Wow, this one got to me. A perfectly balanced cozy novel with stakes, romance, and a community I wish I lived in. I loved Yael and Margot, and was with their journey every step of the way. I also! Loved! TIME PASSING in this novel. I adored the way this romance bloomed over months, not hours. Such a well timed story.

Yael Clauneck is heir to the obscenely wealthy Clauneck family. When the reality of their situation and the duties it entails sinks in during a birthday party, Yael decides to escape. Chasing one last adventure, an intoxicated Yael steals a horse and rides off into the night. They ride into the town of Bloomfield, where they find their childhood friend Margot Greenwillow.

Margot is a talented plant witch with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Trying to keep a struggling business afloat, she is drowning. When Yael comes to Bloomfield, Margot makes them an offer: become her assistant while Yael figures out their next move.

This book was very cute! Yael and Margot are a dynamic duo and balanced each other perfectly. Yael is the more carefree, adventurous golden retriever energy to Margot’s dutiful, grounded black cat vibe.

I think my largest frustration is the lack of communication between the two of them. Miscommunication drove most of the book’s conflicts. However, it felt out of character for both of them, especially as their relationship progressed.

This is a vibes based book. The most memorable aspects are the settings. Bloomfield, the farmer’s market, and the city are standouts.

If you want a sapphic, lowish stake, cottagecore cozy fantasy, then this is the book for you.

I tried reading this arc and I had a hard time connecting with the story. I decided to try the audiobook to see if that would help the connection. Unfortunately, it did not help. I forced myself to finish this one but I never did connect with the characters or their story. A spicy cozy fantasy. This book just wasn't my cup of tea.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for this e-ARC for review. I went in really wanting to like Homegrown Magic, but I didn’t get there. The cover is lovely, but the story doesn’t meet it. Perhaps the authors were too close to the concept or premise to see the issues (given its D&D inspiration that’s understandable, but not every story you create needs to become a book). I’ve read the author’s responses to the (very valid) criticism of antisemitism in the book, but they left me shaking my head.

The concept of childhood friends who reconnect accidentally and fall in love had potential. I love fantasy, I love nonbinary, genderqueer, and trans characters, and I love critiquing unequal power systems…but that’s about where it ends for me, because there’s barely a plot holding these concepts together, and repetition pads out much of the rest. Yael has a little character development that helps make them interesting, but there’s not much for Margot.

The largest problem with Homegrown Magic (outside of the antisemitism) is that it’s not well-developed, and the choices it makes are a bit muddled. The magic patronage system is not well explained, and while we’re told it applies to pretty much everyone, it is relevant to only one character. The stakes are on the other character’s mind so frequently you don’t have a chance to forget them as you’re reminded every chapter—and most frustrating, it’s the kind of situation that could probably be resolved quickly with one or two conversations between the main characters. One ultra wealthy family who treats their child like a pawn is the ultimate villain, but the other ultra wealthy family who also treated their child as a pawn and locked them in an impossible position is just waved away. The quaint wholesome small town schtick was so overdone that by the end I was getting a headache from rolling my eyes so often. While the characters have potential, the romance is painstakingly slow. And while wealth is treated as a big issue, actual money isn’t used in a way that makes sense (especially as the poorer character keeps destroying/abandoning couture clothing that would keep a roof over her head for quite a while). All in all, this was a disappointing read, and I had to drag myself through it to finish.

The world was whimsical, the two main characters were delightful, but there was not enough development in the background characters or enough structure in the plot for me personally. Margot's character, from the very beginning, is motivated by her desire to save the people who took her in, but the residents of Bloomfield remain in the background for most of the story, so I had a hard time understanding the deep emotional connection she was talking about. I wish Poppy and Clementine were bigger characters, rather than the role of best friend being passed off to Sage, who isn't around for most of the story.

Since the main arc of the story is more about the romance between Yael and Margot than about the conflict with Yael's family, it means most of the resolution to this side plot happens outside the bounds of the book. They talk about how they are going to resolve it, but it happens between the final chapter and the epilogue, lessening its emotional impact for me. It also means some of the interesting repercussions to Yael's actions are never resolved, like the way Yael walking out of the family business impacts their cousin. In general, I think the large time jumps took me out of the story, when they were probably intended to help push the plot along instead.

Well, at least the vibes were excellent. Queer cottage core with lots of flowers and potions and growing things definitely worked. Otherwise, this book was a bit underwhelming. It dragged on for way too long (but still managed to skip over seemingly key elements such as their first few months of flirtation, come on). The writing was just ok, and the story struggled to hold my attention.

I think if this was shortened to novella length and only focused on Yael and Margot's yearning romance it would've been perfect. Alas.

Thank you to Del Rey and netgalley for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really cute and cozy romantasy!!!! I’d say this is perfect for someone who wants a cozy fantasy with lots of romance.

I loved Yael and Margot’s meet cute honestly!!!! They met as children and then don’t see each other for another decade. And when they do it’s instant chemistry again.

This is super low stakes in regard to the fantasy. There’s magic & royal society. Lots of romance, and yes it’s queer!!! Which I loved. The use of pronouns and descriptive words for their bodies was perfect imo.

Highly recommend this for someone who wants a fun cozy adventure!!!

A Promising book of queer lovers set in a magical universe. Maybe it wasn't for me as the characters seemed to have little development in the relationship. Friends to lovers can work but I felt there was little tension and underdeveloped. I felt there was too many sex scenes for too little. The world building and the plot took on a lot for a book that was meant to be cozy and low stakes. I think this would've been better had there been enough length to explore everything or some parts reduced to just what we need. Was it cozy? Yes, but it left me wanting more of the world.

