This was a sweet YA book with magical realism and the typical coming-of-age story. The two protagonists are the children of rival stores who are forced to drive together to a magic wares convention.

These two were friends but became enemies several years ago. This a delightful story for anyone who likes friends-to-enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity tropes. It’s a great “beach” read if your looking for a light but heartfelt book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Ms. Abe for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

For some reason I thought this was an adult book. And frankly, it could have been, with a couple tweaks. For one thing, the main male character, Jack Yasuda, is a high school student but somehow managing (A) good grades (B) tutoring (C) working for his father's store Charmworks (D) developing and marketing new product lines (E) connecting the business with social media influencers (E) internships (F) captaining the HS tennis team. I... don't know about all this. But I digress.

Ellie Kobata, daughter of the neighboring store's owners, and Jack used to be childhood besties until Jack's mother died. Now, they're enemies. Jack is cutting and occasionally cruel to Ellie and Ellie is juvenile and hostile towards Jack. A prank goes awry and suddenly Jack and Ellie are forced to go on a two day road trip (including an OVERNIGHT STOP) through California together. I guess this is where parents are now? I guess most parents trust their children to make a two-day drive, with numerous business-related stops along the way, and an overnight stop? This sounded very dubious to me.

If you can overcome certain elements of doubt regarding the overall plot, as well as the obvious miscommunications and stupid rationale (because, teenagers) behind Jack and Ellie's disagreements, then you may enjoy the delicious descriptions of Japanese, and other, delicacies. That was my favorite part of the book. I wish I could eat like Ellie does: cupcakes for every snack, boba tea at each stop. Yum.

Overall this book was so cute and sweet my teeth hurt a little. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had been adults but maybe that's the old person in me talking.

I overall really enjoyed the concept, however the writing itself fell a bit flat to me. I can’t really explain it, but the entire book felt as if I was someone was sitting next to me, explaining everything that happened, rather than me being able to immerse myself in the world and experience it for myself ? I don’t know if this even makes sense as an explanation, but it just wasn’t vibing with me.

But all in all this was a cute YA romance with magical elements.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of "The Charmed List" by Julie Abe, scheduled to release on July 5th, 2022!

So I will start out by admitting that most of these books I choose based on their cover (I know, I'm not supposed to be judging them by their covers, but...here were are)

This novel was a sweet YA novel with a dash of fantasy/magic thrown in - and because of this, I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the book so much.

Jack & Ellie used to be childhood best friends, but have grown apart over the years. His brother Cam and her sister Remy also are very close with one another as well. When Ellie plays a prank on Jack that does more harm than good, her summer road trip plans with her best friend Lia get vetoed by her parents, and they send her & Jack to run errands for an upcoming "making magic" type of convention.

There was only one thing about the book that I truly didn't understand - why was Jack's father so upset about the relationship that he had with Ellie while still seemingly fine with the relationship between Remy and Cam? Someone, please enlighten me?

Thank you to Wednesday Books for my ARC and Macmillan Audio for my ALC of The Charmed List!

Pub date: 7/5/22
Genre: YA romance (forced proximity), magical realism
In one sentence: Ellie and Jack are friends turned enemies, but when friend Lia learns that they're part of a secret magical community, they'll be thrown together to try to make things right.

This cover is just swoonworthy, and the promise of magic drew me in! I loved getting to know Ellie and Jack - both have more to them than meets the eye - Ellie with her passion for art and Jack with the burden of family expectations. There was just the right about of magic in the book - they can do small charms that improve life, but those don't save them from your typical teenage angst.

I split my reading between text and audio, and I enjoyed both! Natalie Naudus did a great job bringing Ellie and Jack to life.

This is a closed-door romance, as are most YA romances, so there's not much steam, but it's a very sweet story. I think YA readers will enjoy this one - it's a fun, light summer read!

Adorable YA summer read!

From loss of old friends, new friends, and to new and rekindled relationships Ellie has experienced it all in the last few years.

One tiny prank goes wrong however and has Ellie dealing with all of this head on. With the one person she wants nothing to do with, Jack. With a touch of magic ✨, a bucket list 📜, the open road 🛣, and the best little sister (and Cam!) 🥹, will this summer be everything Ellie was hoping for?

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy for an honest review.

I haven't personally read a YA magical/contemporary romance in a little while, but The Charmed List was a wonderful reintroduction to the genre. This book is a friends to enemies to lovers romance between two magical teens whose parents have competing magical stores in California. They were best friends up until around the age of 12, until our hero drops the FMC like a bad habit with no explanation except public distain. Now, they must work together after breaking the most important magical code - don't let the non-magical know about the magic. Now they are on a forced road trip and are forced to discuss the last few years.

