I think that I had expected this to be a fun, light romance about gay witches on Fire Island, but it ended up being so much heavier. This feels most like the literary fiction that I haven't read in years, just with magic sprinkled in. It's a tortured young man who still grieves his lover who died from AIDS and learns how to move on.

It's the summer of 1989, and Joe's best friend Ronnie has convinced him to spend the summer bartending together on Fire Island. Ronnie the extrovert has taken Joe under his wing and seeks a hot, rich husband. Joe's first love Elliot died two years ago, and he's been frozen ever since. But when they get to Fire Island, things don't go quite as expected, and Joe ends up taking a room with a pair of older, eccentric gay men named Howie and Lenny. Meanwhile, Howie and Lenny are trying to figure out which young man on Fire Island is the innocent man that needs to be protected from a great evil, and the leader of their coven, Max, is sick and unable to help. In a summer of love and heartbreak, Joe and Ronnie find friendship, love, and most importantly, themselves.

Side plot of trying to attract your crush while organizing an ACT UP benefit.

I think that I was not 100% the right reader for this book, but it was still good. I had expected something either more campy or more paranormal, and this was much more focused on Joe's personal journey through grief and fighting his figurative demons. I think that the intended reader will enjoy this book.

The couple does get their own Happily Ever After but I think I would consider this more of a 1980s historical fiction (lol) with light fantasy than a true romance novel.

Big CW for: drugs, alcohol, grief, AIDS epidemic

Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for this ARC.

4 stars

The cover and the title brought me here, but the emotion and the sense of time and place kept me going. This book might look like a party, but it's a lot deeper than that.

Anyone who lived through this time or is old enough to have been deeply impacted by the immediate aftermath will be totally gripped by the plot, setting, and characters. You basically need to be a disco witch to come through the horrors of this period with any shreds of hope left, and that's reflected in multiple ways through these compelling characters and situations.

I really enjoyed the quirky characters, touching motifs, and general descriptions of love and lust and especially the struggle between loving someone and fearing the inevitable moment when you have to part from them. This one got to me in an unexpectedly good way.

I don't know if it's the current political climate or the time of year, but this book was just what I needed.

In a time of rhetoric about division and the dreaded "otherness" lurking in the wild, ready to corrupt The Children, I just needed a cozy story about some elderly disco witches.
In lieu of summarizing the plot, I want to talk about why this novel was effective for me and how books don't have to be narratively perfect for them to feel like a cozy hug from an old man in a caftan.

Queer community, especially one that spans generations, is so important to everyone in said community. From the disco queens to the baby gays to the lesbians who were a pillar of help and hope during the AIDS crisis, everyone plays a part and makes the community stronger with shared knowledge and tradition.
Fire Island is known for being a hedonistic paradise for wealthy gay men to let loose during the summer. The hedonism of the era was dampened by HIV and AIDS and I thought this book did a great job showing both sides of the spectrum. There were people who had either contracted the virus or lost multiple loved ones to it who wanted the world to stop and acknowledge what was happening. There were others in the same circumstances who wanted to pretend that things were normal and that these summers could continue like any other.
The discord in the community is heightened in this story. The disco witches live in their magical house which has shrines and tributes to the ones they've loved and lost prominently displayed. They check in with one another and look out for everyone on the island. Whereas, the rich assholes who plunder this community for a profit are shown to be selfish and unrelenting when it comes to destroying these tight bonds for monetary gain.

I think that's what this book does incredibly well is showing that a tight-knit group can always make magic as long as they believe in their cause. The history of HIV/AIDS activism and gay rights has been rainbow-washed in the media. The first pride was a riot. Every single progression toward equal rights was fought for by thousands of people who laid the path for their future brothers and sisters on which they might walk a bit easier. Having the disco witches be from that generation and seeing them watching out for the younger men on the island, trying to save them from self-destruction, really hammered home how much we owe our elders in marginalized communities.
In times of crisis, the most important thing to have is a community of people who know exactly how to organize.

