Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon

This was a sweet, fun, and steamy read if imperfect. Mariel is a witch who struggles with magic despite being prophesized as powerful. While she excels at earth magic, her family looks down on it and subsequently her. During a spell gone wrong, she summons Ozroth, a demon. Oz's goal is to make a soul bargain with Mariel. However, bargaining her soul would mean losing her magic and emotions, and as the two grow closer that's not something either of them wants.

Oz is a peculiar demon in that he has a soul after a previous soul bargain gone wrong, meaning he experiences human emotion, something demons look down on. Given this and his community's need for a powerful soul like Mariel's, there is just as much incentive for him to bargain for her soul as there is top keep her safe. Meanwhile, Mariel's beloved forest is rapidly decaying while her mother and the major of Glimmer Falls plot to build a spa there, two things Mariel and her friends desperately want to stop.

This is an enjoyable read, though the toxic relationship between Mariel and her mother - a major plot point - is a bit harrowing. Some of the language used not just by Mariel's mother but her friend regarding Mariel's "dry spell" feels reductive - cleaning cobwebs from the vagina, good dick being motivation. It's frustrating in the third act how quickly Mariel believes Oz, whom she loves, could be duping her, but also makes sense given her frustrating relationship with her family. Ultimately it's a fun and sexy love story, and the world-building is whimsical and interesting.

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sarahreadsromance's review

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

The plot itself was sweet and enjoyable enough, but there were just some things with the book that I didn’t love. I felt like there wasn’t strong character development and it was frustrating reading how the characters reacted to different situations. Literally every character needs to go to therapy, which wouldn’t be a problem if it was self aware, but it didn’t feel like it was. The ending was sweet and satisfying, though, which redeemed the book a little bit. It also had one of the better spicy scenes that I’ve read lol

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foxwish's review against another edition

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emotional funny tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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katebrownreads's review against another edition

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4.5

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headinthepages's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

Lighthearted and fun to read with some steamy scenes.

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