This is 10/10 delightful. Usually I have a few things I might have changed about a book, but it was so heartwarming, funny, sexy, unique, and interesting - I have nothing to add! I found Yael exceedingly charming and Margot simply adorable. No spoilers in this review, but I’m quite happy with how it ended. The whole plot read to me like a perfect romcom, with tension and resolution, but no annoyingly slow parts or misunderstandings between beloved characters. Yael and Margot are a dream team.

Homegrown Magic is such a cozy, romantic fantasy that I absolutely adored!

Margot is a plant witch who must save her town from her childhood best friend's family. Yael is said childhood best friend who runs from their former life and stumbles back into Margot's. They end up working in Margot's greenhouse and romance ensues.

I loved both characters and the conflict was just dire enough to keep things interesting but still kept the book firmly in the sphere of cozy reads.

If you want something cozy and romantic definitely pick this up!

This was a cute and quick read that's more cozy cottage gardening than witchy magic Halloween season.

The main characters are likable and are a cute couple. This is a childhood friend/crush story, so it doesn't feel like there's much progression to their relationship within the book. The writing was a little overly descriptive at times, but I will say I didn't realize there were two authors while reading because the writing of the two is so seamless.

The cozy tight-knit small town setting and gardening parts were fun. The pacing was a little off, with abrupt jumps in time that made me feel like I had missed something while reading. The third act break up was very predictable and felt really unnecessary to me. This was a fast read that I enjoyed, but I don't think I'll be reading the next in the series.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Del Rey, for this arc!

Netgalley ARC review.

DNFed at 15 percent. Can't get past the ridiculously clunky and heavy handed exposition (one of those "the MC looked at a chair and it reminded them of the entire history of furniture manufacturing so let's infodump about that irrelevantly" kind of deals) and poor sentence structure. The generic concept, whiny NBMC, and juvenile quality of the writing made this an unpleasant hour or two. This isn't being released for some time and could use a much heavier handed edit. Pass.

This was such a charming, fun, queer read. I definitely recommend reading it if you get a chance. I’d read it around autumn, it’s got such cozy cottage core vibes.

I am very excited to be reading this book! My full review to follow.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts and comments are my own.

Almost a perfect read for me. It's a very cute, fun magical romance read. If you liked Legends & Lattes, I believe you will like this, too. Only a few things I didn't like, but very minor. Not worth mentioning in case they spoil anything for you. I still recommend this to anyone who loves cottage=core magical romance type reads. Thank you, NetGalley! Also want to mention that the two author storyline in one book was a lot of fun.

4.5 stars

This was a charming, cozy, fantasy romance. The whole book felt like drinking a warm, magical cup of tea surrounded by flowers.
I loved both Yael and Margot. They were such sweet characters who were always looking out for everyone else and especially each other. I especially enjoyed their childhood friends to estranged acquaintances to lovers journey because I felt like there was so much pining built in with them getting to know each other for the second time.
This was a low stakes fantasy but with just enough drama to keep the plot moving. I loved Margot’s connection to her family and the their magical business. I would’ve loved to know more about Margot’s magic and potion making because I really enjoyed what was included in the story. I also really liked Yael learning to stand up to their family and discovering who they are outside of who they were raised to be.
This book was so charming and sweet and is the perfect feel good fantasy romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC!

A beautifully queer cozy fantasy.
I enjoyed the plant aspects and watching the characters grow into themselves.
I was less invested in the "problem" that needed to be solved, but enjoyed the cozy aspects.

Well this was cute! Just in time for the nice cozy fall vibes. I will admit, it took a little getting used to at first with references to Yael but once my brain got over it, it went a lot smoother. That's just a me problem, though. I can appreciate the cozy fantasy aspects to this book but it was very predictable.
Thanks netgalley for the arc!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think I found my new favorite genre of books to be queer cozy fantasy, I can’t get enough of them. The world building in this story was very well done. It kinda made me want to live in their little town it sounds so wholesome. The D&D vibes we amazing and I can’t wait to read whatever comes next.

“You’re so beautiful... I’ve no artistic talents whatsoever, I swear, but I’d learn how to paint so I could paint you.”

this was so adorable! witchy cottagecore sapphic stardew with all the coziness <3

the chemistry between margot and yael was present from the start, and i felt like the conflict was strong enough to give the story drive but without being overwhelming and ruining the cozy vibes. the potion / magic making was really fun and creative and the descriptions of the gardens and various flowers felt so whimsical.

i like how the resolution came to pass and i'm definitely sensing the next book to be about two side characters i was very intrigued by 👀

if you need a feel-good fantasy, this is a great pick!

an honest arc review ♡

A very cozy, cottagecore fantasy. I loved the queer representation, and I think this is the first fiction novel I've read where a main character uses they/them pronouns! It's so nice to read something more diverse. The romance was cute, but the plot kind of fell short. There were very high stakes involved, and all of it was resolved way too easily in the end. I did enjoy this overall though, and I'm sure others will as well. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

