i'm devastated that this was a DNF for me, as I normally really love a cozy fantasy, especially with the kind of flowery earth magic that exists in this world. for some reason, I just couldn't get through the first bit - it was a combination of the third person with the info dumping. I think lovers of a more classic romantic fantasy might be able to push through but for me, I have a lot of trouble with a massive amount of world building at once and that's where i got lost. i still think this book could be a wonderful read for those who don't mind it nearly as much.

Unfortunately, this one was just not for me. I love cozy fantasy books, but I did not like any of the characters. They were whiny, and I found it a struggle to ever want to pick this up. I started it 3 different times hoping to find myself in the mood... and I just didn't enjoy it. DNFed at about the halfway point because to me the characters and plot were boring. Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, Jamie Pacton, and Rebecca Podos for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own!

This is a really, sweet cozy romantic fantasy book. It's so sweet it's almost saccharine. There's conflict in the background and even though the stakes of that conflict should be pretty high, it feels more like background noise than relating to the story. But ultimately the thing that I just could not connect with is that there is no push and pull between our two love interests. There's an immediate kinship and attraction at the beginning and that stays consistent until they kiss like it's just an inevitability. There's no sexual tension or will they won't they to make you leap in gay joy when they FINALLY do it. You're just like cool they did it. Without these elements it just felt empty to me even though it was a very cute set up and premise.

This is a good cozy fantasy. It took me a long time to get through it, but I enjoyed the journey. Love the cover design. Just not sure if this genre is for me.

Homegrown Magic was such a cozy, witchy delight! I loved all the magical vibes, and the queerness woven throughout the story made it feel even more special. It had heart, charm, and just the right sprinkle of enchantment. Such a feel-good read!

***Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the author the publisher and netalley for this arc for my honest review.

I thought this was a cozy romance but I just didn’t get very into it. I normally really like these story lines and I couldn’t quite pinpoint what I didn’t overly love. It was just a little more slow moving and less magic than I expected maybe. Still cute!

The execution of the conflicts, both in Yael and Margot's budding romance and with the Claunecks, fell flat many times for me.
I wasn’t really taken with these two’s reasons for not getting together and later breaking up. First Margot just doesn’t like to fuck her friends and mess up a platonic thing… okay, fair enough, but weak reasoning when you both are not only so obviously hot for each other, but also just as obviously interested in not keeping this a friendship. Though you can find other reasons for these two to tread carefully when getting into a relationship, that was the one that got articulated the most while being the most shallow.
Then their third act break-up — they are both acting so dumb. Yes, flawed, damaged people make flawed choices, but they had proven capable of communicating and supporting each other before. It would have been a nice progression of their relationship for them to actually choose to face the threat of Yael’s family together and make a plan together, demonstrating both of how functional their relationship could be despite their various hangups and their individual growth (Margot accepting that she needs to trust others and accept their help; Yael having a cause that means something to them and the strength to go against their family purposefully rather than only impulsively). Something like that comes later, but I think it’s made weaker by the fact that Margot had little role in their triumph, Yael’s choice felt less their own or less considered, and the later placement in the book ended up making it feel rushed.

I had similar feelings of interesting concepts for conflict deflating as well with Margot's parents. I was disappointed when it was revealed that Margot didn't actually do this thing that she harbored so much guilt over. It wasn't her arrogance/foolishness/naive hope or anything at all that really led to her parents being cursed, despite how she presented it. It made her more boring to me honestly. The resolution with Margot’s parents also felt rushed. As much as Margot’s guilt was misplaced and brushed away by some encouraging words from Yael, it was initially an important part of her character. Combine that with the complicated feelings she (and the rest of the town) must have for them regarding their role in everything, I wanted to see… something, anything from Margot and their reunion. Instead, it happens off page and there are no interactions between the Greenwillows. It left the magic sleep feeling very noticeably a contrivance to get the older Greenwillows out of the picture.

I started this seemingly cozy cottage-core-esque romantasy with such high hopes and immediately disliked the characters on TOP of meh writing (which is not that surprising after having the same reaction to another of Pacton's novels). I then learned about the controversy with one of the authors in relation to this book and I will not be completing my review.

No mini-playlist for you.

I received an eARC from the publishers. All opinions are my own.

Homegrown Magic is the story of Yael, the heir of a major banking family in their kingdom, who runs away from a life they don’t want. By sheer coincidence, the town they end up in is the same one their childhood friend, Margot, has been living as a plant witch, trying to maintain her family’s legacy and juggling her own secrets. The two reconnect and agree to have Yael work for Margot, which gives Margot the space to prioritize other things.

Now, I’m not an expert in the coxy romantic fantasy sub-sub-genre by any means, but when I read the description, I assumed the book would contain certain types of plotlines and scenes, and was pretty disappointed when they weren’t there.

For example, one, Yael is an heir to a banking company. They, by their own admission, have never done a hard day’s work in their life. They struggle making tea. I assumed we would be getting in-depth, slice-of-life looks into Yael’s transition from being spoiled to hardworking, but we don’t get that. From Yael’s first day in the town, there is a two-month time skip and we’re just told that there was a transition period. Really, for a fantasy on the cozy side, this did not linger on any of the slice-of-life moments and just jumped ahead in the time period to the bigger events.

Two, this book is marketed as “found family.” I argue if I cannot point to pages showing how the family is found, it doesn’t count. The town Margot lives in is very friendly, she has one other friend outside of town, and Yael makes a handful of friends on page, but this does not make a found family. I was not convinced any of these relationships would count as almost familial.

