This is a sweet little book that is a lot like a celebrity mommy blog meets Pinterest. I had hoped for more depth about navigating grief and loss, and also more fun and simple ideas for making childhood magical. It’s more of a light memoir about her own life and kids, with lots of talk about how she decorates and celebrates holidays month by month to make them over the top for her kids. She has apparently launched a business for this.

It’s a fun book for parents of young kids or fans of hers. It is a little (okay a lot) heavy on buying stuff and going all out in a way that won’t be as accessible for some parents for various reasons (money, time, energy…). If you like Pinterest and following celebrity moms, you’ll like it. There are also some family recipes (no photos), but they are very standard ones. I have literally identical ones in some cases in my own family, like the cream cheese pie (it was a hugely popular one put out by Eagle brand condensed milk in free cookbooks they distributed in the 70s and 80s, though she calls it a Hewitt family recipe).

There are many photos of her kids and her decorations over the years.

A sweet, light read. Her children certainly seem to be growing up with a fun childhood.

I read a temporary digital loan of this book for review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc.
While it’s about creating magic in your everyday life, it’s also a love letter to Jennifer Love Hewitt’s mom who was so magical in her eyes. She shares how having kids really helped her in the grief of losing her mom and bringing back the magic into her life for them and her. So many great ideas and wonderful pictures throughout. You can really feel the magic from her book.

Inheriting Magic is a heartfelt memoir that reads as a love letter from JLH to her late mother. Through JLH unique storytelling and memoir format, she navigates through how she is able to take the magic that her mom created for her growing up and incorporate it into her own family's lives. From decorating for every holiday you possibly can decorate for, to creating Moon Water to help her kids set their intentions, to family recipes, this was definitely a unique memoir format.

While a short read, I found this memoir to be surprisingly intimate. It felt like I was reading a personal blog about how she brings magic into her and her family's lives. It's nice to see the amount of effort she puts into creating not only a magical childhood, but establishing magical routines, to keep love and excitement in their lives. I'm not a parent, nor do I plan to be, and I don't think you need to have kids to enjoy this memoir either. If you do have little ones, definitely pick this up! There are TONS of cute ideas in here.

You will also read the word "magic" more than you probably have in your entire life!

Like JLH says: "The world will provide all the hard truths, scary lessons, and heartbreak that's needed for all of us to grow. Make your home safe, magical, and happy."

Thanks to NetGalley, BenBella Books, and JLH for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.


I will be posting my review to Goodreads and my Instagram today, Nov 1, 2024. I'll also post to retailers on the publication date. Per the approved request email, I'll email the contact provided once I've posted my reviews. Thank you!

Part memoir, part self-help, part reflections.
I found it cosy and inspiring at times
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I was very disappointed with this booké

I really like Jennifer Love Hewitt - mainly because she has gotten down to what her reality is, especially when it comes to the comments, she has had over the years, about her weight.

So, I was expecting an honest and down to earth memoir - which this is not.

Rather, this is an esiteric book, filled with images that only she can see about life and especially her mom.

Pass.

Thank you to BenBella Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC of actress Jennifer Love Hewitt’s upcoming book “Inheriting Magic”.

Jennifer tragically lost her mother to cancer and shares how this moment changed her life forever. She describes her personal journey through grief and how she keeps her mother’s memory alive with traditions and magical moments throughout the year.

I can empathise with Jennifer, having lost my mother too. My mother, like Jennifer’s, missed out on seeing me marry the love of my life and her chance to be a grandmother (I am pregnant currently with my first child). Those special occasions and milestones are when we feel the loss most deeply.

As a wife and mother of three, Jennifer encourages quality time with family and to cherish every moment with our loved ones. It’s a book with lots of fun and inspiring ideas on how to create joyful memories, with those we love, every day of the year.

Overall, it’s a lovely book that I can tell has been written with much love and consideration.

I would also like to acknowledge Vanessa Rivera’s (the_life_of_aivax) awesome cover design for this book — It’s so fun and whimsical!

Thank you to BenBella Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book before publication!
When I saw this book on Netgalley I was so happy, I have always been a big fan of Jennifer Love Hewitt and this has just made my feelings stronger!
Growing up with her mother must be have been magical and she proves that she has taken steps to keep her magical; legacy alive.

The effort that she puts into being a self proclaimed 'Holiday Junkie' is without a doubt incredible! you can tell that she truly loves being a mother and bringing joy or magic as she likes to call it to her children and all other children she knows.

She must have the wildest imagination and be so creative I wonder how she didn't go into party planning herself!
This book was so easy to read and oh so enjoyable!

This book is part love letter to Jennifer Love Hewitt's mom, and part practical guide to adding "magic" to your kids lives. I liked some of the ideas and it being spooky season, used one idea right away: washi tape on pumpkins for toddlers. It was a win!

I like that some of the ideas are open ended and you can go as big or as small as you want to or can. Her pictures are more inspirational, than doable for my budget. But it's great ideas. It's a short and delightful read.

Thank you, BenBella Books, for the ARC.

“Inheriting Magic” by Jennifer Love Hewitt is part memoir, part journey through grief, and part holiday/mom blog. It doesn’t dive terribly deep into any of those topics, and it’s a light, warm, quick read.

