Old Flames and New Fortunes is a sweet, lighthearted story about a small town girl who encounters her ex-boyfriend after a long time and old feelings come back like they've never left. Although I'm not a huge fan of a second chance romance trope, I still thought that the premise sounds quite interesting and was excited to delve into this book. At the start, the reader is introduced to the charming town called Moonville, where people believe in witches, charms and other various other magical knick-knacks and our protagonist - Romina, who is a flora fortunist, a person who creates charms seeking answers about their love life using flowers. I was fine with all the introductions, although at first it seemed like a lot of information, later on, I understood, that barely anything was said about the history of the town itself, it also wasn't explained if magic is prominent everywhere or this was only specific to Moonville, if there was genuine magic involved or if some merchants might be charlatans who wanted to gain more money by pretending to be witches. This was quite confusing for me and it stayed that throughout the novel.

Soon enough, Romina finds herself in a complicated situation, where she and her friend Trevor bump into their exes and they decide to fake date each other (there is a financial problem as well, that encourages them to start acting like a couple). This was... really bad. I thought it might be interesting, but right from the start it didn't seem believable and it was clear that author only planned to keep this ruse for a while until the jealous past partners would get back together. I wouldn't say that Romina and Trevor actually pretended to be a couple, because except for sleeping in the same bed for one night and holding hands for an evening, they didn't anything else to prove their point. It was very obvious that they were only friends, so this trope wasn't executed properly at all.

Another problem, that I had with this book was Alex. Right from the start I found his pompous and annoying with his whole little spiel of "I'm the only for you, no other man could compare". Ugh, get over yourself, you're actually not that great. Also, once he found out what is Romina's occupation, he instantly started mocking her for not only making flower charms, but also for her believing that she is a witch made him laugh. He came across as a mean guy, who was sour that the girl that he dated in high school changed during past 11 years and was (fake) dating his future-stepbrother. At that point I knew that there's nothing he can do to redeem himself and get back to my good books, which was disappointing, since, after all, he is the love interest of the MC. By the way, the fact both of them were so keen on each other after dating for 2 years as teens and being apart for 11 (and being in other relationships during that time!), seemed weird to me, because, obviously, they changed a lot during that time and from the glimpses of their past relationship (which were very rare) it didn't seem like an epic love story that they were pondering about all the time.

I also didn't love Alex's 'secret', which came out in the second half of the novel. I don't it was really necessary or it could have been handled better by having been introduced earlier, because, due to the delay, everything what came after felt rushed, especially the ending.

My favourite was definitely Trevor, who I'd have loved to see more, but, unfortunately, he only had a role of a comic relief. At the start I thought that Morgan will be a more prominent character, but he appeared in the novel only two or three scenes at most. I would've liked to see more of Zelda too, I think she is the most interesting of all the sisters, so it's a shame that she only appeared towards the end. Luna also didn't have much to her except for the fact that she sells candles and has a daughter, these are the only important parts of her personality. However, the end suggests that sisters might return in other books and if so, I would be interested to read the sequel(s), hoping that I'd find them more exciting than this one.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

I love second chance romances and this one is a doozy.
Romina is context with her magical life. She's in business with her sisters and the owner of the store, Trevor, who is her ride or die friend.
Romina and her sisters approach Trevor's dad for a business investment. I'm agone their surprise when the discover his dad is getting married to Romina's ex boyfriend's mother.
Alex is surprised to see Romina. She was the one who got away. Why is she is his soon to be stepbrother?
Through a series of mechanisms, Romina and Alex keep being thrown together. There are misunderstandings to correct, walls to be torn down and the courage to leap, to be found.
All in all a charming book.
Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy.
Edit

I really wanted to love this book. The premise seemed right up my alley - fake dating, second chance, a little magic... but the execution wasn't exactly great. I felt like I never really could connect with the MMC, and once his secret came out, I really couldn't connect with him.

Overall, a fun and cute read, but I do not think I would read it again.

