I enjoyed Olivia and Draven’s story.

Draven had so much anger at the beginning. Even though he was beginning to see something different, Draven still held onto some of the anger. I do like how his mom was finally the one to reach him. I may have teared up on that scene.

Olivia was a strong main character. I loved to watch her fall for Draven while not trusting him. She just wanted to protect her town and kept h “enemy” close.

The narration by Stacy Gonzalez for the audiobook was well done and a good fit.

I wanted to like this book, but it just didn't resonate with me. The story is told from two points of view. The first is Olivia, a Latina witch who grew up in the foster system and has cerebral palsy. She discovers her magical abilities in college when a friend tells her she senses her magic. Olivia is also a single mother, and her boyfriend left her upon learning that she was a witch; however, the timeline doesn't quite add up.

The second perspective is from Draven, a reporter who finds out that his mother grew up in a small New England town filled with magical beings. He learns that she was a witch only after reading her journals, which reveal that she lost her magic. Angered by the loss of his mother and the revelations about her past, Draven travels to this small town with the intention of exposing magic.

While the premise of the story is charming, I struggled to connect with the characters. The timelines are confusing; Olivia is portrayed as a single mom in college because the boyfriend left her when she discovered her magic in high school? Even though she only discovered her magic in culinary school. Additionally, there is an instance of instant love, which may or may not be influenced by magic, but this idea is never fully explored. The romance is minimal and mostly occurs off-page, while the intimate moments are described in extensive detail.

I appreciate the closeness among the townspeople and their friendships, but overall, the story fell short for me. There is a significant climax, yet the aftermath is resolved in just a sentence. After the main conflict, it felt like the story should have ended, but it continued for an additional two hours. The narration was decent, but I found it exhausting to listen to. I've heard this narrator before, and she usually does a great job, but this time everyone felt exasperated throughout the story.

This book started strong, lagged in the middle, then picked up in the end. It felt like I listened to multiple books, a small town cozy rom-com with magical baked goods then a more intense betrayal that wrapped up too quickly. I enjoyed the narration, disability representation, and parts of the story were sweet but it felt like it just missed the mark for more. Things didn't quite conclude a lot of the questions and the ending felt like it dragged on a bit. It needed to streamline the story and have more scenes with the two MC's actually spending time together. But it had so much potential, and I really wanted to rate it higher.

Oh instant- love comes rearing its ugly head once again. This gets a 2.5 from me - I get have the "villain's" POV but it seemed to rush the plot/make him even more unlikeable as a character. This didn't seem like a romance, it was a book that was forced to be a romance? It just didn't work for me.

This didn’t quite hit the mark for me, but I can see it appealing to others who enjoy small-town magical romances. The disability rep felt authentic and well-integrated into the story. The romance had its moments, but the chemistry wasn’t as strong as I’d hoped. Still, the magical bakery setting and enchanting town added charm.

This book was not for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters, the story was slow, and I DNF'ed it halfway through. I wanted to love it. There is awesome representation throughout the book, but overall it just fell flat.

Book Review: Magic in the Air by Adriana Schuh
Rating: 3 Stars

Magic in the Air by Adriana Schuh starts with promise, but ultimately feels underdeveloped. The premise hints at a story that could delve deep into themes of grief and betrayal, but it falls short. Much of the plot feels rushed, leaving little time to truly engage with the emotional weight that these themes deserve. The resolution, in particular, feels too quick, almost glossing over the conflict as if it never happened, leaving everything tied up a bit too neatly.

