Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Victoria is such a loveable FMC. She’s strong-willed and brave. Azrael is a charmingly complicated MMC, dealing with grief and thought-to-be unrequited love. The two best friend-turned maybe, possibly, lovers team up to solve a magical mystery and reverse a curse cast by Vickie’s demon.
The cast of side characters, including a delightful haunted mansion, are fun and add depth to the work building. The magic system is interesting and unique.
Overall, this book was an interesting and enjoyable read. I had fun along the journey and would recommend this for someone looking for a cozy magical romance.
There are some things I wish had been wrapped up at the end of the book that weren’t that just left some unfinished holes for me, like Priscilla and Evelyn. And ultimately, I felt like the ending didn’t do Vickie and Az’s romance justice. I felt like even though they ended up together and binding themselves together, Vickie was still hesitant to put her full faith in it, so that left me feeling a bit confused and disappointed.
The cast of side characters, including a delightful haunted mansion, are fun and add depth to the work building. The magic system is interesting and unique.
Overall, this book was an interesting and enjoyable read. I had fun along the journey and would recommend this for someone looking for a cozy magical romance.
There are some things I wish had been wrapped up at the end of the book that weren’t that just left some unfinished holes for me, like Priscilla and Evelyn. And ultimately, I felt like the ending didn’t do Vickie and Az’s romance justice. I felt like even though they ended up together and binding themselves together, Vickie was still hesitant to put her full faith in it, so that left me feeling a bit confused and disappointed.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As someone who loves seasonal reads, especially anything cozy, magical, and romantic for spooky season, I went into Hopelessly Teavoted with high hopes. And while there were elements I genuinely enjoyed, overall the story left me wanting more.
This paranormal romance brings together Azrael and Victoria, childhood best friends turned estranged lovers, who reunite after six years of silence. The spark is still there, but so is the lingering fallout from a mysterious (and miscommunicated) incident in college. Their reunion coincides with an evil presence stirring in their hometown, and together, they attempt to uncover its source while navigating unresolved feelings.
I felt like the magical setting was delightful. Azrael’s family home, with its Addams Family vibes and sentient personality, practically leapt off the page. His parents reminded me of a gothic, whimsical version of Gomez and Morticia because they were deeply loving, slightly eccentric, and endlessly endearing. The magic system was also clever. It involved witches who must snap to activate their powers. It’s a quirky detail that adds charm, though the word "snap" might be burned into my brain forever because it appears quite a lot.
As for the romance itself? That’s where things fell flat for me. The summary hinted at an awkward falling out, but the "incident" was far more intimate than expected, and the consequences felt out of proportion. The main obstacle between them was pure miscommunication, the kind that could’ve been cleared up with a single honest conversation. Instead, they avoid each other for six years, and then… immediately fall back in love within days? I struggled to buy into the depth of their connection. The chemistry was described, but I didn’t feel it. And while I’m thankful there was no dramatic third act breakup, it all felt a little too easy, considering the years of unresolved tension.
The pacing also felt off. There’s an evil force in town stealing souls which is such an exciting idea! But despite the supposed urgency, entire weeks pass without progress, making the conflict feel more like background noise than a driving force. The curse from the devil meant to complicate Azrael and Victoria’s relationship felt random and underdeveloped and more of a gimmick than a meaningful obstacle.
That said, the atmosphere was cozy, and the other characters really did shine. The side characters brought humor and heart, often outshining the leads. The setting of Hallowcross was vivid and full of potential, and I’d definitely be curious to return to the town in future books, maybe through the eyes of those compelling side characters.
In the end, Hopelessly Teavoted was a quick and entertaining read that had a lot of potential, but the uneven pacing, lack of romantic tension, and convoluted subplot kept it from truly enchanting me. If you’re in the mood for a witchy fall romance with cozy vibes and a quirky town, it might still be worth a try. Just manage your expectations and prepare for a lot of snapping.
