Homegrown Magic by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos came up in my reading queue at exactly the right time. I often read books with a lot of political intrigue that are heavy on the soul, and I wanted to read something that highlighted relevant cultural issues while giving me hope after reading it. If you need that too, then Homegrown Magic is your next read.

Yael Clauneck and Margot Greenwillow are childhood friends that reunite in their twenties. Yael, the heir of a wealthy banking family in the city of Ashaway, is trying to run away from his family’s questionable business legacy. Margot, a plant witch living in the countryside community of Bloomfield, is trying to save her family that has fallen from grace. As Yael and Margot reconnect and work together to find a solution to their own troubles, a sentimental romance emerges.

The world of Homegrown Magic is inclusive and normalizes gender and relationship fluidity. This representation in literature is imperative. I speak a lot about how all readers should have the opportunity to see themselves and pieces of their stories in characters. Not only is this good for the mental health of the reader, but it also fosters empathy and understanding from readers that do not share that lived experience and seek to better understand people outside of their limited social spheres or communities.

Pacton and Podos explore themes of family duty and personal freedom. Homegrown Magic highlights the importance of community and finding people who accept you for who you are. This story also looks at what it takes to break generational patterns and the ethics and morals of possessing and using power.

Homegrown Magic is a sentimental and cozy LGBTQIA+ fantasy romance. For fans of botanical magic, feel-good romance, and inclusive stories, this is a great book to add to your reading list.

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey, Jamie Pacton, and Rebecca Podos for allowing me to read this copy in advance in exchange for my honest thoughts and review.

Homegrown Magic is available for pre-order and releases March 11, 2025.

This book was really good. The romantic element was fantastic. I especially loved the scenes where you could tell Yael was over the moon for Margot! There were some steamy scenes! It was a little challenging for me to keep up with it because I don't read fantasy much. Aside from that, though, this book was really enjoyable. I really enjoyed the fantasy element of it. Especially the magical aspects of Margot's plant magic. That was really fun to read about. Yael's storyline , in my opinion, was also really engaging. I appreciate that we got to see them sort of develop. That was really enjoyable. Overall this book was such a fun and interesting read!

This was an arc read given to me an exchange for an honest review.

A delightfully beautiful cozy fantasy that explores the magic of leaving high society, shrugging off familial expectations, and finding happiness in a small town doing physical labor with the people you love.

In all seriousness, I absolutely adored the story of Yael and Margot, getting to see them face the challenges the world has set out for them and seeing them persevere together was extremely satisfying. As a DnD player myself I loved getting to see the ways in which this world and the DnD world were blended together in a unique way to showcase a magical society.

Huge amounts of character development for both main characters, they are both under a huuuge amount of societal pressures and expectations, and it was very gratifying to see them both come out stronger together at the end. Additionally, with as many issues that this society has- with all the money hungry banks and power players of high society- I was extremely glad to see that homophobia and transphobia were NOT added on top of those issues the main characters had to fight against.

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the ARC!

Queer fantasy and friends to lovers sign me up. This book was so cozy and has one of my favorite tropes ever, found family. The found family vibes in this one is immaculate. I recommend this book to everyone who wants a cozy, queer novel that with make them swoon into another dimension. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the absolute pleasure of reading this novel, and many praises to the author for this spellbinding treat.

I was really excited about the premise of this one. It had all the makings of a book I’d enjoy: a queer cozy fantasy, plant magic, a former childhood crush?! Unfortunately, I had to DNF at 35%.

The world felt underdeveloped, the magic system was poorly explained, and the writing style was hard to get into.

There was also a two month time jump once the main characters start working together, and they suddenly were flirty and had feelings for each other…but we got to see none of the relationship develop.

I may give this one a chance in the future to see if it was just a right book, wrong time scenario.

Homegrown Magic by Jamie Pacton; Rebecca Podos is a wonderfully written cozy queer fantasy romance.
A cozy and charming read with fascinating characters.
This is such a unique world.
I truly enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to read more of their future work.

*As always I want to thank the author and publisher for the chance to have an advanced copy of this work.*

This book made my heart flip and flop in so many directions. It also has left me yearning for more books within this niche, and I am happy to say it was a five star for me. I connected more than I thought to the struggles with not only their selves but their families as well. It shows how much power there is in choosing the people you give yourself and your time to. This will be something I reread over and over again, plus of course adding a physical copy to my shelf.

A perfectly cozy queer fantasy romance that pairs the wealthy warlock scion of an industrial banking family and a talented plant witch determined to protect the village she loves. Yael Clauneck is dashing, if lacking in ambition. They've been raised from birth to shoulder the Clauneck name and take up their eventual role in the family company. This predetermined path lends Yael a swaggering, dancing-through-life energy that complements Margot's hardworking pragmatism. The stakes are high, but easily resolved, keeping this lighthearted romance firmly in cozy territory.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this one. I loved the last book these two wrote together but unfortunately I struggled to connect with this one.

The setting is beautiful and I love a cosy fantasy but I wasn’t connecting with either of the characters. They just fell flat to me.

I’m putting this down to personal taste as the book was otherwise good!

I requested a digital ARC of Homegrown Magic based entirely on the gorgeous and cozy vibe of the cover. This is a strategy that has failed me as many times as not, but judging the book by the cover worked out beautifully in this particular case. (Shout out to the cover artist- Jo Anne Metsch- this cover is SO GOOD.)

This is the story of Yael, the spoiled heir of a banking family, and Margot, a talented plant witch. They were childhood friends who unexpectedly meet up one evening years later when Yael decides to take a break from their family's lofty expectations.

