One of the best books I've read this year. An instant five star read.

Nova Marwood has spent the last seven years looking for her missing father. Every ounce of magic and wonder she once believed in as a girl is gone. As her mother finally prepares to move on after being stuck in stasis for so long, Nova can't help but feel angry and betrayed. Turning her ire on the source of her problems, Nova ends up accidentally hexing one of her classmates, Kiara, and all hell breaks loose. But, the only way to undo her mistake might also be the only way for her to find her missing father: a quest to a magical wishing well hidden deep in the woods. But the road is long and the path is dangerous. Can Nova, Kiara, and their friends make the trek before its too late?

This book was not what I expected it to be. Honestly, it was so much more. I expected a light hearted, ya romance with some witchy magic vibes. Instead, what I got was a deeply compelling, thought provoking read that left me on the edge of my seat with every page turn. Ms. Vale has given us a story filled with such depth and emotion that I'm going to be thinking about this read for years to come.

To say that I never saw the end coming would be an understatement. The way Ms. Vale wove so many different threads together into the most perfect ending... I applaud her. The characters in this book are all so well written. They're young, naive, and inexperienced but they aren't unintelligent. Their personality types are varied but they blend so well together. We have Nova, a pessimist who has lost all sense of wonder; Kiara, an eternal optimist and sunshine presence that you can't help but love; Tayla, headstrong and determined, a competitor to the core; Kieffer, the goofy and loveable jock; Evan, a little bit of a hippy and wise beyond their years; and Radhika, the gifted child who has to succeed. The interactions between them all were some of my favorite parts of this story. The friendship and camaraderie that grows between them as they move towards their goal was just everything.

I feel like I want to say so much more about this read but I'm at a loss for words. How do I tell you how amazing this was without giving all the twists and turns away? Realistically, this is one you'll need to read for yourself. I promise if you pick this one up, you won't regret it. But even if you did, if you find the wishing well, maybe you'll be able to undo that regret.

This book is exactly what you want to reach for when you’re craving something cozy, clever, and full of romantic tension with a magical twist. Hit Me with Your Best Charm blends small-town vibes with supernatural spark, and it absolutely works.

The magic here is soft and atmospheric, never overwhelming the emotional core. The romance unfolds with great pacing—slow enough to build tension but fast enough to keep the story moving. There’s banter, charm, and just enough bite to keep it interesting. Lillie Vale writes characters who feel real even when their world is tinged with spells and stars.

The themes of self-worth, belief in your own power, and choosing love without losing yourself really resonated. A couple of side characters felt a little underutilized, but the emotional throughline stayed strong, especially in the second half.

This is the perfect pick for readers who love witchy rom-coms, emotional payoffs, and stories that don’t take themselves too seriously but still know when to slow down and say something honest.

DNF

welp this took a turn. this book touches on a lot of grief and it's been difficult to connect to our MC. this was also reading a bit too young for me (and yes, i know it's YA). so bummed this one didn't work out for me.

thank you viking books for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Eh. I struggled a bit to get through this one. The plot dragged pretty seriously once we got into part two. I also was a bit disappointed in the conclusion when the way to break the curse was so easily laid out in the hex itself which was barely ever acknowledged beyond a throwaway comment at the end. The rules of magic were messy and a bit sloppy. The attraction between the main characters (well, pretty much all the characters…) felt forced and unrealistic. It was decently enjoyable but a bit disappointing at the end. Not my personal favorite.

This book was amazing! The description was so vivid and this book kept me up all night.
I had a great time reading this book. Every time I put it down, I couldn’t wait to pick it back up again. That’s all I really want from my books, to fuel that desire of ‘I don’t want to stop reading you.’

Rating: 4/5
I received an ARC for my honest opinion

Priors End is a place where magic lives, and a secret wishing well. People from all over come to venture into the woods to find the well and make a wish, but sadly anyone who goes into the forest and goes off the trail remains stuck in the woods. Seven years ago, Nova’s dad went into the forest to look for his best friend, but neither of them ever returned. After the words of 10 yr old Nova said to her father before he left for the woods, she spent her free time venturing into the forest to look for her father with no luck. Until one day when Kiara’s best friend asks Nova to help Kiara with her strike of bad luck that has fallen upon her, and with Nova knowing exactly what happened to cause Kiara this strike she finally gives in and agrees to go.

