I was thrilled to dive into this one, especially since it's just about at the perfect time of year for it. The story is set in a cozy town in New Jersey, and the main character, Sirena, is a witch—enough to get my interest.
Sirena is having a rough month, which leads her to make a wish that sends her back in time for a do-over of October. The main male character, a magician on hiatus, is hiding out in this charming Jersey Shore town, working as a historical society director. Both characters are lovable and add a delightful charm to the story.
However, I found that the plot lacked urgency. While the premise was intriguing, nothing particularly exciting or pivotal captured my attention as much as I had hoped. Despite this, the cozy setting and endearing characters make it a pleasant read.

Overall, I would give Deja Brew 3 stars.

It's a nice book for those who enjoy a light, magical read, especially during the fall season.

If you're looking for books with witches and magicians, cozy fall vibes and steamy romance scenes.. this is the book for you!
Sirena is a Kitchen Witch and feels that she's lost her spark for cooking and all her dishes aren't as good as they used to be.
She's in a rut and figures the help of a very handsome magician named Gus can help her!

I loved how vulnerable and open they were with each other and their banter was off the charts!

I do have to say that I didn't know that this was the third book of a series BUT you can definitely read this as a stand-alone as I did not find myself confused at all.

Thank you to NetGalley & Forever, Grand Central Publishing for giving me this ARC!

Let me begin by saying I did not read the two other books in this series but I loved the cover so much and I wanted to read a Fall romance book. Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

+ This is such a cute Fall romance book! Look at the cover and it totally represents everything about the story. It’s cozy, it has witches, a magician, food, romance, magic and pumpkins! I also like the feel of community in this book.

+ The romance is sweet. Gus and Sirena are friends first and then grow steadily into lovers. It’s a slow burn but I thought their relationship was really cute because he’s a nice guy and she’s a sweet lady and there wasn’t any huge problems between them. The spice is mild but I think it goes well with how the story is told.

+ This can be read as a standalone but it made me curious about the first two books.

Dislikes:

+ I think the romance was cute but I didn’t feel very connected to the characters.

Final Thoughts:

This story is full of FALL vibes and I think it’s definitely something you should add to your reading list if you are looking for something witchy, magical and cozy.

I love witch romances so much! This was so good and it made me aware of another book in this series before this one! Yay! Sisterly, witchy relationships as well as romance! That’s a win!!

Deja Brew was an enjoyable read overall. I appreciated the chemistry between Gus and Sirena and found their personal growth and individual issues well portrayed. Gus was a particularly well-crafted character, endearing and relatable. However, I found the slow burn romance to be a bit too slow for my liking, which affected my enthusiasm for the story.

Despite this, I believe the characters contributed well to the overall narrative. If you enjoy heartwarming and comforting romance, I'd recommend adding this to your fall reading list.

Thank you to ReadForever and NetGalley for the eARC of DEJA BREW by the fabulous Celestine Martin,

Brief synopsis:
Sirena, a ex-celebrity chef, has cooking powers that are on the fritz and has a last ditch effort to save her career by working the town's Halloween party. She makes a desperate wish for a chance to turn her life around. To her surprise, she wakes up the next morning to find herself reliving the entire month. This magical do-over brings with it the unexpected chance to reconnect with Gus, a former reality star who has retreated to Freya Grove to mend his broken heart and rebuild his reputation. Will this second-chance be happily ever after or a bittersweet memory?

Review:
Deja Brew is a captivating cozy mystery that will appeal to fans of the genre. Celestine Martin has crafted a story that is both entertaining and heartwarming, with a mystery that keeps readers guessing until the end. This is the perfect cozy, fall romance to kick off your autumn season!

Deja Brew by Celestine Martin is a whimsical, second-chance romance novel that combines magic and love with a touch of culinary charm. It is a must-buy for fans of witchy rom-coms like Payback’s a Witch and The Ex Hex. The book creates an inviting, autumnal atmosphere with humor, heart, and delightful magical mishaps. Readers will enjoy this lighthearted, fun read filled with enchantment, featuring a time loop that repeats the month of October. Celestine has really outdone herself with this one.

