A cute contemporary romance whose added fantasy elements make this a fun ride.

I have to say, especially as someone who does not pick up contemporary romance let alone YA contemporary romance, this really surprised me. I didn't expect anything bad of course but I didn't expect how much fun I would have reading this. Though, as always with romance, the ending was not my favorite here, this was still a very great YA.

The character of Ellie had such a distinct voice and you really feel for her throughout the text. Not only because of her past with Jack but also because of her general character arc. She goes through what every teen goes through: trying to figure out what the heck you want to be and how the fits in with who you've been previously. Her arc is slow and steady but beautiful by the end. I wish I could say the same for the rest of the cast of characters but in comparison with how well Ellie is crafted, I feel like most of the other characters fall pretty flat. They aren't badly written but since we are so focused on just Ellie's journey here, the rest of the characters only serve their purpose for Ellie's journey and feel a bit stunted after that. Granted, Ellie and Jack are pretty secluded for the majority of this so I understand why that happened and you might not even notice the flatness of other characters because you'll be so entranced by everything else going on.

Which brings me to this: the atmosphere blew me away in this book. I won't lie, at first the magical elements really threw me for a loop since they are not integrated in the best way in the first 30% but as the book progresses, the magical fantasy aspects to this really change the way you imagine the setting here. I tend to get a little bored with contemporary romances if the tension dies or the characters don't have more going on than just the romance; in YA romance, where the audience is younger and the romance is more chaste, this can happen a lot for me. But here, I was not bored at any moment because the fantasy elements eventually mixed with the mundane beautifully. Especially once we get to see the magic in its full glory, the atmosphere shifts, and you are sucked into Ellie and Jack's trip.

Frankly, this atmosphere building is needed because the plot can meander a little, especially once Jack and Ellie get on the road. Part of this is because they are on the road to this convention and the only plot point you know is coming is their budding romance. Given that this romance is SLOW and goes from ex-best friends to enemies to maybe more, it can take a while for things to progress so you are left just going along on this road trip with them. At certain points, the internal struggle for Ellie gets a bit repetitive since she is consistently reminding us of other plot points moving along off-page. However, she doesn't get updated that often about them so we are left with the same questions from Ellie over and over about what is going on back home. These things make for a less than exciting plot but really I expected that since the main drive here is Ellie's relationships, making this more of a character-driven novel with the main plot focusing on the road trip. Road trip books tend to lose me because of their distinctly simple plot (unless the trip takes more detours than the Odyssey). Even so, this book kept me entertained the whole way due to its beautiful crafting of the magical elements here.

The pacing here was a good even pace. Slow at parts, faster in others, as the narrative demanded. The dialogue felt appropriate for a teen audience and excelled at making them sound like teens. But I do have to say that the many pop culture references sometimes took me out of the story. The only ones that felt seamlessly integrated were the book references. Mostly because they fit into the mundane and magical aspects of the book great where others felt weird next to the fantasy components of the books.

Some last things of note: the book definitely feels like the next cute rom-com given the timeless tropes it uses while feeling fresh and new with the cozy fantasy elements. Though, the ending felt a little less climactic than I expected. I personally think this may be because I wanted more from the resolution and I think Jack's feelings and emotions are a lot less visible than Ellie's so his motives and actions at the end feel too little and too fast all at the same time. But even so, I loved the feeling of the book. I enjoyed it and was happy to keep picking it back up until I finished flying through it.

It definitely teetered between 3 and 4 stars for the majority of the time, but ultimately, it was too cute and fun to not give 4. Especially considering I am not the intended audience here, I could see this being a bigger hit for teens so it felt like a deserved 4 stars.

unfortunately, this book did not work out for me. the idea of two former childhood friends, that now cannot stand each other, and have to spend a lot of time together was what drew me to the charrmed list but the way it was executed left me unhappy. to be honest, i didn't enjoy it since the beginning, partly because of the writing that felt clunky and because of the awkward transitions when the main character ellie talked about something that had happened in the past, but mostly because of the characters and the magic system. ellie felt a little too petty and was at times annoying, i coudn't feel the chemistry between her and jack. the magic system was just ... boring. this book will probably work best with a younger teen audience.

