Full disclosure, Sarah Hogle is an automatic read author for me. This second book in the Moonville series is full of what I can only describe as imaginative wackiness. There is so much to unpack with the characters that my mind wanders through all sorts of iterations of their appearances and mannerisms. Personally, I adore it. Zelda is the extreme version of the (non-manic) pixie dream girl, all goth and botanicals and shapeshifter seeing. Morgan is more slippery - a total juxtaposition with his deep commitment to all things 1980s - from wardrobe to an apartment of 80s memorabilia, posters, guitars, character form telephones. How these two end up together is beyond me, even after reading it. They are both astronomically curious, maybe that's it? I enjoyed this and I'm sure it will find the readers who it best suits, but it might take a little bit of magic to bring them together.
thanks so much for the arc!

DNF @ 35%

I wanted to love this one (I adored book 1 in the series!) but unfortunately I just could not get into this one. A third of the way in, I still didn’t understand what the plot or the romance was, and unfortunately I don’t think I’ll finish it. I still LOVE Sarah Hoyle as an author and I’ll definitely be picking up the third book in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. Absolutely loved the plot - had SUCH a hard time with the leading man. So many glaring issues, made it really hard to root for him specifically. Overall enjoyable and cozy

I'd give this cute witchy read 3.75 stars! I thought it was adorable, a little steamy, and a fun read for spooky season! on the other hand, the chemistry was way off i like the couple more on the first book.

The Folklore of Forever delivers a whimsical blend of romance and magic that is equal parts charming and mysterious. The story follows Zelda Tempest, a paranormal skeptic with witch sisters and a creativity block, and Morgan Angelopoulos, her infuriatingly charismatic neighbor. When Zelda reluctantly joins Morgan on a ghost-hunting escapade, her world shifts as she encounters strange, hidden creatures that challenge everything she thought she knew.
I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did. Unfortunately, the romance fell flat for me and it felt like there was both too much going on and that the story was boring. I really liked the idea of this and the magical elements of it.
The Folklore of Forever is an enjoyable read for romantasy fans who like quirky characters and hints of the paranormal. It may not leave a lasting mark, but it’s a somewhat fun ride if you’re in the mood for lighthearted magic and flirtatious antics.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I jumped into The Folklore of Forever without reading the first book and quickly realized I was missing some backstory, so I went back to book one. I should've seen the disappointment coming, but I was still drawn in by the promise of enemies-to-lovers and ghost hunting. The enemies to lovers aspect is…odd. I couldn’t buy into it. Also, I could have a bad first impression but I felt like Morgan in book 1 was way more…lame?? Zelda was also hard to like- esp the way she treated her niece. The story moved slower than I’d hoped, and I was relieved when it ended. This one is best for readers who enjoy a witchy vibe that leans more into fantasy than romance. There are moments I really enjoyed but it mostly felt like a slog. 2.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and PRH for the early copy in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted to like this, but sadly, this one fell flat for me. I liked magical elements, but romance didn't deliver for me.

Some people are going to really like this book and be charmed by it, but I struggled to finish this (even with skimming the last half of the book). It was both too out there but at the same time incredibly boring. I didn't think the first book in the series was that great but I thought that maybe the next one would be better, but it's actually worse. I don't care about paranormal animals, Morgan was annoying, and actually, so was Zelda. The only parts I liked was when the sisters were together.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

thank you net galley for this arc, ok so i really didn't like this one i could tolerate zelda and wished she would be with anybody but him. morgan was just annoying yes it had the cozy paranormal vibes,but the connection with the charachters wasn't there for me.

This book was pretty good. It was entertaining to read but it was nothing really exciting and new. But I think that people will like it.

Zelda es una escritora de misterios paranormales, pero está atravesando un bloqueo creativo. Sus hermanas creen en la magia y afirman ser brujas, pero ella no comparte esa creencia, a pesar de haber visto cosas extrañas a lo largo de su vida, cosas que no deberían existir. Tal vez, ahora que ha regresado, sea el momento adecuado para aventurarse y descubrir si realmente son brujas o no.

