I really enjoyed this cozy, autumnal Romantic Comedy of a book. Lana Harper is amazing at creating the fall ambiance we all love and crave during the last three months of the year. I wanted to live in Thistle Grove. The struggle Emmy had with creating her own path or accepting her place in Thistle Grove was relatable to the non-magical readers. The characters were well-fleshed out and the romance was spicy, making this a well-rounded and very enjoyable read!

Lana Harper really captures the physical feeling of magic.

The depiction of Thistle Grove will give readers the “Halloween Town” vibes, but a little less corny. Lana Harper’s small town where real magic exists amongst the unknowing humans has a warm, apple-cider smelling, nostalgic magical feeling. When Emmy Harlow, our main character/witch, re-enters Thistle Grove after years of absence she feels a physical pull and push of magic welcoming her back. It was a small moment of the story, but it held such weight for me. Each time magic is present in this book, Harper weaves just the right words together that you almost feel the magic swirling around you.

Emmy Harlow is destined to be the impartial judge of a magical competition between the founding families of Thistle Grove. She dreads the obligation, but is determined to complete the month long task for her parents. It’s a role she was born to play, and when it’s over she is certain she will leave Thistle Grove for good.

Life is what happens when you’ve made other plans.

Meet Talia Aramov. She is what I’d call a hot and mysterious vixen. Talia is a competitor in the gauntlet, and surprises Emmy with the news that they’ve been “burned” by the same guy, Gareth Blackmoore. While Emmy is excited to get a little payback against her ex that drove her out of Thistlegrove in the first place, she quickly realizes that a chance at a sizzling affair with Talia is even more appealing.

Emmy’s decision to flee from home after a messy breakup with Gareth was a painful choice for her. Aside from missing her family and best friend Linden, it also meant giving up all of her magic. In her grief, Emmy thought her life would be better this way. She’d slowly acclimate to Chicago with a new chosen “family”. She didn’t count on her visit back home to stir up doubt of her decisions. Healing her friendship with Linden, and finally facing her own pain begins to awaken Emmy. She realizes some hard truths about life, and realizing what home truly means. Not to mention the attraction to Talia that grows deeper and deeper with time.

“Payback’s a Witch” has a wholesome feeling, full of friendship, romance, and self-healing.

Initially I was expecting “Payback’s a Witch” to be a funny rom-com with a little big of magic woven throughout. I was pleasantly surprised by the more complicated nuances of Thistle Grove’s people. These characters held deep emotional ties to each other and to Thistle Grove. Reading this book felt like a modern-day Hallmark movie, and I say that as a compliment. The romance story between Emmy and Talia is a very satisfying storyline with the witch gauntlet revenge plot adding an element of fun and excitement. Payback’s a Witch is a magically enjoyable read.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…especially when three witches devise a revenge plot.

3.5 ⭐️ for regaining power, finding one’s place, and witchy lesbian romance.

4.25 🌟

This book is like John Tucker Must Die set in Halloweentown during the TriWizard Cup Tournament. If you enjoyed The Ex Hex this is def one to add to your TBR! I felt like Thistle Grove and Graves Glen definitely exist in the same world!

Her descriptions transported me to Thistle Grove, and I felt like I could really picture what it might look and smell like, the epitome of fall.

This is gave me all the seasonal witchy feels with a diverse cast/romance! I loved the dialogue, the banter, and the cozy small town magic ✨.

Bump this one up on your fall TBR for sharp writing, revenge vibes, accessible fantasy, and a truly magical romance! 🧙🏼

Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! ✨

Overall: This gives the best witchiest “John Tucker Must Die” vibes that you need for you this time of year.

Pros:
Revenge. Okay, I am a sucker for a good revenge plot and this one gave me those sweet 00s vibes.
Magic Competition. With the fancy magical town leads.

Cons:
Logic. Gareth Blackmoore was not enough to abandon your hometown for years for. Sorry not sorry.

Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper is a small-town romance set around a magical contest that happens every 50 years to determine the community’s supreme witch dynasty.

Emmy Harlow is back in Thistle Grove out of duty. She left after high school to escape a complicated family history and indulge her desire to forge a life without magic. As a Harlow, it’s her duty to fulfill her role as Gauntlet Arbiter of the semicentennial spellcasting competition. Her family’s magic has never been that powerful, so out of the four families, they function as the magic rule keepers.

