I mean seriously if you are not convinced by the description than I don’t know another to convince than to restate my favorite parts. ENEMIES TO LOVERS, but not just enemies to lovers; friends to enemies to lovers. Like come on, it’s a enemies to lovers Rom com, it’s a latte but you’ll love it ;)

I love road trip books and this one didn't disappoint. I thought it was inventive to have this magical realism element woven into the story. Watching Ellie grow and find who she wanted to be through her checklist and road trip was exciting. There were ups and downs, but I think they only made her story that more interesting.

Getting to see how Jack and Ellie interacted was a road trip of it's own. The friends to enemies to friends to lovers story was a whirlwind, but I liked getting to explore their entire relationship. Seeing them become friends again while on the road trip was inspiring.

Are you a fan of road trip stories? Do you enjoy a sweet version of spite to love? How about a sprinkle of magic thrown in? Then this might be the romance for you!

This book is a solidly written and sweet read. The magical additions were pleasant and added to the experience. I think the beginning was a bit slow and the world-building was a little generic, but the characters were likable and their interactions were fun to follow.

Thank you to the author an publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I think this is a solid and well written book. It made me laugh and cry and it was an easy read with an acceptable ending. I will eventually add this to the reread pile.

This book was absolutely ADORABLE! When 2 childhood friends are not only forced back together but have to go on a road trip together, you can bet there will hijinks and intimacy.
I loved the Anti-wallflower list so much! It really was relatable as someone who is a wallflower and longs to take risks and face fears known and unknown just like the FMC. I also loved the magical aspects of the book. As someone who is heavy into witchy and magical things, i love the world building and use of magicalism.
the book was such a lighthearted book, and the banter and funny moments were on point!
The character development for the FMC was so perfectly written. Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday book for allowing me to read and review a copy.

In The Charmed List by Julie Abe, two neighbors and former childhood best friends, Ellie Kobata and Jack Yasuda, who have drifted apart, are forced to take a road trip together to a magical convention. On a road trip filled with cupcakes, tea, a to-do list of challenges to check off, magical sparks of joy, enchanted villages/cottages, and dancing together beneath the stars, can they slowly find their way back to each other?

I love Ellie’s Anti-Wallflower List—it has some cool tasks for her to check off. The list is creative and, in conjunction with Ellie’s Road trip, it’s an opportunity for her to take risks and face things she fears with courage. But, of course, there’s one thing on the list that doesn’t quite fit, and it gets Ellie into trouble, throwing her summer plans off course and jeopardizing her friendship with Lia, which helped Ellie survive the loss of Jack.

Abe’s creative mythology, deft worldbuilding, and vivid description immediately drew me into the novel. While she creates a story about magic, people who can wield magic, and magical places, the characters are still bound by natural laws and experience the ups and downs of human existence. As a result, the novel’s tone is a bit more angsty and emotional than I expected, but Abe nicely balances this with sweet, lighthearted, and humorous moments.

She skillfully develops complex, imperfect, relatable characters through colorful, snarky, witty, and funny dialogue and interactions. The characters evolve organically with Abe’s fascinating story. I love that Ellie and Jack’s sister and brother provide contrast to them in how their relationship developed and thrived despite life’s ups and downs and the same circumstances that caused Jack and Ellie to drift apart. Ellie’s a stubborn planner. She’s a shy artist who longs to be seen, break out of her shell, and be free to be herself—but to share her magic use and knowledge of magic would result in her being kicked out of the magic world. So, Ellie hasn’t fully/truly been able to be herself since she and Jack drifted apart, even with Lia, her closest friend.

Ellie Kobata’s been the quiet girl for long enough. She’s ready for a life-changing summer where she finally takes risks. Her Anti-Wallflower List includes 13 goals she wants to complete and check off, like riding rollercoasters, sharing her art by making her Instagram public, if she’s brave enough, and taking an epic road trip with her best friend, Lia. Unfortunately, #4 on Ellie’s list—getting revenge on her former best friend Jack Yasuda, captain of the tennis team— takes a disastrous turn, propelling her summer straight from charmed to cursed. Ellie gets stuck in a car with Jack traveling to a magical convention. Will #13 on Ellie’s list—fall in love—catch her by surprise as Ellie and Jack drive down the coast of California to the convention, spending time in each other’s company for the first time in years?

Abe’s novel beautifully examines the difficulty of losing a friend who’s been by your side for most of your life. For Ellie, it’s like she lost part of herself. Would it make things easier if she knew why? At times it’s tempting to wonder if Ellie is an unreliable narrator because she’s so bitter and angry at Jack over the state of their friendship. But then things happen that make you go, well, maybe not. So, what is the deal with Jack? Abe presents quite the irresistible mystery with the conflict between Ellie and Jack. Jack seems to still care deeply about her, but it’s hard to reconcile that with his abandonment of Ellie and their friendship and cold, aloof treatment of her. Without spoiling anything, I’ll say the reasons for Jack’s behavior and why they drifted apart turn out to be complicated and heartbreaking. Lately, I have read a few books with this theme of childhood BFFs who drift apart after the guy breaks things off suddenly, painfully, with similar storylines. So, much more angst than I expected.