Their relationship was… fine. I didn’t like how it started, with them both immediately flirting after being apart after like 5+ years, and not reconnecting as friends first. Most of the other development wasn’t anything to write home about.

I rated this book 2 stars. It was a struggle to pick up and continue reading because I was bored. I try not to rate/review books based on what they didn’t have/my assumptions going in, but I felt like the parts that were not included were pretty glaring omissions to the character’s stories and relationships.

Thank you, first off for the arc copy of this book. It just wasn’t for me.
I was initially very excited about a main character with they/them pronouns but really struggled to get into this story. It felt like telling more than showing. I’m not sure how else to explain it. I also love the idea of cozy witchy fantasy and childhood friends to lovers but couldn’t get into it. Too slow for me.
Maybe I’ll try again another time.

Homegrown Magic by Jamie Pacton & Rebecca Podos warmed me from the inside out with its cozy queer fantasy vibes. Margot’s greenhouse and Yael’s return—plus their friends-to-lovers slow burn—felt like sipping herbal tea under glowing string lights. The worldbuilding is charming yet real, with plant magic rooted in community and justice, not just fluff .

I loved the found-family energy and how both leads had to do their grown-up work before they could heal and fall. There are a few tropes (money stress, parental pressure), but they didn’t break the spell—more like the glue holding it together. If you’re craving a warm, heart-first romance with ethical magic and soft spice, this one’s pure comfort.

So, I sat and debated on actually reviewing this for months. Ultimately I cannot review this fairly due to the very blatant racism and antisemitic tropes present. Alongside that, the writing just felt very dry and boring.

I had SUCH high hopes for this book, because I truly loved the concept, and the vibe, and the cover art is so cute!

I'm giving this ⭐⭐ out of 5 stars, because I do love the concept/vibe, and while the writing felt boring to me, it wasn't necessarily bad. I can't, however, get past the antisemitism. I do not recommend this book.

I received an arc from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review

Thank you Del Rey and Netgalley for the ARC!

This is a beautiful story about queer joy, finding yourself, and rejecting the traditions and expectations set by ones family. I cried, I laughed, and a large part of me was healed reading this.

I am going to say, I am a Jew. I don't agree with people saying this book is antisemitic, nothing about the books suggests it is. I believe a lot of people's personal opinions on the authors and their political stances are influencing their beliefs, as Podos has been bullied ruthlessly for standing up for what is right. This book was beautiful, any reference to Judaism (such as the name Yael) is done so respectfully. The villains are not jewish coded in my opinion (they don't have Jewish names and there are bad guys who work with money who aren't Jews, kinda weird that y'all assume someone working with money equals Jew), and I think people need to check their own biases.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I know that there are some valid concerns around certain narrative choices made in this book. However, I am not an appropriate voice to speak to them so I encourage anyone with concerns regarding antisemitic tropes to seek out other reviews.

For my part, I thought the book was light fare. I I understand that this is generally the way with regard to romantic novels and while I am not opposed to that low-stakes approach, I really *felt* it in this book. There were constant references to consequences and stakes and conflict that simply never materialized (that I think hinted at a much stronger book than this one). The Dark Moment in the romance was not very entertaining since it felt so unnecessary.

I like the idea, I love the cover. The authors seem so cool! I just left this story craving more.

I dnf’d this at 6%. Yeah that’s right. I barely got through chapter 2, that’s how awful this was for me. I could not care less about the main characters after reading one chapter from each of their POVs. Just a straight up no from me.

There is so many aspects of this book I loved. It was cozy. It gave you a solid problem and beautifully developing characters. The political parts and humanity issues were well done without being clunky. The part that I think I appreciated the most was that this world has issues but never made queerness feel like the big issue. That was refreshing to read and just be in this world with a beautiful love story conquering other problems while still being happy in their queerness. Thank you for this arc is it’s a perfect cozy spring read for those wanting fantasy, romance, and heartwarming tales with diverse characters.

Homegrown Magic was such a cute and cozy read!

Yael is the Clauneck heir and set to inherit their family business, but that is the last thing they want. Yael decides to run away from that life and is surprised to find themselves crossing paths with Margot, their childhood friend who they haven’t heard from in years. Margot is also struggling with her future plans. As a plant witch, she would love to keep her family home and business running. The only problem? The Claunecks and their claims to her home.

When I read the description for this book I was expected queer cottagecore romance and that’s exactly what I got. I loved reading Yael and Margot’s story and really enjoyed watching them rekindle their friendship. The romance progressed in a believable way and I think the pair complimented eachother. I loved village setting and all of the plant magic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for a review copy.

This was a super cute, cozy fantasy with all the representation and adorable witchy vibes! Great plot with lots of feel good moments! I’ll read this one again!

super cute cozy romantic fantasy! yael is a lord's child and is not interested in running the family business and runs away, stumbling upon margot who was a childhood friend (and presumed crush???) and her family who is grasping at threads to keep their business and land. this is the perfect blend of a cozy romance where you just get to read the two mains fall in love (again!) and there is enough conflict between their families to have stakes and keep things interesting. this was so fun.

With the rise in popularity of cozy fantasy, a subgenre of fantasy, Homegrown Magic exemplifies the elements found in this genre, like low-stakes conflict, sensory descriptions, and loveable characters.

The most enjoyable feature of this novel was the writing style and how vivid the details were described by the author. I felt immersed in the book and found myself wishing I too had a greenhouse.

My only critique of this book was the pacing. Towards the last half of the book, I felt myself losing interest in the conflict and the characters. I think the book could be better if it was shorter.