Member Reviews
what a cute romance.
i don t know why but it gave me " The Ex Hex " vibes, but better !
I loved these two !
Super recommend !!!!
Tysm for giving me the chance to read it .
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Narration: 3/5 I loved the male narrator. I found myself zoning out to the female voice. I didn’t LOVE the narrators voicing the opposite sex though.
The goods: Cute fall romance. Kitchen witch, magician, hallmark vibes! This was a third book in a series, while I did feel like I was missing a little bit of context it also worked as a stand alone.
The bads:
Long chapters (I felt like a lot of details were repetitive).
I didn’t connect with any of the characters.
I absolutely love this trilogy! Just enough spice, spooky and fall vibes! I can’t wait to see what the next series will be.
Deja Brew was a cute, cozy fall read with a fun time-loop twist, but it took me a while to really get into it, maybe because I didn’t realize it was part of a series. While the romance between Sirena and Gus had its charm and the autumnal vibe was perfect, it didn’t completely grab me at first, though it ended up being an enjoyable lighthearted story for fans of magical rom-coms.
Deja Brew is a perfectly fun witchy read set in fall with just enough meat to the romance! I really enjoyed Sirena and how realistic and honest she felt. I think her story perfectly winded together with Gus's. I also love the female friendships in Celestine Martin's work!
I was so glad to receive an audio arc of Deja Brew! Gus's narration was so spot on! Thank you so much to the publisher for granting me access!
I wanted to love this one but it missed the mark for me.
I loved a lot about Deja Brew…the small town, the characters were great. I loved all the witchy fall vibes.
What didn’t work for me was the magic of the story. It was almost an afterthought. And I didn’t buy the soulmate storyline…it felt forced and I didn’t feel it with the characters’ emotions.
I did like the narration. And would recommend listening to Deja Brew if you’re interested in reading it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for a copy of Deja Brew in exchange of an honest review.
"Deja Brew" by Celestine Martin is a delightful, witchy rom-com perfect for fall! I loved the strong, confident FMC and the nerdy professor MMC—they complemented each other so well. The male "witch" twist was a fun change from the usual dynamic, and their friends-to-lovers journey was sweet and magical. The story is cozy, smutty, and full of charm, ideal for October vibes. While I enjoyed the audiobook, I loved the female narrator for the FMC but didn’t think the male narrator was the best fit for the MMC. Overall, a fun and magical listen!
This was a fun October read but I wasn’t super invested in the characters. The town gave Halloweentown vibes but I wanted more of it
Great autumnal listen! Perfect for fans of all things witchy (cosy) and of course a great romantic plot through it.
Fast paced, magical and perfect for spooky season! I really enjoyed this magical love story full of surprises!
I really wanted to love this book - it sounded like the perfect cozy fall romance. What I got, though, was what felt like insta-love between two characters who live in the same small town and know enough about each other to have previously noticed the ridiculous amount of attraction they have for each other but apparently never have. Huh.
I was immediately drawn in during the first few chapters of the book - Sirena shares all the terrible things that have happened to her during October, and then is given a chance at a do-over of the whole month thanks to her Nana's wish tea that she mysteriously finds in their pantry. But that's where the magic ended for me. I found the longer the book went on, I wasn't invested in either character and I honestly disliked how both characters were trying to be a version of themselves that was a complete 180 of who they used to be.
Now on to the important part since I listened this on audio - the narrators. The book was narrated by Marissa Hampton for Sirena's POV chapters and Christopher Hampton for Gus's POV chapters. They both felt like average narrators but I was constantly adjusting the speed as Christopher spoke significantly slower than Marissa.
Overall, this just wasn't my cup of tea but I hope other readers find the joy in this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC
I immediately liked the book. From the strong and confident and curvy fmc to the nerdy university professor mmc. I liked how they complemented each other and showed affection. The family of the mmc was no good. Could you be a bit more supportive, please? I thought it was fun with a male "witch"/ mage because I'm so used to the female witch and clueless male human. This was a fun twist.
I adored their relationship and how it went from friends to lovers. I thought they were so cute together. A really sweet witchy romance for the cozy season.
A cozy, smutty, magical rom-com! Let me start by saying you don’t need to read the other books in the series to enjoy and follow this book. If you’re a romcom girlie, I think this would make for a perfect book to listen to/read while soaking up all things October/fall. I am so glad I got to listen to it as an audiobook arc (tysm, NetGalley and the publisher). I LOVED the voice actress for the FMC, but I didn’t really think the male narrator felt like he fit for the MMC, or maybe I just didn’t like his voice? Much more of the story was narrated from his perspective in the back half, and so I ended up enjoying the back half of the book a lot less…
I liked the premise and overall this was a lot of fun (and if you’re a smut-fan, there’s a LOT of it!).
