Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5
Spook Level: 🫣 /5

Story Aspects
🪄Unknown Magic
🪄Creepy Crawlies
🪄Find Yourself Feminism
🪄Missing Person Mystery

What I did like about this book was the heavy character development and flashbacks between the main characters’ older and younger self. Overall, this is not a book that I was very excited for because of the fact that it was a VERY slow burn. I also did not enjoy the feminist controlling vibes that I got from the characters around the main character and felt there was a constant attack on her not only from her best friend but also the bad guys in the story. I also felt like her mother was very absent from the story even though she had gone to her hometown to visit her in the first place. I did like the realization that this character did not know what she wanted in life but still kept trying to figure it out for herself. The story was a little unrealistic in my opinion and more imaginative for a thriller but overall it made sense. I was not too satisfied at the end of the book because I felt like there was something missing or lingering at the end and maybe it was a little too rushed because everything else in the story made it take a while to get to the climax.

Warning: Please be advised that there are themes of emotional/ physical abuse, gaslighting, manipulation, kidnapping, and murder in this book. If these are triggers for you, skip this book.

Special thanks to the Publisher and the Author for providing a complimentary digital Electronic Advanced Reader Copy (E-ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest, and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Books for an early copy of Under Her Spell by K. L. Cerra.
I was immediately drawn into this mystery and then the added bit of "witchiness" was a big plus. This was a quick and easy read and at times feels like a book written for the YA crowd. The ending left me with some questions, but it would be easy for this author to continue this as a series of "the sisterhood" if she wanted to.

In her senior year of high school, Liv and her family move to a new town. Liv starts her senior year knowing no one. There is a group of three girls that are rumored to be witches. Liv is curious about them but finds a true friend in Sam. As they navigate senior year, Liv and Sam become close friends. An argument pulls them in different directions. Liv tries keeping in touch with Sam but Sam never replies, until now. Sam sends Liv a note asking for Liv's help. Liv returns home to help. Upon her arrival, Liv learns that Sam is missing. Frightened for her friend, Liv begins unraveling Sam's recent activity to discover Sam lives in a house with the "witches" from high school. Liv's concern for Sam's safety grows as she fails to find an answer about Sam's whereabouts.

Under Her Spell examines female friendship at several stages of life. Is the bond between women truly something special? Liv's father had died but his presence and the memories of his abuse continue. Liv examines her feelings toward her fiance in light of her parents' relationship. Is her past shaping her future? The search for Sam and the return home allow Liv to examine her life and decisions. She has time to make changes in her life provided she recognizes her opportunity.

K.L. Cerra's book is a well-written story. Liv is an interesting woman working hard to sort out the jumble of her life. We hope she succeeds in sorting things out and finding her friend. The circumstances of this story are clever and imaginative keeping the reader interested page after page. Cerra's combination of paranormal and suspense is a winner for readers.

Thank you Random House, NetGalley, and C.K. Cerra for the advanced reader copy.

2.5 stars rounded up

I was ready to love this book, but sadly, I did not. In all honesty, after I started reading it, I lost sight of the fact that it was women's fiction and not YA.

I loved the premise, the cover, and the switching between then and now, but I did not find the characters intriguing, and the ending felt rushed and not at all unexpected.

Thank you for the advanced copy.

The premise of this book sounded so interesting and fun. Sadly, for me, it turned out to be neither of those things.

This had definite Young Adult vibes, even though the major characters were supposed to be in their late twenties. They all talked and acted like they were still in high school. None of them, including the main protagonist and her mother, were likeable in any way. More like self-centered narcissistic bores. And a little dense as far as common sense goes. The evildoers were easy to figure out early on. So easy in fact, that I thought maybe I got it wrong. Nope, you will know fairly quickly whodunit.

I found the theme of feminine power a bit disturbing, only because of the way it was used to justify evil. And the ending was rushed, unsatisfying and mostly unbelievable, even though there is an epilogue that takes us 8 years into the future.

This one was just not for me.

Absolutely yes!
Under Her Spell is a novel by K.L Cerra.
It follows Liv who receives a mysterious letter from her high school friend Sam who she hasn’t spoken to in about 10 years saying she needed help, so Liv leaves her fiancé and life in Boston to travel back to her childhood hometown of Guilford ,CT. As she is traveling from Boston she sees a social media post indicating that Sam is missing. The story goes between a “Now” and “Then” point of view, showing us how the two girls meet and how their friendship evolves. The complicated relationship that Liv has with Sam’s twin brother Everett and It also introduces Eden, Cora, and Avery the trio that call themselves “The Sisterhood” that Liv envied from afar.

When Liv gets to town she finds out that Sam had finally made friends with the Sisterhood and moved in with Eden and Cora to help them run their bridal boutique.

