Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and the storyline. The writing was lyrical and beautifully written. The setting was magical and enticing. The characters and the alternating points of view really helped to develop the story in both the present and through the flashbacks. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the book to find out what would happen at the end and who the mystery man really was.

If you enjoy books that are realistic with a touch of magic, along with beautiful settings and conflict between friends, old lovers, and family, you will love this book!

3.5 ⭐️

The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells is an atmospheric, witchy, and mysterious read that follows several generations of the Morgan family’s women and the magic they draw from the mountains surrounding their home.

The writing is beautifully done but the pacing is a bit slow and while I’m usually a fan of multiple timelines and POVs those just didn’t work as well for me in this story. There are some Practical Magic vibes happening, which I loved. I think this definitely makes for a solid fall read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

In a magical new direction for One Christmas Morning author Rachel Greenlaw, an evocative and mysterious story about lost love and the magic of coming home, for readers of Adrienne Young and Breanne Randall.
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This was such an engaging story! A story told in multiple timelines as we hear about two sisters but then one of their daughters and her best friend as well. The magic and spells made in this charming small town beneath majestic mountains. The mountains that have as much folklore as the Morgan family with their witchy ways.
Each character had so many secrets and so much misdirection. Loved how it ended with so much of the stress and worry mostly relieved by finally being able to talk it out. It is so hard to see someone again after a long time and they left under hurtful circumstances its hard to talk. But they finally made the right deal with the mountain or stopped making deals with the mountain and things settled. And her mystery man was such a fun twist.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

not the best magical realism/witch-esque novel i’ve ever read, but not the worst either. i enjoyed the three different povs but didn’t necessarily care about the characters’ problems…

Carrie is a woman who left her fiancé at the altar 10 years ago and hasn’t been home since. After her grandmother dies and leaves her cabin to Carrie, she returns home to the mountains that call the women of her family with magic and promises and curses. A beautiful story of family, love and forgiveness that is fantastically atmospheric.

I enjoyed this story! Though it took me a while to get into it, I couldn’t put it down once I did! I loved Carrie and Jess. They were such flawed and complicated characters, and I think that’s what made me fall in love with them. I like how the story was set up, with perspectives from Carrie, Jess, and Cora as readers got better insights into how the story came together in the end, making you realize that there wasn't really a bad guy in the story, which made this such a realistic read.

I’m a sucker for a witchy read, especially during the fall months, and this was so fun! If you’re looking for a little romance with a magical twist, this one is for you! It was cozy and warm, albeit a little slow at times. The world-building was good and overall just a fun read!

4 stars.

Such a magical delight. It felt like a heartfelt treat with a mixed bag of romance, magical realism, and folklore.

Set in Woodsmoke, Carrie - the FMC - let the town for bigger and better things, only to return after being left her grandmother's cottage and shop. Carrie has great big plans for renovations, and plans to sell as soon as the spring comes, but will she?

Mattieu is hired to help her with renovations, and although there are warnings - Carrie quickly falls for him, only for him to disappear! It was magical, and the journey of self discovery and relationships was really well done. Carrie is lost and adrift, but as she settles into the world she begins to find her place.

This is an incredible well written story - the 3 POV's made me hesitate just a bit, but I was able to quickly connect with them and read. The story was atmospheric and the book was incredibly thought-provoking.

Thank you to Rachel Greenlaw and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Woodsmoke Women's Book of Spells by Rachel Greenlaw
This was a beautifully written, atmospheric story about Carrie Morgan and her tentative return to her hometown of Woodsmoke. When Carrie comes back, she’s confronted by the ghosts of choices she made a decade ago when she fled. Now, she’s back to fix up her grandmother’s cottage, left to her in the will. Determined to stay only for the winter, Carrie’s plans start to shift when she meets Matthieu. He arrives with the frost, and she feels an instant, almost otherworldly connection with him. However, Aunt Cora warns Carrie that Matthieu is too much like the spirits from old folklore—tricky beings who vanish with the thaw, leaving broken hearts in their wake.

As Carrie navigates this relationship, she also has to figure out if Woodsmoke is truly her home. Is Matthieu—and the bond they’re building—real? Or will it melt away with the winter frost?

I enjoyed many aspects of this story. It’s soft, atmospheric, and perfect for readers who love that kind of vibe. However, I could have used a bit more intrigue—the author could’ve taken some plot elements further. At the same time, everything wrapped up nicely for me in the end and I was left overall satisfied.

I’m giving this book 4 stars, which feels fair based on the quality. That said, if I’m being extra specific, my personal enjoyment lands somewhere closer to 3.75 stars.

I think this would be a great read for fans of Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young and/or Weyward by Emilia Hart.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A little witchy a little mysterious and a little romance. This was a cozy read but more Practical Magic than Halloweentown. Wonderful prose and not too heavy of a story. This is a good read at any time.

The Woodsmoke Women's Book of Spells
by Rachel Greenlaw
Pub Date: Oct 22 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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.