I’ve really enjoyed this series, and couldn’t wait to get my hands on Sirena’s story. This is a really cute, mostly low angst romance where both Gus and Sirena are on their own internal journeys and their relationship gives them the strength and courage to make forward strides towards their truth. I enjoyed Sirena figuring out that while she doesn’t want to lose or forget the lessons her Nana Ruth taught her about being a kitchen witch, she needs to discover her own rules in order to keep the spark alive in her cooking and magic. I also really enjoyed Gus figuring out how to balance the “Good Time Gus” persona he wants to leave in the past and the serious academic that isn’t a full portrayal of his self. In some ways the ending felt like the story could have kept going, but with the romance it did feel complete and satisfying. Lots of super romantic stuff, especially around magician’s Kindred element of world building.
I also really enjoyed the narration. It was an enjoyable experience all around.
Such a cute fall romance! I haven’t read the other two in the series but I didn’t find myself confused. Our two main characters are at a turning pint in their lives. Gus is a magician with a family legacy weighing on him, though he wants to pursue a different path. Serena is a kitchen witch who wants a do-over to live up to her potential. When a magic wish gives them a second chance, they find themselves drawn together to pursue their goals and each other.
I enjoyed the audio experience and the characters banter. I would recommend listening!
A story about magical connections.
Sirena and Gus are picking up the pieces of their dashed dreams. What do you do when you feel like if you had a do over, your dreams could actually come true? One magic wish, after a day of embarrassment, leads to a second chance for Sirena to try to achieve her dreams.
First, let me be honest, I went into this COMPLETELY blind. I wanted a fall read and this popped up on NetGalley and I added based on the cover and title alone. I 100% thought this was about a coffee shop and I was ready for Gilmore Girls vibes. While Deja Brew has Gilmore vibes, it is definitely about magic (witches, magicians, merpeople, and gnome type of magic) 😂🤷🏾♀️
I wanted to love this book, but it felt slightly off beat to me. The pacing sometimes felt off and the writing sometimes felt different in different scenes. This was my first dual narrator audiobook and I really enjoyed them (outside of Alex’s voice which I laughed at). This is the 3rd book in the series, but I felt like I didn’t need the other 2 to understand this one (although their stories sound so cute).
While I didn’t love it, I did like it. I love the idea of pursuing your dreams and recognizing that dreams change and expand over time. I think this would be perfect for someone looking for a light-hearted, witchy October.
Thank you to the author, Hachette Audio, Forever, and NetGalley for this ARC for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was BEYOND adorable! I loved the small town of Freya Grove SO much! The names of all the shops/restaurants were absolutely adorable! I thought the premise so cute for Fall/Halloween.. I love time loops and this one was very well done! I haven't read the other two books in the series, but I will be definitely checking them out now!
I received an ALC from Hatchett Audio and was asked for my honest review of both the story and the audiobook.
Honestly, the audiobook/narration was okay for me. I felt like something about the narrators weren't hitting the mark for me so it took me a while to get into them narrating it. I listened to it sped up and that actually helped a bit.
With that being said, my experience with the audio book did not take away from how much I ended up loving this story. This was a fun, sweet, cozy magical story. I enjoyed every moment of Sirena and Gus's love story. It gave me giggles and butterflies! The characters were lovable and fun, including the side characters. The spice scenes we passionate and full of love, admiration, and desire. I loved the atmosphere of small town and magic in Freya Grove. The entire book was just beautifully written. I will definitely be picking up the rest of this series.
Tropes:
-Fated Mates
-He Falls First (In my opinion)
-Magic
-Second Chance
-Small Town
I’m here for alllll the fall books. It’s my favorite season so I appreciate when authors put an emphasis on it. When I saw this one on Netgalley, I jumped on it. It was cute with some fun fall vibes but I honestly could have used even more fall, if that makes sense. It felt like all the sudden Halloween was over and the book was just hitting some of its peaks. Still worth the read though. Grab a pumpkin spice latte and give this one a shot.
Thank you to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for the eARC and ALC.
Deja Brew had potential but didn’t really deliver.
Sirena was difficult to relate to. She basically has a Groundhog Day-esque month as a do-over and is reliving the month of October. She wants to get her magic-y witchy cooking mojo back and somehow that includes Gus, an ex-reality star magician trying to live a quiet life. She was just so wishy washy with Gus. Kiss him then tell him she doesn’t want to date. Have a wild weekend then ignore him for days.
Who dates someone but doesn’t at least text or call them everyday??
It’s essentially just a cute witchy read for fall, but I struggled in connecting with the characters and was missing the chemistry.
The biggest highlight was the narration. I loved the female narrator’s tone and cadence and she was the reason I kept listening through to the end.