This book was just ok for me. I love the concept, but the execution didn’t really work. Unfortunately, this is one of those reads where it’s really difficult to pinpoint what I didn’t like. I did enjoy the sleepy, small town witchy vibes! I think maybe the prose was a bit too flowery for me…like sometimes, it was just so over descriptive that I missed what was actually happening? If that makes sense? I never really came to care about the characters either and the romance felt very quick and forced to me. Maybe this is all just a me problem…I can see this story working for a lot of people, and I hope those people find it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy to read and review.

Oof.

Just like a good writer can fully flesh out a story and characters within a novella, there are authors who overwrite and overembellish their story to the point that the plot gets muddled and the characters cannot breathe.

This book needed a different editor, one who could say, "look, 25% of the book is just repetitive and useless descriptions" because holy crap, this was bad.

So much wasted space on belabored details and not enough to make the main character well rounded.

All vibes, no substance.

This witchy read had such a great premise - a witch able to do spells by giving up her own memories?? There were things I loved and things I didn't love, leaving me with a solid 3 star read.

I loved the magic system, the sisterly bond, and the fiery personality of our main character. The small town was cute, and points for a unique system using memories and bonds.

I didn't love the love story, where I didn't feel any chemistry and things felt forced in for plot's sake. The pacing also felt off, with the middle section absolutely dragging on for me. I was left with unanswered questions as well- maybe this will be a series, and the next book would answer them? Regardless, this one was unfortunately not for me.

Thank you to Dell for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This had all the elements and story ideas for a great book, but it fell very flat in the execution.

The biggest issue I had was the dialogue which had me actually cringing at times. It didn’t feel like actually conversations real people would have.

The relationships didn’t have enough depth and that includes the three sisters. We didn’t get to SEE their bonds and dynamics, it was just hastily told to us but I would’ve loved to see the memories of the sisters growing up. At the beginning of the book, it honestly felt like they didn’t even know each other.

Do not get me started on the romantic relationships in this book because even the main one between Calliope and Lucien was about as deep as a kiddie pool. And to make it worse, Lucien was the primary guilty party of the cringey dialogue.

The town is a big part of the story along with being the setting, but it just did not feel real. And the people were like cardboard cutouts of small-town shop owners from every small town TV show/movie. The world-building was just shaky and unclear.

Overall, I loved the diversity in this book and the general plot with the curses and that’s about it.

Three sisters, taking care of each other after their mom left and vanished. However, not before giving them a secret they had to keep and a dire warning about magic. Two take it to heart completely, one, well….she is going to use what her mom did leave behind to guide her and try to figure out what happened. On top of that, Calliope had her heart broken, and she wants to look for answers why there as well. Don’t we all? Even when we should just say good riddance! LOL The sister dynamic and birth order plays out here. I also love the bond and relationship they have. Even something as simple as a morning routine made me want to be a part of this sister group with Thalia, Calliope, and Eurydice.

The small town charm adds to this story. Like any small town, you are going to have some interesting people, and this is no different. While the sisters might not be part of a coven, they do have community. Sweet Calliope is a bit of a mess, and can cause an issue when trying to be helpful. I identify with that, for sure. The love interest aspect is a grumpy vs sunshine trope, with some fun banter. I’m dancing around that part since it’s not mentioned in the book description. So, with the sisters, some chaos, small town charm, and magic, you definitely can see where you can get the comparison to Charmed, Pride and Prejudice, and Gilmore Girls vibes.

If you are looking for deep fantasy, that’s not what this is. It does have world building for the cozy town and family dynamic, and then the magic introduced. So, more cozy with some tension with the magic woven throughout the story. I loved that. I REALLY wish NetGalley let you do half stars. I’ve marked it 4 here, but truly I feel like it is a 4.5 stars. It is difficult to explain without sharing spoilers, but there were some things that felt rushed near the end and some things that just didn’t seem like it would really happen (even with magic). It certainly wouldn’t stop me from reading it, recommending it, or gushing over it.

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things releases on March 4, 2025. This book and Breanne are destined for great things. If you haven’t read her first book, The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic, pick it up as well. The books aren’t a series, but I loved that book as well.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, NetGalley, and Breanne for the opportunity to get an eARC to review and give my honest opinion.

Thank you so much to Dell & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to start by saying that I think I'm just at a point in my "reading career" where if a romantasy doesn't draw me in with something unique (like world building, magic system, truly fleshed out characters, etc.), it just doesn't work for me. More often than not these days, too many components feel copy & paste.

