How could I resist a book with a title like this? My thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the advance copy!

In 1989, Joe and his best friend Ronnie plan to spend the summer working and playing at the gay mecca of Fire Island Pines. Ronnie is looking for a sugar daddy, while Joe realizes it’s time to move on from grieving his late boyfriend Elliot, who died of AIDS.

When Ronnie’s promised job and accommodations both fail to materialize, Joe meets Lenny and Howie, two older gay men who are housecleaners on the side. They take Joe under their wing, and although they’re tremendously kind and generous to him, they seem to have a lot of secrets and quirky habits. What are they hiding?

Howie and Lenny are part of a coven of disco witches. They use dance to conjure up protection for the younger gay men who might become overwhelmed by the availability of sex and drugs on Fire Island. Both of these have destroyed too many men already, and they’re committed to protecting Joe. But the coven has been depleted by the loss of many of its members to AIDS, so they’re not as powerful as they once were.

While Joe works as a bartender, he finds himself attracted to a bisexual ferryman, and tantalized by a muscular man that keeps disappearing. Lenny and Howie try to warn Joe away from the mysterious hunk, saying that he represents impending danger. Will the disco witches be able to keep everyone safe?

This was such a fun, poignant, nostalgic, and steamy book. I can’t pass up anything set in the 1980s, and when you throw in a little magical realism—plus disco—I’m hooked. I really enjoyed this, and it made me think back to those we’ve lost.

When I tell you that I hate to give this a low rating, I mean it. This book had so much potential to me. When it came to all the witchy stuff I actually think this book was pretty good. The way the magic worked was very interesting, the plot surrounding it pretty intriguing, and those scenes were extremely atmospheric. However, it was just such a tiny part of this book, it couldn't fully save it. On top of that I also think this book has some interesting discussions around the HIV/AIDS epidemic as well, and I do think it is a recommendable read because of that.
However, as mentioned before all of that ended up being such a small aspect of this book. This was just such a slog to get trough as the author just kept waffling on and on and on about things that just did not matter. The narrative felt so incredibly bogged down by it, and the truly interesting elements of this book didn't get a chance to shine because of it either.
On top of that we also have extremely flat characters. They are very one dimensional, very unlikeable, and overall just blend into each other. There is such a large cast, and none of them (not even our main character Joe) is memorable, in my opinion. Why couldn't we have spend all this time we were doing nothing at all developing these characters more? That is also why the romance fell flat to me. It just happened extremely quickly, and had no developement at all. On top of that we of course have such unnoteworthy characters so of course I couldn't also understand what they saw in each other.
So yeah, overall I think this book is just one massive waste of potential, and I truly hate that it turned out that way. This deserved so much better!

Literally, this book is exactly what you would go into it thinking, simply because of the title. Gay witches, 80's, disco, but it also touches on some very heavy, serious topics, which really added depth to the character development. Disco Witches of Fire Island was a beautiful read.

Many thanks to Alcove Press for a complimentary eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Joe, heartbroken after losing his boyfriend to HIV/AIDS, is convinced by his friend Ronnie to spend a summer on Fire Island, working as a bartender by night and enjoying the freedom of a gay oasis by day. Things get off to a rough start when Joe learns that there is no bartending job or place to stay. Luckily, he comes across two quirky, eccentric, and downright weird house cleaners who offer him a place to stay and even manage to find him a job. Little does he know that his new housemates are disco witches whose power extends from and draws upon the the Great Goddess Mother and the joy and power of disco. Joe is thrust into the heady world of gay Fire Island as he deals with the trauma of losing his boyfriend, the prospect of new admirers, and the spectre of something that threatens his life.

This novel is ambitious. It deals with very serious themes like the HIV/AIDS epidemic which decimated an entire generation of queer people while also bringing a levity and brightness through its focus on queer joy, found family, and liberation. Despite the darkness that faces Joe and the disco witches, the story is suffused with light refracted through the disco ball of diverse voices and characters. I appreciated that this novel is somewhat hard to categorise -- not quite memoir, not quite fantasy, not quite romance -- and so it doesn't rely on the same tropes that some books have come to use. Characters are relatable, diverse, and deeply flawed, making them seem more real; they are clearly written with great care and affection. For readers who identify as queer, the book is hopeful and joyful in the face of darkness; for readers who don't identify as queer, the book is a window into the difficult navigation of queer identity, belonging, and community.

