I wanted to love this book so much, and I did love parts at the beginning with the witchy cool girls and their adult clique that owns a bespoke bridal shop. There were definitely shades of a darker 'Practical Magic' at the beginning, particularly with the October setting and the fancy small town. However...it went off the rails hard, and I kinda hated some of the overall messaging by the end? To be perfectly frank, I despised that messaging and felt it was fairly reactionary and problematic. (The initial messaging seemed like it was setting up a straw man argument too, so I was worried but hopeful that my fears would be wrong, but...nope.)

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I enjoyed this book and think you will to.

This was the absolute perfect mix of atmospheric and character driven. I’m a sucker for anything set in New England but the mix of mystery and magic really made this a quick favorite

I really enjoyed the build up of the story. The way it switched from past to present.
They mysterious Sisterhood.
The longing of looking at one option in life to see another option could be viable.
The 'witchcraft" angle was interesting but still left a lot for the reader to discern if it was witchcraft at all.

What I had a hard time with was the loose ends. Sam and Liv never made up after Sam discovered Liv's secret. Yet Sam reached out to her for help. The boyfriend of Sams was introduced and dismissed.
The discovery of where Sam was, then dismissed.
Then the reader is fast forwarded to the end, with no mention of Noah, Emmett, the other Sisterhood member before Sam.

Overall this is an ok mystery/murder book that could have been great with more details.

I was completely the wrong reader for this one. I thought the cover was fabulous and liked the blurb, but the trials and tribulations of this 27-year-old who acted like she was still in high school wore on me really quickly and I found myself annoyed rather than intrigued. She was not a terribly sympathetic protagonist and everything just felt a little overblown and overly dramatic to me. This was not a good fit for me.

Under Her Spell is one of those books that’s equally creepy and a page turning mystery. We’re introduced to Liz who seemingly has her life pretty together and soon to be married. When one of her old high school friends goes missing, she heads back home to help find her. From here, we’re thrown into the mystery of what happened to her, what’s up with the creepily interesting clique from high school, why Liv and her friend weren’t on speaking terms, and what’s going on in their town. We’re treated to a creepy mystery at the surface, but there’s also an underlying theme about pressures and expectations women face in their lives. This would be a great choice for a book club pick!

Under her spell was an an eerie read, that kind of gave me 'The Craft' vibes. Part witchy, part feminist, this took on some major themes of women's choices or lack their of pertaining to careers, marriage and motherhood. I thought the message was done very well, but the ending kind of left me hanging a bit.
Overall, an enjoyable read.

Thanks for the review copy. This is eerie and alluring as a fantasy thriller. I liked the elements of friendship, darkness, fantasy, and revenge.

(I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in return for a review) The book was promising but the twist wasn’t executed correctly and it was kind of anticlimactic. The themes were interesting but not taken to the depth they could have been. Fast read and a good mystery. Unlikeable main characters.

Things ended badly between best friends Liv and Sam over 10 years ago and they haven't spoken since. When Liv receives a note in the mail from Sam pleading for her help, Liv drops everything to return to her hometown. Upon her arrival though, Sam is the focus of a missing persons case and two of her high school's coolest girls are still in town running an exclusive bridal boutique. When Liv discovers that Sam had joined "The Sisterhood" making jewelry for their bridal business, she is stunned; in high school, Sam never wanted anything to to with Eden, Cora or Avery.
As Liv begins to investigate "The Sisterhood" she finds herself mysteriously drawn into their circle. What is this power that Eden and Cora have over her and their "brides?" Why is the investigation into Sam's disappearance not moving forward? And why is Liv experiencing these bizarrely realistic dreams each night?
What starts out as a missing person's case evolves into an evil ,psychological, and possibly witchcraft laden tale. Told in chapters of "Then" and "Now" readers follow the progression of Liv and Sam's friendship and finally learn what drove them apart.
Recommended for readers who like mystery mixed with more than a touch of the creepy!

Great atmosphere, but I have some reservations. Nothing was really resolved, so you're left as the reader thinking, "what was the point"? A solid resolution would make the story feel more well-rounded. I personally think the patriarchal and anti-motherhood themes are getting tiresome
—I can't remember the last time I read a book without at least one of them heavily ingrained, and this one had both. I was surprised, too, that Eden had more personality than the main character. Liv's thoughts were mainly consumed with assuaging her guilt over Sam and if she should get married/have kids, which leaves a very two dimensional character. Also, how was Avery able to get away all those years ago and have a life away from the sisterhood? She didn't finish the Initiation, however Eden is so controlling, why did she let her get away after knowing their secrets? And, how were Cora and Eden still intact after turning on Sam in retaliation? Technically, they betrayed their sisterhood in return, so they should have also been bleeding. The witchy vibes and setting were spot on, making this a phenomenal fall read, but the inconsistencies, flat characters, and heavy-handed themes prevented me from falling head over heels.

This was so different than I expected but I really enjoyed it! The combination of a thriller mixed with kinda a darker magical element was really intriguing. It is was darker then I expected and not as much like fantasy type magic but more spooky and weird. Liz was such an interesting main character. My only criticism was the ending felt a little rushed or something but I would still fully recommend and add to our library collection!

3.5 stars

Under Her Spell by KL Terra is a creepy thriller that follows Liv Edwards as she returns to her hometown to investigate her high school best friend Sam’s disappearance after receiving a creepy note from her. During her time back home her mom and sister set her up at a highly sought after bridal boutique for a dress fitting — she soon realizes that this shop is run by two witchy girls from high school who have been roommates with Sam. The boutique is unconventional in the way it handles customers - giving a lengthy questionnaire to the bride and groom to be to assess the longevity of their marriage. This exercise has Liv second guessing her decisions all the while trying to figure out what the heck happened to Sam.

