I was excited for this book, and the description had so much potential but the execution wasn't quite there for me.  I would best describe the vibe or setting as Practical Magic meets Halloweentown.  Which would have been awesome, except it felt like there were a lot of ideas or details that either weren't fully incorporated to the plot or world building or were just thrown in randomly in an attempt to add some more magic.  Lucy and her sisters are witches but they're not shown doing a lot of witchy things except for this wish spell, but then out of no where Lucy can stir ice with her mind?  Or there's this scene where Alex let's Lucy see his tail, and it isn't until way after that apparently that's a big deal for a merman to do?  The pacing also felt odd to me.  It was like a slow burn except all the banter felt like really forced sexual innuendos.  It mostly came across as cringe, and I think it made it hard for me to get into the main couple.  But it looks like this will be a series and honestly I was excited at the hints at some of the other possible couples in future books.

This book was so cozy and pure magic. It was the perfect read for this time of year and I'm so happy I was able to experience it. The cast of characters are so comforting, the setting is the perfect small town and we even got some spice. This was a slow burn, childhood friends to lovers and I loved every second of it.

Thank you #Netgalley and #ForeverGrandPublishing for an early read of #WitchfulThinking

This is the perfect book for a summer beach read about witches! I wish I would have read this book a few months ago at the beach, because it would have only made the book better.
The relationship between Alex and Lucy was great to watch form from their relationship as teens to a loving relationship as adults getting to rediscover both each other and themselves. I loved getting to watch Alex grow into his new role in life and Lucy learning to get out of her comfort zone.
The magical world was also really fun. The addition of the Caraway’s wayward wish was a perfect secondary story to the romance.

This is a great witchy childhood friends to lovers! Lucy and Alex were really sweet! I really rooted for them to find their way back to each other after so many years. Besides the whole merman and witch thing, their relationship felt very real.
The only thing I didn’t really like about this book was the drama with Ursula. I really could have used less of her. Besides that, I really enjoyed this book!

Lucy may be a witch but that doesn’t mean she’s immune to the same insecurities that we all face. As her high school reunion approaches, she makes a wish about what her life is like. Her wish comes true and suddenly she’s doing all sorts of things that she would’ve never done before. And of course her high school crush Alex just happens to be back in town..

What I loved:
-good autumn read
-cozy romance 
-second chance romance 
-loved the house descriptions! 

I wish that there was just a bit more magic in this one! I think that would’ve made this a perfect October read. I also would’ve loved some more description of the setting. It was so cool to hear about all these magical creatures living openly in the context of the non-magical world but I would’ve loved to understand more about how that worked! 

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

Witchful Thinking was a delightfully cozy, magical, second-chance romance with forced proximity and fake dating. All my favorite tropes plus all kinds of magical creatures like witches, mermen, and the occasional gnome, made for the right amount of paranormal vibes for the fall season. While I would have loved more magical happenings in the story, I appreciated that the magic system and magical creatures in Freya Grove just were without explanation and fanfare. 

I loved that the male MC was a merman and the info the author shared about them - I don’t think I’ve read a book with merfolk in it so this was a fun touch. And hello dock scene! This one does get steamy. 

Lucy’s anxiety as her world went from uncomplicated and safe to being outside her comfort zone was so relatable. Change is hard. 

I’d love to spend more time in Freya Grove with Lucy’s cousins for their HEA.

Freya Grove is a town full of magic. Humans and witches, and even mermaids live in this magical little town. When Lucy accidentally runs into her ex-friend Alex whom she never quite had a chance to be with, things are a little awkward with all the feelings. Then after Lucy and her family all make a wishing spell, things start changing for them all.

I really enjoyed Alex and Lucy’s relationship in this book. I do think for a “witchy” book it didn’t have a lot of magic involved other than the wishing spell. It almost seemed to be lacking on the fantasy parts, but I did enjoy the romance parts! I enjoyed Lucy working on her list for her “better life” and designing the cottage with Alex. I also enjoyed getting to know the sisters and cousin, maybe there will be more books for them? I did feel a few minor storylines were not well fleshed out, but I think if this is a series that could be easily fixed! Hopefully we can learn more about the magical aspects of this world!

