Ten years after Carrie Morgan runs away from her small town leaving everything and everyone behind that she’s ever loved, the will of a relative who passed handing her a cabin to renovate has her crash landing right back into the past. Her best friend hates her, her great aunt warns her of her cursed return, and a man she meets in the woods shows her redemption is possible.

This is a tale of redemption, of dealing with the past no matter how painful it is, no matter the curses that are still lingering from before. A tale of finding love, freeing guilt, familial obligations, magical connections, feeling lost but looking to be found, and a disappearance that leaves Carrie confused beyond measure.

3.5 stars. What I loved most about this book was the atmosphere. I was immersed in the cozy setting and I would love to have that cottage! The magical realism added another layer to my enjoyment. I do wish there had been more character development and I expected more magic. Overall, a great read for fall season. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

This book made me cry and laugh. I know this details itself as a great story about love and loss (and it is), but it is also a great story about friendship, the importance of putting yourself first, the power of friendship, and how sometimes you have to go home even when you don't want to. The complex relationships between all the characters and the history of Woodsmoke is just. Perfection. I loved all of it. Seriously, if you want a great book about grief, I'd check this out.

Carrie returns to her hometown after leaving behind a trail of broken hearts a decade prior. Her grandmother has left her the cottage she spent her time in and while fixing it up, we learn about the magic the women in their family hold and their relationship with the mountains as Carrie unravels family secrets and figures out what she hopes to gain from returning home.

This book wasn’t super heavy on the magic but I loved how it was woven into the story. What it was heavy on were the characters and their depth which I always appreciate in a story. It felt very atmospheric and I was hooked instantly until the end. There was suspense, love, and family drama. It made for a solid story that i thoroughly enjoyed!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Rachel Greenlaw, and Avon for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This published on October 22nd.

There are some stories that are so wonderfully cozy, so detailed in their warm, homey descriptions, that you feel like you can curl up inside them and stay awhile. That’s what reading Rachel Greenlaw’s The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells felt like — I could smell tea steeping on the stove and verbena being muddled in a chipped antique bowl; I could feel the warmth of the fire in the hearth, chasing away the chill of winter’s first frost. The interiors in this novel are essentially a witchy Tumblr fever dream, and I’m extremely here for it.

This book perfectly captures the transition between fall and winter as a woman returns to her small hometown in the mountains to handle her grandmother’s estate and dilapidated cabin, 10 years after she fled her friends, family, and fiancé in one moment of seemingly reckless, impulsive abandon. Here’s the official plot description, courtesy of the publisher:

“There is an old tale woven through the mountain town of Woodsmoke about a stranger who appears as the first snow falls in winter, who will disappear without a trace as the frost thaws in spring, leaving a broken heart behind. Carrie Morgan ran from Woodsmoke ten years ago, and the decision has haunted her ever since. Spending a decade painting and drifting around Europe, she tries to forget her family’s legacy and the friends she left behind. But the Morgan women have always been able to harness the power of the mountains surrounding the town, and their spells — and curses — are sewn into the soil. The mountains, they say, never forget.

Sure enough, when Carrie’s grandmother dies and leaves behind her dilapidated cottage, she returns to renovate — certain she will only be there for one winter. She meets Matthieu as the temperature dips, a newcomer who offers to help refurbish the cottage. Before long, and despite warnings from her great-aunt Cora of the old stories, Carrie finds herself falling for the charming stranger. But when the frost thaws in spring, Matthieu goes missing. Carrie is convinced he’s real, and he’s in danger. As she fights her way across the mountains to find him, she must confront all the reasons why she left Woodsmoke and decide whether the place she’s spent the last decade running from is the home she’s been searching for.”

I’ve seen so many people compare this one to a Hallmark movie, and to them all I can say is: for why?! It’s far better than that would suggest (no offense, Hallmark), with a strong Practical Magic bent — the settings, the multigenerational female witches, curses involving true love, the writing quality itself, etc. It has a similar essence of that cozy, wholesome feeling, I guess, but there’s a lot of depth and melancholy to this story that sets it apart from a run-of-the-mill witchy romance.

And on that note, labeling this a romance doesn’t feel accurate. Though love is certainly the underlying theme, The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells is at its best when examining the deep, complex connections between its female characters: Carrie and her aunt Cora; Cora and her older sister, Ivy; and Carrie and her former best friend, Jess. The evolution of how their bonds strengthen, fray, and rebuild over the course of the novel were the most interesting element of the story to me.