I thought this was a sweet, younger romance - I think the characters are 16 so we're not looking at spice or anything here. I didn't think the explanation and apology from the hero was really good enough for forgiveness but hey, I'm not the one who is forgiving him.

I think the magic world created was interesting but simple - there wasn't much background given into the magic system but this isn't really the type of book where that matters much. It was definitely more focused on the contemporary-ish romance than the fantasy nature. The magic was more just a fun twist than a hugely important part of the story.

Overall, really enjoyed for the sweet romance. There is also a lot of page time given to tea and it just constantly made me was to drink the tea they were talking about.

**Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

This was cute. I liked the magic system but honestly the book was just okay. I read it a few days ago and I’m already forgetting the details. I listened to the audio version and that helped me engage with the book, the narrator was excellent!

this book was a super cute fun read. it was a little, in my opinion, kid-ish. and i’m not grown or anything so that’s saying something, but still it was a cute little romance and i’ll eat up best friends to enemies to lovers any day.

i was surprised a little by the magical aspect of this book, but in a way it makes more sense, especially with the cover.

i read this book in halves: started in march and finished just a couple minutes ago. so my memory is quite hazy, but for the most part i thoroughly enjoyed reading this. there just something about a summer read with forced proximity that gets me excited.

the romance was enjoyable. there was so many tropes involved that i ate up, but that was it really. nothing like huge or special but it was still fun 2 read.

the characters themselves lacked in places for me mostly. i found myself not really taken with ellie’s character until half way through. but the development in the end for both the characters & the relationship made this a 3 stars read for me.

def a recommendation to all looking for a cute little summer read & enjoys magic, classic tropes, & enemies to lovers with a little former bestfriend twist.

3.5 stars :’)
☆☆☆/☆☆☆☆☆

thank u netgalley & st martin’s press, wednesday books for approving me of this arc in exchange for an honest review!!!

I never used to be one for contemporary romance books, YA or otherwise, but I'm discovering lately that I do really enjoy them, add a little magical realism and I'm hooked! I loved the whole concept behind The Charmed List: summer road trip, bucket/summer list, breaking out your shell to be more confident, summer romance, I loved all of it! Ellie is such a fun character to get to know, and I really connected with her, as I'm very much a wallflower myself! I wish I'd had her confidence when I was in high school, to make an 'Anti-Wallflower List' like that and commit to it! Her and Jack's reconnection was so cute to watch, they are both so adorable and I truly loved each of them! The whole book, I was dying to know why Jack had basically abandoned her when they were younger and, while I can understand the reasoning, (especially since they were both so young and he was grieving) I felt a little underwhelmed by it for some reason, I don't know. I'm very sure that will just be a me thing! I did really enjoy how magic works in this world! The secret little magic towns/communities sound amazing and I would love to visit one so bad!! Also, the magical cabins sound absolutely amazing!! If there was one thing out of this whole book I wish was real, it'd be those cabins! My mind started to plan a 'what-if' road trip for the purpose of hitting all the cabins and I was very sad to tell it 'no'. The Charmed List was such a cute and fun summer, second chance YA romance, I definitely recommend!

I enjoyed this one. I was approved for the audio before the print version I think I would have enjoyed it a little more in print for some reason but don’t get me wrong this one was a treat! I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers and loved the riff between Ellie and Jack and how they came together. I loved the themes of family, friends, and let’s not forget about the magic. Throw in the road trip and Anti Wallflower list this one was a fun read that I listened to within a day!

This book was a super cute romance! I loved the aspects of magic that were tied in, and how they lived in a realistic world but were surrounded by magic that only some of them knew existed. I always love realistic books with fantasy elements. I also really love the friends-enemies-lovers trope and I think this was a really good showcase of that. Overall it was super cute and I would definitely recommend it!

Rating: 4/5 stars

The Charmed List is a cute, sweet YA romance with a magical touch. It also covers topics like loss, grief, friendship, and second chances. I liked how Ellie grew throughout the book. I think Julie Abe did a good job showing how difficult it is to fit in during high school and trying to be the person you want to be, not the person everyone expects you to be.

I recommend The Charmed List to anyone looking for a cute, quick read.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

After Jack’s mom passed away, that’s when things flipped, and he became a different version of himself that Ellie no longer knew. Their childhood friendship ran its course, but it was now the summer before senior year, and Ellie decides that it’s time to break out of her shell of being a nobody to being a somebody by making a summer bucket list. When magic goes awry, Ellie is unfortunately stuck with Jack on a road trip to a magic convention for their family’s shops as a form of punishment. But, their forced proximity, the way they still know each other despite lost time make their road trip adventure one to remember.

