Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Zelda Tempest is a paranormal mystery writer who doesn’t believe in the paranormal. She returns to her hometown, which is believed to be magical, for some much needed inspiration, but she’s still stuck. Morgan Angelopoulos, her charming neighbor and true believer, is determined to prove her wrong. On a mission to cure her of her writer’s block and disbelief, he convinces Zelda to go on a ghost hunting adventure, where she discovers bizarre creatures that appear as ordinary pets to everyone else. Intrigued, they go on a quest to discover the true magic that lies within the town and each other.

I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting when I went into this novel. It’s very quirky and the physical descriptions of each MC were definitely unique. Who can forget a man unironically wearing 80s style clothing? Still, there was something about the novel that kept me at a distance. It had all the makings of a cozy, paranormal read, perfect for spooky season, and yet something was missing for me. I felt that the “believers” in the story were written off as silly and less than. On one hand this makes some sense as they are seen through the FMC’s point of view. On the other hand, they came across as caricatures and not fully fleshed out people.

There was no chemistry between the MC’s. Both were one dimensional, especially Morgan, who pretty much admits early on that he’s trying to get Zelda to fall in love with him so that he can get magical powers. He came across as extremely arrogant and unintelligent, and he gave big goofy side character energy. It was so hard to take him seriously as a romantic hero.

I didn’t realize when I requested the ARC that it was the second book of the series, so there wasn’t much of an introduction to the rules of the world. Both characters were introduced in the first book, and while I haven’t read the first book, I got this strong sense that this book was a continuation of the first and not its own proper stand alone book. The MC’s first interaction was a bit confusing because they already know each other, so they sort of jump right into it, without much of a build up. The plot moves rather slowly, and I found myself laboring through the novel. If it wasn’t an ARC, I probably would’ve DNF’ed.

The romance is nonexistent. The majority of the story is Morgan trying to convince Zelda that she is a witch in the hopes that some of her magic will rub off on him. There were no swoon worthy moments. Morgan was so juvenile, that it was hard to believe he was supposed to be a grown man.

Overall, this book was a slog to get through. While, I’m sure there’s an audience for it, it’s just not me.

Had some cute moments of banter! A great Halloween read if you’re into more cozy Halloween instead of a spooky Halloween.

”darling, please. give me all your strange.”₊ ⊹

my thoughts┊sadly this book just did not vibe well with me at all.

reading this felt like a fever dream; the scenes were choppily put together, everything was chaotic and rushed for no reason, and i felt like i was just waiting for the story to start even when i was almost done with it. this might come off as whimsical and witchy to some people, but for me it was just a little too much.

i also didn’t really care for either of the main characters. morgan has got to be one of the worst male love interests i’ve read about in a hot while. he was simply obnoxious and immature and i hated him, quite frankly. and zelda felt like she had no personality or anything whatsoever, besides her love for reading. she was so bland compared to the vibrant-ness of the story and the town. the romance was messy and did not make sense to me.

i hate being so negative, especially when i’ve loved every other sarah hogle book so much. but i was dreading reading this. i forced myself to finish it bc i don’t usually dnf books, but it was a struggle. i know the first book underwent some edits before publishing, so maybe this one will as well. i can see myself still picking up the next book, if there is one about luna. but overall this one was just not it for me.

Thank you NetGalley & Putnam Books for allowing me access to this book! Which is a fall themed book in my opinion so perfect for me reading it in October however it'll be out next year in April 2025. It's the second in a series called Moonville. I do think it's best to read in order to understand the settings and the characters and the whole vibe! In this second installment we follow Zelda Tempest, a paranormal skeptic, who struggles with writer’s block in her magical hometown of Moonville, Ohio. Despite her witch sisters, she doesn’t believe in magic, much to the disappointment of her charming neighbor, Morgan. In an attempt to spark her creativity, Morgan takes Zelda on a ghost-hunting adventure, where she encounters strange creatures disguised as pets. Intrigued, Zelda and Morgan set out to uncover the real magic hidden in Moonville’s woods. Along the way, they realize the magic they’ve been seeking might be within themselves. If you are a fan of Sarah Hogle's writing you already know you might like this one, it's whimsical and fun and of course it's a character study!

I'm so glad that Sarah Hogle returned to her surrealistic romance ways. I thought the first book in this series was great, but it seemed to lack that wacky heart I expect from Hogle's books. This one went right for strange and held on tight, which was amazing and exactly what I wanted. I wish this was a five star read for me, but I do have to echo what other reviewers have said about Morgan crossing the line into being more of a problem character than he was a romantic character. I think he pulled it off at the end, but the first third of the book was exceptionally rocky territory.