Carrie’s relationship with Mathieu, a mysterious handyman who turns up on her doorstep one day, is sweet, but it desperately needed to be built up more in order to compare. In fact I wish that Greenlaw had done away with Jess’s POV chapters entirely to devote more time to Cora and Carrie’s first-hand experiences. Every time the story would switch to Jess it was very “Ariana, what are you doing here” — she has no magic, she’s not involved with the Morgans anymore, she’s had no tie to Carrie since she left Woodsmoke . . . are we supposed to be invested? I wasn’t convinced. A late-stage twist involving her friendship with Carrie is interesting, I guess, but again, I think it would’ve held more weight if we were to see it play out from Cora or Carrie’s perspective. Jess is important to the story, but not important enough to have the spotlight she does, which comes at the cost of seeing more of how Carrie and Mathieu’s fated romance blossoms.

OK, and as for the titular book of stories and spells that everything in the Morgan family hinges around: I wanted more! So much more. The same issue I had with Carrie and Mathieu’s relationship feeling flimsy is how I felt about the book’s specific nature of magic, which honestly comes across as fairly brutal when you stop to really look at the situations the Morgan women have found themselves in throughout history. The bargains they make with the mountains through the book never seem to yield results that quite feel worth the price they cost, which is something I desperately wanted Greenlaw to dig into more. The sacrifices Cora makes for the book are often devastating — what else has she given up throughout her life as a result of that fateful, and somewhat selfish, decision to take over the book’s power from her sister? Are there other spells that she regrets? Moments when she felt she couldn’t pay the cost of the magic?

Anyway. The TL;DR of it all is that there is a truly lovely, moving story here about the ties that bond women across generations and the sacrifices they make for each other, magical and otherwise. I just wish the narrative went a little deeper to fully realize each storyline’s potential.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was the PERFECT autumn read and definitely for fans of Adrienne Young! This story felt so magical with the perfect amount of mystery and romance. I also loved the writing so much and immediately felt pulled into the town of Woodsmoke! Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC :)

After reading the Rachel Greenlaw's first novel which was like a Christmassy Ground Hog's Day (one of my favorite tropes), I was super excited to read her sophomore novel because it contains another favorite thing of mine: witches.

Overall, I enjoyed the story but I did feel a bit letdown. I felt like there was a lot more lore that could have been explored. Jess was a decent character, and even though I understand her place in the plot, I didn't feel like her POV was completely necessary. But I'm biased because I wanted to know more about the Morgan women and would have liked a third a Morgan perspective.

Carrie felt like a one dimensional character. I didn't care for how isolated she was, with several months passing by quickly but very few interactions outside of the cottage. The Morgan women were the talk of the town but I would have liked to actually see them interacting with the townspeople more. Cora was definitely most the interesting character but I found her to be underused.

Despite my high expectations, it was still a very enjoyable read. I could perfectly envision the town of Woodsmoke and the mountains.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the opportunity to read and review The Woodsmoke Women's Book of Spells by Rachel Greenlaw.

Our main character Carrie left her small town 10 years ago because she felt she didn't fit in. During that time, she did lots of traveling and painting. Now her grandmother has passed away and left the family home in that small town to her. She comes back basically to find herself, repair the old home, and maybe repair some relationships, such as her ex- best friend, aunt and uncle, and ex-boyfriend. Carrie also must confront the lineage of the women in her family that passes down a spell book of stories of those that came before her.

This is a soft, slowish, cozy romance with hints of magic. The plot is driven by several POVs through Cora her aunt, Jess the best friend, and Tom the ex as well as some other characters in her life. I enjoyed the romance and Carrie finding her place in life but wished for a bit more magic. This was a solid three star for me, and I would recommend this to readers who love cozy fantasy, or cozy romance with small town vibes. This book is now available at all major book retailers. Happy Reading!

Grief and Mountain Magic all rolled into a family line of Morgan Women. The Mountains give but they also take away. There are the old rules and old stories to guide you along this journey.

# The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells
# 11/6/2024 ~ 11/7/2024
# 4.0 / 5.0

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells.

This book follows Carrie who is from a mountain town called Woodsmoke. Carrie left her town ten years ago because she wanted to travel. She left her fiancé at the altar when she did this. Now she is back because Carrie’s grandmother died, and she must go back and see to her cottage. There Carrie finds a handsome man named Matthieu who she is drawn to. She then feels at a loss about what she should do. Keep running or finally call this place home.