Perfect October witchy rom-com! I enjoyed this one and would recommend to rom-com fans looking for a witchy read during spooky season.

This was a cute quick read. I enjoyed the magical aspect of the town and the MC's. I appreciated the messaging about living out your dreams. I didn't enjoy how Lucy's family drama was handled, but I'm guessing that there are more books coming to expand on that part.

If you are looking for the perfect fall read this is IT. I really loved this book! I loved the small town romance vibes that this one had, and all the magic had me smiling through the end.

Fun fast spooky season read. A slow burn second chance romance that always fit the bill for me. I enjoyed the small town magical moments. I liked the merman aspect completely different from just witches and vamps.

This book was everything I wanted to get into the spooky season spirit, but in a cozy way! 

Set in a town full of magical beings, our main character Lucy is just your average witch, but she longs for so much more. She and her cousins together decide to perform a wish spell, which turns Lucy's life upside down, in the best way!

The world building in this one was so cute and I loved how Martin made a town full of witches and merpeople and vampires seem so normal. I also adored the main character. I found I really related to her. She really enjoyed the smaller things in life, but still wanted to stand out. 

I also thought the moral was very sweet and uniquely told. I don't want to spoil anything, because this one is a must read.

While I did love the book, there were certain aspects that were off to me. The side storyline following her cousin Ursula and her wedding was never really resolved as well as what was happening with her other cousins. I almost wish it wasn't as much a part of the story. I was in love with Lucy and Alex enough that I didn't really need the side characters as much. The other thing was some of the language used during the spicy scenes. It just didn't really fit the cozy nature of the book. I think a little bit of spice was warranted but should have been more delicately written, for lack of a better word.

Overall, this was absolutely a fun read and I would love to read more about the main characters or even a spin off in the same world. I gave Witchful Thinking 3.5 stars!

I did receive this as an ARC, but the book is now available for purchase!

Thanks @netgalley & @readforeverpub for the chance to read this free eARC and provide my candid review.
 
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥 (0-5) 
 
What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 Fun, small-town, Jersey Shore setting.
🤩 Second-chance romance with a splash of fake dating (yum).
🤩 When Lucy takes Alex her freshly baked sea salt topped cowboy blondies as a neighborly gesture. And the other baking adventures!
🤩 Slow burn but seriously good flirting and spicy banter between Alex and Lucy.
🤩 So much built-up tension from all the naughty thoughts they have about each other.
🤩 The actual tea reading experience was so well written. I was so interested—it was the main spot of the book I was fully captivated.
🤩 The garden gnome interaction was adorable and fun!! 
🤩 The hot merman scene! 🥵 
🤩 I actually cried because of some of the sweetness from the lovely family and ancestral bonds.
🤩 The epilogue was cute. I like how it came full circle back to the beginning of the story.
 
What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 Lucy is a teacher and the book starts at the end of May—that’s hard for this teacher just getting back into the groove of the school year. I wish this would have been a fall festivals, fundraisers and adventures setting.
💫 Slow start—I wish I connected with and understood the characters right away.
💫 This book stayed on the surface level for me much of the time, like someone was just telling me the story. 
💫 So much time was spent on Lucy’s cousin’s wedding and then it was just left hanging.

I was really hoping for a whimsical and magical romance with Witchful Thinking, but everything fell flat for me in this book. I couldn’t connect with the characters or their love story. The merman and magical beings in the book felt really forced to me and I wish the author explained this world more to the reader. I was just skimming by the end and overall this book wasn’t for me.

3.75 Stars

Witchfull Thinking was a cute fall read that I enjoyed. A small-town romance between a witch and a merman that had me intrigued in the beginning but the pacing did slow down for me just a bit when I was halfway through. I'm glad I continued with this second-chance romance. It was intertwined with family, reunions, and an ending you are sure to be content with. 

 Thank you to both NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts/review.

This novel gave me total Halloween town vibes, which was so fun! I liked the main characters, Lucy and Alex, and seeing this relationship evolve throughout the story. I loved the give and take that we saw with them and how they made each other better. I liked the wish/class reunion piece as interconnecting storylines and the unique situations the wish put Lucy in was amusing! I also thought Alex’s self-discovery and acceptance of the things in life he may have been afraid to want before was enduring. 

I did dislike Ursula’s storyline and the way it ended. She was such an unlikeable character and was very cruel at times. I think the lack of background on her and the history of the girls relationship was needed to feel sympathy for her, and to really understand how much the wish impacted her, came into play. I did love the magical vibes throughout the story but I have to say I really wanted more. A small, mystical town like Freya’s Grove should have been all about the magical elements and I unfortunately just didn’t get that from this one. I think taking a bit of time to do some world building and explaining the magical rules for the town would have been helpful. I feel like those elements were lost in the romance, which is unfortunate. It’s a fun, witchy read for the season, I just expected a bit more than was given.

Witchful Thinking is a charming story about Lucinda Caraway who is  yearning to do something more with her life and conjures a wishful spell that goes wrong. From that point on she can't say no to anything that comes her way. And of course her old flame Alex comes back to town along with old feelings resurfacing. This story was full of fun but also underlining themes of following your dreams and not allowing your fears to stop you from what you want. Alex and Lu had instant chemistry and I loved the way they were written together. I also loved the elements of family in the story. The magical elements in the story were weaved in perfectly; Lu is a witch and Alex is a merman but it wasn't at the forefront, just a whimsical layering that made the story more enjoyable. The only thing sad to me is that Ursula and Lu had not patched things up at the end; but that's how life goes sometimes, you just have to love people from afar.

**Thank you to Forever pub for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.**

First off the cover alone gets an A+ for being so cute! I really adored this book! This was such a cute and cozy small town romance that gives all the witchy fall vibes. If your a fan of second-chance romance, fake dating and forced proximity, you will really enjoy this story. I loved Lucy and Alex's banter and did I mention the love interest is a merman and Lucy is this amazing powerful witch? Not to mention black love! This book has so many things I love and it just worked out so well. 4/5 witchy stars. Thank you Netgalley and Forever pub for providing me with review copies in exchange for an honest review!

Book Rating: 4/5
Audiobook Rating: 3/5

I thought that Witchful Thinking by Celestine Martin was such a fun read. It's a romance, but it's also filled with witches, goblins, and mermen among other things, and is one of the more unique books I have read. If you want some Halloween elements while still being able to read a romance, this is a good one and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The setting is a magical place called Freya Grove, and I loved how Martin brought it to life along with her characters. The story alternates between Lucinda and Alex's viewpoints, while also being broken into months. The physical copy has a lot of nice touches and it made me feel happy just to look at it (totes buying a copy). And what can be better than a hexed house? I honestly would have taken even more descriptions of the local inhabitants as well as Alex's house for that matter.

Now we get into the audiobook which unfortunately was a tad disappointing. Lucinda is narrated by
Zara Eden while Alex is narrated by Cary Hite, and even though I loved having 2 narrators, Eden just did NOT do Lucinda justice. Sometimes she was good, but for the most part, her narration was very stilted, and it didn't sound like she actually knew how she should be reading her parts. A lot of inflection at times none were required, weird pauses, fast and slow talking, etc. I see that she doesn't have too many audiobooks under her belt, so she could be just starting out which honestly wouldn't surprise me. On the bright side, Hite did a great job as Alex, and I definitely preferred listening to him over Eden. I can't in good conscience recommend the audio for Witchful Thinking, so if you do this one, I would read it. And I am hoping Martin's future books will have someone else for the female viewpoint. This is a debut that is funny as well as full of family drama and a dash of steam. I am really hoping for a series now!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a delightful book to kick off October with! I don’t read a lot in this genre so it did take me a couple of chapters to adjust to the idea of that magical realm. Once I processed that, I enjoyed the book a lot!

This is a childhood friends-to-lovers story between Lucy and Alex. Lucy is a witch who feels a little stagnant in her life and Alex is a merman who has never really settled down. Lucy ends up casting a spell, which pushes her on a couple of different paths, including one in which she’s helping Alex fix up a house that he’s going to sell at the end of the summer.

The problem is she’s been in love with him since high school. I loved their story and boy did this have more spice than I was expecting. I loved that element. There were some subplots that I didn’t fully understand but overall if you’re looking for a spicy yet sweet romance to read this Halloween season this is a great choice