This was absolutely charming and I was absolutely charmed! I got major Wizards of Waverly Place and Harry Potter vibes, which tbh, I wasn’t so sure about. But as I kept reading, I really enjoyed the whimsical details of the magic, the villages, enchantments. Jack and Ellie’s forced proximity was gold, but man was it a SLOW BURN. Spoiler alert: they didn’t officially own up feelings and kiss until like 95%. No lie. I didn’t mind it though. I was into all the small romantic gestures, stollen and interrupted moments that were both swoony and sweet. A fun summer YA romance, guys!

This is a sweet YA read that is light without being too superficial. It deals with heavy topics (friend betrayal, death of a parent) but in ways that feel age-appropriate for teens. The magical element is important to some plot points, but also feels ancillary to the plot at times. I greatly enjoyed the parts that focused on magic and liked the world-building the author did. I would recommend this book to those who don’t mind a YA book (including actual young adults, LOL) with some magical elements.

*I received an e-arc from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

The Charmed List is a cute contemporary romance with a touch of magic (literally). It was just the pick me up I needed!

Ellie Kobata has spent most of high school as the quiet girl. It’s the summer vacation before her senior year, and she’s determined to take some risks and shake things up a bit. She makes an Anti-Wallflower list of thirteen items that she plans to check off one by one. She’s looking forward to a road trip with her best friend Lia, riding a roller coaster, and maybe making her art Instagram public.

Item number 4 on her list is getting revenge on Jack Yasuda, her former best friend, and things go horribly wrong. Ellie is quite certain that her summer has gone from charmed to cursed. Instead of going on a road trip with her bestie, she finds herself heading to the magical convention with Jack. But as Ellie and Jack travel down the coast of California, Ellie begins to develop feelings for Jack.

Ellie and Jack are so adorable! This a story about former childhood friends that have grown apart, and it was great getting to hear their stories about the past. I also liked how they were getting to know each other again in the present.

A fun and enchanting story that I definitely recommend. Prepare to be swept into a magical world, that makes you want to drink all the tea and eat all the cupcakes!

I unfortunately did not vibe with this story even though it sounded so cute. I just found it boring to get through, Ellie not being a captivating voice did not urge me to continue reading it either. The writing felt info dumpy too. I'm sad to say this considering the Asian rep is wonderful and the magical aspect is so so fun.

This is a really cute YA novel about a girl in high school who loses touch with her bff after he loses his mom. Their lives stay intertwined but he seems to always be the cause of her worst days at school. When they're forced on a road trip together, they'll have to examine what happened between them. The world building was original with a magical society that is hidden from all non magic people. There were so many mentions of cute magic cottages, villages, cupcakes, that it makes you hungry. There's also a heavy Asian influence in the book as both characters are Asian and many of the other people as well. There was a lot of push and pull between the two main characters, Ellie and Jake, so be prepared for a lot of teenage angst but great chemistry. It was a nice story that can be read in one sitting.

This was a light and enjoyable romcom which was exactly what I needed. It had a lot of fun cute tropes that I enjoy such as friends to enemies to lovers, forced proximity and one bed trope. One issue I had was that the world building/ magical system could have been fleshed out a bit more but that is not a big deal since the focus is more on the romance plotline. This was a charming and light book which made it a quick easy read. I enjoyed the bucket list plot but just wish the story/plot was a bit more detailed. Overall a cute read.

*thank you to netgalley for my early e-copy of this book!**

Wow, when I first started reading the book, I thought I’d have a hard time enjoying it and not finding the magical elements hokey, but I wound up really enjoying this book and its magical elements!

The YA male/female best friends to strangers that hate each other plot that turn back into friends/a romance is not new, but I enjoyed the banter between Ellie and Jack as they fought throughout the story to understand where they lost each other and how they came back together. The forced proximity of the two of them together during the road trip was full of banter and memories from their childhood and it really developed their characters and families. I think my favorite scenes were when they went to the beautiful and whimsy magical village and stayed at that inn- how fun!

I enjoyed that even though this book was kind of a romance between Jack and Ellie, it also focused a lot on the element of friendships and how they can grow, change and even end from childhood to adulthood. I adored Ellie and Jack’s younger siblings and their friendship and shenanigans as well. Lastly on the topic of friendships is Lia and Ellie’s friendship, and how Lia found out at the beginning of the novel that Ellie and Jack’s families use magic and charms and there’s this whole magic world out there. She gets mad at Ellie for keeping this huge secret and most of the book is Ellie reflecting on their friendship. I’m glad they came back together at the end of the novel and communicated to talk about their feelings and how they could grow from it.

Very cute read over all, definitely recommend!