Carrie finds herself having to choose Mattieu or the book. That is what her aunt Cora told her. When he goes missing, she is determined to find him. She is torn between wanting to find him and the Book of spells. It also follows her ex best friend Jess who married Carrie’s man at the altar. Her and her husband have been growing distant and it’s made worse when Carrie comes back. This part of the story I found a bit annoying because Jess seemed to blame it all on Carrie. They seemed to have problems before Carrie came back but now that she is back because her aunt died it’s all Carrie's fault that Jess’s marriage is falling apart. I find that Jess was never a true friend if she thought that her friend would come back just to take him back. Carrie showed no interest in him and yet Jess sees her as a threat. Jess is just jealous and acts like a child. I found that I could have done without her.

This book is very atmospheric and filled with magic that is passed down. I found that though this book is interesting it didn’t get my full attention the way I was hoping it would. I was able to put it down and walk away. I didn’t need to find out what Carrie would do. The ending was not what I was expecting, and I was a bit let down by it. I will say that Winter is a perfect time to read it.

DNF @ 48%

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was whimsical and had magical elements to it.
The problem I had with it is that it slogged on and on and on.
I personally need something more fast paced, or with more conflict to keep my interest.

I think many will love this book however.

This book is about a woman returning to her hometown after her grandmother dies. Her family is presumed to be witches, and her great aunt is the keeper of the spell book. The magic of the mountains in this book is interesting because it keeps you guessing as to whether or not it is real. Overall, this book was an unexpected delight. If you liked Sarah Addison Allen’s Garden Spells or Adrienne Young’s Spells For Forgetting, check this one out.

I liked the eerie feeling The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells has. The opening where Carrie goes to the mountains but knows not to stray off the path. Even more when she feels eyes on her that night. Set a spooky tone and it will come and go.

My attention was not held completely. In the middle I noticed that I was looking at the page but not fully immersed in what I was reading. Glad there was a happy ending and the mystery with Matthieu is solved.

I did not finish this book, but Rachel Greenlaw’s premise and characterization is compelling. I think the writing style just isn’t for me, and I had to stop reading because of it. But her lush descriptions and magical storytelling definitely made the portions I read a worthwhile experience!

The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells is a tale woven in generational magic and the journey between finding the pathway home or searching for a new one. This was a perfectly cozy read for October or for whenever you’re feeling magical.

When Carrie returns to her mountain town after the death of her grandma, her plan is to fix up the cottage in the winter and sell it the following year. Of course, she meets Matthieu, who she has hired to help and she falls for him. All along the journey she is having to come to reality with her past and future and face questions that must be answered.

I was definitely expecting there to be a bit more magic and for the pace to pick up a little since it was a mystery but I still enjoyed it. The world building was great and that really made the story even cozier and helped you escape into the mountain town.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cozy, witchy, heartfelt, atmospheric. I wish there was some more magic in it, but the lack of more didn’t really ruin the reading experience. Very folklore vibes!

This book has the bones of a good story but fell short of my expectations. I was hoping for more witchy vibes based on the title and felt the story needed some elaboration to make connections. Additionally the end felt rushed and I am still unsure what exactly the “curse” was….

A very atmospheric read, that I enjoyed.
The mountains were almost a character themselves. Somehow sentient, but watchful more than active. They cast their own looming presecence throughout the book.
The plot was well done, as was the writing. The magic system more internal and background rather than an external manifestation. It's not my favorite way to portray magic in books, but it worked here.
The characters I had a bit of an issue with, as they almost all seemed angry and bitter, with little self-reflection on the cause until well into the story.
Overall I enjoyed it, and it left me reflecting on the story afterward.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC.

The Woodsmoke Women's Book of Spells follows Carrie after she returns to her hometown following her grandmother's death. What I liked : the setting and the ending. What I disliked : the majority of the characters until the very end. Unfortunately I failed to connect with the characters and hoped for more magic.

I received an ARC from Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Greenlaw’s The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells is a delightful and enchanting novel that transports readers to a world of magic, mystery, and sisterhood. This whimsical tale follows the lives of three extraordinary women, bound together by their shared love of nature and the ancient art of witchcraft.

Greenlaw’s vivid descriptions of the woodsmoke women’s magical practices and their deep connection to the natural world are both captivating and inspiring. The author’s skillful blending of historical folklore and contemporary storytelling creates a rich and immersive reading experience.

This charming novel is perfect for anyone who enjoys a touch of magic in their lives. Whether you’re a seasoned witch or a curious newcomer, The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells is sure to cast a spell on your heart.

Thank you so so so so much to the publisher for my ARC and finished copy!