Above all, this is a novel with a lot of heart. Joe's internal struggles with trying to move past his boyfriend's death (and the events leading up to it) are genuinely heartbreaking. The disco coven are quirky and eccentric, but the strength of their bond to one another and to protecting the queer community is moving and inspiring. Even Ronnie, whose missteps lead to no small amount of frustration and sadness, has his moment of stepping up and defying social expectations of what a young queer man should look like and behave.

I've rarely come across a book which is able to move from the deep pain of heartbreak to overwhelming queer joy, from total abnegation to lust as Disco Witches of Fire Island. What a blessing the Great Goddess Mother has offered to us readers in the form of this novel! Let yourself be led by the magic and sorrow of 1980s queer disco magic on an unforgettable journey.

Whimsical and brash in the way only the best of camp can be. The setting, the vibes and the particularly gay male voice doesn't seem to have any interest in catering to anyone except gay men. Which is great, but I'm only adjacent as a non cis queer. It's not really heartwarming but still charming, and I can appreciate the story as what it is, but not really felt connected or invested in specific characters. Excellent and fun setup and premise and title though

i had a lot of fun with this. its a unique, heartfelt story that tells you exactly what it is and lives up to its expectations. Blair created a world and community that felt real and vibrant.

the strongest work here is all the characters. Joe is a great lead, and his arc plays well into his own personal issues but also issues facing the community at the time. and every single person on that island was thorough and well characterized. and i loved the found family that was built with everyone.

and god, i LOOOOVE disco. who doesn't?

this a very original and compelling novel. it all felt so authentic. great way to kick off some summer-ish reading.

A disclaimer, first: I'm not sure "Disco Witches of Fire Island" would have landed as hard for me if I hadn't lived through the 1980s as a young queer person and wound up with a number of dead friends. But I did, so I can report that Blair Fell brought me right back to the grief and the desperate fear of those days, when everywhere queer you went seemed to be populated by young men with purple spots on their gaunt faces, and on their heads AIDS hair, unmistakably fine and thin.

By 1989, when the book is set, AZT existed, but all the other treatments addressed just the opportunistic infections, not the virus itself. So when one of the Disco Witches, Howie, prophesies to Joe, who's afraid to love an HIV+ man, that not everyone who has the virus at that time will die of it, Joe can only take that on faith. Joe has an arduous journey from hopeless grief toward willingness to rediscover love and joy; he gets there, but it's enough of a rough ride that while I'll accede to the ad copy's characterization of the book as romantic, no one should go into it expecting a genre romance.

Something I especially liked about "Disco Witches" is that besides its historical vividness about the early days of AIDS, it also presses exactly hard enough on the divide between well-off assimilationist gays (mostly male, mostly white, mostly "masculine") and the more radical queer community (imperfect, sure, but with more room for people of color, for femmes, for women, for openly kinky folks). These days I'm (wince) a legally married, monogamous homeowner, but when Blair Fell mentioned the Disco Witches' copy of "The Faggots and Their Friends Between Revolutions" I could see the cover as clearly as if I were holding it my hands again. I think my copy's still around somewhere. Time to dig it out again, yes?

Thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Delightful. In the midst of the devastation of AIDS, there's nothing left to do but laugh, find friends who love and care about you, and go right on with your pursuit of the merman who runs the ferry to your magical home.

We've all been there—don't front.

The kind of matter-of fact tone telling this wildly off-beam from consensus reality story is my jam. The men, reeling from their individual and social losses, are perfectly imperfect in their responses to new stressors while remaining open to changes. Circumstances aren't changing much in 1989, but the Disco Witches are vibrating to brighter days coming...if they can summon them up.

It's not like they're not optimists, all these people. You do not go to Fire Island to end it all from depression...as Joe discovers. They've been bitch-slapped by life as we gay men were all through the first ten or eleven years of that pandemic. It wasn't showing more than glimmers of being solved, so many many blessings went unremarked. I hope y'all can see, based on 2020's broader slap, how tough one had to be to keep it together.

