I just finished the very secret society of irregular witches by Sangu Mandanna and this is my honest review

Mika moon has some very special gifts, the kind of gifts that she has to keep secret from the world but also means she has to stay away from other witches, as together, they create too much attention. Her life is very solitary but she has a social media account where she can pretend to be a witch and no one takes her seriously. That is until someone does.

A random message has her uprooting her life and going to teach 3 young orphan witches how to control their magic. She cannot let anyone know where she is going as it is forbidden for the 3 young girls to be living together. Here she finds the family she has always wanted and a sexy librarian with a beautiful scowl that melts her heart.

She starts to feel at home but the real reason she was bought to nowhere house has everyone on edge and the deadline to protect the girls is closing fast.

This book was FANTASTIC! I was blown away by the caliber of the writing and the whole pace and tone of the book was phenomenal.

I loved the backstory of why the witches live the way they do but I would have loved to have known more and whether the curse could be broken. I won’t spoil it for you but that was the only question I wish had gotten answered.

I loved the story of Mika. I felt her pain coming through the pages. Her life, and the life of all witches, is so desolate and tragic that your heart will constrict whether you want it to or not. I did enjoy that she and Jamie both found their way through their trauma to become the people they are today and opened themselves up to something they didn't want to explore.

Nowhere house was the perfect setting for a novel all about young witches and how they learn to control their powers. I felt so deeply connected to the book as I was reading and enjoyed every single word. I was sucked in from the first page and didn’t want it to end.

I am a total addict for witch novels and this one exceeded all my expectations. It had a little romance, a little supernatural and a whole lot of excellence for one book! If you love witchey fantasy reads then you need to get this one on your list today!

5 stars and it earned every single one!

Thank you Netgalley and berkley publishing group for my ARC in exchange for my honest review

was fine! it was okay i liked the characters and such i just found myself bored very often. cant wait to see what this author comes out with next.

I absolutely *adored* this book. I mean, really. It's got witches. It's got found family. It's got enemies to lovers. It's got queer grandpas. It's got cute little kids. It's got plot twists. What more could you ask for from a book, honestly.

Also--you know that feeling you get when you're deep into a good story, or maybe you've already finished it, and you find yourself wanting to go back to that world and those characters? You could be doing anything and then suddenly you have this weird urge that maybe you can't place for a minute, until you go, oh, I just want to go back to reading/watching that.

I get that a lot, but in most cases it's not until I'm a good ways into the story, unless I'm rereading a childhood favorite or something like that. What's weird about The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is that I started feeling that way almost right from the beginning. I was barely into the book, and still would feel myself drawn to the characters. I didn't have a lot of time to read it at first, so I made my way through the first third the book pretty slowly, and it was surprisingly hard to not just drop everything and read it all so I could stay in the story.

By midway through, I sort of *did* drop everything to finish it. I couldn't help it. And agh, I just, I loved it so much. I have no idea if the author plans to write sequels, but I hope she does, just because I feel like I could spend so much longer in this world and with these characters, and never have enough.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

I am so in love with this new wave of witchy romance. In this world witches are not supposed to associate with one another. If they mingle their magic can be detected. It feels a bit reminiscent of the movie version of Practical Magic in that there are two generations learning to control their magic in one house together. The book also shows the joys and beauty of a found family. The best for me was of course the grumpy sexy librarian, as I like to think of myself in a similar fashion. Several reviews commented on the swearing and it being not necessary. I say fuck that shit. Perhaps it is because otherwise a cozyish romance? Read if you liked the Fix It Witches or the Ex Hex series. I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley, thank you to them. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was expecting to like this book but I wasn't expecting for the characters to reach out and touch my heart. They did. Really empathetic characters that will have you rooting for all of them. I did think the F bomb was dropped a little too frequently but that's just my taste. Little twist at the end that wrapped everything up quite nicely.

If you love a good Witch story this is defiant the one for you! It’s funny with a side of romance. It is perfect for anyone who doesn’t quite fit in!

I am a big fan of the Practical Magic movie and when I read the book by Alice Hoffman, I was a bit disappointed. It was a good book, but it lacked a lot of the sweet, magical aspect the movie had.
But this book was exactly what I wish the book had been. It was whimsical and magical. I loved everything about it from the quirky names, the interesting magic, the lore, and the found family trope. I cannot recommend this book enough. It had everything, including a lovely cover. One of my favorite reads this year.