*2.5/5

I stayed up late reading, with just one more chapter turning into many. Julie Abe created a world where magic only enhances in minor ways; with a dash of luck, or courage. It was unlike any other magical book that I've read. I highlighted many passages, either because the imagery was beautiful or because I felt like I was getting recommendations from a friend about the best books, stores and music. When I cried at the end I knew that this would be a book that I'll be rereading in the future. The Charmed List blew away my expectations. I already bought myself a copy for summer reading.

Ellie and Jack-friends since forever until something caused Jack to pull completely out of Ellie’s life. No magic charm can fix it. Luckily for Ellie, Lia appears to fill the Jack void. All is well until a prank on Jack goes wrong and Lia learns about Ellie’s magic.
The story turns to Ellie and Jack’s forced togetherness on a trip to a magic convention and the ways they reconnect and then don’t.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. It felt a bit too light and cutesy for my tastes. I wasn't interested in the characters. And the way magic was used in the story really bothered me. I didn't like how all of the businesses charmed their products so that they would have an effect on their patrons without their knowing or consent. It maybe was well-intentioned but didn't sit right with me.

This was such a fun read! It contains some of my favorite rom-com tropes of all time, best friends to enemies to lovers with forced proximity.
I found the story heartwarming and I adored both characters!It has a little bit of everything, it's sweet,funny and cute.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Plot: This book has such a perfect summer vibe! Reading about Ellie and Jack going on the road trip together, and finding their way back to each other was wonderful. I loved the idea of Ellie's list. And the magic in this book was just so fun! The small magic (from lipstick that can match any color, to the magical cottage they stay in) was delightful, and I loved it!

Characters: Ellie was a wonderful narrator, and Jack was great! My heart broke for both of them and what they were going through. I loved their family and friends as well. (Plus, Ellie has great taste in music!)

The Cover: It's really cute, I like it!

Overall: This was an absolutely wonderful YA novel, that I can't recommend enough! Overall, this is a perfect book for summer (or anytime of year), that I highly recommend

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This is a perfect summer read.
Or a great cozy up to the fire read.
Really, anytime is great to read this book.
It was a well balanced book with relatable characters and a good story line.
The magic part was fun and light.
Enjoy!

i’ve been in the mood recently for a fun and light contemporary romance read; the charmed list was all of that and more (with a touch of magic)! this book follows ellie and jack — two teenagers who ultimately end up taking a road trip together to attend a magical convention. they have a deeply shared history, from being childhood best friends, to strangers, to what they discover throughout the course of this book. to keep it short, these two have a lot of lingering feelings to discuss and explore. and what better situation to truly dig into some of these things than a road trip?

this book was just pure fun from beginning to end. i enjoyed reading from ellie’s POV (although i wish i could have read jack’s)! julie abe did a magnificent job in creating an urban magical world that didn’t seem unrealistic. these characters had so much chemistry, and i loved how there were so many moments that talked about their shared experiences in the past. i also loved the incorporation of some of my most beloved books (shout out jade fire gold), and cannot get over how truly stunning this cover is. if you are looking for something on the less heavy side that’s cute and a good time all-around, this book is for you. 3.5/5 stars (rounded up)!

thank you so much to netgalley and st. martin's press for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it! Kinda different from most books so I was curious but I absolutely adored it. The characters were so well written and the world was slightly different than what I'm used to but was not confusing at all.

The summer before senior year, wall-flower Ellie decides she wants a change. She creates a list of 13 things she wants to accomplish before the end of summer with her best friends during a summer road trip. A prank gone wrong forces a change of plans, and Ellie is now stuck with her ex-best friend on a slightly magical road trip. Jack and Ellie are forced to confront their true feelings for each other and where things went wrong in the friendship.

This was a cute, adorable quick read. It was the perfect rom-com for a snow day at home. I read it in one setting. The magical system isn't complicated, so you don't get bogged down the world-building like you would with a high-fantasy book. There was just enough angst from Jack and Ellie's situation to make it interesting and just enough magic to make it charming.

I was so sure I had this book’s plot all figured out in the beginning.

One of the first things we learn in this book is the relationship between Ellie and Jack. They used to be best friends, but that all changed in middle school when Jack started distancing himself and pretending as though he didn’t know who Ellie was. Ellie was hurt by this sudden rejection, and the two of them became enemies.