3.5 star rounded up

Thanks to NetGalley for this eARC. If you are looking for a cottagecore, queer cozy fantasy, I would definitely recommend this. Seeing Yael and Margot realize over time just how in love with each other they were was just the cutest! Also, the spicy scenes really gave this otherwise cutesy story a nice edge. This queer-normative world is one that I can't wait to go back to. I am crossing my fingers that the next book in the series is about a side character that I really enjoyed. Also, I just want to point out that parents really just mess their children over most of the time, which is so unfortunate. Loved the journey that both MCs took to become their own person and shed the expectations of others.

🍓🌿✨Homegrown Magic
✒️ Jamie Pacton & Rebecca Podos
⭐️ 4/5

This book was definitely a lovely cozy cottagecore queer romance. The chemistry was strong from the start and the world building was also done really well. I enjoyed Yael and Margot’s whimsical tasks and the conflict also helped keep the driving force of the story. I only wish I felt more connected to the characters. Something about them fell slightly short to me, but I still enjoyed the ending and how wholesome everything came together.

This book wasn't my favorite. It's light and romantasy but I just didn't care for the characters. I usually Love romantasy but this seemed longer then necessary.

Margot is a plant-witch/gardener at risk of losing everything she holds dear, including a town full of unsuspecting innocents, if she can't produce an impossible potion. Yael is drowning under the weight of who they're supposed to be, so they run away one night and end up in Margot's town. The two of them are actually old friends who have lost touch. Maybe they're the right combo to save the village and create a bearable life for Yael.
I liked Margot but found Yael to be pretty insufferable. It was a challenge to muster much sympathy for a washed-up partier running from their responsibilities. I really think Margot deserved better. This story deserved better.

As a Stardew Valley lover, I especially loved this book. The romance between Margot and Yael was very sweet, and it was overall a nice book to read. I love a good romantasy, and this was just delightful.

I had such high expectations for this one, and walk away feeling sort of conflicted about where I landed.

❤️ What I loved: I was intrigued by both the setting and magic system, which felt like unique takes in a growing collection of cozy fantasies to come out in the past few years. I thought both characters also had a lot of potential, they both had a good amount of conflict to navigate individually with room for growth, and their relationship had some cute elements. I appreciated the varied representations of queerness in this book also!
💔 What I didn’t love: Unfortunately, something about the romantic and sexual relationship between our main characters wasn’t quite working for me. I’m not sure if it was the pacing, the tone, or their conflict but things just weren’t clicking for me. Aside from the main characters, the supporting cast of side characters felt static or one-dimensional. I think there was potential to build more outside of the main characters and relationship that would have made the world feel richer and more dynamic.

I don’t regret reading this one, and if there’s a second book about some of the side characters, I think I would be interested in picking it up to learn more about the world and characters.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5 (3-3.5)

Acknowledgments & Disclaimers ✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos, and Del Ray for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book. ✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. ✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

One of the worst thing a romance novel can do is make me ask why is any of this happening. It just felt quite strange that Margot wasn't telling Yael about the risk of her cottage being repossessed and the natural caster potion. Yael shows up at the farm and immediately expresses that they don't like their parents. With the history of friendship between these two it just doesn't make sense that Margot wouldn't reveal this information. I think that their were some really fun ideas in here that could have worked, specifically the banding together to throw the fashion show. That was the event that should have been the climax of the book. We should have gotten to see Yael shed their slacker ways to help put on this show and in the process they can fall in love with Margot. There could have been scenes of the townspeople lending a hand and in the end everyone comes together to save the farm. The concept I'm pitching is definitely not reinventing the wheel but it's the romcom/hallmark formula and it works. This didn't work for me but I could see it being a fun time for someone else.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t hate this, but also it really didn’t left me with much.
It was cute, but in a superficial way
The love story was just there and I wasn’t really into their relationship at all
I haven’t understood the magic system, maybe I’m stupid

I will not be posting my review of this book as I recently learned of many antisemitic tropes present throughout the novel.

Thank you Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this one and I'd say for the first half of the book I was having a lot of fun and was really enjoying it. However the second half fell a little flat for me personally.

I really enjoyed all the DnD references and the cottage core vibes. Sadly, the romance felt a bit rushed and the second half dragged a bit. I was definitely more invested in Margot's storyline of trying to save her town and perfect her grandmother's potion recipes moreso than the romance subplot. I will say the scene at Margot's former manor house was delightful and I'm glad we got to see Margot's full plant magic in action! I would have liked to have seen more or Margot's magic in the book. I also wish there had been a bit more tension between Yael and Margot, for some reason the romance between them just felt a bit forced/rushed.

Overall it was still a fun and cozy read. I think fans of cozy fantasy looking for cottage core vibes and nonbinary rep should check it out!

Honestly was really enjoying this book and was slowly reading through it. The cast of characters was very diverse and I was very interested in the story line, however, I started seeing multiple things about incredibly anti-Semitic undertones and that is a subject I am not knowledgeable enough about to pick up on without doing more research. I am pausing (for now, at least) to find where problems could be or see if things are being blown out of proportion.

I, however, don’t want to push a review entirely to the wayside while I fall down a research rabbit hole. So far, I only see really good things about the book, though.

As much as I wanted to love this one, it ended up being a DNF for me at about 15%.

Cozy fantasy is usually a sweet spot for me, but I just couldn’t stay engaged. I found my mind wandering and kept wanting to reach for something else instead. I really thought it had potential—those first few chapters seemed promising, with characters I was curious about and a setup I usually enjoy. But the spark just didn’t stick, and I wasn’t feeling invested enough to continue.

I also want to acknowledge that there’s been some controversy surrounding the book, including concerns about antisemitic tropes. I’m not an expert and didn’t read far enough to speak to that myself, but I think it’s worth being aware of if you’re considering picking this one up.