Her reappearance has nothing to do with Gareth Blackmoore. Nothing at all. His family is the reigning Gauntlet champion. More importantly, he broke her heart in high school, and her quick exit from Thistle Grove may have been influenced by her regret and grief.

It turns out both her best friend, Linden Thorn and high school cool girl Natalia Avramov have recently been jilted by Gareth. All three witches want revenge. They concoct a plan where the Thorn family and the Avramov family will work in tandem to unseat the Blackmores. Linden and Talia want to know if Emmy is in.
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This seems easy enough. However, the more time Emmy spends with Talia, the closer they become. Talia may have her own reputation for breaking the hearts of Thistle Grove’s young women, but her command of the dark magical arts is a powerful draw for Emmy. Emmy is in town to do one thing –preside over the magical tournament. Once completed, she’s heading back to her life in Chicago.

There’s one problem. She can’t stop thinking about the outrageously competent, startlingly gorgeous, wickedly funny Talia and what kind of future they might share.

Harper does a nice job creating Thistle Grove - a small town with loads of personality. While Emmy’s been away the city has added numerous modern businesses, so the main street includes upscale coffee shops and sushi bars mixed in with the spell supplies and magical texts shops. The town was founded by four witches, and their family dynasties and influence are still at the heart of the town’s comings and goings.
Despite being witches, the romantic leads are very relatable. Yes, they perform amazing magic, but they also experience the same existential crises faced by their non-magic counterparts. Emmy has struck out on her own to make a life that’s separate from her inherited identity. Talia is afraid to leave Thistle Grove for the opposite reason. Without her magic, she doesn’t know who she’d be. Her family name defines her. As with most romantic pairings these main characters perfectly complement each other. Together Emmy and Talia can face any challenge.

Payback’s a Witch takes a few chapters to really kick into gear. At first it felt like the story was going to simply revolve around the shared animosity towards the ex-boyfriend. As the story takes off, the boyfriend fades into the background, and the women take center stage.

Payback’s a Witch is the perfect Halloween story for those who don’t want to be scared out of their wits. It’s a quick, fun read that put me in the mood for tricks and treats. It’s full of magic spells, sexy witches, small town charm, and a villain easy to hate. It’s about going home and finding out you still belong. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

This book was so much fun to read! While it is a romance, there is only a little spice (maybe 2 chili peppers). This book is well written, and involves a magical competition between the founding witch families. The main character is in her mid to late 20s, and the romance features a female female romance of two bisexual characters.

A huge thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!
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I was originally nervous with Berkley asked me to join the blog blitz for this title since fantasy is not typically a genre I read often, but I was completely wrong! As it turns out, this was my favorite read of September!! The world of Thistle Grove is fleshed out so clearly and I wish that it was a place I could really visit, with magic or not. Despite being fantasy, the world rules are rooted in reality, and the magic is woven in without the need for lots of exposition which, personally, I much prefer to worlds that need maps and a glossary.
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Emmy Harlow is an interesting central character, and her discovery of her family's worth within the town is compelling to watch unfold during the tournament. The connection of her and Talia is fast paced and compelling, and brings the reader into a deeper understanding of how these various families fit within the same space. The plan to take down Gareth feels like a necessary plot point, but somewhat glossed over in order to reach the next thing, despite the tasks being the the driving force in moving the piece forward. Definitely give this book a read this spooky season if you're looking for a light, LGBTQ witchy romance!

This is a great story of returning to your past and finding that the things you ran from before are now the things you want to run toward. Loved the female friendships and empowerment. Super steamy scenes!!

This is the perfect witchy, sapphic, revenge story I didn't know I needed. I loved all the characters and how Harper sets up the town and families. There's some great bisexual representation and I loved the romance aspect of the story. Cannot wait for the sequel.

Fun, spooky and romantic! I really enjoyed the world building here. It was a great read for Halloween!

Loved this witchy queer romance, perfect for October! I loved the backstory of all the magic families and the way the Emmy bonded with Talia over getting back at their ex. The feeling of the town was really well-drawn, and I loved the magical elements.

This was a spellbinding book and rife with strong female characters. Harper penned a novel that shows there is power within all of us, and we just have to find it.

This book was truly delight. Its a great October read with witches, exs, competition, and a great atmosphere, what more could you want? It gave me a lot of Sabrina the teenage witch and Halloweentown vibes and if that's your jam and you want a sapphic romance, then this book is for you!