I adored this book! On the surface this book is about witches, and maybe romance, but in actuality this is one of those amazing books that seems to be about nothing, but also everything. While the story does scratch the itches of spooky witch mythos and romance, it is really more about magic, trauma, family (both biological and found), healing, love, finding oneself and finding home. The characters are funny, sweet and well developed. The love story has an edge that is very enjoyable. The resolution makes sense in the context of the setting that Mandanna has beautifully built. I genuinely can’t wait to read more by this author, and would love to see more books in this artfully built world.

This was a sweet confection of a story that reminded me of an updated, magical Noel Streatfeild "shoe book," where orphans are gathered together and cared for by estate managers and other working people while their benefactor remains far away. I'll be recommending this for readers who want something lighter, but still well-written.

this is what i wanted the house on the cerulean sea to be, meets eva ibbotson, one of my very favorite childhood authors!!

the first quarter is extremely cute and perfect, and then we go off the rails a little bit -- there is more sex and swearing than i expected -- but i loved these murderous witch children and their ragtag family and i thought this was very cute and sweet! such a pleasant surprise.

This wonderful cozy novel is filled with slivers of starlight and moonbeams. Mika Moon is a witch, though no actual witches would admit that freely. Mika longs for companionship and a life where she can be free - but she long been told that witches can’t be friends with other witches and they have been cursed.

When a job falls into her lap, a job involving raising three young witches hidden from everyone else at Nowhere House, an estate that includes an interesting cast of characters, Mika takes it. And all the powerful magic and chaos that ensues.

Cute witchy romcom of a book. One of the protagonists is even a librarian.

Would be a refreshing read after the much darker Gallant by VE Schwab.

This story is about loneliness, found family and love. It also has three star or three point five stars because of the unnecessary cursing. Other then that I enjoyed this very much. The characters were delightful and it was a cute read.

Well, this was all the author intended it to be and more - cozy, romantic, and filled with magic.

I fell in love with Mika, the three little girls she came to Nowhere House to tutor, Lucie, Ian, Ken, and Jamie. Even stodgy Primrose had her moments. I was transported to a magical place the whole time I was reading and now I'm longing to visit a seaside house in Northern England, cooler weather, and a cup of tea...sigh.

I've been reading nothing but rom-coms lately and wanted to take a break. Thank goodness for Sangu! This lovely story about loss and redemption, finding home and yourself, as well as finding love when you least expect it. Highly recommend.

This was a completely delightful read! While I can't say that it's flawless, I enjoyed each of the characters so immensely and found myself unexpectedly surprised in a way that absolutely deserves five stars. This is such a precious found family novel with a very modern take on magic and I hope Sangu Mandanna writes again in a similar vein!

This book gave me BIG found family and lovable orphan vibes, just like House in the Cerulean Sea!

Witches around the world have been cautioned to keep their magic hidden and safe, leaving Mika Moon feeling lonely and isolated. Her witch-core social media videos attract the attention of a deperate motley crew who beg her to tutor three orphaned witch children who reside at Nowhere House. Along with a flamboyant former actor, a motherly housekeeper, a sweet and stoic gardener, Mika finds a surly, protective, introverted librarian when she takes the post to help the growing girls learn to control their powers. Their deadline of Christmas is chased by a suspicious solicitor and the head of Mika's coven, both of them sure that SOMETHING is amiss.

The growth of Mika, the three young witches, and James the librarian comes together in a beautiful adoptive family comedy fantasy story. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a similar read to TJ Klune.

There is no way to describe this book except to say that it’s warm like a cup of tea, probably something just a little witchy, with some violets for color, or something like that. And that is possibly all down to Mika Moon, witch extraordinaire, with all of the golden dust at her fingertips, but in search of a family to give it meaning.

I loved meeting Mika and everyone at Nowhere House and uncovering the secrets that were in the story, including both those individual secrets and those kept by everyone. This is a delightful slow burn, warm and comforting and very very satisfying.

Mary Poppins meets Harry Potter! I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH! I cannot wait to read it with our high school book club. If you are looking for a sweet novel filled with light and hope, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

A wonderful, warm, cozy book which was perfect for a rainy afternoon, cuddled up on my favorite chair.
There wasn’t much of a storyline here but that didn’t distract the reader from the blissful existence all the residents of Nowhere House enjoyed. I particularly liked the Sangu Mandanna’s description of magic and how it is gold dust that twists merrily around a witch, encouraging and mischievous.
This book made me feel happy and positive. Mika Moon was a delightful character, full of positivity and cheer. I look forward to reading all her next books.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.