I'll read the next in the series. I'll read all of her books. I love how much she embraces the weird.

Intriguing and a very fun read.

Zelda is all of us book worms, she loves books and learning as much as she can about anything and everything, she enjoys her time alone, and is a witch with magic abilities. Zelda and her sisters Romina and Luna run a magic shop where they sell love candles, flowers and books. In their town of Moonville, love is everywhere and if a the prophecy is true then all of the sisters will fall in love within the same year. Romina has already found love, so who will Zelda fall for? The dreamy man next door, or the cute book nerd?

The world they live in is full of witches with unique magic systems that I have never read about before. It makes me wonder what type of magic I could have if I was a witch in their world.

This series is fun and I can’t wait to read about luna’s love life in the next book. Thank you NetGally and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for letting me read this awesome book.

I had a very good time reading this book! It has quirky MCs. The dialogue used between characters feels unique to me, and I don’t think I rolled my eyes once reading this book! The plot keeps you guessing what the MCs will do next and doesn’t feel like it incorporates too many overused tropes. The magic and creatures in this book were fun. Initially, I was confused trying to understand the MCs; but then I realized the author was creating complex characters. I loved that!! I didn’t want to leave this story, and it was easy to stay in it.
4 ⭐️ because sometimes the transitions between scenes felt choppy; it was sometimes difficult to imagine certain scenes (ie white room syndrome); and the ending was weirdddd. But it’s set in GA, in a small, magical town - my heart felt cozy vibes basically the whole time. 2.5 🌶️
Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and Sarah Hogle for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another Halloween season read, but sadly, I really did not enjoy this. I would have DNFed at 20% if it wasn't an arc, and there were a few points later in the book I considered giving up but pressed on out of stubbornness.

Full transparency, I did not like the first book in the series. I didn't realize when I requested this book that it was the second in a series, so I read the first before this to give a fair review. This first book lays the majority of the ground work for the whole dynamic of the family business and relationships, as well as the MMC, but I likely didn't need to read the first before this book.

This author apparently likes to write romances about horrible characters, and she is very good and making you hate them. I loathed the MMC of the first book and hated this book's, too. I found the first book FMC annoying, and the second book's FMC was really aggravating, too. To be fair, I never enjoy the trope of main character in fantasy book with magical powers who does not believe in magic. The repetitive back and forth with her family about whether magic is real and whether the family is lying about their powers was not enjoyable to read. The FMC is an author looking for inspiration, and the resolution of this issue is not satisfying at all. The MMC I don't even remember being that annoying in the first book, but he was so annoying and honestly creepy in this one.

Also, the keyboard anagram bits in chapters were not interesting to me at all; I really can't fathom what that was supposed to add. I was indifferent to the epigraphs, too. Both books are also not particularly long but go on much longer than necessary. I found myself checking the remaining pages a lot in the last two-thirds of the book. The prose quality itself is unobjectionable, but the pacing is very choppy.

The ambiance is fine, fairly standard contemporary romance book fall witchy town. I definitely will not be reading the third book in this series with the last sister. I think my complaints about this book are pretty similar to the first, so, if you liked the first book, you might like this one. I did not.

Thank you, Penguin Group Putnam, for the arc!

I loved everything about this book. The The whimsical of this book The banter was my most favorite part. I was literally kicking my legs the whole time laughing because this it was great. this book has such a massive slow burn romance, but boy did when it finally spark up. It was so amazing. I absolutely adored everything about this book 5 star read for me.

thank you so much for the ARC! i was so excited to read this since i remember really enjoying the first book in this series. unfortunately, however, this book wasn't for me. i actually feel that is needs to go back to the editor.

currently dnf'd at 67%. the prose is actually good -- the actual sentences are well-written and enjoyable. but when mashed together with what is happening/what the character is thinking... the sum of the parts do not make a whole. nothing makes sense!

there are so many inconsistencies in thought, in action, in plot - this book is so difficult to follow. i cannot tell you the first thing about the FMC, except that she wears black. literally absolutely nothing makes sense. i felt like i was inside of a migraine.

i love sarah hogle more than anything ever, and so i was so very excited for this book.I wanted to like this, but sadly, this one fell flat for me. I liked magical elements, but romance didn't deliver for me.