The mystical spin on the very real pain and fear that accompanied being a young gay man living during the AIDS crisis was a nice touch. The egregor (in the form of a muscled gladiator man) chasing Joe throughout the book being a symbol for self-destructive behavior, disease, self-hatred, and being as old as time itself was a chilling reminder of all the things that plague young people who are still trying to figure things out. Living with the guilt of being healthy while so many of your friends and partners waste away in front of your eyes, living with the shame of knowing that your family has disowned you and finds your lifestyle morally repugnant because of religion, living with the disgust and scorn of the general public because the president of the US refuses to acknowledge the epidemic that is killing everyone you love and the majority of the country is cheering on the disease to eradicate you.

Sometimes the only thing that can save you is five disco witches burning down the dance floor.

Highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove for supplying me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I honestly cannot wait to buy a physical copy of this one.

This book did an amazing job of putting me in a time & place in history. I feel like the early days of the AIDS crisis is not brought up in books lately so it was interesting to read one where it affects so many characters. I however did not like it was advertised as fantasy but that wasn’t true. Magical realism maybe, but not a full blown fantasy.

3.5

📚 Review: This book was sweet! I feel like there was a lot of care put into the topics discussed, and into the characters. While not all of them were likeable, I liked most of them anyways. And I love a book with old gays 🙌. I did feel like the pacing was kind of slow, but overall I enjoyed the book and the writing. There were some sentences I had to stop and read multiple times because they hit hard. There was a lot of personality in this book and I’m glad I read it.

To be completely honest, I was a little disappointed with this book. Based on the title alone, I was hoping for a campy, witchy read. I think the writing could use some polishing, and maybe some of the minor story lines could be reined in a bit to create a more cohesive story as a whole. I liked the characters, but again felt they needed some polishing. Overall, I did like the concept, and I loved that there was significant character growth and development throughout the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Disco Witches of Fire Island in exchange for my honest review.

It would be difficult to argue that this book doesn't commit to itself and its premise. If you can buy in to the vibrant, immersive world and the fantastical cast of characters, you will have an amazing time on Fire Island. There is a certain amount of cynicism that has to be checked at the door to do so, but I feel like that's a worthwhile exercise for most of us nowadays anyway.

Rather than being a hardcore fantasy book, I would say that this feels almost more like a "through the looking glass" kind of story; there's something about the magic that feels contained to the place and time of the events, even as we know that the disco witches have moved and practiced their arts over a variety of settings over the course of time. Our main character, Joe, encounters this mystical new place as many characters do: heartbroken, afraid, ashamed, and in denial about most of it. When he leaves the island at the end of the summer, he has a new outlook on life all thanks to the life-changing season he has passed.

With that perspective in mind, it's safe to say that I enjoyed my time with Disco Witches of Fire Island. It's one of those books that leaves you feeling like a wide, open road lies ahead, waiting for your adventures. Not because you've never encountered any difficulties, but because you've been able to leave them behind you.

Absolutely pulled in by that cover.

Historical fiction with a bit of magic. Set in the late 80s during the AIDS crisis-Joe is trying to heal from losing his boyfriend Elliot and is convinced by his bff to spend the summer working at fire island.

A quirky story about love, healing, grief and all consuming fear. I enjoyed this book and would love to be in a disco witch coven…

Thanks to netgalley and alcove press for an eARC.

Let me start this by saying that this was, for me, one of those rare books where I felt such affection for this group of characters that I was a little sad to leave. It also reminded me of two things: one was reading Tales of the City for the first time after moving from my small hometown to the city at the same age as one of the main characters. Just being able to live her adventure as I was also living mine. And two, going to one of my favorite clubs with my friends on Sunday nights when they had “trash Disco”! In other words, this was a combination of those two feelings for me.
Summer of 1989- the AIDS epidemic is still a death sentence that the government cares nothing about but cannot be ignored by the gay community. So many have lost lovers, friends, mentors, or family. Every new acquaintance gives everyone pause wondering if they are infected. This is where we find Joe. Having lost his first and only love to the disease two years earlier, Joe is mired in grief and a feeling of nothingness that he can’t move past. Random hookups are all he can handle at the moment. This is how he meets Ronnie. They understand afterwards that they can really only be friends. Ronnie takes it upon himself to try and teach Joe how to flirt, pick up men, and basically get him to aim higher in life.
When Ronnie presents the opportunity to bartend on Fire Island for the summer so they can find rich men and have fun, Joe reluctantly agrees. Unfortunately, when Joe arrives he finds out the plan is not going to go the way they planned- no housing or bartending job awaits Joe. Luckily, when he got off the ferry he was fortunate enough to meet two quirky men named Lenny and Howie who gave him their number and a promise to help him out if he was ever in need. They turn out to be as good as their word and give him a room for the summer and help him get a bartending job. This is where our summer adventure starts!
Little does Joe know, Howie and Lenny are actually Disco Witches whose job it is to look out for the troubled and protect them from the Great Darkness. The truth about their abilities unfolds slowly throughout this story. Like I said, every character has secrets. But it’s worth the wait in my opinion.
Every chapter starts with a paragraph from the Disco Witches Manifesto, which I loved. The story takes place over the whole summer, every character has a moment , and there are many ups and downs throughout- just like life. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll just end with this: I loved these characters and I hope you will too.
**Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early!**

Thé mystery and fantasy of this book was something out of my wheel house but I loved it. These characters were so vibrent I feel like I met them in real life.

The concept of this book was so interesting to me - gay witches on Fire Island amidst the AIDS epidemic. Overall I enjoyed this book. Although he annoyed me at times, I enjoyed the main character, Joe, as he attempts the best summer ever despite overcoming unimaginable grief. At times, I wished this book would be a little more fast paced. The chapters that felt more magical and whimsical were definitely my favorite. Overall, would recommend to those who are also curious and drawn in by the fun title and cover. Fans of similar stories (like the musical Rent) will appreciate the story of queer joy during this difficult time.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press and Blair Fell for the opportunity to read this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

So this book had so many things I love. Queer history and nostalgia, lots of very real and raw moments relating to the AIDS crisis (I just finished writing a book about this period of history myself so it's very much at the forefront of my mind) and a little bit of mystery and magic. However, I just didn't gel with the writing style which is a me problem but still a huge shame.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for access to this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In Disco Witches of Fire Island, we follow Joe as he ventures to Fire Island, the queer haven of summer love and indulgence, in the summer of 1989. After suffering the tragic loss of his partner Elliot to AIDS, Joe is convinced by his best friend Ronnie to join him on the infamous island for a fresh start. Upon arrival, Joe meets Howie and Lenny, two welcoming (albeit somewhat mysterious) and fabulous old queens and he ends up renting a room at their home. Romance, new friendships, self-growth, rumors of witchcraft, and general chaos ensue.

WOW, I loved this! What a wholly original, fun, touching, heartbreaking, hilarious, and altogether wild ride this book is! Joe is grieving the death of his partner (at far too young an age, from a disease that has largely been neglected by the American medical community) and yes, he’s flawed, but damn he is also a survivor. Howie and Lenny are incredibly endearing and truly are the gay aunties I’ve always wanted. In the face of unimaginable grief, they are kind, generous, and the embodiment of hope. Dory, Ronnie, Vince, and Elena are all excellent, fully-formed supporting characters. This rag tag group is truly the definition of found family. I don’t want to give too much away in this review, but this is truly one of the most compelling stories I’ve ever read. It is a love letter to the queer community: to how we come together in times of crisis and grief, how we give the love we maybe did not get originally but wholly deserve, and how we feel and show our pride, through the good times and the tough times.

I highly recommend giving this beautiful book a read when it publishes in May!

Rating: ★★★½

This was such a cool concept—queer history, disco witches, and Fire Island in the ‘80s? I had to sign up right away!! The setting is vibrant, and I loved the found family vibes, especially Joe and Ronnie’s friendship. The mix of grief, magic, and community worked really well in some parts.

