I am massive fan of Breanna Randall's first novel 'The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic' and so I was super excited to dive into this one. Unfortunately, I was a little bit disappointed. The reason why I loved the TUSOHAM is that there was so much space to connect to the characters and watch their interactions with each other, learn more about who they are as an individual you become emotionally invested in their story. I found that this book felt a little bit rushed, there wasn't a moment to get to know our FMC before the action just picked up. And while I think it is perfect for those who love witchy stories (which I do), I would have just loved a bit more time to get to see the relationship with the sisters, and their life (I was so interested in the tea and book shop and wanted to see more). I did enjoy myself though, I love a good witchy book and this would be a perfect read coming into the Halloween season.
What to expect:
Witchy Vibes
Magical tea and bookshop
Family Dynamics
Enemies to Lovers
Family Curse
Shadow Daddy

Thank you so much to Penguin Random House for my EARC

This book gives charmed like vibes with there magic and sisterhood. You have the older sister that doesn’t do magic one, the middle sister that barely uses her , and the younger sister that uses hers daily but it comes with a cost you give up memories for magic but you accidentally get bonded to the hot guy she can’t trust this is a good read and can’t wait for the next book

I absolutely devoured this book from the very first sentence and I could not put it down.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell and NetGalley for providing the opportunity to read and review e-ARC.

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things by Breanne Randall is a beautifully atmospheric tale blending magic, mystery, and self-discovery. The novel follows a woman returning to her hometown, only to unravel long-buried family secrets and a past she can't quite remember. The lyrical writing and rich world-building create an immersive experience, while the slow-burn tension keeps the pages turning. However, some plot points feel predictable, and the pacing lags in places. Still, the story’s enchanting magic system and emotional depth make it a compelling read for fans of witchy, folklore-infused fiction.

Spells, Strings, and Forgotten things promised to be a shadow daddy Pride and Prejudice meets charmed.

I suppose it delivered on that. There was a power of three sisters vibe, a dark and brooding shadow worker, and an enemies to lovers trope.

While I think the magic sisters protecting the magic of their town is a little overdone in witchy stories, I did like that the theme of releasing Prejudice because it clouds your sight refreshing.

An extra star to combat bigotry.

🔮 Witches
💔 Curses
🕯 Light vs Shadow
✨️ Sacrificing memories
😈 Ancient evil
❤️‍🔥 Sizzling chemistry

"Oh," Danny said, staring at Lucien, their eyes going wide. "Damn. Shadow daddy, indeed."

"Her life might be completely unraveling, but at least she had her cat, candles, and crystals."

*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is my honest feedback about the book as an avid reader.*

This is my second book by Breanne & I can safely say that I thoroughly enjoy her writing. This particular book was full of so much culture & the recipes just make you so extremely hungry with their descriptions. The books is so incredibly cozy. Absolutely loved it!

I am curious if there will be another book or not. 👀

I honestly really loved this cozy witch book. It was such a beautiful story highlighting sisterhood and the strength of love between sisters which really hit home for me. As the oldest sister who had to raise her younger siblings, I really connected with Thalia and was able to understand the tough moments where Calliope was just trying to fix things even when it created a bigger mess. I thought the magic system in this book was unique compared to typical witch stories in that their magic was powered by sacrificing memories and those that are higher in value elicit stronger magic. The ending had me crying, but I honestly thought it was the best way to end it.

If I could trade memories for magic, I have to admit, I'd find the forgetfullness useful. Because my daily life is otherwise filled with walking through doorways and not remembering what I went in for.

overall pretty good! i really liked Lucien as a character, as well as the sisters. Our protag was a bit weaker as a char, and some of the magic system was a bit cliche, but in general it's a good romantasy. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

I really enjoyed this story. Romance, witchcraft, enemies to lovers, small town, family. Highly recommend.

Breanne Randall has done it again! Creating the small town we all wish we could live in, difficult family relationships, and a bond with a man she shouldn’t trust? I’m totally invested from chapter one

2.75 ⭐️ I really, REALLY wanted to absolutely fall in love with every aspect of this book - the premise, the characters, the setting - but I felt very confused, a little letdown, and a lot was left wanting more development across the board.

This book felt like it was trying to be 5 things at the same time and all at the same intensity. Smalltown ✔️ Unique magic system ✔️ Enemies-to-lovers ✔️ Food/Drink-themed ✔️ Shadow-daddy ✔️And while in theory this is all fine and possible... in execution here, it felt muddled.

