was provided a free audio book copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this cozy little audio book. It was filled with found family and acceptance and friendship in unlikely places. I loved how down-on-her-luck Iris brought this group of misfits together and how quickly they bonded and became a family.

The romance aspect of the story was a slow burn with very little bite and the whole premise of Eli knowing her and looking at her socials ahead and then lying about who he was was kind of off putting. I could see how that moment from their childhood could have stuck with him and not her but to move in with her and lie about his job and wealth and who he was was off putting. I still found myself happy when the two ended up together in the end despite this though.

I enjoyed the other characters in the book as well and sometimes maybe more than Iris and Eli. The curmudgeonly old man was definitely my kind of vibe.

The narrator was great and did a good job varying up her voice for each character so you knew who was speaking though with the perspective switches midchapter sometimes it was hard to catch since she read Eli the same as Iris as long as he wasn’t speaking to another character.

I enjoyed the magical parts of this book. The fix-it witches and covens as well as shapeshifters were interesting. I found out after that this is part of a series but also meant to be standalone as well and found I could definitely follow the story without having read the previous books.

Thanks again to the publisher, Sourcebooks, and Netgalley for the early copy of the audio book. I enjoyed this book and would recommend for a cozy cottage read.

Thank you Ann Aguirre, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for this advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was an cute, cozy fantasy read. It is the fourth book in the "Fix-It Witches" series, but in my opinion it could be read as a standalone book. It gave me "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" vibes. The characters in this book were super lovable. I will be honest though and say that I was not a big fan of Eli's character. He really straddled the line between 'high school crush" and "stalker vibes". I did not like the idea of him and Iris together at all. Other than that, I did think this was a cute book. I read this book in audiobook format and did enjoy the audiobook and narration. I can see why so many people loved this book, but I just don't think this book was for me.

rating: 3 stars

Thanks to Ann Aguirre, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was better than I expected! Iris was likeable and relatable, a great MC. I'm a little miffed with Eli for holding onto his secret so long, but honestly he wasn't being all that secretive; Iris should have at least suspected. No one throws that much money at a house they don't own unless they've got money to burn. The other tenants were great too. My only issue was that the middle dragged; if I were to break it into quarters I'd say I tuned a good bit of the third quarter out. Could have been slimmed and trimmed. Otherwise this was a nice read that I'd recommend to anyone looking for humor, a strong found-family theme, and touch of the paranormal. Don't read that Iris is a vampire and get turned off, like I nearly did (I'm so sick of vampires); it's not what you may think. Also, don't worry about this being the fourth book in a series; I had no idea until I got on Goodreads to post this review. This can definitely stand alone. The narrator, Carly Robins, was excellent.

At the time I requested this, I thought it sounded like a very cute standalone. Come to find out, it's book 4 in a series. This unfortunately did not work for me at all.

I liked the found family aspect. Iris is broke as a joke and made that her entire personality. She seems incapable of any planning or willing to hustle to get herself out of the things she gets herself into. If you find yourself mooching off of roommates, find a day job for a bit and work on your passion projects at night? She inherits her aunt's home in Illinois and bounces from her life basically upon opening the book.

When she gets there, she is spotted by Eli who has been lowkey stalking her for years and he immediately moves into her house as a boarder. I felt their romance was entirely flat.

I loved that this book and town seemed to have a diverse cast of characters and all of the side characters seemed to be LGBTQ+ friendly but can we talk about how the author chose to have a stranger drive by the house and throw hate speech at them when they were simply fixing a porch because the color of the house was apparently too gay for them? I'm still not over it. I get that it was used to point at and be like, those people (the ones who drove the car) were awful and indicative of the rhetoric that was going around about supernaturals but that was absolutely not the way to do it.

I did like the narrator and thought Carly did a good job especially since there were so many speaking characters in this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

Quick Summary: Creative fantasy fiction where hero worship turns into a romantic interest

My Review: The Only Purple House in Town by Ann Aguirre is associated with The Fix-It-Witches series.

