Short Synopsis:
Flair takes over her grandmothers bakery after her husband cheats on her. The town is BIG on Halloween and she’s wrangled into the festivities and makes tarot card cookies to celebrate. But the catch? The cookies unleash her family’s magic.

My Thoughts:
This one reads much more Women’s Fiction than romance, so go in with the proper expectations. I tend to like my fantasy books action packed, so it was a fairly slow start for me. The middle went a little unhinged at times, but it was definitely shocking! But if you’re looking for small town fall vibes, this is a great pick.

Read This for Witch Week if You Like:
🎴 Small town vibes
🎴 Second chance romance
🎴 Mischievous magic
🎴 Moody teenage daughter
🎴 Tarot magic
🎴 Women’s Fiction
🎴 If you’ve ever wanted to accidentally curse an ex

I was so excited to read this book, it had some of my favorite elements - Small Town, Bakery & Witches. I love the tarot card aspect and loved how magic they were. Sadly, I didn't connect to any of the characters though or the romance. I found myself confused most of the time regarding the main characters choices. Perhaps setting this up as Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls put too high of expectations as I didn't get either of those, except the small town and they were witches.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read this book!

Thanks to Putnam for the copy of this book!

I’m always up for a witchy read, and loved the thought of small-town, Gilmore Girls, and tarot. This was definitely a slower-paced, more meandering witchy read with a lot of complicated relationships. Playing the Witch Card is good for people who like small-town stories and aren’t necessarily huge fantasy readers.

In the midst of a divorce, baker and onetime tarot reader Flair has returned to her sometimes-hometown of Rattleboro to turn her grandmother’s magical tea shop into a non-magical bakery. Flair has decided to leave her family’s witchy past behind and to raise her daughter in a stable home. But as Halloween approaches and Flair is drawn into the town’s legendary festivities, she discovers that the secret of the past threaten her family’s future, and confronting her magical heritage is the only way to protect her daughter.

Playing the Witch Card has a full deck of themes and plot elements, including multiple generations of mother-daughter relationships, romances old and new, and the balance between safety and meaning. And yet most of the book’s first half is devoted to vague background on Flair’s past and fall / Halloween vibes.

The action picks up in the book’s second half, developing into a suspenseful battle between mothers and daughters; present and past. I found myself on the edge of my seat toward the end of these much tighter and more engrossing chapters, But I would have found the overall effect far more compelling and memorable if the first half had drawn me more deeply into Flair’s story - both the magical and non-magical sides.

This witchy read stands out as unique among the usual witch offerings each fall.

Flair has run from magic since his teenage years, when her grandmother gave her the ultimatum to either stay and properly learn to use her powers or leave her small town in Kansas. The female line in her family get their powers from a deck of tarot cards, and after an exhausting childhood where Flair’s mother made decisions based on card readings, Flair hid the cards away never to be used again. Over one eventful Halloween season, the cards come back into her life in a mysterious way.

Flair is in her forties with a middle school aged child, which was a nice twist on this genre. Her family relationships are complicated with her daughter, her mother, and her husband, who she is separated from. The decline in their relationships made for a good background story to the witchy antics.

I really enjoyed the focus on tarot cards and readings, which I found to be so unique. Reading how each card can mean two things that are complete opposites was fascinating, where the Death card can mean the worst but can also stand for change and rebirth. I felt like the author really did her research on this.

The small town is full of fall decor and vibes, and the big gathering at the end of the book sounds like such fun and like something that would be a huge hit on Halloween!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a fun witchy read.

It follows Flair who returns to the town where she swore she would give up magic. When Flair returns to her grandmother’s home and bakery, the magic she thought she gave up returns and it leads to complications in all aspects of her life.

There were moments when I felt confused about the story and what happened in the past and how it impacts the current time. But I just kept going and things ended up making sense.

There were also moments when I felt frustrated with Flair and her choice to hold information back from her daughter. Of course nothing good can come from that.

Overall this was entertaining but I have also read better witchy books. (3.5)

The premise of this was so fantastic and I expected all of the best fall and witchy vibes. I really expected this to be chaotic fun along the lines of a magic wielding Finlay Donnavan where the more the FMC tries to control the chaos, the more out of control things get. Unfortunately, the execution of this fell a little flat for me.

