Thank you to @alcovepress for the advanced copy to review!

Hit the dance floor with a coven of queer witches on 1980s Fire Island in this gay fantasy romance about finding magic, love, and family in the face of tragedy.

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From the publisher!

When I read the premise of this book, I just *knew* it was for me, specifically. As I fell into Joe’s world, I fell in love with all of his friends and chosen family along the way. From Dory to Vince to Ronnie to Howie to Lenny to Fergal and everyone in between, I was rooting for these characters from start to finish.

Starting every chapter with a disco witches manifesto was genius and made each chapter more impactful. I laughed and cried my way through Joe’s summer on Fire Island as he grieved the loss of his former lover, made friends with new people, and fell in love again. His fear of not finding love and being alone forever was way too relatable. I was rooting for him and Fergal from the get and their relationship was great to watch progress! I melted by the end with their big revelations and the ocean having its way with them. The epilogue!! Ronnie and Vince… those two crazy kids 🥹🥹.

I LOVED Howie and Lenny so so much. Their coven of witches, their being “cheesier than a gay hickory farms” ways, their fierce protection and care of those they love, and the strength of their friendship - it was so inspiring.

There are some definite though moments here of loss, grief, sickness, sadness, and devastation. But the overarching themes of hope, found family, love, and friendship make everything worth it.I’m so glad I ordered this one for my personal collection.

We are what we remember, indeed. Please don’t miss the author’s note/acknowledgements at the end for what helped to inspire this story

This is one of the more original books I've read this year. It combines so many elements, romance, history, found family, and a dash of magic. I love Fell's attention to the world of 1980s gay culture and the important history that is too often forgotten or glossed over in modern queer books. He balances the tragedy of the time perfectly with the silly, joyful residents of Piketty Ruff. There are some traditional romantic tropes here, but the key to the charm of this book is the found family of diverse excentrics who perfectly shepard the main characters through this wild time. All in all quite fun.

A very different sort of magical realism novel because it's set against the backdrop of AIDs. This is at times challenging because it's a bit scattered but there's a good heart. Found family over all. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. An interesting read.

📖 Title: Disco Witches of Fire Island-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Blair Fell-new to me author

📅Publication date: 5/6/25 | Read 4/24/25

📃 Format: e-Book 352 pgs.

Genre:
*LGBTQIA+
*Fantasy
*Romance
*Adult Fic
*Historical

Tropes:
*found family
*M/M romances
*friends to lovers
*magic/witches/merman
*reminds me of TV show *Queer as Folk*

👆🏾POV: 3rd person single-Joe

⚠️TW: death of family/loved ones, AIDS epidemic, grief, drug use/ addiction/recovery, mental health issues, homophobia

🌎 Setting: Fire Island Pines, NY- 1989

Summary: It's 1989 during the AIDS pandemic where gay men (in particular) are losing their lives at an alarming rate, but Ronnie wants Joe to have some fun. After losing his partner Elliot a year and a half ago, Joe is still grieving so Ronnie proposes they go to Fire Island for the summer. He setup jobs and a place to stay so they can hang out, hook up, and Ronnie can find his dream man. When nothing works out like it was supposed to, but Joe meets and moves in with strangers Howie and Lenny. They get him a bartender job and a place to stay while protecting him from a looming darkness.

👨🏾 Hero: Joseph "Joe" Agabian-28, lives in the Philly suburbs with his mother Evelyn. Worked at Friends Hospital (a mental institution) with the dream of going to medical school.

🎭 Other Characters:

*Ronnie Kaminski-34, Joe's BFF for 4 years
*Howard "Howie" Fishbein + Leonardo "Lenny" D'Amico-In their 60's, gay men who take Joe under their wing, very quirky housecleaners
*Saint D' Norman-living w/Dory, one of the disco witches
*Dorothy "Dory" Lieberman Delagrange-80, owns Asylum Harbor bar, gives AIDS patients a place to convalesce
*Elena-23, Dory's granddaughter, was a model
*Scotty Black-real estate developer, wants to close Dory's bar down
*Max-Howie and Lenny's BFF, in the hospital
*Vince-manager of the Asylum Harbor
*Fergal-mysterious ferryman Joe likes

🤔 My Thoughts: I remembered how bad things were back then but found comfort knowing having HIV/AIDS today is not a death sentence. If you haven't seen the movie "The Normal Heart," you must because it tackles everything in this novel. I loved Ronnie and Joe's playful banter as well as Howie and Lenny's which showed great love and companionship. Joe's journey was one of self-discovery, healing, and taking control of his life with the help of some disco witches.

