Linsey Hall's "The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic" is a delightful and enchanting tale that combines romance, humor, and a touch of chaos. The protagonist, a witch with a knack for magical mishaps, sets three simple rules for herself, only to find herself breaking every single one of them.

Hall's writing is witty and engaging, drawing readers into the world of Charming Cove with its ancient pubs and mischievous familiars. The protagonist's journey to save her family's magical potion shop while navigating a competition and her complicated feelings for the attractive Callan Hawthorne is filled with humorous mishaps and unexpected twists.

The story blends the magical elements seamlessly with the romantic storyline, creating a charming and lighthearted atmosphere. The protagonist's determination to overcome her magical disasters and prove herself adds a relatable layer to the narrative, as readers root for her success and personal growth.

"The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic" is a fun and entertaining read that will leave readers smiling. Linsey Hall's blend of magic, romance, and humor creates a delightful escape into a world where rules are meant to be broken and love can be found in the most unexpected places. Get ready for a whimsical and enjoyable adventure in the magical realm of Charming Cove.

I love books about magic, and books about romance. Books that have a bit of both are too often a guilty pleasure. Linsey Hall’s THE MODERN GIRL’S GUIDE TO MAGIC promises to deliver on all fronts, but ends up falling short.

Structurally, it could use a lot more development. The characters largely lack any form of dimension, and Hall relies on age-old tropes that need to be retired. Plus, there’s far too much telling vs. showing readers how to feel, as you follow along an intriguing but otherwise uneven plot. The romance is also less extremely insta-love, which makes it tough to root for.

My verdict: This book really wasn’t for me, but that’s not to say it couldn’t be an enjoyable summer pick-me-up for other fiction lovers.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.*

This was such a cute story!! I absolutely loved the premise and Linsey Hall did such a wonderful job crafting this magical world full of magical characters. This is more of a teen-targeted book, but it is still captivating nonetheless. I thought the plot was interesting and moved along well, with the elements of magic tied together with romance acting as icing on the cake. I've always been a huge fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope and Linsey Hall tackled it nicely and I enjoyed the banter and storylines between the two characters. Overall, this was a cute, cozy, and quick read that any fantasy lovers would enjoy!

Thank you NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a great book! Easy read, heartwarming, and a nice little boost of serotonin. I hope I get to read more of Aria’s story soon! I received this eARC from NetGalley for my unbiased opinion. Thank you!

this was a super cute cozy witchy read. I'm hesitant to call it a romcom, because the romance was really secondary to the main character's self development. The humor is definitely there though. I found all the characters to be endearing, witty and relatable. Plot development and pacing were all great. Cottage core in book form.

"𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘮?
𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦."

Before I even get into this review, my favourite character, by far, was Boris. I want to bribe Boris with Bacon Sandwiches, and then Boris can bring home the pinklings and dreamweavers 😍

I thoroughly enjoyed the story this book told! Honestly, it was gripping from the start. I was curious about Aria's magic. I wanted to know more about Callan, and I wanted to know more about the competition.

However, as I continued reading, there were a few things that really kind of threw me off and took me out of the immersion of the story.

Firstly, the amount of time spent on important parts of the story. One being when they went to the cave. It almost came too easy to Aria, and I wanted to see her really pushed. Also, discovering the problem with Aria's magic. It sort of seemed a bit too easy. It felt like there was almost less time spent on the magic training than there was on the champagne in the plane. Basically, I just felt it needed more trial and error to just give it a little bit more substance.

Secondly, the relationship between Aria's and Callan felt a bit forced. From the moment Callan appeared in town, the townies were pushing them together.
Aria just gave up most of her years and years of anger so easily after one tiny conversation, too, which seemed unrealistic. There were some really fun scenes like at the haunted house (give me a one bed trope any day, I'll gobble it right up), but something was missing from their relationship. Perhaps it's that I never really got to connect with Callan? He was helpful and nice, but nothing made him stand out as my next book boyfriend.

Despite these two things, I can't say I didn't binge read this. I did. It was fun. I loved Gran, I HATED Serena, and the other mean people. The pinklings seemed so cute, Boris was the comedic relief I needed, and honestly, this ended perfectly. I wasn't overly surprised by much in this book, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a fun ride.

➛ 𝟑 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press for the ebook in exchange for an honest review. I can't describe how good this book is, but I absolutely will try.

This is one of those rare, hug-in-book-form books. The characters were delightful, the spice was well-written, the setting was magical, and the writing made it so easy to read. I couldn't think about much else until I finished.

I loved it. I'm excited to buy a physical copy of this book when it's available as it's quickly become a favourite and I read more from this author!

I encourage anyone who enjoys a good romcom or cosy fantasy to read this book.

This is a cozy witchy rom-com. The FMC and MMC are both very likable and everyone they interact with throughout the book is enjoyable as well. The only character I didn't entirely love was Boris the badger, which might end up being an unpopular opinion. I just didn't find Boris entirely necessary until the very end and his appearances until then started to feel repetitive. My only issues were that the beginning especially felt a little like an exposition dump and the book overall read super YA until the random spice scene that didn't go into any detail really. It threw me off a little bit, it just didn't feel like it meshed with the rest of the book. Overall, it was a fuzzy feel-good read and I did like this book. It was enjoyable, fun, cute, it was a quick read, and it still had me smiling through the whole thing.