I will say that I did enjoy the diverse cast of characters. There was a good bi-sexual rep in our fmc Calliope, as well as a non-binary rep in Danny, her best friend. The sister trio is probably what ended up saving the book for me in the long run, especially towards the end. Their bond was a consistent thread that wove its way throughout the story and held it together in my opinion. It probably could have focused entirely on them and I would have been a-okay with that. And while I always do love me a dark and brooding shadow daddy, Lucien's relationship with Calliope felt rushed and inauthentic. But this is my positives section so I'll speak more on that in a minute. The town itself was cute and cozy. The sisters' own tea shop/bookstore is honestly every girlie's dream job lol. And the premise that they sacrifice their memories to perform spells, while inconvenient, played out well in the story. While I thought this would be more of a fall read, it actually took place in spring which works well with the timing of the book's release. The recipes sprinkled throughout the book added to that cozy factor, and there's even several of the recipes at the back of the book, which I thought was a nice touch.

It wasn’t until about 60% of the way through until the story started to pick up for me. The first portion’s pacing was awkward—it was slow for the majority of it (which is fine!) but then would pick up randomly and then slow back down. I think this is why I struggled with the romance aspect of the story. I wasn’t really convinced by Calliope and Lucien’s connection, other than the fact that they were bonded, but then suddenly, they’re in love after spending a few library sessions together. The smut, while there wasn’t much of it, felt jarring and again, rushed. There were indeed cute interactions and highlightable banter, but not enough to convince me of their connection. Lucien’s coven doesn’t get much page time and therefore felt underdeveloped. Other plot points seemed too convenient for the progress of the story and the explanation of certain aspects too simplified and served on a silver platter.

I definitely think there is an audience for this book, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.

Breanne Randall does a great job of exploring different sibling dynamics in this one. The Petridis sisters are so different and act like true siblings, but are also very disconnected at the start of the book. It creates a great over-arching plot for the rest of the book.

I also loved these characters. Calliope and Lucien have this great push and pull and fantastic chemistry. Eurydice and Thalia shine almost as much as Calliope even though they are side characters in this story. The three of them have a great little community that is a shining part of the book.

It took me a while to get into this story and get used to the writing style. Overall, the book moves very slow and there are a lot of description and explanations. The magic system is explained well, but there's a lot of background and build up to the plot. I think you realistically need to give it 100 pages to see if the book is for you or not.

While it took me 4 tries to get into this book, I enjoyed it once the plot started to develop. I think the ending was a little rushed and could've used some fine tuning, but overall a fun read with a dash of spice!

Tropes: enemies to lovers, shadow daddy, sibling dynamics, forced proximity, small town, and dual POV.

3.75 stars
This was enjoyable for the most part. It was fast-paced and easy to read, with a good enemies to lovers romance which is always my favorite trope. I think the cozy magic, romance, and LGBTQ+ rep were the best parts of this book. The side characters, the plot, pretty much everything else just fell flat. This was pretty cringy at times and I could’ve done without the excessive amount of terms like “shadow daddy.” Have we no shame? I get that the author wanted to have the readers laugh because they’re in on the joke but come on… Anyways, I liked a lot of aspects of this and had a good time reading so anything 3 and under feels too low. Might change my rating later but 3.75 feels right for now.

**3.5 STARS**

Content Warning: violence

+ This book gave me a combination of vibes of different shows/movies like Charmed, Practical Magic and Pride and Prejudice. Three Petridi sisters, Thalia, Calliope and Eurydice, who’s mother left them, are conflicted about magic. They have a history in their family as being Lightcraft witches and their purpose is to protect the Dark Oak, a tree that is holding enormous power. Out of all the sisters, only Calliope still practices magic, but they are cursed because using magic requires sacrificing a memory.

+ I love the sisters and their bond even though it’s complicated and they fight. It’s real. Calliope is the main character and she is the wild one. She’s bi-sexual, she’s a free spirit, impulsive, messy, and chaotic. But she loves her family and will do anything to protect them.

+ The romance is great because Calliope accidentally binds herself to a Shadowcrafter named Lucien. He’s gorgeous, worldly, powerful, her total opposite and he too loves his sister and will do anything to protect her. Their romance is full of bickering, and tension, which makes the spice all the more satisfying. He comes off as a Mr.Darcy with some of the way he professes his feelings to Calliope (which I loved because I recognized but weird because Lucien is not Mr. Darcy). And the ending is totally from the Pride and Prejudice movie!

+ There is a diverse cast of characters in this small town, which was fun.

~ There were too many times things became convenient in the story. Like spells just came to the sisters (the ones who haven’t used it in years), because it’s rooted in them – which is great but believable? Not sure about that. There were a lot of things the characters didn’t know but then everything happened to work out.

~ The ending gets a little wild and had too much going on. I honestly didn’t understand the “strings” at some point but I went with it. And no, I would never forgive Malik, if I was Lucien! Like how can your friend betray you and then all is well afterwards?

Final Thoughts:

Calliope embodies exactly how I felt reading this book – kind of wild. I love the small town vibes and the sisters’ bond. I enjoyed the romance between Calliope and Lucien with their opposites attract, her being messy and him needing control. She’s sunshine and he’s grumpy so I loved them together. But the story had a lot going on especially at the end and I found some things happening that was a but too convenient. For the most part, I found this story really entertaining because it was kind of chaotic and yet a little bit cozy at the same time, if that makes sense.

