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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
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
Thank you to Atria for the advanced reader copy of Hopelessly Teavoted by Audrey Goldberg Ruoff.
At the beginning of the story, Azrael returns to his family manor following the death of his parents. He's forced into a partnership with his former crush, Vickie. She has purchased Az’s parent's tea shop, Hopelessly Teavoted. These two must team up to address a sinister threat and save small town, Hallowcross. As feelings bloom between these two, Vickie’s devil places a curse on them, which keeps Az and Vickie from touching.
I think this book is super cute and charming! The depiction of Az’s feelings for Vickie in this book are top notch! This was what drew me into this book and kept me engaged as these two faced different hurdles to being together. There was quite a bit to the plot but I found myself drawn in mostly to the romance.
If you’re looking for a magical, mutual pining, friends to lovers romance, this is one to check out!
At the beginning of the story, Azrael returns to his family manor following the death of his parents. He's forced into a partnership with his former crush, Vickie. She has purchased Az’s parent's tea shop, Hopelessly Teavoted. These two must team up to address a sinister threat and save small town, Hallowcross. As feelings bloom between these two, Vickie’s devil places a curse on them, which keeps Az and Vickie from touching.
I think this book is super cute and charming! The depiction of Az’s feelings for Vickie in this book are top notch! This was what drew me into this book and kept me engaged as these two faced different hurdles to being together. There was quite a bit to the plot but I found myself drawn in mostly to the romance.
If you’re looking for a magical, mutual pining, friends to lovers romance, this is one to check out!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced digital copy for Hopelessly Teavoted!
Rating: 4.25 stars
Pub Date: Sep 16 2025
I really enjoyed this book, but I think it was marketed all wrong. The cover and title tells me “cute witch romance centered around a tea shop” and not “Gambit/ Rogue-esque dilemma, demon curses, ghosts, and extremely horny yearning. Like, this man is ready to DIE just to touch her”.
And? I LOVED IT!
While I do think the pacing was slow and the megachurch plotline was really overshadowed and rushed, the relationship between Az and Vickie and the cool magic systems was just so fun to read about.
I think getting to the yearning was shaky; some characters were stereotypes to move the plot along, and the tea shop was barely relevant. But GOD, the romance was romancing. Az and Vickie’s want for each other was reminiscent of the X-men’s Gambit and Rogue being unable to touch yet being disgustingly in love, and the build-up was perfect. Not too slow, not too fast, and a great conclusion to their love story.
I hope we get more books set in this universe, because the supernatural elements were just so cool. And come on, I need more Lex. We love a bisexual (biLEXual? Az has gotten to me) demon who’s kinda well-meaning if not meddling.
If you enjoy Lana Harper or Sarah Hawley, you’ll love Hopelessly Teavoted.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While the plot of this book was a little confusing with the subplots and the character relationship, I found this book to be really cute and I enjoyed it overall. This was a great read to remind me of Halloween.
Thank you Net Galley for giving me this ARC to read and review!!
This is going to be such a perfect read for the fall! It was spooky and cozy and super cute. I was a sucker for the magical realism and the romance was super cute too.
I enjoyed all the characters, although I'd say the mystery felt like it got side lined for the romance. Overall I enjoyed reading this!
This is going to be such a perfect read for the fall! It was spooky and cozy and super cute. I was a sucker for the magical realism and the romance was super cute too.
I enjoyed all the characters, although I'd say the mystery felt like it got side lined for the romance. Overall I enjoyed reading this!
This book is definitely more romance based than plot. A lot of things were being said but we weren’t being shown, so it felt like the mystery aspect was forgotten. While Vickie and Az were both mutually pining for each other things continued to get in the way, so it’s a slowish burn with some spicy moments. I loved the queer representation as well as the Addams family vibes. I was really tired of Az constantly saying how Vickie smelled like strawberries and lavender, and some of the descriptors were too much. I also was sad we didn’t get any sort of closure on Prissy and Evelyn but maybe that was done intentionally and they’re getting a book?
Overall I think this book is perfect for people who love a girly FMC and an MMC who’s been pining for her forever, this book is also sex positive and has great LGBTQIA+ representation.
Thank you Atria books for the ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Hopelessly Teavoted was a super cute, slice of (magical) life romance! The vibes were definitely a bit Halloweeny so I would definitely recommended reading this book to get into the spooky and kooky mindset!
The setting of a small-town romance with magic was super adorable and I really enjoyed learning more about the town. The teashop itself is such a vibe and somewhere I would absolutely love to visit.
I really liked the main characters on their own, especially Victoria. Vickie was a great, strong FMC and I felt as though she had so many admirable traits. Her willingness to walk away from her family's money in order to help a childhood friend, despite her family's strong disapproval of her choices felt very realistic and relatable. I really liked Vickie's drive and independence throughout the story and would definitely read this book even without the romance with her as an FMC. Az was also a great MMC and was definitely a golden retriever love interest. His struggles with grief felt very real and raw and added a great aspect to his character. I did really love reading about Az's family and their dynamic.
However, despite liking both of the MCs individually, I didn't really feel convinced about their romance. The foundation for a childhood friends to lovers romance was absolutely there, but I just feel as though the delivery was lacking. The romance wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. It just felt a bit flat and forced which was a bit of a shame. And the background of their romance hinged on miscommunication which isn't my favorite trope and tends to be more frustrating than I'd like.
I felt as though Hopelessly Teavoted was a fun, quick read that had some aspects that I really liked and others that I could have done without.
Hopelessly Teavoted was a super cute, slice of (magical) life romance! The vibes were definitely a bit Halloweeny so I would definitely recommended reading this book to get into the spooky and kooky mindset!
The setting of a small-town romance with magic was super adorable and I really enjoyed learning more about the town. The teashop itself is such a vibe and somewhere I would absolutely love to visit.
I really liked the main characters on their own, especially Victoria. Vickie was a great, strong FMC and I felt as though she had so many admirable traits. Her willingness to walk away from her family's money in order to help a childhood friend, despite her family's strong disapproval of her choices felt very realistic and relatable. I really liked Vickie's drive and independence throughout the story and would definitely read this book even without the romance with her as an FMC. Az was also a great MMC and was definitely a golden retriever love interest. His struggles with grief felt very real and raw and added a great aspect to his character. I did really love reading about Az's family and their dynamic.
However, despite liking both of the MCs individually, I didn't really feel convinced about their romance. The foundation for a childhood friends to lovers romance was absolutely there, but I just feel as though the delivery was lacking. The romance wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. It just felt a bit flat and forced which was a bit of a shame. And the background of their romance hinged on miscommunication which isn't my favorite trope and tends to be more frustrating than I'd like.
I felt as though Hopelessly Teavoted was a fun, quick read that had some aspects that I really liked and others that I could have done without.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced