Such a cozy book and a great read for my entrance into autumn. It perfectly encapsulates the feel of being wrapped up in a cozy blanket, drinking hot chocolate, and watching the leaves fall outside. It is a witchy tale with potions, magic, and an LBTQ+ friends-to-lovers romance. Loved following Yael and Margot's relationship blossom with low-stakes! The world and the characters easily sucked me into the book each time I would come back to it.

I love magic, and I gardening, and this book combined the two! It was great. This was a really sweet read that gave me warm fuzzy feelings. It was just like getting a warm hug on a cold day. This book is what I would consider low stakes. There weren’t any intense moments, or anything to get your heart racing, it was quaint. I’m in no way implying that is bad. It was lovely, it was a nice change of pace for me. It allowed me to take things down a notch and just slow down, which can be fantastic and much needed. The story was well done, and I think it is perfect for those hectic days when you just need to take pause. The characters were great, and I especially loved how they communicated so wonderfully. I strive to be a good communicator in life, and it’s always nice to see these values resonated in what I read as well. Because this book is whimsical, I felt it was a little wordy at times, but honestly, it fit the vibes of the book.

If you are looking for a quaint book with cottagecore vibes, then you need to check this one out.

I really enjoyed this low stakes fantasy with gardening magic. This one was a lot of fun and I will be reading more. Overall I had a great time with this fantasy.

3.5⭐️ rounded up! Thx to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of my arc in exchange for my review!

What an absolute joy it was to read this low-stakes, cozy, cottagecore, queer, adventure between Margot and Yael. Can I also note how nice it is to feature a nonbinary character who doesn’t once get questioned about their gender (or lack thereof or fluidity)?

Yael escapes their high-society family to Bloomfield, where they find Margot, a friend from childhood. Margot, a plant witch, is keeping secrets from both Yael and her town’s residents. She’s being blackmailed by Yael’s parents, and must whip up a [redacted] potion if she doesn’t want her town and its residents to be seized and left with nothing. Together, they build the most adorable cottagecore life imaginable. Like I want to build them in the Sims 4 cottagecore expansion pack.

I enjoyed the low stakes of this story, and how communicative the characters were with each other. Did they keep secrets sometimes? Yes. Did it tear them apart? Definitely not. We have effective communication happening, baby.

I found the passages and descriptions to be a bit too wordy at times, and ended up having to re-read certain paragraphs cuz I found myself getting lost in them.

All in all, a really sweet and fun read inspired by authors and their DnD campaign!

Also,,, need to know more re: Araphi (and Sage). Pls

This was a cute, fun, cozy, queer fantasy romance! I loved the non-binary representation, and the characters’ relationship development felt realistic and organic.

Homegrown Magic is an adorable cozy fantasy romance!

Yael and Margot were once childhood friends, but now they live entirely separate lives. That is until Yael, the heir of the wealthiest banking family, escapes their responsibilities and finds refuge in Margot’s tiny town where she’s using her plant magic to keep her family business (and the town itself) afloat.

This story was delightful! Margot lives in a cottage in a tiny town and has a greenhouse where she makes magical strawberry jam… truly, what more do you need! The plant magic element was so fun and made it feel like it would be an especially perfect springtime read.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for access to the eARC in exchange for my review!

I want to live in this world and never leave. Yael and Margot have a piece of my heart. Both characters have strong, individual voices and felt as thought they were crafted with so much love and care.
If you’re looking for a good queer cozy fantasy, this is it.

Homegrown Magic is a cozy low stakes fantasy with plant/gardening magic. A cute read with solid non-binary and queer representation.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the eArc.

This is cozy fantasy and coming of age and discovering oneself and a bit of a love story all combined. When Yael needs to escape the box their family is trying to make them live in, Yael runs off and finds themself in a small village, which happens to be the hometown of Margot, a childhood best friend. Margot is exhausted trying to keep up the family business and keep the village safe when Yael stumbles into town. It turns out they may be just what the other needs - if they can be brave enough to open up to those possibilities.

I really enjoyed reading Homegrown Magic. I think the characters felt very vibrant, and the tension built well throughout the book. By the end of the book, I cared a lot about Yael and Margot, and I would definitely read another book just about Yael and Margot, or more about their childhood friendship. Both Yael and Margot had very distinct narrative voices, which I felt remained very consistent throughout the book.
The one part that was a little confusing for me was keeping track of how much time had passed. While the time jumps did make sense for the plot, the time jumps felt a little haphazard, and sometimes I didn't realize that a time jump had happened until a few pages into the chapter. While I always figured it out eventually, some of the time jumps, particularly the first one, were not very smooth for my reading experience.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eArc of this book!
Rating: 4.5/5

If you’re in the mood for a delightful escape filled with plant magic, cozy vibes, and a sprinkling of queer romance, look no further! This book is like the perfect cup of herbal tea: warm, comforting, and just a tad whimsical.

