LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS BOOK SO FREAKING MUCH

I honestly don’t even know where to begin with this review, because this book was so unique and unlike anything I had ever read before.

It’s a classic friends to enemies to lovers and was so cute and sweet, but what made it, well, magical, was, well, THE MAGIC!

The world Julie has created is just *chef’s kiss* spectacular. It made me smile, made me feel safe and cozy, and honestly I’m so upset it isn’t real (BUT ALSO MAYBE IT IS?!)

Ellie is about to start her senior year of high school and has grand summer plans to become less of a wallflower over the summer. She and her BFF make a whole list of things to do, but when she accidentally exposes herself and her family’s INCREDIBLE magical community to those who don’t know it exists, she is forced to road trip with her nemesis to a magical convention as punishment.

Jack, Ellie’s former best friend turned nemesis, has a lot of secrets he is keeping, largely around why he has distanced himself from his childhood best friend. But when he and Ellie embark on a road trip through hidden magical communities throughout California on their way to set up their families’ booths at the magical convention, those secrets start to be shared and lots of healing and feelings start flying.

Just go into this story without knowing much and I guarantee you, you will be whisked away and craving some yummy treats that may or may not have some added charms to make you feel more brave, confident and secure.

I highly recommend this quick story of friendship, adventure and young love to EVERYONE!

This was a sweet, light read perfect for summer. The magical realism was delightful and the setting was a lot of fun. A great quick read when you need a smile.

This is a really cute fun read with an adorable cover.

The story follows a magical girl named Ellie that makes a Charmed list to complete by the end of the summer to help her start to grow out of her shell. She was supposed to take a road trip with her best friend Lia to a magical convention. Ellie’s family was having a booth at the convention but things took a turn. Now she has to take the road trip with her ex-best friend Jack. I really enjoyed watching Jack and Ellie’s relationship mend throughout the story. It shows that everything happens for a reason. I also loved their siblings Cam and Remy and how tight knit they are. I also love how they are geniunely looking out for Ellie.

I just wish they would have explained the magic a little further. Maybe learning a little bit about how Ellie and Jacks family, and how they got magical powers. I did want to visit a magical cottage and town after reading this story. They sounded so quaint and lovely. Who wouldn’t want a bedroom ceiling to turn into a sky full of stars?!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press Wednesday books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

<b>"When I walk into a room, I see you," he says. "It's always been that way, from when we were kids, to when we didn't talk much, to now. I always see you first, and to me, you light up the room in color." </b>

Jack & Ellie. Swoon. The Charmed List totally has Sabrina the Teenage Witch vibes. I thought this was an adorable story!

<b>" where you go, I'll go too." </b>

THINGS AND STUFF
-loathe to love
-childhood friends
-second chance
-magic & charms
-family owned tea shop
-friend and family dynamics
-road trip!
-buck list
-dancing under the stars
-escape room
-#IsThisAKissingBook: young adult. "As if he wasn't just looking at me like he wanted to kiss me."

Thank you Wednesday Books for an advanced copy.

Song: Let Me Know by BTS

This was a sweet best friends to enemies to lovers YA summer romance I didn't know I needed. Set in a magical alternate reality of Palo Alto, Ellie and Jack belong to a secret magical community and are sent on a road trip by their families to attend a convention for magical store owners. Initially planning to go on the road trip with her best friend, Ellie's secret gets revealed causing a rift between the two and leaving Ellie left alone to complete their "Anti-Wallflowers" list. An attempt to get Ellie outside her comfort zone and take some chances before her senior year, Jack ends up helping Ellie come out of her shell and the two slowly rekindle their friendship and maybe more.

I loved the magical world the author created - the setting gave me lots of Ex Hex and Witches of Thistle Grove vibes but geared towards a younger audience. While lighthearted, the book does touch on some serious topics including the death of a parent from cancer, depression and the burdens of medical bills. I will admit I liked the friendship journey between Ellie and Jack more than their romance (it was lacking in chemistry imo). Overall though still a fun summer read. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Wednesday Books for the free book. This was a cute YA book. I really enjoyed the magic elements - they were unique and interesting. I liked the growth of Ellie and Jack through the book, but I wish it didn’t end up romantically because I had a hard time believing the pace of this relationship. Yes I know it’s YA, but there was a lot of hurt here, and I wanted to see more healing, I guess. It’ll be perfect for readers that want a story that shows what authenticity in friendships and more look like. Natalie Naudus narrates and is so spectacular in her performance. I love how she captures the characters voice, tones, and emotions in her narration.

Ellie is a wallflower, she’ll admit that to anyone, especially her best friend Leah. Hence why Leah and her have chosen to embark on a road trip and create a checklist to help E break out of her shell. The catch? Ellie has magic inside her bones that Leah absolutely cannot know about.