I loved the plot of this book, and it was something different from my normal rom coms that I have been reading a lot of. This plot has a magical world built right on top of a normal small town, and most people of the town believe/or hype up the magic in their town (and who wouldn’t hype up their town and make a few extra dollars). I found the quest of trekking through the woods to locate this well so that they can make a wish to help Kiara with her horrible luck, to have fun, with mystery, a few scary moments and a lot of lessons to be learned. Learning to trust your gut, relying on your friends, understanding grief and loss, learning to let things go and so much more.

I found the characters to have been written well, they matched their ages in the book, you will find banter, hurt, shame and forgiveness. I liked that with each character you will see their character's growth throughout the book, but it was Nova's character that stood out the most for me. You will see her transform from an angry, hurt and sad person to someone who will be listened to too, someone who knows what she wants and someone who finally understands that words are more powerful than you would ever think. I loved that the author wrote her character with so many raw emotions, it helped me to be able to connect with her and her thoughts about what is going on and how she can change things. I loved this haunting ghost story and how people can overcome their struggles when they open to people around them and get their help. However, I didn’t see that ending coming.

I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin for the opportunity to review this book.

Prior’s End is famous for its Fall Festival, the wishing well hidden in a forest bristling with secrets, and Nova Marwood’s missing hiker father. She spends her time pretending she doesn't believe in magic, and that she doesn't have a crush on Kiara Mistry, who stole every other crush Nova ever had. When Nova lays an unintended hex on Kiara at the Fall Festival, Kiara’s survival is soon at stake. To reverse the bad luck, Kiara’s exes turned BFFs, plan to look for the wishing well, and the only one who can lead them there is Nova.

Magic is built into the reputation of the town and nearby forest, and Nova's intended prank to wish bad luck on perfect Kiara Mistry at the town's festival seems to come true. Kiara is still close friends with all of her exes, who band around her and suggest searching for the wishing well to save Kiara's life. Nova goes along out of guilt; while one of the exes is a relative and knows a little about the forest, Nova is the one who regularly hikes in it and whose father had run tours before he disappeared seven years before. Nova is snarky and often sarcastic, so even other characters don't know when she's joking. It's her idea to call their journey "The Fellowship of the Fling," which had me laughing out loud. Of course, she winds up learning more about the others during the hiking trip, and even about herself.

The finale of the book was heartbreaking in its own way. There are hard truths that everyone has had to face regarding the forest and the people hiking in it, and about those who got lost in the woods over the years. Magic isn't necessarily flashy here, but it's about intention and power, and the forest is very deep, very old, and very protective of its secrets. We really need the build-up for the ending to make sense, and I think it would work better without the epilogue. The story is done, and the epilogue tries to be mysterious and creepy, but ultimately lost some of the drama for me.

This YA paranormal novel will be one that some of my students will devour. It was a well done story about a teenager dealing with grief. This story was a little cheesy (in a good way) and filled with whimsy. It was a nice coming of age story but the 2nd half seemed a little off pace for me. Overall a cute read and one that will be enjoyed by some of my teen students due to the relatability of some of the characters and their experiences.

A story of grief and guilt, magic and wonder, determination and hope. The magic of the Woods is the most fascinating thing about this creepy story of magic, hexes, and things that go bump in the night - it’s like a living entity, trying to protect itself from people who want to exploit it and trying to help those who have good intentions. I’m still not quite sure why it became a black hole of sorts, keeping people trapped in its borders - maybe it thought they knew too much?

The cover and description of this book made me think it was going to be much more lighthearted and witchy, but in reality, Nova carried so much anguish from her dad’s disappearance and presumed death that not only did she stop believing in magic and wonder, she didn’t believe she deserved happiness and kept a wall around her heart. There are charms in the book, but Nova only resorts to them when it becomes clear that she’s accidentally hexed her enemy/crush Kiara.

While the premise of this book is a fascinating idea, the depth of character was lacking. I still don’t know why Nova and Kiara have been obsessed with each other so much, other than they are both apparently super pretty. I also don’t know why it took them so long to get together if they are as obvious with their crushes as their friends seem to think. Most of what Nova does is wildly inconsistent, and she can’t seem to make up her mind about anything - you could say that’s trauma response, but all the other characters are inconsistent, too. The whole time they are in the woods, they are all either getting along better than expected or suddenly bursting into conflict. I wanted to feel for Kaila’s curse situation, Nova’s guilty conscience, and the danger everyone was risking going into the woods, but I was mostly annoyed by their refusal to communicate and fluctuating attitudes. I never felt like I got to know anyone enough to truly care what happened to them, unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin, and Viking Books for Young Readers for an advance copy of this book for review purposes.

