The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman is a heartwarming story about the mother daughter bond and the lengths we go to for family. I enjoyed the story and the growth the characters experienced as Mattie made her way down her mother's required checklist. I especially liked Penelope. I thought the Russell family magic was well done and adored their victorian home.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Magic All Around" and all opinions expressed are my own. I listened to the audio book. Well I was going to give up on this book. There was a lot going on in the beginning but I gave it a day and started listening again. I'm really glad that I did. I enjoyed the story, heartwarming and inspiring. Magical realism usually draws me to books and the narrator was awesome. I loved how the magic and the tasks all fit together. A lot of the story touched me, especially about looking for signs, as I am dealing with grief that I think will never go away. I would have given it 5 stars if it didn't start off slow. 4.5 is my review and I am now searching for the authors other books.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for this advanced copy.

Things I loved:
- Set in Georgia with flashbacks of Florida; that was exactly me in college!
- The “old timey” names: Lilith, Penelope 😍
- Amazing food descriptions!! 🤤 I stayed hungry!!

Read this if you love:
- A cozy mystery with family elements
- Magical realism
- Southern charm and meddling family members, including the house itself

I’ve also read The Baker’s Man by Moorman, and I salivated throughout that one too!

A heartwarming and whimsical story that will capture readers with its blend of magic, family bonds and love. I loved the victorian house with personality and magical touches.
Many thanks to Harper Muse and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

In this whimsical modern fiction novel, readers follow Maggie, Penelope, and Sophie as they cope with the death of Lilith, Maggie’s free spirited mom. Finally back in her hometown of Ivy Ridge, Maggie has to complete a series of tasks in Ivy Ridge to receive her mother’s bequest, learn how to live in one place (especially a place she thought she had escaped), and uncover some family secrets about love, life, and magic. Strangely enough, all of the tasks Maggie needs to complete are all happening around the time of her mother’s death -- maybe there was some truth to the stories about Russell magic. Maggie also isn’t expecting to build connections or find love in Ivy Ridge, but the world just keeps surprising her. Moorman’s characters and their relationships are the heart and soul of the story, and the relationships between the Russell women are particularly enjoyable to read. Maggie’s friendship with Lucy is also wonderful and heartwarming, and the setting of Ivy Ridge acts as another character, one which everyone in this novel has a relationship with. Moorman’s novel of home, family, connection, magic, and love is an immersive, fascinating read full of nostalgia, warmth, and charm that readers are sure to enjoy.

The Russell family women have magical gifts: older sister Penelope can infuse the clothes she creates with love, strength, joy – whatever the wearer needs, while younger sister Lilith always happens to run into someone with exactly what she needs at any time, such as a job or an apartment, as she moves from city to city. Lilith’s adult daughter Mattie always hears the perfect song playing around her and is able to paint pictures that will mean more to their buyers than she could imagine. When Lilith dies, her will requires Mattie to stay in the family’s hometown of Ivy Ridge while she completes a set of tasks in order to receive a trust. Resistant at first, Mattie is able to learn more about her past, who she is as a person, and what she wants for the future as she works through her mom’s tasks.

I liked the magical realism of the book, with the women’s talents being set in an otherwise ordinary world. It took a while for the plot to start moving, but once it did, I enjoyed the story. I think tightening up the first half of the book could have allowed some deeper exploration of the things that happen in the second half. Despite the book being about Maddie’s mom dying, it was not a heavy or sad read overall. Kathleen McInerney did a nice job with the narration of the audiobook.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book. in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.
I adored this book. It was magical! The house was a character! I loved the little mystery, the family, the romance--just everything. I'm ready to move to Ivy Ridge and make friends with all the characters.. This book was a warm hug. If you need a feel good book this is it.

This was sweet but based on the summary I was hoping for more magic and a deeper story. It was a slow burn in every way. I can honestly say, it's not something I will remember a year from now.

What a fun and magical book. Mattie’s mother has died. So she heads to the only other home she has ever known. Home to Ivy Ridge where her aunt Penelope lives in the very quirky family home. Where a handsome guy she met years ago has also come home. But something strange is going on. At the reading of her mother’s will she is given a list of tasks she has to perform to receive her inheritance. A list of very strange tasks. Add that to a house that is trying to help her, an aunt on her own quest , and the handsome guy mentioned above, you have a delightful book. Thank you NetGalley for an early reading copy. I really enjoyed it. Can’t wait to recommend to friends and family.

𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4 ⭐️
THE MAGIC ALL AROUND
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: magical realism
📖 336 pages
𝗘𝗺𝗼𝗷𝗶𝘀: 🪴✨🌆🏡🎨🎃🌸🍕🎶🧁

💚𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲💚

Thank you @wondersparkspr @harpermusebooks for the #gifted copy!

