Thank you to Read Forever Pub and NetGalley for the gifted e-ARC of this title! I absolutely adored this read during the fall season. I appreciated the BIPOC representation, which isn’t commonly seen in this sub-genre. I loved the witchy small town vibes and the characters so, so much! I cannot wait to read more from this author.

4 stars

This was a sweet slightly witchy romance that I enjoyed. It is a second-chance romance in a paranormal world that is super open about the magic there aren't any secrecy or power struggles. This was a really cute story. Lucy is bored with her life routine and is looking for some excitement and gets just what she is looking for when her ex shows up right across the street. They try to avoid each other but it doesn't work well...

This is a cute quick read about Lucy and her sisters, who cast a wishing spell with unintended consequences. Lucy suddenly says yes to everything she’s offered regardless of whether she’s good at it or not. One of wishes involves an old friend named Alex who’s back in town and better looking than ever   
The book skewed a little YA for me, and parts were slow, but still a charming paranormal romance. 3.5 stars. 

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I really enjoyed this witchy read! All the different magical beings living together and just being mentioned in passing was lovely. Alex and Lucy make sense together and I'm glad they figured this out in the end. I hope Ursula eventually comes back around and would love to see more books focusing on the other caraway sisters!

This book just wasn't for me. I didn't really care for the characters. Loved the fake dating trope, but I struggled with it and was disappointed. it's a cozy romance, but I just couldn't connect to it.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I DNF-Ed this title around the 15% mark. I struggled. It seems like a solid premise and should be a cute witchy romance with a merman. Like what’s not to like? But maybe I have read too much of the genre lately because it was missing the sweetness I had come to expect. Read if you are newish to the witchy romance genre and I think you will like it better than I did.

A sweet, cute, magical, second chance romance between a witch and a merman. I really wanted to like this one more- it had all the elements of a fun rom com but ultimately I was left wanting more banter and chemistry between the love interests and more magic overall. 

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for my copy.

DNF @25%. Witchful Thinking has a super cute premise--a paranormal town full of magic, a witch happy to stay at home with her spellbook, and a merman who returns to town so they can have their second chance at a happily ever after. It had all the makings of a book I should have loved, but it was just a little too campy, a little too cutesy for me. It felt very rom-com-y, which can be fun, but I just couldn't get into it. And my anxiety couldn't take the newsletter publishing the wrong personal update for our FMC. The second-hand embarrassment had me hiding my head under the covers. 

Mostly likely, it's a case of it's not the book, it's me. Hi, I'm the problem. It's me. I've been reading a lot of more serious romances lately, and I just couldn't switch gears.

Thank you so much to Forever and to Netgalley for an earc of Witchful thinking by Celestine Martin.

I really enjoyed this one! I loved the voices of the characters, the character development  and the relationship development. The writing was sharp and engaging and I laughed out loud a few times! I found that the conflict between the cousins and the twist at the end took (not with our main relationship) took me a bit out of the story and added a new plot point to the book. I’m not sure if this was to set up a second book but while I felt intrigued by it, I also felt like this was left unresolved and I was confused with why it was part of this story.

Overall I definitely recommend this book and  it is one that I would read again!

What a fun read! Loved the unique connection between a witch and a merman. Both characters learn to accept that they deserve to find their soul mate - and that they can be more than friends. I read this story in one sitting.

*** 3.5 ⭐️ *** 

A cutesy contemporary romance between a witch and a merman. 

Lucy and Alex were high school friends and reconnected years after graduation to bond over their wishes and dreams.. Lucy’s mostly, as Alex just seemed to have a phobia of staying in one place for too long. 

Being that Freya Grove is located at the Jersey shore, I found it a little unrealistic that THIS is the place where all the supernatural creatures live. Also, for being a “witchy” promoted story, I didn’t find too much magic happening, aside from each of the 4 Caraway women casting one wish spell to enhance their lives, respectively.

Through trials and tribulations, Lucy and Alex find what is really important to them.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I’m going to be honest. This book just wasn’t for me. I wasn’t able to get emotional invested in these to characters. Their chemistry just wasn’t there for me. I wish there had been a little bit more plot and character development.

I really wanted to like this book more. The premise sounded so interesting, but the world building was confusing and the parts that initially caught my attention ended up falling flat. I thought that she would have to say yes to everything. The wish part didn't end up seeming very important. 
The love interests Lucy and Alex did have nice chemistry and the book had some cute moments, however the romance was way too slow. I would have liked more resolution between Lucy and her cousin Ursula. I never completely understood what was going on there.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cozy small town romance. Great read for fall and who doesn’t love fake dating and forced proximity. The plot seemed a little under developed

I spent the majority of my time reading this book just wishing it was over. 

