Oh my, oh my! The perfect atmospheric Halloween fiction book this season. For fans of The Good Witch on Hallmark.

I have been in a horrible autumn reading slump...no mysteries or seasonal autumnal reads have been doing it for me this year. And this ONE HIT THE SPOT. Halloween-y with all the notes, some mystery, a little drama, some magic, holiday decor....and a little bit of Tarot.

Secretly, I am not a fan of friendly contemporary witches; those realistic witches we now have in most contemporary fiction. The Good Witch on Hallmark Channel is the one that does it for me. But this story about magic-avoidant Flair taps all the right notes. If you like the The Good Witch on Hallmark. This will be your vibe.

I enjoyed the use of tarot cards, the small town, Halloween decor and the Halloween trail. That trail gave me good memory feels of haunted houses, haunted trails, trick or treating. All Halloween-y vibes from childhood...come back in adult book form.

Flair is a character who clearly has some issues to work through -accepting her life, her magic and love for her daughter. She is overprotective, a bit of an overachiever, and in the process of controlling every aspect of her life accidentally casts a magic spell on her ex-husband. This ends up causing a bit of mayhem as while trying to fix her own problems, she crash lands into all of the other witchy going-on's in her neighborhood.

I was pleasantly surprised by 2 "gentle", but strong twists that drove the plot line for me. I so wish this book had been more hyped for the season.

Honestly surprised that it hasn't been picked up by some of the bigger book tubers/bloggers/reviews. It's a super good Halloween-niche book.

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for an ARC of this book! Thank you to KJ Dell'Antonia for getting my out of my reading slump.

I made it about 70% through this book before deciding that it's just not for me. I think the main draw for me of this book was the comparison to Gilmore Girls, but somehow instead of being cozy and soothing for me, which was the vibe I needed, it actually kept making me anxious because the family drama had me CONVINCED everything was about to go wildly wrong and also, I don't trust anyone in this book. My reading experience of this book is obviously personal to me, but I would say that I don't feel like this book lives up to the promise of a Gilmore Girls comparison. That said, I hope if you pick it up, you enjoy it more than I did!

I received an advanced copy of Playing the Witch Card by K.J. Dell’Antonia from the publisher Penguin Group Putnam via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Flair Hardwick knows magic is real, but she wants nothing to do with it after she watched it destroy her mother’s life. But when she inherits her grandmother’s home and tea shop (that she converts to a bakery) in Rattleboro, Kansas, a town famous for a Halloween trail unlike any other, she finds magic drawing her back in. When she makes the Tarot card cookies and they unleash the magic of her family’s long hidden family’s deck. The magic unleashed leads to her mother and ex being brought to town and pushing her even more towards magic. To make matters worse, her relationship with her daughter becomes more and more estranged.

What I Loved: I thought the concept was interesting. I liked the book’s general cozy fall vibes. There’s a storyline we get here about 70% into it, that makes the book work plotwise that I thought was fun but wish was introduced earlier.

What I Didn’t Like: I found this book annoying often. I really found that our character’s were very immature. Flair’s entire character is driven by a hatred and fear of magic and the reason isn’t entirely clear, her fear blinds her and makes her make more decisions and make poor interpersonal decisions. I did not buy that Flair was an adult, she seemed incredibly self-centered and was painted as someone who is selfless. A lot of the conflict could have been avoided with conversations. Perhaps, I also found this story irritating because I don’t have a teenager, but I also didn’t understand how Flair’s conflict with her daughter Lucie kept getting out of control and Flair just won’t parent. Flair’s behavior pretty much ruined this for me.

Who Should Read It: People who want books set on Halloween. People who can overlook an immature character.

Summary: A woman hoping to avoids magic moves to a magical town.

This would have been so much more enjoyable if the main character was more likeable. Flair finally becomes relatable at the cookout her mother throws. Until then all she does is complain about Halloween, Magic, and divorce. For a book promoted as "Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic" they only share a small town and magic. I think bringing up the WHY of everything sooner would have helped. Just hinting at the reasons didn’t do much to endear her to the reader at all. The side characters were absolutely fantastic! I loved the town, the mother best friend and love interest.

3.5 stars! #3 on deck for my october spooky reads! I could see the Practical magic element but Gilmore Girls? I didn't quite feel it. thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for the honest review

I went in expecting something totally different than the book that I got. It felt like there was so much time spent not focused on the plot that I didn't even know what the book was about until well past 50% of the total book. While the ending was entertaining, there was just too many unimportant pieces to this very strange puzzle. Just felt like the editing didn't happen as much as I wanted it to. I enjoyed the fall vibes of the book, but left wanting a lot more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

A cute little witchy read for spooky season.

I don't think it was anything unlike the other halloween romances out there, but I still enjoyed reading it.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a rough one for me. I love the premise, and had moments of interest, but overall it just didn't capture me and hold my attention like i wanted it to.

This novel REALLY dragged on for me - it felt like way too much was going on. I wanted to like it, but around the 70% mark, I was just ready for it to be wrapped up in a bow and done. If I wasn’t OCD about finishing all books I start, I feel like this would’ve been a DNF contender. I did enjoy the tarot aspect, which I’ve always found fascinating, but the immense amount of filler in this book made it difficult to get through. I see the Gilmore Girls vibe for sure, so I can say that that aspect held true. And I wouldn’t classify this book in the “romance” category - small hints here and there, but that’s not the main goal of this story (in my eyes, anyways).

