Charming!! Sarah Hogle’s witchy series is absolutely delightful. Filled with quirky and unexpected banter that feels so genuine it truly brings each character to life, I could read these books all day. The funny little details made me laugh out loud (for real), they were so absurd in the best way. I’ll be anxiously awaiting Luna’s story!

Step into the city of Moonville, Ohio, a place that feels so real you’ll want to visit it as soon as you turn the last page. Where flowers tell fortunes and candles bring you luck, but not everyone believes. Despite her sisters claiming to be witches, Zelda does not believe. Morgan, however, does. What the two do have in common, is curiosity. They embark on a journey to track down magic once and for all.

Sarah Hogle is a master. How more people don’t flock to her books and rave about the beauty she weaves with words is beyond me. Every book is fun and gorgeous (iykyk) and just fantastical enough make you wonder “what if…”

This story, more than her others, reads like an adventure or fantasy novel. A journey of magic and love. I laughed, I cried, five stars.

I didn’t read the first book in this series, so I went in kind of cold.

I somehow liked this book both more and less than I expected to? I liked the magical realism elements towards the beginning. The book FELT very magical. By the end, though, it all kind of felt a little TOO fever-dreamy for me. Also, I didn’t love Morgan as a love interest. The romance part felt too ephemeral to really get a hold on, you know? Morgan wasn’t sincere at the beginning, and then suddenly, he is?

I loved Zelda as a character, though. She felt fully fleshed out, and a bit autistic coded, to me—I’m AuDHD, and I’ve also done the keyboard thing for as long as I can remember.

Overall, I don’t think I’ll go back and read the first book, but there were parts of this book I really enjoyed.

The town and characters in The Folklore of Forever truly appealed to me, especially the likable and captivating protagonist. The story idea is intriguing and familiar at the same time, and the world is exquisitely designed. Despite being somewhat cliched, the romance still has that exciting, fun chemistry. Although the "quirky" characters occasionally seem like they're making an excessive effort to stand out, that doesn't detract from their allure.

This cover is FALL VIBES! And I love the cover so so much. I also love Sarah Hogle SO MUCH. And much like the last ten magic is so present and wonderful! But also like the last, this fell a little flat for me.

But I am somehow still invested in this little magical town and I think it’s due to my LOVE of Sarah. So I might have to do a little reread of both to be fully emerged into the world!!

Thanks to Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

no one is more disappointed than me to say i unfortunately had to dnf. although october was the PERFECT time to read this, i had trouble getting into it and would put it down at multiple points. i am more than willing to give it another shot at a later time, as i’ve loved every sarah hogle book to date and would say it was the slump getting to me. nothing about the book itself!!

I had the hardest time deciding what to rate this book. Do I give it a 5 star because of the plot, creativity, descriptions, etc.? Do I give it a 1 star for creating a male romantic lead with super obvious red flags (not just flags, flashing red lights, billboards with red lights) but then turning it around to make it seem like the perfect guy? The way she did it was so 90s sitcom (not the book, just the technique). I went with a 4 star, though, because everything else in the book was so good.

Seriously, though. DON'T IGNORE RED FLAGS.

Some books just would be better with illustrations. Imagine Alice in Wonderland without the illustrations. This is one of those books that would be so much better with drawings. Zelda can see magically enchanted animals. So what looks like a squirrel to others, will look entirely different to her. Yes, there are detailed descriptions, but I would have loved illustrations. :(

My only complaint was Morgan. Why do so many romance authors feel the need to write awful guys but then 'fix' them? Prove to the readers the guy wasn't as bad as we thought he was? That is a mentality we are trying to get away from. Don't settle for crappy partners. Don't think 'I can change them'. The only person you can change is yourself. Learn to love and respect yourself. Being single is much better than being with a horrible partner.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free kindle book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was my first Sarah Hogle read & while I enjoyed it, I wanted more. The world building was on point but the MMC gave me the ICK. Idk what it is about Morgan but I wasn’t a huge fan, but he’s funny so it makes up for it. It started off really slow & boring but picked up more towards the end when more of the whimsy & magic steps in. Overall I liked this book as a supernatural story but not a romance.