<i> You are so much more important, more indispensable to my happiness, my survival, than you can know, than you've given yourself credit for. </i>

if there's one thing sarah can do, its write an amazing second chance romance. I enjoyed the hell out of this. I truly loved every single character, alex, romina, trevor (he made me laugh so hard). this book truly felt like a magical romcom movie. It had all the feels. It made me laugh, it has sarah's classic hilarious banter that reminded me alot of Naomi and Nicholas from YDEO. The angst was really heartbreaking, truly about missed opportunities and growth. I really felt for Romina and I wanted her happily ending so much. Alex is such a great male character, he was so damn romantic and I highlighted nearly everything that he said. the only thing that prevented me from giving this 5 stars was the twist but overall I adored this book! It's not for everyone but I had an amazing time. Thank you so much to Netgalley for this arc!

✨ 𝒪𝓁𝒹 𝐹𝓁𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒩𝑒𝓌 𝐹𝑜𝓇𝓉𝓊𝓃𝑒𝓈 𝒷𝓎 𝒮𝒶𝓇𝒶𝒽 𝐻𝑜𝑔𝑔𝓁𝑒 ✨

By looking at other reviews I was super nervous to read this after requesting it as as an ARC but I really loved it ☺️ The romance is angsty, there is tension and flirty banter that will have you smiling and giggling. The fake dating aspect was sooo good I loved seeing the MMC get jealous and all worked up..I know I’m toxic. The flashbacks from when they were together made my heart skips beats. This would be the perfect spring read 🌸🌷

<b><u>Tropes & What to Expect</b></u>
🌟forced proximity
🌟Single POV (but you don’t need to know his thoughts he expresses his feelings)
🌟dual timeline(we get glimpses of now and then)
🌟Witchy/magic vibes
🌟fake dating to make an ex jealous
🌟second chance romance
🌟cute and funny banter
🌟opposites attract
🌟small town with magic
🌟fun and flirty banter
🌟something I liked was the chapters are named after flowers and there is a description

Romina is a flora fortunist since she creates floral arrangements using the language of flowers to magically bring a person's romantic hopes to come true. She owns a flora shop along with her sister and best friend Trevor. She’s super strong willed, funny, and a great friend. She was hurt by a past relationship and is hesitant about being with Alex despite her still having feelings for him.

Alex is INFURIATING he wasn’t just getting under her skin he was under mine also. He’s cocky, arrogant, serious, always right but he is oh so sweet. He would 🌟say the sweetest things that made me weak in the knees 🥹💕 but then he would turn around and be infuriating again. She would bring out this playful side of him and made him feel lighter. He has been pining for her since high school days and never truly got over her so don’t get it twisted. Some of his actions were over the top but I think he wanted to make sure she was “all in”.

<b><u>Spice Rating</b></u>
1.75/5🌶️
There are some spicy moments but not overly descriptive. The intimate scenes are so well written..I never knew I would get hot by a wrist kiss 🫠🥵

"𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞," 𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬. "𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐭." 🥵🥵🥵 okkkaaayyyyyy

THERE WAS NO EPILOGUE 😭😭😭 but it was a beautiful, happy ending 🩷but I still want to start a riot..how dare the author not include an epilogue

<b>Overall thoughts:</b> Yes I would recommend. I know some people might not like the jealousy part but it was working for me. The romance is tenser and sweet you can’t help but also fall in love with these characters.

Fav Quotes:

"Romina, I would've picked up the sun with my bare hands and moved it if you didn't like the position of your shadow, but consider that not everything is about you.”

"There was no girl." His eyes are tortured. "Of course there was no girl. You were always the girl." 🥹🥹🥹💕

"Walking you to your door is boyfriend business. You want me to be your boyfriend, Romina Romina?"

"Alexander, I don't even have a boyfriend."Darling, if you want one, all you have to do is ask. It's your turn to do the asking."

<i><b>I would share more but don’t want to spoil all the sweet moments</i></b>💋💋



Thank you Netgallery, Penguin Group Putnam, and Sarah Hogle for this lovely ARC in exchange for a review.

