Very cute small-town plant magic story! I think the vibes/ambience are nice, especially since I don't read a lot of books with this type of magic form. I think at times it was difficult to understand the magic/story, but I had a good time regardless. The characters and plot are very YA but I knew that's what I was getting myself into. I think the characters had some good development, but Margot did annoy me a lot. Just because she was constantly putting herself down and short selling herself, and you can only take so much of that. The conflict resolution felt a little convenient, but I think that just lends itself to the genre of YA.

This book felt like a warm hug, and I honestly don’t know how else to describe it. It’s atmospheric, it’s beautiful, it’s full of heart. It’s about the power of community, about finding your happiness, and about growing into your own. Can’t wait for the sequel.

A cute, cozy romantasy. The story was very descriptive of the visuals so I felt like I was in this world with the characters. As a reader you grow to sympathize with both of these characters' struggles with their legacy and family ties. Overall, a light read. I would definitely recommend this as a springtime read.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Wow is all I can really get out of my mouth when I finished this book. I loved every second of it that I took my time reading it cause I didn’t want this book to end. I don’t want to spoil this book so I will just say I highly recommend this book to everyone that loves a good well written book with Duo POV. I laughed and I even got upset with some characters if you read the book you know what I am talking about. 5 stars will definitely be reading more books by both the authors.

4.25 stars!

Homegrown Magic is a lovely cozy fantasy and was the perfect read after a heavy fantasy book! While it took me a bit to get into it, this ended up being such a delightful book.

Yael was very relatable at times, which made it easy to feel for them. I understood their need to get away from the pressure and loved their development throughout the story. I loved Margot. The way she cares for all of those around her in Bloomfield. The dual POV was my favorite! Yael and Margot were wonderful together. Their interactions with one another were so fun to read, especially their flirting. Two side characters caught my attention, so I hope they get their own story...

This story was mostly lighthearted, but there were some stakes that kept the book intriguing. Overall, it was a fun and hopeful book. I loved the writing and characters, especially Clementine. Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

"Homegrown Magic" by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos is queer, cute, and cozy! In this story, we follow the reunion of a person disgruntled with high society life and a gifted, upcoming plant witch desperately trying to fulfill the obligation of her family's debts. Will Yael and Margot bring balance to their situations or just make them more complicated?

This was a joy to read. If you're looking for a cozy fantasy, cottage-core, (childhood) friends to lovers read - this is the book for you!

Thank you endlessly to Jamie Pacton, Rebecca Podos, NetGalley and Del Rey for gifting me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was in the mood for a cozy, low-stakes book set in a quaint rural village - and that's exactly what I got.

Yael Clauneck is from a rich family that controls the city's wealth - making them the de facto power in this world. Margot Greenwillow, plant witch and greenhouse owner, was their childhood best friend, but she was forced to leave the city for the small village of Bloomfield where her grandmother, a renowned plant witch, built a small idyllic community in the countryside. Yael finds herself in Bloomfield after running away from the oppressive expectations of her family and finds herself face to face with her old friend. As they get closer, Margot must decide if she is going to tell Yael the truth about the hold Yael's family has only her and on Bloomfield.

This was a sweet story, and I enjoyed my reading experience - the cozy setting was just what I needed. I thought Margot's character felt a bit more developed than Yael's, but both were endearing, and they fit well together.

I did think there were some things in the story that could have been better developed. For example, the magic almost felt like an afterthought rather than a key part of the world building and story arc. Some side-plots that I thought would come back at the end of the story didn't return, also.

I think this cozy romantasy will appeal more to romance readers than to fantasy readers, as that was really the plot that moved the narrative forward. The story centers more around Yael and Margot's relationship than anything else, as did the central conflict. I was coming more for the cozy fantasy than the romance, which made this not a perfect fit for me. I also am not a "spicy" book person, so I found myself blushing a bit! I am definitely not the right person to rate those parts.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC to read and review.

I received a free early copy of this book for review. This is my own opinion. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House | Ballantine-Del Rey for the opportunity to review!

<b>Genre:</b> cozy fantasy romance

<b>Tropes:</b> childhood friends to lovers

<b>Spice Level:</b> 1/5 on page scenes, but the most descriptive word is nipple

<b>Content Warning:</b> sucky parents? Is that a cw?

