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renpuspita's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Honestly, this is pretty..disappointing? Meg Cabot is an author whom books I read when I'm searching for light and feel good books. I love her Heather Wells series and The Boys series. Sadly, Enchanted to Meet You feels like a mismatch of plot. Yeah, sure the cozy feeling is there, but I don't get why make a Chosen One trope then there's Bringer of Light? I'll be like...what? Also the ending of the story feel anticlimatic as well. Like, you banished the demon of the rift that threatened to engulfing West Harbor in a chaos and destruction just by delivering a speech? Really Meg Cabot? Really????? Even if this one written as YA instead of adult, that seems overkill you know
I don't get the chemistry between Jess and Derrick, seems sudden. Why differentiate the PoV between Jess (1st PoV) and Derrick (3rd PoV), I have no slightly idea because I think the story might be better written from all Jess's PoV but that's just me of course. I feel like Jess is less snark and more like two-goody person. It's not that bad, but I REALLY HOPE, Jess's nemesis, Rosalie get her comeuppance. Like really regret her wrongdoings. Rosalie is a bully to the core and her redemption is just barely there. I don't get why Jess can be so forgiving to Rosalie because Rosalie deserve the worst.
Story is not that memorable and I admit, I'm slugging while reading this. Maybe I like Meg Cabot when she write about con-rom or murder mystery, rather than the supernatural ones
I don't get the chemistry between Jess and Derrick, seems sudden. Why differentiate the PoV between Jess (1st PoV) and Derrick (3rd PoV), I have no slightly idea because I think the story might be better written from all Jess's PoV but that's just me of course. I feel like Jess is less snark and more like two-goody person. It's not that bad, but I REALLY HOPE, Jess's nemesis, Rosalie get her comeuppance. Like really regret her wrongdoings. Rosalie is a bully to the core and her redemption is just barely there. I don't get why Jess can be so forgiving to Rosalie because Rosalie deserve the worst.
Story is not that memorable and I admit, I'm slugging while reading this. Maybe I like Meg Cabot when she write about con-rom or murder mystery, rather than the supernatural ones
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Colonisation and Abandonment
bzliz's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.5
This was a little too cheesy and anticlimactic for me. I found it hard to get behind Jess and Derrick’s insta-love. Since the book reads more like YA than adult fiction, I would’ve preferred a book from Esther and Gabby’s perspectives. Also, Jess is a plus size woman which is only characterized by a slight obsession with food and candy, which I didn’t love.
I normally have a lot to say when I finish a book- good or bad- but unfortunately the most I can say about this is: it sure is a book that I read.
I normally have a lot to say when I finish a book- good or bad- but unfortunately the most I can say about this is: it sure is a book that I read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Stalking and Bullying
Minor: Colonisation and Alcohol
britwalsh16's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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? No
4.0
This was a very sweet read, especially for witchy season. I loved Meg Cabot as a kid, her Mediator series is still one of my favorite series from when I was younger! So reading a new book by her, was like stepping back into my childhood! It also makes me want to reread the Mediator series again! A Meg Cabot book is just as good as when I was a kid. I would definitely recommend it, especially if you loved her books as a kid!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Cursing, Alcohol, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Abandonment, Classism, and Hate crime
sdupont's review against another edition
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? No
4.0
Looking for a fun witchy read for Halloween? You’re in the right place! This book is written in Meg Cabot’s signature style and voice. I enjoyed reading about Jessica and Derrick. I felt that the romance was more of the secondary plot in this book so I was left wanting more development of their relationship. I was hoping for a little bit more of The Mediator vibes (but witchy) but this book was more mild. I still enjoyed it and found it to be fun and lighthearted.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Bullying
Minor: Stalking and Colonisation
sariereads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Stalking, Colonisation, and Toxic relationship
mamawantsbooks's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Meg Cabot is legit my ride or die author. I will pretty much always auto-buy whatever she releases and I’ll usually love it. I’ve grown with her since The Princess Diaries to realizing she also had adult books and devouring everything she’s written.
This was absolutely no exception except now I need the rest of the series because it was so good I’m greedy and want more.
