Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Webtoon Book Group for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a fairly quick read that is predictable but charming. I like the elemental nature of the magic alongside tarot, crystals, and divination. The town is very accepting in a casual way, and the characters are pretty diverse. There are darker elements as the story progresses. I like the pacing, the way Oakriver is described, and the focus on family.

The very mild dislike to love still feels a little too much like insta love, but this makes a bit more sense later. There is some miscommunication but it doesn't drag. Rhia and Valerie are sweet (although I don't personally love pumpkin as a pet name) and they do balance each other out. Quinn is a great side character with their own mini journey, and I would love to read more on them.

Bonus points for being pretty clear on sexuality: lesbian, queer, and pansexual are all mentioned on page. Quinn is nonbinary (they/them pronouns). There are discussions of acceptance but most characters have a positive experience. I'm always looking for books with queer joy!

If you're looking for some autumn, sapphic, witchy vibes, I would recommend!

This is such a cute book and I loved how despite the small town setting there was so much diversity, although it was a little off putting how it seemed like all the characters were giving their pronouns when they introduced themselves.

Valerie & Rhia were great characters & I loved their chemistry, even if I didn’t totally love the instant love between their characters.

I definitely recommend this book, it’s the perfect thing to read over a chilly fall weekend.

Such a lovely story about magic and family!

Rhia and Valarie are witches - with affinities for earth and fire, respectively. Rhia grew up in Oakriver and is working in a bookstore cafe for a while before she starts college. Oakriver was Valarie's mother's hometown, so Val returns to find out what happened to her while studying art at the local college. Is it fate when Rhia and Val meet? It's definitely magical.

I love Val and Rhia together, and their character arcs are both really good. All of the characters have depth and exist as more than just to help Val and Rhia move their stories along. Quinn is a wonderful friend, and I'm pretty sure I'd be envious of their blue hair. I also really liked the witchy elements and the healing care. Would absolutely read another book by the same author, if not the same town.

A good witchy sapphic read that had good foundations. I’m sure this is one that people will absolutely adore reading, but I just couldn’t vibe with it as much as I wanted to. This could’ve been because of the writing style or I wasn’t up for reading when I did pick this up.

This was cute. I did get bored however.

The writing and dialogue between characters didn’t jive with me.

This took me a while to get through as I could only do 1 chapter per sitting.

This is a witch whose magic comes from the earth. With her family surrounding her, she has generational magic, support, and knowledge that help her in her magic.

Valerie has just moved to town, partially to investigate the disappearance of her mother when she was little. With her mother deceased and no other known magical family, she has been completely self taught in her fire magic. Because of this, she does things that are potentially dangerous and reckless because she has never learned the rules or methods to correctly perform the spells.

When they make an agreement: Rhia teaching Valerie the rules of magic in return for Valerie not practicing in front of humans, they slowly get to know each other. Their instant connection grows more and more as they work and spend time together.

However, there is more to this town than meets the eye, and as Valerie goes digging into her mothers’ past, she finds she may have bitten off more than she could chew.

This book has a really fun magic system, that is really well explained. The characters are interesting and unique and have a lot of personality. And the plot twist was super unexpected!

I’m not going to lie, I initially chose this one because the MC is a witch named Rhiannon who goes by
Rhia. I’ve only seen my name in media twice: first is the Fleetwood Mac song, which I’m named after,
and then the BFF in Easy A. So I thought it would be fun to read a book with Rhiannon as the MC.
Rhiannon Greenbrook comes from a family of secret witches. Until Valerie Morgan arrives in Oakriver
looking for information about her mother who disappeared 17 years ago. Rhia is instantly drawn to her
and gets tangled up in her search for her mother, which quickly becomes dangerous for them both.
This was a welcome reprieve after reading The Lookback Window. I needed something less emotionally
heavy, and this fit the bill perfectly. I enjoyed the writing style, and it was a quick, fun read. I would
definitely read a sequel. 4 stars. No spice, but they’re 19, so I’m good with that. Queer representation
was good, with the sapphic relationship being front and center.