About the Book: Iris Collins has always felt like the odd man out in her family. She doesn't quite fit in. She is not generally supported by anyone at home, her parents are woefully neglectful, and her siblings are not very considerate when it comes to her. When a relative dies and leaves her a house, Iris finds herself in an unusual situation. In an effort to improve her situation, Iris decides to open her not so new house up to others. Before she knows it, the colorful band of residents living with her becomes her family.

About the Conflict: This book has many interesting conflict points. For the most part, it largely relates to the idea of family.

About the Romance: Although this book is labeled as a romance, it would be more accurate to say that it is a story about family love. Also, there are several diverse couplings represented. The main love match involves a shifter and a misplaced other.

About the Main Characters: Iris Collins and Eli Reese share a history. During a specific season of life, one championed the other in a big way. The deed was never forgotten. Over time, one-sided feelings develop. When the two unexpectedly cross paths again, a misunderstanding leads to an opportunity, but at what expense?

About the Found Family: Every sup character that was introduced had a noteworthy role to play. From the grouchy grump to the artistic youngling, every person represented someone in the now of our culture. I'm certain that the placement of each was wholly intentional.

About the Reveals: There were a few surprises associated with this story. When they were revealed, they conveniently and inconveniently shifted things. Some actions were predictable, however, some were pretty startling.

My Final Say: This was a likable fantasy fiction book. It will appeal to some. It may not appeal to others, due to certain peculiar behaviors that are normalized, such as lying by omission, harassment, and subterfuge.

I found it to be incredibly interesting how the roles of the leads were somewhat reversed when a comparison between the past and the present was made. The hero/person in need scenario rang true for Eli and for Iris' storyline.

Readers who enjoy books where found families are formed or books where a ragtag group of special people come together and find love will appreciate this story.

Other: This book can be read as a standalone.

Rating: 3/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: T to A
Series: Yes
Audiobook: Yes

Thanks to the author, to the publisher (Dreamscape Media), and to NetGalley, who provided access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have voluntarily shared are my own.

* A Goodreads review has been posted.

3.4 stars.

I got the audiobook advanced reader copy (ARC).

First of all, the narrator does a pretty good job. The characters felt distinguishable from each other and her voice was easy to hear.

This is a sweet read with a lovely beta hero and a kind heroine who gathers people around her. I didn’t read the reviews first… just dived in. I expected a romance with some found family vibes.

HOWEVER…

This book has so many elements and plots. This is supposedly a romance, but the other stuff gets in the way and the romance gets put in the back seat. It could have been so lovely, but we hardly get any romance in the midst of this. For some, this might work… but I wanted romance and it’s super slim.

1. I love found family… but each member gets their own story arc and it gets overwhelming.
<blockquote>
a. Grumpy old man needs to figure out how to stay busy/how to be loved even if he’s not busy. He updates the house and gets grumpy about not having enough to do. And maybe he’s going to sell his carpentry.
b. Divorced woman wants to date around and is bi-curious after years of being married to a man. And she’s dating a witch. We get to meet her ex and hear about his dating history too. Oh, and we hear about her family. And maybe she’s going to sell her knitting products.
c. Young woman recently broken up with her girlfriend. Who just so happens to be a “tech” witch, meaning she can magically fix up the house (which causes the grumpy old man to be grumpier). Oh… and she also wants to join the divorced woman’s girlfriend’s coven.
d. Non-binary young person who is being persecuted by their family so has to move out. Oh, and they’re an artist and work to make their living as an artist.
e. Young man is selling his Gamma’s house and is figuring out how to sell his tech apps and is being pressured into a new opportunity. And he’s a shifter. Oh… and he might have cozy stalked the female main character over the years… which causes some last-minute drama.
f. Main female character has so many story arcs centered around her. She’s treated like crap by much of her family… but maybe they’re not her family? Who is she really? (oh… and when we learn, it’s like “here you go, no big deal”). She has money issues and is starting her own business. Oh… and she’s inherited a house. And she’s getting into a romance, too. Oh… and she doesn’t have magic like the rest of her family but maybe she has magic… but we won’t know until the end, out of context. Oh, and her sister stole her boyfriend. The explanation at the end of her true past is super complicated and could have made a book in and of itself.
g. And let’s not even get into all the side characters that have their own stories and show up in the middle of things.</blockquote>
2. Representation for sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. The author had so many different characters with all sorts of combinations. Transexual, gay, lesbian, bi-curious, non-binary, polyamory, and so on. It’s positive rep, but the level of detail overwhelms the story.
3. Other plot points:
<blockquote>a. “Evil” neighbor seeks to shut them down.
b. Persecution against paranormals.
c. Interactions with past main characters from the “fixit witches” series. </blockquote>
4. Too much “perfect”.
<blockquote>a. The heroine is like Cinderella and super sweet in her family of nasty people.
b. Everyone in the house accepts each other so well. Even the grumpy old man is okay with using “they” because “it’s polite”.
c. Magic cures hard issues super easily.</blockquote>

