Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Payback's a Witch

Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper

45 reviews

readwithria's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Payback’s A Witch is an interesting book, and a fun read, but the world building is a little weird. Allow me to explain…

The small Illinois town of Thistle Grove makes almost no sense to me. There are mansions, and giant private estates, and a whole medieval castle, all in a small town that also has regular people living in it? There’s haunted woods, two orchards - how does all of this fit in a small town that also has regular businesses, a high school, and regular people living in it?

All of the town layout conundrums aside, I had a fun time reading this. It was silly and low stakes, and easy to consume.

That being said, I didn’t believe all of the character relationships or the plot setup. Why does Emmy still care about a breakup from nearly ten years ago? What do Emmy and Talia have in common? Why does the competition have to happen? None of this is ever really explained. People even point these things out in the book, and they’re just kinda brushed off as “the way it is”

Is this book fun? Yes. Is it super groundbreaking or impactful? Not in my opinion. 3 stars.

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wardenred's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Because that’s what it means to be a Harlow, my Emmy. Thistle Grove is where we become who we are. Which means that no matter where you turn, where you visit or escape to, this will always be the place that calls you back.

Stories about characters going back to the hometowns they’ve left behind under suitably dramatic circumstances are my jam. It’s one of those tropes that immediately spikes my interest. And when it’s also enmeshed with witchiness and a big magical competition? Plus women bonding over a revenge against a shitty shared ex? Can’t pass that by.

Funnily enough, the magical competition turned out to be the part of the story that I most wanted to skim. It wasn’t bad exactly, there were some fun moments, but the magic often felt over-the-top and kind of cartoonish (while outside of the competition scenes there was a really cool witchy vibe). Ultimately, it felt like a plot device to lure Emmy back to Thistle Grove and not a central plotline. The revenge subplot also fell flat to me: the horrible ex just seemed so insignificant and uninteresting as a person. I could barely figure out how he managed to charm those three awesome female characters in the first place. I guess with Emmy it made sense because she was a teen back then, but with Linden and Talia? Come on, they should have known they deserved better.

Everything else about the book, though, I absolutely dig. The homecoming trope was done so right. I adored Emmy and Talia’s romance, how they sort of circled each other in smaller and smaller circles, the kiss in the haunted woods, the sushi date, the tattoo talk—everything. These two had such awesome chemistry! And then there were all the other relationships, like Emmy and Linden’s friendship, and how they addressed the issues between them and reaffirmed their bond throughout the book. And also Emmy’s reconnection with her family, especially her Mom—there was a scene in the latter half of the novel that made me tear up a little because of all the love and acceptance.

I also really enjoyed that while Emmy did miss a lot of things about her hometown and the magic permeating it, she was also quite happy with the life she’d built for herself in Chicago and her job there. It made the choice she had to make so much more meaningful. And while I’m listing off all the positives, I may as well mention all the awesome descriptions: a masterclass in engaging all the senses, truly, and such a great, grounding sense of place throughout.

I don’t re-read books often (there are just so many of them! And only 24 hours in every day, how is that fair???), but I might make an exception and pick this one again around Halloween sometime. It’s made for that spooky season.

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bookishlucy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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

3.75

This was a really enjoyable read! I enjoyed the set-up and the competition of the Gauntlet.
I felt like the parts actually taking place during the competition were really short though. I wish they lasted a little longer than usually just a chapter.
I also think the reason Emmy left Thistle Grove was a bit weak. Especially because she left for 9 years and never even visited. Not even for birthdays or holidays.
I still enjoyed the relationship between Talia and Emmy. And I really liked the friendship between Linden and Emmy.
I did have patches of the book where I had trouble visualizing the story but I'll still be checking out the next book in the series!

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bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

4.0

“Places from the past are usually much smaller than you remember when you return to them years later, shocked that they'd ever managed to command so much space in your brain at all.”

➽ Payback's a Witch is a cute paranormal, witchy Romance! The story follows Emmy Harlow, who left behind her hometown Thistle Grove 9 years ago, but now has to come back for a magical competition. I really liked the small-town setting and the way magic worked! Instead of being innate, magic is tied to Thistle Grove, meaning that Emmy lost her magic when she was away in Chicago. There are several founding families and each has their speciality. The Thorns are best at life magic/healing, the Avramovs at necromancy and the Blackmoores have the most powerful magic. I liked the political dynamics between the families and the implications of the monopoly the Blackmoores have on magic. They're slowly driving away business from the others and trying to be everything for the town.

