Give me all your queer, cozy, fantasy stories now! A delight to read that I am giving a 4 out of 5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This story is the cottagecore queer story of your dreams. Give me jams and "there's only one bed" and childhood crush to lovers tropes galore.

There are frequent time skips in the story that feel a bit jarring (ha pun!) at times which makes the overall pacing of the story feel rushed at times but also dragging on. I think maybe there could have been some gentler transitions, where there was a word montage or little side story to fill in those gaps. Additionally, despite the fact that at the start of the story Margot establishes that she has 6 months to make a particular potion to save the day, she doesn't actually really seem to do any work on it until the last 6 weeks of the story when Yael conveniently is out of the picture.

Despite this, I still absolutely enjoyed reading this story and watching Margot grow into the Fancy Business Lady of your dreams with Yael being her forever cheerleader and breaking free of their family's chains.

Tea, cottage, food, gardening, romance- could it get more cozy? No- and I’m thankful for it! Loved this story, these characters, the nonbinary representation! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me an arc in exchange for an honest opinion/ review, all thoughts are my own!

3.25 stars

Yael runs away from their rich person life and ends up at their childhood friend Margot's greenhouse. Margot has to create a specific potion before Yael's family takes away the rest of her grandmother's legacy.

I adore cozy fantasies, and this had all the makings of being a favorite. Unfortunately, it didn't quite hit the mark. Which sucks, because I've previously enjoyed both authors' work - separately and together.

The pacing is weird in this one. It starts off interesting and then there's a two-month time skip over all where all tension and getting to know each other again, developing the feelings part would have been. Where the found family aspect could have come in as Yael is shown to be adopted by the town, but instead all of that is skipped over. But where the time jump picks up, it just feels like it's still missing all of that development. And it stayed slow from there. Though Yael and Margot are supposed to be adults, they read like teenagers. Which made it weird to get to the spice. If this had been a YA and maybe shortened a bit, I'd probably have enjoyed it more.

I loved the atmosphere of the town. I really enjoyed the side characters and would have preferred to see more of them in the found family sense. I loved the queernormative world.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

A delightful queer romantic fantasy full of friends-to-lovers chemistry, found family, rival family drama, and cozy garden magic from two acclaimed YA authors making their debut in the adult space.

DNF'd at 10%. I just couldn't buy into the universe the authors were crafting. It was too fantastical for me - I like a little more realism in my magic, apparently. I trust that someone looking for a cozy read would love this - I may even give it another go once it's published.

What a wonderful cozy, queer romantasy! I read this one sitting and was left with just the warmest feeling after - I absolutely adored the relationship between Yael and Margot and thought there was the perfect amount of plot/ stakes to balance the coziness and cottagecore vibes. I enjoyed the conversation around family expectations and how to manage your own path around that, especially in Yael’s storyline, and especially with a touch of anti capitalism themes as well. Overall, I’d highly recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Legends & Lattes, The Spellshop, or just readers who are looking for queer romantasy with a touch of spice, an easy to sink into world and characters you can really root for.

It's a fun fluffy book, similar vibes to house in the cerulean sea. I love both the protagonists and their relationship is adorable. Would definitely recommend!

This book delivered *exactly* what I wanted from it. Cozy fantasy with stakes, queer-normative world, plant magic, yearning, kissing, anti-capitalist themes, and a celebration of the power of community. I really needed something warm and wholesome to read and this was the right book to pick up.

Margot is a soft yet strong FMC, which I really enjoyed in contrast to the many stabby/sarcastic FMCs we get these days (which are also great! but variety is nice). And as someone who is of the softer personality myself, I really related to Margot and the pressure she put on herself to solve everything on her own.

Yael truly stole my heart. I found their character arc immensely satisfying and loved the way they grew from a sheltered, self-centered, privileged warlock into a hard-working, attentive partner. I wish we could've seen a little more of their early time working in the greenhouse but that's just a minor note, mostly rooted in how much I like Yael and want to dig into their story.

I think readers might enjoy this more if they go into it knowing it's cozy fantasy with more of a romance plot structure. The fantasy and challenges are there, but there's also a heavy focus on Margot and Yael's relationship - and some of my favorite story beats where the romance-focused ones!

