Okay this was so darn cute. I didn’t know what to fully expect when I started reading but I finished this having really loving it. There were moments of it being a cozy fantasy but then deeper meaning and moments where it was quite emotional.

Our main character Violet being raised as essentially a villain with a whole redemption arc? Loved it. This has some deep and emotional moments with her character arc and development throughout the book. How she made some dark mistakes in the past and how she is growing/ changing to where she can and wants to be now.

Watching the FMC and MMC fall in love was a chefs kiss. It didn’t feel rushed or pushed. I was rooting for them and kicking my feet. There was the second chance/ redemption of Violet’s life and heading into a found family and I ate it up.

I also can’t believe this is a debut! I can’t wait to see what the author has in store because this is definitely a book (and author) you won’t want to miss a read from.

This was the cutest read!! I absolutely fell in love with this book from the first chapter!! A very powerful botany/plant witch and a grumpy alchemist come together to solve the magical plague that is plaguing their town!

This is a cute and cozy debut fantasy that will have you curled up reading into the late hours of the night! the world created by Krempholtz is immersive and makes you truly feel like you are there right along side the characters!!

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the very definition of cozy fantasy! If you're looking for your next bookish escape from the real world, this one is perfect, with a swoon-worthy romance and beautiful writing.

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for the eARC!

What an addictive and immersive debut! ‘Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore’ is the true epitome of a cozy romance.

Her whole life, Violet Thistlewaite has been the Thornwitch — a villainous plant witch and the right-hand to an evil sorcerer. After this sorcerer dies, Violet decides that it’s the perfect time to start over and open a flower shop.

In the cozy small town of Dragon’s Rest, Violet quickly meets grumpy alchemist Nathaniel Marsh, who she’s sharing a greenhouse with. As they learn to work together and send each other messages via the A-frame chalkboard signs outside their stores, feelings begin to blossom. With dark magic and the threat of her identity being revealed looming in the background, can Violet and Nathaniel save their community?

I adored that this book did feel incredibly cozy and like a warm hug, but there was also a ton of suspense and conflict. I know some cozy fantasies can sometimes feel plotless or boring, but this was unputdownable. It was beautiful to see how Violet and Nathaniel worked through their past trauma.

Krempholtz has built a world that is full of so much whimsy and depth, you’ll want to live in it forever.

Things that you’ll love:
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Forced Proximity
- Small town coziness
- Redemption arc
- A hilarious knife-obsessed sentient plant
- An adorable adopted dog named Daisy

I will be shouting my praises for this book from the rooftops until it is released in November.

“Violet Thistlewaite, never doubt that you are a thousand times better than anything I have ever dared imagine for myself.”

** spoiler alert ** Enjoyable cozy fantasy romance AND ALSO and EXCELLENT book for bibliotherapy and recommending to people who are working through big things and past trauma but looking for fictional escapes to gentle support them. Also great to helping people without a history of emotional abuse see a bit of how it can impact people in relationships and recovery.

Thank you Emily, Ace, and NetGalley for this ARC!

The first thing that drew me to this book was the beautiful cover, then I read the premise and knew it was just what I was in the mood for.
Who doesn’t love a good second chance/redemption story?

From a person who is currently in her reading villain era, I loved loved LOVED this book. Violet was a product of her environment. She was raised to be a villain, and gets a second chance to start over. While touching on darker themes, this book still gives off a lighter cozy feel which I love. The redemption ARC was endearing, highlighting the struggles of learning what it means to be good. Violet was charming and I really enjoyed reading her growth throughout this story. The tension and chemistry between Violet and Nathaniel was sizzling. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more from Emily!

𝓣𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓥𝓲𝓫𝓮𝓼:
✨ Cozy Fantasy Romance
✨ Small-Town Witch
✨ Villain Redemption ARC
✨ Only One (b̶e̶d̶) Greenhouse
✨ Found Family
✨ Plant Witch x Alchemist
✨ A Mildly Homicidal Sentient Houseplant
✨ Grumpy x Sunshine

I expected to like this book based on the cover and title alone, but I LOVED this book. It was such a unique premise, a cute little twist at the end, and exactly what you want from a cozy fantasy romance.