We had a rich history and cultural love for Greek food and Greek heritage, but we're stuck in a small-town that's supposed to feel like family to the FMC and her sisters. It was whiplash as a reader, trying to feel such a strong connection to both places at the same time.

We had a unique magic system, but when we're constantly told "we don't know why or how it works like that, it just does" it feels less intriguing & with constant discoveries that (unfortunately) ask more questions and leave us with no answers, it doesn't feel immersive- it's frustrating. It feels like a band-aid slapped on and labeled, "it works like that because I said so."

The relationship in this story was rough for me. Insta-love? Insta-hate? Rivals-to-lovers? Enemies-to-lovers? "You're so annoying and frustrating and I hate everything you represent" for 80% of the book to quickly "F*ck me" and "I'll worship you"... I feel like the intricacies of this relationship should have been more fleshed out over the 400 pages we were given. I wanted to feel the push-and-pull right along with the characters and see them develop, but I just didn't see that happen.

If this book had spent more time in the tea shop or focused more on the shared memories and meals of the sisters, I would have felt more satisfied with how these elements were hapzardly thrown into the story as plot points. Everything sounded delicious, but it often felt out of place given the mood or surroundings.

The overuse of the term "shadow-daddy" is one thing, but the way it's played up for the MMC is almost cringe-y. He's meant to be multi-layered, incredibly powerful, and we discover deeper meanings to his motives throughout the story, yet he's constantly (and flat out called this by a character in the book) troped-up to just a dark-wielding heartthrob.

My final qualm about this book, is how it's being described/advertised. I feel labeling this as a magical, modern day Bridgerton is misleading and a more accurate description would include more contemporary terms (ex. witch-y smalltown romance, magical sisters and their whimsical tea shop adventures, generational magic & curses amidst a dark forest, etc).

I enjoyed parts of this book, truly I did, but I don't feel like what I stepped into was what I was promised before starting it. And after finishing it, the ending had me feeling very ambiguous and confused as to how so much and so little took place. Not only that, but the reader just had to accept unanswered questions that were integral to the entire plot.

I know this novel will find its place in the hearts of countless readers, I'm just sad I'm not one of them. But I wish the author all the success in the world when this book finally publishes and is reportedly being created into a TV series.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for giving me the opportunity to read this book early and share my honest review. All reviews will be posted to my socials (Netgalley, Goodreads, Fable, IG).

"A young witch cursed with sacrificing memories to cast spells must decide how much she's willing to lose to save her town in this thrilling tale of magic, love, and self-discovery - from the New York Times bestselling author of The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic.

In the small town of Gold Springs, Calliope Petridi and her two sisters carefully guard the secret of their magic and the price they must pay to practice it: memories. Luckily, all Calliope wants to do is forget: the mother who left without a trace, the sisters from whom she feels increasingly distant, and most of all, the way the love of her life shattered her heart two years ago.

But when an ancient evil awakens, the fragile thread that holds the sisters together breaks. As their magic slowly begins to fade, Calliope accidentally binds herself to the handsome leader of a rival coven infamous for their ruthless pursuit of power. Battling the sizzling chemistry with a man she can't trust, Calliope must confront painful memories of her past, dark family secrets, and ancient magic in order to protect the town and all she loves. But will she have anything left of herself?"

Just looking at the cover of this book makes me want to read it. For some reason it really reminds be of Bilbo's birthday bash.

In a modern town, three sisters are cursed with magic that can only be wielded through the sacrifice of their memories. Each sister copes with her magic and tragic past in her own way, yet their devotion to one another is imperative in the face of dangerous obstacles. This book follows the youngest sister, Calliope.

Breanne Randall’s second novel delivers everything you want in an urban paranormal romance; an enchanting small-town setting, strong family bonds, a fascinating magic system, and a sexy, shadow-wielding MMC. Randall’s writing is both captivating and poetic, filled with poignant and memorable quotes. She even included recipes for some of the food and drinks the characters enjoy.

The story is full of intriguing characters, including a personified grimoire named Grim. With an open-ended conclusion, Randall leaves room for what could be the start of an exciting series.

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

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

Review posted on Goodreads, romance.io, Tome & Instagram. Will post on Amazon when available.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the opportunity to read this eARC!

Alright, I get it.....he smells like apples and she likes mismatched socks. I GET IT!