DNF, so no review on the net; I only review books I finished.

I was led by cover copy and art to think this would be a cute teen romance with hexes and magic, and what I got was a lot of grief. I don't want more grief in my reading--I have enough in Real Life. And the writing didn't grab me enough to get me past that hump.

Okay this book is nothing like what it was expecting it to be. I know we are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but this cover does not match this story in the least. I feel like the story is much darker than the cover portrayed. Which is fine I don’t have an issue with the story itself per say, but this book is truly about coming to terms with grief, and actions and the cover looks light and airy and like there will be a hex that brings together two people. Which does happen to a point but readers who pick up this book are going to be expecting one thing and being faced with something completely different. Overall, the story is okay. I wasn’t swept away by it. I do enjoy seeing someone’s processing about grief and friendships unfold. I think that there are things that readers could really resonate with. However, I still think they are going to struggle with that cover in place.
Thank you to Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

📖 Title: Hit Me with Your Best Charm-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Lillie Vale-new to me author

📅Publication date: 7-15-25 | Read 7-12-25

📃 Format: eBook 408 pgs.

Genre:
*Fantasy
*YA
*Contemporary Romance
*Paranormal

Tropes:
*small town
*LGBTQIA+ rep
*Halloween
*coming of age
*a quest/hiking
*magic/witches
*found family

👆🏾POV:1st person single

⚠️TW: missing parents, grief, therapy

🌎 Setting: Prior's End, Tennessee

Summary: Nova has spent seven years searching for her father lost in the Longing Woods. At the town's annual Fall Festival Nova goes to a fortune teller but accidentally hexes her nemesis, Kiara. Together with a group of misfits, they go on a journey to find the wishing well to reverse Kiara's curse and possibly find her father.

👩🏾 Heroine: Nova Marwood-17

👩🏾Heroine: Kiara Mistry-17

🎭 Other Characters:
*Jules Marwood-Nova's father, a wilderness survival specialist, has a tour company w/ Shane
*Shane-Austin's father, Jules BFF
*Austin and Caroline-Nova's friends
*Rhea Marwood- Nova's mother
*Aurora-a fortune teller friend
*Radhika- a classmate
*Aaliyah and Ahsan-hikers looking for the wishing well

Rating: 4/5 ✨

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers, and Lillie Vale for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Hit Me With Your Best Charm has a wonderfully rich setting in Prior’s End, a town steeped in quirky traditions and folktales that give the story its unique flavor. The history of the town, particularly the legend of the wishing well and Nova’s father’s mysterious disappearance, adds compelling depth and a bittersweet edge to the otherwise light-hearted magical chaos. While the central romance and teen drama occasionally overshadow the emotional weight of that history, the novel shines when it leans into the past, letting the lore and personal grief ground the more whimsical elements. It's charming, but at times, the historical heart feels like a subplot rather than the story’s emotional core.

DNF - I am sure this book is cute, however, I tried multiple times to start the book and it didn't keep my attention. I kept trying to go back to it, but other books kept grabbing my attention. unfortunately, this one was not for me.

Hit Me with Your Best Charm is a cute, paranormal adventure. A father lost to the woods after trying to save a friend. An angsty teen, dealing with grief, who happens to hex her current crush. An unlikely team of exes, banding together to break a curse.

Attempting to find a magical wishing well in a forest that claims any hiker who dares to wander off the beaten path, Nova (our fmc) and her group must determine what is real and what is a trick of the mind. Although the pacing starts off a little slow, quite a bit of excitement happens within the last 25% of the book. I’m still processing one surprise twist that felt unresolved.

Think YA vibe with a focus on chaotic teenage friendships that bend and grow as the characters navigate an eerily deceptive forest.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers/Viking Books for Young Readers, and Lillie Vale for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am offering my honest opinion voluntarily.

This book was a pleasant surprise; the title initially led me to believe it was about one thing, when, in fact, it was about something else. I love that for me. The world-building and attention to detail in the characters' backstories were nicely done, and the magic in the story was effectively developed. The care shown to the LGBTQ community was beautifully written, and the various relationships and triangles were tastefully orchestrated.