This cozy, queer, fantasy romance ticks so many boxes for me as a reader. Margot and Yael have great chemistry, and are both really likable characters, so I was all in from about Chapter 2. There is magic. There is suspense and treachery. There are beautiful gardens, enchanted jams, and fun side characters. There are even mechanical horses. Need I say more? Once I started, this was a fun and quick read. The writing was very engaging and Margot and Yael's story has a lot of heart. I really, really enjoyed Homegrown Magic.

Thanks to Del Rey for the advanced reader's copy. I will definitely be looking up some of the backlist of Jamie Paxton and Rebecca Podos. I highly recommend this book for anyone that loves a cozy fantasy.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really loved this one! I am not the best at writing reviews sometimes, but sometimes books take you by surprise and this one did just that. I got invested a few chapters in and couldn't put it done. It was so good! I highly recommend this one. Becca is one of my favorites and I am so glad I was able to get an ARC of this one. I loved it so much!

I've read one other of Pacton's and I enjoyed it, though I thought the plot was a bit too easy. This one however, drags. It's only around 350 pages yet feels like 600. I also wasn't fond of the weird made up nonbinary terms. It felt like it was shoving down my throat that nonbinary people do indeed exist, in a weird, uncomfortable way. I believe there's ways to introduce queer and trans characters to a book, and to continue referring to them, but this did not hit that mark. I don't have anything remarkable to say about this, unfortunately.

This was a very cozy fantasy book! The story was straightforward and an easy book to finish and read by the fireplace during the winter.

I really liked the elements of D&D! If you're looking for a calming read, I recommend picking this up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Del Ray Publisher for providing me with this eARC!

In Homegrown Magic, Yael Clauneck is escaping oppressive life under their rich capitalist parents, while Margot Greenwillow tries to keep a small business in a small town afloat. The two met many years ago, and their paths cross again as Yael comes to Margot's town and offers to help in exchange for room and board. Over the course of this story, they reconnect and deal with rekindled emotions while uncovering the connection Yael's family has to Margot's town and how, really, to make the potion Margot's grandmother had been working on.

This was peak cozy fantasy - it read like sharing headcanons with my own D&D friends, especially with the nods Pacton and Podos make to tropes and roles from fantasy roleplaying games. The plot is relatively straightforward and relies more on how revelations affect the characters' relationship with one another, which I prefer from this genre. However, sometimes the D&D elements felt too on the nose - as much as I love a warlock, Yael's patron sometimes felt intrusive, particularly after Yael and Margot's fight. For the amount of time that passes during the book, things feel quick-paced, with weeks and months between chapters. The timeline could have been compacted or else filled out more, but as it was (and with a sequel coming), it made for a very enjoyable and easy comfort read.

I really enjoyed Yael and Margot’s story. The alternating POV chapters kept me engaged all the way through to the end. Even though I knew somehow things would work out in this cozy story, I still worried for Margot and Bloomfield. I rooted for Yael to realize they didn’t have to follow the family path. Overall, it was a sweet, romantic story and I’ll happily read another book from this world.

A cozy sapphic romantasy! Plant magic has to be one of my favorite types of magic just based on the entire concept of it. Margot is just a woman with a rough life, trying to help preserve the memory of her grandmother while finding her way in the world. Yael has to be one of the least self-aware characters ever, but with the heart of a golden retriever. Overall, this gave farming simulation vibes and I'm not mad about it. Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to arc read this.

Homegrown Magic is a cozy, queer adventure that’s as charming as a cottage garden. Yael, a nonbinary character escaping their stuffy family, reconnects with childhood friend Margot, a plant witch who's being blackmailed by Yael’s parents. Together, they brew potions, dodge drama, and communicate like actual adults (a refreshing change).

It’s a sweet, low-stakes story where the romance is heartwarming, the magic is fun, and the representation is effortless. The writing is a tad wordy, but if you like lush descriptions and easygoing vibes, you’ll love it. It’s like the Sims 4 Cottagecore expansion, but in book form.

What a beautiful cozy fantasy! The world was rich and magical, and the romance sparkled. The plot had just enough suspense, and a happy ending of course.

Margot is a plant witch living keeping her grandmother’s memory alive in a cozy close-knit community she loves, but she’s hiding a huge secret. Yael is the heir to one of the most powerful families in the realm, but they aren’t satisfied with their life and feel like something is missing. When they happen to stumble across their childhood friend Margot, their life changes for the better, but they will have to work together to save the town they both love and reconnect in the process.

Cute and definitely hits the cozy mark, but ultimately this is just a decent witchy romance in my opinion. I thought the transition between the two authors’ writing was pretty seamless and the writing overall is good without much of the cringey dialogue you sometimes get in this genre. I wish the magic felt more immersive rather than a sprinkle on top of the story, and I wish the theme of what you have to give up for magical power was explored a little further. If you like cozy, cute romantasy and want a queer-normative story with a non-binary love interest, then this book is a great pick.

Thanks to the authors and Netgalley for this ARC! All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

I received this as an eARC and it was a highly anticipated read for me. I’m still debating on whether it should be 4. The reason to my hesitation is mostly due to the characters financial background and my own.

Having grown up struggling with money etc I felt like Yael could rub me the wrong way or I’d feel kinda bothered and annoyed. I do love the queer rep, huge reason I wanted this book and I’ll still buy it lol but I can say the money dynamic def changed some of the cozy factor for me at least