There’s also a noticeable lack of tension leading up to the book’s more romantic or “spicy” moments, which can feel jarring and out of place. Building that tension could have added depth, drawing readers more fully into the story’s emotional core. Though the book has potential, the underexplored themes make it a somewhat disappointing read.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. While I was intrigued by the small-town setting, light touch of magic, and disability rep, I couldn't get past the weird pacing of the romance and the glaring red flags of the love interest. Even when we glimpsed his thoughts and reasoning, I never believed that he actually cared for the FMC, and his actions certainly didn't convince me. While I appreciate the author's attempt to portray a complex love interest, and I feel there was potential in his internal struggles, he ultimately veered too far into villain territory for me to want to root for the two to get together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book definitely had all the fall vibes which was great and I enjoyed them. I do wish the magic would have been explored a bit more and been more present in the book. I hated Draven for most of the book as he was such a whiny, oh woe is me, character and that made me hate him. This was pretty spicy which I did not anticipate, but it was well done. Overall I enjoyed the vibes and how quick of a read this book was.

I listened to Magic in the Air to kick off Spooky Season. This book promised small town witchy romance and I was excited to listen to this one!

Unfortunately, the narrator definitely ruined it for me. I am not one to DNF, so I struggle-bussed through this and turned the speed a little faster to get through it faster.

There was disability rep (Olivia has cerebral palsy), single mom, and some steam.

I honestly wish I had read Magic in the Air rather than listening to it.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the review copy.

I feel like this was an underdeveloped story. It had potential that I think it fell flat and seemed to be a bit rushed. It could have gone deeper exploring grief and betrayal. The resolution of the conflict seemed too quick and then acted like everything was fine. There seemed to be a lack of tension leading to spice which seemed very jarring.

Magic in the Air by Adriana Schuh is a feel good fall read that is sure to be a winner for the witchy book lover.

There are more spicy scenes than I would have imagined with this book cover, so I guess the old saying is true. The spicy scenes were a lot and felt like they were rushed into. These are definitely wide open door scenes with words that kind of shocked me and I am not a prude at all.

I did this that the conflict of this story was handled too quickly for the lead up that it took to get there as well. If you take this book for a light, fall, steamy read you probably will not be disappointed but if you are looking for more I am not sure you will get it here.

I just couldn’t finish the book. DNF at 63%
It seemed like the book was written solely for the sex scenes and then plot was added around it. Just couldn’t go on.

Thank you Net Galley for this book.
This book was fun, spicy and full of magic. The only problem I felt was that the spice did seem to take over the plot a bit; I would of preferred more of the build up as it felt quite rushed.

Magic in the Air by Adriana Schuh is a delightful whirlwind of whimsy and wonder! With its enchanting storyline and vibrant characters, it beautifully showcases diverse voices, making every reader feel seen and celebrated. The blend of fantasy and heartfelt moments creates a captivating escape that leaves you longing for more. A true gem that proves magic knows no boundaries! ✨📚

I just couldn’t finish this book. It just wasn’t for me. I got bored and I didn’t really like the naration.

I can not recommend this book.

I wanted to love this so much! Magic in the Air sounded right up my alley - a supernatural haven, hidden magic, romance and a bit of mystery? Literally 100% my jam! Unfortunately the characters read like teenagers, the mmc was unbelievably insufferable and the spicy scenes were incredibly awkward. In all honesty, I should have dnf’d but I was keeping my fingers crossed it would turn around.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy.

Thank you so much to Dreamscape Media for the early audiobook of Magic in the Air!

Magic in the Air has a fantastic cast of characters & I adored them all.. except one — the male lead. The “redeemable actions” didn’t do much in helping me like him and I just.. feel like the relationship aspect could have been better & since this is a romance that strongly effects how I feel about the book as a whole.

I did enjoy the witchy aspects though & the cozy feels of being in a witchy town, however there was nothing that necessarily sticks out & separates this from other witchy romances.

I did like the audiobook narrator though! Her heavy emphasis on words & her small laughs throughout made it feel like she really enjoyed narrating this one which made the listening experience good!

I tried very hard to finish this book but I don't think the style is for me. Thank you to NetGalley for this audio arc.

Unfortunately this one just wasn’t quite for me ! I found there wasn’t quite enough world building to give the story depth. I found the characters quite likeable but didn’t feel quite invested enough