Sounded like a basic “Jack decided he had a crush” plot. But, no spoilers? That’s not what happened.

One of the first surprises I found in this book was why Ellie and Jack are forced to drive down to the convention together. When a prank goes horribly wrong and has life-changing repercussions, the two have to drive to the convention and continue their families’ commercial ventures as the parents deal with the mess these two have made.

I was really surprised by the worldbuilding this author introduced. As a contemporary story, I assumed this book wouldn’t really stray from real life places and cultures. Instead, this author shows off her prowess by introducing entire towns hidden from the mundane eye and cottages who make nonmagic users think they’re rundown all by themselves. Even the items characters find in stores have been completely made up by this author (unless there really is lipstick that changes colors to perfectly match any shade you wish, in which case the world is really bullying me by not letting me in on that secret).

The tropes in this book were very good as well, ranging from “soulmates” to “there was only one bed”. It’s easy to have a lot of fun while reading this book simply because the author seemed to be having a lot of fun in introducing these tropes.

However, I felt the ending of this book was a little weirdly placed, as though the author looked at the list of things Ellie wanted to do on her Anti-Wallflower List and suddenly realized that one of them hadn’t been completed. I wouldn’t have even noticed if not for this weird and sudden scene that didn’t make a lot of sense.

I think this book would be very good for a younger teen audience. Perhaps 13-16 year olds who enjoy things like BTS and boba. As a 24 year old, there were moments where this book just seemed a little too childish for me, but I could also understand that this wasn’t written for someone like me, and still rather enjoyed this book regardless.

The story of two old best friends, now enemies thrown together in a road trip. Usually some of my favorite tropes, but I couldn’t get into this one.

Also I really didn’t enjoy the magical plot or “magic aware” concept. Just feel flat for me.

Ok this was way cute! I adore the world building of this story — the magic system is so great I would love to see other stories take place in this world. I also think the pacing of the story with the various friendship struggles was interesting. It made me root for the main character to figure out her life. The love interest was multifaceted and I loved the enemies to lovers plot point. The cast was diverse as well, and I loved the family dynamics. I will read anything else this author writes!

The Charmed List was a cute romantic comedy with a touch of magic. I think the story was cute and interesting. I didn’t feel like the two main characters had a ton of chemistry but it was still a cute book.

THANK YOU for this arc copy of the CHARMED LIST!!

Ellie, a shy high school girl determined to be anything but sets out and creates a list of activities she wants to complete over the summer, known as her “anti-wallflower list”. On this journey to step out of her comfort zone, accidents happen and she is faced with a punishment, having to spend time with her former best friend now turned enemy, Jack. In an attempt to keep herself from utter embarrassment from Jack, he soon discovers Ellie’s list, she begins to feel this list may be her downfall, but it turns out to be charmed.

This book was super cute! I loved the idea and am a sucker for friends, to enemies, to lovers. I would give this about 3.5 stars. This is definitely a very slow burn. It took a long time for the build up. I admired their adventures and thought they were great to the tension build up, but it didn’t keep me as interested as I had hoped.

Ellie’s thoughts were very representative of a teens thoughts, which I felt was great for the aspect of realism and relatability. Overall, I thought the book was pretty good but it just didn’t keep my interest as I had hoped. If you love slow burn, cute teen romances this is a great read!

Let’s start with that cute cover. It’s pretty much the reason I wanted to read this book. Then I saw magic would be involved and was completely invested. It starts off well enough but as I learned more about the characters I couldn’t help but feel like it was more of a middle grade book. Although I was very interested in the magic aspects I wasn’t really convinced of any chemistry between Ellie and Jack. The road trip had some cute moments but otherwise felt really slow. The ending does bring it all together in a satisfying conclusion. I’d definitely recommend this story as a cute read for younger readers who like adventure and love.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

