Whimsical, witty, and full of heart, An Ancient Witch’s Guide to Modern Dating is a cozy time-travel rom-com with magical charm. Thorn is a lovable, fish-out-of-water heroine navigating 21st-century dating with potions, awkward dates, and surprising sweetness. The blend of humor, heartache, and enchantment makes for a fun, feel-good read, perfect for fans of The Ex Hex and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. A little predictable, but irresistibly charming.

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This was 3.5 stars for me!

I had a great time reading this book, it was exactly what I was hoping it would be!

This story was lighthearted and fun to read. You could tell the story was made with love by the author. The interpersonal relationships were sweet and realistic for the most part. I enjoyed both of the MCs and the cats!! Loved the cats and the mention of the cosmic cat distribution system. The story is everything it said it would be. I’m a huge fan of cozy fantasy stories and this one was on par with others I have read.

Towards the end the pacing was a little slow. Some of the dialogue/conversations felt rushed or awkward. I think if you suspend disbelief in how much people would believe or be okay with a woman appearing and claiming she was from a different century, then you can float through the story just fine; The other characters acceptance was just a little quick for me, personally.

The resolution to the story was very sweet, and i would definitely read another book by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Saga Press Books for letting me read this charming ARC e-copy!!

Oh how I loved this book! Thorn is looking for love and hoping a love potion can help but when the position backfires and send her to the 21st century, she finds herself with a new set of challenges.

I truly enjoyed the story and Thorns development. The side characters were also fun to follow but I do wish we had gotten a little bit more of Walls back story. I will definitely read more books by Cecilia!

3.5 rounded to 3

I wish there had been a bit more focus on Wells and Thorn's relationship actually developing and I didn't enjoy that Rose literally tried to kill Thorn and then wanted to kill Thorne's true love and Thorne just becomes friends with her at the end? But Thorne as a character was hilarious and I loved seeing her and Bandit adapt to modern living.

Thank you to Saga Press, Cecilia Edward, and NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My, my. This low-stakes witchy rom-com was exactly the thing I needed right now. I honestly feel like a part of me has healed after I finished reading.

Thorn Scarhart is a thirty-nine-year-old Witch from the 17th century struggling to find love. Considered an uneligible spinster in her town, Thorn turns to magic to try and create a True Love Forever Potion to help influence the next man to fall in love with her.

However, after an accident while brewing her new and improved potion, Thorn, her familiar in the form of a fluffy white cat, Bandit, is thrust into the 21st century. Thorn quickly has to adjust to modern life, complete with electric kettles, historical tours of her private home, and online dating.

I absolutely loved every second of this book. It was so cozy, quirky, whimsical, and side-splittingly hilarious. I lost count of how many times I laughed OUT LOUD while reading this book. It was like a breath of fresh air.

The characters were the BEST part of the story. I related to Thorn on such a deep and personal level that I almost felt like the author was singling me out!😅 She is the perfect blend of ignorance of the modern world around her and child-like wonder.

Walls is also the best MMC and love interest. Everything about him was absolutely perfect to his job as a vet and his kind, caring, and sweet personality. I haven't had a book boyfriend in a while, but I definitely felt those feelings strong with Walls.

And, omg, don't even get me started on Bandit! He stole the show for me. When I tell you I need this cat in my life, it isn't an exaggeration. I died laughing at half the things he said, especially when he picked up modern slang.

I cannot stress enough how amazing this book is. I could probably go on forever about it. This definitely deserves 4.75⭐️ (rounded up to 5)!

If you enjoy rom-coms, magic & witches, talking cats planning world domination, the best-friend's brother trope, soulmates, and time travel, then this cozy cottagecore story is just for you.

this was surprisingly pleasant and lovely! I was a bit hesitant at first because the first 30% felt a bit slow and I’m new to cozy fantasy type stories but I found that the story really grew on me fast, I especially loved the talking cats and they kept me tethered at the story at points I might’ve otherwise gotten bored with the pacing, and though I felt like Walls was a bit too detached from the plot for my liking, I still really loved the journey both Thorn & Walls shared! It was a lovely little magical tale that made my heart happy and was funnier than I expected.

