Fall into the world of Nova Marwood, a 17 year-old whose father one day 7 years ago, traveled deep into the towns' Longing Woods searching for his missing best friend and never returned. Struggling with the guilt of the last words she spoke to her father, Nova finds herself accidentally hexing her crush— the gorgeous, popular and lucky Kiara Mistry.

Follow along as Nova soon finds herself on a quest with an unlikely group of exes-turned-friends, as they set out to find the wishing well that's rumored to be deep within the woods of Prior's End; said to undo any regret.

When I tell you the town of Prior's End had me so charmed! The descriptors given to this ever-superstitious town really had me feeling like I was dropped into the heart of Salem, MA in the middle of October. The writing Lillie Vale uses to portray her town conjures up a very crisp, autumnal feeling that really helps set the tone of the magic and mystery of Prior's End.

And that ending... I REALLY did not expect that ending, and love that we're properly set up for more should there be a sequel. I believe young adult readers who love both paranormal and mysterious ambiance will enjoy this book, as well as adult readers who want to take a step back and read something akin to a cozy autumnal read!

In the end, I agree with others in that this book definitely could have been shorter as I feel there were quite a few moments that rambled on a bit too long, or even seemed a bit repetitive.

👤 YA
💖 Sapphic Romance
🤠 Set in Tennessee
🏳‍🌈 LGBTQIA+ rep!
🔮 Magical
🔍 Mysterious
❤️‍🩹 Enemies-to-friends
👻 Supernatural
🫂 Forgiveness

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Viking Books for Young Readers & Lillie Vale for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I could not put this down! Read deep into the night, I had to see how it ended. Charming town and well-developed cast of characters -- I felt like I knew them. I absolutely wanted to climb inside this book and live there. The ending was perfect, and left the door open a tiny crack for another book- YES PLEASE!

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. The storyline was very enjoyable and the characters were just as enjoyable, Teenage love, crushes, angst, and quests are fun and cozy reads, however, I felt this could have been shortened in length just a bit . There seemed to be areas that just dragged on for no reason other than to add page count.

Hit Me With Your Best Charm is the perfect mix of humor, heartache, and suspense, with a touch of Lovecraftian creepiness. The characters feel so real and messy, and you can’t help but connect with them, even when they mess up. The themes of grief and letting go hit HARD. I couldn’t put it down!

This book is pure autumnal magic, brimming with whimsy, longing, and just the right touch of chaos. Prior’s End is the kind of town that feels like a dream you don’t want to wake up from, steeped in superstition and secrets, and Nova’s journey is as heartfelt as it is spellbinding. The romance is achingly tender, the tension between Nova and Kiara crackling with years of complicated feelings, and the found-family dynamics bring warmth to every page. It’s a love story wrapped in mystery, magic, and the kind of yearning that makes your heart ache in the best way.

Thank you to NetGalley, Viking Books for Young Readers, and Lillie Vale for the free e-ARC. My thoughts and review are my own.

I gave this YA sapphic teen romance, which includes elements of fantasy and mystery, a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. The story begins with our main character, Nova, grappling with guilt over her final words to her father, who disappeared seven years earlier in a forest that holds a deep, mysterious significance for their small town.

Nova faces the challenges of high school relationships and crushes while her father's disappearance casts a long shadow over her connection with her mother. As her mother prepares to declare her father legally dead on the advice of a friend, Nova decides to stir up some trouble. In the process, she inadvertently places a bad luck curse on her high school crush, Kiara, who has always been incredibly lucky.

The rest of the story follows Nova's quest to fix the unintended consequences of her actions, the romantic tension between her and Kiara, and the unfolding mystery related to the forest and the town's history, which involves Kiara's friend group made up of all her exes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, finishing it in just a couple of hours. I appreciated how the story wrapped up, though I felt it could have been a bit shorter while still conveying the same message, which is why I rated it four stars.

This just wasn’t a favorite for me. I felt it dragged on and the story confused me because it seemed a little here and there and everywhere. It wasn’t awful, and I see other great reviews. Maybe just not for me.

This story wasn’t really my cup of tea, but there’s no denying that it’s has creative elements to the characters and the story!

This is a magical young adult story about Nova, a young woman who has lost her father and Kiara, a girl with all the luck. Nova unintentionally puts a hex on Kiara and hate book follows as the story develops for these characters. This is definitely a novel aimed for a young adult audience and I found the characters to be presented a bit more immaturely than other YA books, which made it difficult for me to read.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

“Hit Me With Your Best Charm” is a wondrous mix of bittersweet, heart wrenching, humorous, suspenseful and Lovecraftian elements from
author Lillie Vale.

The themes of grief and holding on versus letting go that are all throughout the novel are done particularly well. It’s easy to empathize with the characters, even when they aren’t behaving their best. Vale really taps into the humanity of her characters, which in turn makes it easy for the reader to not only sympathize, but to also see themselves in the characters.

I’m excited to see what Lillie Vale has for us in the future.

Although marketed as a YA novel, “Hit Me With Your Best Charm” can be enjoyed by adults of all ages as well as.
5 Stars

I received an ARC copy courtesy of Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley, however my review is completely my own unbiased personal opinion, left of my own volition.

I absolutely loved this book. It takes witchcraft and spells and turns it on its head. Of course this book is perfect for spooky season, but honestly I would read it anytime of the year.
There is a sapphic romance but it’s also about friends helping each other, sometimes in what seems like a hopeless situation.
It is a really fun, quick read, and I would recommend it to anyone, especially if they are in a reading slump.
I received an ARC of this book but all opinions are honest and mine.
#HitMeWithYourBestCharm #NetGalley #Cozy #Romance #YA #QuickRead

a charming and queer witchy romcom that is absolutely perfect for spooky season!! this sapphic ya had me falling head over heels for nova and kiara- i loved the shenanigans they got up and how bingable this book is (i sat here and finished it in one sitting). highly recommend if this sounds like your cup of tea 💫