I’m not sure why I didn’t like this book but I really just wasn’t loving it like I usually love Sarah’s books. I do know I absolutely did not like Morgan….. the amount of Ick’s I got was crazy. But he was hilarious…. So I’m not sure how I feel about him anymore.
I think it was definitely hard to get into this book, the first 20% was dragging and I felt very confused and bored. The MMC was very stuck up and unlikable until the end of the book. I think the last 30% of the book was my favorite and felt very whimsical and cute.

The bones of a good story are here. The world is magical, and the FMC is a skeptic which is great because her family are all witches. The MMC is a full believer, which would be great except he's clear early in the book that he was faking his attraction to her to attempt to get magic for himself. I struggled with a lot of this book, chiefly with how little I liked the MMC. He was immature, unromantic, selfish, and chaotic. He never redeemed himself, acknowledged his problematic behavior, or showed why he was changing for the better (likely because he did not). The FMC read like a doormat for falling for someone who did not treat her well, and gave her no reason to love him, which is a shame because she was otherwise likeable.
The prose in this book was not text that I enjoyed reading. The author enjoys metaphors and similes quite a bit. That's great. I do as well, but they felt forced and completely overdone. It muddied the story she was telling, and left me confused about what she was trying to say more often than not. There were multiple loose ends that weren't cleaned up in the story with the magic system, and I didn't feel like there was much driving the plot. There wasn't much of a conflict at the end of the book, which I'm normally fine with, but didn't work for me here.
Not every book is for every person, and this book was not for me.
I almost DNFed this book multiple times, and kept pushing through because it was an ARC, and I truly hoped it would get better. What I did enjoy, and what kept this from being 1 star was some of the description in the last 20% or so of how reading and stories can be magic that rang true to life. However, I don't recommend reading through several hundred pages for a few lines that have little to do with the actual story.

I’d like to extend a huge thank you to @netgalley and @putnambooks for this arc and opportunity. This was my first Sarah Hogle novel and I thought she did an amazing job creating a world filled with magic, comfort and love. Moonville Ohio, where the story takes place, is the quintessential small town steeped in mystery and magic, filled with small shops and quirky characters. I could practically smell The Wafting Crescent (imagining that’s where the donut & tea is from), I could envision the streets, the forest, the Half Moon Mill, and of course Zelda’s cave of paperbacks within The Magick Happens (also where I snagged the pumpkin; from Romina’s garden, of course).

I absolutely fell in love with Zelda and Morgan. Their banter was truly hilarious and I enjoyed how their relationship evolved throughout the story. It was a very slow burn with plenty of entertainment along the way.

Unusual magic creatures, books galore, eccentric ghost hunting adventures, charm, humor, magical whimsy; it really ticked all the boxes for me. I truly hope you’ll add it to your tbr and grab a copy when it comes out in April, 2025. I can’t wait to read more from Hogle!

Sarah Hogle knows how to create a world filled with magic, comfort, and love. I really enjoyed how magical this story was and that you could really place yourself in Moonville. I could imagine the streets and the buildings right off the page. The town plays a huge role in the story and being able to envision it with the imagery Hogle creates is beautiful. I felt peaceful reading this book from the comfort of the town to the unique characters. I fell in love with both Zelda and Morgan as individuals and I wish we got to see more of their love story. This book is marketed as a romance but I would go into this book with the expectation that you will get a fun cast of characters, a unique town, legends, and paranimals (you'll have to read to find out)!

"I do mean it, but I don't know how to say it right. Not when it's real."

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam books for the eARC!
My review will be posted to Amazon and Goodreads closer to the release date of April 8th, 2025.

One thing about our male lead Morgan is that he’s a genuine LOSER. He is a certified BUM. I’m talking nuclear levels of ick. I always thought I wanted to date Shawn Spencer from Psych but after reading this…..I still do. Because…guess what…he grew on me. Yes, he needs a Vyvanse prescription more than I need air… but god damn it if he’s not funny.

This was a tough rate because the first 20% is so genuinely a tonal nightmare. The male lead comes off genuinely unlikable like almost to an irredeemable degree. The female lead seems a bit like the boring manic pixie dream girl arches type. I thought this was going to be a two-star venture. BUT, it definitely got better. The story found its footing when it committed a bit more to the magical elements and bringing out Morgan’s (the male lead) charm and Zelda’s passion. By the end, I was really amused and… dare I say it? Charmed.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is April 8, 2024.

