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!

*I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC!*

This was such a fun, sweet and moving little book! I feel like it really packed in a bunch of different elements that all worked so well together. It is a contemporary romance, but also fantasy, as the main characters are “magic-aware.” It is an enemies to lovers romance, but also a road trip romance. It is about friendship, but also about finding your own independence.

I really loved the romantic leads. Ellie and Jack were such fun characters to get to know. They each had very evident flaws, but were both kind hearted and lovable at the same time. I loved seeing their relationship evolve over the course of the book, as well as getting to look back on their past relationship before the big “friendship breakup” happened.

Speaking of friendship breakups, the scenes between Ellie and Lia really killed me. Having a friend who you consider to be your best friend not want to talk to you is a special kind of hurt. This part hit very close to home for me.

I really loved the world building in this book. The idea that there are “magic-aware” people and people who are unaware was such a fun spin on the sorcery theme. I liked that the magic was limited and that there were parts of the world where it was more evident than others. It was such a fun way to show how much Jack and Ellie’s lives would change if their powers were taken away.

All in all, this was such a fun book! I loved the messaging about being brave and stepping out of your comfort zone. I also loved that it was also about loving yourself, even if you might be a bit of a wallflower.

My Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

I gave The Charmed List 4.5 Stars!

Julie Abe delivered a truly magical story of self discovery. Ellie, a self proclaimed wallflower, is determined to take some risk to make her summer before senior year of high school more magical. She creates an anti-wallflower list of 13 items, in hopes of new beginnings. But as soon as she begins to check things off of her list, it starts to seem more cursed than charmed. Forced alongside her ex-best friend Jack, she departs on a road trip where she soon realizes that her list might not be cursed, and she may still get to check some items off, including falling in love.

I absolutely adored this book, I was so CHARMED by the story, I couldn’t put it down. The world Julie created was so fun and magical, it made me want to jump inside the book. Lia, Remy, and Cam were perfect additions to Ellie’s story. I know if I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t want anyone else in my corner, cheering me on. The romance between Jack and Ellie held the perfect amount of tension. I waited with bated breath as I read, learning their sweet childhood stories and where it all went wrong.

I think I was blown away by the raw emotions that this book held. Julie Abe’s writing gave you the ability to truly sympathize with Ellie’s character. Whether she was reflecting on a past memory or living through a present one, you felt everything Ellie felt and more. That’s the true magic of books, allowing yourself to walk in someone else’s shoes, to live through their experiences, and Julie Abe delivered!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book is super cute. I loved the characters so much. I think Jack was such an interesting twist for his actions and choices in his actions. I'm sure many teens have had similar situations. I loved all the magic as well, and how smoothly it blended into the real world.

My only points of struggle were with Ellie, I felt a lot of her personal development was internal and that resulted in being an overload of telling and not showing, Other than that, I felt the resolution between the two of them was great, except there was never a discussion around his big public dismissal at school that completely ruined their friendship. it left such an emotional scar on Ellie, it felt like it needed a bigger apology.

Such a good book, well done. I highly enjoyed this young adult romance, loved how the author incorporated magic into the story. Not magic as you think it is, but more along the lines of charms. Charms for everyday things and items such as fixing a flat tire, cleaning a car/house, make-up, and even charms on clearing up a rash. I think anyone picking this up, should read it.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC, for an unbiased, and honest review.

This was cute, but flawed. I don’t know, but something about it just didn’t work for me. Jack’s reasons for his distance didn’t feel big enough for how he treated Ellie. And Ellie hung on to her downer, “woe is me,” wallflower status for way too long - it was getting annoying. But I did enjoy the magical element of it all. It was - wait for it - charming.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

This book was adorable! I love the love given to shy protagonists and Ellie definitely made this story fun and you guessed it, charming. The magic was definitely an interesting component but made this story stand out against other YA romances. I think that the story could have been cute without the magic, though, because it was kind of perplexing at times to contend with. It's a delightful little read and I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

It could be that I ate a cupcake or had some tea---leaving me charmed. It was a story with whimsy and cuteness, one of a rediscovering a lost childhood friendship and how that relationship shifted with time. And a journey of learning oneself.

This story was absolutely charming! Ellie is a delight and I love the idea of teens having to hide their magical abilities. It was a fun twist on a coming of age/first love type of story. Everything I could want in YA.

Thank you Wednesday, Netgalley, and the author for the eARC in exchange for my review.

This book was so cute! The relationships between Ellie, Lia, and Jack make for dynamic storytelling and I was rooting for Ellie every step of the way, even as she faltered.

This was a fun, sweet story of former friends having to work together. Ellie is a fun little narrator, always second guessing herself, trying to pump herself up to live with a little boldness. She is a shy girl who has been content to dwell in the shadows until now, and her bucket list will help. Until the trip she was meant to take with her BFF is cancelled and she has to take the trip with her former best friend turned enemy, Jack. Jack is smooth, and somewhat sweet, though he’s been cold to her most of her young adult life. She gets to see him in a different light through the trip. We are getting lots of tropes here, too. Forced proximity, enemies to lovers, only one bed, it’s a veritable smorgasbord of trophy fun and I AM HERE FOR IT. Not to mention the magic is fun, coexisting and often used by people who aren’t even magic aware. I liked the take on it. I also like that it didn’t take the step into sexual NA territory that many YA books are taking recently. Anyway, I dig it. Definitely a fun summer read.

To be quite honest, I thought this book was ok. I liked the concept and liked the added plot line of them being magical teens and having to hide it.

I started reading it a few months ago and it didn't hold my attention. I finished the last 60ish percent over the weekend because I saw the pub date was coming up. Once the plot picked up, they started the road trip and started to TALK instead of all the scoffing (which I know is there to build tension) I found it very entertaining.