Mayyybe more of a 2.5 rounded up? I have a soft spot for this series— I absolutely adored the first book, and I really like Zelda… her love interest, not so much. I wish the chemistry— and the man— were stronger, if that makes sense? The relationship felt off. It was clear the author wanted me to see something that I felt wasn’t there… But otherwise this is a fun read for spooky season, and like I said, this series is my soft spot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I've been loving and following this series by Sarah Hogle - and this book follows the second sister in our lineup, Zelda. Zelda is the only one in her family who is incredibly doubtful of magic, and we follow her as she comes to discover herself as a witch, with Morgan at her side. Morgan is a genuinely unique MMC in my opinion, and he grows on you. They've got this history which is unfortunately never fleshed out - they went to HS together. But this book isn't interested in living in the past - which is good, since that's what we got out of the first book. Rather, Morgan is this sort of silly character who makes fun of his own chasing of Zelda, and we watch as he struggles to admit his own genuine feelings and personality behind his jovialness, which made for the cutest romance building, alongside the plot points of Zelda discovering her own powers. I do feel like this book erred much heavier on plot than romance compared to the first, and that worked well. The writing itself too was beautiful in this book, certainly I think grown from the first - not sure if because Zelda is a writer, and so her description of the world is just...beautifully written without being distracting. I remained curious about Zelda's powers throughout the book, and that really drove me to keep reading, as well as seeing their romance unfold. My biggest issue with the book, which I think is what takes it down 0.5, was the start of the novel; despite having read the first book, I felt so disoriented at the start, like I was just plopped into a book two chapters in. It felt weirdly unnatural and destabilizing, for reasons that I can't quite put my finger on - and I hope it doesn't deter people from continuing on through the book and getting its full wonderfulness. Final thing I love about this book - the subtle way that elements of OCD and ADHD are just...not labeled, and just this beautiful background of neurodivergence are written into the book, without it needing to be blasted in my face - was absolutely lovely and great to see represented. It's not even listed as a selling point of this book, and I'm genuinely happy about that (I'm all for diversity of representation, more just like...wow, this didn't even need to be written in just for that purpose?) A strong 4.5 stars from me!

Loving this series. They’re funny, whimsical, magical, and loving. I love the characters and the way they interact with each other. The family is one I want to be a part of. This one had me laughing like the first book and I turned the last page in a wonderful mood. I can’t wait for the third book!

What an amusing book! It was quirky, whimsical, magical, wondrous, topsy-turvy, and funny. I loved following Zelda on her journey of self discovery. The setting is magical & charming! The characters are all unique and I enjoyed Zelda’s interactions with her family and friends, especially the guy next store!
I appreciate being an ARC reader for this reverse going car-ride. #thefolkloreofforever.!

DNF at 55%

I really wanted to love this book. I liked the idea of a supernatural story but this was a huge miss for me.

The FMC Zelda was great! A writer that was struggling to come up with her next big hit while also battling with not believing in magic in a town where magic is a big focus and your sisters claim to be witches. Zelda has a lot of growth through the half of book I did read and I think I wouldn’t have liked the story a lot if the main focus was only on her.

BUT we have the MMC Morgan. This is probably the worst character I have ever read about. He’s insanely arrogant and is constantly bringing up his “good looks” while flirting with Zelda in a honestly super creepy manner. He gave off such creep energy and at a lot of times seemed a little stalkerish - he’s quite literally always around. I’m not sure how small this town is but everywhere Zelda went Morgan was very close behind. LIKE WHO HIGHJACKS SOMEONES DATE AND THEN DOESNT UNDERSTAND WHY SHES MAD???

It was a lot to unpack and to be quite honest none of the characters really stood out and I couldn’t even tell you how they are connected. I think the “romance” side of things was awful. There was no chemistry between the main characters and I found myself cringing everytime they interacted. I really believe that if the story focused on her finding her sense of magic and had a better MMC I would have been hooked!

This was not quite what I was expecting - it felt like a YA or even middle grade story that was trying to be adult with the addition of some romantic themes. Didn't really get to know much about the characters besides their love for magical animals and their unusual style. The whole story struck me as strange with some parts underdeveloped and others (paranimals - magic animals) given a lot of time.

I’m uncertain about this one. It’s like I enjoyed it but also had a hard time with it. Morgan started off on the wrong foot for me and he never made a comeback….

I didn't really feel connected with anyone from this book. Morgan was super annoying but the concept of this book was really good.. Just not executed well imo

I almost couldn't finish this one. The pacing is weird and the FMC Zelda was likeable at first then didn't like her at all. I couldn't connect or relate to hardly anything as it was all so disjointed. Morgan was a terrible character all the way through.