A Massive Thank You to the Author, the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book prior to its release date.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

I’m not gonna lie, this gave me middle grade vibes from the cover alone, despite this being a YA novel. So I believe that should’ve been a sign to realize I wouldn’t be the right demographic for this book.

Even though I understand I’m not the ideal demographic, I still didn’t hate my time reading this. I thought it was fast paced and entertaining; plus reading about the magic was quite interesting. However, the revenge plot/scheme seemed a little too over the top and unnecessary. The story lost me after that.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Lia and Beckett's Abracadabra was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022, and it did not disappoint! I loved everything about this story. It gave me major Romeo and Juliet vibes as well. The writing was snarky and relatable for young adult readers, which is great. However, I found the ending was a bit rushed. Nevertheless, this was a very unique and enjoyable read!

Magic is an area I've never really delved into very deeply, so it was fun to see it portrayed with such seriousness. As a musician, I appreciate this; "what value does your degree actually have?" The person asking wouldn't be able to understand if you told them. The way that Lia and her friends talk about magic is the way that I used to talk to my friends about music, and the community they've built centered on it was similar to the we had. I loved that her sister was a musician, and they were able to connect in some ways because of that. The only thing I thought was weird was that her sister was supposed to be the golden child, but they were disdainful of Lia doing magic because it wasn't practical like math or science. It is rare that I meet hardcore STEM types like Lia's parents that think music has any value, so this didn't make sense to me.

The southern Wisconsin vibes were strong I guess? What I mean by this is that the lake-side life and custard are accurate and real, but the only places they mention are Madison and Milwaukee. There is so much more Wisconsin north of Lake Mendota and Whitefish Bay (and there's more to the southern part of the state than those places too), but it's rare that I find it portrayed anywhere. Also, Lia makes the decision to go to Madison instead of some "fancy private school" but like, Madison is still crazy expensive and pretty elite/prestigious. In my mind, deciding to go to Madison instead of a fancy private school is rarely going to look like a downgrade. It's not like your future employers will look at your resume and say "Oh my gosh you went to the UW? But Edgewood is right there, why did you make that decision? Welp, I don't think we can hire you."
A little weird.

I thought the author avoided instalove here nicely. Rational brains for the win! Lia and Beckett are aware of their attraction to each other and talk about that, but they also discuss how they are focused on different things right now (and their families' history is too complicated for a relationship to be an easy decision). There's some annoying "you're easily the most fascinating person I've ever met" and "a cheerleader who does math, wow," but for the most part they acknowledge that they just have a crush on each other and want to try being friends before doing anything physical. This means that the story is more about them finding out about each other as they do their magic things, and shenanigans as they try to take down the town full of annoying people. I was especially struck by this around 48% of the way through, when Beckett says something that makes her feel as though he actually values her thoughts and opinions as a person, instead of thinking of her as being ridiculous or silly. Lia realizes the same thing then too. This quote speaks to this well:

"Out of the blue, I remember Dad reading me and Emma The Ant and the Grasshopper when we were little. He exchanged this look with Mom over our heads that said as clearly as words that he thought this was a parable about their kids - their hardworking daughter and their flighty one. Every single thing Emma and I have ever said or done has etched this more deeply."

Speaking of Emma, I enjoyed the sisters' relationship here. At the start I put them in boxes and thought it was going to be contrived and silly, and that the characters would have no other depth to them than that. Around the same time as the quote above, she has a conversation with her sister, and it's candid and loving. They don't actually compete with each other, and that was really nice to see. The friendship with Chase was nice too; male/female relationships seem to be going extinct sometimes, and it was nice that for once there was no love triangle and minimal drama.

The drama we do get? (view spoiler) It made me chuckle. Until it didn't. But again, the way the characters handled it was mature. Communication is so important.

