A review by crothe77
The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman

emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes

5.0

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman is a contemporary novel with a few fantastical elements and features two second chance romances. When Mattie’s mother, Lilith, passes away, Mattie returns to Lilith’s hometown and stays with her mother’s sister, Penelope. Shortly after, her almost love interest from high school, Jonathan, comes back to town from New York. Mattie is ready to collect her inheritance and move on, but her mother has put a clause in the will: Mattie has to complete seven tasks around town within four months or forfeit the money.

My favorite thing was how Jennifer Moorman depicted Mattie’s complicated feelings towards her childhood. Lilith moved them around every few years, making it difficult for Mattie to set down roots or find the stability she was looking for, but Mattie also recognizes the good times and the opportunities she got because of moving so much. It shows the nuance of the situation, how those opportunities gained mean opportunities lost and how they make it hard to form long-lasting relationships with others. 

The second chance romances are between Mattie and Jonathan and Penelope and Stephen, her ex from her high school and college days. Mattie and Jonathan fall back into flirting very quickly and the spark between them is reignited through intervention from the house and Lilith’s tasks for Mattie. Meanwhile, Penelope has been keeping a secret for years from Stephen, getting in the way of them finally coming back together.

Content warning for mentions of miscarriage

I would recommend this to fans of love stories that are not romance-focused, readers looking for a handful of fantastical elements, such as a radio that changes music on it’s own, but not a fantasy, and fans of grief stories that focus more on healing and moving on than other parts of the journey.

 
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