This story was so wholesome! I loved all of the characters and their relationship to each other. The setting was cozy and atmospheric. Overall, this is the before fall read. I'll definitely be looking for other works by Sangu Mandanna.

An enchanting story perfect for fans of The House in the Cerulean Sea and Practical Magic. Easily one of my favourite books of the year, casting its spell over me with its charming characters, wonderful premise, and strong themes of family, love, and belonging.

A must-read for anyone who enjoys found family tropes and romantic enemy to lovers stories with a dash of magic.

This book.

Oh my gosh this book.

It was such a whirlwind of emotions that occasionally turned into a cyclone and then a soft warm rain that just makes everything all cozy and fresh and perfect and .... well .... magical.

I honestly wasn't sure when I started it what to expect. I wasn't even sure that it wouldn't end up on the DNF list before the ever-crucial 15% mark where I tend to find myself giving up on things. There are too many books and not enough time, after all.

That, obviously, didn't happen.

Instead, I devoured it.

My only complaint? It was over far too soon ... and the alarms would start going off far too early since, of course, I couldn't bring myself to stop reading and go to bed until it was done.


Full teaser post published on 7 August 2022 at https://wellreadpiratequeen.blogspot.com/2022/08/ill-sleep-when-ive-read-very-secret.html

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is an eccentric read with vivid characters, heartwarming chapters, romance, magic, secrets, and entertaining schemes. The romance plot is wonderfully swoony, but there's just as much emotion tied into the way Mika finds a home and family of her own - and the writing style sparkles too, full of charm and wit as well as moments of piercing emotional insight. This book was just a pleasure through and through.

What a magical book. So heartwarming and funny. I love Mika - she just loves magic and it's beautiful. The kids were absolutely adorable and hilarious - especially Terracotta. The rest of the family is just as funny and loveable. Just a great witchy read about finding your place in the world - and making one. I loved it.

This book was absolutely lovely! It might just be one of my favorite books I’ve read this year! Highly recommend this cosy romance to anyone who needs to escape from reality for awhile. A phenomenal debut!

What a wonderful, heartfelt, feel-good story. I read this book at just the time I needed it. I'm recommending it to everyone I meet! All the stars.

The Very Secret Society of irregular Witches is a cozy, charming and romantic tale of belonging and home.

Our story opens on Mika Moon, an orphaned witch feeling lost in the world. Due to the rules of the witches, she is not supposed to befriend other witches - too much magic can cause attention with humans, and she struggles to befriend regular humans without being able to tell her secrets. She, as a very modern witch, skirts the rules and films herself for YouTube in her own made up potions and tea shop where she performs magic and connects with people who think she’s just pretending. Until one person realizes she’s the real deal, which is how Mika finds herself at Nowhere House and meets Ian Kubo-Hawthorn - retired actor, housekeeper and guardian of three magical girls. He wants her to teach them to control their magic, before they are discovered by a lawyer who suspects things aren’t as they seem and could threaten their livelihood. When Mika agrees, we are thrown into a delightful adventure filled with zany and wild characters that just charmed my heart.

Mika is charming and gentle and just wants to be loved for herself. At Nowhere House, she finds herself falling for the three young girls who she’s tasked with teaching. Mika knows having a group of witches together will cause people to notice - the energy levels go a little haywire when magic is happening. But Mika is willing to risk it when she meets Rosette, Terracotta and Altimira. Each girl, like Mika, is an orphan because of a curse that kills a witch that has recently given birth - which is a real bummer because Mika has always dreamed of having a large family. The three girls - found all over the world: as an Indian girl raised in Britain, Mika wants to make sure these girls feel like they belong. The girls range from sweet and shy to fierce and powerful: one has a delightful streak of terror that made me laugh out loud.