I teared up at the end, so it's safe to say I got quite attached to the characters. I'm so happy there was a teaser for a second book at the end of this ARC - I'll definitely be picking up book 2 as soon as it's out! Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

What I liked: the inclusivity with regards to gender and queerness. Yael is non-binary and even with such an elitist, controlling & unethical family, their gender has never been disparaged or weaponized against them. There is a gender-neutral honorific ("sir'ram") that is used by default if the gender of the person is unknown or undetermined. Both they and co-protag Margot also have had past dalliances involving other genders, and marriages between same genders (and multiple partners) is acknowledged. And that's another thing: the sex positivity! Not only from the main characters but societal attitudes in general. I also found the two protagonists sufficiently charming and likeable to follow.

Yael had the most intriguing journey, being the Rich Kid breaking free from their parents' plan for them ... yet I do wish they were given the chance to properly confront their terrible parents and tell them to Fuck Off.

What didn't work for me: That pesky timeskip of about two months where Yael starts to work with Margot in the greenhouse. Yes they already had a romantic foundation by being each other's childhood crushes, but they haven't seen each in other in many years! This is a romance book and I wanted to see the ROMANCING: the hijinks at the start that come with proximity, the prolonged yearning. I didn't think it helps to have all this fast-forwarded to when their attraction is reaching its peak, till they're getting smutty chapter after chapter. It's a shame because I do enjoy their chemistry and how they play off each other. And then there's yet ANOTHER timeskip leading into the epilogue that didn't really address how Margot's parents woke up from their magically induced coma. I'm used to cozy fantasies being Too Convenient but there should at least be some explanation, however simplistic it could be.

Margot's magic as a plant witch is also disappointingly VERY underutilized. We're given snippets of her growing things, but a main conflict of hers is that she feels she would never live up to her grandmother's magical legacy. It would've been more satisfying if she was given an opportunity for her MAGIC to shine.

With all things considered, this is just rather okay. It has all the ingredients that appeal to me in theory but the execution for a romance wasn't anything too impressive. A decent palette cleanser after a previous heavy/dense read (as it served for me).

I try to go into books as blind as possible so when I first picked this one up I assumed “witches” from the title and I was expecting a contemporary fantasy, but I was pleasantly surprised to see this is a full blown fantasy world. The world building wasn’t difficult to follow and the primary focus is on the characters.

I really like Yael (they/them) and Margot (she/her). They are childhood friends who haven’t seen in each other in years, but they have this easy chemistry I liked. I also enjoyed the way they built a strong foundation for their friendship as adults (and yes I still think it’s strong even if Margot is keeping one big, important secret).

After the first intimate scene, I thought this romance was going to be closed door. But the door cracked wider open as the story progressed. And I really liked these moments between them and seeing Yael’s confidence in the bedroom. Poor Yael has been led to believe such poor things about themself that it was nice to see them recognize and be proud of themself for something.

And while I did struggle with pacing in some parts, I overall really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to my light fantasy lovers!

Cute sapphic romance! Believable stakes with a little bit of mystery? Definitely not a bad read. Writing wasn’t my favorite though.

ok so I'm trying to be kind to myself and dnf when i want to dnf instead of reading on. This has all the normal aspects that I would want in a book. But when I saw that line about libraries being boring it made me kinda hurt inside. so. yea.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a cozy fantasy with some fun characters and scenarios. Heavily inspired by DnD and as a fan I really enjoyed those nods to the game.

This is a delightfully cozy, romantic adventure fantasy. A magical gardener FMC and a high-society NBiMC go from childhood friends, to failed lovers, to employee and employer, to proper friends, to something… more.

The world-building and magic are off the charts, with cozy cottage green witch vibes. The characters are realistically flawed yet self-aware and relatable. The prose is rich and captivating, while the dialogue is engaging and witty. The plot and conflict are well balanced and intriguing without being overpowering, allowing the stakes to rise without disrupting the feel-good tone.

I loved every page of this book, finding myself smiling, laughing, and tearing up. I’m excited to see more from this realm, there was setup for another couple, and I’m hopeful to see more of their story.

Spice: 4/5
Plot: 4.5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
My Enjoyment: 5/5

***I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Review posted on Goodreads, romance.io, & personal blog. Will post on Amazon when available.

This is my first book by either author and I really love the voice in this one. It was so cozy and fun and one of those stories you come back to read purely for the comfort of it all.

