Quick and cozy seasonal read. Cute but I didn’t really connect to any of the characters and it didn’t do as much with the magic system as the other books in the series. Enjoyable but forgettable.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this as an e-ARC. The cover and the title caught my eye.

The cover truly is so fun and beautiful! The book itself, I found myself a little lost. I couldn’t connect to it or the characters, and found myself losing attention for a bit then getting confused when I refocused. I know it’s a very cute, great read for some people but it was missing something for me.

Thank you to Forever Publishing and Netgalley for the eARC and ALC.

Deja Brew had potential but didn’t really deliver.

Sirena was difficult to relate to. She basically has a Groundhog Day-esque month as a do-over and is reliving the month of October. She wants to get her magic-y witchy cooking mojo back and somehow that includes Gus, an ex-reality star magician trying to live a quiet life. She was just so wishy washy with Gus. Kiss him then tell him she doesn’t want to date. Have a wild weekend then ignore him for days.

Who dates someone but doesn’t at least text or call them everyday??

It’s essentially just a cute witchy read for fall, but I struggled in connecting with the characters and was missing the chemistry.

The biggest highlight was the narration. I loved the female narrator’s tone and cadence and she was the reason I kept listening through to the end.

WHAT AN AMAZING BOOK TO FINISH OUT THE ELEMENTAL LOVE SERIES!!! Celestine has created one of the warmest, inviting, and coziest worlds in Freya Grove! Like let me pack up and move there immediately! The Caraway witches should have the same notoriety as all of favorite witch families...Owens and Bennett! Sirena is a kitchen witch who has lost her spark and she gets a second chance at life and love with a swoony magician named Gus. Gus is everything we want in a magical leading man. Their love literally creates sparks!!! This book was well worth the year wait and is a must read for sure!

This was cute. I did find myself confused at times about the magical world. I really couldn’t picture it or the characters very much. I didn’t really connect with either of the MCs either.

Sirena and Gus were very adorable, and I normally love a magical realism romance, but I think this one didn’t draw me in as quickly. It took about 50% of the book for me to get really interested. Overall, it was still very cute, cozy and perfect for fall!

Have you ever read a book with a story you enjoyed reading.....but you struggled to imagine the characters? That was me and it held me back from completely enjoying this cozy fall witchy book. I loved the setting, a magical town with a variety of characters and fall things to love. I loved the family drama and camaraderie. I loved that she was a kitchen witch and I wish she could cook for me! I liked Gus and how he didn't want to be his old self, he just wanted someone to love him as his. But I couldn't picture Sirens or Gus in detail, just vaguely. And it bothered me.

A wonderfully magical fall read. Sirena and her family had me crying multiple times, I could really feel the love between them. And Gus, hes such a sweet man, how anyone could not fall in love with him is an utter mystery. This book was absolutely delightful. Perfect witchy, october feels and hits all the right notes for Spooky Season.

Kitchen witch Sirena has had a few bumps during spooky season. Her magic is on the fritz and she didn’t get hired for her dream job. When Sirena wishes for a do-over she does not expect to be reliving all of October. Sirena makes an agreement with ex-celebrity magician Gus to help her get some pep back in her magic and her life. As the two lean on and support each other their attraction grows. Eventually Gus and Sirena have to decide what to do about the wish as time runs out and what both their futures look like.

With entertaining magic, a steamy romance and enjoyable characters this is a great read for witchy season!

Deja Brew is a cozy, enchanting read that combines second chances with a dash of magic. Sirena Caraway's journey through a repeated October is both humorous and heartfelt as she navigates her quirky powers, a potential career revival, and an unexpected connection with the charming Gus Dearworth. Their chemistry bubbles over as they bond over magic-infused recipes and explore the warmth of Freya Grove’s autumnal charms.

I was so excited for this book and ended up not finishing it. I stopped at the 30% mark. There were many things I loved but they didn’t outweigh the things I struggled with.

Things I loved:
-I’m a sucker for a Groundhog Day story
-Serena’s sister is everything I want to be
-the town they live in gave Halloweentown vibes
-I’m obsessed with kitchen witches now
-Gus calls Serena Chef, and a couple times says “yes chef” which is so swoon worthy
-books “talk” to him
-I got chills when the clock stopped before going back in time.

Things that I wish could have been different:
-I wish this would have been sigle pov with Serena. I found that I wasn’t interested in Gus as a character. I found it difficult to feel invested in him.
-I felt like there were really any stakes
-I feel like there was too much of a deep dive in the personal lives. So many scenes with conversations with family members that just bogged the story down. Especially with Gus. I just found those parts so boring.