Love did keep us together like the awful Captain and Tenille song smarmed. "There is no friendship without failure," a truism I read here, ran through my mind as Ronnie behaved like a dick to people who accept him as he is; then it really hit me: all the friends I've ever really loved have forgiven me my failings, and I theirs. Howie and Lenny, the titular Disco Witches, embody this ethos as they journey on past their disco heyday into a world they still love, but from the outside now. Protecting these new boys is easiest from the perimeter, guys. It's quite moving seen from my perspective, and will probably not be notable to thirtysomethings.

I'm very sure this book is not remotely heterosafe. There's a lot of just...not for y'all...information and opinion.

Babyqueers encouraged to check what the elders got up to. We weren't always old, my little chickadee. *nostalgic sigh* The read was fun and is a well-aimed summertime/Pride Month/beach read. Well done, and well worth your time and treasure for the fun it gives.

This was enchanting and lovely, the perfect book to get me in the mood for summer! I am sometimes not super taken with books based on NYC as someone who has never lived there and doesn't plan to, but I really enjoyed this depiction.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

This book is a wildly enchanting ride that blends camp, magic, and queer joy into an unforgettable tale. The characters are fierce, funny, and full of heart, casting spells and throwing shade in equal measure. Fell’s writing crackles with wit and warmth, capturing the spirit of Fire Island with glittering precision. It’s a fabulously fun read that leaves you bewitched, laughing, and wanting more.

4 stars. Dazzling, riotous, and a love letter to summers of the island mentioned in its title, Disco Witches of Fire Island is an absolute boogie of a read.

I love a crew of eccentric characters, which helps when I don't love the main character. I’m not typically a fantasy reader, but was pulled in by the title. No regrets. Deeply weird, funny, and touching as hell at points. A quickly consumed read in a few hours on the beach on Easter. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review, book publishes 5/6

This book lives up to its creative title and gorgeous cover with a clever story that hits a good balance of nostalgia and reminding readers that this was a really challenging time for the gay community.

The book was a bit different from what I've expected, but in a good way. AIDS period and drag queens-witches? Not something I could ever image, to be completely honest. However, Disco Witches of Fire Island was a pretty awesome read.

I'm not a fan of stories with many important characters in one book, but the changing POVs of characters (most of the times short chapters) didn't bother me in this book; the switches were greatly timed and served as a great plot-building tool.

Joe was someone that felt very natural, honest to me. Flawed, closed-hearted after a loss, but hard-working and dependable. Ronnie had to grow on me as I rather disliked him in the beginning, but came to love a bit later. Vince, my idol, you were my favorite!

The witches were amazing in the found-family sense, however, the magical /fantasy elements in the end felt a bit lacking, rushed, sometimes rather weird. Nevertheless, the whole plot came together nicely to wrap up the story.

I saw some reviews that this book felt too horny for them, I, however, found it moderately horny, raw and even realistic, knowing the history of Fire Island. The pace was good, the plot interesting, characters well-written and writing style, in my eyes, great.

A different approach to AIDS period with a spark of magic, found family and love.

(Actual: 2.75⭐, rounded up) This was such a campy book, and I say that both in perhaps a positive and negative way. While I did find the overall story/premise to be intriguing, the execution ultimately fell pretty flat (if not stale). That's not to say it didn't have any fun, more engaging moments to it... but I also felt like it read a bit juvenile? And oddly, oddly overly sexual lol. Like the way a lot of the ~romantic &/or physical intimacy scenes made me laugh AND cringe in embarrassment because they were just so.... idek how to describe it?? Don't get me wrong: I went into this novel fully expecting it to be a wild (but good) trip.... and yet somehow it was still so underwhelming and just bizarre. Despite being a lover of strange/surreal fiction, I may just not have been the right audience for this book.... and that's okay! I've read others saying they loved it, and so I hope this is just an outlier for me from Fell and I still look forward to checking out whatever they come out with next!

If you need me in the next few business days - don't, BECAUSE I'LL STILL BE CRYING OVER THIS BOOK!!! I know Disco Witches of Fire Island won't be for everyone, but it was just about perfect for me.

I started reading it and was instantly transported into a hilarious and heartbreaking story that will stay with me for years to come.