Thank you to NetGalley, Audrey Goldberg Ruoff, and Atria for the eARC of this book.
This paranormal romance brings together Azrael and Victoria, childhood best friends turned estranged lovers, who reunite after six years of silence. The spark is still there, but so is the lingering fallout from a mysterious (and miscommunicated) incident in college. Their reunion coincides with an evil presence stirring in their hometown, and together, they attempt to uncover its source while navigating unresolved feelings.
I felt like the magical setting was delightful. Azrael’s family home, with its Addams Family vibes and sentient personality, practically leapt off the page. His parents reminded me of a gothic, whimsical version of Gomez and Morticia because they were deeply loving, slightly eccentric, and endlessly endearing. The magic system was also clever. It involved witches who must snap to activate their powers. It’s a quirky detail that adds charm, though the word "snap" might be burned into my brain forever because it appears quite a lot.
As for the romance itself? That’s where things fell flat for me. The summary hinted at an awkward falling out, but the "incident" was far more intimate than expected, and the consequences felt out of proportion. The main obstacle between them was pure miscommunication, the kind that could’ve been cleared up with a single honest conversation. Instead, they avoid each other for six years, and then… immediately fall back in love within days? I struggled to buy into the depth of their connection. The chemistry was described, but I didn’t feel it. And while I’m thankful there was no dramatic third act breakup, it all felt a little too easy, considering the years of unresolved tension.
The pacing also felt off. There’s an evil force in town stealing souls which is such an exciting idea! But despite the supposed urgency, entire weeks pass without progress, making the conflict feel more like background noise than a driving force. The curse from the devil meant to complicate Azrael and Victoria’s relationship felt random and underdeveloped and more of a gimmick than a meaningful obstacle.
That said, the atmosphere was cozy, and the other characters really did shine. The side characters brought humor and heart, often outshining the leads. The setting of Hallowcross was vivid and full of potential, and I’d definitely be curious to return to the town in future books, maybe through the eyes of those compelling side characters.
In the end, Hopelessly Teavoted was a quick and entertaining read that had a lot of potential, but the uneven pacing, lack of romantic tension, and convoluted subplot kept it from truly enchanting me. If you’re in the mood for a witchy fall romance with cozy vibes and a quirky town, it might still be worth a try. Just manage your expectations and prepare for a lot of snapping.
Thank you to NetGalley, Audrey Goldberg Ruoff, and Atria for the eARC of this book.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Hopelessly Teavoted is a cute, cozy, novel about childhood friends that have to “fight” their love for each other while dealing with loss, some unforeseen circumstances in their hometown, and a snarky devil with his own ambitions (he’s giving Astarion- for sure).
It was a slow read for me, and I couldn’t really connect with the characters, but I can see the appeal for people that like calm, cozy, books with a bit of drama and a bit of mystery subplot.
There’s a cute dynamic between the main character and his sister. There is a TON of diversity in this book, in terms of LGTBTQ characters and POC which is wonderful.
However, If you don’t like the misunderstanding/miscommunication trope, you may be a bit irritated during this book as it happens quite frequently between the MMC and the FMC. I don’t mind that trope, so I thought that was fun.
I liked the cute addition of the Star Wars bar too!
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for this eARC! I’m looking forward to what Audrey Goldberg Ruoff has next!
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A+ for setting, B- for characters.
This is the first book set in Hallowcross, but I hope it won’t be the last. This small town has such wonderfully quirky small businesses and a wonderful sense of setting.
That being said, I fell more deeply in love with the town than the main characters. Vickie, the owner of the tea shop who dresses only in Taylor Swift video-inspired costumes, smacked of a manic pixie dream girl. Az was a little better fleshed out. But every time one of them said anything like “We were just kids before,” I wanted to smack them and yell, “You’re STILL kids!” Seriously, at age 26 their prefrontal cortex isn’t all the way done and they’d only just be old enough for their own health insurance.