Rating: 4.5/5 ✨
Spice level 5/5 🌶️

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Blair Fell for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

This was a conundrum. On the one hand, it was entertaining and deliciously camp, while still capturing a sense of desperation and fear that seems so typical of the time period. It was Pose on an island.

On the other hand, I can't really say I was on board with the whole disco magic system. I love the idea of dance magic, and making it disco is inspired, but it didn't wow me in terms of creativity. Although billed as a fantasy, I feel like this wouldn't necessarily satisfy a fantasy reader.

Which is why I would say to read this for the queer rep, treat the fantasy aspects as a flamboyant metaphor for prejudice and discrimination against the queer community.

While I found the themes interesting, unfortunately the writing and pacing were not for me. This book depends way too much on pop culture references, cliche and stereotypes, and not enough magic. The main character, Joe, I couldn't come to enjoy. I also found the pacing to be clunky. Unfortunately, this book fell short.

Disco Witches of Fire Island is a shimmering, soulful blend of queer romance, found family, and magical realism set against the glitter and grief of late-’80s Fire Island. Blair Fell weaves a story that’s tender, sexy, and quietly devastating, balancing campy witchy fun with the very real ache of loss and survival during the HIV/AIDS crisis. The coven of disco witches is both hilarious and heartbreaking, and Joe’s journey toward healing—through love, magic, and community—feels both intimate and epic. It’s a spellbinding, bittersweet tribute to queer resilience.

This is definitely going to be high up on the list of my favorite reads of the year. Heartbreakingly lovable yet realistically flawed characters who grow as individuals and into the coolest coven I have ever witnessed. Lovingly evokes Fire Island summers in all their glory while critiquing gentrification and class dynamics at work, and provides a searing and touching portrait of living and loving during the AIDS crisis. An absolutely beautiful read that will linger with me for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I think the beginning portion of this book was strong in terms of setting our characters and the scene, but by the end everything just felt like a means to an end. The ending was way to rushed and I just didn't like the fantastic element of this story, it felt too much like magical realism instead of actual fantasy.

I was intrigued by the found family aspect of the story but found it to be quite superficial by the end of the story. I know quite a few things happened however, this felt like a fever dream where nothing actually happened.

I didn't dislike my time reading this book but I'm not going to spend time thinking about it.

I also thought the resolution of the "third act break up" (let's call it that so that I don't spoil anything) was stupid, if you were so upset about this thing you broke up I don't really see how an 'I'm sorry' will just make you feel okay with the situation but alas.

Blair Fell captures queer joy in his second novel. Set in the 80s on Fire Island Fell pays great attention to building the setting and the time period which is based on his own experiences. Joe, a gay man in his twenties sets foot on the island without a plan for the summer and is quickly swooped up into bartending, magic, romance, disco, and the path to acceptance. Capturing the AIDS epidemic in the queer community and the fear many gay men felt while trying to get by and enjoy life freely (something which seems to be a blind spot for many young queer people nowadays). Everything is presented with a kind of love and nostalgia. There is a touch of fantasy with the titular Disco Witches and their work as a coven but it never goes too deep.

Fell does a great job with characters in his novel, allowing them to live and breathe even with their messy moments and choices and some of their choices made me irritated but again that’s a good sign of character development. The setting is presented with reverence for the way Fire Island was in the eighties. I enjoyed the read with its moments of spice and drama and found myself breezing through the novel. The fantasy aspect of the novel, though, never quite clicked. It’s as if Fell was worried the audience may not be willing to have suspension of disbelief so he reigned in on the idea of the witches and magic and I wish he had gone deeper with it and had more fun. Highly recommended for those looking for a summer read as we approach the season or those looking for a novel that is powered by queer joy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this ARC

This was such an original take on the AIDS pandemic, with a coven decimated because it had taken the majority of their members and them trying to stay strong while trying to protect Joe.
I really liked it, with all the magic, it still showed all the grief and too the fight to be heard as gay men in the 80s.
I liked too how they all made mistakes, and had flaws and virtues, and learned to love and forgive and be better for each other.

Best title ever! I love witches and disco and the cover and loved the book. To me it's totally possible there was a coven of witches living on Fire Island in the '80's with a mission to do good and save young men.

Really interesting characters and story lines. Great Disco Witch Manifestos begin each chapter, some are fun and others are lessons we all need today. Great musical references. Great study of what it means to be a friend, or more. Fun book, except when it wasn't, and was sad.

