Thank you, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for this digital ARC!
I don’t normally gravitate toward books like UNDER HER SPELL, but the blurb snagged my attention so I decided to give it a try. I’m so glad I did! I loved the subtle hints of dark magic and the supernatural, and Cerra’s writing was fun and engaging. I read this book in little pockets of time, mostly during my lunch break, and always hated to put it down. The pacing and dual mystery threads kept me guessing.
Just a few things kept me from giving a full 5 stars. I didn’t love any of the individual characters, even our leading lady Liv. While I strongly connected with Liv regarding her hesitancy to have kids despite societal pressures, it annoyed me how easily she was swept away by the alluring mystery of the Sisterhood. Her fiancé, Noah, reminded me far too much of an ex of mine when he started insisting on almost half a dozen kids, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending,
Despite its flaws, I enjoyed UNDER HER SPELL, and it’s inspired me to seek out similar eerie, spooky, fantasy thrillers. I didn’t know I’d been craving a story like this!
4/5 stars

This was my first foray into dark witchy books, and I don’t think I was quite ready for it.

The premise was intriguing and kept me hooked enough to finish it. The pacing was good as well.

The ending was a little disappointing though. I found the FMC very annoying and lacking in character development. I also felt like the other characters were one-dimensional, with many often suddenly disappearing despite being an important part of the FMC's life.

I don’t think this was a bad book, I don’t think it was for me. If you’re into dark magic and witches, this may be more your style.

Expecting a thriller with magical traces, I was surprisingly drawn into a world that plunged into much darker depths. The combination of mystery, gothic suspense, and spooky witchy undertones was fascinating and that’s what drew me in. BUT this eerie thriller infused with feminist themes, left me with conflicting emotions. The dual mysteries — one centered on a past friendship gone sour and the other on a present-day disappearance — kept me absorbed in the disturbing cult-like Sisterhood.

However, the characters were difficult to connect with and there was a recurring theme that marriages were doomed, and most husbands would eventually domesticate their wives. I think that’s what annoyed me the most. It wasn’t just a few people’s opinions in the story but more like a repetitive trend throughout the town to justify the Sisterhood’s beliefs. These outdated views resulted in an entirely unrelatable cast of characters who had no growth — at least for me.

A devastating twist near the end truly caught me off guard and broke my heart. While the story was undeniably compelling, the ending felt somewhat ambiguous. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate a conclusion that leaves room for interpretation, but this one simply didn't land for me. Despite these shortcomings, the novel's blend of magic, horror, and feminism is undeniably intriguing.

Fast moving and entertaining. An amazing story set in this novel. Two thumbs up! Brilliantly done. Entertaining for everyone from young girls to grown women.

I was not expecting the twists and turns this story took! It was a page turner and I couldn’t put it down, I wanted to know more. I love when stories unravel like thread as you find out new pieces to the puzzle. This was one of those - and you are in for a wild ride with Liv and she tries to find her old friend Sam. With a magical element - it leaves you guessing the whole way through!


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for this ARC!

Ok, so Liv looks like she is living the perfect life. She would probably have gone on to live a fairly happy life, until a letter from her childhood best friends comes to her. She goes back home to help find her friend and figure out why she disappeared. She finds other girls from high school, you know the cool outsiders that she looked up to. When things start to get weird, she wonders if everything was a lie and will she get to live her life or will she be killed?

This was such a different book than what I normally read but it was so good. There was a lot of suspense and sad truths that this book discussed, and it really makes you think about the sacrifices that women make on a daily basis. It does also kind of end on a maybe cliff hanger that makes me wonder if there is going to be more to the story.

Loved the writing, the suspense, the teenage angst all mixed with a whole lot of magic! The writing was superb and it definitely went to a place I wasn’t expecting! If you love witchy things and The Craft, you’ll love this one!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5
Spook Level: 🫣 /5

Story Aspects
🪄Unknown Magic
🪄Creepy Crawlies
🪄Find Yourself Feminism
🪄Missing Person Mystery

What I did like about this book was the heavy character development and flashbacks between the main characters’ older and younger self. Overall, this is not a book that I was very excited for because of the fact that it was a VERY slow burn. I also did not enjoy the feminist controlling vibes that I got from the characters around the main character and felt there was a constant attack on her not only from her best friend but also the bad guys in the story. I also felt like her mother was very absent from the story even though she had gone to her hometown to visit her in the first place. I did like the realization that this character did not know what she wanted in life but still kept trying to figure it out for herself. The story was a little unrealistic in my opinion and more imaginative for a thriller but overall it made sense. I was not too satisfied at the end of the book because I felt like there was something missing or lingering at the end and maybe it was a little too rushed because everything else in the story made it take a while to get to the climax.

Warning: Please be advised that there are themes of emotional/ physical abuse, gaslighting, manipulation, kidnapping, and murder in this book. If these are triggers for you, skip this book.

Special thanks to the Publisher and the Author for providing a complimentary digital Electronic Advanced Reader Copy (E-ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest, and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Books for an early copy of Under Her Spell by K. L. Cerra.
I was immediately drawn into this mystery and then the added bit of "witchiness" was a big plus. This was a quick and easy read and at times feels like a book written for the YA crowd. The ending left me with some questions, but it would be easy for this author to continue this as a series of "the sisterhood" if she wanted to.