THE MAGIC ALL AROUND will transport you to the enchanting world of Ivy Ridge, GA. This gem captured my heart from the very first page! With echoes of PRACTICAL MAGIC, it weaves a spellbinding tale of love, found family, & second chances. The intricate family dynamics & tight-knit community exude warmth & charm, drawing you into a cozy embrace.

Overflowing with sweet innocence & heartwarming moments, this is a story that lingers, leaving a trail of magic in its wake. What a delightful read that is sure to enchant & uplift!

Lilith, accompanied by her daughter, Mattie, have been nomadic since leaving her family home in Ivy Ridge, GA, returning only for summer visits. When Lilith suddenly passes away, Mattie is left without her anchor until she discovers a series of tasks her mother left for her to complete in order to inherit her estate, overseen by her aunt Penelope. Despite initial resistance, Mattie realizes that completing these tasks may unveil long-held family secrets, including the identity of her father & the nature of the Russell family's unique abilities. With the return of her childhood sweetheart & the guidance of her mother's final wishes, Mattie embarks on a journey that may lead her back to where she truly belongs.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
◽️ PRACTICAL MAGIC
◽️ multiple POV
◽️ dual timeline
◽️ childhood sweethearts
◽️ found family
◽️ magical houses

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman is a contemporary novel with a few fantastical elements and features two second chance romances. When Mattie’s mother, Lilith, passes away, Mattie returns to Lilith’s hometown and stays with her mother’s sister, Penelope. Shortly after, her almost love interest from high school, Jonathan, comes back to town from New York. Mattie is ready to collect her inheritance and move on, but her mother has put a clause in the will: Mattie has to complete seven tasks around town within four months or forfeit the money.

My favorite thing was how Jennifer Moorman depicted Mattie’s complicated feelings towards her childhood. Lilith moved them around every few years, making it difficult for Mattie to set down roots or find the stability she was looking for, but Mattie also recognizes the good times and the opportunities she got because of moving so much. It shows the nuance of the situation, how those opportunities gained mean opportunities lost and how they make it hard to form long-lasting relationships with others.

The second chance romances are between Mattie and Jonathan and Penelope and Stephen, her ex from her high school and college days. Mattie and Jonathan fall back into flirting very quickly and the spark between them is reignited through intervention from the house and Lilith’s tasks for Mattie. Meanwhile, Penelope has been keeping a secret for years from Stephen, getting in the way of them finally coming back together.

Content warning for mentions of miscarriage

I would recommend this to fans of love stories that are not romance-focused, readers looking for a handful of fantastical elements, such as a radio that changes music on it’s own, but not a fantasy, and fans of grief stories that focus more on healing and moving on than other parts of the journey.

This was just the book I needed. Light-hearted and hopeful with amazing characters, I could not put down The Magic All Around. A story told through magical realism with themes of happiness and fate, I was fully invested in Mattie, her aunt Penelope, and her mother Lilith - they were believable, unique, and inspiring each with their own story and struggles. This might be one of my favorite books I read this year.

What a cute story. It was just pure magic. At least to me it was. A little bit of sadness but overall this was a story of a family touched by magic.

I've not read any of this author's books before. This one was a good one to start with. It left me feeling happy. Lighthearted. With a song in my heart if you will.....

When Mattie returns to Ivy Ridge, Georgia after her mother dies she's devastated. Her mom, Lilith, was her best friend. The one constant companion in her whole life. Not that their life had been normal by any means. They moved a lot. A whole lot. It was what Mattie was use too and she never thought much about it.

Mattie's aunt, Penelope has been a rock for her. She spent many summers in her earlier years with her Aunt. She met a boy on her fifteenth birthday who she never truly forgot about. She has a lot of good memories in Ivy Ridge. But her life has been turned upside down with the death of Lilith. Mattie was so close to her mother. Maybe it was time for her to spread her wings and fly now. Find her own path..

Lilith left Mattie an inheritance but with stipulations for getting it. Many clues are left in the tasks she has to do to get the money. All of these clues are to help Mattie. To help her move forward with her own life. Possibly find a path of her own to find the father she never knew anything about. A love that could be just around the corner. Or next door. Money to help her with her talent of painting. To do what she wanted with her life. To finally settle down and have a stable life.

I loved all the characters in this story. There was no real drama and not thriller aspect in any way. It was just a story of a girl and what all she had to do and had done. The path that lead her to find her way in life. To find true happiness. A magical house. Magical music. Magical family. This book was just pure magic and I loved that. It was such a fun one to read.

Thank you #NetGalley, #JenniferMoorman, #HarperMuse, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book. Pure magic...

Five big stars from me. Read it. Enjoy.