Jack is the boy next door middle school friend turned high school enemy. His dad owns a magical shop just down the street and is running for lead sorcerer versus Ellie’s mom. He abandoned Ellie in the middle school cafeteria and hasn’t given her kind looks for the last five years.

As luck would have it, Leah is unable to attend the road trip at the last minute and Ellie’s parents make the executive decision to have Jack go with her… or else she loses her magical powers. With the wallflower list in Ellie’s mind ( with items like fall in love, make her art Instagram public) these enemies hop in the car and make selling stops/ magical inn visits on the way to convention.

Will Ellie be able to come out of her shell with the charmed list in her back pocket? Or will the enemy tension between her and Jack halt any and all life choices?

The Charmed List was a fun friends to enemies to lovers read that had me wishing for magical lands. Julie Abe crafts tension in both main characters and lets it explode in the last fifteen percent of the novel. The side characters pop in for some fun throughout the journey and are like able enough. Although life is all about the journey, I do wish there was more about the list and how Ellie completes more of the given items.

Thank you Wednesday Books and Netgalley for my Earc in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

i wasn't obsessed with this book. i found it hard to get through because of the writing style (i understand it's ya but it still felt like it was talking down to me a little bit), and i didn't super buy into the romance. also maybe this is niche but i really care about how a system of magic is set up in books with a fantasy element and i didn't love this one so much. definitely nothing wrong with the book i just wasn't a fan for me sorry :(

A magical best friends to enemies to lovers YA novel?! Sign me up! The Charmed List was a sweet and funny book about a teenage girl finding love in an unexpected yet magical way. This story was a lot more complex and layered than expected but Julie Abe truly created a masterpiece with this story, wrapping up with a lovely HEA at the end. The growth that both Ellie and Jack go through individually and together through their reconciliation is so well done and age-appropriate which I also really appreciated. If you're looking a fun, magical, summer read about sweet teen romance, pick this up right away! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

It’s books like this that make me wish magic really existed.

This was a really cute YA romcom about two childhood best friends, who after four years of being on the outs, are forced to endure a car trip together. This had a lot of “Awwww!” moments that will make any romance fan swoon. It was a quick and light read that can be easily finished in a day or two. The beginning was a bit slow but once the car trip started, I couldn’t put it down.

Ellie and Jack were friends growing up then something happened along the way and they no longer talked until now. I liked the characters in this book. I felt like some parts were a bit rushed or needed more details. Overall, though I liked this book. It had a magic aspect which I don’t typically read, but I did enjoy it in this book.

A fun and sweet YA escapist read sprinkled with magic, matcha and cupcakes.

Ellie is your typical self-doubting teenager who's craving to break out of her shell and stop being a wallflower, hence, her Anti-Wallflower List. She and Jack used to be joined at the hip when they're kids but somehow drifted apart, with Jack choosing to completely ignore her.

I loved the bits of their history when they're growing up and felt that their journey back to being friends and to eventual lovers was wanting. I also didn't buy Jack's reason for dropping Ellie like that and I wish she gave him a much harder time before forgiving him.

I will recommend this to anyone who's looking for a light and adorable read and wants to be comforted and charmed.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, NetGalley and the author for my early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet & magical story about friendship, forgiveness, and learning to step out of your comfort zone ❤️
Ellie is a part of a family & community who have magical abilities- they are able to create little charms to give you confidence, find peace, break little broken things and much more!
This magical component was super unique & I so desperately want to try a cinnamon cupcake charmed with confidence 🥺
Ellie’s family owns a tea store and their teas are enchanted with little charms
This summer is supposed to be the best summer ever as Ellie will be road tripping with her best friend and has compiled an anti-wallflower list to help her venture out of her comfort zone & create new adventures/memories
However, after a prank towards her ex-best friend and now enemy Jack goes awry, Ellie and Jack are now forced to go on this road trip together
Ellie is distraught and frustrated as she wants nothing to do with Jack- her childhood best friend who completely cut her off without any explanation
But, as they begin their travels there may be an enchanting spark that grows along the way 🥰

This was a sweet story- the magical aspect of it was my favorite! I also really enjoy road trip stories and this wasn’t an exception
I will say, the internal narrative of Ellie is very immature & I struggled with it but it’s also very much 16-year old appropriate so I think I’m just personally not connecting with YA as I used to sadly
Overall, it was a sweet, fast-paced story that 16-year old me would’ve marked as a fave for sure

This was sweet, magical, cute, adorable and such a great time spent with my Kindle.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this advance copy.

I received a digital ARC from St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books via NetGalley.

