DNF!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

But...
Unfortunately I could not get into this one at all. It was very hard to read at times because I had to stop and go to check if this was a middle grade book or Adult novel since the characters were acting like 12 years old. If the age wasn't mentioned I would have thought they were middle schoolers. I was dissapointed because I really enjoyed You Deserve Each Other by Sarah and was excited when I got the ACR for this.

—Thank you to NetGalley and the publidher for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review!

I love Sarah Hogle’s books because they feel so cozy and raw at the same time.
In this case, i was obssessed with the cozy small town vibes, family dynamics and sisters’ relationship. These characters were so human, they made mistakes, they were relatable and they loved fiercely.
4.5/5

I was very excited to read Sarah Hogle's new book because I am a huge fan of her previous work and this did not disappoint at all. In fact, I think it will usurp Twice Shy as my favorite Sarah Hogle book and is an early contender for the best romance of the year! This year has some hotly anticipated romance novels coming out and this will be the one to beat!

Romina is a flora fortunist (a hybrid of a florist and fortune teller) in a small town famous for their magical history. She agrees to fake-date her friend, Morgan, at his father's engagement party but she didn't know he was getting married to her ex-boyfriend's mother. Alex and Romina have not seen each other since they broke up after high school. Alex is confident, determined and bucks expectations. Romina is loyal, thoughtful and has a complicated past.

Alex has a secret that threatens to ruin the rekindling of their relationship. I understand why other reviewers reacted strongly do it but I understand the reasoning behind it. <spoiler>Alex has a child that he didn't tell Romina about. To be fair, for most of their interactions before she finds out, Romina is lying about dating Morgan. As a parent, I always put the interest and privacy of my children first and although I'm not a single parent, I think it is right for Alex to protect his family over disclosing to an ex. I think he was also very understanding and patient when Romina wasn't ready to spend time with him, due to her own past baggage. </spoilers>

Readers who enjoyed the banter and pettiness of You Deserve Each Other, communication via flowers like in Julie Soto's Forget Me Not, and small town sisterhood like Practical Magic and Garden Spells, will love Old Flames and New Fortunes!

Very sad I didn’t enjoy this since Just Like Magic is one of my favorite romances. This was just kind of boring and Alex was very problematic to me. Hopefully other people enjoy this more than I did.

Romina and Alex broke up prior to heading off to college with misconceptions about the break-up om both sides. Reunited as Alex's mother prepares to remarry, both are still attracted to each other, but not sure if there's a future for them. Interesting story with a little magic and what different flowers represent.
#OldFlamesandNewFortunes #NetGalley

Did not finish. I may come back to this story later but could not get into it currently. I will update my review when I do come back.

A fun, light-hearted read!
Alex and Romina obviously belong together, and it was so fun to follow their story to its foregone conclusion. Sarah Hogle has a knack for writing wonderfully sincere, emotional scenes and heartfelt, witty dialogue
The editing felt a bit uneven, and Trevor's character arc seemed to drop off substantially, but the wonderful writing and main love story more than made up for any other (tiny) shortcomings.
Definitely worth reading, and I'm looking forward to Luna and Zelda's stories.

thank you so much to netgalley and G.P putnam’s sons for the arc of old flames and new fortunes! i

things i enjoyed:
-the cozy and magical small town vibes, it was truly very enchanting especially with all of the lore hogle created for the town
-the beautiful family and tempest sister bonds, i loved the way they all balanced one another out and how their shop reflected that
-our female mc romina, she is so strong and courageous, i loved watching her grow and learn what it was she truly wanted and what made her happy!
-the cute dates our mcs went on, i enjoyed the small town romance aspect a lot more than i normally do!
-alex’s reaction to discovering that romina and trevor’s relationship was fake was absolutely priceless
-no act 3 breakup!


things i didn’t enjoy:
-alex’s behaviour when he learned about trevor and romina’s “relationship”/how he treated them
-the backstory of why alex and romina broke up originally
-the plot point involving alex and the way it effected romina
-alex is not my favourite his love felt a bit obsessive and he was rather cocky which i didn’t particularly enjoy
-the way the relationship between alex and romina felt a bit rushed in the second half, it seemed slightly like alex was pushing romina before she was ready.


i did enjoy this book, certain parts of it felt like a warm hug but other parts didn’t sit quite right with me. i do very much enjoy hogle’s writing style and the environments she creates in her novels. i just don’t think is romance was a kicking my feet, truly rooting for the couple type romance i had hoped it would.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to catch a glimpse of Sarah Hogle's new book Old Flames and New Fortunes!

