This was a cute witchy romance, great for Halloween or the fall season in general. Serena and Gus are both feeling a little lost in life in different ways, and when they both experience a Groundhogs Day moment and have to repeat the month of October, they lean on one another and connect as friends and much more. This was a fairly low stakes plot, so at times, I felt a little bored. The fall activities were fun to read, but I wanted more magical moments and some oomph to the story.

Thank you to Forever Books and Netgalley for the advanced audio copy!

Tags:
-paranormal/witchy
-friends to lovers
-slow burn

Spice: 1/5

Third person
Dual POV

I did not realize that this book was part of a series when I started reading it, but it stood alone just fine.

I was looking for something cozy and fall-like when I started this audiobook, and I was quite happy with this nice slow-building romance in which a witch who's cooking powers are out of control and an ex-stage magician make a deal to help each other and end up falling in love. There were a few Very Fall Moments like a corn maze and mentions of the weather. Overall, it was an enjoyable book to listen to.

Sirena, a former celebrity chef is struggling with her cooking powers when she runs into former reality star, Gus. Gus agrees to help Sirena fix her powers if she helps him with a magical cookbook. In the process they both develop feelings and have to decide what comes next for them.
The third installment of the Freya Grove series has all the cute, magical vibes I’ve come to love from the rest of the series. This is the sweetest witchy romance with top tier banter. The reality TV star twist made this a fun one. I loved the way Marissa Hampton and Christopher Hampton narrated the audiobook. They made the characters really come to life!
Thanks to Forever Publishing, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the advance copies.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were great! I listened to this one as a stand-alone, not realizing that it was part of a series. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything but I’m sure it would have been better having read the ones prior. I liked the characters and the storyline was cute. Good story for the fall season!

Publication: October 1st, 2024

Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐


I love this cover but this book was such a fun read! and I loved all the characters and the two main characters I enjoyed their relationship

this book is the definition of fall, I love that Sirena is a witch but uses her magic for cooking and is in a rut and having difficulty coming up with ideas. the time loop is so well done and I enjoy my time with this book.



Thank You Netgalley and Hachette Audio

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to enjoy this book more than what I did! I found the story fell a little flat and I couldn't really connect with any of the characters. It also took me a little bit to understand the plot and what exactly what going on - I didn't really figure it out until part way through. One thing I did love was the supernatural and witchy part of the book, which made it a great read for Halloween! From an audio standpoint, the narrators are both awesome!

Sirena Caraway is struggling. She is a kitchen witch and a masterful chef, but her kitchen alchemy is gone. She just bumps into things, starts fires, and makes food lacking in flavor. She feels lost, so she heads back home to Freya Grove, New Jersey. She gets back in time to enjoy some of the pumpkin spice of October, but after a botched job interview and an embarrassing Halloween, Sirena just wants a do-over.

She goes to the tea cabinet and finds a Wish Tea that her sister concocted, and she decides to make herself a cup. She wishes for another chance. And when she wakes up the next morning, she finds that October has reset itself, and Sirena has the whole month to figure out how to get her magic back and try that job interview again.

Gus Dearworth finds himself back in Freya Grove also. Taking a break from his family’s magic show. He’s a gifted magician, but his marriage just ended very publicly, and he needed some time to heal. So he moved back home and took a temporary job with the Historical Society. And when he bumps into Sirena, who he knew from high school, he had an idea.

The Historical Society had some cookbooks that needed someone with expertise to look them over and give them some love. Sirena agrees to take a look at them, and she is bewitched by the old recipes from the witchy cooks who wrote the books. She spends some of her free time at the Historical Society reading over the old cookbooks and wanting to try out some of the recipes. But she also wants to do something she hasn’t done in a long time. Sirena wants to have some fun. She decides to spend some of her second October enjoying the spooky season, spending time with her sisters, and savoring the town’s autumn activities.

But spending time with Gus is quickly becoming one of Sirena’s favorite things. She can’t deny her growing feelings for him, and he seems to feel the same. But what’s going to happen when her time travel wish is over, and November starts up like normal? Will it make a difference that she wished for a rewind, or will she be able to go on as usual, moving towards her dreams, and towards Gus?

Deja Brew is Celestine Martin’s third book in her Elemental Love series, each book about one of the Caraway sisters. Each book works as a stand-alone, but it’s easy to fall for these sisters, so one book from the series may not be enough. This one combines some entertaining supernatural elements with a good, old-fashioned second chance love story. How else can you have someone get lost in a corn maze, because a magic spell made it impossible for her to get out without some magic of her own (or of her boyfriend’s own)?

I listened to Deja Brew on audio, and I thought it was charming. Told in alternating viewpoints and narrated by both Marissa Hampton and Christopher Hampton, the audio book offers these characters’ journeys with warmth and joy. I thought both narrators did a good job of bringing this world to life, and bringing these two people to the love they were seeking.

I enjoyed Deja Brew a lot. I hadn’t read the other two books in this series, but I will go back because I liked this universe so much. This one does get pretty spicy from time to time, but that’s well balanced with smart writing and engaging characters. This is a great read for fall, or for any time of year that you’re missing spooky season.

Egalleys for Deja Brew were provided by Forever, and a copy of the audio book was provided by Hachette Audio, both through NetGalley, with many thanks.