This was a fun story. After reading this, I now want to live in a magic cottage/village. Parts of the story did become repetitive.

Everything I wanted this to be and more! It was just magical! The chemistry was perfection. The magical realism was fantastically done (I had initially worried it was going to be overdone, but it ended up being just right!). I'm not even sure what else to say about this one except that it was super cute, and it left me wanting to recommend it to all of my friends. Well done!

A light and fluffy read that I devoured in 2 hours, it's truly charming. We follow Ellie and Jack, ex-friends from rival families, forced together on a road trip after a prank gone wrong. I loved the casual integration of magic, especially in the form of stationery. Who wouldn't want a bullet journal that makes you more confident? The magic system meshed so well with the story, adding tiny elements of whimsy throughout. Despite all of the fluff, we also get a coming of age story mixed with ideas about coping with grief that will make you feel alllll the things. Overall, just adorable.

*Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Cute, but very YA. Enjoyed the surprise magical elements. MC is a book lover and mentions lots of AAPI books throughout. The book takes place over about a week, so I didn't feel the pacing of the story or romance really had enough time to blossom to the level it did. It went from hate to love rather quickly.

Thoughts

I was surprised (and delighted) that this book was actually magical. There is magic in this book. So many books have tricked me this year with their blurbs that I thought this one would, too. I love that this book has magic. I love the extra layer that adds to this sweet love story. That magical tint sets this one apart from its contemporary peers.

Pros
Lia: I loved the character of Lia. I loved that Ellie had a best friend who wasn't catty or mean toward her, who supported her goals and also supported who she is at her core. It might take Lia some time to process the situation as it evolves, but I liked that, too. Sometimes the silent treatment is beneficial to preserve a friendship. This friendship comes out on top, and that's great. I love seeing girls with friends, girls who support each other. We need more friends in our YA lit like Lia.

Nemesis Togetherness: This is a classic setup, but Julie Abe executes it so well. These nemeses are stuck together in a car on a roadtrip, all alone, thanks to parental pushing. It's awkward and uncomfortable from the first moment, and that tension only increases as they recognize the more attractive qualities in each other. If only they were stuck somewhere with only one bed... It might be classic and tropey, but it's still fun.

YA References: I love a book with a healthy sprinkling of literary references. I especially love that this contemporary romance isn't afraid to makes itself truly contemporary with its literary references--references to currently popular (or new) YA titles. Anyone who reads in or is familiar with the market will recognize these name drops--and might just pick up a book or two to add to their TBR. These name drops felt like an author supporting her favorites (or her friends) without being out of place or unnatural, and I love that, too.


Cons
Lia's Backstory: As much as I love Lia and what she does for this story, her own backstory feels a little... extreme. Okay, not a little extreme. Her backstory is very extreme. It is absolutely wild and hyperbolic in a way that the rest of the story is not. It didn't fit. It felt weird and off--like someone felt there needed to be a reason for Lia to have trust issues to the extent she did and then took that to the absolute extreme. It was off.

Low Stakes: It's a romance, so of course the stakes here aren't high. Even for a romance, however, the stakes here felt pretty low. It felt like these characters didn't have much to lose, so why shouldn't they go all in for this budding relationship? Lack of stakes is fine. This story is fun. But if you're a reader who wants a romance to tug on your heartstrings (or make you at least a little bit nervous for that sweet happily-ever-after), you won't find that depth here.

Nonsensical History: This couple goes from friends to enemies to lovers. But the history here (the initial separation) makes no sense. There's a reason given, of course, but it isn't a very good one. Ultimately, this doesn't keep Jack and Ellie apart. So why did it keep them apart for all those years? You might argue that the roadtrip forced them together--that's what changed!--but things change before these enemies are stuck in close proximity. They're open and willing to change beforehand, so why did it take them this long? It just doesn't make sense.


Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10

Those who like a lightly magical contemporary romance like Susan Bishop Crispell's The Holloway Girls will like this new charmed couple. Fans of Ashley Schumacher's Amelia Unabridged might like this new take on a roadtrip with romance waiting at the end.

The Charmed List is a super cute and cheesy ya romance that follows former best friends Ellie and Jack as they go on a road trip to a magical convention.

Throughout the story, we get to see how Jack and Ellie became best friends and why they fell apart. I really enjoyed getting to see some of the backstory of both the characters and all adventures they had as kids.

The magic system in the story was super cool and very entertaining to read about. I loved the fact that the magic used was to help make peoples lives better. Julie Abe also focused a lot on the female friendship in this book and I really appreciated that aspect.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time reading this one. Its the perfect heartwarming, pick me up book and it has some amazing troupes. I highly recommend picking this one up when it’s released on July 5th!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the e-arc!