This book was an absolute delight! I wasn’t sure at first how I would like it because I’ve read a string of second chance romances that haven’t worked for me. But this was the perfect combo of humorous and heartwarming.

Romina ends up fake dating her friend Trevor, only to discover that his soon to be stepbrother, Alex, is her childhood love. This whole plot was so fun. A different side of fake dating that added to the humor. But at the same time, Romina has a very sad backstory. It really tugged at my heart, made me ball my eyes out because I can’t even imagine going through something like that, and really helped to flesh out her character.

I would’ve loved an Alex POV, but I also liked only getting Romina’s story. It helped to understand her so much better. This is a witchy romance, with not enough witch, in my opinion, but it was exactly what I needed!

Spoiler-I really wanted some kind of resolution for Romina with her and Adalyn. I’m going to imagine a happy ending for them because it’s too hard to think about the alternative.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for the advanced copy in exchange for n honest review!

I went into Old Flames and New Fortunes a little nervous based on some reviews I saw, but I’m a sucker for a second chance romance. Flora fortunist Romina Tempest is looking to expand her business in her magical town but to get the loan from her business partner and best friend Trevor’s dad, the two end up having to fake date, but everything goes sideways when Trevor’s soon-to-be stepbrother is her high school sweetheart Alex and their connection hasn’t seemed to have faded one bit in their time apart. Based on the description, I was expecting a little magical witchy town, but I didn’t like Alex’s skepticism about Romina’s magic. This was definitely tricky for me, I didn’t like the fake dating, they didn’t even try with it and it just felt silly here, and Alex felt really arrogant with her. I know they were both hurt from their past but the characters feel a little immature. I wish Alex’s POV was there because the second half of the book he feels like a totally different and kind character. The gestures he makes for Romina are so sweet. In terms of the romance, it’s so angsty and the build up to these two is so good. I loved their tension. The dialogue and side characters were strong too. The writing itself is well done and it’s a great angsty romance plot. Still enjoyable but not my favorite characters.

Found a new favorite romance author with this book. I enjoyed following along as Romina and Alex got their second chance at love and to see how that love brought healing to Romina. I can't wait to read more about her sisters finding love.

This was a cute book with so much romance and magic I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to see what else Sarah Hogle writes because I'll definitely be reading it!

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.