The book starts by talking about the author’s loss of her mother and then the many warm and beautiful memories made with her mom and her own journey into motherhood. The stories were sweet but stayed pretty high-level throughout, not digging too deep into any one aspect of her personal life, which was fine for me, but fans expecting more of a memoir might be a little disappointed by the brevity.

The second half details different traditions and ideas for fun that she uses to create everyday magic in her home. Some of the ideas were more accessible than others, but there are some really cute ideas that are sure to inspire parents to inject some new fun into their routine. To think that any average parent would have the time and resources to be able to keep up with all of the activities and traditions detailed here is a bit far-fetched, but approaching it like Pinterest or a blog and find some ideas and inspiration, makes it much more reasonable and digestible. None of the ideas are groundbreaking or new to anyone who’s spent time browsing Pinterest, but it is nice to see a celebrity mom embracing motherhood and really investing in quality time with her family. It did feel like it was setting up a future launch of a lifestyle brand at times, though.

The writing is very casual and friendly. I also liked that the book has lots of bright, colorful personal pictures of the different traditions the author discusses. The family recipes were also a really nice personal touch.

Overall, this is a very sweet celebrity offering, blending memoir and lifestyle content. Fans of books like Reese Witherspoon’s “Whisky in a Teacup” and Kate Hudson’s “Pretty Fun” will probably enjoy this one as well.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced read.

Jennifer Love Hewitt's heart shines so bright in her book Inheriting Magic. After the loss of her mother, she had to figure out how to keep the joy and magic in her life. Her mother made every day magical and memorable so Jennifer wanted nothing more than to keep that legacy alive. In Inheriting Magic, she details how grief helped her find the magic again and how her becoming a Holiday Junkie was her therapy. While you can expect to learn fun activities for your family along with amazing party planning tips, you can also expect to feel the emotions of her grief. I could feel the close relationship she shared with her mother. It broke my heart to see her not only lose her mother but lose her best friend. This experience changes anyone. But what I know is special and thanks to her mother is how she chose to live her life creating magical memories that bring smiles to her family and friends. My favorite part of the book is her vulnerability. I can't even imagine how tough it must have been to relive some of the hard memories, but it helps me realize how important it is to create magic in our everyday lives.

I am somewhat skeptical of the typical "celebrity books. Kudos to Jennifer Love Hewitt for writing this beautiful book, Inheriting Magic. Like many, losing a parent changes you. Ms. Love Hewitt writes honestly and achingly about the passing of her mom. She now has children and a husband, and the legacy is passing on the magic of daily life to her kids. It was so much more than I'd hoped.
I love the recipes and ideas, and I would highly recommend this book. It comes out at the holidays, and it would be a great gift. I'm ordering a copy for myself that is not on my Kindle.

Thank you to Ben Bella Books and Net Galley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #BenBellaBooks #JenniferLoveHewitt #InheritingMagic

Jennifer Love Hewitt has written the most beautiful book.Her love for her mother & the sadness that overtook her when her mom passed away.She shares her family with us her life with her adorable children and wonderful husband.I love how she is a believer in the magic we can have in our lives.This is a book with so many wonderful idea and delicious recipes.I will be recommending and gifting this wonderful book.#netgalley #benbellabooks.

I don't think I'd call this a memoir but it's a quick, fun, and emotional read. The beginning definitely gave me some tears with the loss of Hewitt's mother, but the book quickly more about creating the magic for your kids.

Before Pinterest was huge, we had blogs. Blogs for cooking and crafting, party throwing, generally making the magic that this book refers to. It feels like all of those blogs, there's some emotional stuff, and there's so many beautiful pictures. There's even some recipes that sound good but could also use some pictures.

I expected a little more about the "journey through grief" as navigating through grief is so difficult and it's always nice to have new ways to help. The first third of the book is a quick story telling about the time since her mother passed, how she got married and had 3 kids and then decided to share all the magic her mom gave her with those kids. It's a cute story but it just feels a little too...well, magical. Everyone processes grief and struggles differently, but it just feels like it was glossed over with the magic of holidays, big events, extra fun dinners. But the holidays look great, the parties she writes about don't look over the top like some you see nowadays. And I'd definitely like to see the warehouse she must have to store all the decorations.

If you enjoyed all the party and kid blogs from that time or love a good Pinterest scroll, or maybe you're looking for some nice family recipes, this is a good choice. It's all very surface level stuff, nothing super deep. Short and easy to navigate back and forth to recipes or ideas.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc of this book. In this book Jennifer Love Hewitt talks about losing her Mother and trying to keep the magic that her Mother brought to her life. Also, making that kind of magic for her kids. The beginning chapter of the book is emotional. In this book she shares photos, recipes and holiday planning ideas to make magic. I wish I would have been able to read this book when my kids were younger.

Thank you so much Netgalley and the publisher BenBella Books for allowing me access to this amazing book! I rushed to the app to read it straight away when I got the notification!!
I absolutely loved it! I did cry at the beginning, it's so emotional! I loved the way the book was written, it includes pictures, writing prompts, recipes and so many ideas!! I, now, want to add magic in my life!