Thanks to 8th Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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Bespoke and Bespelled is a dual point of view starring beautiful, stitch witch Marnie, and absolute disaster but loveable actor Rider.
I loved this book. I read this is one sitting. I found the humor, laugh out loud, and I loved the point of view of Marnie who is an older protagonist— not something I see often in these ‘meet-cute’ stories. I also loved how sure she was. She is a confident, well developed character, and there were mentions of her positive image that she has of herself, which made me love her even more for being a person who loves herself first.
This book is the epitome of cozy, things are pretty low stakes and that’s what I love about it, fun. sassy, and delightful Marnie as a character is someone we can all relate to and you can’t help but root for her from the sidelines.
I really enjoyed the authors portrayal of magic. It was very easy to understand, and I enjoyed the witchy element, especially since it wasn’t necessarily the focus of the whole story, but it helped major plot points develop. Really looking forward to to read more by this author. #books #booklover #book #reading #bookstagrammer #bookworm #bookish #booksbooksbooks #bookreview #readersofinstagram #bookrecommendations #bespokebespell #booknerd #bibliophile #booksbooksbooks #bookcommunity #bookblogger #author #booksofinstagram #booklovers #bookphotography #instabook #reader #cozy #booksta #goodreads #witchy #5star #review #netgalley

Bespoke & Bespelled was a delightful, quick read. Marnie is a stitch-witch costume designer, Rider is a fantasy movie star who doesn't know magic exists. They both have sweet personalities and are actually mature in their communication with each other. It was such a treat to hear them admit their attraction and decide to go out without 100+ pages of agonizing back-and-forth that many romances serve up. I also loved that Marnie's fatness was apparent and her body appreciated by Rider, without her body being a plot point in itself. Thank you to Karen Healey for the type of representation and appreciation I've been looking for!

There was a decent explanation of the magic system, which was easy enough to understand that I felt immediately immersed. This book was a nice break from some fantasy books that are complex from the outset.

The reason I couldn't give Bespoke & Bespelled a full five stars is that the moment the culprit was discovered, the book jumped ahead two years, there was a brief epilogue-style chapter, and the book ended. I would really have loved to see the resolution take place, rather than just hear brief dialogue about it. It would also have been nice to see more of Marnie and Rider's early relationship. Even another 30 pages would have left me much more satisfied after having truly enjoyed the story until that point.

Despite my taking off a star for the reasons above, I will be recommending this book to my book groups and friends. I'm also looking forward to reading the sequel and Karen Healey's other work.

Thank you NetGalley and 8th Note Press for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was kind of adorable. A cute little novella with Charmed AND true crime vibes. I loved both MCs and the whole story reminded my of that Olivia Dade series.

Honestly, my only. “complaint” is that I needed more of this story and a novella wasn’t satisfying enough.

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and 8th Note Press. All opinions are my own.

This was a very quick, quirky and cute read. Marnie and Rider's chemistry was well written, believable and just so romcom-y. I LOVED it. It quickly grasped my attention and I devoured this. It made me laugh out loud several times and I felt like kicking my feet and giggling at majority of this lol.

Well done, Karen! I can't wait for the next one.