Stupid third act breakup is so foreshadowed, I could have written it out. I know that this always happens when one of the main characters keeps secrets, but the heroine freaks out in an obnoxious way. The way she curses at him is so out of character that it hurted a lot.

This book gets soooo complicated! It started off so cute but it gets muddled with the multiple plot points and details to be truly excellent. The author could have used some help to focus the story.

Safety deets (almost doesn’t matter cause the romance is so sidelined)
- no om/ow drama.
- consent is in there, but there’s some keeping secrets which is annoying… but we get LOTs of discussion over agency and consent.
- no sexy times… just a little nonexplicit kissing.
- we don’t hear about either’s sexual history… but the heroine has had several boyfriends. We don’t hear of anyone the hero ever dated.

This has everything I love in books: magic, found family, the slow fixing of a situation/thing.

Iris is the black sheep of her family and always seems to make just the wrong decision. When her great aunt leaves her a house and some money she leaps at the chance for a fresh start.

The house is definitely a fixer upper, but it has space to allow her to rent out several bedrooms for income while she builds up her jewelry business. Slowly, one by one, she finds the perfect tenants and builds a little family of misfits.

Then Iris gets the shock of her life when a family secret is revealed, truths of her roommates are uncovered and she suddenly has big decisions to make.

TBH, I'm not a romance fan so the final chapter or two was a bit much for me but I absolutely loved every other piece of this story. It makes me sad that the story ended. I feel like I'm leaving my friends behind.

The narrator isn't bad, but she wasn't really what I imagined for Iris when I read the digital version so that threw me off a little bit. However the magic is still there.

This was an adorable found family story if I’ve ever read one. There’s a variety of LGBTQIA+ rep, some mild fantasy elements, and a delightful purple house. I really loved follow Iris along her journey as she found herself and the family who would truly care for her in a way her original never did. I loved the wide cast of characters, though Rowan and Henry Dale were my favorites. My only complaint about this book is how manufactured the conflict between Iris and Eli felt. It was frustrating that it dragged out so long when it could have been solved by a simple conversation. It felt a bit forced. That being said, I loved the characters and all the rest of the story so much, I couldn’t give less than 4 stars.

One of my MOST anticipated reads of the year and it didn't disappoint!! I am OBSESSED with this gorgeous purple cover but the story was a lovely, feel-good supernatural romance filled with a quirky cast of paranormals who all come to live in a big purple house Iris has inherited from a distant relative.

Technically this is the fourth book in the Fix-It witches series but it definitely works as a standalone. I loved the found family, the secret pining, the he falls first, dance lessons and curmudgeonly older side characters. Recommended for fans of Sangu Mandanna's The very secret society of irregular witches.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for early digital and audio copies AND for sending me a beautiful finished copy I will cherish.