Plus sized rep? OF COURSE. I know I’m biased, but I do love how Meg shows her representation in her writing. Things just *are*. There’s not a big deal made or an obvious in your face, these are just characters who happen to be gay or plus sized or BIPOC but they’re mayors and entrepreneurs.
The story does resolve pretty quickly and I would have liked a little more explanation but sometimes we don’t need that. A good cozy book about witches (a gender neutral term!) trying to save their town and some minor fake dating and major romance thrown in. I saw a reviewer describe this as “peak Meg Cabot (in the best way!)” and honestly that’s the best way to describe it. Meg is the queen at romcom books and she has absolutely done it once again.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the opportunity to read this ARC and review it!
This was absolutely no exception except now I need the rest of the series because it was so good I’m greedy and want more.
Plus sized rep? OF COURSE. I know I’m biased, but I do love how Meg shows her representation in her writing. Things just *are*. There’s not a big deal made or an obvious in your face, these are just characters who happen to be gay or plus sized or BIPOC but they’re mayors and entrepreneurs.
The story does resolve pretty quickly and I would have liked a little more explanation but sometimes we don’t need that. A good cozy book about witches (a gender neutral term!) trying to save their town and some minor fake dating and major romance thrown in. I saw a reviewer describe this as “peak Meg Cabot (in the best way!)” and honestly that’s the best way to describe it. Meg is the queen at romcom books and she has absolutely done it once again.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the opportunity to read this ARC and review it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Colonisation, Alcohol, and Classism
reading_historical_romance's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
3 stars for this magical, cozy cute read! (I’m also shamelessly loving that the title can be a 2020s pop culture nod to Taylor Swift.)
I’ve been a fan of Meg Cabot’s writing since The Princess Diaries, so I was very excited to have my ARC request approved by Avon. I went in wanting to love it, and if the manuscript had been edited only slightly so that it was YA or New Adult, I would have. I have to give it 3 stars because it is supposed to be a Paranormal Romance, and it just doesn’t quite get there. For an adult Paranormal Romance, it suffers from a very youthful tone and storylines, overplotting, lack of character development, and heavy-handed moralizing.
The novel follows a self-taught cottage witch, Jessica, and a natural born witch, Derrick, as they work together to fulfil a 300-year-old prophecy, which will ensure that Jessica’s small Connecticut hometown of West Harbor – a town that has a history of persecuting witches -- will still exist after Halloween.
Meg has a great voice, and when she lets free with her humor, using atmosphere/setting as character, and choice of random details in building character, her writing absolutely sparkles. There were some great hilarious moments in this book that reminded me all over again of why I love her writing. The text messages between Jessica, and her best friends, Dina and Mark (who have 3 beagles!), and everything about the Trivia Night, were perfect. Jessica’s relationship with her cat, Pye. I loved how we get to know Jessica by watching her “glow-up” her customers with her fashion sense. We really do care about sweet, dim Billy who is genuinely kind, and deserves to be happy.
I loved the magical elements of the story, the quotes from Jessica’s grimoire, and the “Nine Rules” that good witches should follow. (All of these are good morals.) The underlying plot that there is a “Chosen One” that needs to prevent the destruction of her town from an apocalypse was not explained very well, though. I’m still not sure why Derrick was “sent” to West Harbor in the first place, or what his witch “job” really is? By the end, it seems Derrick didn’t actually “do” anything to prevent whatever bad thing was supposed to happen from happening. I also don’t think that the symbolic use of the wolves was clear.
I think this novel would have worked better if the plot had been simpler: Lost soul Derrick arriving to give lost soul Jessica a mission to mentor a young witch, and they end up finding true love! More time could have been spent on developing both Derrick and Jessica’s characters, and their love story. Instead, we got a paragraph or two of statements telling us why they love each other (after less than a week). We aren’t shown anything in the narrative about what makes them Fated Mates, other than that they’re both witches with complicated histories with their witchiness.
The only content that pushes this novel out of the YA or New Adult category is direct statements about sexual activity occurring between Jessica and Derrick. All of these statements are minor/vague, and none contain detailed descriptions. In all but one scene, sexual activity takes place entirely off-page.
Although most of the characters are adults in their 30s, they read as much younger. There are also overt, outright morality lessons and commentary throughout the narrative. The climax of the novel, in and of itself, is a straightforward didactic event.
