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!

So fun! Perfect cozy, witchy, fall book. Lots of people are really into witchy romances right now and will totally eat this one up. Already can't keep it in stock in our store. A great gift idea but also going to be perfect for anyone shopping in the contemporary romance area in general.

I think I was smiling while reading the majority of this book. It was such a heartfelt case study in being alone and then finding a community/family. I thought it was such as an interesting discussion on having to hide yourself in order to survive but what does that do to you overtime. When Jamie asked Mika have you ever had any worry over you cue the waterworks. Such a sweet book!

What a warm ,wonderful book! I think it reads more like a fairy tale than a traditional romcom although there certainly is romance and humor. Mika has been raised by nannies as her guardian, Primrose, believes witches need to live alone to safeguard them from society- people would notice if witches lived together as there would be lots of magic. Mika has felt lonely and unlovable for most of her life. She gets asked to go to Nowhere House to help raise three orphan witches who have been kept hidden from witch society and there the inhabitants of the house teach her about how lovable she really is.
Thanks Netgalley for the advanced copy- I really enjoyed this.

The plot and romance of this book felt extremely forced and I couldn't connect with the writing the whole time.

2.5 stars

This book was okay. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either. I found it overly twee, and the main character's woe-is-me attitude really grated on me throughout the book. There are some sweet moments throughout, but overall, I was a bit underwhelmed by this book especially given the rave reviews I've seen for it. The characters are all a bit one-note and the three children aren't really distinguishable from one another (they did have some funny moments which I liked though). The romance wasn't very well developed but it wasn't as big of a part of the book as I had expected so it was fine. What I do think was not well-done was some of the social commentary towards the end - it wasn't explored in any sort of depth, which isn't necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, but the way that it was laid out was so patronizing and honestly made me feel like I was reading a middle grade novel instead of an adult novel. I think there's a way to do a cozy adult fantasy without making it feel juvenile, and I'm not entirely sure this book was able to do that.

Strangely enough, I felt very similarly about House in the Cerulean Sea, which I've also seen many 5 star reviews compare this book to, so admittedly, the problem probably lies with me. I'd say if you liked that book, you'll probably enjoy this one too.

This book is SO CUTE!! It definitely has whimsical vibes like “House in the Cerulean Sea”, but with witches and more of a focus on the romance. And it’s a grumpy/sunshine romance!

Mika has always been told that witches are safer when they are separated, so she spends her life moving from place to place, longing for somewhere she can be herself. Then, she’s asked to go to Nowhere House to help train 3 young witches and she’s forced to question everything she’s been taught.

I absolutely loved the found family aspect of this book and all of the characters are really likeable and realistic. Sangu Mandanna did a great job of giving them distinct personalities that come alive and the way they interact with each other is delightful. Terracotta was definitely my favourite of the children, but they were all really adorable and impacted Mika in different ways. Jamie also had a really sweet relationship with the kids and just wanted to make sure they were loved and protected. Ian and Ken were definitely the eccentric dads/uncles of the group and I loved how invested Ian was in the relationship between Mika and Jamie.

I also enjoyed how much Mika’s magic was used in the plot; from harvesting ingredients, to teaching the kids, and even defining her personality. Plus, I’m a sucker for a book with magical tea.

Overall, this is a delightful, uplifting novel and I couldn’t get enough. Definitely recommend!!