Let it be known how much I appreciate that queerness just <i> exists </i> in this world. It’s not shoehorned in to fit some token idea, no labels are slapped on it, and it’s just perfectly done. This is how queerness should exist in media.

Gosh this was so cute and sweet! I love the cheeky little asides about traveling parties a la DND. As much as cozy fantasies tend to have a DND side quest feel, this felt more like a slice of life, though there were a handful of side quests.

Without divulging all the same information as the synopsis, Margot has a problem. Yael is trying to escape their problems. At the root of both of their problems are Yael’s family, and they work together to solve them, with a lot of plant magic and elbow grease along the way.

Homegrown Magic feels like a Studio Ghibli film, so read it if you’re into that. Definitely recommended for cozy fantasy fans, or those looking for something a little lighter.

Thanks again to Del Rey and Netgalley for the arc!

Pacton and Podos immediately swept me away into Yael and Margot’s world. Cozy and whimsical tied together with some undeniable tension. Bloomfield feels like the place we all want to escape to. Despite all the fun, I did feel some points were just not well explained (e.g. the ties between families). Overall, a fun and mystical time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for- Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a sweet cozy little romantasy this was! The universe the authors built is rich and cozy and comforting. The rules of magic are pretty well structured and followed. The characters are lovable and show fabulous growth over the course of the book. My only real critique would be that somehow the spicy scenes were really explicit but also somehow didn’t feel quite fully fleshed out? Otherwise the book was delightful and I really enjoyed curling up with it (and a mug of tea of course). Now I think I need to make some scones with strawberry jam…

Actual Rating 2.5

Both Yael and Margot were well written characters. It did feel like Margot had more depth/development overall which led to a bit of an unbalanced feeling, but nothing major. But at the same time, Margot definitely cause most of the issues that were included to build tension and add stakes, so it was a little difficult not to be frustrated with her for most of the book. The remainder of the characters had zero development or characterization, though.

I wanted more from the fantasy aspects of this work. There were some fun details included, but I was hoping for more inclusion of the magic. Same with the worldbuilding. It wasn't really included in any meaningful way, aside from details that were absolutely necessary to support the plot. Same with the secondary/tertiary characters, which made the whole setting/world feel pretty flat.

This is certainly more of a romance read than a fantasy read. If you like cozy light romances with fantasy elements, then you'll likely enjoy this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey publishing for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

This was such a sweet and cozy little book. Childhood friends to lovers is either hit or miss and I was happy that this one was interesting. I did have a few questions. Some plot points just fell off out of nowhere. Did Margot fix her parents? They kind of seemed to be in the background even though their story was important to the plot. Did Margot’s friend and Yael’s cousin ever become something? What was the point of having them together? This is the type of book that makes me wanna run off and live in a cottage in the woods, however. I felt all the best vibes while reading this. I also appreciated the queernormative world. Yael seemed to have identified as nonbinary since they were a child and everyone seemed open to all relationships. If you want a good vibes and low stakes read I recommend this highly!

A cozy, but cute fantasy that brings readers into a universe filled with lovers, gardens, magic, and rivalry. Perfect for a cozy day.

Childhood best friends separated by time and status, Yael and Margot, remeet after Yael runs away from their predetermined future. Margot, a plant witch, indebted due to her parents’ management of her grandmother’s fortune, spends all day in her greenhouses upkeeping the family business and experimenting with potions to free herself from the chains of the Claunecks. One day, an old friend and a child of the Claunecks stumbles into the village pub, and she takes them under her wing. A Clauneck at every turn, will she be able to save herself and the village and find everything that she ever wanted?

This was definitely a cozy romance. From the village to the greenhouses and a world of magic with fantastical creatures mixed with technology, the plot is very low-stakes and runs mostly off of pure comfort. If I could be anything, I definitely would be a plant witch. Having the ability to help make things grow and help others would be hard but rewarding work. It’s no wonder that Yael was so enamored with Margot. I do wish we got to see more of Yael and Margot working together at the beginning, but the author flashforward the story a few months immediately after the first day of work. I feel a lot of bonding and beginning romance developed during that time that we didn’t get to see. Also, any trials and tribulations of a city dweller getting down and dirty with manual labor for the first time in their life is completely missing from the plot.

