The story is well-written, it's a dual POV and there is a great queer cast including ex-girlfriends, best friends, and colleagues. I highly recommend it.

The synopsis shares a lot. Roxy Bright is planning to winter in Provincetown for winter. She meets her freshman college roommate Tessa Flowers who is in town to direct a Shakespeare play. Tessa is a high school drama teacher in Boston and got a prestigious grant for the production. Roxy is willing to help out on sets and Tessa who has always had a crush on her hopes more will come of spending time together. Tessa’s ex is the star. And if that isn’t complicated enough Roxy saves the life of a mermaid named Mo and moves her into her apartment.

This is fun and entertaining. Roxy is trying to figure out who is using magic to trap Mo. Someone is trying to sabotage the play. Tessa wants her play to be a success. And Mo is trying to help Roxy find her true love. The magic elements are explained well. And Mo is fun as literally a fish (mermaid) out of water. I could easily read a future romance about her if the author has plans for it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for providing me with this book.

The book was very promising in the beginning and I was instantly hooked from the moment Roxy saved the mermaid. Sadly enough, the book wasn't able to capture my attention towards the middle and I did struggle to finish the story.
The main problem for me was that Roxy and Tessa had no chemistry. I couldn't for the life of me see a sparkle between them and I was honestly hoping they would realize that as well and find themselves other people to be with.
I liked Roxy's character, she was so kind and loyal, the type of friend and girlfriend you wish to have by your side.
Tessa, well, she needs a little therapy.
I disliked so much how she tried to paint Lisa as the villain when in reality, she was. Tessa was the one responsible for their fallout and sure, Lisa said one terrible thing but honestly? I don't blame her! Tessa wasn't in love with Lisa anymore and yet, she said yes to her marriage proposal. Then she started to stalk a crush online, make herself unavailable for Lisa, and all sorts of other bad things that just screamed RED FLAG WALKING.
Was I supposed to feel sorry for Tessa because the story was told from her POV? Because honestly, she just made it worse!
And I'm not even going to mention the way she acted with Roxy, especially because she makes it her mission to say how terrible she felt because of what Lisa told her but then she goes ahead and does the same with Roxy, twice.
Sorry, but Tessa was a big nope for me.
However,
I loved Mo.
She was honestly my favorite character in this story and I was so happy to see her and Lisa together that I wished the story was about them.

This was super cute! I really enjoyed the combination of sapphic romance with some fantasy. The characters were relatable and an absolute joy.

I had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of "Winter's Spell". It is a wonderful sapphic story filled with magic and mystery. The author does an excellent job of building this magical world and the character development is fantastic. Tessa Flowers is a theater director and high school drama teacher who is still in love with her college roommate. The story follows the two as they wind up stuck in Provincetown during the winter. So for those looking for an enjoyable winter rom-com, this would be a good option for you.

What a lovely story! Winter's Sleep blends a sweet, teeth-rotting, love story with literal magic hijinks. Tessa and Roxy's romance was lovely to read as they traverse the ups and downs of a blossoming relationship, mixed with bitter exes and a mermaid who wants to help but knows nothing of human life thus causing a perfect amount of comic relief for this heart-warming rom-com of a novel. Mo was a fun character with such a big personality that she dominated every scene she was in but never in a mean-spirited way—she was just that loveable.

Overall, Winter's Sleep was a lovely, rom-com about two souls finding each other again with the help of a mermaid, giving this magical realist, romance the perfect pinch of fun chaos. This is a must-read for any rom-com lovers who want a cosy love story to lose themselves in.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of the story is cute - which is what interested me in it in the first place. However, the writing is terrible. Everything is way over-described. Too much telling, not enough showing. It needs another round of edits, preferably one to restructure a lot of the writing. I tried to give it a chance, but 5 chapters of poorly written plot was enough for me.

This was a sweet love story that made me smile. I thought the main characters both had fun, vibrant personalities, and I enjoyed seeing their connection develop throughout the story. There was a little element of magic that I didn't expect, and it was a little bit steamy too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

Winter's Spell is a very well written sapphic romance and a delightful whimsical read that touches on themes of self-discovery, love and friendships. Quite enjoyable and a light read.


Thank you, Bold Strokes Books, and NetGalley.