Flair abandoned her magic as a teenager but finds herself back in the thick of things with magic when she returns to her grandmother’s hometown and takes over her old storefront creating a very non-magical bakery. She is continuing to fight anything magical related, including Halloween, in the hopes of building a new and magic-free life with her daughter, Lucie.

Flair came across as a bit immature and despite claiming she wanted to work hard to make her business work, out of the gate she seems unwilling to engage with the town and their love of Halloween. It read more like rather than an amusing attempt to contain the chaos of her business, the town, and her family, she was resistant to absolutely everything. It became a bit tedious and felt that each resistance was set up to just move the plot along rather than add to it.

There was so much opportunity here for this to be truly funny, but I ultimately found much of it to be frustrating. That is not to say there were no redeeming qualities. I absolutely loved the magic system and the growth between Flair and her mother. There were some moments where I wanted to just keep reading to find out what happened next, and there were some truly funny moments that made me laugh out loud. It really landed right in the middle at 3 stars for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Once I read “Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic” in the description I knew this book would be a winner.

Flair Hardwicke is in her forties and dealing with a cheating (and cursed ex), a flighty mom, a struggling bakery, and an angsty teen daughter. Not to mention her first love is back in town and seemingly so is the magic she’d sworn off as a teen.

I went in to this book thinking it was going to focus more on the romance and I’m glad it didn’t. This book centers around the Hardwicke women (Flair, Cyn, and Lucie), their relationships with each other, and their magic. One of my favorite things was how heavily tarot played into the story and how well the author weaved it throughout.

It took me a little bit to get into the story but once I did (around the 15% mark) I was hooked and couldn’t put it down until I finished.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Picked this book up for the cozy fall vibes, plus I was promised practical magic meets Gilmore girls. Practical magic I get, Gilmore girls just it wasn’t there for me. I enjoyed the tarot aspect, but the book didn’t really even pickup until way past halfway. Honestly the first 30% I was just confused about what was going on, but it did pick up and was much more enjoyable. It’s a great Cozy fall vibe book, maybe it just missed the mark for me. It’s less of a romance, and more of women going through life together.

Thanks to netgalley for the arc In exchange for a review

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

3.5 stars

This is a really quick read and I thought it was just pretty average until it picked up a little in the end. I do see the comparison to Practical Magic, but I think the Gilmore Girls comparison is a bit of a stretch. I was expecting a strong mother and daughter relationship of some kind for that comparison to be accurate and because there wasn’t, it took away from what I was expecting. I do think overall people would enjoy it and it could be a good read for Halloween.

Would recommend you pick this up from your local library if you’re interested!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Penguin/Putnam for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. Okay, first off this is NOT a romance. It doesn't say it is...but I am just telling you it is not. Secondly, I am not sure about this book. I am not sure if I liked any of the characters...Lucie the daughter is often a brat, Flair the main character-doesn't tell the truth-she sort of skirts the issue. Dave her ex is a dweeb. Renee is horrible then turns sort of nice?? What??? It is slow in sections and confusing...then suddenly Magic everything works out. Hmmm 3 stars as I am confused.

This was just not for me. I couldn’t really get into this book. I did like the Halloween vibes though. But I don’t suggest this.

I found this book super cute! I love me some magic. Perfect for spooky season! I was expecting it to be more heavily focuses on a love story (maybe a magic spell of some sort) but it had some family issues as well - which was welcomed.

I found this book hard to get into. It was very slow to start and often would drag. The concept was good but the execution lacking.

Tarot cards, magic, a little love story, a lot of mother/daughter stuff… I liked it.

I requested this on NetGalley because I thought it was romance. But it was not all romance. That wasn’t a bad thing. There was quite a bit of family stuff in it that I really appreciated and enjoyed.

A perfectly good ‘Ber month witchy read!

"Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic in the latest novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Chicken Sisters.

She gave up on magic. But magic didn't give up on her.
Three generations of magic. Two rogue exes. One Tarot deck.
The perfect recipe for chaos.