Overall I thought the characters were refreshingly mature (even if they didn't always make mature decisions - what teen does?). They talked about their problems when they messed up, and that meant that the plot got to be fun and a little frivolous, and actually focus on things the characters' wanted besides each other. It was refreshing to read a book that wasn't so concerned with teenage sexual tension.

Tl;dr, this was overall well crafted and a super fun romance. I have trouble with contemporaries sometimes, but the magic elements here made it really enjoyable without bogging it down. Communication is the best way to have a good relationshiiiiip!

This was an adorable teen romcom. Beckett and Lia are charming from beginning to end, and I loved the slow pace their relationship took. I enjoyed this so much!

This was a very fun YA contemporary story about finding what you want out of life, fighting for it and realizing your true worth. There was also a super sweet, very clean (predictable) romance in the book that finally occurred at the end with a single kiss. The romance was not the main focus of the story, which I liked about the book, instead the focus was on the skill of magic, outwitting the enemy and performing your heart out. If you like magic, family drama, competitive vibes and YA romance then I very much recommend this book.

A cute and fun enemies to lovers YA romance between two aspiring magicians. I mean, who can really say they don't love a little abracadabra! I really enjoyed this unique book set in a world where real magic exists and two teens compete in a stage magic contest in order to gain the right to a magical building. A quick read and one I could see fans of books like Magic for Liars enjoying this story. 3.5 stars rounded up.

This was another great book by Amy Noelle Parks! I thought the stage magic was a really unique element for a YA novel. I've always been fascinated by magic tricks, so to read a book with a main character who wants to be a magician was really fun! Overall, I would definitely recommend trying this book!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Lia's grandmother has gone missing leaving behind a mysterious note and a mission for her to compete in a stage magic contest against her family's bitter rivals. Lia meets a cute boy the first night, who turns out to be Beckett Blackwell, part of the new generation of rivals. Star crossed lovers with a bit of magic thrown in for good measure and a tad of feminism, this is a fun read.

This was such a great book! This book is definitely a slow burn and a ton of fun! The cover is adorable and the characters are charming and heartfelt. I really enjoyed it and it left me feeling very warm and fuzzy at the end!

A very fun YA romcom! Really loved the premised and following the characters!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review~

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

First, the one negative is that I genuinely feel like this cover art does NOT do the book justice. The art seems very juvenile and makes me think this is a young reader book, not young adult. The cover art should absolutely be changed.

Second, holy cow this novel was so stinking good! I love all the different things this novel touched on with super intelligent women, sexism in so many fields and just learning and growing. I love that this novel touched on Lia being so intelligent and so good at math and physics, but still a girly girl and cheerleader. The slow burning love story was fantastic and beautiful and makes for a lasting story. This was just all around entertaining, funny, sweet and heart-warming and totally a book I needed to read right now.

I enjoyed this so much! This was a really fun book about magic (but not in the fantasy sense - just good old fashioned magicians doing their tricks) while also tackling some very real issues, such as sexism and misogyny. Lia's grandmother is currently off the grid, but Lia (and her sister and several other people) all receive invitations to participate in a contest, where the winner gets the theater in town where the big magic show is done weekly, and which her grandmother currently owns. Lia and Beckett (who don't trust each other because their grandparents warned their families of each other) end up working together to try to dismantle some of the fraud and other unethical practices that magicians in town, including Beckett's cousin and their fellow competitor in the contest, are doing.

I absolutely loved Lia's character. She was a cheerleader who loved math and magic and pop songs, and she just felt really relatable to me - she refused to let anyone put her in a box and let her be just one thing, and I admired that so much. I think a little of the drama between her and Beckett was a little over the top but in general, she was great.

I also liked the chemistry between Lia and Beckett- they were attracted to each other from the get go, but then they realized who the other is and there was tension, but the build up to trust was really well done, and I really enjoyed it.

Overall, definitely enjoyed and would recommend to YA contemporary readers.

“This little contest of Grandma’s is exactly the sort of game I love, and Chase is right about one thing—I am a Montgomery girl underneath, and I’m not losing my grandmother’s theatre to a bunch of Blackwell boys.”