If you love a good holiday romance with a cutesy/Hallmark-esque vibe, then you’ll probably really enjoy this! I loved that the setting was modern, but the characters were all mythical beings without being too out-there. It reminded me a lot of Halloweentown. The two main characters fall for each other very quickly and go between crushing on each other to spicy romance back and forth often. Overall, it was a very cute book with likable characters. Personally I would have liked more of a closed door vibe with how cute the story-line and setting is, but I also don’t tend to gravitate to super spicy books. The male narrator does talk slower than the female narrator, so I did adjust the speed of the audio when they switched parts.

Deja Brew on its own is a great book. Put it in audiobook form? Out of the park. The narrators did a wonderful job of bringing Sirena and Gus to life.

Unfortunately this one was not for me i found the story hard to get into and didnt care for the characters at all. Just think the story wasnt for me

This was a cute fall read but it wasn’t for me. It was hard to get into, and jumped quickly between scenes. Near the end I found it repetitive.

Just because I didn’t love it doesn’t mean others won’t! It had a lot of great cozy fall vibes. It just wasn’t the book for me.

Deja Brew by Celestine Martin is the third book in the Elemental Love series, but no worries—this book can absolutely be read as a standalone. I listened to the audiobook of Deja Brew and enjoyed the dual narration, which added something to this magical book.

I love a good stuck-in-a-time loop, and I'm desperate to change your past plotline! Celestine Martin did this story really well; I had such a fun time reading this book! Gus was so real, and I loved hearing his struggles. I also enjoyed that he, alongside Sirena, was finding his way and purpose in the world and Freya Grove! This book also had a really cool, contemporary, magical setting, and I loved that there was no explanation and no issues with any of the magical people or species in this town. I listened to the audiobook for Deja Brew, and I love the dual narration done by Marissa Hampton and Christopher Hampton. I think it added something extra to the story.

Overall, this book was fun, adventurous, and reflective. Deja Brew is definitely a book to pick up and listen to or read!

Thank you to Netgalley for the copy of the audiobook!

I really enjoyed the narrators in this audio, they brought the characters to life. I’m not sure if it was a review copy issue but there was too much time between chapters with white noise.

✨ Review ✨ Deja Brew by Celestine Martin; Narrated by Marissa Hampton; Christopher Hampton

Thanks to Hachette Audio, Forever Publishing, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

Note: I started reading this without really realizing it was the third in a series, so this may have impacted my read!

This book starts with a Groundhog Day-style restart to October, giving Sierra a chance to do it again. Her first go-round of October kind of sucked -- injuries, impaired cooking / magical powers, and just general misery. She vows to make better choices the second time around.

She works with Gus, magician, former reality star, and now hottie town historian, and makes a pact to have more fun. He agrees to "tutor" her in fun, and she agrees to work for the local historical society to try to interpret magical cooking texts.

This book is FULL of fall fun - festivals, witchy things, and all things pumpkin spice, and I loved these pieces. On the flip side, the book felt like it dragged on too long and I just got a little bit bored. tldr: fun but too long!

🎧 the audio narration was fantastic - I loved how the narrators embodied their characters. would listen to these narrators again!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.25 stars)
Genre: contemporary/fantasy romance
Setting: magical world sort of adjacent to our real world
Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
Pub Date: Oct 1, 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ pumpkin spice and cider galore
⭕️ witchy magical fall fun
⭕️ friends to lovers
⭕️ small town romance

It was a cute fun romcom for the season. I didn't realize it was a series going into the book and honestly felt like I didn't miss anything by moving forward. However, I do feel like I will go back and read the rest. Both mc struggling for their careers and finding one another to lean against in this warm fall vibes all over the place steamy book. Loved the narrator, kept me engaged in the book.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

We’re back in cozy Freya Grove for the third and last book in the Elemental Love series Deja Brew. Sirena Caraway and Gus Dearworth are looking for a reset. After a viral heartbreak on his family’s reality tv show, Gus is looking for a new path forward out of the limelight. October is typically a witch’s month to shine but for Sirena, a kitchen witch it’s a disaster. It’s October 31st, her magic is on the fritz and so is her cooking career. Sirena’s wish at a second chance is granted when she restarts the entire month giving her time to get her powers straight and flirt with a cute magician. What could go wrong?

Deja Brew is a super cute romance, think a Hallmark Fall Into Love movie but prepare for some spice. The depth of the characters really captured me, it’s more than a romance. Gus grapples with his old reputation as “good time Gus” and mature Gus, who is total nerd but still wants to have fun. Sirena still grieving a big loss and the weight of family responsibility, is trying to find herself again. Both characters are so relatable and it was delightful to read their journeys to themselves as individuals and a couple.

DNF 31%. It's not a bad book, it just completely failed to get my attention and I'm zoning in and out of the story so that's not the best when it comes to following the plot and all. The narrator is completely ok, I just don't really care about this book.

Such a lovely witchy read. Absolutely perfect for the fall season. I didn’t realize before going into this book that it was part of an interconnected series of standalone novels so I will have to pick up the others in the near future.

This was a cute story. I enjoyed getting to know the characters. I felt their chemistry from the beginning. The third act twist was a nice change from other books in the genre. Celestine Martin knows how to draw readers in with her story telling. There was the right amount of angst, spice, self-reflection and snark. The narrators were on point with voicing every character and keeping my interest in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an advanced copy of thee audiobook in exchange for an honest review.