I really wanted to like this book as it has so much going for it: small-town Kansas, Halloween, witches, complicated family dynamics. But I honestly think it tried to do too much. There were so many little plots floating around that it was hard for me to keep everything straight and care about any of the characters. I found myself skimming the last 20% to get to the ending. 2.5 stars

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 - I loved the family story at the heart of this one and it gave a lot of fun Practical Magic vibes. I think it could have benefitted from a little more world building since there were so many types of magic included but overall a good witchy read for spooky season!

This witch book is the perfect blend of Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic in the new novel from the bestselling author of The Chicken Sisters! This fantastic fantasy book has characters and a story that are irresistible.

Flair Hardwicke must navigate three generations of magic, two exes, and a Tarot deck that insists on making itself known. This whimsical tale had me loving Flair more with each page and hoping that she would be able to navigate her own past in order to create a happy ending for herself and her daughter. If you love witch books, this pick is the perfect pick.

Playing the Witch Card's summary seemed like it would be a fantastic read for me with the promise of Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic. I found it to be quite slow-going. It definitely falls into the women's fiction category. If you enjoy Halloween-vibe books, you might enjoy this one. However, I didn't find the characters likable so it wasn't for me.

Thank you to Putnam and Netgalley for the ARC. The above opinions are my own in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to a cute and festive Halloween read and was drawn to the promise of Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic. Unfortunately, the plot and dialogue were boring and the characters were superficial. I did not care about the romance aspect and was only briefly entertained at the very end when the pace picked up and there were a few plot twists. Overall, this book just really missed the mark for me.

Unfortunately I could not get into this one and had to DNF at 40 percent.

Connecting to the main character in some way makes or breaks a book for me and unfortunately Flair really was hard for me to connect to. I found her to be controlling in a way that was just too heard to get past. Maybe its just not the right time for me to be reading this book? I am not sure but this one just did not work for me.

I would definitely check out reviews on goodreads before making a determination as there are a bunch of sparkling reviews!

While this one didn't work, I am interested to read more from KJ Dell'Antonia.

This is a paranormal romance about a woman named Flair who doesn’t want her magic. She’s got a daughter and wants to raise her without witchcraft, because she’s seen the trouble her mother has gotten into mixing romance and magic. Flair inherited her grandmother’s house and the family bakery, and now she’s back in her hometown just in time for the Halloween festivities. Her first love is back in town too, and she’s not sure what to do about him.

After the tarot cookie cards she bakes come alive, Flair realizes that not everyone in town means her well, and someone is not who she appears to be. It all comes to a head on Halloween, when Flair finds out that “she might have given up on magic but it hasn’t given up on her”.

If you like a paranormal romance you’ll enjoy this book! 4 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.

If you're looking for a magical, cozy fall read, look no further. I loved it.
The story takes place in a small town obsessed with Halloween. It centers around a loving mother from a magical bloodline who has distanced herself from magic and the family tarot cards in order to protect her family. It's full of family drama, magical curses, and lots of Halloween fun. I was hooked. It perfectly captures the magic of the season.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The town of Rattlnboro, Kansas is devoted to Halloween, mainly because of the real witches that live there.Flair Hardwicke, who had grown up there, gave up her magic, married and had a daughter. Then her husband cheated and she fled back to her hometown with her teenage daughter to open a bakery. She intended to avoid Halloween, but the return of her mother who had hexed her ex-husband, and her magical ability with tarot cards (she baked them as cookies). Unfortunately there is a dark secret in the town, putting her daughter at risk, and only by Playing the Witch Card (paper from‎ G.P. Putnam's Sons) can she face the ancient evil in the town. . I really enjoyed this tale by KJ Dell'Antonia, and would enjoy visiting with the characters again.

Fantastic story , I was prepared to enjoy this, but didn’t realise how much iwould be engrossed, that I wouldn’t want to leave it’s pages, I haven’t laughed so much or thoroughly enjoyed a witch based fantasy/paranormal read in a long time. I’ll definitely be looking forward to reading more by KJ Dell’Antonia

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If you're looking for a cozy Halloween book with a whole lot of the small town charm Playing the Witch Card may be for you. This was the perfect low stakes, witchy read to kick off spooky season.

Flair has inherited her grandmother's tea shop, so she moves back to her hometown following her divorce. Flair knows she has witch blood and her family is magical, but she's always been one to repress her magic. When the family tarot cards present themselves to her, Flair knows she can't hide from her heritage any longer. The town begins to prepare for their famous Halloween walk and what better way to get reacquainted with the townsfolk than to become a part of it? Even better when a handsome man from her youth returns to help his family during the festival.

While I didn't really buy or care for the romance in Playing the Witch Card I really did enjoy the small town vibes. It felt very Stars Hollow and I can definitely see where the comparison to Gilmore Girls comes in. All of the town residents we meet have their roles and I loved the lead up to the Halloween walk. The story was a bit slow and I wish there had been more witchy elements. I did like seeing how Flair's relationships with her mother and daughter grew by the end of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam for a review copy.