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A review by tessa_talks_books
The Charmed List by Julie Abe
4.0
What's it about (in a nutshell):
The Charmed List by Julie Abe is a sweet and magical enemy-to-lovers romantic comedy for the young adult reader (and those of us who are still young at heart).
Initial Expectations (before beginning the book):
The cover is cartoony and screams young love and romantic comedy. The blurb confirms this impression and adds the promise of magic, which initially attracted me to this book. I love magic, and it always intrigues me when it's mixed with genres other than fantasy.
Actual Reading Experience:
This is a charming enemy-to-lovers story perfect for even the youngest YA reader and possibly older MG readers. It's very innocent, and I loved that about it. The main characters – Ellie and Jack – are both relatable and will worm their way into your heart from the get-go. It is told in first-person narration through Ellie, so the reader gets to know Jack and the support characters through her eyes, giving them the added dimension of her feelings and the reasons for them. It also enables the story to go relatively fast and the flow to happen naturally. The magic system is simple charm magic but comes with magical conventions, magical resting houses, and even magical villages. I enjoyed the magic, found it fun to imagine, and loved its simplicity. The charmed list (of the title) is a bucket list of sorts for Ellie, who feels like a wallflower and wants to change that by taking on different challenges - like conquering the roller coaster that traumatized her as a kid. This list brings her so much more than she ever expected, some of it good and some not so good, but all of it helps her grow into the young adult she is to become.
To Read or Not to Read:
If you love a magical story of friendship and romance, The Charmed List will surely bring on all the heartwarming inspiration you could ever hope for.
The Charmed List by Julie Abe is a sweet and magical enemy-to-lovers romantic comedy for the young adult reader (and those of us who are still young at heart).
Initial Expectations (before beginning the book):
The cover is cartoony and screams young love and romantic comedy. The blurb confirms this impression and adds the promise of magic, which initially attracted me to this book. I love magic, and it always intrigues me when it's mixed with genres other than fantasy.
Actual Reading Experience:
This is a charming enemy-to-lovers story perfect for even the youngest YA reader and possibly older MG readers. It's very innocent, and I loved that about it. The main characters – Ellie and Jack – are both relatable and will worm their way into your heart from the get-go. It is told in first-person narration through Ellie, so the reader gets to know Jack and the support characters through her eyes, giving them the added dimension of her feelings and the reasons for them. It also enables the story to go relatively fast and the flow to happen naturally. The magic system is simple charm magic but comes with magical conventions, magical resting houses, and even magical villages. I enjoyed the magic, found it fun to imagine, and loved its simplicity. The charmed list (of the title) is a bucket list of sorts for Ellie, who feels like a wallflower and wants to change that by taking on different challenges - like conquering the roller coaster that traumatized her as a kid. This list brings her so much more than she ever expected, some of it good and some not so good, but all of it helps her grow into the young adult she is to become.
To Read or Not to Read:
If you love a magical story of friendship and romance, The Charmed List will surely bring on all the heartwarming inspiration you could ever hope for.