Witchy perfection! So witchy books are my weakness and I cannot resist anything that has magic, cute romances and witches. This book did not disappoint, I cannot express how much I enjoyed this book, I will not spoil it but trust me, you need to read it ASAP!

This was a charming and whimsical small-town witchy romance. The characters were adorable and I loved the relationship between Valarie and Rhia and loved watching it grow from the first page.
I also really enjoyed the ending and I even liked the insta love even though, usually, I wouldn't say I like it but the end made it make sense.

I received a copy from Wattpad Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book makes me want to go back and read These Witches Don't Burn for the first time again.

We have witches, we have a different take on magic, we have family time and an unsolved mystery. This is a charming book about a third generation witch from town and her newcomer girlfriend who gets tangled up in the darkness and we get that heroic moment and coming into power we love.

I really enjoyed this book! I didn’t know much about other than what I learned from the synopsis. Within the first few chapters I was absolutely hooked!
I was expecting it to be cozy romance; which it absolutely was. However, the plot twist took me a little by surprise; it was a great addition. I will admit some of plot was a bit predictable but it absolutely did not take away from my enjoyment.
My favorite thing about this book is the diversity and representation. There’s so much of it ! And it does not seem force! I like that the author chose to include several different racial, gender, and lgbtq+ identities. All the characters were really well written and nicely flushed out. Quinn and Rhia were some of my favorite characters; mostly because I could relate to them.
If you love books about witches and romance, this is definitely the book for you!

Yet another slam dunk of a sapphic paranormal YA romance. My Pride Month reads keep getting better and better. Rhia and Valerie's tale is no exception. I was thoroughly enraptured by the mystery as well. No spoilers from me. Read it for yourself. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group, Wattpad Books, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This was really sweet, especially the first half it felt very cozy. Although I felt the pacing was a little strange towards the end, I cared more for the romance in this more than the actual plot.

Really enjoyed this cosy witch romance. The highlight was the relationship between Rhia & Valerie the scenes when they were together went from bickering to really sweet and the side characters were great but my favourite was Quinn. I loved all the autumnal vibes, it really made me want to curl up with a pumpkin spice latte in June.
If you enjoyed the Ex Hex but wanted something Sapphic I'd really recommend this.

If you’re looking for a cozy, autumnal read with a hint of angst that will have you shaking your head every time the characters are being oblivious, this is the book for you!
I went into this with no expectations and was subsequently blown away. The writing was fantastic, extremely visual and easily digestible- if i hadn’t been so busy, this would have been finished in one sitting for sure.

The characters were all loveable and unique, though I felt a connection with Quinn the most, they each hold an important message that conveys nicely through the storyline.

I will definitely be re-reading this in the autumn time, it’ll be an annual event i’m sure.

Thank you to Netgalley for gifting me this book!

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I was promised sapphic witches inspired by Hozier music, and I sure was given just that! I almost exclusively listened to Hozier while reading this book, and the vibes were just *chefs kiss* I loved everything about this book, but let's break it down.

I loved Rhia and Valerie so much, and how much they both grew throughout this book. Their love for each other was also so sweet and felt very realistic. It wasn't just some instalove where they got together immediately, there was SO MUCH mutual yearning and things they had to go through, before they could fully love each other. I'm also just a big fan of opposites attract.

Not only were the main characters deep and very well developed, but so were the side characters. I especially loved Quinn and Tristan. They had a purpose and a reason and went through their own things, Quinn most of all. Them finding out about their own magic and family secrets were a nice addition.

This book had so much casual representation, and we really need that more in books. Almost every introduction included pronouns, which I really liked, as it's a thing we need to normalise. There was also uses of neopronouns, which is also super rare in books, but super nice to see. Almost everyone was also just queer in some way. Very realistic, as queer people usually come in groups.

I adored the magic system. Books about witches can quickly become very fantasy-like, but here it was kept very modern, and a lot the magic they used actually seemed like something you could use in real life. I'm almost certain I've heard of people using similar magic. I liked this, as low-fantasy is my favourite kind of fantasy.

