The cover is gorgeous, love it. I really wanted to like this book. I felt the beginning was slow and kept going in circles. I had a hard time following along because we'd be into one scene then the next chapter would be short going over something from the past i.e. how the main character originally met her ex boyfriend then the next chapter would go back to present day. It started to get confusing and some of it didn't feel needed At points I thought I was missing something or somehow skipped over stuff then realized what was going on.
Overall it was a lovely book and if you like this type of style it would be a great read, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. Thank you to NetGallery and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC.

This book gave me whiplash and I really don't know how to feel about it.

The first half was wonderful! My home state being described beautifully, magic, plants, cute little shops, dealing with heavy topics like trauma, great dialogue and banter. I was obsessed!

Then they reveal the second chance romance MMC's secret (which is huge and super gross to keep from someone) and we just...skate over it. Like it wasn't a big deal.

Queue him being super full of himself, cocky and borderline narcissistic and then completely ignoring the FMC while basically stalking her???

This was two different books and I only liked one of them. It makes me sad because I would rate the first half 5 stars! I was so into it.

I hope the author considers a major rewrite before this comes out in April! It could really be redeemed.

I give this 3 stars as it is. Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.75 stars but take this with a grain of salt because most of my complaints are more subjective things and I love love love Sarah Hogle with my entire heart and soul so it does pain me to give anything less than 4 stars.

I’ll start by saying I liked most of the characters in this, especially the side characters. Everyone was really fun and I felt added to the story, even if sometimes there were so many names that I found myself having to go back and look them up to see who was who. I especially loved the relationship between Romina and her sisters, as well as the friendship with her and Trevor. The cozy fantasy (more like cozy magical realism) vibe in this book was also great. I kind of wish it’d leaned more towards fantasy than magical realism since that was what I was expecting from the description (probably my own fault) and I prefer that more, but I still enjoyed reading and absolutely loved Moonville. If this factionalized version of the town were real it would perhaps be the only thing that could motivate me to go to Ohio.

I really wish the fake dating concept had been taken more seriously! Alex acted like didn’t believe it at all for most of the time, and Romina and Trevor were putting in the lowest amount of effort possible. The jealousy could have been so much more delicious (not that I didn’t enjoy what we got). It also lasted for way less time in the book than I thought it would, and I was left wondering what could possibly happen in the amount of pages that were left. I also got a tiny bit bored with the plot once it had moved past that, as I much prefer pining and that wasn’t really delivered on.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Alex as a love interest. I couldn’t help comparing him to Wesley from Twice Shy and Nick from You Deserve Each Other, two of the greatest book bfs ever and also both from Sarah Hogle. Alex is nowhere near the same tier level as them. He was just very presumptuous, controlling, constantly acted like he couldn’t believe Romina was no longer in love with him, and kept a MAJOR secret from her then acted like it wasn’t a big deal when it was revealed. I also really disliked him not understanding why she was afraid to commit fully when she’d explained what had happened in her past relationship, which made her fears pretty reasonable. However, towards the end I started to like him more. Him being all in and obsessed with Romina felt like a little much at times but eventually I just decided to stop judging him and think of it as sweet. I also did really love the banter between him and Romina the whole time, their dynamic and chemistry was really cute. Overall his character is the bulk of the reason I decided to give this a lower rating.

Overall this was a cute read. Sarah Hogle is maybe the only author in the world that would make me jump into a second chance romance with no hesitation.

I fell so madly in love with this book! It is one I will be thinking about for years to come! I cannot get enough! I simply cannot wait to get a copy so I can continue to devour it!

I really enjoyed this story and the characters. I loved the interactions between sisters, as I never had a sister growing up. This isn't a typical romance that I would pick up, but I ended up really enjoying the whimsical storyline and the tropes. Alexander and Romina had great chemistry and banter, which is always appreciated. I will definitely be reading more from Sarah Hogle!

This is one of those romances that make you grin uncontrollably but also want to cry because WHY ISN'T THIS MY LIFE!!!

I should have expected that though because it's Sarah Hogle, one of the best at evoking this specific sort of feeling.

Old Flames and New Fortunes follows Romina Tempest, who wields the language of flowers to help couples find love as the small town of Moonville's resident flora fortunist. Ready to expand her shop, Romina jumps at the chance to pitch a new business plan to a potential financier who's in town for his wedding, going as far as to pretend to be dating his son, Trevor. Things take a turn when she finds out Trevor's soon-to-be step brother is none other than her high school sweetheart – the man she once believed to be the love of her life. Alex is just as she remembers and so much more, including so much more perceptive. Fooling him with her fabricated relationship proves harder than she expected, especially once old, buried feelings come bubbling up to the surface...

The magical, cozy atmosphere of Moonville pulls you in from the first page, the perfect backdrop to such a lovely romance. Romina and her family's magic was so fun to read about, and Romina's own affinity for flowers was so unique and intriguing! My only grievance is that we didn't get to read more about her ability as well as her backstory alongside her sisters. Perhaps in books two and three...