3.75⭐

After the sudden death of her mother Lilith, twenty-four-year-old Mattie Russell returns to her mother’s family home in Ivy Ridge, Georgia with the intention to move on after her mother’s funeral and related formalities are over. Mattie has led an eventful life with her mother, constantly on the move and with nearly no friends or place to call home except Ivy Ridge, where she spent her childhood summers with Penelope. However, she is forced to shelve her plans temporarily after the list of seemingly strange and unrelated tasks stipulated in her mother’s will sends her on a very personal journey of self-discovery but also leads her to the answers to some very important questions about her mother and the identity of her father. Mattie also comes face to face with Jonathan, who broke her teenage heart ten years ago – the very person she had hoped to never run into again. Lilith’s sister Penelope, who stayed back in the family home after Lilith left at the age of eighteen, is heartbroken after the death of her sister. She loves Mattie and is happy to have her back home and secretly hopes that Mattie will decide to stay. Lilith’s lawyer and executor of her will is someone with whom Penelope shares history. As the story progresses, we follow Mattie, Penelope and Jonathan as they grapple with their loss, reconnect with one another and others from their respective past, learn to move on from past hurts, and bring about positive changes in their lives.

The Magic All Around by Jenifer Moorman is a heartwarming story that revolves around themes of family, love, home, community and self-discovery. The narrative is shared from the perspectives of Mattie, Jonathan and Penelope allowing us to explore these characters and their connections in depth. I really liked how the author weaves the magical realism element into the novel with each of the Russell women’s special gifts and the house who we can consider a character in this story sharing the family’s happiness and sorrow, intuitive and very opinionated, whose quirks made me laugh out loud more than once. Stories such as this one are rarely unpredictable, but what makes them engage readers are the characters and the journey to the end. The romance angle was well executed, and I loved the vivid descriptions of Russell House, the Ivy Ridge community and the endearing cast of characters. However, though the narrative is engaging and flows well, I thought it suffered from repetitiveness and inconsistent pacing, slowing down considerably in certain parts. Despite these flaws, I found this novel to be an uplifting and charming story that left me with a smile on my face and joy in my heart.

Finally, I love that cover!

Many thanks to Harper Muse for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is a beautifully written story for those who love family elements and magic. Moorman did a wonderful job with writing this story as it was fun but also deals with sensitive topics greatly. I loved the magic elements that were written into this book along with the small town setting and the amazing characters. The storyline was great and the conflicts were good except the pacing was a bit off throughout the book

*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

I adored this sweet magical tale. Like a hallmark movie crossed with practical magic. A fun and compelling read with a little bit of mystery and a dash of romance to keep readers interested

"The Magic All Around" is a cozy, magical in a good way, journey. I want to echo all of the positive reviews this book has already received by just saying, "Please give us a sequel soon."
I was transported to this world and wished that I had a connection with a house and family that outlasts death.

Thank you to Netgalley, Jennifer Moorman, and the publisher for allowing me to visit this amazing family and home.

"The Magic All Around" is a wonderful story of a young woman whose mother has recently passed away. Mattie Russell and her mother, Lillith, were best friends, travel companions, and nomads. So Mattie had never really had a place to call home before. But with her mother's passing, Mattie has to return to Ivy Ridge, where her remaining relatives live, to settle the estate and spend time with the rest of her family, who are decidedly NOT nomadic.

But when she gets there, she is confronted by a confusing past and a confounding future. Having never had a place to call home before, how we she know "home" if she saw it?

I have to admit, I loved the enchanted bits of the story. But initially, I was a little confused. Last summer, I read Ann Aguirre's "The Only Purple House in Town," which also had a house with its own mind that wasn't afraid to insert itself into things. And when this house clearly started to stand out as a character in its own right, I thought perhaps I'd picked up the same book again. But other than that shared element, the two stories are each distinctly their own, and I truly enjoyed "The Magic All Around!"

Mattie's search for answers was compelling, and we were brought along on the ride as she sought to figure out what she wanted out of life, now that she was no longer being pulled along in her mother's wake. Ultimately, Mattie's discovery of who she was and what she wanted most was heartwarming.

Thank you to Jennifer Moorman, Harper Collins, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Jennifer Moorman has created a magical, delightful web of family, whimsical happenings, and a deep love for home! Excellent novel. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman is a light, fun read of magical realism. The story centers around the Russell family who all have their own unique and special talents. What I found really neat about this story is that even the Victorian house they live in was a character in itself. The house could sense when family members needed something and would react in different ways out of love for its residents. Mattie, the main character, has lost her mother to an early death. She comes home to Ivy Ridge, to the Russell family home, to attend her mother’s funeral and to try and figure out where her life goes from there. Along the way, she receives subtle clues from her mother showing her where it is that she belongs and what would make her happy. On top of the loving mother-daughter relationship, this story is about finding family that you didn’t know you had, finding true love and learning where home truly is. I really enjoyed reading this, I’m finding that I’m enjoying magical realism a lot more than I ever thought I would. I guess everyone needs a little magic and fairy tale in their life. I’d like to thank Harper Muse for accepting my request and NetGalley for the arc. This was a fun and enjoyable read. It had just the right amount of magic to make it pleasurable yet it wasn’t too over the top. It was nicely done! It’s a book I’d recommend and I’m giving it a 4 star rating.