Tropes:
-Friends to Lovers
-Witchy Romance
-Second Chance
-Time loop
-Elemental Love #3

Thank you so much to foreverpub and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!! I absolutely love this trilogy!! Deja brew was such a great book 3! I really loved both our main characters Sirena and Gus. I related to both of them!! I loved the growth of both our main characters and how the plot developed! I loved the hint of magic that is a constant throughout each of the books. I really enjoyed the ending!!

This was such a feel good book! Something you can cozy up to next month when it comes out!! So grab a cuppa and pick this up on October 1.

A cozy, fall read. I loved the representation of FMC Sirens, having a bigger, curvier body. The family dynamic was a tight knit family who leans on and supports one another when needed. Our MMC Gus, was intelligent and such a sweetheart. There were a few family members I was not a fan of, Gus’s mother, but seems pretty representative of real life and the other supporting characters made up for it. I enjoyed the progression of the relationship between Sirena and Gus until we got closer to the end when things felt weird/off between them, it didn’t really make sense to me and I didn’t feel like there was much of an explanation of the ‘why’ it was like that; felt like a random obstacle kind of thrown in the way before the conclusion of the book. Thank you @netgalley for the eARC! 🍁🍂✨🧙🎃
#fallreads #netgalley #halloweenreads #witchyreads

The Vibes: cozy autumn, a bit of celebrity, Groundhog Day

Heat Index: 5/10

The Basics:

Former celebrity chef Sirena (with magic) makes a wish for a "fix my life" do-over. Waking up, she finds that she's gotten it—and it gives her a chance to really get to know Gus, a reality star (with magic) who harbors feelings for her. The question is, will they be able to get it right this time?

The Review:

Okay, first off I want to say that if you love COZY and you love AUTUMN and light witchiness (this has been compared to The Ex Hex, and I can see why), this will probably be for you. I love autumn, and I enjoy light witchiness. Where it kinda lost me was the cozy. Obviously, I expected some cozy based on the premise. This? Is a lot of cozy.

The good news: This is very on trend and again, a lot of y'all will love it.

Celestine Martin has a real way with words, and I loved the descriptions here. Literally felt like fall leaves in a cup (or a book, I guess). The atmosphere is fabulous, the food descriptions are great, it's FALL FALL FALL.

Where I feel her writing could use some tweaking is in the dialogue. You spend a lot of time in the characters' heads, which felt like a space she approached confidently. It's not that the dialogue was bad. It just wasn't as good as the rest of the prose, and it did read a little young for the characters' ages and experience. (In general, I felt like Gus was a little too cautious about sharing his feelings with Sirena for, again, his age and experience. They're not babes in the woods, and I like that! I'd love to see it reflected more in the writing.)

And... I think where the book inched further away from four stars was in the pacing. If you enjoy a slow burn? You'll probably like this, again. I don't jump for a slow burn, but I can definitely enjoy it if done well. A slow burn does not inherently mean bad pacing. (And a slow-paced book can also be great!)

This is very slowly paced. It felt like, after a certain point, I was reading pure vibes. Which! Again! Will work for a lot of people. Ultimately, I felt like this could've used some chopping in the editing. We don't need all of this. In some ways, this may have worked better as a novella?

The Sex:

I found the descriptions of sex in this book... interesting. Again, this was a slow burn, and I personally didn't feel a ton of sexual tension beforehand (though there was emotional tension). Interesting doesn't mean bad here. But the descriptions are some of the more flowery ones I've read in a book set in a more contemporary world. It read a bit like what I would've seen in older contemporaries, or even older historicals. Again, not bad. Just unexpected, I suppose?

This will be someone's perfect fall novel, and I do love that it's a Black romance with some magic. God knows we need more of that representation in paranormal romance. But, it wasn't quite for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 ☆
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If you're wanting a cozy, fall, witchy vibe with a dash of romance, this book is for you! Deja Brew is book three in the Elemental Love series and can be read as a standalone, which is a major plus. Now, I didn't rate this one as high because I felt like the other two in the series had a Disney retelling theme or vibe, and this book didn't have that. This is definitely a slow-paced, slow-burn romance.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬:
•Slow-Burn
•Black Romance
•Cozy | Fall Vibes
•Witchy Romance
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 Oct.1
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Thank you, Netgalley, and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the eBook on exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to like this book. The concept is adorable, and while I haven't read the first two books, I felt like there was enough in the beginning to catch me up on what was happening.