Flair Hardwicke knows three things: magic is real, love isn't, and relying on either ends in disaster. So while she's grateful for the chance to take over her grandmother's Kansas bakery after she finally leaves her cheating husband, she won't be embracing Nana's fortune-telling side-hustle. Hers is a strictly no-magic operation - until the innocent batch of Tarot card cookies Flair bakes for the town's Halloween celebration unleashes the power of the family deck, luring Flair's unpredictable mother to town, tempting Flair's magic-obsessed daughter, and bringing back Flair's first love while ensnaring her ex in a curse she can't break.

Flair's attempts to control the chaos only make things worse, playing right into the hands of a powerful witch. Suddenly there's far more at stake than her status as the most reluctant witch in town, and the magic Flair has long rejected becomes the only card she has left to play."

Instead of cottage core can we embrace magic core this fall? Because that is what this book is.

****Publishing September 12, 2023****

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Flair, a single mom, moves to Rattleboro, Kansas in order to start over where she inherits her grandmother’s bakery and house. Lucie, her teenage daughter, is less than thrilled and is not happy moving away from friends and family. Lucie is campaigning to move back home to live with her father, David. When David shows up to convince Flair to allow Lucie to live with him, David is put under a curse with spells and tarot cards. Can Flair break the curse?

Rattleboro is known for it’s Halloween decorations and celebrations, but in fact, Flair isn’t a fan of Halloween. From a disagreement about the Halloween decorations to not having a warm welcome by the community, the bakery is not going as well as planned. Can Flair win their hearts despite her family’s history, or will she have to pack up and move on?

From the characters to the storyline, this book will keep you turning the pages and entertained. A fun, witchy, tarot card kind of book! Perfect for your next Halloween read!

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam (G.P. Putnam's Sons), I was provided an ARC of Playing the Witch Card by KJ Dell'Antonia via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Flair Hardwicke comes from a long line of witches but has been trying to deny her powers for most of her life. So when she returns to her hometown and self proclaimed Halloween capital of the Midwest, it’s no surprise that things do not go as planned for Flair and her daughter Lucie.

First and foremost, it is important to know that Playing the Witch Card is not a rom-com. It’s not even a romance. It is the story of mothers and daughters and how, surprise, even with magic, those relationships are sometimes difficult.

This book was just not for me at all. I found the general tone of the book to be overly negative. None of the many characters are likable and the main character Flair has few redeeming qualities. She never tells anyone anything other than half truths and even when confessing everything to her mother and friend, who only want to help her, she leaves out the biggest detail. All of this is in service of the plot so that things are going wrong until the last possible moment. All that combined with a writing style that itched my brain in all the wrong ways and I just could not get into this book. If more than 10% of the sentences in this book are simple ones I’ll be shocked! Dependent clauses everywhere! I would have DNF’d this at 50% if I hadn’t been reviewing it.

If you’re super into tarot cards or already know that the reluctant witch is an actual trope then Playing the Witch Card by KJ Dell'Antonia is out 9/12/2023; otherwise, I’d suggest finding your fall vibes somewhere else.

Thanks to the publisher, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and NetGalley for sending an eARC copy for review. All opinions are my own.

✨Book Thoughts✨
Playing the Witch Card by KJ Dell’Antonia
Pub Date: September 12, 2023

Yes, this really did feel a little like Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic! I loved the town, the bakery, and all the characters. If this town was real I’d be lining up to see it in the fall. I really enjoyed learning a little about tarot. It took me a little bit to get into but once I did I was captivated by Flair’s new start in her hometown with an old love interest, a spelled ex-husband, an eccentric mother, a difficult teenage daughter, the town’s Halloween festival, magic reappearing, and warnings of a disaster. It really did take me a while to get into this book and I didn’t like how I felt that reading the beginning felt almost like a chore. I could see a series starting from this story and I would definitely pick up the next to see what else happens.

Thanks to Net Galley and G.P Putnam’s Sons for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was the perfect read to start my early spooky season.

Playing The Witch Card was such a cute book for those of us who love all things spooky, Halloween and spiritual. It also was a story of mothers and daughters and how complicated life can be. It was very much a Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girl vibes and I loved it.

The only reason this isn’t 5 full stars from me is that Flair could be a little exhausting. I just needed her to tell the truth to someone and stop muddying all the waters. She could’ve prevented so much and it was annoying when she didn’t. Overall though, it moved the story along and I understand the reasons she kept so many things to herself.

I could definitely see this as a cute little Netflix mini series one day!