Reviews

There's Magic Between Us by Jillian Maria

alyssabookrecs's review against another edition

5.0

Absolutely delightful sapphic fantasy novel!

I had been dying to read this for months when I stumbled on a link to it via a writer’s discord by chance, and I was not disappointed. Lydia is a fun narrator—so very teenager in all the best ways—and Eden is her perfect balance. I was so fond of every character and the progression of the plot. The world-building felt like just enough and was never overkill. Jillian Maria is a must-read author!

sleepybex's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

andreannechat's review against another edition

3.0

Cute sapphic love story wrapped up in fae magic. It takes a bit of time before we get to the magic. The story is cute, if a little predictable. This book didn't rock my world, but it was fun to read on a plane.

hsinjulit's review against another edition

5.0

God forbid anyone assumes I’m heterosexual.

Fiery pansexual disaster with too much energy! Magical woods! Faeries!

Lydia Barnes (16, pansexual) spends a week with her grandmother at Fairbrooke. Her mother hates the town and the townspeople hate her. But Lydia’s grandmother is nice and there is a forest nearby that everyone tells her to avoid. So what will Lydia find if she set foot in the woods when her grandmother naps? Eden Yu (16, Chinese American) and lots of secrets.

It’s been a while since I had so much fun with a new read, but I did up my rating a bit just because I would have loved it even more had I been ten years younger, which is in the range of the targeted audience. I love Lydia, this prickly teen who would probably bite all her enemies. She has unbounded energy and will be quick to scale a wall when she can. The love interest Eden is more of a mysterious character. Who is this girl in the woods? Why is she trying to find those wood pieces?

You know how when you mix too many colors together, it turns into a mushy brown? That’s what my emotions are doing.

In some ways, this book reminds me of One Last Stop sans the queer found family (but there are other queer characters including a genderfluid side character): disaster m-spec main character, mysterious Chinese American love interest, and the mother-daughter bond. Yes, we need more books with chaotic queer people and magic and cuteness!

There are some heavier elements here and there, such as trapped humans, and facing ones desire and fear honestly. Overall, though, Lydia’s week-long adventure was both sweet and exciting. Oh, and Lydia lives in Chicago, one of my favorite cities, so I am definitely biased.

Read this if you want a cute, chaotic queer YA fantasy with faeries. Note that there are no intimate scenes beyond kissing.

content warnings: teen pregnancy of side character (pedophilia???), bullying, kidnapping, arson

I received an e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

queerwword's review against another edition

4.0

Realy Interesting premise done well paired with sweet romance fun read overall .
Favorite quote:
"Good to know a lack of heterosexuality runs in the family.".

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

ar1na's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I'm not sure if I'd give it 5 stars if I read it right now - probably not. But when I did read it, it was exactly what I needed. A light-hearted and sweet book.

amethyst_reads_books's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

jamietherebelliousreader's review against another edition

4.0

4 stars. I couldn’t stand the main character, Lydia and she never did grow on me by the end. She was too much ‘edgy, angry teen’ for me and I couldn’t deal with it. She was annoying as hell.

However, it was everything else about this book that made this a four star read for me. The plot in this was so much fun and I really loved the side characters. Particularly, Lydia’s mom, grandmother, and Eden who is the love interest. They were all great. Eden was so likable and I think she really balanced out Lydia’s brash and abrasive attitude. Their romance was really cute and had such a sweet innocence to it. They were adorable together.

The plot kept me intrigued from the moment Lydia first encounters the magical forest and it just got better from there. The writing in this was really good and it’s paced really well. There was never a dull moment for me. There were some great action scenes, I loved the mystery and myths surrounding the forest, and the family aspect in this was so well done. Everything wrapped up well and I genuinely had such a good time reading this book. It was a very fun read and I’m interested in reading more by this author.

anotherqueerreading's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

lucaengelhard's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

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

4.0