Romina herself is such a formidable yet relatable character, and I loved that we got to know her in the present but also in the past through the use of mini flashbacks. This same sentiment extends to Alex: what a dreamboat <3 His dynamic with Romina was electric and their banter had me grinning like an idiot time and time again. I highlighted so many lines he said to Romina that had me genuinely speechless. Speechless and depressed. Again, why isn't this my life!?!

I appreciated the development of Romina and Alex's relationship as they slowly reckoned with the other's presence in their life again, going from tense in a bad way to tense in a very good way... I also commend Hogle for her execution of the notorious "third act conflict" which had the potential to be very forced and dramatic but didn't come off that way at all.

Keep an eye out for this book in April 2024 if you're searching for a book that'll make you grin and giggle and also genuinely *feel* for all of the characters involved, you definitely will not regret it!

Excited to read more from this universe!

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Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book <3

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me access to the E-Arc. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the sisters in this novel. I love their interactions with each other. I just find the magical element to be an added bonus. I definitely could have used even more of that for sure. I thought the second chance was done well.

I felt the first half of the Arc to be kind of slow. I wasn’t a fan of the fake dating trope. I just didn’t feel real for me. That may have been the point but it felt rough to read.

Overall, I still would recommend this book. I’m just not sure if it was for me.

A second chance magical romance to warm the heart.

What do you do when your ex walks back into your life? You pretend to date your friend so he knows you’ve moved on. The problem is he doesn’t believe in your “relationship” and you still have that chemistry.

This book was cute if not a little too wacky for me. I laughed at some of it, but then found it a little ridiculous. It didn’t make me mad though.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Sarah Hogle has been a favorite author of mine and this was such a great addition to her book list.

Alexander and Romina fell in love in high school, but separated and have not spoken since. When it turns out that Alexander’s mom is marrying Romina’s coworker’s dad, and Romina and said coworker have pretended to date, we get plenty of tension and chaos plus a twist on the fake dating trope and plenty of forced proximity greatness.

This book is filled with so much heart and whimsy. Sarah Hogle never fails to remind us to have fun at any age and not take life too seriously. Even though many topics are tough—recovering from a breakup, family tension, and more—we get a great balance of levity as well. Easily one of my top books of the year.

Releases 4/2/2024

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC!

3 words: swoony, eccentric, & snarky (in a good way!)

I went into this expecting something very witchy and whimsical and I would say that the witchy factor is pretty dialed back and more of a sub-sub-plot. I was also taken back a bit by how mean the MCs were to each other at the beginning to where it had me second guessing if we would get a happy ending?!? LUCKILY it turned around in the end and we got some truly swoonworthy scenes! Specifically Alex’s confessions of love??? Literally giggling and kicking my feet on the couch!!!

Overall the writing was good and I was surprised with a few actual laugh out loud moments, specifically the snark between the two MCs. There was some extra florish in the wording that you don't usually see in a rom-com that matched with the flower descriptions at the top of each chapter!

This isn't the type of book I normally gravitate towards but I love Sarah Hogle so I went for it! It was a fun read and I think it would make a very entertaining movie!

Oh my ✨ stars✨ I loved this book! I am a sucker for first love second chance romance and Hogle did not disappoint!

I absolutely loved Romina and Alex; I could feel their spark even in their early high school days. The chemistry between them was searing! I love the evolution of their love from immature and reckless to grown up and solid.

I found the twist with Alex to be an extra layer of maturity and depth on his end and another mile marker in their time apart. I know that it's a soft spot for Romina, but it very clearly was not to spite her. Life went on after their break up, thr world did not stand still.

I absolutely loved the other characters! The love between sisters and niece are beautiful and fun. And Trevor made me laugh out loud! He reminded me so much of Ben Schwartz in Parks and Rec that that's who I kept picturing 😆.

All in all, I love, love, loved this book! I'm hoping it's a series since the sighting of the luna moth means Luna and Zelda's chances at love are coming and Gilda's fortune claims Zelda is next!!!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC of this book!

This one had some sweet moments but was just okay for me. The main character, Romina, is part of a family that practices magic and runs a magic shop with floral fortunes, candles, etc. When the owner of their store attempts to ask his father for money to help the business, they all learn that Trevor's father is about to get married to the mother of Romina's high school sweetheart Alex. The rest of the story is a run of the mill second chance romance. As I said, if was just okay for me. I think the witchcraft elements and "magic" are just not background details that I'm a fan of. I did enjoy some aspects of the love story, though.

Old Flames and New Fortunes has the kind of romantic tension that makes you feel like your heart is in your throat when these characters interact with one another - that's the feeling I'm always hoping to experience when I read romance and Sarah Hogle absolutely knocked it out of the park with this one. This is definitely worth the read for that alone, in my opinion.