Thank you Netgalley and Putnam Books for this Arc!
3.5 stars!
This was a cute warm and cozy witchy book. A good palette cleanser. Some characters seemed to lack personality like Morgan, I didn’t understand his part in this book at all. He was there at times but not really relevant at all. I loved all the names! My husband is named Trevor although nothing like this Trevor. My cat is also named Zelda which drew me more into the book. The second chance romance was nice. Some parts felt very flat though. I feel like there could’ve been more to the book. Not a bad read at all! I still enjoyed it very much!

This one didn’t land well for me. I felt like I couldn’t understand the story/world in which it was set in and the FMC’s magical abilities which really affected my ability to connect with the overall storyline.

I'm finding myself in a strange conundrum right now, immediately post-read, I genuinely cannot tell you whether I liked this book or not. This may be one of those rare books where, depending on the day, I'll either tell you "I loved it! 4 stars!!" OR "I kinda ... hated it? 2.5 stars." 🫢 so just to be safe... let's just say, unofficially 3⭐️.
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I think I have to preface by saying that You Deserve Each Other is one of my favorite romance books, possibly of all time. I'm also notorious for loathing the second chance trope, but because it's Hogle and she'd written the first book to have single-handedly changed my mind about it, I had extremely high hopes. And perhaps that was my downfall...

What I liked:
-The small-town, witchy vibes were immaculate. I was obsessed with the magic shop, Romina's floral fortunes and Hogle's endless creativity.
- The entire supporting cast and Romina (until Pt. 2, lol). Trevor was the lowkey highkey the star of the show if we're being honest. I couldn't stop laughing during their entire fake dating ruse. I do wish Romina and Trevor didn't half-ass their "relationship" to really up the ante, but maybe that's also why it was so hilarious. I'm hoping the Tempest sisters get their own books and we see more of Morgan?? 👀

What I (vehemently) disliked:
- Alex King. 🫢 He had very little redeeming qualities, like arrogance, and the cherry on top is thinking Romina was being duplicitous. For a good chunk of the book, I thought Alex was the true villain here and without spoiling the huge twist, I think part 2 further solidified my stance. There's also a secret trope here (that is actually one of my top 5 tropes), but I realize I only like it when I'm not blindsided by it. 😂 Romina is a stronger soldier than me and that's all I'll say about that, and I'm actually truly sorry if even that's saying too much.

- I'm realizing that second chance romances will just never do it for me when the characters were each other's first loves in high school, but especially if they don't reconnect at all in the span of a decade. Alex's amygdala was barely formed!! Sorry again if that makes me cynical.
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Overall I think this book was still worth the read! Hard to say whether I'd recommend this book to everyone or a very small, specific audience. Either way, thank you to Netgalley & G. P Putnam's for the opportunity to review an advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts 🫶🏼

I really enjoyed Old Flames and New Fortunes! It took me a little bit of time to get into the book, I kept picking it up and putting it down for awhile until we meet Alex. I loved reading Alex's playful, confident (maybe a bit arrogant) attitude and interactions with Romina. Who doesn't love a red flag or two lol. Besides, once you learn more about Alex, you know that he has a big heart and does love Romina. Their relationship is cute and flirty and I loved the banter between them. The fake dating trope is one I don't mind if done right and I felt like it was justified for the most part. I could not put this book down once I got about 20% in. I would recommend this book to a friend!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

I’m hoping this turns into a series about the Tempest sisters, because I need more! The town of Moonville, the sister relationships, the banter, the witchy details- I loved every minute of this one. I highly recommend whether you typically enjoy magical themes or not, there was just enough to give it something special without veering off into another genre altogether. Wonderful!

Really cute book. Just not my cup of tea. I didn’t really like magic aspect and felt the characters lacked chemistry.

A small town, lots of gentle magic, and a romance that blossoms through a fake-dating scheme -- so much appeal here in this fun and creative story. I truly look forward to recommending this, and I think its appeal is so strong that it will definitely appeal to readers who tend to avoid anything "magic" or fantasy.