It is a heavy and dark story with creepy crawly beetles with that left me wanting to read more. Growing up in New England and reading the nostalgia of Friendly’s Monster ice cream brought back so many fond memories for me. Loved the New England Witchy vibes!!

Thank you Random House for the ARC

3.5 stars rounded down. This book takes on feminist themes with a witchy vibe. Some of it is a bit outlandish, the main character seems immature, and the ending was rushed. However, I enjoyed the writing, the flip between past and present, and the overall mystery of what happened.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Friendships, revenge and darkness? Yes please! I was drawn due to the creepy sensational witchy vibes. Thank you

This was an intriguing and creepy novel of a woman on the precipice of her “adult” life post-college. Many of her realizations about her own life stem from returning to the town she graduated high school from (but only attended senior year). When she arrives after being beckoned by a former friend, she finds that said friend is missing—and that she’d lived with the witchy “plastics” types from high school right before she vanished.

I not only enjoyed the creepy parts of this mystery, but also the scathing commentary about what it means to be both a woman and a creative in a “modern society” that wants to boil you down to just being a mom. What female empowerment and sisterhood truly means.

Under Her Spell was a quick, easy read. Interesting and a little out of my box. Definitely had more of a young adult vibe.

I would like to thank Bantam Books, K. L. Cerra, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the advanced copy.
This book was an okay read. The plot of the book had much potential. Two friends drift apart throughout the years. Then, years later one needs help, and the other races home to help. The book fell a little short for me. Lots of unresolved issues between characters. The ending may have been a little rushed. I give this book a solid 3 stars

Sam took Liv under her wing when her parents moved across country and Liv had one year of high school left before graduation. At first Liv is thrilled to have a new best friend, but soon circumstances force her to see Sam through more critical eyes.
10 years pass with no contact between Liv and Sam. But a note from Sam has Liv rushing home. By the time she arrives, Sam has vanished without a trace. What happened between these two and where is Sam now?
Told in the past and in the present, we learn what tore these two friends apart. As Liv searches for answers, she may have made a fatal mistake. She believes she can trust Sam’s roommates, Eden and Cora. But they harbor deep secrets and their mission… Well, you will have to read Under Her Spell to find out what that is.
I didn’t love the ending, but the journey kept me flipping pages needing to know what happened to Sam.

I wanted to love this book so much, and I did love parts at the beginning with the witchy cool girls and their adult clique that owns a bespoke bridal shop. There were definitely shades of a darker 'Practical Magic' at the beginning, particularly with the October setting and the fancy small town. However...it went off the rails hard, and I kinda hated some of the overall messaging by the end? To be perfectly frank, I despised that messaging and felt it was fairly reactionary and problematic. (The initial messaging seemed like it was setting up a straw man argument too, so I was worried but hopeful that my fears would be wrong, but...nope.)

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I enjoyed this book and think you will to.

This was the absolute perfect mix of atmospheric and character driven. I’m a sucker for anything set in New England but the mix of mystery and magic really made this a quick favorite

I really enjoyed the build up of the story. The way it switched from past to present.
They mysterious Sisterhood.
The longing of looking at one option in life to see another option could be viable.
The 'witchcraft" angle was interesting but still left a lot for the reader to discern if it was witchcraft at all.

What I had a hard time with was the loose ends. Sam and Liv never made up after Sam discovered Liv's secret. Yet Sam reached out to her for help. The boyfriend of Sams was introduced and dismissed.
The discovery of where Sam was, then dismissed.
Then the reader is fast forwarded to the end, with no mention of Noah, Emmett, the other Sisterhood member before Sam.

Overall this is an ok mystery/murder book that could have been great with more details.

I was completely the wrong reader for this one. I thought the cover was fabulous and liked the blurb, but the trials and tribulations of this 27-year-old who acted like she was still in high school wore on me really quickly and I found myself annoyed rather than intrigued. She was not a terribly sympathetic protagonist and everything just felt a little overblown and overly dramatic to me. This was not a good fit for me.

Under Her Spell is one of those books that’s equally creepy and a page turning mystery. We’re introduced to Liz who seemingly has her life pretty together and soon to be married. When one of her old high school friends goes missing, she heads back home to help find her. From here, we’re thrown into the mystery of what happened to her, what’s up with the creepily interesting clique from high school, why Liv and her friend weren’t on speaking terms, and what’s going on in their town. We’re treated to a creepy mystery at the surface, but there’s also an underlying theme about pressures and expectations women face in their lives. This would be a great choice for a book club pick!

Under her spell was an an eerie read, that kind of gave me 'The Craft' vibes. Part witchy, part feminist, this took on some major themes of women's choices or lack their of pertaining to careers, marriage and motherhood. I thought the message was done very well, but the ending kind of left me hanging a bit.
Overall, an enjoyable read.

Thanks for the review copy. This is eerie and alluring as a fantasy thriller. I liked the elements of friendship, darkness, fantasy, and revenge.