This was disappointing. The characters weren’t even likable. 

Alex was the worst.

Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin is the perfect spooky season read. Yes, it is set during the summer. HOWEVER, there’s some awesome paranormal world building that just puts me right into that Halloween frame of mind while reading. Pick this book out if you are into second chance romance and also witches.

Celestine Martin’s Witchful Thinking is about Lucinda and Alex. The two were really close during high school. Lucinda is a witch and Alex is a merman. Both are Black. Alex had moved all over until his parents settled in Freya Grove, which is on the Jersey Shore. Lucinda’s family are basically pillars of the town. Alex chafed against settling down roots. Meanwhile, Lucinda loves her hometown. Ten years later after school, Lu and Alex happen to reunite at the town festival. Then, Lucinda and her family do a wish spell and well, things happen. Suddenly, Lu’s life has spiced up -she’s baking and running marathons. Meanwhile, Alex’s parents have gifted him a house, a cursed house that is — right across from Lu. He needs to renovate the house and hopes to get it on the market in time for essentially a parade of homes. Lu is there to help him out. Will the old flame rekindle?

Obviously based on the cover — you know the old flame rekindles. I loved the chemistry between the romantic leads. There’s this examination of having roots and having wings and it’s beautiful and interesting. I also just loved how much Lu changes her life — for the best. There’s also a whole lot of Black joy in this book and little trauma. I just love that and wish there was MORE on the market and MORE traditionally published. Witchful Thinking is an autumn must read — even though it’s during summer. I can’t wait to see more from Celestine Martin — now I want Alex’s brother to have a story as well as Lu’s cousin and sisters.

Sadly, I struggled with this one a bit and I had more questions than anything while I was reading...especially when it came to this magical world. Overall, things just fell a little flat for me and I couldn't quite get with the pacing. I definitely want to give this author a try again in the future.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!
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I read this as a buddy read with @readingthroughnaptime and @quoting_favorites at the start of October and I can definitely say that we seemed to agree on our thoughts throughout. With a title like Witchful Thinking and a release date in the Fall, I was definitely expecting a Halloween read and instead I found a book set in the Summer with vaguely witchy vibes. I had a very hard time understanding the set up of the world; not everyone in town is magical, but ordering salt water at the local restaurant is completely normal and it’s fine that everyone can see Alex’s scales. Please don’t get me started on how the merman didn’t have a tail for a vast majority of the novel, and the explanation felt tossed together.
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Overall, this whole book felt like a Hallmark movie with magical elements thrown in. I love Hallmark movies. I am all for a trope of “successful photographer returns home unable to find what he's searching for. Stuck renovating a house he doesn't want with his high school crush. Sparks Fly,” but I needed the magic to have a further impact on the plot. It felt like things that could be major moments were brought up and then never explored or mentioned again. This book had promise, but it wasn’t for me at the end of the day.

Synopsis 
Lucinda Caraway loves living in Freya Grove, the mystic seaside town where charms, hexes, and magical beings of all kinds are the norm. She spends her days teaching high school history and her nights reading tea leaves and tending to her conjure garden. It’s a good life . . . but she can’t stop wishing for more.

Until one night, that wish turns into a spell, and suddenly Lucy can’t say no. Not to a public karaoke performance. Not to running a 10K. And, most alarmingly, not to her high school crush, Alexander Dwyer, who needs her help unjinxing his new house—which just happens to be right across the street from hers.

Alex has spent the last ten years traveling the world on adventures Lucy has only ever dreamed of, and he’s planning to leave again as soon as his house is safe to sell. But until Lucy can unhex herself, she and Alex are stuck together. And with so much magic in the air, maybe the next spell Lucy casts will be the one that convinces him to stay. 

This was a quick ,cute and cozy read. I loved the concept of the town being made up of a variety of magical creatures. It sort of reminds me of Halloweentown. I felt like there was a little bit that was left hanging with Ursula.  Recommended for everyone who likes witchy romance with BIPOC rep. Second chance romance and reflections on growing up. 

Favorite quote “you don’t know how deep a puddle is until you step in it.”

Witchful Thinking was a sweet little romance. You could feel the attraction between Lucy and Alex the whole book. The fact that the lovely witch cousins make wishes they can't control and have to ride out to see what happens makes the book equally fun and entertaining. The entire book has you wishing for their happily ever after.