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mx_manda's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
Pure candy read. This is very cute and easy to wolf down in 1-2 sittings.
One thing Aguirre does really well is write male protagonists with a soft masculinity.
Good social anxiety and adhd rep in here—down to the fact ND children and adults get criticized and picked apart at an exponentially higher rate than NT peers, and how that affects our inner scripts and mental health. Solid rep for lots of different folks.
Bit heavy-handed on some of the metaphors—like coming from two different ethnic groups and the struggle of not fitting in .
Felt the wrap up was a bit too quick, but I’ve accepted that as a feature to the author’s work. Would have liked more depth and closure in the original family storyline.
One thing Aguirre does really well is write male protagonists with a soft masculinity.
Good social anxiety and adhd rep in here—down to the fact ND children and adults get criticized and picked apart at an exponentially higher rate than NT peers, and how that affects our inner scripts and mental health. Solid rep for lots of different folks.
Bit heavy-handed on some of the metaphors—
Felt the wrap up was a bit too quick, but I’ve accepted that as a feature to the author’s work. Would have liked more depth and closure in the original family storyline.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Minor: Death of parent and Homophobia
soyb3an's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Outing, Cancer, and Death of parent
bzliz's review
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
2.5
This was cute and cozy and completely forgettable. Before reading, I recommend you lower your expectations, then lower them some more. The characters are more like caricatures and speak in very similar ways but if you like surface level found family, you’ll enjoy this.
The worst part was the forced romance. Iris was right to be creeped out that Eli had essentially stalked her. They didn’t have any chemistry and the way their relationship began felt like when middle school kids “date” by randomly declaring they’re boyfriend/girlfriend.
On the plus side, there’s lots of representation for so many types of people, even cranky Karens next door. I did think the housemates were all sweet despite being one dimensional.
Content warnings:
Death of a parent (off page):Eli’s parents both die when he’s young so he’s raised by his ‘Gamma’
Homophobia, transphobia, outing (off page):Housemate Rowan is brought in to the group after they are outed to their parents. Out of concern for their safety, the crew rescues them and takes them in.
Stalking (on/off page):Eli checks up on Iris’ social media regularly and fails to come clean to her about his behavior at every opportunity.
Xenophobia (on page):The Karen next door sucks.
The worst part was the forced romance. Iris was right to be creeped out that Eli had essentially stalked her. They didn’t have any chemistry and the way their relationship began felt like when middle school kids “date” by randomly declaring they’re boyfriend/girlfriend.
On the plus side, there’s lots of representation for so many types of people, even cranky Karens next door. I did think the housemates were all sweet despite being one dimensional.
Content warnings:
Death of a parent (off page):
Homophobia, transphobia, outing (off page):
Stalking (on/off page):
Xenophobia (on page):
Content Warnings
Minor: Stalking, Outing, Transphobia, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Xenophobia
leeghlee's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Transphobia, Abandonment, Classism, Stalking, and Outing
Minor: Pregnancy, Alcohol, Death, and Death of parent
beepbeep101's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Xenophobia
Minor: Death of parent, Transphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, and Outing
kat_impossible's review
3.0
*I was provided with an eARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!*
The Only Purple House in Town is the fourth book in the "Fix-It Witches"-series, although I didn't know that diving in. So, let my review be a testimony to the fact that you can read this novel without having read the previous books. You might miss some cameos from former (lead) characters (which there are quite a few) or take some getting used to the world the characters inhabit. It didn't take me too long to find my bearings, but without prior knowledge on the magic and in-world developments, I found the synopsis for the book to be a bit misleading.
In the realm of The Only Purple House in Town, we can exhibit a world quite similar to ours. This isn't high fantasy after all. However, witches have decided to out themselves and they aren't the only supernatural beings - shape shifters, vampires, fae and the like all exist as well. I wasn't fully prepared for that kind of mayhem, if I'm being completely honest. I did love that it lead to a beautiful found family trope, which was my favorite part of the story.
Although the tale is mostly told from Iris and Eli's perspectives, it was their housemates and the side characters that made the story come to life. I also enjoyed the wide variety of queer representation that just felt very naturally ingrained in it all. Seeing those people be in a bind and find a place they not only feel welcome and safe in, but actually at home at was great and heart-warming.
Speaking of matters of the heart, that's what I had some quarrels with - the love story between Iris and Eli! I just can't get over the fact that Eli had basically stalked Iris since he was 11 years old, because she did something nice for him once. I get that it was a big deal for him and most of his actions throughout the novel are well intentioned, but that doesn't change the facts. And fact is, Eli dedicated a lot of his free time thinking about Iris, looking her up on social media, deceiving her and moving in with her, all the while she had no idea they had even met prior to their roommate interview. It's not a good look and I don't really get how fast Iris did a 180 and just brushed it off as "well, I'm not perfect either". Let's not make stalking okay, just because the guy is nice in the end, alright?
Over all, The Only Purple House in Town was an easy, fast and (for the most part) sweet read. A lot of the relationships are fairly cut and dry and there could have been a bit more nuance for the villains (they really were just mean/evil). Again, I much preferred the friendships to the romance, but that's just because of Eli's actions.
Fazit: 3/5 stars! Found family will always hit the sweet spot for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Homophobia, and Bullying
Minor: Death of parent
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