what a fun read! a bit of magic, mystery and love the perfect mix.
haven’t read a book by this author before but would recommend and also will look for others titles by her.

This book is hilarious and charming and magical and quirky and sweet and I really enjoyed it! There is a talking badger, a sweet, unexplainable love, and a charming village by the sea.

Aria is down on her luck - her magic is a bit out of control and has random outbursts. When the owner of the magical, enchanted garden in Aria’s hometown wants to retire, he decides to host a competition to determine the next owner and she NEEDS to win (for her grandmother’s shop, for herself, and for the community).

Callan is a handsome, wealthy, sweet MMC (who is a warlock) and is one of the many supportive characters that Aria has in her life. This book was more sweet than spice.

I can’t wait for more from this series!

Thanks so much to Linsey Hall, NetGalley, and Bonnie Doon Press for the ARC of this book.

I picked up The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic on a whim because I liked the cover and the blurb sounded fun. I was looking for something lighthearted and fun after some tomes and heavy reading. I went into knowing this is a rom com at its heart, and although it's not a genre that I call my favorite, it can be refreshing to mix into my regular reading. With rom coms you can also count on tropes and clichés, and that's fine. We all need the familiar every once in a while. And even then, it doesn't mean a book can't have something unique or a fun twist to said tropes. Now, when I pick up a rom com I do it with the intention to look over the tropes, but I need something else to engage me - the characters, foremost, but the plot is important too.

What sold me on this particular title was the tone of the blurb, and I expected a fun, quirky MC, lots of banters, and an interesting plot revolving around a magical competition. Alas, my hopes were crushed soon enough, and I decided to DNF at the 45% mark. Both Aria and Callan, the main characters were pretty annoying and one-dimensional - not even talking about insta love which is one of the few things I really can’t get over when it comes to rom coms - their dialogues are mostly cringe-worthy. The plot could have been interesting if anything was happening at all, and it was also super predictable. Look, I already went in with low expectations, but come on. At least make an effort. I also didn’t click with the writing which was repetitive, and didn’t feel very polished to me.

What I liked though, was some of the side characters such as Catrina the niece of Aria’s best friend and far the smartest character… I also liked Aria’s grandmother for the little time we met her, and Boris, the badger. I swear I would have preferred him as the main character, would have been much more interesting to see things from her POV rather than reading about Aria’s and Callan’s moaning. I wanted to slap them both, repeatedly. I don’t think I would have been able to enjoy the rest of the book, even if I was curious about what else they had in store within the competition. It just wasn’t enough to keep me going.

1.5

Is it too controversial to say that I did not quite enjoy this? Witches are one of my favorite fantasy elements, and with a sprinkle of romance, I thought it would be everything that I wanted, but it was just not the book for me.

I know this book was supposed to be low stakes and cozy— and yeah, it was. But too low stake for my preference. I would forget that they have powers when it wasn’t mentioned. The author tried to make the ending dramatic, but it was a fail for me. Maybe the author could have added a little grain of drama before the ending (which I thought was too rushed).

Overall, I think this book was just not for me, although it felt like a novel that BookTok will definitely adore. Although I did had a lot of critics for this novel, it wasn’t all bad. Personally, I thought that one of its strengths is its humor. I thought there were too many pop references, but it wasn’t thrown every three pages like other novels, which I appreciate.

This was enjoyable and fun but it honestly read like most other witchy books that have become popular. It's not bad by any means, but it is a bit forgettable as nothing feels very unique. If you love witchy reads, this would be perfect for you.

I don’t even have words to describe how much I loved this book. It is a hug that warms you from the inside out. It was incredibly well written and beautifully balanced humor, romance, magic, witches, and suspense. It was a hands down five star read for me and is the best witchy book I have read in the past few years.

The story follows Aria who is a powerful witch with little to no control of her power. She returns to her charming village of a hometown (seriously, can I move there?) to enter into a contest not only to win a spectacular garden, but also to save her family’s business. As she works through the contest her perspective on life changes.

Laced with humor and romance, this is a must-read story. I laughed out loud in almost every chapter and could not put this one down until I finished it. Now I just want more and am really hoping that this becomes a series.

