I liked this one better when it was called The House in the Cerulean Sea. I mean really that’s all to be said here. I picked this up for the title and cover alone when it was offered to me and I was planning October-y reads. Sadly, this was a pretty sad copycat of T.J. Klune’s magical releases of late.

The story here involves, you guessed it, a witch who gets recruited to come tutor a trio of children witches in an attempt to teach them how to harness their power. There’s a houseful of other characters – including a handsome sourpuss, natch, but none of which were very developed. I don’t love kids generally (in fiction or in real life) so it really takes some doing to get me to love stories about them (see the aforementioned Klune or The Guncle as recent exceptions to the rule). There was also quite a bit of “potion” talk that basically involved making tea infused with essential oils such as lavender or peppermint rather than any eye of newt or tongue of frog. But the main problem was in the form of . . .

Who said anything about transforming the world? What about just making it a little better? And then a little better? And then a little more, until, one day, maybe long after we’re gone, it has transformed?”

But there isn’t much making of things ANY better as this one wraps up and, despite not being a fan, my dead heart still felt a little bummed out these kids didn’t end up with more than they did in the end. I thought the entire point of this was going to be along the lines of “be the change you wish to see in the world” – but I guess getting laid was really the M.O. *wink*

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What a fantastic, smart, and cozy witchy rom-com! I loved every second of this book. Mika is a thirty-something witch trying to find herself and her place in the world. In her world, all witches end up motherless, so she has grown up with a distant caretaker and a rotating cast of nannies. After posting witchy videos online, Ian reaches out to her to come live at Nowhere House and be a witch tutor to three young orphaned witches.

Mika escapes to Nowhere House, a rambling cottage in the English countryside by the sea. There she meets Ian (an eccentric former actor and avid knitter), Ken (Ian's partner and an excellent gardener), Lucie (a warm caretaker), and Jamie (a surly Irish man who is in charge of the library and a love interest) - all fellow caretakers of the three young witches that live there. She also meets the three young witches: Rosetta, Terracotta, and Altamira. She helps them learn how to harness their magic, and overall they have a wonderful and cozy time by the sea. As Mika opens up to this newfound family, she finds herself, love, and a renewed sense of purpose in the world.

This book was warm, charming, cozy, funny, and had just the right amount of romance and witchiness. It's perfect for fans of Jenny Bayliss and anyone looking for a delightful read. It spans the time frame from early fall to the Winter Solstice, so it's appropriate for any time of year, not just spooky season!

Perfect for both the autumn and winter time, this sweet story focuses on Mika Moon, a witch, who's trying to find a place in this world where she can be herself and be accepted. She finds a cozy house, Nowhere House, and all she wanted and more.
If you've loved The House on the Cerulean Sea, you're going to love this one!
It makes you feel so warm and fuzzy inside. I loved the found family element and the grumpy/sunshine trope; all the characters were lovely and the atmosphere was magical.

Thank you Net Galley for the chance to review this book.

If you are looking for a book about found family, a grumpy/sunshine romance that is not very spicy, and has magic look no further. Mika Moon is a witch and a member of the Very Secret Society of Witches. Witches can only meet for a limited amount of time a few times a year, otherwise their magic grows too strong and accidents happen. Also, all witches are orphans because of a curse that made it that when a witch is born her parents die in some way soon after. So Mika has no family, and besides her trusty dog Circe, is quite lonely.

However, one day Mika gets a message on her YouTube page where she pretends to be a witch (while actually being one) to tutor three young witches. While she knows that this is all against the Rules, she takes the job. Mika finds love, family, and a home along the way, while also having to put out a few literal witch fires.

I would love to read more about these characters, maybe one where Mika opens her own potion and tea shop? I need more!

DNF @20%

I'm not feeling this one. The writing style isn't meshing with me, nor are the characters. I'm not at all interested in what's going on. I do understand the need for books like this, and I wouldn't say I dislike the style of warm, feel-good speculative fiction. I did enjoy The House in the Cerulean Sea. But in order for me to go along with a book that has essentially zero conflict, I need to enjoy the characters. The love interest in particular really didn't work for me. He felt incredibly juvenile for a mid-30ish man.

I do appreciate that the lead character is 31 years old. I haven't come across many romances with characters any younger than like 25, maybe 28 if you're lucky. Romance can come at any age!

Am I the only one who wasn’t a fan of this book? It’s possible that I was excited because there were mentions by other readers of a TJ Klune vibe. Quite honestly, the story was just underwhelming, and the characters were forgettable and bland. I’m giving it two stars because the writing style is good, but this wasn’t for me. Maybe you’ll enjoy it though, as I seem to be one of the few who didn’t love it!