I recently read Winter's Spell by Ursula Klein, and I found it to be a delightful and whimsical read. The book follows the story of Tessa Flowers, a theater director and high school drama teacher who is still carrying a torch for her college roommate, Roxy Bright. When they end up in Provincetown over the winter, Tessa convinces Roxy to help her put on a Shakespeare production, hoping to fan their long-held spark of attraction into a roaring fire of passion.

However, things take an unexpected turn when Roxy saves a stranded mermaid named Mo. In gratitude for saving her, Mo vows to help Roxy find her true love. But there's a catch - Mo knows nothing about human courtship, and her attempts to help create more problems than they solve. Throw in Tessa's icy ex, who has the lead role in the play, and the stage is set for a comedy of errors.

The story is well-written, with a whimsical and lighthearted tone that makes it an enjoyable read. I appreciated the inclusion of magical elements, such as the mermaid character, which added an extra layer of intrigue to the story. The characters are likable and relatable, with their own unique quirks and flaws.

The book touches on themes of love, friendship, and self-discovery, and the author handles these themes with care and sensitivity. The romantic storyline between Tessa and Roxy is sweet and heartwarming, and the obstacles they face along the way are entertaining and engaging.

Overall, I highly recommend Winter's Spell to anyone who enjoys a light-hearted romance with a touch of magical realism. It's an entertaining and well-crafted story that will leave you with a smile on your face.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️
🎭🧜‍♀️🪄🍻🏳️‍🌈

Loved this mermaid, magical sapphic novel that reminded me a lot of Aquamarine and Iris Kelly with a perfect measure of magic, mystery, romance, and action.

Roxy is in Provincetown for the Winter after attending her best friend's wedding (a lesbian wedding!) and meets her ex-roommate from college, Tessa, who is also staying in Ptown to direct a sapphic retelling Shakespeare play.

Roxy is in a bit of a slump after the wedding, thinking she has lost her best friend and will be kind of lonely, and doesn't want to get into any hookups or not serious relationships due to her past and wants to have a better New Year's resolution. But this changes when she rescues a mermaid who has been cursed to be stranded on land, Mo is hilariously written as a straight-up merwoman who says what she thinks because she's still learning the human way. She eats only fish, and it's not very graceful and she is written very funny. Roxy and Mo try to find out who cursed her and stop whatever they want with Mo throughout the book. Mo, in return, helps Roxy find her one true love, who turns out as the story goes to be Tessa.

The story is well-written, it's a dual POV and there is a great queer cast including ex-girlfriends, best friends, and colleagues. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Boldstroke Books for the copy of the ebook. This review is left voluntarily.

Thank you NetGallery and the publisher for the ARC! Winter's Spell follows a romance between two ex-college roommates now reconnected in small town working on the production of A Winter's Tale. There are magical elements of magic, mermaids, and more. I love the diverse set of characters! The romance was well paced and didn't feel rushed at all.
To be completely honest, this was a bit hard to get through. I read the first 60% but skimmed the rest to finish. While the inclusion of mermaid and magic is fun, I think Klein could've leaned more into it and explored it more. It reads a little absurd when it is only sprinkled in a little throughout until it is very present in the last 25% or so. I feel as though each individual aspect of the book is only shallowly delved into as a result of too many things happening simultaneously (i.e., the romance, the magic, the production, etc.). Consequently, I wasn't entirely invested in any of them.

*this is an honest review in exchange for receiving a digital advance reader copy for this novel that is officially released tomorrow*

I was excited to read this novel as I’m a huge fan of all things witchy, drama, and LGBTQIA+ so this plot had great potential. However, I was disappointed to see almost too many ideas shoved in with a shoehorn and a bit of discombobulation. It took about 100 pages for me to remember which main character was which between Tessa and Roxy as they spoke very similarly and it was hard to distinguish who was whom. Similarly, this made it difficult to root for them as characters as both individuals and as a couple.

The beginning of the story felt a bit juvenile (which there’s nothing wrong with) but it felt a bit Disney-fied and reminded me of being younger and watching Aquamarine or reading the Tale of Emily Windsnap, making it hard to root for the protagonists as mature adults pursuing a possible relationship. I feel like this plot could’ve been split into three different stories: 1) where roommates reunite after years apart and finding themselves and fall for each other (needing to overcome an ex, a new personality, and a past crush that borderlines on stalking); 2) meeting in Provincetown for the summer to put on a play where a theatre producer and someone who’s never understood Shakespeare works on sets and they fall for each other; and 3) one character meets a mermaid and the other has mystical/witch powers and they work together to help the mermaid/break a curse.

