I feel like I was more attracted to the cover but this book just kind of fell flat for me unfortunately

First of all, the cover is absolutely stunning and is what originally drew me into wanting to read this book.

This is a book I wanted so badly to love, it sounded like something that would be perfect for me, unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it. The pacing felt off and I struggled to connect with the characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and the author for the eARC.

This was cute! The setting of Skerry Island was gorgeous, and the characters and love between them were truly so sweet and heartening.

However, I feel conflicted about the story as a whole - The pace was a bit slow, and I thought the book could have been shorter, yet at the same I wish some of the characters and their backstories were more fleshed out. (Example: Beatrice comes off as pretty nonplussed about her husband's cheating.) Then the last couple chapters of the book were confusing to me and felt a little rushed.

Overall, a really cute story, just with a confusing pace to it.

Though the summary to this book was misleading, I still had a good time with its rich setting, delightful characters and the message of love, magic and mircacles in all their forms.

The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland focuses on Beatrice—NOT Beatrix, as she'll insist—who goes on a trip solo after finding out her husband cheated on her to Skerry Island. Sure, she's been told (twice!) that she'll experience seven miracles and then die, but she's a logical sort of woman. She works with spreadsheets and thinks rationally, and there's nothing about that sort of omen that's rational. Except when she arrives on the island, the miracles start—and include running into a long-lost twin sister, mother, and niece.

The miracle of this story comes in its characters, who take up rich, interesting space when they're given the opportunity to show themselves. My favorites were Reno, a woman who's friendly with Beatrice's twin sister and has her own aching past—who I wish had been given more time in the spotlight of the story and more time for her lovely, quiet budding romance with Beatrice to breathe—and Minna, Beatrice's trans niece, who carries a significant amount of the plot on her shoulders.

Because the plot was sometimes oddly paced for me, and because characters sometimes seemed to make odd choices like witholding information or overexaggerating for the sake of plot, sometimes the characters acted a bit off—but when they were on, they were on, and Minna is no exception. A particularly touching part of this novel for me was carried in the idea that the Holland witches—Beatrice's family—have magic that's carried down through the women of their family, and what it means that Minna, a trans girl, carries that magic. Many magical stories that invoke gender stir these sorts of questions for the queer community, and The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland emphatically says what it believes—that trans women are women just the same as any, and magic has no bias. I adored it.

The setting was also lovely, including the cast of characters on Skerry Island, who again I wished I'd gotten more fleshed out time with. I think sometimes this story didn't exactly know what it wanted to be, and there was a bit much going on and therefore found myself pulled away from tidbits and plots in the story I wish we'd pursued more, like Beatrice's ex-husband, issues with her parents and the origin of her and her sister's split, the war their family has with another on the island—but the seeds planted must have been good that I wished we'd pursued them further.

All in all, this was a lovely queer story that, at its heart, was about love—and how that love does not end with death.

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for this eARC in return for my honest review! 3.5⭐

The ending of this book made me feel insane. It’s so bad and I feel so guilty because I really enjoyed 60% of this book.

Beatrice/Beatrix comes to Skerry Island on a trip after she finds out her husband has been cheating on her their entire marriage. She seems largely apathetic about it. She quickly finds out she is actually an identical twin separated during infancy.

The problem with this novel is that Beatrix is a character living without unconditional love and is desperate for it. Her father lied to her about her mother’s death and never even told her she had a twin. He sabotaged her from practicing magic her whole life but at the end he gets on a high horse about how her need for control is a moral failing.

Her mother Astrid is unrepentant about having lied that she was died and having chosen to separate the twins.

Her sister begs her to stay but seems deeply uninterested in her. She almost never asks Beatrix a question about her life before the island. And constantly expects her to understand magic but never seek understanding.

Her niece Minna uses this ignorance to manipulate Beatrix into helping her contact her father’s spirit without her mother’s knowledge.

At 80% of this novel every character turns on Beatrix. Her entire family (who shun her different and analytical way of approaching things), her budding love interest Reno and even the townspeople begin to shun her.

When was Beatrix supposed to have developed mind reading to know that the evil spirit was your dead husband all along? Was she supposed to break her nieces confidences when real transphobes who would kick out a 12 year old are out there? Her grandmother certainly isn’t the most politically correct until 99% into the novel.

When these lies ultimately culminate in Beatrix telling Minna half of a vision of a spell they all but kick her out. She of course redeems herself by dying for her niece. No one says thank you. Cordelia never apologises (because they’re sisters????). Astrid barely does. The parents decide to give it another go parent trap style and Minna half asses an apology.

And once again Beatrix finds love for what she can do for others rather than for her own sake. This time it’s magic instead of housework. Yay.

P.S. I thought that Reno was interested in her sister for at least 20% of this novel. So take that how you like.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC. This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

I enjoyed this novel even more than I expected. I love cozy fantasy (it is, perhaps, my favorite sub-genre), and this very nicely fit the bill. There was enough intrigue to keep me reading, while also cozily wanting to move to a small town on an island and drink cappuccinos while reading on my mostly-house boat.

I appreciate that the nature of the book allowed for truly miraculous scenarios in the book that otherwise would leave the reader thinking something like, “Really? How is that even possible?” Well, it’s a miracle. That’s how it’s possible. I also appreciated the magic system in book and the differentiation between miracles and magic and how Herron not only gave an explanation but used it as a major plot point.

Also important, representation is always lovely in a story!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

I enjoyed this cozy fantasy very much, and found the characters lovable and the plot deep enough to sink into while light enough to be enjoyable.

I'm a fan of Rachael Herron's podcasts so I was eager to read this book. A very clever premise with some woo-woo, and it kept me turning the pages to find out what kind of transformation Beatrice/Beatrix was going through. She's a very strong character, as are many of the supporting characters, and Herron is a real master of the writing craft. A very intriguing book with a satisfying ending, Most enjoyable.

Rachael Herron’s The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland is a spellbinding tale of magic, family, and self-discovery. Beatrice’s journey from disbelief to embracing her identity as a powerful witch is both gripping and emotional. The lush, mystical setting of Skerry Island, combined with the high-stakes family drama and an ancient struggle for magical dominance, creates a captivating narrative. With heartfelt moments and thrilling twists, this book is a beautifully crafted story of courage and connection. A must-read for fans of magical realism and intricate family sagas.

This is a cozy fantasy that touches on some dark themes. The writing style isn't usually my thing but the author made it work very well with the storyline. The way the magic system is set up has me wanting more!

I liked this book in the beginning, I thought it was great, but it stole my heart before I realized it. Also I was immediately in need for Beatrice to fall in love with Reno, like from the minute Reno was introduced.
Please give me more of these darling, imperfect, and chaotic lovely people. They questioned faith, magic, and atheism the way I have my whole life.

I wasn't able to get into this book. For some reason the works building confused me and the plot didn't stand out enough for me to want to continue.

This wasn’t exactly my style, but I think it’ll be a hit with readers of cozy fantasy. There are a lot of feel good elements, and it also doesn’t shy away from its darker themes of mortality and grief. I greatly enjoyed the magic system; I found the uniqueness of how each witch used their power very interesting and refreshing. If anything, I wanted a deeper dive into that.