Linsey Hall has created a whimsical masterpiece. This book was so intriguing that I devoured it in a day.

Aria left the town of Charming Cove because she felt like her magic was an embarrassment. Taking on life alone in London was even more embarrassing because her magic blew up in the most inconvenient situations- literally. She finds herself back home in Charming Cove to compete in a competition to be named as sole heir of a magical garden that her family’s small business relies on. With the fate of the family business in her hands, Aria works to take charge of her magic and blow the competition away, including Callan Hawthorne.

This book gave me the warm and fuzzies. It made me feel like I was cozied up in a hammock in the most beautiful garden imaginable. Boris gave me Salem vibes, and he kept me laughing hysterically.

I cannot say enough good things about this book!

I wanted to extend a huge thank you to NetGalley and Bonnie Doon Press for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book.

I really enjoyed this book. It was so sweet and innocent and I ate it up. I read this so fast it didn’t even feel like reading. It was a heartfelt romcom for sure.

Absolutely loved this story. I really was hooked from the very beginning. There's really nothing bad I could say about the book at all.
Firstly I love being able to picture the setting for a book. It makes me feel really immersed in the story and just makes me care more.
I love the way the relationship progressed. Aria absolutely despised Callan at the beginning. Throughout the book their relationship really grew into one of not just lovers but friendship.
Boris the badger. He loves food and threatens to shank people. Enough said he's fantastic.
A book I highly recommend everyone check out.

This was a really fun and cute book. Refreshing really. It was just a perfect little cozy book that made me laugh and forget I was reading. I will say the pacing was a bit off sometimes and there were some typos here and there. Otherwise I enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn’t influence my review.
Tropes: paranormal romance, hate to love, competition
Hilarious book! I loved the characters and the vibe of the book. Will definitely recommend this book!

This was a really cute and cosy fantasy with a simple magic system, cosy Cornish village setting and a sweet second-chance romance plot. It was a super easy read and the whole thing just felt like a warm hug.

At times, things felt slightly half cooked, almost like the author had a plot lined up then realised she was running out of pages to cover it and glossed over some parts that I would've liked more from.

On the whole, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who needs a bit of a pallet cleanser between much harder hitting and more complex books.

Also, Boris the Badger is incredible. 🦡

Linsey Hall built a charming and whimsical world to fall into in The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic. I think the author really excelled in creating the setting so I definitely look forward to the other standalone novels to be set in this world that are forthcoming.

I enjoyed the dialogue and interactions between the FMC and MMC and could have read more of that. The FMC's inner voice felt a little immature at times which came across as disruptive and, at times, some of the content skewed a little cheesy. As a whole, it didn't detract from the book overall and it was a fun rom-com.

I've provided this honest review on GoodReads voluntarily thanks to an advanced copy from Bonnie Doon Press and NetGalley.

This is an easy book to read and enjoyable. I enjoyed the lightness of the story. The one problem I found with the book is that I wasn't sure whether it wanted to a rom-com or a steamy book - I personally felt that the latter wasn't needed to pull the story together.

There were some likeable characters (and less likeable ones who acted like they were in high school). The magic was so element I enjoyed and was interesting to learn about the main characters magic. I did feel that there was the potential for more depth there and the grandfathers sideline plot.

I receive complimentary books for various sources including, Netgalley, Authors, and other such sources. I am not required to write a positive review and have not received compensation.

This book was a little outside of my normal genre, but it managed to weave together romance and magic well. My biggest issue with the book was that it felt very juvenile throughout most of the story in terms of the writing and portrayal of the characters, but then there would be a more explicit scene a couple of times and it just felt out of place with the story. I also felt like the ending wrapped up super fast and every issue just had a simple solution. Overall, it was a quick enjoyable read, but it was just missing something in my opinion. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

An intriguing premise for a book, with magic, family, friendship and romance throughout and a sort-of talking badger. This was a cosy read which focused on Aria, a witch who has had difficulties with her powers her whole life but feels an affinity for plants. After a chance meeting years before, she considered Callan her enemy - one she wasn’t expecting to run into again. In a small village, it’s hard to avoid anyone, especially your competitor at a weeks-long competition that holds your future, and the future of your village, in the balance. This was an easy read and I liked Aria and her friends and family, as well as Callan, but I didn’t feel much of a connection between them, and would have loved to feel more chemistry and to have truly seen their budding romance play out on the page. It felt like the romance was a side plot, which in itself is okay, but since we spend all our time with Aria and Callan it’s difficult to say that they had chance to fall for each other in a short space of time, when they encountered each other - in the grand scheme of things - not too often. Otherwise, it was a good read and I liked the insight into different types of magic and magical beings and the tasks for the competition.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

I absolutely loved this book! I was hooked from the very beginning and couldn’t put it down. I have read a few books by Linsey Hall and this one did not disappoint. It was easily 5/5 stars and I highly recommend reading it. This book is released June 2,2023. Thank you to Netgalley, Bonnie Doon Press and Linsey Hall for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

I absolutely loved this. It’s sweet and cozy and cute and funny. The author does a great job of describing the world that Aria and Callan live in. It made me want to live in the quaint little town of Charming Cove. I loved the supporting characters, especially Boris. I totally want my own Boris and will make him all the bacon sandwiches. This book is a quick easy read that gives you the warm fuzzy feels. I really hope this is the beginning of a wonderful series because I am in love with Charming Cove.