There were too many threads to follow, characters popping up out of nowhere in the last eighty or so pages, unexplained magic that required an extra amount of suspended belief, and a rushed conclusion after 75% of the book being buildup. I wish I had wanted to root for this couple harder, but there was too much going on to develop them further as people and as a couple. If this was divided piecemeal into different stories, I think I would have enjoyed each of them more, but as is, there was too much going on at once making it more stressful and confusing to the reader than intriguing. I unfortunately had to push myself to keep reading and finish the book.

"Winter's Spell" by Ursula Klein is a bewitching sapphic romance that takes place in Provincetown, MA and involves a quirky NYC theatre director turned high school drama teacher and a dyslexic college athlete turned jack-of-all-trades seasonal worker.

MCs Tessa and Roxy are relatable and their near constant state of anxiety in regards to their blooming relationship is something I can identify with all too well. While the first 50% of this book felt slow on the uptake, you couldn't have paid me to put down the second half -- I was absolutely enthralled. "Winter's Spell" is a good fit for those seeking a lighthearted, romantic sapphic comedy with a touch of fantasy and a cast of quirky, lovable characters.

The supernatural element of this book surprised me but wasn’t unwelcome! it added an interesting plot in contrast to the romance, I didn’t fully connect with the characters in the way i’d hoped and I think this was due to the more mystical element but I can definitely see people who read things like this more frequently definitely having that connection. Roxy and tessa’s love story was definitely interesting and I am partial to a second chance romance!

I loved this book, the story was very interesting and the magic side of it was not something that I was expecting but was a great surprise. A lovely winter sapphic romance that I would recommend to anyone

Cute!

Roxy is reunited with her unrecognisable college roommate, Tessa, at a friend’s wedding. When they learn they’ll both be spending the winter in Provincetown, Roxy ends up helping Tessa with her theater production, while trying to help solve the mystery of how to help a mermaid, Mo, who has been lured there by an evil spell.

This was such a magical mystery of a romance! I was completely taken by surprise with the whole story and in awe of the wonder of discovering who everyone was, how things were connected, and what it all had to do with Roxy and Tessa being at the heart of it all. In a way it had a second chance romance feel, which was so lovely, and the connection between Roxy and Tessa was great. They were really suited to one another and I didn’t even think how odd it was that Tessa didn’t appear too bothered by Mo’s strangeness.

Working as a team with the colourful characters filling their world, they really did have quite the mystery to unravel on many levels. Each chapter held wondrous surprises and revealed a little bit more about the characters in a very intimate way. Roxy and Tessa were both holding back though, and with good reason, but if they’d really talked and been honest sooner, perhaps everything wouldn’t have gotten so out of control as quickly as it did.

Loved this story! It was cute and fun, hooking me into the mystery from the very start.

I don’t know how I feel about this book. I love a good fantasy book and I feel like urban fantasy is such an underrated sub-genre. However, it didn’t feel balanced but I don’t know if I wanted more fantasy or more regular setting.

And the language feels so…odd? As if it’s trying to sound relatable to the teen/young adult audience. Yes, we do use slang but I promise you not that much. And the style just felt…blank? I expected more from an author with that background.

Good plot and good characters, but poor execution and writing style that needs improving.

As an urban fantasy lover, I don't know whether I wish this had leant further or less into the fantasy setting, but I do know that the balance it picked doesn't quite land. Where it does land doesn't give a lot of weight to either the romance or the witches-and-mermaids plot, so both feel out of place against the other. Mo's entire involvement, in the theater, with Tessa and Roxy's relationship, and with Lisa, feels haphazard - it just feels like there's too much going on. Why was the show ruined? How did Mo actually help with Tessa and Roxy's relationship? Why was Mo so convinced the bracelet was the source of the magic? Why would Roxy assume being an assistant coach would be really different from being a kayak instructor? A lot falls apart the second you look closer at anything.

That said, if you just let the whole thing wash over you, it's got a lot of charm. Tessa and Roxy work well as college freshmen roommates meeting again and relearning each other, and while I think more weight should have been given to Tessa having built Roxy up in her mind for 9 years, I did like that they communicated a lot when either of them misstepped instead of leading to a 3rd act breakup or similar.

I have been looking for good sapphic romantasy books that are not YA, and this one was almost there! The plot got so convoluted, it almost felt like two separate stories were being forced to share space in the same book at times.