kind of annoying honestly. Speaking of the immaturity OH MY GOODNESS these characters were immature!! Running (literally) away from your problems? Making each other jealous after like a decade of not being together? Inconveniencing a bride-to-be just to get on someone’s nerves a little longer? It was so so so unnecessary.

I also didn’t love the inclusion of gardening and magic talk and business plans, but that’s personal preference really (I’m a hater.) I just wish the miscommunication was resolved sooner and that these two adults could have acted like adults. That would have made this story much, much better. If you’re into witchy quirky heroines this might be for you, I just don’t think it’s for me.

An unconventional and mature story, with the whimsy of Sarah Hogle!!

My life motto is that whatever Sarah Hogle publishes, I will read. She plays my emotions like a harp, and this book was no different.

This is one of the most unique contemporary romances I've read in a long time, and it was a real palette cleanser. I understand why other people had a harder time with this one because it's certainly not told in the traditional romance format. The first half is a romp with tons of banter, and the second is a heart wrenching story about first loves and second chances. If you go into this book without expectations of how the story will progress, I think you'll enjoy it like I did. It certainly got me out of a reading slump!

My favorite part about this book was Romina, the FMC. She's both passionate and compassionate, and it's nice to see heroines that struggle with confidence as I so often do. She's someone who feels her emotions so deeply, and that includes love.

The MMC Alex was hard to connect with at first, since we only ever view him through Romina's perspective. However, throughout the story, I really gained an appreciation for him and the solid guy he was. While he isn't particularly flashy, I don't think there was a doubt for me by the end of the book that the two main characters were meant for each other, and I think that's what a romance book should accomplish!

It's not the most swoonworthy Hogle or my personal favorite, but a refreshing addition to the genre and her catalog! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sarah Hogle for providing me an advanced reader's copy of this story!!

3.5/5

This book wasn’t my cup of tea! I didn’t think the magic worked great with the book and at 60% the romance was still way too awkward for me!

I wish I could have loved this one! I do love the authors other books though and will try them again