For example, the novel includes statements like: “Magic is everywhere and in everyone”; “That’s the real crime—the crime of persecuting someone for their supernatural beliefs, a crime for which people around the world even today continue to be accused, and to suffer and die. I believe the court systems should be held accountable for this”; and “You did use your powers. Your powers of compassion and empathy.”
I do not object at all to a book that's about why it’s important to be a decent human being, and that makes direct statements to the reader about what that means. Those books are targeted to, and properly categorized, as middle grade and YA, not as adult fiction or Paranormal Romance.
Overall, this is a fun, cozy read for the fall, and should be enjoyed when curled up in a blanket and sipping a warm pumpkin spice-flavored something. This is also the first book in a series, and I am looking forward to reading the next one to see the direction the series will go.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.
I’ve been a fan of Meg Cabot’s writing since The Princess Diaries, so I was very excited to have my ARC request approved by Avon. I went in wanting to love it, and if the manuscript had been edited only slightly so that it was YA or New Adult, I would have. I have to give it 3 stars because it is supposed to be a Paranormal Romance, and it just doesn’t quite get there. For an adult Paranormal Romance, it suffers from a very youthful tone and storylines, overplotting, lack of character development, and heavy-handed moralizing.
The novel follows a self-taught cottage witch, Jessica, and a natural born witch, Derrick, as they work together to fulfil a 300-year-old prophecy, which will ensure that Jessica’s small Connecticut hometown of West Harbor – a town that has a history of persecuting witches -- will still exist after Halloween.
Meg has a great voice, and when she lets free with her humor, using atmosphere/setting as character, and choice of random details in building character, her writing absolutely sparkles. There were some great hilarious moments in this book that reminded me all over again of why I love her writing. The text messages between Jessica, and her best friends, Dina and Mark (who have 3 beagles!), and everything about the Trivia Night, were perfect. Jessica’s relationship with her cat, Pye. I loved how we get to know Jessica by watching her “glow-up” her customers with her fashion sense. We really do care about sweet, dim Billy who is genuinely kind, and deserves to be happy.
I loved the magical elements of the story, the quotes from Jessica’s grimoire, and the “Nine Rules” that good witches should follow. (All of these are good morals.) The underlying plot that there is a “Chosen One” that needs to prevent the destruction of her town from an apocalypse was not explained very well, though. I’m still not sure why Derrick was “sent” to West Harbor in the first place, or what his witch “job” really is? By the end, it seems Derrick didn’t actually “do” anything to prevent whatever bad thing was supposed to happen from happening. I also don’t think that the symbolic use of the wolves was clear.
I think this novel would have worked better if the plot had been simpler: Lost soul Derrick arriving to give lost soul Jessica a mission to mentor a young witch, and they end up finding true love! More time could have been spent on developing both Derrick and Jessica’s characters, and their love story. Instead, we got a paragraph or two of statements telling us why they love each other (after less than a week). We aren’t shown anything in the narrative about what makes them Fated Mates, other than that they’re both witches with complicated histories with their witchiness.
The only content that pushes this novel out of the YA or New Adult category is direct statements about sexual activity occurring between Jessica and Derrick. All of these statements are minor/vague, and none contain detailed descriptions. In all but one scene, sexual activity takes place entirely off-page.
Although most of the characters are adults in their 30s, they read as much younger. There are also overt, outright morality lessons and commentary throughout the narrative. The climax of the novel, in and of itself, is a straightforward didactic event.
For example, the novel includes statements like: “Magic is everywhere and in everyone”; “That’s the real crime—the crime of persecuting someone for their supernatural beliefs, a crime for which people around the world even today continue to be accused, and to suffer and die. I believe the court systems should be held accountable for this”; and “You did use your powers. Your powers of compassion and empathy.”
I do not object at all to a book that's about why it’s important to be a decent human being, and that makes direct statements to the reader about what that means. Those books are targeted to, and properly categorized, as middle grade and YA, not as adult fiction or Paranormal Romance.
Overall, this is a fun, cozy read for the fall, and should be enjoyed when curled up in a blanket and sipping a warm pumpkin spice-flavored something. This is also the first book in a series, and I am looking forward to reading the next one to see the direction the series will go.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and Violence
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