I would absolutely read another story from this author, even another cozy fantasy like this one!

thank you so much to netgalley and saga press for this arc to review! 💗

An Ancient Witches Guide to Modern Dating by Cecilia Edwards
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Release date: July 1, 2025

Thank you S&S/Saga Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book. An Ancient Witches Guide to Modern Dating is a lighthearted, fun read that follows a witch, Thorn, as she searches for love. After accidentally time traveling from 1690 to the modern day, Thorn tries online dating and gets into many comical situations while adjusting to life in the 21st century.

This book reads like a romcom. It was funny and easy to read. The characters were likable and relatable. Although, the snarky talking cat, Bandit, stole the show if you ask me. He was a great character. I really appreciated Thorn’s character arc throughout the story as she learned some important lessons. Her growth from beginning to end is well written and relatable.

This was a great book to read for something a little lighter than my normal genres. If you are looking for a lighthearted, funny read with lovable characters then I highly recommend giving this one a try!

This was a lovely cozy read. 1700s Thorn finds herself transported to modern day time with her familiar and a customer turned frog.

This was a super clever idea and i loved the plot and especially bandit, it was a bit confusing sometimes the way the characters were described sometimes in according to how Thorn described but overall this was a cute read for sure. Thank you to the publisher and the author for allowing me an ARC copy!

Thorn Scarhart wants a husband. Now, on the cusp of 40 in the 17th century, she believes her only recourse is to perfect the "Forever True Love" brew her mother was working on before she passed. Only, instead of a love potion, she seems to have made a Time Travel one. Now, along with her familiar (ahem - overlord) Bandit, and an annoying customer-turned-frog, Thorn is figuring out her way in the 21st century. Which isn't so bad when one considers electric kettles and dating apps exist. This story was so incredibly fun, not to mention funny. Thorn's desire for companionship and love is so relatable, that you feel for her as she bungles her way through encounters. Past experiences have made her think she needs to change who she is in order to obtain someone's affection. Overall, it got a little disjointed towards the End, but I enjoyed the self-awareness in Thorn's actions. Fitting with her character arc, she takes control of her narrative and acts in a way that helps her grow as a person beyond her original desires to just be wanted. Thorn made me cackle like a witch myself with all her quips and observations on present day. (Just wait for her thoughts on pugs!) I adored how strong and matter-of-fact she is. As a 17th century witch, she could easily have become a caricature of a character in the anachronistic setting, but no, Thorn thrives, while still retaining the sense of ingenue.

A charming witchy romance that is perfect for cozy fantasy fans!

Thorn is a 39 year old witch that has been working on her forever true love potion for years; when she finally gets close to perfecting it, her spell backfires and sends her 300 years into the future...into our modern day. The story follows Thorn as she learns to navigate the modern world, searches for true love, and uncovers secrets of her past.

This book was the perfect cozy, witchy romance! Thorn and her love interest were so charming, and I found it hilarious to watch Thorn try and navigate the modern dating world. I also loved that this book was clean (no smut that comes out of nowhere lacking any sort of plot development), and the 2 main characters were the perfect example of a healthy relationship.

I really loved this book and would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a light, romantic and comedic read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Saga Press for providing this charming arc in exchange for an honest review!

I LOVED this book. It was funny and different and just plain silly. It was such a fun twist on the romance genre and the paranormal witchy genre. I highly highly recommend this book. It was a fun and fast read that kept me engaged all the way through.

Oh wow! How fun. I went into this totally blind, so I had no clue what was happening. I highly recommend doing that if you can.
Thorn, single and looking for love in the 1600 is thrust into the future with her cat. I mean, how you can not just be completely entertained by this.
It was cozy, funny and just a great read. I’ll definitely be rereading this one at Halloween and telling all my friends.
Thank you .

Thank you to NetGalley, Saga Press and S&S for providing this book, with my honest review below.

An Ancient Witch’s Guide to Modern Dating had a great hook with the idea of an on the shelf spinster witch suddenly time jumping to modern times. Thorn, our witch, has tried everything to couple up in her own time, a passed down obsession from her mother, and while she’s not been successful (to humorous ends) beneath the surface of her shenanigans it’s clear that her obsession is also meant to distract her from her beloved sister, Rose, not being in her life due to a traumatic event.

In modern day things get even funnier as Thorn tries to assimilate, find a love interest, and keep her (talking) cat and (cursed) frog that came with her happy. Thorn has the help of Meg and her brother Walls, and the plot takes some fun turns as Thorn finds out she’s not the only witch present though the other one doesn’t have the best intentions. The story is sweet and surprisingly emotional, funny and more adventurous than you might think. Definitely one to pick up and I hope we continue to follow certain characters to learn more!