I loved the concept, the characters, the setting and of course the magic. You pair disco and witches, I'll come running. As a dancer myself, I love how their power comes from it, and reading the acknowledgements makes the whole thing even sweeter.

We could've used a few more details about the magic itself, that's this book's only little flaw, but the rest was amazing.

I learned quite a few things I didn't know before, like Fire Island's history. I may have heard about it at some point, but if I did, I don't remember. I'm also not from the US, so you'll have to excuse me.

Blair Fell made it all feel incredibly vivid, and now Fire Island is on my list of places to visit. I'll absolutely be reading up on it more when I'm done with this review.

I also loved how every chapter starts with the Disco Witch Manifesto, and how unapologetically queer everyone is. It's a breath of fresh air.

A big theme throughout is Joe learning to find that freedom, while recovering from a huge loss. He has to learn to trust again, and not let his own worries and insecurities way him down. Easier said than done.

Joe's growth by the end is evident, and it's one of the best parts of this read. Ronnie evolved similarly, though I wish that last big change happened a few chapters earlier, so we could enjoy it for longer.

Howie and Lenny were the real stars of the show, I adored every second they were on-page. What I'd give to meet them and give them a hug...my babies.

We kept getting fed nuggets of information from their perspectives, about their magic and the Great Darkness that was coming. It kept me on my toes for sure, I couldn't wait to find out where it was all heading.

Romance wise, I shipped Joe and Fergal from their very first meeting, I knew there was something there. And I like how (relatively) slow they took it. Some of that was due to Joe being a bit of a mess, but it's okay, he was grieving.

Vince and Ronnie's side romance was equally compelling, and it felt realistic. Both romances did actually, they had ups and downs, and came out better because of it.

The ending made me hunger for a sequel, so fingers crossed we get one in the future. I don't want this to be the end!!!!

The Disco Witches story is truly unique, and, dare I say, a perfect read for Pride Month. It's full of whimsy as well as history, you really can't go wrong with giving it a try.

*Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story and it was definitely worth the read!

Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Beginning with Joe and Ronnie's journey to Fire Island, The Disco Witches of Fire Island is an entertaining book with a lot of heart.

My favorite part of this book was the echoes of what it must’ve been like to be queer in the 80s and dealing with the fallout of HIV aids. I appreciated the way Fell approached honoring those who have been lost, but also speaking about the hopefulness that was beginning at the end of the 80s and early 90s when there began some treatments for the crisis. It was clear that the author added some of his lived experiences and I think he did an excellent job honoring those he had lost to the crisis.

I also really enjoyed the found family aspect of this book. I was glad everyone was able to truly be themselves. Further, I appreciated that there was almost a mentorship between the older individuals and the young.

I struggled a little bit with the pacing at the beginning of the book slow. I wish that there had been perhaps more magical elements or more flashback to what life was like prior to AIDS.

Overall, I think this will be well buy those who love a little historical fiction with a little magical realism mixed in.

(3-3.5)

The Disco Witches of Fire Island is such a unique romp of a novel, taking place over the summer of 1980 in the gay haven of the Fire Island Pines. Joe Agabian is a young gay man in his 20s still reeling from the loss of his partner to AIDS two years ago. Lacking direction, he lets his friend Ronnie convince him to move to Fire Island for a summer full of bartending tips, hot sex, and hopefully a rich boyfriend to leave the island with at the end of the season.

Of course, life in Fire Island isn’t purely the escape Joe had hoped for. Amidst the devastation of the AIDS crisis, the same problems of love, loss, fear, classism, racism, and sickness abound. Meanwhile, the disco witches are on a quest to save a lost young soul among the island community that summer. The witches are a group of older queer folks who create magic through dance, music, and their flamboyant attire to save young people from the darkness that lurks among them. The story builds to a climax as their magical intuition reaches a fire pitch.

Blending elements of fantasy, the supernatural, carnal desire, romance, historical fiction, and coming of age, this novel is a truly singular, unique read. It is joyful and sorrowful; warmly nostalgic and yet clear-eyed about the more problematic tendencies of the queer community—then and now. Ultimately, this book is imbued with hope and a belief in the higher power that lives within us, or as the disco witches would say, within the Great Goddess Mother.

I absolutely loved Blair Fell’s debut novel and highly recommend this book as well!

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.