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aytac's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Car accident, Sexual content, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
morebedsidebooks's review
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Grief, Cursing, Death of parent, Murder, and Car accident
trussell12's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
3.75
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book
I really enjoyed this book! I didn’t know much about other than what I learned from the synopsis. Within the first few chapters I was absolutely hooked!
I was expecting it to be cozy romance; which it absolutely was. However, the plot twist took me a little by surprise; it was a great addition. I will admit some of plot was a bit predictable but it absolutely did not take away from my enjoyment.
My favorite thing about this book is the diversity and representation. There’s so much of it ! And it does not seem force! I like that the author chose to include several different racial, gender, and lgbtq+ identities. All the characters were really well written and nicely flushed out. Quinn and Rhia were some of my favorite characters; mostly because I could relate to them.
If you love books about witches and romance, this is definitely the book for you!
I really enjoyed this book! I didn’t know much about other than what I learned from the synopsis. Within the first few chapters I was absolutely hooked!
I was expecting it to be cozy romance; which it absolutely was. However, the plot twist took me a little by surprise; it was a great addition. I will admit some of plot was a bit predictable but it absolutely did not take away from my enjoyment.
My favorite thing about this book is the diversity and representation. There’s so much of it ! And it does not seem force! I like that the author chose to include several different racial, gender, and lgbtq+ identities. All the characters were really well written and nicely flushed out. Quinn and Rhia were some of my favorite characters; mostly because I could relate to them.
If you love books about witches and romance, this is definitely the book for you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Cursing, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident
smartie_chan's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.0
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4 / 5 Stars
CW: Mentions of Past Car Accident, Mentions of Drowning, Mentions of Past Burning Alive, Grief, Mentions Of Past Character Death, Mentions of Murder
It's funny to me how, some people will complain when young folks don't speak & sound like young people. But they will apparently also complain when they do sound & speak like young people.
What do I mean? Well, if you've been on the Internet for more than 5 minutes you'll know what kind of language is used there. You'll find a similar one in this book. It also makes references to memes, movies and shows. If you're not older than 30 you'll be able to confirm that yes, that's partly what you talk about with your friends. If you want to call that "cringe" or "dated" it might not be a book but a you problem.
This book is very diverse and that's nice. But it's more the casual "Oh by the way" kind of rep. Could we have forced some -Phobia in there? Sure, but it's not like we needed it there. Be aware though, that this is a very open & at times amusingly tolerant town, where noone's discriminated against and a bunch of people tell you their pronouns upon first meeting you. I doubt that such a place exists in real life. In general, it didn't bother me too much. But after a few "Hi, I'm xyz and I use he/him pronouns" I had to shake my head and giggle a bit.
Stuff you'll find in the book:
- nonbinary rep
- lesbian rep
- asexual rep
- pansexual rep
- queer/unlabled-by-choice rep
- POC rep
-> Mc & family are black
-> other MC's bff is chinese-asian
It's nice to read a book about queer joy for a change. There are enough out there that tackle queer pain & struggle.
The book itself is very lighthearted...until all of a sudden it's not. The reason for that being is, that it's a mystery & romance at the same time. The romance is nice, dont get me wrong. I like the VERY brief semi-enemies to lovers vibe they had going on. I like their chemistry & relationship as a whole. They're cute. But their romance does steal the spotlight of the whole "I came to this town to find my mom" plot quiet often. There is one chapter in particular where MC 1 goes to a festival to ask the local witches if they have any information about her mother or relatives. And then she meets MC 2 and its like she forgot why she even got there in the first place. When her bff asks her about it the next day we learn that she apparently asked a few people off page before she admits that she got distracted by MC 2's lips and the best oppurtunity to learn abour her mom was kind of wasted. Not a huge dealbreaker but it's part of the reason why I - personally - liked the second half more.
All things witchcraft were very nice. Especially since we got to see a lot of different kinds that were more or less important to the plot. A bit like magical realism until its not.