Pros; Cute romance, with magical hijinks and the competition of a lifetime. An interesting mix of characters and a fairly easy read. Boris was a hoot. Cons; the romance was only okay, even with the misunderstanding there was no real tension between Callum and Aria. Also I wish Aria’s magical journey had been led more by her and less by Callum. Overall an enjoyable read (3 ⭐️)

I haven’t read a book this good in a while. Seriously, it was phenomenal. I started it in the late afternoon and was up until midnight finishing it up. I could NOT put it down. From the start, it pulls you in with charismatic and lovable characters, and then makes you stay with adventure and a touch of enemies to lovers. I devoured this book and want the next one immediately.
Essentially, Aria is a “failed” witch. Never able to control her power and just blows things up. She moves away from the small town she grew up in to find her own path. Then, her Gran needs her help to save the family potions store. Aria has to enter a town competition to win the land that much of her grandmother’s supply for the store comes from before a greedy, rich man witch(mage) takes it from her and once again destroys something she loves dearly.
My only critical comment would be that I wish there was more content from Callen’s perspective.

Thank you to Bonnie Doon Press for the opportunity to read this incredible ARC of this book via Netgalley.

This started off strong but I found the ending a bit weak. Really enjoyed the magical tasks approach combined with Aria coming to terms with her magic, the romance with Callan fell a bit flat though.

What a lovely romance! Aria and Callan met years before and the situation left Aria with hard feelings. Now they are thrown together in a magical competition, and Aria needs to put those feelings aside so they can work together so she can save her grandparents magic shop.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for The Modern Girl’s Guide to Magic to come out June 2, 2023.

I got lured into The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic by that GORGEOUS cover 😍, and surprisingly, I enjoyed it, despite it being outside my typical genres. It's a cozy, sweet little story with a heartwarming, sugary feel to it. Yes, you can guess the storyline quite easily, but it still manages to keep your attention throughout.

One of my favorite things about this novel was the cast of side characters - they're well-crafted and quite endearing, especially the too-smart-for-her-own-good Catrina. She steals every scene she's in, and you can't help but adore her.

Now, let's talk about the less-than-stellar parts. For starters, the enemies-to-lovers conflict was sorted out a bit too early for my taste. After that, the only real tension between the characters is their attempts to hold off on a love connection while they're competing against each other, which, to be honest, felt pretty weak as far as conflicts go (especially when you consider that the competition only lasted a little over a week).

In fact, I felt as though the book as a whole could have done with a bit more drama. Everything is a tad too ideal, right down to the postcard-perfect Charming Cove. A touch more complexity and some good old-fashioned conflict and tension would have made the story even more engaging.

Overall, The Moder Girl's Guide to Magic was a pleasant, if predictable, read. It's the literary equivalent of a warm blanket and a cup of cocoa - not the most exciting, but still quite comforting all the same.

If you're looking for a book that is easy to read, this is a good book to choose. I was able to read it relatively quickly, but I have to admit I wasn't as enthralled with it as I had hoped to be. I thought the main character needed a healthy dose of self-confidence, so it was nice to see her come into her own, as a person and as a plant witch. It was also nice seeing the male main character fall for her from the start, and how he tried to prove himself.

I would have given the book five stars, but for the fact that it felt like the first challenge the competitors had took a bit to get through, and then the remaining challenges and the conclusion of the book we sped through. I think it would have been nice if the book had been a bit longer, and if the author had fleshed those parts out a bit more.

All in all, it was an enjoyable book, and I'm glad I got the chance to read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for giving me the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press for providing the ARC.

If you're looking for a cozy, witchy romance book that has a low-stakes plot and an insta-love story, look no further.

I enjoyed The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic for what it was. Which is to say, a lot of fluff and not a lot of substance. It was very surface level storytelling. The characters were not deep, they only ever experienced inconvenices rather than true trials and tribulations, and everything was sunshine and rainbows at the end of the book. Did I dislike it? No. But I generally like a bit more meat to my stories.

