Fun read about a magical town founded by witches, and the lives of their descendants from one of my favorite authors. Highly recommended!

ARC from publisher via NetGalley, but the opinions are my own.

When Flair takes over her grandmother’s Kansas bakery, she refuses to use her family’s legacy - magic. On Halloween, Flair accidentally bakes a set of cookies based on the family’s tarot cards. Chaos ensues - Flair’s mother arrives back in town, her magic obsessed daughter is tempted, her first love pops up, and a powerful witch tries to steal her magic.

I enjoyed this so much! It is definitely women’s fiction and not my usual romance, but there is enough of a romance to keep me reading. It’s a story about family and magic and the magic of family. I’ve loved every KJ Dell’Antonia book I’ve read, and I’d 100% recommend the audiobook.

I loved this concept of a Gilmore-Girl's style witchy tale. I really enjoyed the family dynamics and reading about all the family drama. I was excited when I saw other reviews calling this a meet-cute between Gilmore Girls and Practical magic, and I definitely felt those vibes throughout! This is perfect for those of us who want to read something Halloweeny but not scary!

This book's premise promises and chaos and it delivers. A fun, cozy novel set in a small town... Perfect halloween vibes. It was an enjoyable read but it didn't get me raving like I thought it would. Perfectly decent and that's about it.

"Playing the Witch Card" presents a charming narrative that captures the essence of a small town, reminiscent of Gilmore Girls. However, while the setting aligns with the beloved show, the promised parallels fall short. I think I went into this book with high expectations because of the comparisons to Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic. Despite the unmet expectations, the book is an enjoyable Halloween read.

A classic witchy novel for Halloween! I love discovering new witch lit each October and this one was such a fun ride.

Playing the Witch Card by KJ Dell'Antonia. Pub Date: September 12, 2023. Rating: 3 stars. If you're looking for a cozy fall novel, this is the book for you. Set in a small town around Halloween, this novel has a touch of magic, family, love, loss and fall spirit all wrapped into one story. This novel is about second chances and change with the backdrop of fall vibes. It's an easy read that would pair nicely with a pumpkin coffee and a fall scented candle. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #playingthewitchcard #netgalley

This one was a little slow for me to get into. I think it had some pacing issues, at least for the first half. But by the last third of the novel, I was hooked. I had a tough time understanding the town's background and I guess the lore behind the witchcraft of the town. Some of this was resolved by the end of the book but I think it would have worked better early on. Overall it was a fun little book. It did give HEAVY practical magic vibes. Like, maybe too heavy. But overall, I enjoyed it.

Many thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the digital ARC of this one, in exchange for my honest review.

What I Liked

The magic system in this book is really interesting, with some cool twisty hereditary stuff happening that gave it a bit of a spooky vibe I wasn't quite expecting.

If you enjoy multigenerational stories this one definitely has plenty of mother/daughter/granddaughter action going on. Some elements of this worked really well, while others did not (we'll get to that in my "what I didn't like" section).

The Tarot magic in this book was really cool! I loved how the deck had a life of its own and made itself known through cookies when Flair tried to ignore the actual deck.

What I Didn't Like

From the cover and the promotion of this book, I was sort of expecting a lighthearted rom com with some extra family drama on top. However, I found this book was actually pretty dark with some deeper issues and darker moments I wasn't expecting from the tin, so to speak.

The mother/daughter relationship was supposed to be a big part of the book, but I had trouble getting a grip on the daughter as a character. She was so filtered through her mom's perspective that she didn't feel real, which made it hard to feel invested. In fact, most of the side characters felt this way, a bit distant and more caricatures than actual well-rounded people.

The last third of the book went really quickly, with issues resolved far too quickly and easily compared with all the build-up. I would've liked to see a bit more payoff for how much time we spent dealing with certain issues and characters. Certain storylines really felt like they just got cut off at the end without ever resolving.

In all, I think I'd have liked this book a lot better if I was prepared for a slightly darker mother/daughter story rather than a lighthearted witchy rom-com. The romance was a bit of an afterthought and the tone wasn't what I was expecting, which made me enjoy it a bit less. That said, I think Playing the Witch Card is a great fit if you love a multigenerational story with a slightly more serious tone than its cover and marketing suggest.

I loved this book. I loved the tarot cards and how they were woven into the story, and I adored the characters. The powerful female family angle was heartwarming and a little bit stressful to read!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Really great Halloween read and it was easy to imagine being in that exact environment. I enjoyed the character development throughout the story but did feel at some points that it was a bit dragged out.

"Playing the Witch Card" grew on me to the point where I liked it by the end. But the first half of the book is a slog to get through. It’s boring and messy, and if I hadn’t been reading an advance review copy, I wouldn’t have finished it.

But I’m glad I hung in there, because the second half is a huge improvement. Everything that’s wrong with the first 50% somehow manages to right itself, allowing the book to become the fun, witchy mother-daughter tale KJ Dell’Antonia intended it to be.

It just takes a lot of patience to get to the good stuff. Too much patience, probably. So I only recommend giving the book a try if you really want to read it.


My sincerest appreciation to KJ Dell'Antonia, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book about 40% of the way through because the plot was so slow. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my review.

The hype for this book says "Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls" and that was not the vibe I got. PM kind of, but I didn't get any GG vibes. The "romance" was also lacking. If this was being marketed as families and witchcraft and learning to navigate the world, it would be better.

Overall a cute fall vibes book! Just don't go into it expecting Rory and romance and you'll be fine!

This was a perfect book for Halloween. A small town full of witches and magic. I enjoyed this more than Practical Magic.

I love witchy reads so I was excited to get my hands on this new book this season. Overall, not the best witchy book I’ve ever read but also not the worst.

This was the perfect way to kick off fall temps! I’ve loved KJ Dell’Antonia’s work since The Chicken Sisters and In Her Boots. Super atmospheric (yes, it’s basically Stars Hollow!) and does a great job exploring those tricky mother//daughter relationships.

Looking forward to reading whatever KJ writes next!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.

I love a good witch book with some drama going on. For Flair there is drama going on all around her. She has moved from St. Louis to a small town in Kansas that is filled with magic all around. However, Flair has forgotten about some of this magic that is happening and doesn't understand the town hierarch system that is going on. Flair is a town baker and owns a coffee shop/ bakery, which some of her cookies have become magical without her understanding how it has happened. Flair's mother shows up with her soon to be ex-husband who is under a spell and Flair needs to get this reversed. On top of it Jude her teenage romance has shown up to town as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all of the drama that was happening in the town and with magic happening all around.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance read!

I enjoyed the general fall and cozy vibes of this book, but the story and characters failed to capture me. I found it a little cheesy and boring, unfortunately. I wasn’t able to finish this one, but from the first 20% that I did complete, I felt this is a good fit for people who like slow-paced women’s fiction and who enjoy small town settings. It doesn’t feel like a romcom, more like a family and friends drama!
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

Thank you to Putnam and KJ Dell'Atnonia for providing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited for this book and the promise of this story. A mother who is coming back to her small town to have a fresh start with her daughter, only to be drawn back in to her witchy roots and demanding tarot cards...I was so excited for this!

Unfortunately, this story didn't quite live up to my expectations. This story started off strong with the eery witchy feelings of secretive magic and deeply rooted past with her grandma, only to start falling flat half way through. The story has such strong foundations and a well developed plot line, but I felt it was rushed towards the end, when the biggest possible climax of the story was occurring.

There was, also, a lack of character engagement on the romance-side, only to have a weird closure towards the end of the book.

Overall, I have to give this book a mediocre rating to match with how this book left me wanting more.