This is a witchy second chance romance occurring in a witchy village. Romina and Alex haven't seen each other since they broke up at the end of high school, and with a little serendipity meet at Alex's mom's wedding. In a classic case of miscommunication/ shenanigans, she is pretending to date her coworker and BFF Trevor, who happens to be Alex's future stepbrother.

Unfortunately I did not fall in love with this book as I did other Sarah Hogle romances. I loveddddd You Deserve Each Other, and even Twice Shy was great. Like other romance authors today, Hogle tries to expand into the fantasy lite genre, sometimes it is a hit, and sometimes a big miss. I think there were just too many mini-plots at the same time in this book, that nothing in particular shone, and made the magic element unnecessary. Indeed it seemed quite forgotten after 50% of the book.

Also I was not a fan of Alex. Some people have said he is super conceited or egotistical. While some of that if forgivable, he came off really inconsistent from the beginning to the ending, esp with the flashback scenes. Also, the insta-love is a hard pill for me to swallow. If they have been in love this whole time (12 years) then why did they not even look each other up? Reasons seemed flimsy.

The person that really saved this book was Trevor, honestly I absolutely adored him. I feel that he had more chemistry than anyone else, his scenes made me laugh out loud. He deserves the three stars!

This book was a cute and easy read. This is my first book by this author I believe, so I didn’t have anything to compare this to as some of the other reviews mention. I thought it was fine! The sexual tension and flirting and spice were great!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this arc!
Pub date: 4/2/24

DNF for me. Idk what it is, I do not like this author. I wasn't impressed with Just Magic either. There's just. so. many. words. Completely unnecessary filler is the name of the game with her. :-/

This was the perfect read to get in the mood for spring! I loved how each chapter correlated with a different flower. The town was so fun and I loved the funny banter between all the sisters and the main characters. Growing up near Ohio it was fun to see towns I recognized. The modern witch aspect was unique too in that you don’t get that in a spring feeling book often. Overall the book gave practical magic meets Gilmore girls vibes.

I only wish we had more background/ scenes in the past to create more of an emotional connection as to why this is a second chance romance. It was more telling than showing it.

Over all though this was a cute, fun, easy read to put you in the mood a new season. 3.75 stars!

Sarah Hogle's "Old Flames and New Fortunes" is an absolute winner. Hogle's ability to write every character with a distinct voice adds to the charm and fun making the magical town of Moonville spark with energy.

Hogle is *funny* and engaging and the cast of characters are easy to love. This slow burn, second chance witchy romance is a must read for romance fans.

This book was a cute and fluffy read! I did like the characters - and the premise was definitely on i’ve never heard of.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!
All thoughts and opinions are my own

'Old Flames and New Fortunes' is a delightful journey through the ups and downs of love, family, and self-discovery. As I dove into the pages of this charming novel, I found myself immediately drawn to the quirky and relatable characters, each with their own struggles and triumphs. Hogle's writing is both witty and heartfelt, weaving a story that feels like a warm embrace on a chilly evening. The picturesque setting and vivid descriptions transported me to a world where old flames reignite and new beginnings unfold.

What I loved most about 'Old Flames and New Fortunes' is its authenticity. Hogle doesn't shy away from portraying the messy and imperfect aspects of life and love, yet she infuses every moment with hope and humor. As I followed the journey of the protagonist, I couldn't help but reflect on my own experiences and relationships, making this book feel deeply personal and resonant.

Ultimately, 'Old Flames and New Fortunes' is more than just a romance novel—it's a heartfelt exploration of the power of forgiveness, the beauty of second chances, and the importance of embracing life's unexpected twists and turns. It's a book that will stay with me long after I've turned the final page, reminding me to cherish the past while embracing the future with an open heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

I bread some of the reviews and it seems people either really love this book or really dislike it.

