This book was a DELIGHT!

The perfect blend of supernatural, spice, plot, and fun. The FMC was so relatable... and the MMC was a dream.

•plus size FMC
•talking raccoon
•sassy microwave
•fantastic banter

Cassandra Camberwell returns to her hometown of Hollow Brook to clear out her late grandmother’s old house. And who should break into the house, but her ex-best friend Seth Brubaker. He humiliated her in front of the whole school and she's never forgiven him. But it turns out that he's a werewolf and needs the potion that her grandmother brewed for him. Cassie learns that she's a witch and Seth vows to teach her about her magic if she supplies the potion.

Why I started this book: Great blurb and description. I was ready for a cozy, funny paranormal romance.

Why I finished it: This book was two books jammed together. The first half was a cozy Hallmark return to the town where Cassie was humiliated by her former best friend in front of the whole high school. She's back to clear out her grandmother's house. And while there her ex-best friend shows up, breaks in and she learns that he's a werewolf and she's a witch. She starts brewing potions by intuition, exploring her magic and vows to help him heal. The second half was pure erotica. Plot sacrificed for chapters of dirty talk and sex. It was such juxtaposition. I'm not sure how and who to market this book to. But it wasn't for me. And the ending was so strange, a tacked on return of Hallmark to set up the next in the series.
Rating: Each part of the story on there own would be a 3 star read, but mashing them together took this book down a star.

I loved the premise of this story. I loved the friendship between the two leads. I did feel it was a bit too long, some parts were too wordy and overly descriptive. It felt a bit messy at times. I wish there had been more tension in the first half of the book. And when physical things started happening between the two it felt a bit like dub con (which is not for me) with the whole uncontrollable werewolf hormones. Overall I enjoyed the story.

First of all, thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for giving me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Overall, this was an enjoyable, quick, cozy read for me, but it had its flaws. The relationship between Seth and Cassandra was sweet but I never really got the enemies to lover vibes that were pushed in the marketing of the book. It seemed obvious from Seth’s first introduction that he was a naive, lovable, goof who had made a mistake and not someone worthy of archenemies status. Cassandra also seems to recognize this, at least unconsciously, removing a lot of that stakes from their relationship.

While I really liked the world building that this book establishes, in a lot of ways it feels underdeveloped. In particular, I loved the magic system that was introduced in this book and hope we get to see more of it in the next books in the series. Several elements of the magical system, world, and overall setting of Hollow Brook feel like they would greatly benefit from continued exploration in subsequent books in the series.

I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes from here and I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for Charlotte’s next book!

Enjoyed the story. I realize this is an unedited proof, so what I am about to say may change before publication, so be that as it may…the dialogue felt jumbled and something just felt off. I would have rather the characters been straightforward rather than constantly talking in innuendo. Lots of times I was a bit lost. I think it would have been great if the book was dual pov. All that being said, I really did like it, the characters felt honest and FMC was wrestling with real hurt, but not super angst about it (yay!).

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

ahhHHH the cozy and the yearning and the sexual tension buildup!!! This book has so much potential! I first read When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein and thought it was a pretty decent debut novel, if not life changing. With this book, I do feel like Charlotte has found a bit of her stride. Our FMC Cassie is fixing up her grandmother's home after she passed away when she discovers that not only is she a powerful witch, but she is the only person who can help ex-best friend turned bully, Seth. And that also, he's a werewolf.

There is such a great job of wish fulfillment in this book - with Cassie truly hitting her stride and learning to trust her instincts and figuring out all of her magical potential. All of that was so lovely to see and read. Seth, despite the fact that this book starts him off as a bully, is just so clearly an adorable dork who is bending over backwards to make it up to Cassie. There's a sentence or two about what his life must've been like in the past several years (honestly could've been expounded on to make him a more emotional character) but their romance and quips are the strongest part of this book.

The one downside - there's a couple of scenes that are just written confusingly. I get the sense that we're supposed to imagine something, but it feels like many sentences are missing and the reader is left a bit confused and kind of just expected to move on. Two scenes come to mind: at the very start, with the cake, and then the transition to Cassie at the house. Crazy of me to say, but there just..wasn't enough exposition? It felt like I was grasping to figure out what was going on amidst all the quirky dialogue and personality building, but just not enough of straight scene setting. What just happened, what year are we in, where are we - all the above. The second scene that demonstrated this was when Cassie was learning to fly for the first time. The descriptors that were there were entirely unhelpful in helping me ground myself in what was going on - I was just so confused. Was she hovering? Was she just rising and rising, the way a balloon might? As she fell, I could not imagine any sense of the danger or what was going on or where she got stuck. The scene felt like it was missing something, and I ended up just ignoring it in favor of vaguely understanding what was happening.

All in all, I'm giving this book a solid 4.25 stars - and if those little bits of scenes could just be improved, could honestly be raised to a 5. The spice is a bit of a slow burn but their tension buildup was superb in my book and gives it an extra chili pepper just for that.

So I cannot keep reading this book due to the trigger warnings. I don’t like when the MMC is terrible to the FMC and then ends up coming back around looking for help. It just isn’t for me, as much of a paranormal romance lover that I am. I cannot force myself to do it.