This book has a little of everything for everyone: soulmates, magic, sister bonds, past lives, fake dating, wedding, flashbacks, trauma healing, children, comedy, anger, pinning, swoonworthy MMC, enjoyable FMC, small town, and some very spicy scenes. Hogle has a way of making every single character have a personality, and I am always so enamored by the little towns and communities she builds. The hint of magic reminded me of Just Like Magic, creating a well-established hint of magical realism. Alex is a dream; he is a MMC that people will be swooning over. Him and Romina are truly soulmate, and Hogle does an amazing job at making them intertwined even at their most tense. I wish we got more of the “then” bits to contrast even more of Alex and Romina — Romina’s lackluster reaction to magic, Alex’s shyness, her relationship with Kristen, their fallout, more with her parents arguments and how Alex helped her through that. I just think that that would solidify her hesitancy along with the terrible relationship with Spencer. I also enjoyed the scenes where there was a lot of tension and pent-up anger from the past and I almost wish it played even longer, the period of animosity and deciding what emotions were occuring in Romina’s tornado of a heart; Hogle has always written mesmerizing love/hate dynamics, built up revenge, and this concept of loving someone while wanting to wring their neck, especially like in You Deserve Each Other. This was just another stellar example of that writing. I’m hoping and assuming we will get the sisters’ stories, which I’m crossing my fingers for! Overall, this book quickly became a favorite, along with Alex and Romina. Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Hogle for the early copy, Old Flames and New Fortunes is a must read.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was delightful. I laughed out loud several times and I enjoyed the cast of characters. This is a second chance romance that also has a bit of the enemies to lovers trope. I had a bit of a difficult time understanding all the witchy flower meanings and references, but the underlying story helped keep a good flow. This looks like the first of three books, and I would definitely read the next one.

Romina Tempest is a flora fortunist. She makes magic flower bouquets that nudge relationships in the direction that they should take. After giving up her great love 11 years ago, she hopes she can help manifest other great relationships. When the shop needs help, and the financier is about to get married, she tries to get into his good graces by pretending to date his son. Things fall apart when she realizes her fake boyfriend's new step-brother is Alex King, the great love she left behind. Will she get the backing she needs or a love greater than before?

This is such a wonderful second chance romance with a dash of spice (like one pepper). I love that each chapter has a different floriagraphy term that explains the meaning behind each flower. Romina's relationship with her sisters is also very nice to read about. The chemistry between Romina and Alex also jumps off the pages. Trevor, the fake boyfriend, is a hoot. He is a great comedic relief to the tension in the book. I laughed out loud and cried at this book. Super enjoyable!

Talk about fate finding a way! Romina and Alex are former flames who let life get in the way. When chance brings them back together it seems like a reunion isn’t meant to be but truths are exposed and love could be theirs again!

This book was full of so many cute and quirky characters. I loved the added element of magic and the angst of will they find their way. Both definitely had a lot to learn and the honesty that flowed when they finally gave each other a chance showed that time and distance didn’t kill what was always there.

I loved this book and how it was written in parts. Definitely somebody crazy twists that kept me reading long past my bed time!

I have tried to read this book multiple times. Each time I pick it up, I read a few pages, and when I put it down, I have no desire to pick it back up.

Thank you for the ARC!

This is the first <b>arc</b> I was approved for so I immediately jumped into it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers. I must admit the main reason I wanted to read it was because of the cover and magical realism element and less because of the premise but it gave everything it needed to give. I will definitely be checking out more from Sarah.

You will fall in love with the entire cast of characters as much as I did. They’re genuinely all so silly, unique, special and a honestly a comfort. Especially Trevor, Romina’s close friend. He’s such a dork, I love him. I would immediately read a book or novella of Trevor and Teyonna because they are so perfect for each other.

Once the main plot kicks in and our mmc is introduced, it’s a breeze. The last 25% or so was mostly just them being a really adorable couple with heartfelt moments. So if you get uninterested once the couple gets together then this isn’t for you, but if you like to read fluff of two people just being in love, definitely recommend.

Very lighthearted, I laughed so much. I’d reread lines and even pages that were just so genuinely hilarious. Cozy vibes the whole time with the town and the shop, cute romance, precious family relationships, and great banter.

There was a slight commentary I appreciated on how people judge or persuade women to either have kids because their life won’t be complete otherwise, or tell them to stay single/not have kids because they tie you down. When it’s no one else’s choice decision.