Thank you to Netgalley & Publishers for access to an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

this was so cute! it felt almost cozy in atmosphere and i loved the found family aspects of this novel (one of my favourite tropes). will definitely be purchasing this for the collection!

This book was so cute. I really enjoyed it and it was perfect for a happy October read. I look forward to reading more by this author!

Thanks @prhinternational for this ARC!

Mika Moon é uma bruxa de verdade, mas as pessoas que visualizam seus vídeos na internet acham que é tudo truque. Até que um dia ela recebe uma mensagem pedindo para que siga até a Nowhere House e ajude três jovens bruxas a controlar sua magia.

Se Da Magia a Sedução e Casa do Mar Cerúleo tivesse um filho, esse seria o livro. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches é uma história mágica (trocadilho intencional) sobre abrir seu coração para novas pessoas e encontrar seu lugar no mundo.

Mika é uma protagonista de coração enorme, cheia de amor pra dar e super leal, mas que cresceu junto de tutores e babás e por isso não se permite criar laços definitivos. Já Jamie é um homem com um baita instinto protetor (principalmente em relação às bruxinhas), que também já teve suas decepções na vida. O romance entre os dois é dado de forma sutil. A verdade é que Mika não se apaixona apenas por Jaime, mas por todo mundo naquela casa.

Os secundários são simplesmente TUDO. Rosetta, Terracota e Altamira são três crianças fofas que vão te fazer sorrir, às vezes se estressar um cadinho, mas no fundo são crianças querendo ser crianças normais e que possuem todo esse poder dentro de si. Completando a turma temos Ken, Ian e Lucie, que passam aquela energia de pessoas cuidadosas e carinhosas. Eles são os primeiros a abrirem os braços para Mika e faze-la se sentir em casa.

Um ponto legal na história, além da magia, é a representatividade que ela traz. Mika é dita indiana, Ken é japonês e casado com Ian, as crianças são não-brancas (Rosetta é negra; Terracota é de descendência vietnamita; Altamira, palestina). Mesmo com a narração em terceira pessoa, a escrita da autora é bem gostosinha te inserindo o dia-a-dia mágico dessa turma.

Nos agradecimentos, a autora comenta que começou a escrever o livro já estava com oito meses de isolamento do covid e só queria uma história fofa e romântica sobre magia, família e conexão humana. E você consegue sentir tudo isso em suas palavras, já que Mika acaba encontrando a família que sempre quis.

LIKES:
📝 jaunty, quirky, fun writing!
🇬🇧 set in the UK!
👥 multi-pov
👩🏽 Mika is a kind & caring but lost in life
👨🏻‍🦰 Jamie is a grumpy protective Scottish Librarian
🪄 full of magic!
🔮 with ALL the witchy vibes
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQIA+ representation
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 explores an eclectic found family
👯‍♀️ + friendship & sisterhood
🆔 + the experience of minority women
👩🏽‍🏫 + the impact of education
🤫 + secrets!!
☀️ grumpy-sunshine
🫂 forced proximity
🔥 slow-burn! (steam level 3/5)
🥹 heartwarming, sweet, & adorable!
🌱 personal growth vibes
🎧 great on audio!
•
DISCLAIMERS:
⚠️ dm me for TW!
❌ not a romance! light fantasy + a love story
•
VERDICT: a quirky, fun, & sweet hug-in-book exploring found family, identity, secrets, & personal growth + a slow-burn forced proximity grumpy sunshine romance!

Book rating: 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book review for The Very Secret Society Of Irregular Witches

I am a huge sucker for anything with a witchy title! When I saw this title and cover I knew I wanted to read it.

The story is about a witch named Mina who is hesitant to put down roots or stay anywhere too long. She wants to be herself and embrace her witchy roots however she is so guarded about sharing that part of herself with anyone, which keeps her from getting close to anyone outside of her “witchy group”.

Mika embraces her gift as much as she can but still yearned to let it show. She begins making videos and uploading them on the internet. They are meant to be “spoofs” of her conducting spells, and enchantments along with her teas and simple potions. However someone watches her videos and has a job for her, if she accepts it of course.

Mika is contacted by someone who has a job for her. The job includes training three children who are also witches.

Does Mika accept and embrace her gift by sharing it and teaching others? I loved following this sweet story about relationships, what makes each person different and what makes us the same of course.

This book is a perfect read for October and spooky season!
Definitely pick it up if you love witchy themed books with a feel good theme!