𝟑.𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 ★★★☆☆

**𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵. 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

P̳L̳O̳T̳

𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙚: 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭 follows 𝙀𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙚 𝙆𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙩𝙖’𝙨 journey to self-discovery alongside her former childhood best friend 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙔𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙙𝙖. When she was younger, they were inseparable and shared core memories, but circumstances changed, and he slowly distanced himself after a shift in his household. Unaware of what caused him to distance himself, she allowed their friendship to be stray. In the present moment, Jack and Ellie constantly bicker and cannot hold a civil conversation around each other. However, she now has her best friend Lia, and Ellie is content with the loved ones she has in her life, yet she feels confined because she cannot express herself freely. Ellie considers herself a “Wallflower” and plans to take some risks the summer before her senior year with her best friend, Lia. Yet, a prank gone wrong quickly blurs the line of that perfect summer, and instead of going on a road trip with Lia, she ends up in a space with Jack traveling the coast of California. With the tension between the two, they are forced to discuss what tarnished their friendship years ago and if they can ever go back to what they once were. Throughout this road trip, Ellie confronts her internal dilemmas and plans to become the best version of herself that once existed before Jack made her feel invisible after their friendship ended. This story depicts the concepts of childhood friendship, love, and new beginnings.

T̳R̳O̳P̳E̳S̳

✓ childhood best friends to enemies to lovers
✓ forced proximity
✓ one bed trope
✓ jealousy trope
✓ miscommunication trope

F̳A̳V̳O̳R̳I̳T̳E̳ ̳A̳S̳P̳E̳C̳T̳S̳

✓ magical realism
✓ road trip/traveling
✓ “Anti-Wallflower” bucket list
✓ hero and heroine’s younger siblings

T̳H̳O̳U̳G̳H̳T̳S̳

⤷ The story is a wholesome young adult romance! I loved every second of it and can quickly get you out of a slump. It gave me summer vibes, making me want to go on a road trip and travel. It is fast-paced and includes magical elements that keep you hooked all the way through. I recommend it for any young readers who want to read again; it makes you want to stay in this story forever. The tension between Ellie and Jack was visible, and it was evident that he had something he wanted to say to her, but their constant bickering always prevented him from speaking his side of the story. Also, I love the focus on familial sacrifices and the integral part of having a support system to overcome hurdles, along with the significance of challenging yourself to become the best version, even if it means pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Ellie was the perfect example of a young adult attempting to find her passions and feeling a loss of identity. However, through the novel, some obstacles allow her to become her best self. At the same time, Jack is able to come to terms with what happened years ago and find the courage to explain his version of the story. Overall, this book was significant and introduced concepts that everyone should experience at least once!

Finally, another five star book of 2022. Thank you NetGalley for giving me this arc, I looked at the cover and fell in love. The book was just as pretty as the cover. The world building was actually really cute, and gave me insane Ghibli vibes. The world building I’m referring to is the magical elements within the contemporary aspects. It was so cute and heartwarming. There was such a magical feel and the romance was amazing. The enemies/rivals to lovers always hits different, and Jack and Ellie falling in love was absolutely perfect. I would recommend this book for YA (maybe even middle grade) audiences, and please go read this book now!!

Wow, this was a disaster.

I don’t know if it gets any better. I don’t want to find out. I'm done torturing myself for the night. Thank you.

The plot? A summer list of being brave aka trying roller coaster, first kiss, falling in love bla bla bla.
This book also had one of my favourite trope aka the one and only BEST FRIENDS TO ENEMIES TO LOVERS trope.

Despite having so much potential this book failed to impress me. But this was good at one job specifically....making me yawn. Lol.

My main problem?
This was boring.

I really tried to like this but found myself skipping pages after the first couple of chapters.

Let's describe the protagonist, shall we?
She's one of those "Oh I'm nOt PrEtTy. I'm VeRy PlAiN"
You know what I'm talking about? Yes. EXACTLY THAT. What in the name of pick me is this girl? Whyyyyyyyyyyy?

There's a whole magical system going on in this book which could have been intriguing but somehow I ended up giving zero fucks about.

The plot, the protagonist, her love interest, the whole family bonding, that stupid list, the writing style EVERYTHING BORED ME TO DEATH. I'm just glad this is over and now I can go back and find a good fluffy book with couples that actually has chemistry and a plot that is not rushing like a bullet train.

The cover is very cute though. Only if the book was half as cute as the cover. But I guess you can't charmed a book into being you know, interesting?

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for granting me with an arc copy.