This is an enemy to lovers' swoony romance with the house’s sexy and grumpy librarian. Jamie has his own mysterious past, and watching the curmudgeonly librarian fall very much against his wishes with the quirky and zany Mika was so wonderful. I adored their chemistry and how they fought so hard against their attraction but took care of each other in the small and subtle ways that make your heart yearn. If this book was turned into a movie, it would have some of those hand-grazing scenes from Pride and Prejudice that I adore.

Nowhere House is a fantastical and magical setting, the type of house I dream of getting lost in. And the house helps Mika find her own voice and stand up against the things she sees as wrong in her witchy society. Mika fights against her loneliness and her sense of never belonging in order to make sure the three girls she’s teaching get to stay together. This book is a lovely romance that also meditates on the idea of home, belonging and loneliness in today’s manic world. This is a cozy, whimsical and lovely book that has been added to my reread shelf, because I will be returning to Nowhere House anytime I am sad and lonely.


Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches is a heart-warming novel that will pull you into the secret world of witches from the first page.

While the story has some of the same themes as Under the Cerulean Sea, it also has a bit of humor and mystery to keep you entertained. Loneliness, being different and learning to trust outsiders are all tackled head on in this magical story. My ever-loving witch heart was so happy with all the magic. Heads up, there is quite a bit of swearing but they were all my favorite phrases.

I absolutely loved Mika and her huge heart. It does not take long for her to be absorbed into the unconventional family at the Nowhere House; Jamie, Ian, Ken and Lucie are the only family the girls have ever known. Since Lillian is often gone, they hire Mika to tutor the girls so they can control their magic.

There is so much to love in this book; magic, a found family, a potential romance, humor and mystery. It is perfect for reading wrapped up on the couch in a cozy blanket. Make sure to grab your own copy.

Thank you to Net Galley and Berkley Publishing Group for my eArc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is such a fun book! I love that it has desi MCs. I requested it after seeing @bookwormbuklet’s video on it. This book is MAGICAL.

This is a delightful and uniquely titled story that pairs a strong and capable witch with a gruff hunk of a delectable man. Oh, and there are three younger witches and other cool characters too! lol

But seriously, Mandanna has penned a story that is not only fun to read but offers a steamy slow-burn romance simmering across the pages. Perfect for women’s fiction and romance readers alike, this story offers many levels of interest from loneliness, family bonding, friends to family, heartwarming antics, and steamy delight! It hits so many buttons, that it is hard to rate!

This is my first book by this author and I enjoyed it so much! A fun yet comforting story that will add a spark to your library!

I absolutely fell in love with this book! It was the perfect witchy, fall read. I enjoyed the world building as well! The cast of character is absolute perfection!

“WITCH WANTED. Live-in tutor wanted for three young witches. Must have nerves of steel. Previous teaching experience not necessary. Witchiness essential.”

This book is a new favorite. I’m so glad I received this arc. I didn’t know what to expect going in but it was wholesome and hilarious. The kids are adorable and thankfully not annoying. I loved the adults too, especially Ian, the flamboyant one. This book is very diverse too which is always a plus. I love the found family trope in this and the grumpy sunshine romance. It’s a light romance though.

~Mika Moon was adopted by another witch named Primrose. However, she was raised by nannies and tutors. When they inevitably learn that she’s a witch, Primrose would have their memories erased. Mika grew up lonely, she never lives in once place longer than six months. She’s never had friends or a family either. So when she has the opportunity to help three little witches learn to control their magic, she accepts. All witches are orphans due to a curse

~These girls however have an unusual family. Four adults, two being a gay couple, one being a grumpy man who somewhat like a father figure (Jamie) and a woman who is motherly to everyone. The witch that adopted them is never around and doesn’t teach them anything. Which is why Mika can’t leave them even though it’s risky for witches to be together. Magic is mischievous when there’s multiple witches in one room, hence why they grow up alone. Magic needs to be controlled and the girls need her.