Overall, this was a fun enough book. Definitely gave Charmed, small town vibes. I loved the description of the town and environment. It really painted the picture of ultimate cozy witch town. It was a quick and easy read. Good banter is of utmost important to me and this book had a handful of decent banter exchanges. I didn't really care for what I'll call a discrepancy in dialogue between the FMC and MMC. The FMC was definitely modern and casual while our MMC had a sophisticated and formal approach which caused their interactions to feel disjointed. Some of the events in the story felt overly convenient for the plot. The pacing of the development of their relationship felt awkward. It went from hate to instant "I would die for you" in the span of what felt like a few pages, which seems forced.

I am a bit surprised that there will be more books in this saga. While I enjoyed this book enough and there were questions left unanswered by the end, I am not really inclined to continue the series based on this one. I'll give it a 2.5, rounded to a 3.

I love the idea of exchanging a memory for magical capabilities! This was a fun read, and I really enjoyed the sisters. I didn’t feel much connection between to Calliope and Lucien but other than this and some pacing inconsistency, I think this was a good cozy story. I would definitely recommend it for fans of cozy witch stories!

rating: 2/5 ⭐️ | spice: 1.5/5 🌶️

a cozy little fantasy that focuses on sisters bonding together to save the town's magic tree from falling into the hands of the enemy, with a little unexpected help from the shaddow daddy.

i wanted to like this book so badly since the premise of the book seemed interesting to me. while i think the plot and focus on sisterhood and sacrificing memories was interesting, the execution just didn't work for me.

let's first start with some of the things that i did like about this book. first of all, i did like that it was a cozier type of fantasy read. it had some whimsical elements like tea, baked goods, a bookstore, tarot card shop, and a sentient book. i didn't really go in expecting this to be a more urban fantasy setting with real life places mentioned so i did like the diversity that the author wrote into it. there was a nonbinary character, a bisexual character, black characters, asian characters, and other identities mentioned. i also really liked the mention of all the greek foods and sweets sprinkled throughout the story. bonus points to all the recipes included at the end, can't wait to try some of them!

but overall, i found all the character development to be very lacking. breanne randall does a really good job at describing the setting and environment, so i enjoyed that! but it didn't translate well into describing a character's personality or their relationships and fell really flat. because of that, all the characters seemed to lack any chemistry and their relationships just felt so forced. from the sisterhood of the three sisters to the relationship between the fmc and mmc, i didn't really feel anything for any of it.

the pacing was also very awkward to me. there were some timeline plot holes, that threw me off. and the pacing of the fmc and mmc's relationship development made no sense to me. they were supposed to be enemies but in the blink of an eye, they already trust each other without getting to know each other better? rather then descriptions of some random details that didn't really help progress the story at all, like about the fmc's socks, i wish more details were written into the relationships development.

but even if we weren't focusing on the relationship or character developments, i feel like the plot also felt a little flat and was a little boring. the magic system is simple, sacrifice a memory to use magic. but then the explanation of the curse was a little too complicated for what it was.

i think overall, this book would have been better if it went through another round of edits. i liked the idea of the plot and storyline, but the execution wasn't for me. i can see someone who enjoys something simple and whimsical fantasy liking this. it even seems there were some plot points that weren't completely wrapped up and would be a good set-up for a sequel.

i would recommend this to anyone looking for a cozier fantasy read that still has that enemies-to-lover with a shadow daddy, while also focusing on family relationships.

4.5 stars. I’m in love with this story!

I really enjoyed the story of the sisters - it’s a tough lesson to learn, to grow together as siblings while also feeling comfortable to be yourself. Calliope was a great heroine to follow and I enjoyed her arc as she grew into the powerful witch she knew she could be.

And can we talk about Lucien and how he’s dreamy??? Okay, glad we got to that. He’ll live rent-free in my mind for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley, Breanne Randall, and Ballantine/Dell for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

It was cute..and a little bit silly and a lot of cliche, but really , you know what you're getting. Not everything is a great literary masterpiece. This was fun though, and scratched the surface, like a good scalp massage:)

The premise of this book was promising. Witches, unique magical curses, small town. Getting into it, the book continued to bring me things I love in books. Bisexual representation, whimsy.

But the book was definitely missing something as well. It felt disjointed at parts, and I’m not sure if everything was reasonably explained. I was also confused by different names being used for the same person, forgetting who they were. There were a lot of names minor characters, who I couldn’t remember who they were.

And honestly? Calliope kept using her memories so frivolously. And I know that she was doing it because she needed therapy, but like…Go light your candle yourself.

I think there are plenty of people who would enjoy this book. I’m not sure if witchy romance is for me? But if you love witches, sisterhood, the power of three, and you’ve already watched Charmed too many times, maybe pick this out when it comes out next month!

Publishing March 4, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and RHPG-Ballantine for this ARC.