Rachel Greenlaw, the beloved author of One Christmas Morning, returns with another beautifully crafted, emotionally charged, and

Thank you to the publisher, to Net Galley and to the author. This is a fun atmospheric read perfect for a October read. I enjoy reading multiple points of view and enjoyed how the author built suspense in this story. I found myselfl turning pages into the night . This is a read i highly recommend. The author has included magic, realism, romance and family in the story each done to perfection for the reader.

We meet our main character Carrie who has returned to Woodsmoke to move into her Grandmother's charming woodland cottage left to her in the will. Carrie has been drifting across Europe for a decade and is not sure she wants to settle into a quiet life at a cottage in the woods. .She meets a neighbor who has intriqued her but he soon disappears in the woods. Carrie goes to find him using a bit of her famililes magic to help her on her quest.

This is a fun read with great characters. Carrie grows into who she is meant to be and bravely embraces her families magical history. I enjoyed this read and the perfect setting for October. Well done to the author

I enjoyed this book however, everyone at one point irritated me with how selfish they were lol. I also felt like the friend, Jess did not need her own pov - it added nothing to my view of the book. Not as “magical” as I hoped just mysterious with a hint of something there. This one was just okay for me, 3.5 overall.

I wanted so badly to love this book. While the potential was there, I just couldn't become invested in the characters or the storyline. There are multiple POVs, and while I loved Cora and Carrie I felt I could have done without Jess.

The fantasy elements were lacking for my taste, and the storyline was super predictable. If you dont care much for fantasy and are looking for an easy and straightforward read, check it out. If you are looking for true fantasy and a magnetic plot this might not do it for you.

Highlights were
Generational magic
Superstitions
Found love and acceptance

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells is very atmospheric with hints of magic, mystery, and romance. I loved the setting and overall vibe of this book - it was perfect to read during autumn!

This book follows three women, Carrie, Cora, and Jess. It was a lot more character driven than I was expecting, and I would’ve liked a bit more plot. I found a lot of it to be very repetitive, and it wasn’t until about 75% of the way through that I felt like things were actually happening.

The passages from the Morgan Book of Spells were my favorite part! The Morgan Book of Spells is an important part of the magic of this story, and I would have loved to have even more from it. I also would’ve enjoyed more details about the inner workings of the spells and how they were cast with the mountain.

Overall I enjoyed this read, but I was left wanting a little more. I recommend picking this one up if you like atmospheric, character driven stories!

Holy smokes. I just finished The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells. This book was hard to put down. It has so many elements that I love in a book that make it feel magical and cozy. There’s friendship, family, small town, drama, mystery and romance. It’s multiple POV. There’s an element of be careful what you wish for because you just might get it but at what cost? I absolutely fell in love with Carrie, Jess, Cora, Howard, Tom and the mystery of the Woodsmoke mountains. I found myself thinking about the book while not reading it. Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ebook arc.

The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells is a hauntingly beautiful blend of mystery, magic, and family drama, with prose so atmospheric it feels like stepping into a dream. Following her grandmother’s death, Carrie Morgan returns to her hometown of Woodsmoke, embarking on a journey of reckoning, healing, and discovery.

After inheriting her grandmother’s rundown cottage, Carrie figures she’ll stick around just for the winter, long enough to fix it up and move on. But then she meets Matthieu—a mysterious newcomer who’s hard to resist—and suddenly, her plan to leave feels less certain.

As Carrie and Matthieu become closer, Carrie hears of strange stories about a stranger who vanishes each spring, drawing Carrie further into Woodsmoke’s secrets. The mix of growing romance, eerie legends, and the town’s haunting past creates an atmosphere thick with suspense, magic, and gothic intrigue.

This story isn’t just a cozy paranormal romance; it’s a masterful blend of genres that sweeps you through romance, mystery, and the supernatural, all set against the backdrop of autumn and winter. Each chapter, prefaced by snippets from The Morgan Compendium, deepens the lore of Woodsmoke, adding richness to the generational magic of the Morgan women. The narrative is filled with twists and turns, keeping me glued and second-guessing my thoughts on each character.

This story is an emotional and immersive tale of love, sibling bonds, and coming to terms with the past, all crafted with Greenlaw’s lyrical prose that left me shattered but hopeful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the opportunity to read this spellbinding story!

This was a fun and entertaining read. The author did a great job creating a cozy, magical atmosphere, but I was hoping for more fantasy while this leaned more towards magical realism. I did feel like the plot was a bit unfocused at times but overall it was an interesting read.

This is a beautifully written novel set in the quaint town of Woodsmoke and the surrounding mystical peaked mountains. Mountains that claim, without regret, so many who wander off the path.
Carrie Morgan has returned home after several years of traveling through Europe, never really finding where she belongs or "home". The return is not easy, but Carrie slowly finds her footing. The supporting cast of characters really build the story and shape this novel, full of those who don't, but must believe in the magic of the mountain and the women Morgan. The romance is done beautifully, Mathieu, in with the frost, dealing with his own ghosts and haunted past, forms a connection with Carrie that was destined by the mountains.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

I found this to be lacking the magic that comprises "generational magic". It was more based around family lore, which is fine, but not what I was expecting. It's very atmospheric and rich in detail, but not something I would read again. It puts me in mind of Heather Webb's Starlight Cafe.