Most of the book was very feel-good, which I didn't mind AT ALL as we need more happy queer books. The autumn vibes, the casual magic, the yearning and loving between Rhia and Valerie, the platonic love between Quinn and Valerie and Rhia and Tristan and just Rhia's love for her family and the love and bond they shared with each other just made me so happy. The last 100 pages or so where all the family secrets started to be revealed and stuff just went south had me HOOKED, and I loved learning about it all. If it hadn't been for life I would've devoured this book in no time.

Another thing keeping me hooked was Philline Harms' writing style. It was super addicting, and just beautiful. The way she described everything was just so >>> and it was full of emotion. You could easily feel the vibes of what was going on, and what the characters were feeling.

The chapter titles being tarot cards and their meaning was such a genius and nice touch. I almost want to get into tarot readings now, no joke. Oh and the soundtrack by the end of the book?? Absolutely brilliant.

I cannot recommend this book enough if you're looking for sapphic witches. It sure was everything i needed.

One of the main things I hate about this book is that I couldn’t read it for the first time all snuggled up by my window with a cup of hot chocolate watching the leaves fall!!!!

No, but seriously, I really liked this book.

Love and Other Wicked Things centers around two girls and an omen of bad luck. Careful Earth witch, Rhia, has lived in Oakriver her whole life and grows easily frazzled when reckless fire witch, Valerie Morgan rolls into town looking for answers.

When I went in initially, I wanted to up my sapphic book reading and thought a cute, autumn vibes book would be perfect for it. And I wasn’t wrong! While initially, it did take some time to get started with it (mostly because of my job, but also just motivation—not the book), I became very voracious when really getting to the heart of the story.

There are so many things I like about it. The storyline is great, I really love the characters, and I love the messaging that centers on generational trauma and breaking the chain. I also love that it’s a cute, pretty easy read and that, especially in the end, I just couldn’t put the book down.

While I love this book, there are some things that I wasn’t thrilled with. First off, the excessive mention that it’s autumn. There were a couple of pages where we were reminded that it was autumn at least three times on the same page. We know.

Also, there were some instances where things were almost too convenient. (I.E., Valarie seeing who we find out is Jenny in Obscura and Rhia being Valarie’s dorm room door at the perfect time.)

Lastly, the names of some of the characters/pets. Rhia (short for Rhiannon) had to grow on me because of how on the nose it was. Salem. Hecate. Nothing is original, I know, but it feels too obvious.

While there were those instances, they weren’t so blatant that it ruined it, but it did knock it down from a five-star to a four.

I feel it in my bones that this book will do well! If this book has one fan, it’s me! If it had fifty fans, I’m the number one fan! If it has no fans, I’m dead!

Oakriver is a quiet town that secretly houses a magical community. Rhia is from the latest generation of Greenbrook witches in town, and she is one of the many who are gifted with Earth magic. When her grandma has a vision about a dangerous unfamiliar witch coming to town, Rhia doesn’t think much about her warnings. Why would she hang out with whoever this dangerous witch is anyway? Then she meets Valerie Morgan, a fire witch who is reading Tarot and using magic out in the open. She’s going against every rule Rhia has grown up with, and it’s getting on her last nerve, but she can’t help but feel a connection to this new witch in town. By the time Valarie gets caught up in a dangerous web of magic while trying to get closer to her mom, Rhia is too invested to let Valarie or Oakriver go down in flames.

I absolutely loved this book. We follow Rhia and Valerie, who are both witches, but they are witches with very different backgrounds. Rhia has grown up in a family who openly practices magic and is very loving and accepting while Valerie’s dad is not accepting of her fire magic. At all. In fact, he won’t even call it what it is! To top things off, she really just wants to learn more about her mom, but her dad has spent her life acting like her mom never existed. The only thing she knows about her mom is that she died in her hometown: Oakriver.

We have an excellent cast of characters. Other than Rhia and Valerie, we have Rhia’s family and Valarie’s roommate. We mainly get to know Rhia’s sister, Sage, and her cousin, Holly. I absolutely love them. They’re such fun and sweet characters that I wish they were members of my own family. There’s also her longtime friend, Tristan, who is hilarious and doesn’t possess any magic of his own. Plus, Valarie’s roommate, Quinn. I loved them from the start and I wish we got to see a little more of them, but I’m happy with how much they appeared in the story. I love that each of these characters are so realistic that they could easily walk in through the door, but they also have a touch of magic for the story.