This book is a cozy gem, perfect for curling up with on a rainy day (or, let’s be real, any day). The descriptions of greenhousesI and whimsical flowers are enough to make you feel like you’re frolicking through a pastel fairyland. And with a pansexual main character and a nonbinary love interest, it checks all the boxes for a fabulously inclusive read.

I am excited to see what the authors do in the future, because despite being marketed as their debut adult novel, it did still read a little closer to YA for me. Not that that's a bad thing in the slightest!

This was such a cozy fantasy and I wish everyone could read this right now! I love that the main character is pansexual and the love interest being nonbinary. The whimsical settings, lovable characters, and a healthy amount of conflict!

This was swoony and romantic and very much the perfect cozy romance. The spice was very tasteful and the chemistry between Yael and Margot was off the charts.

The conclusion maybe felt a little too easy (as was the ease with which Yael broke down the spell they opted into), but I can't complain too much since I was kicking my feet by the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for allowing me to read this book!

I feel terrible, as I'd been looking forward to this for some time, and was hoping the "cozy romantasy" aspect would work for me, although it typically doesn't. I did love the queernorm world of it all, and Yael being called "Sir'ram" (something I liked to say as a kid).

But I do think that was... mostly it. The book read fairly YA, even middle- grade save for the semi-explicit romantic scene, and I often found myself forgetting the characters were adults. I feel too, the main conflict was solved far too easily and conveniently, and Yael's sacrifice brushed over in so few words that it felt the purpose of it was to provide conflict for a third act break-up.

It'll be good for some, I think. Just not me.

This book is absolutely adorable. The main characters are perfect together, and the cozy, low stakes fantasy world building is well done. (And I love the bonus content). I had a lot of fun reading this book, and it manages to pack in a lot of heart for a relatively short book.

The banter is fun and adorable. I loved their relationship progression. This romance occurs in a queer normative world. It features a highbrow x gardening witch, second chance romance. And the love admissions later in the story are just the sweetest and completely perfect.

Content: tf explicit s*x, manipulation, strong language

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Homegrown Magic is a cute, cozy, queer fantasy romance that I absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a low stakes, HEA storyline! I loved the relationship between Margot and Yael, and really appreciated the non-heteronormative approach to most of the romantic relationships in the story. The world itself and magic system are intriguing and unique. I docked one star because I appreciate a bit more of a fast pace (even in my cozy fantasy), and there were certain parts that read a bit slow to me. However, if you're looking to fully immerse yourself and love a story that focuses on the coziness in everyday activities and routine, this is the story for you!

This is a queernorm romantic fantasy with one nonbinary MC. The story was cozy but still had a compelling conflict and I wanted to live in this world in a cottage with strawberries and flowers and fancy dresses.

This is described as adult and it was well-written but I would say it reads more like a YA, with some "spice" that I honestly could've done without. I would've liked to see a bit more of the magic/potion-making and fleshing out some side characters like the other villagers. I also think the first time skip was a missed opportunity for developing their relationship as they're first working together and getting to know each other again.

Overall I was in the mood to read something cozy and this lived up to my expectations, with the queernorm being a nice bonus! I would read a sequel.

For fans of: Legends & Lattes, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

This is a sweet, cozy, paranormal romance. The chapters alternate between the two protagonists: Margot, an herb witch, daughter of a bankrupted family, and Yael, scion of the banking family who ruined Margot's family, with no magic of their own. A chance meeting brings the childhood friends together after many years apart, when Yael runs away from their graduation party and the bank job they're supposed to start the following day. Margot, who is running herself ragged trying to repair the family's fortunes by reviving her grandmother's magical remedy business, offers Yael a job in her greenhouses. As the two grow closer, Yael begins to take some responsibility and Margot begins to take time off now and then. Plot twists, steamy sex scenes, happy resolution, and a nice party. The two authors normally write YA fiction, and if I'm honest, this seems to be YA with steamy sex—not entirely a bad thing, but it's good to be forewarned.

This was an advance copy read via NetGally for no consideration other than an honest review. Publication expected in March 2025.

Review will post immediately on GoodReads and on Amazon as soon as I can get its system to cooperate with me.

This took me a long time to get through which is never a good sign. I ended up liking it overall, I just found the first half pretty slow so it took a while to get into. Once I got into it though I did enjoy it. Yael and Margot are a very cute couple and I'm glad the slow burn finally paid off with a little spice! Overall I would give it 3.5 stars 🌟

A predictable but enjoyable cozy fantasy romance. Fell a little too hard on the lack of communication trope-- but I'm a sucker for a queer love story with a cozy magical feel. Will buy for my collection and recommend to readers looking for cozy fantasy.