Other parts I didn’t love so much, the book does a lot, and not all of it lands. Some of the humor felt forced, and the pacing dragged here and there. Still, it was a fun, unique read, and if you’re into queer fantasy with some history woven in, it’s worth checking out!

Disco Witches of Fire Island was an interesting book, I really enjoyed the setting and it was very immersive and descriptive. It really took you back to Fire Island in the 80s. But like any books in the gay 80s, there is a lot of struggles with HIV/AIDS. I don’t want to say the whole book is about HIV, but it’s a large subplot of the 80s itself. That said, there is a bunch of mystical woo woo, it’s a bit tongue in cheek, and it is entertaining at times, especially at our MC‘s expense. Overall an entertaining read, who knew an island full of gay men would have so much drama? 😳😉

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I too was drawn in by the super fun title. It set expectations of hilarity a touch too high. This is a thoughtful and emotional book, although quirkily laugh out loud and outrage fun at many points, and Blair Fell succeeds spectacularly in the end. When I finally got there. I kept throwing it over for other books from Netgalley and my own TBR pile, so my recollection is a little bit disjointed. Once I felt the book got going (halfway?? two-thirds??? or so??), it did become an enjoyably strange and strangely enjoyable ride. I intend to re=read it all the way through.

I love the character growth of Howie and Lennie -- I can picture those two quite clearly that I can almost hear them. I was daunted by the description of the AIDS crisis. As a child during those times, I was scared to death for my uncles, both of whom survived the times, one with AIDS who made it to the point where there was treatment that keeps him alive and well today. I still loathe the president who callously shrugged at their suffering. This is such an important part of history that needs to be recognized today, and I know there is no chance for books like this to be required reading in an educational setting for the foreseeable future. I have a teenager and I realize this is part of our divide. He does find homophobia to be clearly bizarre and idiotic, but he also has no clue while it's insane he's older than legalized marriage.

I’ll admit it—the title is what pulled me in. I love disco and kind of wish I’d grown up in that era. Not that I’d actually go out and dance, ha. Witches have always fascinated me; they strike the perfect balance between reality and magic without veering too far into fantasy, which just isn’t my thing. Plus, I spent a few summers on Fire Island, so I get the culture, even if I was way too young in the ‘80s to experience it the way this book portrays.

I loved revisiting certain aspects of that world—the humor of older gay men looking out for the younger crowd, the wild and sometimes shocking moments, and the sheer energy of it all. There’s a great balance of comedy and tenderness that keeps the story grounded. That said, the magical elements didn’t quite land for me; instead of enhancing the themes of tolerance and imagination, they felt like a distraction.

This isn’t a book for the faint of heart when it comes to promiscuity, explicit scenes, or strong language, but it *is* a book that captures depth, personality, and the party scene with striking honesty. Well done, even if not entirely my thing.

In this refreshingly original novel, Blair Fell combines supernatural fantasy with historical authenticity in a story set during the AIDS crisis of 1989. When Joe Agabian reluctantly joins his friend Ronnie for a summer in Fire Island Pines, he finds himself living with two eccentric older men who are secretly disco-dancing witches protecting the gay community from dark forces.

Fell excels at capturing both the vibrant celebration and underlying tensions of Fire Island's gay scene. The characters are wonderfully drawn, particularly Howie and Lenny, whose flamboyant personas and magical practices form the heart of the story. As Joe develops feelings for a mysterious ferryman with webbed feet, the coven works to protect the island despite their powers being weakened by the epidemic.
The novel's greatest strength is its balance of campy supernatural elements with the very real complexities of gay life during this devastating period. While the romantic storyline occasionally feels at odds with the more compelling magical narrative, Fell ultimately succeeds in creating a world where whimsical fantasy and historical reality coexist.

"Disco Witches of Fire Island" delivers both an entertaining escape and a poignant reminder of a pivotal moment in LGBTQ+ history - a magical tale that doesn't shy away from acknowledging the shadows that loomed over the community it celebrates.

