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melinda55's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sarakfarns's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
bibi_reads_writes's review
3.0
Note: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for honest feedback.
2.5⭐ rounded up to 3. Small-town romance, boy next door, life after loss, whimsy and witchy, first love… I really wanted to like this one. However, I really struggled to finish it. To sum it up in 3 words: sweet but plain. I think it had tremendous potential, but too many things got on my nerves. I love a feel-good book, but this one failed to make me feel good due to the rather unpleasant characters.
❤️ Easy, cozy read with a witchy feel
❤️ Sassy sentient house
❤️ Gardening and plant love
❌ Love interest impossible to root for
❌ 25-year-old FMC that feels and sounds like a teenager
❌ Very predictable
❌ Too long and repetitive
Trigger Warnings: death of a parent, grief, miscarriage, heart attack.
Plot:
After being on the road since birth, Mattie returns to her hometown following her mother’s sudden death. But Ivy Ridge doesn’t feel like her home, so Mattie plans on leaving right after the funeral to continue travelling. However, to claim her inheritance and buy the art gallery she sets her heart on, she needs to complete seven tasks in Ivy Ridge. She begrudgingly undertakes the tasks, making friends, finding her birth father, setting down roots, and meeting up with her first love along the way.
I liked the plot, with the quest / tasks and the parallel romance, but there were simply too many irritants, especially when it came to the characters. I wasn’t even remotely surprised by any of the plot twists. The fantasy elements didn’t feel as whimsy as I had hoped—too much and not enough at the same time. The random songs got on my nerves at some point. The plot also felt too slow, then too rushed.
Characters:
It was very hard for me to feel involved, and it’s mostly because of the characters. I didn’t feel any attachment for any of them, except maybe Penelope and Stephen. Some were so stereotyped (Mattie is *not like the other girls*!) or exaggerated (such as Sophia and that girl from the nursery whose name I’ve already forgotten) I cringed a few times. Mattie felt like a 16-year-old who had a very toxic relationship with her selfish and manipulative mother. She was so clueless and annoyed me to no end. Jonathan sounded like a jerk, and his character development didn’t make him a more interesting love interest. So, it’s hard to enjoy romance about two characters you don’t like.
Writing:
The writing wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. It felt plain and repetitive. I couldn’t find a quote to add to my review, like I usually do, so I guess that says a lot… (And for the love of God, when adding words or sentences in another language, it’s basic writing rigor to make sure the spelling is correct!)
Audiobook:
The voice actor was wonderful! Loved the narrating.
Follow me on Instagram: @bibi.reads.writes
2.5⭐ rounded up to 3. Small-town romance, boy next door, life after loss, whimsy and witchy, first love… I really wanted to like this one. However, I really struggled to finish it. To sum it up in 3 words: sweet but plain. I think it had tremendous potential, but too many things got on my nerves. I love a feel-good book, but this one failed to make me feel good due to the rather unpleasant characters.
❤️ Easy, cozy read with a witchy feel
❤️ Sassy sentient house
❤️ Gardening and plant love
❌ Love interest impossible to root for
❌ 25-year-old FMC that feels and sounds like a teenager
❌ Very predictable
❌ Too long and repetitive
Trigger Warnings: death of a parent, grief, miscarriage, heart attack.
Plot:
After being on the road since birth, Mattie returns to her hometown following her mother’s sudden death. But Ivy Ridge doesn’t feel like her home, so Mattie plans on leaving right after the funeral to continue travelling. However, to claim her inheritance and buy the art gallery she sets her heart on, she needs to complete seven tasks in Ivy Ridge. She begrudgingly undertakes the tasks, making friends, finding her birth father, setting down roots, and meeting up with her first love along the way.
I liked the plot, with the quest / tasks and the parallel romance, but there were simply too many irritants, especially when it came to the characters. I wasn’t even remotely surprised by any of the plot twists. The fantasy elements didn’t feel as whimsy as I had hoped—too much and not enough at the same time. The random songs got on my nerves at some point. The plot also felt too slow, then too rushed.
Characters:
It was very hard for me to feel involved, and it’s mostly because of the characters. I didn’t feel any attachment for any of them, except maybe Penelope and Stephen. Some were so stereotyped (Mattie is *not like the other girls*!) or exaggerated (such as Sophia and that girl from the nursery whose name I’ve already forgotten) I cringed a few times. Mattie felt like a 16-year-old who had a very toxic relationship with her selfish and manipulative mother. She was so clueless and annoyed me to no end. Jonathan sounded like a jerk, and his character development didn’t make him a more interesting love interest. So, it’s hard to enjoy romance about two characters you don’t like.
Writing:
The writing wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. It felt plain and repetitive. I couldn’t find a quote to add to my review, like I usually do, so I guess that says a lot… (And for the love of God, when adding words or sentences in another language, it’s basic writing rigor to make sure the spelling is correct!)
Audiobook:
The voice actor was wonderful! Loved the narrating.
Follow me on Instagram: @bibi.reads.writes
memmanemma's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
carriecart's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
tneumann's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
2.75
I kept checking if this was a YA book, because the characters, the writing, the plot, it was all so surface level and juvenile. Lots of potential - always a fan of magical realism and whimsy - but I was not invested in any of it, which made the story feel quite slow.
The story would have benefited more from showing instead of telling, and the character’s growth just felt unearned. Better storytelling would have kept my interest better, even with the story being very predictable.
It was cute, it was fine. Not a lot of depth, very Hallmark movie.
The story would have benefited more from showing instead of telling, and the character’s growth just felt unearned. Better storytelling would have kept my interest better, even with the story being very predictable.
It was cute, it was fine. Not a lot of depth, very Hallmark movie.
hsumanityreads's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This book was sweet and cute with some magical house vibes (I love a house with a personality!) and a couple of romance plot lines. I felt a lack of interest for a little too long at the beginning, and the POV jumping confused me at first between Maddie and Penelope. All in all, cute idea, less than excellent execution?? I wanted the magic and feelings of Sarah Addison Allen and it missed those.
melissaw12's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0