This book is incredible; from the first page I was hooked. The writing style is easy to read, the characters are interesting and likeable, and the world is built very naturally. There was much more world building and magic development than I had expected in this cozy paranormal romance and it worked so well with the story.

i wanted to love this, but it wasn't a favorite. i thought the plot was a little slow and while unique, it took several long chapters for me to get through it. the writing style wasn't my favorite and it overall was just a little bland, which was surprising as i normally love paranormal romance. i wish i enjoyed this more because i was really excited about it, but i couldn't relate to the characters & style.

It was ok.

I had trouble reviewing this…I found myself having trouble finishing it. It’s written in third person POV, and only from the girl’s point of view.

My problem was i wasn’t able to feel anything from the characters. Cassies narrations gives zero emotion or lack of it. I didn’t feel any chemistry either between our leads.. It was like two empty souls just saying words to each other and doing things… but it didn’t give me any feels.

Cassandra Camberwell never wanted to step foot back in the town of Hollow Brook after a traumatic experience at her high school talent show. However, she comes back to clean out her grandmother’s old home, with weird items hidden away and squirreled away. But the most disconcerting thing is that her ex-best friend, Seth Brubaker, keeps coming around the house, for increasingly unbelievable reasons. The final being that he is a werewolf and needs her to brew a potion to help him reconcile his beastly nature with his human one, because Cassie is actually a witch.

As they work together to better understand Cassie’s rediscovered magical abilities and help Seth’s werewolf nature settle, their friendship reunites and develops into something deeper. With a couple of interesting twists and surprises along the way, the two of them undergo an adventure worthy of the movies they loved as children.

Both Cassie and Seth are loveable dorks. Seth has golden retriever energy and is an unbelievably earnest individual while Cassie closely guards her heart after the betrayals she has experienced. Partly due to their close childhood friendship, Cassie and Seth’s personalities are very similar to one another. They both tend to "word vomit" their thoughts out into the open but are hesitant to be vulnerable with one another. They will also hide their feelings in a lot of “almost” statements, qualifiers, and joking. This can cause situations that are overly dramatic and frustrating due to the lack of clear communication.

This book is written in 3rd person POV from only Cassie’s perspective. Because Cassie’s new to the magical world, this choice is great for introducing us to the world building of this paranormal romance. However, Cassie’s perspectives of Seth are highly biased for a large portion of the story which causes the relationship between them to feel very hot and cold. Additionally, Cassie was an unreliable narrator. There was a lot of information about the external conflict and Cassie’s relationship with Seth that were twists that were withheld to make the 3rd act of the book more dramatic. These writing style choices made it feel disjointed and unenjoyable for me personally but result in a really great reading experience for people who enjoy a “gotcha” moment.

One other thing I will mention, is that this book does have quite a bit of cultural references for movies and TV shows in the paranormal and horror genres. As someone, who is not up to date with these references, I do feel like they took me out of the story.

Tropes:
-Friends to Enemies to Lovers
-Fated Mates
-Second Chance

Trigger and Content Warnings:
-Bullying
-Fatphobia
-Grief of a Loved one
-Werewolf changes (including ones that don’t go perfectly)

When I saw the description, I thought I would love this book. It gives cozy paranormal vibes and that’s right up my comfort alley. However, there was a lot of fat shaming and bullying in the beginning and that put a bad taste in my mouth. This, following the pick-meisms was just a little much. I wanted to really enjoy this story but I did find that those things put me off of it. I can’t give it the 4 or 5 I wanted to, but it’s ~2.5 for me.

This book wasn't for me, but I'm sure there are many people who would enjoy it. Over the course of 350 pages the author had the main character discover her witch powers and fall in love, and there just wasn't enough world building for me to buy the fantasy aspects. She almost immediately becomes a superpowerful witch with very little effort on her part, I assume so we can get to the romance. For me, it made it unbelievable and made it hard for me to be emotionally invested.

I will say the ending was really sweet, and I liked the way the author brought the story full circle.

I was initially drawn to this book by its "What We Do in the Shadows meets Gilmore Girls" description, expecting a cute, cozy paranormal rom-com. The first half delivered just that, with a charming blend of humor and supernatural elements. However, midway through, the plot took an unexpected turn, veering off course from what I had anticipated.

Beyond the jarring shift in tone, the writing itself could benefit from more editing. The dialogue felt forced, with every line attempting to be a quippy one-liner, making it hard to take the main characters seriously. Additionally, some of the writing was noticeably fatphobic, which was disappointing and detracted from the overall experience.

Despite these issues, the book had potential as a paranormal friends-to-enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance. It had moments of brilliance, but overall, it felt disjointed and left me with a bit of whiplash. Nonetheless, there were enjoyable aspects, especially in the first half.