The historical fiction aspect of AIDS/HIV in the 80's is accurate. There was a lot of heartbreak during this time in history, young men abandoned, left to die by their country and family, not knowing how to move forward or to move in the world, others watching the numbers of dead friends and family climb. Blair did a great job in making me feel this anguish, from young and old men alike.

It's true I do personally know the author, and that did not affect my rating or review.

Dance On!

I struggled with this one, especially because I didn't like Joe. Still, the setting of the story and some of the series talks in the book made me enjoy most of it.
I was drawn to the witchy setting and the fact we don't get much of it... it was disappointing.
Still, I enjoyed the book for what it was.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an exquisite blend of history, heart, and quiet rebellion. The romance was tender yet powerful, unfolding with beautiful restraint. Set against a richly detailed backdrop, it explored love, identity, and courage in a time that rarely allowed it. A moving, gorgeously written story that stayed with me long after the final page.

** spoiler alert ** Still twirling after finishing the incredible historical fiction/romantasy novel, Disco Witches of Fire Island. It's 1989, in the middle of the fucking AIDS crisis. Who doesn't need a coven of disco witches to right the wrongs in the world. They may not be powerful enough to end the plague, but they can makes things better for some in love and life.

Joe and his best friend Ronnie leave their homes in Philly to spend what they hope will be a glorious summer on Fire Island. But Joe's still grief stricken over his ex, Elliot who died two years ago. He falls into a place to live with two eccentric older gay men who set out to protect him and make sure he's set on the right path for the rest of his life. But boy are there some snags along the way. Disco Witches of Fire Island is a perfect novel. If you lived through the era like me, it's like listening to the best dance music from 1989. If you're too young, it's a history lesson by way of a work of fiction that will have you laughing and cheering for the gang. I was picturing the screen adaptation the entire time I was reading it. This one's a keeper. Thank you Blair Fell.

Oh my gosh what an insane, heartbreaking, fantastic book. I absolutely loved it and absolutely recommend it! A blend of magic, history (if you can count summer 1989 as truly historic!), horror elements and a whole lot of emotional turmoil…

Set at the height of the AIDS epidemic, Joe is reeling from the death of his boyfriend Elliot. Terrified of the disease and wracked with guilt over how his last months with his boyfriend turned out, he accepts his friend Ronnie’s invite to spend the summer bartending on Fire Island, touted as a ‘gay paradise’. When there, he meets Howie and Lenny, two elderly gay men living on Fire Island, who take him in, allowing him to stay in their attic.

Rumours are abound about Howie and Lenny being some kind of witches, and as the summer drags on, dark powers are manifesting on Fire Island… can Howie and Lenny protect Joe from the horrors converging on him? And can Joe get past his crippling grief after the loss of Eliott and his deep-rooted fear of the disease killing his friends and lovers?

This book was whimsical and deeply sad - it discussed at length the horrifying effect of AIDS on the gay community and Joe’s terror really highlighted the crippling fear that so many young men (in fact folks of all genders) must have lived with.

The whimsical magical elements in the book were a complete offset of the misery of the epidemic and I think worked really well; it’s more spiritualism than magic and encompasses the ‘never give up’ spirit that so many people who joined protests and campaigned for change embodied.

Overall a sad, trippy and absolutely riveting read; I’ll be thinking of Joe, Howie, Lenny and the inhabitants of Fire Island for a long time to come!

Read DWOFI for:
✨ 1989 at the height of the AIDS crisis
✨ MC struggling with deep grief
✨ Summer on Fire Island, ‘Gay paradise’
✨ Emotional, twisty story
✨ Strange magical elements
✨ Complex, flawed characters
✨ Finding love after loss
✨ Hitting rock bottom to find yourself

Thank you to Alcove Press for an eARC of this book via NetGalley ✨ It’s available on 6th May 💕

Loved the concept of Disco Witches of Fire Island, but the writing style was just not for me. Such a bummer!

I received a free copy of, Disco Witches of Fire Island, by Blair Fell, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. It took me a while to finish this book, even though I absolutely loved the premise of this book. I just couldn't get into it, sadly. The pacing was just too slow and I keep getting distracted with the language and dialogue, which was slightly ridiculous. Not the book for me.

Really fun and inventive plot!! I thought the writing itself wasn’t the strongest on a technical level, but the story and the history made me see it through. Worth it if you’re at all interested in this era of gay history.

I really enjoyed this book.
The writing was fresh and consistent throughout. I didn't feel like there was any fillers or repetitiveness which is wonderful. The lore of the witches and how their power came to be. The emotions and how gripping the story was so refreshing and different.

More indepth review to come.