One thing I didn't like was that this book relies on a trope that has a man "saving" or "fixing" the main female character. Aria considers herself a failed witch due to her inability to control her magic, but it isn't until Callan comes along and explains it all to her that she is suddenly able to figure herself out. It's not my favorite trope because it takes away from the potential character growth that a female protagonist might experience. However, since I already mentioned that these characters weren't very deep already, it didn't really affect the story too much overall.

Not a bad read. Perfect for people who like witchy romance books.

Received a copy for review.

This book read a bit like a magical version of The amazing race but focused on plants. Aria has magic she doesn’t understand do she is trying to live in the human world but it’s not going well. When her gran comes to get her to compete the become the keeper of a magical forest, she goes.
Callan built something in a place that was important to Aria and she has not forgiven him.
The “race” was fun and the attraction was clear. It’s a cozy book with lots of interesting characters.

This book was fun and sweet. So many cute moments and definitely something I would read again. I can wait for more books in the series will have to add this to my list to buy a physical copy so I can add to my collection. I dont like giving away anything from the book then what the blurb says. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity and of course the author.

A cute and and easy read of paranormal love. Aria is a witch unable to fully access or control her magic, Callan is a self-made billionaire mage who once turned Aria's beloved spot with her grandpa into a popular cafe. Aria has detested Callan ever since, even as he is unclear on what exactly he did that was that bad (she never fully explains to him that he has caused her grandpa's spirit to disappear).

After several years away, Aria returns to her hometown of Charming Cove to compete to win ownership of the Garden of Enchantment, upon which Aria's grandmother's business relies. Callan is also competing, but for less altruistic reasons. Callan has also never got over his crush on Aria.

Callan and Aria end up working together and falling in love as he also helps her access her true power.

This is a just flat-out fun read. There is no big bad, and things just seem to flow. Callan and Aria are able to resolve their initial conflict with relatively little fanfare and their love story is lovely to watch unfold. I might have liked a bit more sexy time, but I still would 't hesitate to recommend this book.

4.5 stars rounded to 5. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

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

Such a great book! It was an easy read and I loved the characters, ESPECIALLY Boris!! It was just a light and funny read that I would recommend to anyone. It isn’t overly magical and the magic system wasn’t complicated to understand. I can’t wait to read more of this series!

This starts out with a witch whose magic is on the fritz and a lonely multi-millionaire with a heart of gold. If the book just stopped there I would have totally been for it but the author added a really cool competition and interesting magic. This is a quick and fun addition to the urban fantasy romance trend.

4.25⭐

What an absolute delight, fun, and cozy read from Linsey Hall.

The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic is the first book in the Charming Cove series. Aria, our FMC, ran away from home thinking that her magic was a dud only to find out that she belongs to a small, very specialized group of ~plant whisperers~. Nothing holding her back in London after getting fired due to her misfired magic, she returns to Charming Cove for a competition for the Garden of Enchantment- a place where Mr. Sparrow grows one-of-a-kind plants that can't be found anywhere else. One of the people competing against her is Callan Hawthorne (the MMC, a handsome and powerful businessman who already has set plans on what to do with the garden). Aria didn't really like him because he bought the land where she usually goes to to connect with her deceased grandfather. After he built his businesses, her grandfather's spirit disappeared.

The romance part of this book between Aria and Callan does take a backseat to Aria's journey to finding her magic. So for romance girlies, be aware of that before reading. There is one very mild spicy scene.

I also need a familiar like Boris.

I'm not sure how this is supposed to be part of a series but I'm intrigued and I can't wait to read more from Linsey Hall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me completely under its spell.

I started this yesterday on a journey back from London, and from chapter 1, I was hooked, so much so, I completed it in less than 4 hours.

The main characters are all loveable, fun and relatable. The main romance is sweet and loving and I loved watching it grow and develop.

As a person who loved Cornwall anyway, knowing that it's set there and I can just visual perfectly how it all looked and smelt and the magic that would have been in the air.

It was easy, refreshing and made me smile the whole way through. I honestly can't wait for more in this series. Can it be soon please?

If I was to add/change anything... it would be, a little more spice would have been nice and maybe not bring up "The supermodels" as many times.

However, overall. This is a beautiful summer read and an easy 5 star from me.