➽ Emmy deals with a lot of insecurity and complicated feelings towards her home and her magic. Her family barely has enough magic to cast spells and is mostly there to chronicle the lore and history of the town. Therefore, she has dealt with some bitterness toward the other families for having much more magic. I liked how the story explored her reluctance to see Thistle Grove as home and not a stifling obligation to her family. She's been away for a long time and didn't realize how much it hurt her parents and her best friend Linden. I liked seeing her rekindle these relationships! Her ex Gareth Blackmoore is the one who drove her away, so I loved the pact Linden, Emmy and Natalia made against him! They each have been used by him, so they're no longer willing to let him and his family walk over everyone.

➽ I loved the witchy vibes, the romance and the tournament! Emmy's falling for her co-conspirator Natalia, a strong-willed woman with dark humor from the Avramov clan. Their romance was sweet and I thought they had great chemistry! Their conflicts were very realistic, as both of them have very different views of the town. I liked how Emmy came to terms with her own complicated feelings in the end and how her change of heart wasn't only about Natalia.

Emmy finds out her family has a bigger role than she thought. They are conduits/filters for the magic in Thistle Grove, so that's why they can't do any big spells themselves. Knowing that really helped her feel more powerful and like her family has a purpose in town!

I also appreciated that while Gareth was the catalyst for the plot, he didn't take over the story. Natalia, Emmy and Linden forged their own paths and built their futures without him!

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raptorq's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

5 stars for this wonderfully witchy book! Reading about Emmy Harlow’s return to Thistle Grove was magical, reading about why she left made me mad, and reading about what happens after her return had me smiling.

All the different relationships between the characters was lovely and angering at the same time. Some people were good and kind, others were complicated, and some were just the worst and I loved to hate them!

I can’t wait to continue with this series!

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cecetomas's review against another edition

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adventurous funny 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

3.75

This was a really fun October read. The reviews talking about it being a Triwizard Tournament are totally right but I actually enjoyed that a lot.

I liked the character dynamics a lot- they were complex and evolved well without being too intense or heavy, especially between Emmy and Linden. Seeing platonic friendship be just as, if not more, important than romantic relationships is really valuable and something that I don't think gets enough attention.

Garrett being an important part of Emmy's backstory but not a main character or part of her growth made me really happy. Given that the book is a sapphic story, I liked that her story didn't hinge on a man.

The writing felt a little juvenile and I wish there was more intricate imagery but generally I would recommend as a fun festive read.

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augustar14's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

fionamatilda's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

bzliz's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is a cute, harmless modern fantasy with a witchy side of queer love. It wasn’t groundbreaking by any means but I enjoyed it well enough to continue the series.

Our main character Emmy is returning to Thistle Grove to be the Arbiter of the Gauntlet- a 3 event magic tournament of the other 3 founding families of the town. Her ex-boyfriend’s casual dismissal of her family led to her fleeing town as soon as she was able, forsaking magic to build a life of her own in Chicago. In the mean time, he has managed to burn her best friend and the sexy wild card which leads to a plot for revenge to ensure his family loses the tournament.

The romance was cute but overall the less interesting part of the book. A lot of their chemistry felt heavy handed and Talia didn’t feel like a real person to me. Their blow-up didn’t feel warranted and felt manufactured.

I preferred seeing Emmy’s personal growth as she learns that she can still love her town and she doesn’t have to change everything about herself because of Gareth’s past actions. I would have like to see more of the families interacting; it seems like most of them want to follow tradition even though it has always been weighted heavily in favor of one family in particular. I kept thinking of it like generational wealth: of course the family who has “earned” some extra luck and magic over the past several generations keeps winning their little tournament at the expense of the other families.

Content warnings:
Cursing (on page):

I don’t usually tag this but the cursing in this was so prolific that it feels worth mentioning. Hardly a page goes by without a curse or three to spice it up.

Sexual content (on page/fade to black):

There’s a make out scene in the woods that gets stopped by spirits. Further sexual situations including chest touching but anything spicier fades to black.

Alcohol (on page):

A few bar scenes and a party in the woods, plus alcohol at functions. Emmy has a hangover in one scene.

Infidelity (off page):

Prior to the start of the book, Gareth is seeing Lin while hooking up with Talia. Talia feels betrayed because she thought they were exclusive and Lin felt betrayed because she thought they were falling in love.

Content Warnings

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