It doesn’t help that the side characters stole the show. Lex struck me as a supernatural answer to Everett in HAPPY MEDIUM, and Priscilla and Evelyn contained better nuances as both individuals and a pair than the main couple.
All in all, I was mostly charmed by this debut and thrilled to find Addams Family Easter eggs. Excited to see what’s next for the author!
This is the first book set in Hallowcross, but I hope it won’t be the last. This small town has such wonderfully quirky small businesses and a wonderful sense of setting.
That being said, I fell more deeply in love with the town than the main characters. Vickie, the owner of the tea shop who dresses only in Taylor Swift video-inspired costumes, smacked of a manic pixie dream girl. Az was a little better fleshed out. But every time one of them said anything like “We were just kids before,” I wanted to smack them and yell, “You’re STILL kids!” Seriously, at age 26 their prefrontal cortex isn’t all the way done and they’d only just be old enough for their own health insurance.
It doesn’t help that the side characters stole the show. Lex struck me as a supernatural answer to Everett in HAPPY MEDIUM, and Priscilla and Evelyn contained better nuances as both individuals and a pair than the main couple.
All in all, I was mostly charmed by this debut and thrilled to find Addams Family Easter eggs. Excited to see what’s next for the author!
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I feel like this story starts out ok, but unfortunately it was not for me. Some bouncing around time which is fine, sets the story. Azrael has clearly been in love with Vickie his whole life but hasn’t done anything about it/has never professed his true feelings. I feel like he kind of did when they go together in college, but I guess that’s beside the point because he decided to back track. Things, however, seemed to derail rather quickly.
Vickie has clearly had feelings for him for years and also hasn’t done anything about it since she felt rejected in college. Despite Prissy clearly telling each of them to go for it, they don’t listen and are stubborn as well. When they try to give it a go (ish) now as adults, they try to make it clear that they’re friends again, and goodness is that clear despite their thoughts because it’s repeated so many times. They’re friends, but they clearly aren’t and it got old fast. About a little over halfway through the book, I was getting bored and disinterested because of the repetition. Now they hit a road block and they’re being denied something they finally thought they’d be able to try- a relationship with the other. Obviously frustrating but again. got old fast. Just like Azrael constantly thinking he needs to tell her how he really feels. He kind of already did, so what does he mean? They seem like they’re horny teenagers. Awkward and don’t know how to communicate. They keep saying “pretend” when they aren’t pretending. I don’t understand.
They needed to stop being stubborn and listen to Prissy or, honestly, Prissy should have gotten involved more. She sees what they don’t and could have sat them down rather than playing coy or nonchalantly set them up. It would have saved so much time, and from reading most of these circles.
Azrael and Prissy’s parents remind me a lot of Mortica and Gomez Addams which is sweet.
Azrael’s multiple attempts to talk to his ghost parents seems unhealthy. I get the first time was for closure since he didn’t get to say goodbye, but more than that seems excessive. Also, I feel like Prissy wasn’t angry enough that they contacted her parents without her. I would have been livid.
I received an eARC from Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.
This is the kind of cozy book that makes you want to curl up with a mug of tea and your cat (that you're hopefully not allergic to) to read it.
The premise of the book is a little silly in the way that cozy little books often are, but it's fun and cute.
Emily Lickinson is great and I love the witchy tea shop vibes.
It's still weird to read books where Covid plays a part, especially one that's set in a world with magic and witches.
It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's a fun, cozy little book with lots of yearning.
This is the kind of cozy book that makes you want to curl up with a mug of tea and your cat (that you're hopefully not allergic to) to read it.
The premise of the book is a little silly in the way that cozy little books often are, but it's fun and cute.
Emily Lickinson is great and I love the witchy tea shop vibes.
It's still weird to read books where Covid plays a part, especially one that's set in a world with magic and witches.
It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's a fun, cozy little book with lots of yearning.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Death of parent
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced