A sweet witchy coming of age story with body positivity and friendship at its core.

What does new witch Thrash do when after she gets her knack and is worried her mom - obsessed with looks and has the gift of glamour - won’t gift her the thing she wants most- the gift of sight? Why road-trip with some new friends Of course!

This fresh look at witchcraft is a fun romp through summertime hijinx, solidarity,body positivity, and growing up.

Body positive witches? Hell yes! This cute and enchanting book shows multiple povs and modern day issues and insecurities with a whole bunch of witchcraft on top. A fun, fast paced book about teenagers discovering who they are and who they can be. Thrash is adorable and with a nickname like that how can you not love her

This was a fun story!
I love the body positivity, the friendships and the magic of it.
It was a little hard to get into at first, but it was a cute and fun adventure.

Dumplin' meets the Craft?? Sounds like a crazy bar to meet but Fat Witch Summer meets it. Thrash is an absolutely adorable character, living her best life, comfortable in her own body. Big girls just means there's more to love 😘
Very cute read and that cover? So stinkin cute.

DNF @ 32%

At first I was really excited for this read. Between the fat representation, witchy vibes, and a roadtrip across the thirteen magical states I really thought this was going to be the read for me but ultimately it just fell flat for me.

The magic system is a little confusing (I can’t explain the difference between a knack and a gift), the characters just lack their own distinct personalities, and even though there is a lot of action in the book I’m bored.

I will say that there are moments when the fat representation works for me, especially as a fat person with a parent who is obsessed with appearances. Thrash seems a little insecure in her body at times which is super relatable but there are also moments when she’s talking about others bodies (ie. Rongo’s size) that just made me a little uncomfortable.

I think this book has potential but it’s just not for me.

Fat Witch Summer: it's not your average summer road trip.

Teenage witches who develop into their Knack, the first Magick they can do, are granted one of three Gifts by which to manifest their powers.

Sounds cool, right? But what if you can't get or don't want the Gift assigned to you? What if you want to choose your own path?

This premise is the map for the crew's road trip. With great worldbuilding, characters, and representation, I ate this up. I love reading stories about young people taking risks to follow their own paths, and determining new ways to do old things.

Fingers crossed for more stories in this world!

This was a pretty cute little romance. I am a sucker for a romance with a plus sized main character so I was super excited for this. I enjoyed how fun and light this book was. It is definitely the perfect summer read!

I thought the cover was awfully cute, and I like reading about magic and witches, so it all lined up to be a good read. However, I feel like I personally didn’t connect with the story. I don’t know what I thought I was going to get… but maybe it just wasn’t for me?

I don’t have much more to say, really.

This was a great coming of age story about friendship and learning about yourself. I enjoyed Thrash's journey throughout this and love how she made a change in the system.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets YA novel! When a young witch with a rebellious streak, Thrash, suddenly comes into her powers in her senior year of high school, she is forced into choose between meeting her mother's lofty expectations or forging her own magical path. Following the self-deterministic journey of a bildungsroman, Thrash decides to go on a road trip with some friends across the Thirteen States (inspired by Salem-era colonies); the experiences she has along the way will shape the way Thrash understands family, friendship, and most importantly - herself!

I liked this book and all of its creative whimsicality! As with other witchy/wizardy novels set in the current day, I loved the reimagining of modern objects in a magical paradigm (e.g., crystal balls being used like a cellphones) and the magical renaming schemes (e.g., -trix words). Most of all, I liked the novel's emphasis on self-love and sticking to your gut. This novel reminded me a bit of Savvy by Ingrid Law, a book with a road trip and similar magical trappings, which I loved when I was a middle school student with a big imagination. Part of me thinks this book would have been better suited to be written for a middle school age audience as well. I was often thrown off by the infrequent adult references (and I mean milder stuff, like the word DILF) in what I felt would have been a light-hearted novel for younger readers. This book is still a very cute and light-read, and I think the cover art perfectly encapsulates the story!

“Will you run away with us? And choose your own destiny?”

A group of teenage witches go on a road trip… That’s all I needed to know to pick up this book. I was ready for the bonding that comes from shared experiences and the hope our four witches would meet some interesting people along the way.

Thrash really wants the Gift of Sight. Her mother wants Thrash to have the Gift of Glamour. This is a problem for Thrash because, in this matriarchal society, mothers get to choose which Gift their children receive. What’s a girl to do?!

Well, if you’re Thrash, this is the perfect opportunity to go on a road trip with three witches from school she barely knows. They’re on a mission to liberate the Gifts they want. They didn’t expect things to spiral this much out of control.

I was entirely on board with learning how magic works in Thrash’s world. I thought some bonding time between myself and the girls was inevitable but didn’t connect with any of the characters. There were also fewer scenes involving Thrash, Saki, Em and Cresca bonding and more with a bunch of people chasing them across the Thirteen States than I expected.

This is marketed as a body positive novel and there are some elements of that. This was offset for me by many of the characters having significant struggles with their bodies, though, including those who use magic to change their appearance.

While this was an entertaining read, I wasn’t captivated by it like I’d hoped. I’m left with quite a few unanswered questions, the most pressing of which is, did Takoda survive?

I definitely need a magical bottomless trunk to store all of my books.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sword & Rose Press for the opportunity to read this book.

"You're a witch, b***h." Cresca called behind her. "Start acting like it."

Fat Witch Summer by Lizzy Ives is a coming of age story that is chock full of laughs, adventure and sisterhood. Thrash has a knack. Knacks are burst of magic that are specific to a single person. When a teenager gets their knack, it means they are a witch and it's up to their parents to offer the gift of glamour, sight or growth. Thrash's mom is a high profile glamour witch, but Thrash has an issue. She doesn't want the gift of glamour. She wants the gift of sight, like her other mother, who recently passed away from cancer. Cresca, Em and Saki make up a group called the Lunes. When Cresca catches wind that Thrash doesn't want her gift, she recruits Thrash for an epic journey and heist to steal gifts from the New Salem University. Can Thrash actually pull this off, and will she make new friends along the journey? Or is she just a tool for the girls to get what they want? Fat Witch Summer is an epic tale that will have you on the edge of your seat, rooting for the girls.

This book is perfect for anyone who has issues with self image, body image etc. I love how the author created a strong female character that doesn't hide behind makeup, trends or perfect hair. Thrash is unique, brave, powerful and loves herself. She is a wonderful role model for girls, teens and women of any age.

I love all the characters, even the ones that are supposed to be "antagonist." The author created a wonderful world of magic with unique settings and characters. I love the little quirks that each character has as well as the different knacks the girls possess. It's also cool that the author kept in mind that these girls are just teens so they will experience mishaps and distractions along the way.

I loved the inclusion of familiars, especially since the familiars were funny. It added a nice touch. I also love how accurate the author was in wiring about witchcraft and related objects to the craft. It's important to get things right to avoid it being trendy or cheesy.

The plot twist with the magic is also super cool. I love how the story included groups that were against the government as well. It gives a way more realistic feel to this fantasy novel and I love some realism in my fantasy. The author really did a wonderful job building an entire world and I would love to see this made into a series.

It took me a bit to acclimate to this world but a solid and entertaining YA witchy novel.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Fat Witch Summer by Lizzy Ives is a fun read about friends, family, expectations, and government control.

I saw this book on Netgalley and immediately had to have it. I am so lucky I got the chance to read this book early because it sure did not disappoint! It has been described as Dumplin meets the Craft and it definitely fits. This book is not only so magical but deals with real life issues in such a unique way. It deals with overbearing parents who though they love their kids dearly don't want them to grow up just yet, loving yourself for who you are and not what you look like or could be, and the hardship of making friends and being in such a close friend group. We also see how different class of people are treated differently, and how important it is to be given the chance to have a choice of things. The characters are written perfectly and really makes you love each and every one of them as we join Thrash and The Lunes on their magical, action filled journey through the thirteen states. Definitely recommend to anyone who loves a good girl trip, and witches of all shapes and sizes. This story is truly incredible and I seriously hope it becomes a series. The writing is amazing the story is so inclusive to all. This book will forever have my heart.

"Fat Witch Summer" by Lizzy Ives was a great read. It was funny, quick and friendships galore. Worth the read.

Roadtrips, covens, body positivity, and LGBTQ+ representation. Say no more. This was a fast-paced adventurous book. It kept me hooked the whole story. I didn't want to put this book down. The authors writing makes you really feel as if you are one of the girls. All the characters are relatable and loveable. I could go on and on about this book, but you just need to read it for yourselves!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for givinc me an eArc to read of this amazing book.

This is the rare case when choosing a book based on its cover and title completely paid off! What a fun witchy read! I loved all four of the main characters (and the various grumpy familiars we met throughout the adventure) and this spin on a classic summer road trip story. The world building impressed me and I hope there is a sequel!

This was a fun and quick read perfect to read on a road trip and beach day! This book is about 16 year old named Thrash who discovers she's a witch. Witches receive gifts (or specialty) chosen by their mothers. Of course being a teenager, Thrash rebels and befriends a group of witches. They go on a roadtrip and an epic adventure. I loved how confident all of the girls are. And the way they built eachother up was so refreshing and sweet. I would have loved this book in high school. Theres not much magic in this book but I hope there will be a series because I feel like the girls' stories are just beginning!

Thank you netgalley and author for the arc!!

3.5 stars rounded down.

i love books about fat people doing adventures and also books about witches!

this one was fine! it just didn't get past that. i had a hard time really connecting with the characters, which made the plot feel a little chaotic because they weren't grounding it for me. that said, it feels like the first book in a series because a lot of weird unanswered stuff happened in like the last 10 pages, and i would totally read the next one because i guess i was slightly sucked into the world! It was doing a lot, with giving us 1 main but not POV character, 3 central but not main character, another 6 (i would say) secondary characters, vignettes from other people, setting the present story, building the history, doing a coming-of-age experience, AND running a road trip caper where they start trying to save magic partway through! it couldn't quite pull it all off--but the next book that has to do less characterization and worldbuilding could be exactly what is needed.
It would be nice in a middle or high school library for the fat rep.

NetGalley ARC.