*ARC REVIEW* I loved the author’s first book and this one didn’t disappoint either. Very “practical magical vibes following 3 sisters accepting their fate, magic, and each other while fighting to save their town and legacy. They learn to live and love life again after so much sacrifice. Mild spice, shadowdaddy vibes too. The writing is just the right amount of descriptive without feeling too “filler”-y. Thoroughly enjoyed, such a feel good read!

Thank you, Dell Romance, for the gifted copy of Spells Strings and Forgotten Things {partner}
 
Genre: Fantasy
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date:  3.4.2025
Pages: 400
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

I really, really wanted to love this book. It had everything I adore—romance, sister relationships, diverse characters, magic, and even Gilmore Girls vibes. It seemed like the perfect fit for me.

But for some reason, I couldn’t seem to focus. I even switched up formats (print, Kindle, and audio) to ensure it wasn’t the format that was the issue. Yet, with every attempt, I found myself either losing interest.

The biggest challenge I faced with Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things was how drawn-out the most mundane moments were. It felt like the story lost its momentum because of it, making it hard for me to stay engaged.

Read if you enjoy:
📖 Small town
👏🏼 World-building
💪🏼 Character development
🫂 Sisterly bonds

I can’t begin to tell you how sad I am that this one missed the mark for me. I will definitely read what the author writes next, and I hope that you still give this book a try. What didn’t work for me might be your favorite part about the book!

I love a good witch book, and this was a good witch book. Calliope is the youngest of three sisters who come from a long line of witches, but their mother cryptically left them 15 years ago and they know no other witches. They've been tasked with protecting the town by casting spells, but every spell requires them to sacrifice a memory. A threat comes to the town, and Calliope and her sisters have to stop it - with the help, of course, of a powerful witch from a rival coven who happens to be really hot (a tried-and-true formula).

This book is a joy to read - it's fast-paced, the sister dynamics are deep and complicated and well-explored, the town feels like Stars Hollow (complimentary), and the world-building feels accessible but not too simplistic. There were times where the book felt just a tad too cutesy, and the central romance moves a little too fast from enemies to lovers, but overall, I really enjoyed this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballentine for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

It’s on me for not recognizing the author’s name. I’ve read one of her works before and it just wasn’t my jam.

I find the characters to be surface level and desperately trying to be unique. The story gets lost in there for me.

It’s just not my thing.

I really wanted to enjoy this book but sadly it missed the mark for me. The characters were great and well fleshed out. The magic system was interesting and different but relyed in memory too much. At times the writing felt beautiful and soft but at other times the writing felt cliche and too young. The story has so much potential but felt ubpolished.

So I'll be honest, this book just was not for me. This is a DNF for me. There are multiple things that I just didn't like about this book. I didn't really enjoy any of the characters other than Grim, he was chill. But all the other characters just seemed not real. Like I kept asking myself "who talks like this" and other things that I just thought were unnecessary. The MFC and MMC were at each other's throats one minute and almost doing it in the library the next. The relationship was just extremely hot and cold. I didn't feel like the ideas were fleshed through enough and we spent so much time on non important miniscule things. I don't like to leave bad reviews because I know how much a book means to an author. But this one just wasn't it for me. So unfortunately I won't be reviewing on other platforms because I wouldn't feel right doing it.

I wish I loved this one more! I really enjoyed the authors other book but I found this one to be a bit too descriptive/ wordy and very hard to engage with.

I hope to enjoy the authors next book more!

This book had a Charmed feel with the sister relationships throughout the book. I really enjoyed the magic system and the stakes it took for the sisters to use their own.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! I just couldn't get in the mood for this one, but I do love this author!

I did not really know if I was going to like this book in the beginning, but the general atmosphere was compelling, and the plot twists felt very magical and purposeful! I love a book that makes me gasp or scoff if I feel a certain way.

If you love Charmed (as much as I do), you'll LOVE this book. The romantic parts were fun to read, and the way the characters are written made it easy to relate to and really like. The forbidden romance vibe was great and I really felt like I was watching an episode of Charmed! There was the sisterly bond, magic, romance etc.... I felt like I also read this very quickly, so if you're a fast reader or soak up stories that way, this is for you!

Stand outs for me were the characters, world-building, and how general magic worked. This was everything I actually wanted from another book that I read recently, and it had that wichy vibe that wasn't buried in too much non-action.

If you’re a Charmed fan, and if you love it! It reminded me of the episodes where the girls time travel and meet their ancestors on multiple occasions. The general vibe of this book really made me feel warm and cozy, and I can't wait for a sequel!!!!

I received an advanced copy via NetGalley for a honest review.
The cover draws you in and promises a quirky, fun witchy read. The story fell short in multiple ways. There were too many storylines, too many genres, and felt chaotic due to the addition of so much. The story got extremely dark at times, missing the mark of a more cozy read (Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic) which was promised. I did like the ending, but do not plan to continue to read the series. This was a miss for me, but I hope it isn't for you!!