My favorite part about this book was the atmosphere, I just wanted to jump in and live there. There were times that the pacing of the book felt off and some of the plot didn't make sense to me. However, that didn't stop me from enjoying where the story took me.

I am always here for queer witchy revenge stories and this is definitely no exception. A few things fell a little flat for me so this is 4.5 instead of a full 5 star read, but still definitely something I loved and will be recommending.

OKAY. After sitting and thinking about how I feel - I've decided I wasn't the biggest fan of the story line nor the romance. I was left wanting for so much!

The romance felt really rushed and sort of coming from out of left field. Especially because our MC was only in the town for less than a week by the time things started "falling into place". It wasn't realistic and decisions were made that I didn't think really helped the flow of the story.

Also, don't even get me started on the tournaments. I was really hoping for some big, super witchy challenges that were going to be super high stakes but they definitely weren't. I wish we could've explored each family's magic and understand it just a bit more but that part was definitely glazed over.

As much as I wanted to love our MC, I wasn't getting her vibe. She was really negative about everything and then suddenly everything changed near the end? THE ENDING. I totally guessed it beforehand and was like MEH about how it all went down. There were plenty of missed opportunities for sure that could've added some much needed spice.

I will say though - LOVE THE QUEER REP! It was executed perfectly and honestly was the best part of the story :)

5/5 - I loved this book.

This is being billed by many reviewers as John Tucker Must Die meets the Triwizard Tournament but make it queer and let me tell you, it does not disappoint.

The world-build (town-build?) felt really full and cozy to me: Halloweentown meets Stars Hollow. The characters also felt complete. They all had their own struggles, desires, and regrets without making the story feel like it was littered with unnecessary information.

Emmy as a character felt especially endearing and so freaking relatable to me: she’s in her late 20’s, trying to find a balance between the life she chose as a teenager and the people she loves, all while navigating duty and love and revenge.

The ending was charming and sweet and just left me grinning from ear-to-ear.

Ultimately I really liked this book. It was fun, easy to read, and I didn’t want to put it down. I’m really looking forward to the sequel and I’m sure this will stay in heavy rotation as a queer fiction rec.

(Thank you to Berkley Publishing via Netgalley for the last minute eARC! All opinions are my own.)

When we were traveling last weekend, I cruised through Payback’s A Witch (love this title so much). This one was such an enjoyable read that is perfect for fall. If you like any of the following, consider checking it out:

1) Atmospheric town, full of magic
2) Magical tournaments with plenty of interfamily drama
3) Women getting revenge on the man who wronged them
4) An adorable f/f romance AND great female friendships
5) Coming of age tale that’s also a coming home story

Overall, Payback’s a Witch definitely fulfilled my need for light-hearted romance with plenty of witchy aspects! Now to just wait for the sequel…..

I am a firm believer in carrying Halloween in your heart all year long. Payback’s A Witch, a.k.a the Hex Girls meets Practical Magic, is perfect for that with its’ descriptions of spells and the generational challenge of power amongst witchy families. I thoroughly love Harper’s fictional town of Thistle Grove, a perfect autumnal setting that outshines any old pumpkin patch around here. Add to that the budding relationships between Emmy, Talia, and Linden, and you have the perfect spooky read to keep you in the spirit of Halloween all year long.

I would say this magical contemporary romance exceeded my expectations. Within the first 50 pages or so I wasn't feeling too impressed with the writing, but as I got into the story I felt like the author also got in a better rhythm and things moved along nicely. The characters had more depth than I was expecting and I'm interested in hearing more about some of the side characters in possible future books. I think that the romance was well done and believable. I did find Talia to be a bit *too* perfect, I would have liked more nuance there. I especially appreciated seeing Emmy's relationships with her friends and family as they grappled with the consequences of her leaving town and returning. I think it's a solid entry in the big-city-girl returns to her small town and falls in love genre. The plot kept me interested, but I think some of the Gauntlet challenges could have been a bit more exciting or thought-out. My biggest complaint was the dialogue, which felt a bit stilted and unnatural to me. And the constant pop culture references feel like they will quickly become dated and silly. I think maybe the author was going for a magical-Gilmore-Girls type of vibe, which worked well for the setting, but was less effective in the dialogue. Overall this was a high 3-star for me.