I think the book had a slow start, but soon enough I kept wanting to get back to reading during my breaks and before bed. I think that our patrons will enjoy the read, so we will be purchasing for the collection.

DNF at 10%. The story is making me feel very confused, angsty, and bored.
Not what I expected out of a witchy book.

The texts are also very confusing to me. I’m not intrigued enough to keep going with the story.

This book is a revelation. The nostalgia of AIM is heartwarming. The messages between the characters move the story forward. Sage is a compelling main character. In parts when she seems immature, she is reeling from the young age when her sister, Sky, passed on. She is learning as she is reckoning with her grief. There is trepidation that eventually opens her up in beautiful bloom.

The humor is top-notch. Cranberry, VA is a charming small town that gets a full read. As much as the story is about magic, it is grounded to be true and realistic.

Teal is a great push to Sage as they are sisters, not estranged but not exactly having a loving relationship. Her boyfriend, Johnny, is a great example of the pitfalls and often idiocy of influencer culture.

Reading about a woman receiving pleasure is one of my life's greatest joys. Tennessee Reyes is an excellent male character, sensual and ambitious. Love is a centerpiece that makes someone need to experience it. The story manages to not be preachy and speak on societal conversations.

The tension and resolution in the story are solid. The story does not falter.

I was reminded of Practical Magic, Little Shop of Horrors, and Tortilla Soup.

Ate this book up in a day! The paranormal was fantastic, the romance soft with the right amount of heat, and the familial love between sisters was everything.

Oh my god the AIM messages were too real, my middle school flashbacks hit me hard. Why did I actually have conversations like that??

Sage Flores has hit rock bottom and must return home to Cranberry, Virginia, to figure out how to get her life back on track. Unfortunately, that means falling back into the old antagonistic patterns with her sister Teal and being followed by the ghost of her dead sister Sky. Even Sage's plant magic can't help her with family dynamics, but at least it can get her a job at the farm she'd worked at before. What she doesn't expect is for the handsome Nate Bowen (her boss) to use her plant skills to seek out new varieties for the farm -- and to work with the guy who broke her heart in high school: Tennessee Reyes.

This work of magical realism focuses on Sage's family and their history of magic as well as the things that have pulled them apart over the years. Both Sage and Teal as well as their great-aunt Nadia have many difficult things to work through, including their shared loss, and the book gives them the space to heal themselves and to heal their relationships. But there's also room in the book for romance and healing between Sage and Tenn.

A little slow to start but gradually a lush, complex story. 4 stars,

Thank you, Berkley Romance and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Magical realism, a beautiful love story with hints of enemies-to-lovers and workplace romance tropes, a heart-wrenching dysfunctional family story with spine-tingling paranormal vibes; this is the best combination for a nerdy bookish person like me. I adored this book and I literally devoured each chapter.

Sage Flores has a special talent for identifying plants - she's like a real-life identification app, a PLANT WHISPERER. But that's not her only gift. She can also connect with the plants' souls, making them grow longer and wider. She also has another secret related to her dead sister Sky, who she lost to an accident eight years ago. Sage can see Sky, who appears every time Sage cries, making her favorite chocolate raspberry coffee.

When Sage returns to her family's house in Cranberry Rose to live with her aunt Nadia, who has a special gift for knowing things, and her estranged sister Teal, who can create lightning in the sky, she has to confront problems related to their past.

Sage gets a job offer to work at the Cranberry Rose Company to discover more plants to increase the farm's sales. But the job comes with a catch: she has to work with Tennessee Reyes, her high school crush who broke her heart into a million pieces. Despite her hesitations, she needs the money to get out of town for her own sake. But things are not going to get easier as the sparks keep flying and their attraction is palpable.

Sage has to confront her past, solve her family issues, mend her broken heart, and embrace her future. But first, she has to embrace her power and tell her loved ones how losing the people in her life hurt her more than they expected.

Overall, this book is pure magic! The characters are lovely, and the blooming romance is so sweet! I enjoyed every part of it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.