Angsty, funny, and sweet, The Charmed List is an enchanting, surprising, and thoroughly entertaining, fanciful YA, former friends-to-lovers road trip romance about taking chances, self-discovery, rejecting labels, and changing your life to make yourself happy.

Advanced review copy provided by Wednesday Books via Netgalley for review.

This was an okay story, but I did find the characters quite annoying and it really didn't find it's feet until the last 50 pages. The magical elements really started to work at the end, especially with the magical Escape Room Ellie and Jack found themselves in, but for most of the book the magic felt layered on top of a really generic rivals-to-lovers romance.

The characters and relationships in this book are so tender, and I love the neatness of the storyline. The magical concept was wonderful to explore. Highly recommend!

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I fell in love with the cover so I never did read what it was about. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was about two teens who grow up in the magical community. Once best friends Jacks suddenly stops talking to Ellie and they become enemies. Forced on a trip together they again turn to friends and then lovers. I loved the magical element in the book. I loved watching their friendship and relationship grow. It's a cute book and perfect for a summer beach read.

What a sweet, beautiful story about magic, friendship, love, and breaking out of your shell. ⁣
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If you’re a fan of:⁣
Road trips⁣
Boba⁣
Friends to Enemies to Lovers⁣
Forced Proximity⁣
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This is the book for you!⁣
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I absolutely loved this! Julie Abe’s writing is so magical and captivating - I was hooked from the very start. This story is fast-paced and easy to read, which I really enjoyed. The audiobook is also really great, especially since my favorite, Natalie Naudus, narrates!⁣
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Ellie’s perspective was what really drew me in, because she was very relatable and conveyed her emotions very clearly in her narrative. I liked that she was such a direct protagonist who made it easy to understand her. She is very vivid in her descriptions, and her emotions came across very clearly.⁣
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The magical contemporary world Ellie and Jack live in made this story all the more fun, and I just really adored this story! I can’t wait to see what else Julie comes up with next.

I really enjoyed this book and liked the plot and found the characters to be likeable! It was a little slow at times but it was worth it for that ending and I’m very glad I read it. Overall 4/5 star rating

This book was so cute! It follows high school students Ellie and Jack on a road trip to a magical convention for their family businesses. They are former best friends turned enemies. If you like friends to lovers, or enemies to lovers you'll enjoy this one. I love the way that magic works in this book. It feels so natural and beautiful. The main characters were relatable. I feel like the story did a good job of giving enough depth to understand what they're going through but remaining a light read. The "anti-wallflower checklist" Ellie made for the trip was a fun addition. If you are looking for a sweet teenage romance check this one out.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A super cute YA that is perfect for fans of To All the Boys and Sabrina the Teenage Witch! A great fall read for sure, with witchy and back to school vibes.

I love that i had the chance to read this book! I’m ready to reread it already! I had such a great time! Pick this up if you want such a cute sweet YA romance!

I got this book for review from the publisher*
This again was a really fun and super cute hate to more and friends to more romance with a magic twist!! i really loved this book it was magic light book but one that def focused more on contempory issues like romance and friendship and family elements. It was a super quick read and one that wtichy but in a quite way. I also really liked the romacne at the hear of this read and also the magic world that was built.!!

This was a cute YA romance with a touch of magic. At times, it reminded me of when my kids used to watch Wizards of Waverly Place, with the secret magic society being hidden from the rest of the world.

Some YA has universal appeal. Adults, as well as teens, will find it meaningful. Other YA will mostly appeal to teens. I see this as the latter. That doesn't mean it's a bad book. I think young girls will enjoy this book a lot.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

This one took me a bit to get into, but it’s one that I liked more and more as I read it. It was a cute story. What I loved most was the setting/locations. I am not a visual person and I can’t always “see” the story that I read. Only sometimes. This book is one of those times. The author did an amazing job at bringing Ellie’s magical world (city, convention, cottage…) to vivid life. I want to visit these places. As Ellie said, I want to live there! I also absolutely loved the young siblings, Remy and Cam. I would love to read a story focused on these two!

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

Magic? Enemies-to-lovers? Those are about the only two things it takes to get me excited about a book. I loved the relationship between the characters, even when they thought they hated each other. Read this for witty banter and a happy ever after.

More magic was needed compared to contemporary.
Seeing this world and adventure begin was sweet and simple, but I've read too many books with almost the same flow that I was unfortunately not involved with this book. So, I probably wasn't in the mood to read this, no matter how long I switched between coming back to this.

I will say I love the drink and food with charms and good vibes. It makes me think of the Alice SYFY mini-series, and I adored that!

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and Netgalleyfor an arc of The Charmed List by Julie Abe
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This novel was such a breath of fresh air and I think so many people would enjoy it. There is a magical realism aspect to this book that I loved and the world building and development was done so well throughout the book. I loved Ellie and Jack and was immediately invested in their friendship and relationship. I also loved the secondary characters! There is also wonderful descriptions of food throughout the novel.
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Pick this book up if you are looking for:
-best friends turned enemies
-second chance friendship/romance
-magical realism - I loved how magic was included in the storyline
-mutual pining
-a road trip - it was great!