You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
This was a fun, sapphic, and witchy fake dating romance.
Morgan is a potion maker and Rory is a famous, elemental witch working as a bartender after giving up competitive magic. In order to appease Rory's parents and convince them that she is happy and thriving, Rory enlists Morgan to become her fake girlfriend.
While I enjoyed this book overall, it heavily relies on the miscommunication trope which was frustrating at times. I feel like 70% of the story could have been avoided with just a bit of clear communication!
This was still a mostly enjoyable read, but certainly not a favorite for me within the witchy romance genre.
Morgan is a potion maker and Rory is a famous, elemental witch working as a bartender after giving up competitive magic. In order to appease Rory's parents and convince them that she is happy and thriving, Rory enlists Morgan to become her fake girlfriend.
While I enjoyed this book overall, it heavily relies on the miscommunication trope which was frustrating at times. I feel like 70% of the story could have been avoided with just a bit of clear communication!
This was still a mostly enjoyable read, but certainly not a favorite for me within the witchy romance genre.
MC decided to problem solve by being an asshole
Genuinely why did the author choose this weird ass “I need to make her hate me bc I think she took a love potion so OF COURSE none of her feelings are real even tho she’s showing them after the duration of any potion would be effective AND I won’t tell her that I think she accidentally took a potion bc this book needs to be 12hrs a long” plot???
It basically felt like Morgan was gaslighting Rory the entire time and I felt so angry at Morgan and sad for Rory. Morgan was a coward for not confessing to Rory about the potential potion, so the entire book felt unnecessarily cruel. It was just a really uncomfortable time all around. It was also so fucking repetitive. Morgan is mean to Rory. Morgan feels bad about it. Morgan longs for Rory and reminds herself it’s not real. REPEAT. Also the plot didn’t start until like 40%.
When you want to DNF at 90%, you know there’s no hope for a book. It took me several days to finish and I had to force myself to continue reading it. The writing was fine, if a bit flowery, and I’d consider reading more from the author of the plot seems fun, but I wouldn’t rush to preorder. As for the audiobook, I really enjoyed the narration as Jeremy Carlisle Parker is a fav of mine. It’s a shame that the cozy small town witchy vibe was ruined by the plot 😭
⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️.5*/5
*I honestly have no idea what the hell happened in this department.
Thanks to PRHaudio for an ALC and to the publisher for a free finished copy. All opinions are honest and my own.
It basically felt like Morgan was gaslighting Rory the entire time and I felt so angry at Morgan and sad for Rory. Morgan was a coward for not confessing to Rory about the potential potion, so the entire book felt unnecessarily cruel. It was just a really uncomfortable time all around. It was also so fucking repetitive. Morgan is mean to Rory. Morgan feels bad about it. Morgan longs for Rory and reminds herself it’s not real. REPEAT. Also the plot didn’t start until like 40%.
When you want to DNF at 90%, you know there’s no hope for a book. It took me several days to finish and I had to force myself to continue reading it. The writing was fine, if a bit flowery, and I’d consider reading more from the author of the plot seems fun, but I wouldn’t rush to preorder. As for the audiobook, I really enjoyed the narration as Jeremy Carlisle Parker is a fav of mine. It’s a shame that the cozy small town witchy vibe was ruined by the plot 😭
⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️.5*/5
*I honestly have no idea what the hell happened in this department.
Thanks to PRHaudio for an ALC and to the publisher for a free finished copy. All opinions are honest and my own.
Witch Morgan Greenwood has a major crush on bartender and national spellcasting champion Rory Sandler, but despite her normally loud and outgoing personality, she tends to freeze up whenever Rory's around. That is, until one night when Morgan's had one too many margaritas. Rory tells Morgan and her friends that her parents have been pressuring her to compete in spellcasting again (something she'd stopped doing two years previously) in the upcoming NEWT (New England Witch Trust) Festival -- AND that they've lined up a fellow sorcerer to persuade her and maybe match with her. A tipsy Morgan suggest that Rory find a fake date and offers herself as tribute, which Rory gently laughs off. But when Rory tracks her down the next day and says Morgan's idea is worth a try, Morgan is both hesitant and excited -- but mostly excited.
This witchy fake-dating romance is mostly a light, fun read, though it deals with more serious topics such as anxiety and self-doubt and consent (a magical love potion might be involved). Morgan is kind of a hot mess of a character, but when it comes to defending her loved ones, she stands up strong. (Would that she did that for herself more!) It's easy to see why she has such a crush on Rory, but I appreciated how they took time to get to know one another before really giving in to their attraction. Conflict abounds (including, yes, the dread miscommunication), but by the end the antagonists are given a more human edge and the communication is cleared up very directly, so all works out. An enjoyable read.
Thank you, Berkley Romance and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.
This witchy fake-dating romance is mostly a light, fun read, though it deals with more serious topics such as anxiety and self-doubt and consent (a magical love potion might be involved). Morgan is kind of a hot mess of a character, but when it comes to defending her loved ones, she stands up strong. (Would that she did that for herself more!) It's easy to see why she has such a crush on Rory, but I appreciated how they took time to get to know one another before really giving in to their attraction. Conflict abounds (including, yes, the dread miscommunication), but by the end the antagonists are given a more human edge and the communication is cleared up very directly, so all works out. An enjoyable read.
