This book started off with a great plot and solid characters. However i was unable to finish this book before the hustle and bustle of the holidays were up on. and it felt weird to try and pick up where i left off as im in a different reading mood now. But i will be coming back to it after the holidays are over.

The concept had strong promise, but unfortunately I was not able to really immerse myself in the story. I look forward to giving this book another try next October.

I didn't have time to squeeze this book into my reading list during October, and it seemed off to read it with other holidays right around the corner. The marketing of "Encanto meets Hocus Pocus" was the draw for me, and while it is still on my reading list, we did decide to purchase a copy for our library system. I look forward to reading it after the holidays.

This was just the fun but spooky read I needed during my week of reading spooky romcoms!! If you love The Kiss Curse and Thr Ex Hex then pick this one up

Hex Appeal was a fun, entertaining read full of quirky characters. It was my favorite Autumn read for the year.

This is a delightful Halloween read. It's quirky and fun. I enjoyed the characters. The plot could have been a little tighter but overall this is a fun, seasonal read.

This was a very enjoyable read for me and it's perfect for the spooky season! Essie and Josh have believable chemistry and their exchanges made me laugh aloud. They had to face some heavier topics, but it was done with care and thought. Definitely recommend it!

I was given a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. I just reviewed Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson. #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book promises to be Encanto meets Hocus Pocus as a witchy rom-com. It’s an enemies-to-lovers story that starts off painfully slow.

I really wanted to love this but there was so much going on and it became very hard to follow.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins/One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's really hard for me to rate this book as I had high expectations and was sadly disappointed.

For the first half of the book I was bored for the second half the reading picked up pace but still not as I had hoped.
The plot idea is nice but from a certain point on it really lost sense, it's a mix of fantasy elements all together including time travel, magic and monsters.
I would have preferred a simpler story but with events not concentrated only in the last part of the book.

Plus some things are really cringe (the frozen p***s 🤦🏼‍♀️)

Overall it was an ok read.

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson was release on October 1st 2022. Essie Winterscale lives in a huge and ever-changing house in the village of Good Winter, in deepest, darkest Essex. She lives with various witches of various ages, one of whom is still a bit salty about having been burned at the stake in 1635, one who keeps accidentally casting fertility spells, and one who knits things that create the future. All Essie ever wanted was to have a normal life but in the end she found herself drawn back to Beldam House because she just can’t stop her witchiness (although the ability to instantly chill wine is pretty awesome, even she has to admit). Into this coven of chaos stumbles gorgeous, clueless Josh, their new landlord – and he’s just discovered his tenants haven’t paid rent since the 1700s! As Josh is drawn further into the lives of the inhabitants of Beldam House, Essie is determined to keep him at broomstick’s length. That is, until a family secret, lying hidden for centuries, puts Josh firmly under her spell.

Hex Appeal has a lot to it, much more than I expected to be honest. I thought the character work on Essie, Josh, and the whole town was very well done, as was the world and story building surrounding the witchiness of Essie's home and family. I liked the balance of romance, mystery, and danger that is woven through the story, and even when I expected a twist I rarely anticipated all of the pieces before the story revealed them. I thought that magical aspects of this book were my favorite, and would enjoy a book just about how Bedlam house came to be, and how the magical combinations and shifts were started and how they continue- the house and its residents fascinated me and I want more. I think there is room for more to be told here, beyond my personal desire for more history. There is plenty of room for sequels or campion books, despite the very satisfying ending this book provided. I would love to revisit the characters and world that was created here.

Hex Appeal is a solid witchy romance, with solid world and character building.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for sharing an digital ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

Hex Appeal by Kate Johnson revolves around Essie Winterscale, who lives in a huge and ever-changing house in the village of Good Winter, in deepest, darkest Essex and their newest landlord named Josh. He finds out that the coven that lives in the house haven't paid rent for over 300 years.

This is a really lighthearted enemies to lovers novel with a cozy and witchy touch. I enjoyed the story and the easy writing, which gets you easily into the book. The characters were likeable from the beginning, but I still had some issues to connect with the characters deeply. It was a nice read for the weekend. Nothing more and nothing less.

Something was missing from this witchy romcom and I can't put my finger on what. I enjoyed the small town vibes and the descriptions of the main house were fun, however, all the characters felt so.. meh. I never bought into the romance between our hero and heroine, the chemistry was nowhere to be read. Because of that, the stakes never felt high. There is a bit of time travel thrown into the story which could've been the most interesting part, but instead it felt entirely like filler.

3.75 ⭐️

Tropes:
Enemies to lovers

This was a great witchy romcom for spooky season! I loved the magical aspects and the banter was great.

Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, so that made me enjoy this book even more.

Some things felt a bit corny/cheesy so that is why I’ve deducted some points but overall, the book did still make me laugh and swoon at times.

There's a line that's crossed between imaginative and confusing in this book, which I wanted to like more than I did. What's supposed to feel zany more often feels incoherent, and as someone who likes intelligible and self-consistent world-building as much as I like richly imagined settings, the writing here didn't cut it. Which might have been bearable if I'd been fonder of the characters. I can see others enjoying this and would suggest it as a readalike for those who are very into this brand of romcom, but it wasn't for me.

I couldn’t have picked a more perfect book to read in time for Halloween. This was everything I wanted and much more!

A witch-world I want to live in! The author's description of Beldam is so vivid, so complete, that I want to hop on a plane and fly there. A fun story with a little of everything, mystery, humour and a bit of romance. A great read on a winter's day.
Thank you NetGalley for providing this copy. The opinion here is solely my own.

I loved this book. I was hooked from the start to the finish. I liked the humour, the unique world building, and the plot that had lots of twists and turns. Overall, a very enjoyable paranormal romance. *I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

A spooky-season romance is what I wanted—and a spooky-season romance is what I got!

The magic system was really well done, it was easy to get into the world. At the beginning I remember being a bit confused, but I think that was more about how open Essie talked about magic, even though people don't really know, or shouldn't know, magic exists...?
But after 10 or 15% I was so immersed that I couldn't put it down.
There was a moment of miscommunication at the beginning (which I'm not a fan of) but it was quickly resolved, so it was actually fine. The relationship between the two main characters is really cute. There was banter and a lot of humour, and I was so there for it!!
Also, I liked the secondary characters—I wouldn't be surprised if we got more books from their point of view.
Definitely recommend!

If you’re looking for a fun, witchy rom-com, this is a good option! It’s not the best option since it feels more plot-heavy than most romantic comedies (it took me longer to read than expected), but if you can sort through everything that happens, it’s good.

Thank you to Netgalley & Publishers for allowing me access to an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This had a lot of potential with some of my favorite tropes--small town with quirky characters, sentient house, outsider moving in, etc; but the story didnt do it for me. Lord I wanted to love this witchy story but I was so bored out of my mind. The characters were super immature and I just couldn't connect with anyone at all. DNF at around 50%. Thank you to netgalley!