En el libro anterior me quejé de que apenas se tocó el tema de la magia; sin embargo, en este, todo gira en torno a descubrir si la magia es real o no. Esta parte me gustó mucho.

Definitivamente disfruté más esta historia que la anterior. Lo que no me gustó fue el romance, ya que las intenciones de Morgan para acercarse a Zelda no fueron honestas, y me costó creerle y no pensar que solo quería utilizarla.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The second in the Moonville series in which a trio of witchy sisters fall in love per their late grandmother’s prophecy.
This one is about the middle sister, Zelda Tempest, a writer with writer’s block, returning home after years of nomading. She is looking for inspiration for her next series, not love, but keeps running into local knucklehead and paranormal geek, Morgan.
Whew. Okay. That’s a lot! But I liked it, for the most part. This book was MUCH better than the first in this series. The pacing, the characters, the mission, the romance were all much more focused than Old Flames, which I was pleased to see. If you didn’t like that one, give this one a shot!
This book is also a lot witchier and magic-y than the first, so if you found that lacking in Old Flames, you’ll likely have a better time with this one! That said, the atmosphere of this book is great. It’s giving….spooky Gilmore Girls (affectionate). There were times towards the end where things were so paranormal and spooky and off the wall, I wasn’t entirely sure where book reality ended or began.
Still, I loved the magical creatures and discussion of abilities. I loved the rowdy sisters in their shop. Where they felt shoehorned in the first installment, they gelled so much stronger here.
I think a lot of people will have issues with Morgan as a hero, though I personally love the “hot knucklehead” trope. Still, I would have liked to see a little more depth for him, a little more backstory. He’s lovable but not totally rootable? If that makes sense?
In all, fans of Sarah’s quirky, hilarious humor and Emily Henry’s YA novel A Million Junes will love this.

The Folklore of Forever is a novel about a magical world, but sadly this novel lacks any magic of its own.

Although this is a romance, that was probably the weakest part of this story. Other than being hot for each other, their relationship simply wasn't believable. It doesn't help that neither main character was terribly likable. The FMC was condescending and frankly rude to her family. The MMC is immature and a user.

This is the second in a series. I haven't read the first and while I'm sure it would have added insight into things, I was able to follow along without it. The side characters and glimpses of world building were intriguing, but not enough to make me come back for another novel in this series. I'm rounding up to a three because there are things I enjoyed, it just missed the mark for me.

Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this! I went into it with zero expectations and it got me out of the reading rut I was in. I am so excited to read the other books in this series. It was cute and fun and had the perfect amount of longing and spice for me.

Sarah Hogle took me on an incredible journey! I will say, this book felt really chaotic, more so than her other books. The chaos was like a wild hall of mirrors in a fun house, but it also made me feel lost or turned around at times. Honestly though, I think that kind of chaos really fit the characters well. Their relationship was confusing, their journey had a lot of misguided turns. And I appreciated that the tone of the book really matched the character arch’s. It was very different from Romina’s book, but Zelda is also very different from her sister, she and Morgan are very beautifully chaotic people. Because the book was more chaotic than most books I read, it was difficult to get through during specific periods. For example, trying to read this on a hard day was impossible for me. It’s definitely a book you have to be in the right mental space to digest. Than being said, I enjoyed it, Zelda and Morgan were beautiful and entertaining. The book matches their vibe!

This was such a cute, cozy, slow burn rom com and i loved it! Going back to Moonville, Ohio and being with these characters again was such a treat! I'm hoping there will be more in this series! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!

Did not enjoy this book. I struggled to get past the first few pages and didn't find the book compelling enough to power through.
fastest I have DNFed a book

This book is magic. Not just that it is about magic, nope, the book itself is MAGIC. Admittedly, I was not immediately enchanted by this book. The main female and male characters were….chaotic? It was difficult for their attention spans to remain focused. I think if their characteristics had been revealed more in the synopsis, I would not naturally have been drawn to this book.