Well after reading some of them I was really skeptical and was prepared forbthevworst, but thankfully I just adore this book!

I thought the characters and plot were superb. There was nothing negative about any of the dialog or in the setting. The author did a great job in my opinion and I do not hesitate to recommend.

“Old Flames and New Fortunes” was a fun take on a second chance romance with a fake dating spin. I adored all of the dialogue in this book. It made the characters easy to connect with and helped to make this book a quick, light read.

The heat between Alex and Romina was the perfect balance between flirty and spicy and I could not wait for them to heat up. The witchy whimsy woven throughout was something I don’t normally gravitate towards but I was definitely rooting for the magic to happen.

This book is the perfect read for any lover of contemporary romance novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

Sarah Hogue has written a cute, thoughtful, sweet and sexy book. Nice job! I am now very interested in flowers, because of her :)

When I saw there was a new Sarah Hogle book coming out, I was excited for a chance to read and review her latest story. Hogle’s debut was one of my favorite reads in recent memory, with its unique storytelling and candor featuring a relationship figuring out how to navigate challenging times. This latest offering had a similar type of candor and was another unique and interesting story.

This story is about Romina and Alex, whose paths cross for the first time since their youthful romance ended about 10 years ago. This is a second chance story. Their teenage relationship was intense in feelings, and when trying to determine how to navigate post-high school decisions, they bungled it. Both came away hurt and scarred thinking the other had ended it. Neither were mature enough to handle the size of their emotions.

Second chance stories are tough to pull off, because it needs to be convincing why it didn’t work the first time. I do feel that a contemporary romance has an easier time with young love and not being ready for adult decisions. And for me, that helped here. But, I would say the hurtful ways they lashed out in their youth felt off to a degree, as in I couldn’t fully relate or find myself fully convinced. Like the hurts were hurtful (a Hogle specialty, it seems), but the escalation felt off.

This book had two halves, and I would say I enjoyed the first half better. I think the second half tried to keep the tension alive with Romina’s fears of becoming attached, but it felt anticlimactic. I think it is because it was very clear the attraction and feelings were strong and not going away in the first half, so once the tension was resolved by their open acknowledgment of their feelings/ getting together, it was a done deal for me and felt like unnecessary extra obstacles.

Overall, this was a really good read. My critique of the halves and tension/believing in the drama is really due to how good it was. Hogle is in a class of her own for making readers want to get on the roller coaster ride of emotions her books can be. They always feel uncomfortable and honest but also amazing for being able to bring the hopeful and happy conclusions.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book. Views are my own.

DNF, but skipped around after the big reveal to see if there was anything remotely justifying the secret the male main love interest kept from the female main character, and NO.

So beyond disappointing since You Deserve Each Other is a god tier romance, one of my all time favorite books. I'm actually sort of disgusted.

SPOILERS BELOW

Romina and Alex were high school sweethearts who break up and over a decade later run into each other again when Alex's mom gets remarried to the father of the landlord of Romina and her sisters' shop. The first two chapters were so confusing, names being thrown around so I genuinely was getting frustrated because I could not keep up with what was going on. Then Trevor and Romina fake date when Trevor's ex and Alex show up. I paused there, and saw other reviewers complaining about some big reveal. So I continued, realized what the secret was, and was honestly so shocked and grossed out.

This is about halfway through, by then Alex realizes that Trevor and Romina aren't actually together. He and Romina are physically intimate again, with a very spicy smutty scene, okay fine. But then it turns out ALEX HAS A SON. AND HE DIDN'T TELL ROMINA. AND HE NEVER APOLOGIZES FOR NOT TELLING HER. AND EVERYTHING IS SUPPOSED TO BE OKAY.

I'm sorry but if you are here trying to have a relationship with me, intending to have this relationship last a long time and not just be a one night stand, and you don't fucking tell me that you have an actual child, a full on child, before being physically intimate with me, you are out of your GD MIND. It's gross, it's disgusting, like...should I even get into the consent issues here? I'm fuming mad.