From my blog post (link is attached): Another type of book I love is one that involves magic so if you add a potential love story to it, then I’m sold! While one main character is a, you guess it, a witch, the other is a (grumpy) librarian in terms of the romance in the story; we get multiple perspectives, not just the main characters and how various relationships blossom throughout the story. I do love a story where there are layers to it and love grows in different & beautiful ways! There were also some funny moments because whenever children are present in a story, you are bound to be entertained in some way, shape or form (I know this all too well)! There are also some secrets to uncover as well. What are they might you ask? Well, you just have to read to find out!

This book was charming from beginning to end. I adored all of the characters, especially Ian. The romance develops in a sweet and believable way. I do wish the book had gone into a little more details about the magic. For example, it's mentioned that different witches have different knacks, such as Mika's skill with brewing teas and potions. I expected to learn about the girls' special talents but that never came up. Still, that is only a minor complaint. I'd definitely recommend this book to readers wanting a cozy fantasy or a relaxed romance.

What a delight! A fun, witchy romp in the British countryside, fun and amusing, but also quite sweet and touching. . I'd recommend this one to fans of TJ Klune.

{3.5 stars}

Mika is a witch who was raised with all the rules of witchery. She can make potions and cast spells but knows how important it is that no one discovers she is a witch. So she moves around a lot and doesn't really have much of a career other than pretending to do witchy things on the internet. When she is contacted out of the blue for a job, she finds herself in a quirky home with a gay couple, a spinster, a grumpy librarian and three child witches. Cue the magical antics, an enemies to lovers romance and a chance to discover acceptance.

This one was cute. But perhaps a bit too saccharine and predictable for me. I liked the magical lesions and potions but wanted more of that. The major challenge for the characters was solved in exactly the way I thought it would. I appreciate a romcom with serious diversity and morally sound characters but I just need a little more action and mystery than I got with this one. Perhaps a bit more detail about what would happen to the witches if they were caught? That was a big looming issue but we got no answer as to what would actually happen if anyone discovered a witch. An enjoyable read but not something that will stick with me long term. I think most will gush over it though, it is sweet and fun.

Thanks to Berkley via Netgalley for access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.

From the very moment that I began reading this novel by Sangu Mandanna, I was intrigued by the concept and tone of the story. Mika instantly charmed me with her upbeat and questioning attitude and also her loneliness. Prickly Primrose was also intriguing. But as soon as I met the occupants of Nowhere House, Ian, Ken, Lucie, and Jamie, along with their three charges, I was completely charmed and enchanted. Each character is unique and special, adding a loving touch to this enchanting and uplifting story of finding family. 

Part of what makes it so endearing is how well the characters are written. We get Mika’s point of view but also Jamie’s which helps fill in bits of the narrative. In addition, the characters are full of complexity, wit, and humor. The antics of the three charges, Altamira, Rosetta, and Terracotta, are believable and show that the author understands children and how they behave. Even Primrose has hidden depths and is full of surprises in this story of found love.

The romantic aspect between Jamie and Mika is also well written. Neither character instantly falls in love. Jamie is quite reluctant to even like Mika but the author does a wonderful job of slowly evolving the relationship and romantic moments between the two. Both have complex and rich backstories, each wounded in life and the way they are brought together is beautifully accomplished. 

If you love enchanting and uplifting stories, this might be one to read. The story is full of surprises, love, and friendship. The ending is lovely and hopeful, as Mika finds a family she didn’t even know she needed.

I loved this cozy romance so much. It honestly felt like a big warm hug. Not only did it make me laugh, but it also made me cry a bit. It is such a cute read with personal journeys, an unexpected love, & a found family. There’s lot’s of healing involved with the found family trope, as well as character growth & development. The side characters fit perfectly. I loved the diversity between the characters & the multicultural rep. There were a ton of happy moments that gave me all the warm fuzzy feelings. I also loved all of the magic & witchiness involved. It really gives you that Autumnal feel. There’s a few of my favorite romance tropes, such as slow burn & sunshine x grump. Overall, I loved this book & I recommend it as the perfect cozy fall-time magical romance!

You can expect:

* Light Fantasy
* Sunshine x Grump
* Found Family
* Slow Burn
* All The Witchy Vibes
* Cozy Romance
* Lots of Magic

This was such a cute fall read, full of romance and fantasy! I always look for what I call 'pallet cleanser' books, they're something that I can read without having a care in the world and this was one of them. I loved that I was able to loose myself in this read! If your looking for a book to read this October, be sure to pick this one up!

I love new books for spooky/witchy book season! This was a great, fun read! I can't wait to read more from Mandanna!

Add this to your fall tbr immediately. If you love Practical Magic, Nanny McPhee, or House in the Cerulean Sea, then you will love this one! Mika is an adorable main character who made me smile the entire story! Jamie was a lovable grump and all of the others characters fit into the story perfectly! This story deserves to be getting so much more attention because it truly is the perfect, magical, fall read!