🌿✨ Homegrown Magic by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos is a delightful, cozy escape into a world where magic blooms in both gardens and hearts. This enchanting queer romantic fantasy is a true feast for the soul, blending friends-to-lovers chemistry with the warmth of found family and a sprinkle of rival family drama. Yael Clauneck, the wealthy scion seeking adventure, and Margot Greenwillow, the dedicated plant witch struggling to save her family's business, are like an exquisite tea blend—perfectly balanced yet bursting with flavor. Their chemistry is electric, their banter is endearing, and the magical garden setting feels like a comforting embrace. If you’re craving a read that combines heartfelt romance with a touch of whimsical magic and a dash of charming rivalry, this book will have you feeling right at home. 🌟🍵🌸

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

This was such a good book. I really enjoyed it. More than I thought I would. I loved the writing style. This book had me hooked from page one. This is a first for me by this author but will not be my last!!

I went into this book not knowing exactly what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was the light, whimsical romance that I've been looking for for a long time. The writing was a great blend of descriptive and evocative and I thought Margot and Yael were very consistently written (I had a harder time connecting to Yael than Margot just by virtue of what character types I prefer, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching both of them develop throughout the events of the story). I will say that the pacing was a little quick in terms of their romance; I would have liked to see more of the "in between" moments between the larger story beats to really feel the friends-to-lovers energy grow, but personally, I didn't find myself minding as much. If you find yourself dreaming of leaving it all behind and moving to a small, tight-knit community in the country, I'd highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC! Homegrown Magic comes out on March 11th 2025.

Homegrown Magic is YA authors Rebecca Podos and Jamie Pacton’s first foray into adult literature. It’s a delightfully cozy, queer fantasy romance that employs two of my favorite tropes: friends-to-lovers and found family.

Margot Greenwillow is a talented plant witch struggling to perfect a potion that is her only chance of keeping her home before it’s stolen out from under her by the wealthy Clauneck family.

Yael Clauneck, meanwhile, dreads joining the family banking business and flees their graduation party with no clear idea of what to do with their life. They stumble upon Bloomfield, the home of their childhood friend Margot, and the two quickly fall back into their friendship and a romance.

Can Margot make the potion before it’s too late? Can Yael successfully hide from their fate as family heir? And can they have a happily ever after together?

I loved Homegrown Magic. It’s full of lush descriptions of plants and flowers that pop off the pages and is populated by lovable characters, especially Margot and Yael. The dialogue is witty and I enjoyed how queernormative the story is. I appreciated how real the stakes feel. Romances can fall into the trap where there’s no believable conflict keeping the lovers apart but Homegrown Magic’s friction feels genuine.

I also loved that this novel is very much about Margot and Yael’s own journeys of self-discovery, not just their romance. They both discover things about themselves over the course of the novel and are fleshed out, whole, three-dimensional people.

I look forward to reading more from these authors in the future and highly recommend picking up Homegrown Magic with a nice cup of ginger and hibiscus tea à la Margot and Yael.

I love the world that this book is written in, and the two main characters were both done well, and I liked how whenever there was a form of miscommunication, it actually made sense for the characters to do, instead of it being a way to arbitrarily insert more conflict than is needed. The romance was done fantastically well in my opinion, and I think it was a good adult book. I also loved the nonbinary representation in the book, because it was both casual and a part of the world without it being some sort of magical third gender that also involves a lot of roles for the characters to follow. Queernormativity!

Only reason that the book did not get five stars is that some of the plotlines nearing the end weren't wrapped up as well as they could have been.

3.75 ⭐️

september means cozy fantasy and this book delivered on everything i needed for a cute fall book!! Yael becoming a person without their family’s influence and the character development was so well-written. Margot and Yael together were so, so, so, so cute!!! They were such a happy little couple!!

Such a perfect cozy fantasy for fall!

some fav lines: “I have been choosing you every day”
“This is a kind of care: the willingness to be vulnerable first”
“I thought that even after years apart, you were still the most beautiful person I’d ever seen”

(Thank you to Netgalley for this arc)

I’m so thankful to have gotten to read this story courtesy of NetGalley! I was absolutely drawn into Yael and Margot’s world from the start and that feeling only increased as I continued to read.

Both our main characters struggle under the weight of familial expectations while their internal desires conflict with that weight. One night when both end up by chance at the same tavern, Margot and Yael reconnect for the first time since childhood, marking the beginning of an unlikely partnership. As the two grow closer, we learn of the magic held in this world and how our characters are impacted by it.

The setting is described so beautifully without being too much, I long to live among the people of Bloomfield and felt such warmth for the community there. It gave me similar feelings to the town in Legends & Lattes, as the people care so deeply for each other.

I loved the interactions with Yael and Margot as they grew closer through the story. Their banter and flirting was even making me blush at several points. I also appreciated that the spicy scenes did not seem frivolous but truly helped to further the emotions and connections of the characters. I found everything about them to be believable.

This story had a great pace that was easy to follow along while still being engaging. It lingered perfectly at times to set the scene and describe what was going on, while also not harping needlessly on details that weren’t necessary. I truly loved this story and would gladly recommend it to anyone looking for a queer love story with magical elements, found family, and visions of beautiful things along the way.