There’s a big theme in this book about what it means to be a woman - many women end up giving up their careers to be mothers or ending up in marriages to fulfill what is expected of them. As a new mom, I certainly could relate to the overwhelmed Penny, Liv’s sister, juggling two twins and feeling as though she’s totally lost her identity to motherhood. I think this book encourages women to not put themselves in a box or feel forced into a life unless it’s truly what they want - some of the characters have trauma surrounding their childhood which causes them to feel critical of marriage and childbearing.

I found the story to be interesting, but the ending definitely leaves much to be desired. I didn’t feel like the execution of the story was as good as the premise and there are definitely some loose ends even with an “8 years later” epilogue - it felt a bit thrown together in the last 20%. It was hard to really feel a deep connection to any of the characters.

I will say that this book is simply written and easy to read without over the top world building or magic systems - I would recommend this book to readers who want a quick fantasy thriller to sink their teeth into.
If that sounds like you then certainly grab a copy on September 10, 2024!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my review. I would be interested in reading more from this author.

3.5 stars

Under Her Spell is a dark and creepy story about a girl who goes back to her hometown after receiving a cryptic note from her estranged best friend, only to find once she arrives that her friend is now missing.

This was an easy, thrilling read that handles some heavy subjects such as abusive relationships and the difficulties women face when starting a family. The dual timelines kept things mysterious and had me wanting to know more. The bridal boutique storyline was really unique and actually a little more morbid than I expected. Overall the story was decent but I will say the ending left something to be desired.

Thank you to Random House for the ARC!

To this Gen X reader, the 90s teen aspect was awesome and I enjoyed the chapters set in the past a lot. The creepy undercurrent of magic was really well done, and it built throughout the story so that the dread kept getting ramped up before a reaching a truly shocking end. But the epilogue felt a little off to me, and there were big chunks of the middle that didn’t make sense (Why didn’t she ask for proof? Why didn’t anyone else notice something off about this wedding business? Why did Nathan become a completely different person out of the blue!??) as well as some reliance on big words that weren’t quite used correctly (“ostensibly” was a big one, and it was jarring in places where other words would have made way more sense). But I still read this fast and enjoyed the creepiness and the mystery and that reveal. This one should be a winner for fans of Rachel Harrison.

I feel like if there was a bridal American Horror Story this would be the narrative. I enjoyed the weird, but I think I was more pulled in by the witchy girls than the main character.

This was a dark and twisty book about the choices we make and the often-unexpected consequences. Liv is at a crossroad in her life when she receives a mysterious note from her high school ex-best-friend, Sam. Liv decides to go visit her mother and check in on Sam only to find that she was reported missing shortly after sending the request for help. We slowly learn what caused the end of their friendship as we meet other people from her high school. Very spooky vibes happening through-out the story!

I was drawn to this book by the promise of a magical element to it. It was a bit darker than I anticipated--definitely not one of those magical books where those who have power use if to benefit others.

I came to really like the main character. Liv seemed to have it all, but then the cracks started to appear: mostly the way she would hurt herself when dark thoughts came up. On the other hand she wanted desperately to make amends with an old friend--so she had a mix of dark and light within her. She also was at a crossroads with decisions she needed to make about where she should go as far as employment and whether or not she really wanted to commit to her longtime love, Noah. Moreover, she felt a lot of angst about leaving work to be stay-at-home mother to the children she might have with Noah.

I definitely feel the author wrote a book that was certainly well thought out and did a good job characterizing the people within the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-copy of this book

Liv receives a mysterious note asking for help from her former best friend from whom she has been estranged for the last eight years. Liv still feels guilty about what happened between them (that is another mystery that will gradually be revealed throughout the course of the novel), so she returns to her hometown to help, and she finds out that her friend Sam is actually missing. As she digs-into Sam's life, she finds that Sam was working for a couple of women who own a bridal boutique called "Beloved." It just so happens that these two girls, Eden and Cora, also went to high school with both Liv and Sam. Liv was always fascinated by them and their "Sisterhood." Liv realizes that the only way she will be able to find out what happened to Sam is by infiltrating the "Sisterhood" by getting closer to Eden and Cora.

There's a lot more going on here than Sam's disappearance. Liv is dealing with a lot of issues herself. She is between jobs and looking into a new career, she is struggling with commitment (her fiance wants to get married and she keeps putting off the wedding), she is still recovering from the childhood abuse of her father, and she feels guilty about how she and Sam ended things. She has a lot of harmful thoughts, and she deals with this by stabbing her finger with a sharp ring she created for herself.

I couldn't put this book down. The story is compelling, and the elements of magic and the presence of witches are always appealing to me. Also: the story itself explores the idea of female empowerment through the lives of several of the characters. Some are looking for it, some feel trapped, and others are empowered and willing to help those who need help--but possibly with a price.

The only part of the story I found disappointing was the ending. I realize that typically stories like this have a rather "open" ending, but this was just not satisfying to me.

This was creepy good! Very different kind of story. Liv is at a place in her life where big decisions need to be made (does she really want to get married?). After finding a note supposedly from an old friend she embarks on a crazy adventure to find answers. What happens next is wild and unimaginable as she comes across old acquaintances that are even more evil than in high school.