Seventeen-year-old Lia Sawyer has been studying magic her entire life, inspired by her grandmother who was a well-known magician’s assistant. Lia loves feeling close to her grandma and she’s good at it too. So when Lia’s grandmother sets up a stage magic contest to decide who will get to keep the theatre she performed in and now owns, Lia is determined to win. Except, she’s going to be judged by old-school magicians who think a girl’s only role in magic to be the assistant, her grandma has disappeared, and she’s competing against the formidable rival magic family she’s been warned to stay away from: the Blackwells. To make matters worse, Lia finds herself falling for one the Blackwell boys and isn’t sure how to stop. Caught in a situation even Houdini would have trouble escaping, Lia has to decide what and who is most important to her before she loses everything she cares about.

Filled with so many sleights of hand, twists of fate, and gestures of romance, Lia and Beckett’s Abracadabra is a fantastically magical rom-com and mystery rolled into one. I’ve always been thrilled by magicians and their tricks, so getting a peek into their world of smoke and mirrors—with a hearty helping of romance of course—was a dream come true. Author Amy Noelle Parks does a fabulous job of weaving together Lia’s struggle to be accepted as a female magician with her desire to also be true to herself and not change to fit others’ expectations for her. And we absolutely can’t forget the sweet love story between Lia and Beckett. I enjoyed watching both characters grow with each other, flaws and all, and I wish there was a sequel so I could see what happens next. Find yourself a copy of this book asap! You’ll be glad you did!

Content Warnings: Divorce, referenced death of a loved one, intimate photos shared without consent, sexism, misogyny, mentioned domestic violence

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an e-ARC. I was drawn to this title by some of the early comps, which I believe were some of my YA favorites like Love & Gelato and 13 Little Blue Envelopes. I ultimately did not feel like those comps were all that accurate, as I think readers would have different expectations going in, especially from the romance perspective. I struggled getting into this one and have found that on my last several reads, there seems to be a lot of books out there bringing us readers into the story with a very reality show introduction episode style beginning- I mean that as we meet a ton of characters immediately early on and we have to decide whose names and backstories will be important throughout and who we will leave at the door. It's hard for me to learn lots of character names straight away without confusion, and I feel like in this story there's a lot of family members and cousins and friend names dropped without dimension and it was a challenge to get invested in the story. Once it got going i found the magic element to be the star of the story, yet it was more tedious than entertaining at times. It's hard to describe a magic act unfolding in written word for readers like me who don't know anything about performing illusions or tricks. I don't think it was too much though, it just didn't leap off the page the way an act on stage would dazzle. The part of the story I liked most was definitely Lia's personal journey and the ending chapters did a better job at moving her along to show some growth and insight than the rest of the book.

A magical YA book full of romance, fantasy and truth. I can't wait for my students to read this one!

I was really looking forward to this because the concept was so new, intriguing, and I loved that it took into account gender politics in the world of magic and performance. Unfortunately, the magic was often overshadowed by the lack of chemistry between Lia and Becket and the constant undercommunication between everyone. Unlike most YA where characters simply don’t communicate and have the most superficial problems, in these, they do talk, but do total 180s after and get into very forced and silly arguments constantly. It was even more frustrating than the usual tropes.
I think there’s definitely potential in the author to fine tune future characters and their relationships, especially while coming up with concepts like this, but for this one, it was sadly just disappointing.

5 stars +++ = Best of the best

I absolutely adored this - a "perfect" book for me. The sort of book I want to hold and hug and tell everyone about. I loved the characters (the cousins reminded me of the brothers in INHERITANCE GAMES). The magic descriptions were just right for a non-visual medium - never too much or not enough. The deeper story was fantastic. I loved every bit of this - 100% delightful.

I really loved this book. I loved learning about the magic tricks and the different ways to fool the audience. My favorite character was Lia, she was strong and smart and knew what she wanted.