Violet was the villainous Thornwitch (plant magic) all her life and the right hand power behind a bigger villain who would steal mages and destroy whole villages. So when he is defeated, and she is given the opportunity to start over, she decides to go to the neighboring town and open a flower shop.

Between cute familiars like Peri the rock golem, Bartleby the homicidal plans, and Daisy the energetic dog; a grumpy sexy neighbor; and a former villainous colleague taking up residence, Violet has a lot on her plate trying to be <i><b>good</b></i>.

I absolutely loved loved loved Emily's writing style and the realistic way Violet and Nathaniel fall in love and work through their past traumas. I saw a post somewhere that mentioned everyone gets trauma and they were not kidding, but it really is about finding your family and having the opportunity for a second chance (even villains).

Disclaimer: In real life, I don't believe in this message, but in this book I absolutely do.

Quotes:

"Having a landlord, Violet was beginning to discover, was a lot like working for an evil sorcerer."

"Whether or not the blame is earned, we wear it."

"You can long for something all you want, but you'll never unlock the door if you're too afraid to turn the key."

"The brightest constellations shine not from a single star, but many."

𝟒.𝟓⭐

Thank you Emily Krempholtz and Ace Books for the ARC!

𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐈𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐕𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 is about a powerful plant witch and a grumpy alchemist must work together to save their quiet town from a magical plague in this debut cozy fantasy romance about starting over, redemption, and what it really means to be a good person.

This is a cosy fantasy and debut by the author and it did not feel like one. This book reminded me upon trh usage of the Villain of Assistant to the Villain, which is like two sides of the a coin.

The cosy atmosphere of this world was immersive and the town of Dragon's Rest and its townspeople were friendly, and their way of welcoming Violet into their found family was very lovely to read about.

The magic was fun and quirky and so were the characters. They all the had distinct personalities and presence in the book --- each of them setting up an arc in the book. They were not limited to humans, but also other magical creatures.

This book is more than a cosy fantasy romance. There are so many dark themes and trauma that is a result of those actions that were dealt here. She learns to make friends, learns about her magic and then fall in love. Violet learns to fight the evil together with Nathaniel which was fulfilling her character arc from a villain to a saviour.

Nathaniel and Violet's chemistry was sizzling and worked really well with their situation. The forced proximity did WONDERS to them and I loved and enjoyed how they overcame their anxieties, fears and harsh truths.

The overall message of this book is quite heavy when inspected further and it is very meaningful. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend to fans of Assistant to the Villain and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries!

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒄𝒐𝒑𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒚 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘.

This was a delightful cozy romantacy, that worked through character growth in a very gently way with limited angst.

Violet was raised to be a villian. Guy shadowfade, the man who raised her, is dead and she has the chance to start over anew. She has always wanted to own a flower shop.
Nathaniel Marsh is an alchemist who is running his family’s apothecary shop. His parents are dead. His sister lives there but doesn’t really have an interest in the shop. They are behind on their mortgage and the ship isn’t doing well. They are forced to rent half the rooms and half the shop in order to save money. Violet is their new tenant. Nathaniel is less than welcoming. He doesn’t want her there and he doesn’t do anything to hide his feelings. They are both keeping secrets about their pasts. They are both haunted by the mistakes of their pasts. Violet doesn’t want to be a villian. She wants to be good. Nathaniel wants to honor his parents and keep the shop as they had it even though he doesn’t really like being an apothecary.
Violet and Nathaniel keep running into each other and they begin to let the walls come down.

The beautiful cover drew me in. I was further entranced when I found out this was a cozy fantasy featuring a former villainess choosing to start over and open a flower shop next to a grumpy man who runs an apothecary. I enjoyed this book. It has dark moments but it is still a cozy fantasy. This is the authors first book and I am excited to see more from her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing me the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m just going to say it so no one can be disappointed when they start reading it. You are going to enjoy this book if you don’t compare it to The Spellshop. It may have the same vibes, but it’s totally different. It’s more of a cozy romance fantasy book than a cozy fantasy book. Let me explain.

This book focuses more on Violet Thistlewaite starting her life again. Violet isn’t the villain anymore, even though it’s hard to stop her villain thoughts. Thank goodness, Violet has to focus on opening her flower. She is beyond excited to open a flower shop, even if she has to deal with the cute yet grumpy alchemist, Nathaniel. 