My biggest problems were the slooooow beginning and rush/forced/random ending/reason they couldn't be/weren't together. I did not buy it at all (the secondary, dad related, reason) and thought it was a sort of add on to the story. It's not a very professional evaluation but I honestly felt pretty "meh" about the whole story.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an advance e-copy for my honest review.

Very cute YA romance - liked the road trip aspect of the story. The magic part was unexpected, but interesting. Decent character development. I would likely read another book by this author.

Much thanks, as always to the good folks at NetGalley for "The Charmed List" advanced read.
Kind of perplexed on this one.
I'd guess 85 per cent of it centers around a well known predictable, but nevertheless sweetly entertaining romance. Traditional YA tropes are all in place here......Ellie and Jack have taken that familiar journey from childhood friends to toxic teen estrangement. Of course we know they're soulmates meant for each other and it's going to take a forced compulsory road trip throwing them together to make that long awaited falling-into-each-others-arms happen.
What I didn't quite understand........ the book going to all the trouble of framing this story around the world-building of a contemporary magical universe......sort of a kinder, gentler Harry Potter-Lite world, where the magic folk mostly function as benevolent retailers marketing all varieties of supernatural charms.
To its credit, "The Charmed List" does in fact use all of the magic stuff that Jack and Ellie use, sell or encounter in service of their rekindling of affection for each other.......and their inevitable but wonderfully conceived and written reconciliation.
But I couldn't help thinking that this story could just as easily been told without all the accumulated bric-a-brac of the magical world surrounding it. To put it this way, I would have found Jack and Ellie's bumpy road back to each other still charming even without all the charms.
For everyone who can't resist yet another "friends-t0-enemies-to-swoony-kiss' novel, it's a still ends up as a satisfying 3 star read.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Charmed List promises a lot of magical fun, and it definitely delivers. I got instant nostalgia for Wizards of Waverly Place in the way the magic is incorporated here, including the way the fear of the discovery of the existence of magic is baked into the story, including a reveal to Ellie’s best friend (which doesn’t go as well as it did in Wizards, unfortunately).
Ellie is a relatable protagonist, and I love how she has a pretty clear plan for how she hopes to shed her “wallflower” reputation. The “bucket list” setup makes for a cool structure to set the book around, and I love that the story sees her coming out of her shell and accomplishing her goals in ways she did not expect.
I felt a bit more mixed on the romance. I did eventually come to like it, but the dynamics between her and Jack at the start feel very petty. I guess that’s more excusable in YA, given younger people don’t always make the best decisions, but I still kind of wanted more substance to their falling-out. That said, once they have to hang out again, the story makes good use of forced proximity to bring them back together. And once that happens and they’re on their road trip, I did like seeing them reconnecting.
I really liked this, and look forward to reading more from Julie Abe in the near future. If you enjoy romcoms with a hint of magic, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Julie Abe, and the publisher for the eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Known as the quiet girl in high school, Ellie is ready to change that and make a name for herself. She creates a list of thirteen things that she wants to accomplish to help her not be a wallflower anymore. How will she accomplish these tasks? By going on an epic road trip with her best friend Lia.
But when Lia sees Ellie performing magic to get revenge on her ex-friend Jack, she is in big trouble! Instead of going with her friend, she now how has to go with Jack and head to a magical convention for their parents. As they road trip, will Ellie and Jack learn to become friends or even fall in love?

I found both Ellie and Jack to both be very relatable characters. As someone who is almost 31, I don't always relate to the characters in a YA book. They were both authentic though and expressed their emotions. I think that is an important thing to do as a teenager/emerging adult.
I will recommend this book to others!

Right at the end of the school year, Ellie Kobata has her plans for the summer all mapped out: she and her best friend Lia will road trip down the California coast on their way to a convention and Ellie will complete all thirteen items on her Anti-Wallflower list so she can come out of her shell and start being herself! Whoever that is. But when a prank aimed at Ellie's former best friend and neighbor Jack Yasuda goes sideways and Lia finds out magic is real and Ellie has been keeping this secret (I mean, she has to...), plans change. Now Lia has to go to magic-education classes and Ellie and Jack are forced to complete the road trip together as punishment. Though she thinks her summer is ruined, Ellie might find out that completing her list - and reconnecting with Jack - might not be as hard as she thought.

The Charmed List is a sweet story of friendship, love, trust, and magic. I liked that the magic of this book isn't big or showy or life-changing so much as practical, small, comforting, and useful. Ellie and Jack don't use magic to fix their problems directly or easily, but the magic helps them to find each other again after years of misunderstanding and hurt. Though the intricacies of magic use are hinted at here and there, the story focuses more on the relationships between Ellie and those around her - this is mostly a good thing, though a bit more detail on how things work might have helped explain why some things are the way they are. The central conflict between Jack and Ellie is both relatable and also somehow a bit small to have created so much tension between them. At its heart, this is a book about love and friendship and how those things are more magical and precious than anything else we experience, so even if things are a little too neat at times, it can be forgiven since it gives us such a beautiful look into Ellie's world and heart.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing early access in exchange for an honest review!

Oh my gosh The Charmed List was such a cute read!

While I found the reasoning behind why Jack stopped being Ellie’s friend annoying I enjoyed watching them rebuild their relationship throughout the book. They’re an adorable couple and I can see them being the “married my high school sweetheart” couple in the future because they truly belong together.

I’d like to note that I’m not normally a fan of “sweet romances” but The Charmed List was a very enjoyable read for me! All the fun magical elements and the bucket list made for an interesting ride and captured my full attention. So don’t pass up reading this just because it’s sweet! You’ll be missing out on an awesome book if you do.

If you want a sweet YA romance with forced proximity, one bed, friends to enemies to lovers romances with a sprinkle of magic this is definitely the book for you!