I really wanted to love Disco Witches of Fire Island. The premise is incredible - queer witches casting spells on a dance floor? Romance? More than a touch of spice? Unfortunately, while the vibe was immaculate, the execution didn't quite land for me.

The biggest issue I had was that the chapters and writing style felt imbalanced - the coven's POV chapters felt magical, whereas anyone else's felt dragging and airhead-y. There were moments of glittering magic and energy, and the fizzy magic of Fire Island was vibrant. I was just left feeling minimal chemistry between the pairings and was waiting for things to come together before the end of the summer.

That being said, I think this book will still find its audience. If you're here for the queer joy, disco aesthetic, and a fun, witchy coven, there's definitely enjoyment to be had. Personally I just wish it had been a little more polished so I could've fully lost myself in the fantasy magic.

This was a 3.5 read for me rounded up. I know there are going to be some that this will anger, especially the younger crowd. This plays in to hard the gay club scene in the 80s where some of the negative gay stereotypes come from (i.e. sleeping around with multiple partners.) I remember this. I was a doctor in NYC about 4 years after this novel is set. I saw the devastation of AIDS and had to give countless HIV diagnoses.

And make no mistake this is NOT a book of queer joy. Oh there's some of that there but it about their agony as HIV destroys their world. And one of the hardest hitting lines was about how the entire country came together to find out what happened to a few dozen people who died of Legionnaire's disease but the same could not be said when thousands of queer people were dying. I also remember doctors refusing to see HIV infected people. I had no respect for them. I was not one of them and yes I was exposed to HIV while in NYC (I got lucky)

Content warning. HIV infection/death, loss of loved ones, grief, drug use, casual sex, suicidal ideation

The main character is Joe, a young Armenian would-be doctor who lost his lover, Elliot to AIDS and his new friend, the Fabio-look alike, Ronnie who has the big idea of we're going to bartend on Fire Island and find us some rich boyfriends. All Joe really wants is to get away from himself and his pain and gets talked into it only to find out Ronnie didn't have all his ducks in a row.

Homeless and jobless, Joe is taken in by two year round residents, Howie, rather a hippie and Lenny, a bondage guy, both of whom are middle aged house cleaners and two of the titular Disco Witches. They give him a home and find him a job working with Vince, a truculent Irish bartender who works for an old woman who has this bar and her home open to dying AIDS patients with the help of her friend D'Norman, a nurse (both of them are also witches)

It follows Joe and Ronnie over the summer. We spend most of our time in Joe or Howie's heads with occasional journeys into Ronnie, Lenny and a few others. We have Scotty Black, the biggest club owner trying to destroy Joe's place of business. We have the Disco Witches who are as they sound, a group of queer folk who believe in the Great Mother Goddess who is good and needs to be in balance with the Great Darkness which is not. Their leader, Max, is dying of AIDS sequelae and their group of twirling disco queens is falling apart and Howie fears that the Egregore a mystical villain who will kill one of the holy lovers if he can is back on the island.

We the reader know things Howie doesn't (such as Joe has been lying and he fits the holy lover rubric and he's been seeing the Egregore) We can also guess who is going to fulfill the role left when Max dies. I loved Howie and Lenny. Joe I wanted to slap half the book.

This is a pile of angst with a happy ending. I won't ruin it but I will say it doesn't end badly. The Disco Witches will dance another day.

Now for the problems because yes there are some beyond the above mentioned casual sex. But honestly that IS the biggest problem for me because it goes on and on and on. The author thanks his editor for helping carve this down to something readable. Yeah, it needed carved down more. It's overly long and it began getting repetitive with Joe constantly beating himself up over Elliot and then Fergal, someone he met on the Island. Some of the metaphors were pretty tortured and this is the horniest bunch of people gay or straight I've ever seen. It did get to be a bit much. Still, I am glad I read it though it brought me back to those times and the people I lost in the late 80s and early 90s to AIDS, to exposure fears and just how easy it is to victimize an entire group of people unjustly.