You know I love a grumpy sunshine romance trope. And these two, Violet and Nathaniel, are grumpy sunshine trope coded, especially when they have to work together to save their quiet town. Yes, you heard it. Violet and Nathaniel have to spend time together, so we have a forced proximity trope as well. Perfect combination for a cozy romance fantasy read.

I thought this was a lot of fun to read. It’s interesting and entertaining for sure. It’s a bit of a surface level look at how you might change your life after being a villain instead of dealing with any deeper issues of it all, but it is a kind of cozy fantasy, so wasn’t necessarily expecting too deep of a sociological and psychological analysis. I do wish Violet had a little more bite as opposed to seeming entirely sweet but with a hidden temper.
The romance is well done, the supporting characters are all delightful and ultimately this is just an entertaining book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the arc.

What a delightfully fierce hug of a book! I was hooked from the opening line (seriously, I screenshotted it and sent it to a few friends immediately). In this cozy, richly detailed debut from Emily, VIOLET THISTLEWAITE IS NOT A VILLAIN ANYMORE explores what it means to be good when you’ve done some awful things but want to change. The novel deals with some dark subjects, yes, but it’s all within the coziness of humor and redemption.

The plant magic that infuses the book is gorgeously detailed (and also wickedly funny - who doesn’t love a murderous plant fond of stealing sharp objects?) and builds on itself as the plot unspools. There are twists and turns, well-placed red herrings, and surprises that kept me turning page after page.

As for the romance, I will always be here for grumpy vs sunshine. And when sunshine is a recovering villain who just wants to create beautiful flowers and put her past behind her? Yes please! I adored the slow burn of Nathaniel opening up his broody heart to Violet, and the dueling shop signs had me grinning like an idiot as I read.

With a gorgeous allegory of an ending, Violet Thistlewaite will make a perfect fall read cozied up with a steaming mug of tea when it releases November 18th!

This is a cozy fantasy romance with plenty of magic. Violet comes to Dragon’s Glen after her evil mentor, Guy Shadowfade was killed. When she lived at his castle, she was known there as the Thornwitch where she used magic to grow dangerous poisonous plants. Now she is free to start over and she wants to grow beautiful flowers to sell in a flower shop. She rents half of a greenhouse from twins, Prudence (Pru) and Nathaniel.

Nathaniel is a grumpy alchemist who returned home to help his sister with their family’s apothecary shop only to find they have bank debts and he's is trying to find a way to make the shop profitable. He and Violet bicker with each other about clearing out clutter and sharing their space in the greenhouse, but their bickering quickly turns to attraction.

The townspeople are friendly and quirky and I loved that they welcomed Violet into their found family. There are delightful characters like Pru, who plays the violin and shares stories about old legends and Peri, a dog-like rock goblin who is obsessed with Pru and her music. Violet also has a special plant she has to keep all sharp objects away from. She is excited to grow flowers and surround herself with blooms but someone from her past appears at her door to cause her trouble. When Violet and Nathaniel realize a blight is threatening their village, they decide to work together to uncover the mystery of what evil magic is causing it. As they work together, they grow closer. There was a moment towards the end, where I wasn’t exactly sure what was happening, but I went along with it and enjoyed the surprising twists and turns in the story.

I'm happy I got to read this magical cozy fantasy romance and hope there will be another story to follow. This was 4 and 1/2 stars and I rounded up because of the beautiful cover. Thanks to the author, Ace and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. My full review will be at All About Romance closer to the release date.

4.5 stars

I think that maybe I just really love plants, but this was incredible! I mean, how else am I supposed to react to Bartleby the murderous pothos??? I was side-eyeing my own pothos the entire time, making sure that it wasn't taking notes and snatching up my scissors...