The side cast was great with Quinn being my favourit. Partly because they got the most development and time besides our two Mains. Who knows, maybe we WILL get that Quinn sequel that you can still find on wattpad one day. I'd love to read it.
Speaking of characters. This is a 96% woman cast book. As in, we have 1 nonbinary character, 1 male friend , 1 male dude that flirts with a MC once and is never heard of again and 1 single dad. The rest is women. Husband? Dead. Uncle? Divorced. Grandpa? Also dead. Rest? Who knows. Not a complaint per se. Just an observation, is all.
What else I'd like to mention:
- Misscommunication.
It happens and we have to deal with it for 1,5 chapters. Very not needed. Very annoying. And very happy about it not lasting a second longer.
Final thoughts:
Would I reccomand this?
-> Oh yeah, for sure. It's a charming book with a lot of heart.
4 / 5 Stars
CW: Mentions of Past Car Accident, Mentions of Drowning, Mentions of Past Burning Alive, Grief, Mentions Of Past Character Death, Mentions of Murder
It's funny to me how, some people will complain when young folks don't speak & sound like young people. But they will apparently also complain when they do sound & speak like young people.
What do I mean? Well, if you've been on the Internet for more than 5 minutes you'll know what kind of language is used there. You'll find a similar one in this book. It also makes references to memes, movies and shows. If you're not older than 30 you'll be able to confirm that yes, that's partly what you talk about with your friends. If you want to call that "cringe" or "dated" it might not be a book but a you problem.
This book is very diverse and that's nice. But it's more the casual "Oh by the way" kind of rep. Could we have forced some -Phobia in there? Sure, but it's not like we needed it there. Be aware though, that this is a very open & at times amusingly tolerant town, where noone's discriminated against and a bunch of people tell you their pronouns upon first meeting you. I doubt that such a place exists in real life. In general, it didn't bother me too much. But after a few "Hi, I'm xyz and I use he/him pronouns" I had to shake my head and giggle a bit.
Stuff you'll find in the book:
- nonbinary rep
- lesbian rep
- asexual rep
- pansexual rep
- queer/unlabled-by-choice rep
- POC rep
-> Mc & family are black
-> other MC's bff is chinese-asian
It's nice to read a book about queer joy for a change. There are enough out there that tackle queer pain & struggle.
The book itself is very lighthearted...until all of a sudden it's not. The reason for that being is, that it's a mystery & romance at the same time. The romance is nice, dont get me wrong. I like the VERY brief semi-enemies to lovers vibe they had going on. I like their chemistry & relationship as a whole. They're cute. But their romance does steal the spotlight of the whole "I came to this town to find my mom" plot quiet often. There is one chapter in particular where MC 1 goes to a festival to ask the local witches if they have any information about her mother or relatives. And then she meets MC 2 and its like she forgot why she even got there in the first place. When her bff asks her about it the next day we learn that she apparently asked a few people off page before she admits that she got distracted by MC 2's lips and the best oppurtunity to learn abour her mom was kind of wasted. Not a huge dealbreaker but it's part of the reason why I - personally - liked the second half more.
All things witchcraft were very nice. Especially since we got to see a lot of different kinds that were more or less important to the plot. A bit like magical realism until its not.
The side cast was great with Quinn being my favourit. Partly because they got the most development and time besides our two Mains. Who knows, maybe we WILL get that Quinn sequel that you can still find on wattpad one day. I'd love to read it.
Speaking of characters. This is a 96% woman cast book. As in, we have 1 nonbinary character, 1 male friend , 1 male dude that flirts with a MC once and is never heard of again and 1 single dad. The rest is women. Husband? Dead. Uncle? Divorced. Grandpa? Also dead. Rest? Who knows. Not a complaint per se. Just an observation, is all.
What else I'd like to mention:
- Misscommunication.
It happens and we have to deal with it for 1,5 chapters. Very not needed. Very annoying. And very happy about it not lasting a second longer.
Final thoughts:
Would I reccomand this?