But I just couldn't connect with this book. I DNF'ed around 30%. It was just so much writing for so little happening. Every thing felt over explained or described. The characters were cute, but surface level. The banter was ok, but felt juvenile for what the characters ages are suppose to be.

It could be a me thing, but I just can't do it anymore.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and the author for a copy of this ARC.

3.5 stars

Deja Brew is a great read for the fall/winter seasons and has all of the cozy vibes. I loved that Sirena is a kitchen witch and it got me excited to eat all of the yummy fall foods. I thought the time travel aspect was cool & different - Sirena makes a wish for a second chance and ends up redoing the entire month of October. She also gets another chance to spend more time with Gus, a former famous magician and ex party boy turned steward of a historical society.

While I thought the romance between Sirena and Gus was cute, I didn’t really feel any strong connection to them. I feel like the magical small town/seasonal setting was the best part of this. Regardless, if you’re looking for a cozy read with a little spice you should give it a go!

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

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of Deja Brew by Celestine Martin.

At the beginning of the story, it’s one thing after another of things not going right for Sirena. When time reverts back to the beginning of the month, Sirena has an opportunity to relive it. Gus, who is a magician and healing from a divorce, has feelings for Sirena. Through the time loop, Sirena and Gus end up working together in closer proximity.

The real highlight of this book is the couple. Sirena and Gus are absolutely adorable. I really enjoy a romance where one or both characters don’t think they’re able to commit to anything serious but they can’t help being drawn to each other. Gus is a top tier book boyfriend, with so much support and belief in Sirena.

If you’re looking for an enjoyable fall witchy romance, this is a book to check out.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

What a great Fall Vibes book!! I couldn’t put this book down! I enjoyed it was more than h thought I would. This was my first by this author but will not be my last.

I looove my time in Freya Grove with the Caraways! I also read Witchful Thinking and Kiss and Spell so I couldn't wait for the this book but you absolutely can read this one on its own, I have to admit I think this one might be my favorite!!

Sirena and Gus are amazing and I just loved them! They're so relatable as middle children finding themselves and they have the best energy! I'm a sucker for childhood/second chance love so I ate this right up. Their chemistry and banter is EVERYTHING! There is a ton of character development and these two are sooooo sweet together and then we have the witchy, slow burn, fantasy, magical elements and it was ALL I wanted!

Celestine has dazzled us again with her world building, phenomenal writing and a perfect cozy autumn read!

Deju Brew is such a feel good, witchy romance that had me ready to grab a comfy blanket and settle in to enjoy. Sirena is a kitchen witch who can't connect with her magic and starts to doubt herself. . . Which I can 100% relate to. I felt that Celestine Martin did a really good job resenting those feelings authentically and respectfully. Gus is so sweet and I instantly fell in love with his sweet and sensitive heart ❤️ Their love story was a fun strangers to lovers with forced proximity and it is a perfect romance for fall 🍁🎃

Thank you Forever, Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

I DNF’d at 33% because I just couldn’t continue anymore. I rarely quit a book but I felt like I was reading the conversation between two school age children. The banter was shallow and juvenile. I did not read the previous 2 books in this series and I’m not sure if that made any difference because i didn’t feel like I was missing much. The author did a great job with filling in the backstory of certain subjects.

A sloth outran the pace of this slow burn. At 33% it legit was going no where. I really couldn’t care less about how this was going to end. I had to stop when they went to get ice cream and they were “playing a game” and she wouldn’t talk until he bought her a root beer. What are they 9? That was my final eye roll.

Thank you Forever Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for this Advance Readers Copy ebook in exchange for my honest review

Thank you for my early copy of Deja Brew. I enjoyed this magical story about two people who fall in love with a little bit of magic. It was such a sweet story. I enjoyed seeing these two explore, learn about each other, and fall in love.

This book felt like the perfect fall day in all the best ways! I loved how Gus and Sirena grew both together and as people on their own journeys. Not to mention this book had my two favorite kinds of spice: pumpkin spice and toe-curling spice!

I can’t wait to read the other books in this series!!