While a big part of the plot, I wish the magic system was slightly more developed. The basics are there and have some pretty unique concepts with patrons providing magic as very few people are natural magic users with their own magic source. We see a few instances where Margot uses her plant magic, but overall, those are few and far between, and we don’t see anyone else using magic. A main plot point is Margot trying to make a potion to save her village, but we don’t spend any time with her trying to make any potions except one or two times. The focus in this book was definitely more on the romance, but I think the magic could have been played up to move the romance along.

If you are looking for a cozy book to read during the fall, this one could definitely fulfill that need.

#netgalley #homegrownmagic #randomhouse

I enjoyed this so much! It's fun and swoony and cozy and I really enjoyed the setting/worldbuilding. I feel like cozy fantasy has to walk the line when it comes to the conflict- too intense and it loses the cozy vibe, not enough and it's just boring- and I think this did that perfectly. And the resolution was perfect! I also can't not mentiont Yael and Margot because they were just so much fun to read.

I'm really hoping that the next book (the title is at the back promising a preview in finished versions!) is about my babes who were clearly vibing in this book. (If you read it, you'll know who I'm talking about.)

This is definitely a cute, cottagecore, sapphic romance. It feels very slice of life so for me the writing and story feels much more slow-paced than I am used it. Unfortunately, due to that nature, there were many moments in the book where it gave me a bore and I did not want to finish it. I would recommend this book to people if they prefer the cozy genre.

Homegrown Magic kept it cute and cozy! I liked this story more than I thought that I would. The author did a great job from the onset of the story establishing the connection between Yael and Margot. In this story, their attraction made sense because of their history, so it felt like an inst-love situation, but it wasn't because of their mutual past. The chemistry between them was well-developed from the beginning and kept a good pace throughout the story. Because this story has a character leaving the expectations of how their life should be lived in pursuit of what makes them the happiest, it reminded me somewhat of the book Can't Spell Treason Without Tea, so anyone who loved that book will probably enjoy this book too.

The novel is set in a world where magic runs in families, and its influence is seen in everyday life. The protagonist, a young girl, has grown up in a family where magic is a source of pride, but also a heavy responsibility. As she faces the challenges of fitting into her family’s magical legacy, she must also figure out who she truly is and where she belongs in a world filled with expectations.

One of the book’s strengths is how it handles the theme of family dynamics. The protagonist’s relationship with her family is both loving and complex, and the authors capture the struggles of balancing familial expectations with the desire to forge one’s own path. This is especially powerful for middle-grade readers, who may find themselves grappling with similar issues of identity and belonging.

The magical system is another standout feature of Homegrown Magic. It’s woven into the characters’ lives in a way that feels grounded and connected to the themes of the story. The magic feels organic, deeply tied to nature and family heritage, which makes it an integral part of the characters’ identities and struggles.

Pacing in Homegrown Magic is well-balanced, as the plot develops alongside the protagonist’s personal journey. There are plenty of moments of wonder and discovery, but there’s also space for quieter, introspective scenes that allow readers to connect with the characters on a deeper level.
Homegrown Magic is a wonderful and thoughtful middle-grade read that will appeal to fans of magical realism and stories about family and growing up. It combines a magical world with relatable emotional depth, making it an enchanting and meaningful read for young readers, as well as older readers who appreciate stories about personal growth, relationships, and the power of magic in everyday life.

Homegrown Magic is a cute, cozy romance that takes place in a fantasy world — a world inspired by D&D. Margot possesses nature magic and works in a greenhouse, taking over her grandmother’s business. (She also makes magic strawberry jam!) Yael grew up in a wealthy family, with strict parents who want them to take a company job. In the town of Bloomfield, Yael and Margot become reacquainted friends to lovers, and unravel a mystery of grudges and debts between their families.

This is a very cute, lighthearted romance and I found myself enjoying their flirty dialogue. The authors do a great job setting the scene and atmosphere in the town of Bloomfield. Warning there are a few smut scenes in the book!

I think the only issue I had was that the pacing was a bit slow sometimes. I also didn’t care much about Margot’s parents or the folk living in Bloomfield. Story-wise, it’s predictable for the most part, but I think the enjoyability is mostly from the vibes and main character interactions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the authors for allowing me an advanced reader copy!