-> Oh yeah, for sure. It's a charming book with a lot of heart.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Car accident, and Murder
nobeliumreads's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.
When Valerie Morgan comes to town in search of her missing mother and answers about the magic she’s harboured half her life, Rhia Greenbrook can’t help but feel a magical pull to her--and a danger. With their burgeoning romance, the mystery of Oakriver and Valerie starts to unravel, putting everything Rhia has loved on the line.
When Valerie Morgan comes to town in search of her missing mother and answers about the magic she’s harboured half her life, Rhia Greenbrook can’t help but feel a magical pull to her--and a danger. With their burgeoning romance, the mystery of Oakriver and Valerie starts to unravel, putting everything Rhia has loved on the line.
--
I hadn’t heard anything about this book, so I had virtually no expectations other than thinking the synopsis sounded cute and it was with a pleasant surprise that I did in fact enjoy it!
We follow along both Valerie and Rhia, as the former tries to uncover the mysteries surrounding her long missing mother and the latter has to manage her own magical journey whilst falling in love with the very witch she wasn’t supposed to.
The plot itself was pretty predictable, there were a lot of things that I foresaw but it wasn’t to the point of being boring. The magic aspect was fun to read, coming from someone who doesn’t know much about tarot or crystals or magic in general, so admittedly maybe the novelty helped. The writing was nice; it wasn’t over the top but it was easy and fun to get through (I realised after reading that the publisher is wattpad… you truly can’t escape your roots).
I reckon it helped that I really enjoyed the characters; particularly Quinn and Valerie’s friendship, which I found wholesome and meaningful and how lovely it was to see everyone woven seamlessly into this found family (compared to many instances where friendships with the main characters feel insignificant compared to the main relationship). Rhia and Valerie’s relationship were so cute, they had me smiling on the commute to uni and whilst I found their first interactions a bit insta-lovey, they were very adorable throughout (and anyway, who am I to judge when there’s magic involved?).
“Dimly, she thought that she’d always known Valerie was going to burn her to the ground--she just hadn’t expected the flames to feel so tender, consuming her one careful touch, one kiss, one whisper at a time.”
Overall, a sweet, intriguing read for anyone looking for a small-town sapphic witchy book with a little bit of mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing and Grief
Minor: Car accident
shirecrow's review
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Love and Other Wicked Things is a book about two young witches named Rhia and Valerie and their way of navigating their lives full of magic, love and grief.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a romance-y book but I have to admit that I flew right through these 344 pages. I needed maybe a day start to finish. That is thanks to the writing style. It’s very easy but still flowery enough to give you a mostly nice experience.
Speaking of mostly nice; this book has a lot of pop-culture references and a lot of phrases that felt very… well, let’s say that wattpad publishing made sense after that. As an example, a phrase that made me roll my eyes is as followed: “Yeah, but you’re the human embodiment of a golden retriever,” c’mon, golden retriever outside out of TikTok comment section? Goosebumps.
Another thing about the writing was the sometimes excessive need to use italics. They were mostly used right and I didn’t mind them but then the author would use them every other sentence and I was just wondering what iS GOING ON? Example:
“I think it’ll enjoy the greenhouse.”
What was the need for the dramatic greenhouse? Am I supposed to imagine a velvety voice, thunder sounds and lightning strikes?
I digress. Let’s move on to the characters.
I'm not sure where I stand with them but I didn’t hate either so that’s a plus. Valerie and Rhia were both fun characters with enough backstory to make them feel as fleshed out as 300 page ya novels go. Valerie was fun and easy while Rhia had personality struggles to fight with which gave a nice balance to the two and their interactions. I liked the mystery around Valerie’s past even though I would’ve liked if that were revealed in a different way.