10/10 highly recommend and I don’t even read YA

This was so cute and wholesome!! The atmosphere was so perfect and I loved Mika, Jamie and basically everyone else. If there's one thing Sangu Mandanna can NOT disappoint, it's found family and this book did it so well. There were times when the descriptions were too heavy but I was too gripped by the plot to pay attention to any of it.

The setting was unique and I adored this book! Full review to come up on my blog!

I'm not exaggerating when I say this is one of my favorite books so far in 2022! The setting, the magic, the romance, the representation and diversity — this story was a GIFT. This book felt like a warm hug, and I didn't want it to end! The grumpy/sunshine trope was in its finest form. The children were so distinct and I loved their relationship. The found family was TOP TIER. I couldn't recommend this more!

Mika Moon knows the rules that come with being a witch: hide your magic, don’t socialize with other witches, and don’t draw attention to yourself. But when a stranger messages Mika, desperately asking her to teach three young witches how to control their magic, she decides to help despite the risks. But magic isn’t the only danger in the world, and Mika will soon need to decide what other risks she’s willing to take.

This was such a sweet and cozy read. It approaches the heavier topics softly and in a way that doesn't bring down the lightness of the book. A very enjoyable story.

This book feels like a warm hug in the most wonderful way. I truly have never read a book so cozy and uplifting. The found family offers unique but realistic characters and beautifully done representation of different races and sexualities. With each page I read, I desperately wanted to abandon my current life and move to Nowhere House,
finding myself absolutely enthralled with the family dynamics and the magic systems. The character development was so honest and real, with past histories and mistakes that truly create dynamic characters. Mika Moon's traumas with magic and family were handled so well that I found myself relating heavily to her character and her struggles even though I am decidedly magic-less. I did find myself waiting for the pin to drop throughout this book and hoping for a climax that was earned because it seemed too perfect of a storyline. Toward the end of the novel, I got my wish and the story was altered and taken in another direction that was somehow even better. Just the epitome of a feel-good, cozy, fantastical story set in the real world that I will find myself coming back to again and again when I need a perfect comfort read.
(4.5 stars rounded up)

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group & Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I adored this book. It was magical, sweet, and something that I could se being just the right thing to bring someone out of a reading slump. I typically don't like giving other books or movies as comparisons for multiple reasons but the ones that are being assigned to this one are accurate all around, especially for the found family aspect.

Which isn't to say that there aren't a few blips on it since I was not a fan of Terracotta for most of the book. I'm not someone who hates kids in books but I do not like bratty kids who don't ever have to face the consequences of their actions. There's enough of that in real life to be frank so seeing them in novels tend to grate.

I also feel some readers may roll their eyes at the very end, specifically how everything came together, since it was a bit too convenient . However, it also made sense in a way especially given the other reveals that were made.

All in all highly recommend and it's perfect for for Fall for the witchy vibes of Winter for the winter holiday ones. Although any time of the year, although it would also be great.

I can't say enough good things about this book! This is such a charming, heartwarming story of found family and finding your place in the world. Has strong echoes of The House in the Cerulean Sea and Kiki's Delivery! Characters are quaint and oh-so-lovable, and reading this book will feel like receiving a warm hug. I really can't praise it enough!

This was just so fun! In England, witches are not supposed to interact with one another except for very specific meetings - the rules for witches are rigid and Mika has followed them all her life. Aside from an online video account where she poses as a witch. Until someone sees said account and realizes the truth. And then asks for her help. When Mika arrives, curious and cautious, at Nowhere House, she is greeted by a ragtag family with three young witches at its center. This thrown together family is absolutely wonderful and Mika wants nothing more than to help the girls master the powers. But there is so much more at work here - a nasty solicitor, a missing guardian and Mika and Jamie’s (the librarian) obvious attraction.

An absolute gem of a book that was a joy to read. I finished it in less than a day (perfect to binge at the beach or on vacation!) but was sad to put it down! It was a clever take on a widely used trope (hidden witchcraft) with a cute romance and who doesn’t love found family stories? Highly recommend!