But no, in all seriousness, this was a delightful read. I'm not sure if I'd describe it as cozy so much as warm, but it was incredible all the same. I loved the descriptions of Violet and Nathaniel's shops, there's just something about potion-crafting and plants that's so whimsical. With that being said, though, I do wish we'd gotten to see a bit more of the townspeople. One of the best things about cozy fantasies is the side characters, so I'm disappointed we only unlocked a few of them. It does seem like there's potential for spinoffs in the same world, though, so my hopes haven't been entirely dashed. Fingers crossed!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and while I don't see myself rereading it, I do see myself jumping at the chance to continue exploring this world.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Overall, I think this was a decently solid debut. The first maybe 10-15% really had me hooked. Violet is a character that is trying so, so hard to hide her past as a villain and start over, do something for herself for once. I really appreciated her growth and her interactions with the varied townsfolk. And, initially, I did like the butting heads between Violet and Nathaniel. Nathaniel, as a character, was also really compelling. I liked seeing his struggle with his own guilt and anxiety, as well as his suppression of his own wants re: his job.

I think where I struggled beside some pacing issues was that there was a moment where it sort of felt like the initial tension between Nathaniel and Violet just... went away. Without any sort of work being done by either character. It almost felt like there was a scene missing because of how abrupt it felt to me. I would have appreciated if Nathaniel had kept kept up his distrust of Violet just a bit more into the book rather than just the pretense of it. It would have made later plot points and dramatic moments actually hit the way they were intended to, rather than falling a bit flat. And, really, this was just on Nathaniel's side of things because Violet's progression from being annoyed by him and his prickliness to seeing through to the softness underneath felt much more natural, I think.

While the writing, too, was mostly quite good, I do think the author had a tendency to rely a bit too much on metaphors back-t0-back. It wasn't to the point of them clashing in the same sentence, but they did settle a bit heavy in multiple paragraphs in a way that did get a bit tiring to read after awhile.

That being said, I see a lot of promise with this author and I think a lot of people are going to really, really enjoy this debut. Especially because Violet IS a villain and her journey to finding peace with herself is, I think, really quite well done. I just wish that the romance had hit a bit better for me because the characters were really quite vibrant.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I rounded this up to a 4! I don't usually enjoy books like this BUT I wanted to give them another shot and the title and cover were too cute to pass off. Violet being a villain, raised to me so is a trope I've seen before, but Krempholtz did a good job at not letting that trope not feel overdone.

It's a good book, even though Violet has done some dark things.

It's a cozy fantasy that does not feel TOO cozy that it almost feels like there's no plot.

📖 Book Review 📖 Emily Krempholtz puts a whole new magical spin on the notion of a green thumb in Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore. Violet Thistlewaite has spent her life using her powers for evil but like a true Scarlett O’Hara of the fantasy world, she is doing her best to turn over a new leaf. “Tomorrow, she promised herself. Tomorrow she would try again.” Tomorrows may be a little easier with some new friendly faces in this little town.. and more trying with her grumpy landlord Nathan. Emily Krempholtz creates a mystical world in Dragon’s Rest that is surprisingly relatable (though working through trauma might be amplified with supernatural proclivities). As both Violet and Nathan struggle to break free from turbulent pasts and impending threats, they might just be each other’s saving grace. Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore beautifully blends a cozy mystery, a fantastical world, generational trauma, found family, and love in the perfect blend to create a most delightful elixir for our reading pleasure.

I requested this book after seeing the cover and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT. This was a wonderful cross between Assistant to the Villan and The Spellshop, both of which I loved. Magic, good villains, small town communities, sentient plants, romance and spice, and delightful pastries. What's not to love?! Thank you so much for this ARC - this was exactly what I was hoping for. Me thinks there will be a sequel!

I am a SUCKER for characters on any kind of redemption arc, and Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore is exactly the book for me! A delightfully cozy fantasy that explores redemption, second chances, and the struggle to rewrite your own story. Snatched as a child and raised to be a villain, Violet never truly wanted to be one—but what happens when the world only knows you as "Thornwitch, bane of all existence"? Now free, she’s determined to be good, settling into the quaint town of Dragon’s Rest to pursue her dream of running a flower shop. Along the way, she meets Nathaniel, a grumpy alchemist with his own regrets, and together they navigate personal growth, a magical plague, and their undeniable connection. The vivid worldbuilding, complete with three moons, quirky townsfolk, a sentient houseplant that loves sharp objects, and a rock goblin named Peri, adds warmth and whimsy to this heartfelt tale. If you’ve ever wondered what happens to someone after being labeled the villain, this book delivers a charming, hopeful answer.