But it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have something to complain about so…
Rhia is a young Black woman in a Black family. The fact that all the men in their family either left (uncle, grandfather) or died is very… well, I wouldn’t say racist but I think it’s on the insensitive side. I’m white so I can’t give solid, reliable judgement but after the controversy about Harms last book (that I only just now learned about) I think it’s still valid to point out. Also, the first time Valerie sees Rhia she describes her as “a lot curvier than herself” which… a Black woman is the curvy one? Hm…
Anyways, Rhia is Black but it is completely ignored in the story which brings me to the fact that this is a very “colorblind” book. In that aspect, it’s also rather blind to real life struggles of inclusivity. The book is set in a small, everyone-knows-everyone town but you’re telling me that 90% of the people introduce themselves with their pronouns? Especially characters like a lacrosse player telling Valerie his pronouns had me raise my eyebrow. I’m not the type to like flawlessly happy, “no one is homophobic/bigoted” books but if you do, this one is perfect for you.
What I did enjoy was the actual magic. I thought it would only have a real life witch plot but the fantasy was a nice touch that gave the whole thing a sort of original feeling.
In conclusion, this is an easy book with lots of feel good sapphic but also an emotional edge. I wouldn’t go around and recommend it to every living soul I know but I would recommend it if you’re stuck in a slump and want something easy going. The plot was interesting enough to have me keep reading and when I did put it down I always thought about how it was going to continue.
Very big thank you to Netgalley, Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group and Philline Harms for providing me with an ARC of this book.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a romance-y book but I have to admit that I flew right through these 344 pages. I needed maybe a day start to finish. That is thanks to the writing style. It’s very easy but still flowery enough to give you a mostly nice experience.
Speaking of mostly nice; this book has a lot of pop-culture references and a lot of phrases that felt very… well, let’s say that wattpad publishing made sense after that. As an example, a phrase that made me roll my eyes is as followed: “Yeah, but you’re the human embodiment of a golden retriever,” c’mon, golden retriever outside out of TikTok comment section? Goosebumps.
Another thing about the writing was the sometimes excessive need to use italics. They were mostly used right and I didn’t mind them but then the author would use them every other sentence and I was just wondering what iS GOING ON? Example:
“I think it’ll enjoy the greenhouse.”
What was the need for the dramatic greenhouse? Am I supposed to imagine a velvety voice, thunder sounds and lightning strikes?
I digress. Let’s move on to the characters.
I'm not sure where I stand with them but I didn’t hate either so that’s a plus. Valerie and Rhia were both fun characters with enough backstory to make them feel as fleshed out as 300 page ya novels go. Valerie was fun and easy while Rhia had personality struggles to fight with which gave a nice balance to the two and their interactions. I liked the mystery around Valerie’s past even though I would’ve liked if that were revealed in a different way.
But it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have something to complain about so…
Rhia is a young Black woman in a Black family. The fact that all the men in their family either left (uncle, grandfather) or died is very… well, I wouldn’t say racist but I think it’s on the insensitive side. I’m white so I can’t give solid, reliable judgement but after the controversy about Harms last book (that I only just now learned about) I think it’s still valid to point out. Also, the first time Valerie sees Rhia she describes her as “a lot curvier than herself” which… a Black woman is the curvy one? Hm…
Anyways, Rhia is Black but it is completely ignored in the story which brings me to the fact that this is a very “colorblind” book. In that aspect, it’s also rather blind to real life struggles of inclusivity. The book is set in a small, everyone-knows-everyone town but you’re telling me that 90% of the people introduce themselves with their pronouns? Especially characters like a lacrosse player telling Valerie his pronouns had me raise my eyebrow. I’m not the type to like flawlessly happy, “no one is homophobic/bigoted” books but if you do, this one is perfect for you.
What I did enjoy was the actual magic. I thought it would only have a real life witch plot but the fantasy was a nice touch that gave the whole thing a sort of original feeling.
In conclusion, this is an easy book with lots of feel good sapphic but also an emotional edge. I wouldn’t go around and recommend it to every living soul I know but I would recommend it if you’re stuck in a slump and want something easy going. The plot was interesting enough to have me keep reading and when I did put it down I always thought about how it was going to continue.
Very big thank you to Netgalley, Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group and Philline Harms for providing me with an ARC of this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Car accident, Cursing, and Grief
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