In her senior year of high school, Liv and her family move to a new town. Liv starts her senior year knowing no one. There is a group of three girls that are rumored to be witches. Liv is curious about them but finds a true friend in Sam. As they navigate senior year, Liv and Sam become close friends. An argument pulls them in different directions. Liv tries keeping in touch with Sam but Sam never replies, until now. Sam sends Liv a note asking for Liv's help. Liv returns home to help. Upon her arrival, Liv learns that Sam is missing. Frightened for her friend, Liv begins unraveling Sam's recent activity to discover Sam lives in a house with the "witches" from high school. Liv's concern for Sam's safety grows as she fails to find an answer about Sam's whereabouts.

Under Her Spell examines female friendship at several stages of life. Is the bond between women truly something special? Liv's father had died but his presence and the memories of his abuse continue. Liv examines her feelings toward her fiance in light of her parents' relationship. Is her past shaping her future? The search for Sam and the return home allow Liv to examine her life and decisions. She has time to make changes in her life provided she recognizes her opportunity.

K.L. Cerra's book is a well-written story. Liv is an interesting woman working hard to sort out the jumble of her life. We hope she succeeds in sorting things out and finding her friend. The circumstances of this story are clever and imaginative keeping the reader interested page after page. Cerra's combination of paranormal and suspense is a winner for readers.

Thank you Random House, NetGalley, and C.K. Cerra for the advanced reader copy.

2.5 stars rounded up

I was ready to love this book, but sadly, I did not. In all honesty, after I started reading it, I lost sight of the fact that it was women's fiction and not YA.

I loved the premise, the cover, and the switching between then and now, but I did not find the characters intriguing, and the ending felt rushed and not at all unexpected.

Thank you for the advanced copy.

The premise of this book sounded so interesting and fun. Sadly, for me, it turned out to be neither of those things.

This had definite Young Adult vibes, even though the major characters were supposed to be in their late twenties. They all talked and acted like they were still in high school. None of them, including the main protagonist and her mother, were likeable in any way. More like self-centered narcissistic bores. And a little dense as far as common sense goes. The evildoers were easy to figure out early on. So easy in fact, that I thought maybe I got it wrong. Nope, you will know fairly quickly whodunit.

I found the theme of feminine power a bit disturbing, only because of the way it was used to justify evil. And the ending was rushed, unsatisfying and mostly unbelievable, even though there is an epilogue that takes us 8 years into the future.

This one was just not for me.

Absolutely yes!
Under Her Spell is a novel by K.L Cerra.
It follows Liv who receives a mysterious letter from her high school friend Sam who she hasn’t spoken to in about 10 years saying she needed help, so Liv leaves her fiancé and life in Boston to travel back to her childhood hometown of Guilford ,CT. As she is traveling from Boston she sees a social media post indicating that Sam is missing. The story goes between a “Now” and “Then” point of view, showing us how the two girls meet and how their friendship evolves. The complicated relationship that Liv has with Sam’s twin brother Everett and It also introduces Eden, Cora, and Avery the trio that call themselves “The Sisterhood” that Liv envied from afar.

When Liv gets to town she finds out that Sam had finally made friends with the Sisterhood and moved in with Eden and Cora to help them run their bridal boutique.

It is a heavy and dark story with creepy crawly beetles with that left me wanting to read more. Growing up in New England and reading the nostalgia of Friendly’s Monster ice cream brought back so many fond memories for me. Loved the New England Witchy vibes!!

Thank you Random House for the ARC

3.5 stars rounded down. This book takes on feminist themes with a witchy vibe. Some of it is a bit outlandish, the main character seems immature, and the ending was rushed. However, I enjoyed the writing, the flip between past and present, and the overall mystery of what happened.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Friendships, revenge and darkness? Yes please! I was drawn due to the creepy sensational witchy vibes. Thank you

This was an intriguing and creepy novel of a woman on the precipice of her “adult” life post-college. Many of her realizations about her own life stem from returning to the town she graduated high school from (but only attended senior year). When she arrives after being beckoned by a former friend, she finds that said friend is missing—and that she’d lived with the witchy “plastics” types from high school right before she vanished.

I not only enjoyed the creepy parts of this mystery, but also the scathing commentary about what it means to be both a woman and a creative in a “modern society” that wants to boil you down to just being a mom. What female empowerment and sisterhood truly means.

Under Her Spell was a quick, easy read. Interesting and a little out of my box. Definitely had more of a young adult vibe.

I would like to thank Bantam Books, K. L. Cerra, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the advanced copy.
This book was an okay read. The plot of the book had much potential. Two friends drift apart throughout the years. Then, years later one needs help, and the other races home to help. The book fell a little short for me. Lots of unresolved issues between characters. The ending may have been a little rushed. I give this book a solid 3 stars

Sam took Liv under her wing when her parents moved across country and Liv had one year of high school left before graduation. At first Liv is thrilled to have a new best friend, but soon circumstances force her to see Sam through more critical eyes.
10 years pass with no contact between Liv and Sam. But a note from Sam has Liv rushing home. By the time she arrives, Sam has vanished without a trace. What happened between these two and where is Sam now?
Told in the past and in the present, we learn what tore these two friends apart. As Liv searches for answers, she may have made a fatal mistake. She believes she can trust Sam’s roommates, Eden and Cora. But they harbor deep secrets and their mission… Well, you will have to read Under Her Spell to find out what that is.
I didn’t love the ending, but the journey kept me flipping pages needing to know what happened to Sam.