I need to pause here for a second: prior to this book, I’d read “You Deserve Each Other” and “Old Flames and New Fortunes” over the last year, both by Sarah Hogle. I LOVED these books (and have every intention of reading all of Sarah Hogle’s other books). There are certain authors where the synopsis of their books matters 0% to me: the mere fact that THEY wrote it guarantees that I will read it. Katherine Center is at the top of that list for me. As are Ali Hazelwood, Ashley Posten, Emily Henry….and since I read “You Deserve Each Other” and “Old Flames…” and now “Folklore…”, so is Sarah Hogle.

Okay, back to the review. One of the only consistencies of the male character was that he wanted magic (and was an adorable flirt). He was all over the place otherwise. One of the only consistencies of the female character was that magic did not exist. She was all over the place otherwise. I couldn’t truly appreciate it until I delved more deeply into the book. I would not normally be drawn to characters as disorganized and seemingly frazzled as these two. These characters, their quirks, and the way they unpurposefully became so intertwined with each other was LOVELY. They changed each other: she made him realize there was something more he wanted than magic (her), and he made her realize that magic was real. They ENCOURAGED each other’s weirdness. It endeared them to each other. They were not “too much” for each other, even when Morgan was driving Zelda up the wall. Even when she ruminated over the things that annoyed her about him, she could not help to also recollect all of the ways in which she was endeared to him - even though she had this SPECTACTULAR way of refusing to acknowledge she was endeared to him. It was GREAT! I smiled and laughed so much the deeper I found myself in the story. Some FANTASTICAL and incredibly unrealistic things occur in this book. There have been books I have read that are firmly built within a world that is reflective of the way we know this world to be: real. (Vampires don’t exist werewolves don’t have mates because they don’t exist, either; fairies are what we see in Disney films, etc.) And yet if these realistic books have a scenario unfold that is a bit out there, it can spoil the book for me, and it can be difficult to emerge myself again once that has happened. This was not one of those books. Not only was it not built on reality (as most of us know it, anyway - I mean, who am I to 100% say that witches don’t exist) but this book had some of the wildest things happen in the middle of that magical forest (woods?). I never found myself stepping out of the narrative to question its realism. Only the finest writers can create a story so seamlessly and beautifully that it holds me within it, that it’s so well-told that I remain entirely absorbed, with no detail breaking the immersion. There’s an elephant in the woods (forest?)? Okay! A mouse that has leaves growing out if its back exists? Okie doke. This is how wonderful this story is! And all of these quirks that might make you raise an eyebrow are needed to help exemplify how perfect these characters are for each other because how in the world could they ever find someone more perfect for each other than…each other? And while I didn’t think it at first, this book was perfect for me.

Thank you, Sarah Hogle.

And thank you so much to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for permitting an advance reading of this book.

“Some stories you forget about as soon as you finish the last page, and some you carry in your soul forever, like an imaginary friend you understand so well, it doesn’t matter that others can’t see them. It doesn’t matter that they live only in you.” --Zelda Tempest (and basically all of us)

The MMC Morgan did nothing for me, sadly. I think that’s why I can’t rate this any higher. I loved the cute banter and setting, but everything comes back to Morgan. He acted like a total child through 95% of this book. He was immature and trying to use the FMC just to get what he wanted. I saw him as a side character/friend more than a love interest.

I loved all the odd paranimals and all of the other side characters, but I need Morgan to grow up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the E-ARC!

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for my ARC!

I read the first in this series a few months ago and absurdly adored it. It was a love story with so much heart and the magic was a fun sprinkle on top. This one was so very different, and I kept expecting it to deliver a romance like the first but it didn’t. This one was light on the romance and the one you do get didn’t feel compelling. Meanwhile, it was heavy on the fantasy, which I found a bit jarring after the first and it just didn’t build as neatly as I needed. The best way I can describe this book as a bit chaotic?

It was definitely fun and light, and great for fall spooky vibes. If I hadn’t expected it to line up with the first I may have enjoyed it more. Not for me, but I’m sure some will love the humor and unique fantasy world!