I really enjoyed this book! It was a different spin on a witchy read, and as a cat lady, I absolutely loved how big of a role the cats had in the story. Thorn was such a strong character—despite being haunted by her past, she never let it stop her. The time travel aspect added a unique twist, making it feel like a modern historical witchy romance. With a great plot and an amazing cast of characters, this was such a fun and cozy read! If you love magical stories with a bit of romance, definitely check this one out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cecilia Edward for the opportunity to read this ARC. An Ancient Witch’s Guide to Modern Dating releases on July 1, 2025!

Thank you so much to Saga Press, Cecilia Edward, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is marketed as a must-read for people who loved A Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna and The Ex-Hex by Erin Sterling and I think that is the perfect way to describe what this book was like. I love books about witches because they always have such a great atmosphere and Cecilia Edward's perfectly encapsulates that exact vibe.

This book is about 39-year-old Thorn Scarhart while she is struggling to come to terms with still being single at her age. She decides to create a more powerful love potion than the ones she tried to test before and ends up hurtling herself 350 years into the future. Watching Thorn try to navigate the modern world was absolutely hilarious. I genuinely had moments where I had to smack my forehead because of the silly things Thorn was doing. I did think there were some elements I did not totally love, like the jokes about Thorn's age. Because personally to me 40 is really not that old and it's not all that shocking that a 40-year-old could still be single in our day and age.

I think the timing of this books release is absolutely perfect. Around July is right when I start craving all the spooky, cozy, witchy books and I begin creating my TBR for the autumn. I think this will be a very fun very cozy book for people to read when they are craving a witchy book!

3.75/5 stars

This story was in parts cozy, hilarious and heartwarming. We meet Thorn, a 39-year-old witch from the 1600s who travels through time to modern day, in search of love. She embarks on her new adventure with her sassy little cat, Bandit. It was really fun seeing Thorn's interactions with the modern world, the ultimate "culture shock" in my opinion. I love reading books that feel like a hug. Thank you so much to Saga Press Books & NetGalley for the ARC. Please pick this up when it publishes July 01, 2025!

This was a really fun book. It was genuinely funny, making me laugh out loud at points. The premise and the narrative were delightfully absurd, tongue in cheek from page one. Thorn — a witch who’s still plagued by the normal aches of turning forty — was such a relatable, loveable main character. The side characters were phenomenal and really rounded out the story.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Saga Press/S&S, and author Cecilia Edward for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is July 1, 2025!

I LOVED the premise of this book - A witch from the 1600s who time-travels to the present day in search of love? And she can talk to cats? Sign me up!

Thorn, a 39-year-old witch, embarks on an incredible adventure with her sassy and adorable cat, Bandit. This was such a cozy and magical read. I can easily see it being the perfect book to curl up with around Halloween.

I rated this book 3.75/5 stars, rounded up to 4. The first few chapters started off a bit slow, and the world-building was a little confusing at first, but once the story picked up, it became much more engaging. Some of the plot twists were predictable, but they still kept the story interesting. One of my favorite elements was Thorn’s potions and magic. It made the story so intriguing, and I loved how they played a role in her journey.

Her love interests were… interesting, to say the least. Without giving anything away, let’s just say there were moments that had me raising an eyebrow and others that had me completely invested. But beyond the romance, what truly made this book special was the sense of found family. Thorn discovers a wonderful community that accepts her for who she is, helping her grow in confidence and learn to love herself. That emotional depth added so much warmth to the story.

The descriptive writing made it feel like I was right there in Thorn’s cozy cottage, experiencing the magic alongside her. There were moments that broke my heart for Thorn, especially regarding her family history, and others that made me laugh out loud—particularly a certain frog (but you’ll have to read to find out!).

I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of romance, fantasy, and magical realism! Great job to the author on this one!

Thorn and her sister, Rose, have watched their mother's struggles with love, which affects them deeply. Through a series of unfortunate accidents, Thorn finds herself transported to the 20th century - 350 years out of time - and thrust into a modern-day adventure. She finds that she actually likes it! There are wonderful new inventions, plus a plethora of single men interested in dating and potentially more. When she starts remembering things from her past, a mystery arises and places her and her loved ones in danger. This is a fun, light-hearted novel that manages to also tackle some bigger issues. It's a new, wonderful twist on the romcom!