🙈🙈🙈 i cannot believe i am giving a sarah hogle book 2 stars (2 and a half at most)

nothing wrong with the writing style—it was lovely and hilarious, as usual—although it did feel like a fever dream at times. my main qualm with this book was the mmc… there was just not one single quality of morgan’s that i liked. he was just so immature, almost to the point of it being unbelievable, and also vain, flighty, etc. i was also not particularly drawn to zelda as the main character; at least, not like i was to the protagonists of hogle’s other four books. there also wasn’t nearly as much tension or romance to classify this book as a “romance novel” (at least in my opinion).

don’t get me wrong, sarah hogle is still an auto-read author for me… but this one missed the mark. and i so extremely hate that it did 😭

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but thank you netgalley and putnam for the arc!!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin for letting me read The Folklore of Forever by Sarah Hogle. Unfortunately, this book did not work for me, which is really disappointing since I adored her book You Deserve Each Other. This book though, this book was very messy. There is a scene with a literal fever dream and it was barely different from the rest of the book. The mmc was selfish and shallow and I cannot pinpoint any part in the story where that was supposed to change, but at the end we are supposed to believe the main characters are in love with each other and I simply don’t. Also, the sisters in these books are supposed to be witches, but magic in these books isn’t written believably, for me, it felt more like they were delusional.

I really enjoyed the town and characters in The Folklore of Forever, especially the charming and engaging main character. The world is crafted beautifully, and the story concept strikes a balance between familiar and intriguing. The romance, though a bit predictable, still has that fun, electric chemistry. Sure, the 'quirky' characters can sometimes feel like they're trying a little too hard to be unique, but that doesn’t take away from the overall charm.

It’s not a must-read, but if you're looking for something light and magical, it’s a fun, quick romance that you’ll appreciate for what it is. A delightful escape when you need something easy and enchanting.

Wish I could give something half a star….

I have read 2 of this author’s previous books. In my review of the second one, it literally says “Note for Future Jen when she sees the author’s new book recommended so she goes to check her reviews on the author’s previous books: you don’t like them. Don’t read it.”

Oops. I should also note that the review says “you probably won’t listen to Past Jen.” Damn, I’m smart. I didn’t listen! But it’s Spoozy Szn and this fit in the spooky rom com category, so I couldn’t resist! I ran out of spooky rom coms and I got it as an ARC from NetGalley! It couldn’t be helped! More exclamation points!!!

He’s a paranormal investigator (which means podcaster) and she’s a writer who also has witch sisters. I guess.

It ping-ponged all over the fucking place. He dresses in 1980’s clothes. He flirts with her out of nowhere, in an unearned-flirt kind of way. Like, who are you, dude? Then on a date he says he only asked her out because he thought she was a witch and needed a witch to fall in love with him to get powers. Then suddenly it turns into some weird banter-y energy, but not in a natural way. Then it was suddenly “I haven’t spoken to Morgan for a month.” Wait, what? It was just utterly bizarre in that I had no idea what was happening, why, or what the tone of this was meant to be. There. Was. No. Romance.

I don’t see the point. But I know one thing, Past Jen fucking tried. And Future Jen CANNOT do this shit again. You hear me, bitch?

This story was so charming, atmospheric, and magical! I am absolutely loving these sisters and this series. Zelda was absolutely a favorite and reading about her journey to finding and believing in magic was beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher of this ARC for allowing me to read it in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first Sarah Hogle book and it seems as though I just picked the wrong one to start with. I wanted to read something with a magical storyline for the sake of October reads but I wasn’t sure what I was going to get from this book going into it.

I quickly realized it was very quirky, but it was too much so. The storyline of the town and the characters confused me even though it was repetitive. I wasn’t particularly a fan of any of the characters, which is extremely important for me to like a book.

The cover art and the title of the book are beautiful and catchy.

I usually push through, but I DNF’d at 45%

After loving <i>Old Flames and New Fortunes</i>, I'm so sad I didn't enjoy <i>The Folklore of Forever</i>. The plot was overly chaotic and to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what the point of it was even after reading the whole book. And the love interest was awful. When Morgan is introduced, he gives off unwanted male attention vibes, and unfortunately, he doesn't get better. He's creepy and really fucking weird and his intentions surrounding Zelda make it impossible for me to see him as a decent romantic interest.