Love love love the chapter titles being the flower meanings and foreshadowing the chapter. <i>Periwinkle: My heart was mine until we met. Enchanters nightshade: you have bewitched my heart with you charms Mistletoe: I send you my kisses, as many as the stars. Maidenhair: I am utterly yours.</i>

<b>spoilers ahead</b>

Alexander King is a perfect love interest. I was cheesing like a maniac at everything he said and did. He’s cheeky and teasing but has such a genuine heart. I love Romina too. Sometimes female mcs of romance books can be annoying to me but I was rooting for her. I could feel her pain deeply. Her hesitation and fear of being in a relationship again was understandable and she handled everything surprisingly well. Great name choice also, I understand why Alex likes to say it twice lol. They also have pretty good communication (despite the blatant lying in the beginning) and there is no third act breakup.

Can we talk about how each time one of them sees the other, they call it a date and it’s the cutest thing 🫶🏼😭 “We had another one yesterday, did you know?” “Was it good?” “It was fantastic. I drove past while you were collecting your mail. Drive-by date.”

My only dislike is that after he finds out for sure that they were fake dating, they “messed around” in the field. It was so jarring and for some reason made me take a few days break from the book. I can’t figure out a coherent reason as to why I didn’t like it but just know I didn’t. After getting back into it though, I was loving it all over again. The second and only other spice scene was much better. It even started off awkward and silly with interruptions like the music gone wrong, her kneeing him in the groin, her stomach growling. Being much later in the book, it had a lot of tension leading up to it and was more romantic. I would have preferred if that was the only one though.

The THEN chapters make me want to read a high school romance next or watch a kdrama.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Other: 🔮💖🌺💒🕯️
Genre: Contemporary Romance
POV: Single

While fake dating her business partner in an attempt to get a small business loan from his father, Romina Tempest runs into her first (and only?) love, Alex King. Keeping up the ruse becomes difficult when both sides start falling for someone else. But in order to get the loan for their business (and save face in front of their jealous exes), they have to keep up the lie as long as possible.

I'll be totally honest that this book had a ways to climb for me because right off the bat second chance romance is one of my least favorite tropes. On the other hand, I'm putty for a good fake dating romp. I loved this book all the way through the fake dating escapades but the second half of the book almost felt like a completely different story. The pacing (as well as the actually timeline of the novel) slowed waaaay down and I got a little bored waiting for the HEA.

Hogle is a fantastic writer. All her characters have a genuine warmth and I would love to see if the book turns into a series with love stories for Romina's two sisters (as is heavily implied). It was a quick & fun read & I'm happy to return to Moonville, OH if she goes back there.

You know. It's become a thing for me to read a witchy rom-com in the month of January for no explicable reason at all. And here I find myself yet again predicting it to be the worst book I'll read all year.

This may sound harsh and trust me, I hate stating my feelings so explicitly and so negatively. But if I were the type of person who could just stop and simply not continue, I would have done so at 15%.

I loathed Alex. He outright laughed in a woman's face when told her profession. I mean the profession is flora fortunist so a healthy dose of skepticism is okay but he was such an asshole the entire first half of this book. He presented better names for her cats. He read her private journal despite her protestations to stop. Demanded that she "prove 'she is' magic." Worst of all, he wore a Ohio state cap unironically. And then suddenly he magically (forgive my pun) turned into a charming, fully formed, adult man.

There was too much going on and here we saw every trope in the book: fake dating, second chance romance, forced proximity, miscommunication. There was grinning, and sticking out tongues and winking (ugh). There was a wedding. There were games. There was a car chase. There was a business proposal asking for two grand that was solved by just a florist being a florist? I still do not understand the business and financial relationships between these characters -I do not get it.

There were no healthy boundaries. CDs are not classics. Once the ending was all too obvious, this book had the audacity to drag on and on with the sad attempt to redeem Alex's previous behavior. No, really look how great he is!!! Romina alludes one time to speaking to a therapist which centered on some outdated exposure therapy, but she needed some better advice from the plethora of side characters around her that did nothing but take up space. Romina girl, you don't owe anything to this loser.

I received an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.