4.25/5 Stars

<i>Homegrown Magic</i> is a whimsical, cute, cozy, love story about finding your way with another person. 

This one was so fun and cute! 

We meet Yael at their graduation party feeling stagnant and trapped, on a whim they steal away into the night stumbling upon their old friend Margot. One thing leads to another and Yael decides to stay and help Margot with her responsibilities as  a plant witch. In a twist of fate it seems that both Margot and Yael are trying to escape Yael's parents in one way.  Margot is drowning in pressure from a deal that her parents made with Yael's parents to save her cottage and the town. 

As Yael and Margot spend time together and acquaint themselves with the friendship they once had they will find that there is more that brings them together than sets them apart. This was such a beautiful story of two people coming together and fighting for a life they want. This one left me feeling so hopeful! I can't wait to see what happens in a book 2 with other characters!!
 
If you want a story that leaves you with that warm cozy feeling and rooting for love, I would definitely pick this up! It was so fun and engaging! This is cozy fantasy at its finest.  Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Full disclosure: I DNF'ed this book at 54%. I was really bored in the story and was putting myself into a reading slump by trying to push through it. I love a good cozy fantasy, but I just kinda feel like this one didn't have a good plot and didn't develop very well. I got more than half way through and nothing really happened other than the two main characters sleeping together,

This book felt like a warm cup of tea with a good dose of magic! Starting off, I love a world that treats queerness as just part of the norm! And the non-binary identity of one of the MCs was treated with so much respect! This book had such good queer representation, and not just from the leads! Some of the side characters were queer as well! The descriptions of this world were so beautiful and it did a brilliant job at immersing you in the story. It was a cozy book, but it had so much heart to it and a good deal of spice too! My heartstrings got pulled this way and that but it was in the best way. I love these characters. I love this world. I love the prose and storytelling. This book was all around a wonderful experience and I’d recommend it to anyone!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the eARC, but it did not affect my review in any way!

🍓 Rating: 2.5/5 ⭐️
🍓 Release Date: March 11 2025

This is a cozy fantasy romance that takes place primarily in the small village of Bloomfield, where everyone takes care of each other and the banks are definitely not trying to take possession of the village in order to turn it into more profitable land!

I just really couldn't get into this book. Cozy fantasies are some of my favorite, and I can usually devour them, but this took me multiple days. My main issue is that these cozier stories needs characters that can thrive on the page without all the drama and danger, but Margot and Yael's relationship really didn't do it. I'll get into more my extreme dislike of Yael as a character.

The story jumps forward days/weeks/months at a time with no character, relationship, or plot development in any way. You are telling me that months have gone by with actually no progress made (and what then just feels like no attempts were made) for this thing that Margot MUST do if she wabts to save the village??? It's one of my least favorite things ever when a main character is given *The Task* or else "dire consequences" and then almost immediately mentions of said task are completely gone.

Outside of The Task, the majority of the story sees Margot as a more mature figure and Yael as very childlike. Their behavior ranges from stealing berries from what Margot is using to make jam (in which she narrated how important it was that she had enough jam to sell or else she would be in a bad place financially), to seeing a problem that is clearly frustrating Margot and saying "Because sometimes I find problems can solve themselves while I nap for a bit"... Yeah if someone I was with and interested in romantically said that to me, I would not be speaking to them ever again. If 80% of the book a character is spoiled rotten and "just wants to have fun", I don't think character development means their love interest should've liked them in the first place.

Yes, LGBTQ+ rep is always great! We get a queer romance with a nonbinary individual! Representation itself doesn't carry a story though.

Margot is the granddaughter of a talented witch, but she is desperately seeking to finish a potion her grandmother started, so she can save not just her home, but her entire village. She and Yael spent some time together years ago and she has not forgotten them, but at the same time, it's Yael's family that is threatening to take everything from her.

Yael wants out of the gilded cage that is their family and the family business. So one night they run away and find themself near Margot's village. After reconnecting with Margot, they admit to fleeing from their home and Margot offers them a job helping out with her business.

This is such a cozy, comforting read - the desire to escape an empty existence and find true meaning in life is pivotal to Yael's character development, and Margot's world is something she will do anything to save. I loved them both, and enjoyed the lovely, cottagecore atmosphere.