I really tried to like this book but I just couldn’t. I love a good paranormal romance but this isn’t one of them. The writing was ok. But the girl was very pick me and the dude is a jerk. I know it’s supposed to be grumpy/sunshine but I can’t get past the female main characters personality. I connect with characters when I’m reading and I didn’t connect with these characters at all.

This book was so freaking good! I was so excited to get this and was immediately sucked in by the story, I read the entire thing in one sitting. It was so cozy and easy to read. The main characters Seth and Cassie were so cute and I loved the tension between them! Definitely a slow burn but when the spice started it was spicy! This book was wonderful and I hope this is a series! I need more supernatural romances!

Such a fun and enjoyable time was had while reading this book. Any werewolf is a good one even a grumpy cinnamon roll one. I loved this story and I hope I can read more books from this author as soon as possible.

My official rating for this story is 2.5 stars. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I expected and hoped to. I liked the cozy atmosphere of it and did find myself laughing out loud at some parts (I really liked Seth's intrusive thought moments). However, I found myself not feeling attached to the story or what happened to the characters. I enjoyed the fantasy elements and did like Cassie as a main character, but I found it hard to get past Seth's actions towards her in the beginning of the book. I didn't find myself rooting for them.

I did really enjoy the writing and thought it was beautifully done! I'll definitely read more of Stein's work.

I thought this was cute, and requested based on the cover and description. At times I felt it was a little too YA for me. Cute concept, easy fun read.

I wanted to like this book based on the description alone but unfortunately I just couldn't get past what I consider some huge issues. The biggest issues I had concerned the bullying and fat shaming the MMC laid onto the FMC. I'm all about a redemption arc but how the MMC acted in the beginning was just too much.

Who doesn’t enjoy a good warewolf romance? I enjoyed the plus size inclusivity but some points felt a bit like fat shaming. But overall I enjoyed the story including a MC of a larger size. Plus size individuals are rarely represented and so it was amazing to read.

I have tried on several occasions to get into this book and for some reason I just can't seem to keep myself reading it. I will say that the cover is wonderful and I am sure this will appeal to many readers but I'm not one of them, sadly. I typically love these types of stories and I had hoped this one would be love as well but I have to DNF for now.

I adored this book. Note that the author addresses fat shaming and other trigger warnings at the beginning of the book in a note to readers. I am fat, and was fat growing up so I empathize with Cass (the FMC) and it all works into the full story. However, please be aware and be mindful of your comfort level.

Seth (the MMC) is the classic golden retriever and has such a genuine and gentle soul. Cass is definitely a black cat trying to just get by. These childhood best friends turned to enemies turned to lovers are on a fantastical journey (that does include a great deal of spice in the middle) and trying to reconnect. Thankfully we get to join them on this zany, funny, and ultimately heartwarming ride. Hold on because this story is truly worth making it to the end.

Overall rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5/5)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (4/5)

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. all opinions are my own.

I will post my full review once SMP address the insensitive comments of their employee.

While this book wasn’t personally my style I can still appreciate some of the good things. I think the book was a touch long for my taste and while I knew about the fat shaming going into the book, I still wasn’t a fan. I don’t mind a bully romance but I do think that fat shaming is off limits for me personally. That said, if you’re accustomed to this author or that type of bully then you may not take issue. If you take books too seriously then this isn’t for you. If you don’t mind a silly and fun book with werewolf smut and an overly forgiving plus size FMC that’s comfortable with herself despite her bully, then you may enjoy this.

First off I want to say that I LOVE a plus size MC! Thank you Charlotte Stein for presenting that as a main theme in this book.

I love the series title "Sanctuary for Supernatural Creatures." That alone sucks me in. There was quite a bit of bullying in the story but yet the female mc rose above that and learned how to speak up not only for herself but against the bullies. I also enjoyed reading how a ruined high school relationship rolled around again and was able to be healed.

The part that didn't pull me in was the constant sex references, the graphic bedroom (or any room) scenes, and excessive foul language. However, I'm going to say that I've never read this author before and in looking at reviews I think if I would've read a previous book then I may have known that this is her style of writing. For that reason, I don't want to be too negative because obviously there's a fan group for this type of writing. I'm just not part of that group.

Thank you to NetGalley, Charlotte Stein and St. Martin's Griffin for allowing me this e-arc version in exchange for my opinion.

Cassie and Seth were a blast to read about, Seth's awkwardness was so charming and cute and Cassies badassery as a witch was addictive to read. I absolutely loved "When Grumpy Met Sunshine" and this tops it to the next level. I'm officially a Charlotte Stein stan after this best friends to enemies to lovers whirlwind of a book I fell in love with this world so easily and I already need more of this world and more of these characters PLEASE

This is a silly fun little romance and I absolutely loved it + loved how Seth tried to makeup for his shitty teenage behavior

Thank you so much SMP for the e-arc all opinions are my own