I don’t like sharing DNF on my socials because I don’t think it’s polite for authors. So I only posted reviews on Amazon and StoryGraph. At the time of sharing feedback the Amazon review isn’t live. I’ll update it once it is.

I honestly struggle with describing this as a romance. Like the romance felt mainly B plot. This was more Sirena's journey to getting her groove back with cooking and it felt like Gus was just there. I do really like Celestine's writing style and the world she's built through this series, it's so much fun.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive an arc in return for an honest review.

Groundhog Day meets Twitches. I’ve never read a romance book like this. It was like I was in a cozy little world of my own. This is the perfect little witchy fall read. Deja Brew is a perfect little cozy romantic comedy sprinkled with a little fantasy. This book was full of magical feelings and romantic vibes.

I loved it! Favorite of the series! The family, the food, the innuendo, the tension, the spice! Perfect cozy romance for Fall. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for this ARC.

DNF @ 12%. I read the first book in this series and wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing style or love story, but I really enjoyed the mystical setting of Freya Grove and wanted to give this author another chance. The concept for “Deja Brew” seemed so cute and perfect for fall! Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me quite early on. After reading multiple chapters, I didn’t feel connected to either of the main characters, and the story just didn’t grab me the way I needed it to. The writing is almost too bogged down in details for me? I felt like I was being thrown into the middle of a story with a bunch of random facts about the characters but not much actual effort put into pulling me into the story. Not quite the cozy reading vibe I was looking for, though I’m sure this will work for folks who have enjoyed the past books in this series.

🍂 Thank you NetGalley and Forever for an ARC in exchange for an honest review 🍂

While Deja Brew had all the cozy, small town, magical realism vibes that are perfect for autumn, it left a lot to be desired for me. The pacing was inconsistent–it started off chaotically, then slowed to a crawl, with bursts of acceleration here and there–it led the reading experience to feel like a total drag. I have not read the other books in the series, but I could tell that a few of the previous characters had subplots that were tied up in this book which led the ending to be overly extended. It really could’ve been like 5 chapters shorter.

The magic system was interesting and I thought the world building was decent–Celeste Martin did a good job of detailing how magic worked and the community fest robust. I liked the idea that each witch had a speciality, and I thought it was cool how Sirena could lead diners to feel certain emotions with her food.

I also appreciated the themes the book tackled, like overcoming obstacles in one’s career, regaining confidence, and growing out of others’ expectations, however, I felt so disconnected to the characters that the journeys they both took lacked emotional impact for me. But I could still see what was trying to be done.

Overall, it was a low stakes, cozy novel, but felt very average to me.

While this book started off strong, it slogged significantly in the middle and became very difficult to read. The character development was quite cyclical and it generally just became uninteresting. This could use some serious editing.

DNF @ 89%

Oh my gosh I wanted to love this book so much. I loved the plus-sized rep and the black characters. The small town feel was really cute as well and the spice was sizzling. However I found that I didn’t feel the emotional development as much. Since the author was trying to prove that they had a deep soulmate level connection I had an even harder time with how noncommittal Sirena was. I just really didn't buy that they were soulmates at all which was a shame because I loved both of the characters individually. They have very strong motivations and compelling backstories. I was rooting for both of them on their own but not necessarily as a couple. I also felt like the magical elements weren't tied into the story in a coherent way. They didn't feel like they made sense in the world which was frustrating. If you're looking for black main characters or plus-sized rep this might be worth a try. I just know it wasn't for me.

This was a cozy read perfect for the fall season.
It was witchy and cute.

A few parts didn't hold my attention well and were a bit hard to get through but altogether l'd recommend this one.

A cute and cozy romance, perfect for fall! Sirena finds herself stuck in a time loop, getting a second chance at the worst October ever—will this time be any different? With the help of Gus, a famed magician, there’s a chance she can rekindle her magic and add some fun to the mix! I found the overall plot and the magic system in this story to be so unique and enjoyable!

This was a cute book. I did feel that since I didn't read the other two books, there may have been a little back story that I was missing but overall I still think it could be a standalone book. This book follows Sirena who uses a little magic to get a second chance at repeating what has been a terrible month for her. She uses this opportunity to right some of the things that not go so well for her. Her magic has been wonky and overall things just haven't been great for her. While trying to right her life, she begin to fall for Gus. I did enjoy that this book kind of made so many characters magical but it was still a little confusing on who may or may not be magical and what their abilities may or may not be. This book moved at a good pace and was a classic case of he falls first and is trying to see if she feels the same way. Unlike in some books, I like that Sirena was open to exploring how deep her feelings were for Gus instead of fighting against them tooth and nail. Overall I'll give it 4 stars.