Thank you, Berkley Romance and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
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
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This Spells Disaster is Tori Anne Martin's debut novel that follows a sweet queer romcom that's fantastic for the fall season. It has all the things that make me crave fall. Magic Festivals, Potion Making, Spell Casting, Fake dating that goes wrong (or right?), family drama, crushes, and ...a love potion?
This story follows Morgan - a potion maker and self-proclaimed messy witch who's pretty sure she was hexed at birth during the annual Spell Casting Magic Festival, and Rory, an elemental witch bartender who was once a spell-casting champion who was on her way to competing in the world championships until... she wasn't. No one really knows why. Rory showed up in town about a year ago, igniting Morgan's crush on Rory. When the upcoming Magic Festival has Rory stressed about the increasing pressure from her family to compete, Morgan offers to be Rory's "fake girlfriend" to help act as a buffer. Obviously, she just wants to be there and support her "friend". It has nothing to do with her crush. At all. No, really. Okay, may it has a little to do with her crush. As they spend more time together, their fake relationship doesn't seem so fake. Feelings start sparking and Morgan can hardly believe her luck until she realizes some ingredients were mislabeled and the relaxing potion she made for Rory may in fact be - a love potion. Yup- Morgan swears she was hexed at birth. While Morgan works to find an antidote for the potion, the Magic Festival continues and Rory just gets more and more charming and lovely and Morgan is sure it's the love potion. Can Morgan clean up this mess before things go too far?
This is a really sweet, light, fun read. TAM did an amazing job building this wonderful, magical world that fully brought me Halloweentown + queer hallmarkesque vibes and I enjoyed it. I adored Rory so much. Rory has this mysterious charm - she starts out closed off but you know there's so much just underneath the surface. I loved getting to know Rory through Morgan's eyes. As Morgan learns more about Rory, the more her feelings grow for her, which of course is one of my favorite things about the fake-dating trope.
A few things that were a challenge for me were the miscommunication and Morgan's self-image. While I know it's a key component of the story, I found myself getting a little off put by Morgan's self-esteem (or lack thereof). It was hard for me to get through and I thought it dragged out a little too long. I would have liked to have seen a little more growth on Morgan's part a little sooner in the story but I also understand it's place in the book.
One thing I really appreciated was the way the author addressed the topic of consent. It's a tough topic and she handled it very well.
Overall, I enjoyed this story. I'm a fan of witchy romcoms and everything autumn. Rory is just such a wonderful character. She drew me in and the more I read the more I loved her so I can absolutely relate to Morgan and her crush on this badass elemental witch. This was a really enjoyable love story that's a light read that's great for the season.
This story follows Morgan - a potion maker and self-proclaimed messy witch who's pretty sure she was hexed at birth during the annual Spell Casting Magic Festival, and Rory, an elemental witch bartender who was once a spell-casting champion who was on her way to competing in the world championships until... she wasn't. No one really knows why. Rory showed up in town about a year ago, igniting Morgan's crush on Rory. When the upcoming Magic Festival has Rory stressed about the increasing pressure from her family to compete, Morgan offers to be Rory's "fake girlfriend" to help act as a buffer. Obviously, she just wants to be there and support her "friend". It has nothing to do with her crush. At all. No, really. Okay, may it has a little to do with her crush. As they spend more time together, their fake relationship doesn't seem so fake. Feelings start sparking and Morgan can hardly believe her luck until she realizes some ingredients were mislabeled and the relaxing potion she made for Rory may in fact be - a love potion. Yup- Morgan swears she was hexed at birth. While Morgan works to find an antidote for the potion, the Magic Festival continues and Rory just gets more and more charming and lovely and Morgan is sure it's the love potion. Can Morgan clean up this mess before things go too far?
This is a really sweet, light, fun read. TAM did an amazing job building this wonderful, magical world that fully brought me Halloweentown + queer hallmarkesque vibes and I enjoyed it. I adored Rory so much. Rory has this mysterious charm - she starts out closed off but you know there's so much just underneath the surface. I loved getting to know Rory through Morgan's eyes. As Morgan learns more about Rory, the more her feelings grow for her, which of course is one of my favorite things about the fake-dating trope.
A few things that were a challenge for me were the miscommunication and Morgan's self-image. While I know it's a key component of the story, I found myself getting a little off put by Morgan's self-esteem (or lack thereof). It was hard for me to get through and I thought it dragged out a little too long. I would have liked to have seen a little more growth on Morgan's part a little sooner in the story but I also understand it's place in the book.
One thing I really appreciated was the way the author addressed the topic of consent. It's a tough topic and she handled it very well.
Overall, I enjoyed this story. I'm a fan of witchy romcoms and everything autumn. Rory is just such a wonderful character. She drew me in and the more I read the more I loved her so I can absolutely relate to Morgan and her crush on this badass elemental witch. This was a really enjoyable love story that's a light read that's great for the season.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
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:
Yes
Dnf at 55% - no rating. I don’t know if it’s the audiobook or the book itself but I’m just not feeling it.. I keep getting second hand embarrassment from the awkward conversations the main characters are having. May switch to the physical book for a better experience