The story itself is fun. It’s a slow burn kind of story that is mainly carried by the characters. For some reason, I thought it was building up to something way bigger than what it was actually building up to after I read the summary, but that was my own fault. It turns out I took the saving the town part of the summary and built it up in my head somewhere between reading the first page and getting to the halfway point of the book! However, even then, I was very happy with the book and enjoyed every minute of it. I do think what happens with Valarie toward the end of the book and how that’s resolved could’ve been much bigger, but otherwise, I’m happy with how the story turns out.

All in all, this is an excellent story with a wonderful cast of characters. There’s magic, a little bit of mystery, and a lot of platonic and romantic love. The overall story is cute and fun, but there is a little bit of trauma and confusion along with a big secret hiding just around the corner. All in all, it was an excellent read and I’m looking forward to checking out the author’s other works.

Love and Other Wicked Things - Philline Harms

Love is magic. Magic is love. This utterly charming YA book kept me turning the pages at lightning speed wanting to know how the story would unfold.

This book was given to me as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rhiannon Greenbrook is a 19 year old young woman who doesn’t know exactly what to do with her life. Rhia is also a witch. She can command the wonders of nature and earth. Growing up in Oakriver in a tight knit family of witches she has learned to control her magic and knows when and how to use it.

Valerie Morgan is new to town. She has come there to study art. Sure. But her most valid reason for moving to the tiny town is her mother. When she was only two years old her father took her away from Oakriver. Her mother was never to be heard from again. Valerie has discovered she can command fire and practice the art of divination. Skills her father wants nothing to do with. But where did her talents come from? Was her mom also a witch? Val has never had someone to guide her and teach her how to control her magic and that can be extremely dangerous. Especially with fire.

On her first day wandering through town she glances up to a window of a tall house. Behind it is a beautiful girl watering her plants. Although they haven’t officially met, Val feels like she has to get to know this wonderful girl. There begins a journey into the discovery of magic and most of al of love.

When Rhia meets Valerie for the first time, she is scared by her recklessness with magic. It goes against everything she has learned. What she doesn’t realize is that Val needs her to help her with her knowledge and to be loved for who she is. In return Val gives Rhia the gift of openness and a love she has been eagerly waiting for, even if she is too scared to believe in it.

This is not a coming out story. Both characters know that they are attracted to girls and that’s that. It’s always refreshing when sexuality is a non issue. There also is some asexual, queer and bisexual representation. Because this is a coming of age story, there are no unbridled spicy scenes, just in case you were looking for that in a book.

The cast of characters that weave together in this story are well thought out individuals. The Greenbrooke family bonds are so heartwarming, I wish I was a witch myself so I could be engulfed in their love for each other.

Family is the main thread that holds this story together. Whether it’s as strong and close knit as Rhia’s. Or strained and mysterious as Val’s. Even the unfolding of Quinn’s story as Val’s roommate and best friend ties into that subject of family and into discovering who you are as a person.

In short this is a story that is spun with words that feel like magic. Harms describes a world so vivid you will want to drive to Oakriver, park your car, get out and experience the magic for yourself. A delightful read!

The illustration of the book is beautiful. The characters' images are what I carried with me throughout the book.

Sapphic witch romance... yes, please, and thank you.

Our mains , Valerie and Rhia, were very easy to love. Together, they had a sizzling chemistry. Alone, they had their own unique vulnerability.

I have to mention something I found wonderful. How the elements can communicate with the witch at one with that element. Rhia being an earth witch, branches would clear the path for her or playing pull at her clothes. A particular scene that really made me chuckle was when a plant whispered water, so she sprays it and (metaphorical speaking) stands up tall. She puts her fingers in the pot soil and basically calls it a drama queen.

All the side characters equally in their own way were great.

Great YA romance, not to much drama , quite tranquil to read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it that I hope there is a book 2 in the works.

Thanks to netgalley and the author for an arc copy.