That said, Alex was not a particularly likable hero, and that took something away from an otherwise excellent execution of this story. The way he spoke to Romina was arrogant and condescending, and he was clearly prone to temper tantrums and destructive behaviors. These tendencies, combined with that SURPRISE reveal over halfway through, made it difficult to trust and root for this character. This guy has a lot of red flags that almost made me afraid for the heroine, and that's an unusual thought to have when you're reading a contemporary rom com.

Overall, I did enjoy reading this and will likely buy a physical copy once this book is published. Sarah Hogle is an auto-buy author for me and I look forward to seeing what she has in store for the other characters in this universe down the road.

Thank you netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for allowing me to read this book. I was so excited for the this book because I love Sarah hogles books so much but it wasn’t my favorite out of all of her books. I really loved the tension and chemistry between Alex and Romina! I also loved Trevor so much! I liked all the little surprises this book had and omg the throwbacks of little Alex had my heart melting! I couldn’t really get into other aspects of this book other than the romance like I just couldn’t get into the flower parts and I felt like the book got very slow at times especially in the beginning. I did love the jealousy that Romina and Trevor’s fake dating brought out in Alex and loved that he was so open about it! Alex had me falling for him so hard in this book!

Cozy fantasy romance at its best.

Cozy fantasy is a tough genre to get right and I think that Hogle does such a beautiful job.
Romina and Alex were quite a pair and their journey to be together was nothing short of captivating and heart warming

Old Flames and New Fortunes // Sarah Hogle

Sarah Hogle is one of my favorite authors. I love her ability to capture the human experience of falling in love. You Deserve Each Other is one of my favorite books, and I’ve enjoyed all her others.

Old Flames and New Fortunes is a mesmerizing read. Taking place in Moonville, Ohio, where Romina was born and raised, the story follows her struggles as a business owner of Flora Fortunes and frustrations as her first love reappears in her life for his mother’s wedding.

Romina creates fortunes out of flower arrangements, celebrating the magic that they create. Her grandmother prophecized about love for the three sisters involved in the shop, however Romina is recovering from past relationships that destroyed her confidence. When her first love, Alex, returns, she decides to pretend to date her friend. Alex seems on to the insincerity of the relationship and inserts himself whenever possible.

I loved the setting of this book. I loved the characters. I was completely shocked by the twist it took but I loved how Hogle allowed us to see the relationships grow and change. I always complain that books end too soon, but this book did a great job of giving us more resolution and internal dialogue.

(3.5) Sarah Hogle is back with another book! If you’re looking for a second chance book then this is for you. After years of not seeing each other Romina and Alex run into each other in their hometown because Alex’s mom is getting married to Rominca’s friend, or should I say, fake boyfriend. It comes as a shock to them to see each other after so long and how the chemistry between them is still there.

This book was a good time much like many of Hogle’s books. She never fails to make the best type of banter that has the reader laughing. Romina was such a delightful character and I love that we can see that she grew up and matured in a way that has made her happier in life. However, seeing Romina’s struggles especially when it came to trusting and letting others in felt so real. Being able to see her inner thoughts and feelings throughout the book made her so relatable

My issue with this book is that I loved the relationship but something was off about it. I felt like when a specific secret was made to be known it was just simply brushed over and not really talked about. Alex made it seem like he didn't just drop a big aspect of his life to Romina without any warning. What does it say about him that he never once mentioned that aspect? I feel like after that it made me feel uneasy about their relationship. However, a huge plus is that there is not third act breakup which is great for those who hate that.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putman, and G.P Putman’s Sons for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book. I’ve read all of Hogle’s previous works and really enjoyed them. Unfortunately, I found it really difficult to get into this story. Overall, I thought there were way too many plot lines which made it hard to connect with the characters and the story felt really abrupt and I kept feeling like I was missing key information.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Oh my goodness, Sarah Hogle has wielded her literary magic power once again. When I saw that she was releasing a second-chance romance (with floral magic included!!) I knew I had to do everything in my power to get an ARC of this title.

I was not disappointed. Old Flames and New Fortunes is a magical (literally), heartwarming tale about two former high school sweethearts, Romina and Alex, whose paths cross years later. Unfortunately, this happens at a horribly inconvenient time, because Romina is fake-dating Alex's soon-to-be stepbrother in a desperate attempt to save her floral shop.

I absolutely loved Old Flames and New Fortunes. While it didn't dethrone You Deserve Each Other as my all-time Hogle favorite, it is definitely a close second. This book will break your heart, make you laugh, and give you butterflies.

I've seen a lot of readers who are DNFing this halfway through the book because of a plot point that honestly disappointed me at first, too. But I was so happy with how the book ended! I think that Hogle turned a messy situation and imperfect characters into something beautiful. All of my romance novel friends should give this book a chance when it hits the shelves in April 2024—I promise you won't regret it!