This was everything I enjoy about a paranormal romance - great worldbuilding and interesting. Definitely a sexy and fun read! The mystery of Misery's missing friend is also dealt with well and we get a satisfying conclusion and I hope, a hint that will become another book in the same world! Highly recommend if you're looking for a fun paranormal romance that you can fly through.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this but it's not my subgenre and I felt like between the PR and the text, it kept promising things it didn't deliver on. There's definitely no small-town Gilmore Girls vibe, just a few flat characters that feel like set-ups for later books. The werewolf stuff was fine, except that Seth never flew off the page for me. I honestly felt that the best scenes in the book didn't have him in it. Again, I'm unfamiliar with the tropes so take that with a grain of salt.

The magic stuff was interesting but it's all the loosey-goosey all-powerful kind that kills stakes.

All in all, I wish the editor had asked for another pass to punch the town vibes up and tighten the plot.

Pod is the best. Don't tell the microwave.

OMG! I am 100% a Charlotte Stein fan now. I read when Grumpy met Sunshine and loved. And How to Help a Hungry Werewolf? Awesome. And silly and has the we have to mate or die horniness. Cassie is the bullied fat girl who has her Carrie-esque moment at the hands of her high school bullies including her former childhood best friend. Ten years later she returns to her hometown and Seth is a werewolf and she might be a witch. Oh and he turns when his is feeling, uh overwhelmed. The twists are really surprising. But the main couple is adorable and the path back from real hurt feelings is painted with enough reality that anyone that has wallowed in self doubt would recognize it. Charlotte Stein does such a great job getting us through the hurt feels to the sweet feels to the sexy feels. (I read an ARC and am so thankful I got the chance) if you like the paranormal romance, get it.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

The sweetest, fun , coziest small town romance with a bit of spice that i couldn't put down.

I found myself smiling while reading this, it was sad at first with her being bullied but when Cassie comes back to town years later to her grandmother's house who recently passed away. Guess who's knocking on the door, her ex bestfriend. Everything slowly changes, he's different and so is she.

Fixing a friendship, throwing potions here and there, undeniable sexual tension building, kitchen appliances coming to life to protect her, a raccon familiar.... i loved everything about this, it was Marvelous and the Happy Ending was heart melting.

I really enjoyed this! I finished the book in two days. This is not a typical werewolf story, and I enjoyed the world building as the main character learned about the magical elements around her. This was definitely a character driven plot, though there was enough action to keep me interested, and I enjoyed seeing the character growth. The one problem I had was that about a third of the book was just the two main characters talking about sex and trying to resist each other. I know this is a romance, but I found myself skimming and skipping large chunks of chapters. Not exactly my thing but still a good book!

I came into this book already excited having read Stein's work previously and I was not disappointed. It only took me two days to finish this wonderful supernatural romance full of banter and chaos that had me laughing while simultaneously begging our main characters to realize their feelings. The magic was pure joy to experience through the descriptions--providing a childlike awe and wonder to this world Stein has created. If you want a delicious slow burn with childhood secrets revealed and heartwarming moments between two people discovering who they are years after losing their friendship than this is the book for you! Lastly, please check any trigger warnings and take care of yourself if you are sensitive to certain topics discussed in this novel.

Not for me. I found a lot of the writing and banter to be very juvenile and just unfunny (or to be more fair maybe just not to my sense of humor). It was a very odd tone for the book given how sexually graphic it got by the end. I'm in no way opposed to spice, it was just a jarring turn of events given the story line and style of writing. The characters were obtuse, reactive, and immature, which made it hard to be invested in their happiness/story line. Also book just felt soooo long.
I will say there was some good body positivity/acceptance representation, but even that at time felt a little shoehorned in. and unnuanced.
Maybe this review is a little on the harsh side, but I want to also say I don't mind a silly cozy fantasy, or spice, or anything that would have precluded me from enjoying this simply on face value. This book just did not hit for me.

oh wow I loved this book so damn much! it's the perfect blend of goofy, horny and insane romance. it was such a fun time and yet the angst and deeper themes were so present. if you love witches, werewolves and deep longing and angst this is def a book to read! thanks to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for this ARC!

This book is bonkers, bananapants, and wack-a-doodle, and I mean that in the best way. It’s an escape with tenderness, humor, and plenty of heat.

Give yourself a few chapters to get into the book. Cassie and Seth went from childhood friends to enemies over something that happened in high school, and she is understandably bitter based on her version of events. Thankfully for us readers, that bitterness begins to wane early on in the book.

He’s a golden retriever who is an over-the-moon simp for her and she is willfully clueless. It’s a supernatural romp, and it is easy to tell that the author had ton of fun writing it.

Highlights (*some spoilers*):
- The banter
- The heat 🥵
- The humor
- Dirty talk
- Pining
- An unconventional familiar
- Things becoming sentient (that should not be sentient)
- He’s a big guy but his actions and reactions are adorable.
- The amount of time he spends looking baffled
- A variety of supernatural creatures
- A do-or-die mating bond
- A fat heroine
- A virgin hero

Are there perhaps a few things that could knock down my rating for this one? Sure.

Was it such an absolute blast of a book that busted me out of a reading slump and was ultimately so entertaining that I am ignoring those things? A resounding yes.

I received an advance copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Omg good perfect , perfect , this was such a great witchy rom com, so much fun, the set up had me cracking up and those raccoons was everything. Definitely enjoyed the hell out of this one .

It’s was very well written. The characters are fascinating and intriguing. It put me through so much of emotional anguish. The plot kept me interested throughout the entire read. Once you start, you can not put this book down.

This book was the cutest! I love how this is a cute little romantasy with lovely characters. Somehow, a sentient microwave won my heart. I will definitely be recommending this book!