I enjoyed the underlying message that may or may not have been intentionally conveyed in the book, which is that the words we say have power. We must be mindful of this because we may say something to a person and never have the opportunity to reconcile with them. Additionally, our words can profoundly impact the lives of people we may not even know. With this in mind, we have to remember to be kind with our words.

THE TWIST AT THE END HAD ME GAGGING THOUGH! OMG! Did not see that coming!

This book was a good time, a little slow at the beginning, but once it got going, it didn't stop!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers, and Lillie Vale for the ARC of this fun read

Nova accidentally hexes her secret crush. To stop the hex from further hurting or possibly killing Kiara, she is going into the woods where her father disappeared seven years ago. Find or save the girl, Nova faces an impossible choice.

Hit Me with Your Best Charm is a young adult action-adventure secret crush paranormal romance. Lillie Vale layers the foundation with Nova’s backstory and the influences on her life. We also get to see the interactions between Nova and Kiara plus Kiara’s friends. There is also the damage caused by her father’s disappearance and how Nova and her mother have lived since then.

The cuteness of the title does not match the story. I was expecting a lighter romance, but this is a full-on angst filled story. Grief can change people, especially if it comes when a child is young and thinks it’s their fault. Nova’s anger and despair come through the pages. Her difficulties with her mother, her constant trips into the woods to find her father, her feelings of unworthiness are sad to read.

I usually find the “everyone knew you were in love, but you” trope cute. This is not cute but filled with low self-esteem and then regret. I’m not saying that the romance doesn’t work, it does. It’s just complicated by the past, all of the exes, and the girl trying to get Kiara back. I did say “exes” as all of Kiara’s close friends are her exes and all of them are people Nova had a crush on. This I find interesting, and it was never addressed in the story. Nova would develop a crush on someone and then Kiara would end up dating them. Now I could see if Nova was a lesbian and then Kiara and her had the same taste. It being a small town, it would be easy to date someone else’s crushes (remember the Shane connection board?). But Nova and Kiara are pansexual, and the exes are diverse in character and nature. So, I find it interesting that Kiara dated all of them.

The woods. Kudos, to this group for going into the woods where people have been disappearing for decades. From couples to large groups, people have gone searching for the wishing well and have never been seen from again. I don’t think I would have gone near it with a pack of 100 people, never mind only one other kid who has gone camping - in a RV. The woods live up to its history for this group. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s definitely a LOTR quest. (Yes, this is actually from the group.)

Be prepared for action, snark, jealousy, drama, and magic. Hit Me With Your Best Charm has the paranormal twists you are looking to get lost in this summer.

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved the storyline even though this is not my usual genre. I enjoyed following the characters in this book. I would definitely recommend this book.

Hit Me With Your Best Charm
By: Lillie Vale

3 Stars

This was a cute book about a young girl trying to rescue her dad and the girl she likes. Nova knows the woods. Her dad went missing years ago. Now, Nova finds herself sucked into another adventure. Kiara is hexed at the fall festival, losing all her luck. Now, Nova, Kiara, and the others are on the adventure of their lives. The magic in the Longing Woods brings them on a journey that is wrought with danger.

I found this book to be cute and filled with magic. A forest that helps hide what's within, magic indeed. This was definitely a good young adult read filled with drama, danger, and teenage angst.

The rating I gave is because, while it was a good read, it was a bit slow. I found it hard to just stay involved. I am glad to be able to read this story. It was written well, but I found it more appropriate for younger readers.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Reviews

In the town of Prior’s End there is a rumor of a secret wishing well in the middle of the forest. The well has only been discovered by Henry Prior, the town’s founder, and has remained a hidden mystery ever since. Many people have set out to find this well and several have never returned.

Seven years ago, Nova’s father suffered that fate. His best friend went to search for the well and Nova’s father went to search for him. Neither man has returned.

Now, Nova’s mother is finally considering the possibility of declaring him dead. To confront the psychic who has influenced her mother’s decision, Nova enters her tent at the festival. Instead of confrontation, she plays a prank on her crush and accidentally hexes her with bad luck. In order to undo what she has done, Nova and a group of friends must trek out into the forest in search of the magical wishing well.

Despite the title and magical elements in the story, this wasn’t much of a witchy read and I was a bit disappointed in that. However, the themes in Hit Me With Your Best Charm, such as the importance of the power of your words and choosing them wisely were well executed. I found this to be incredibly engaging and a fun palette cleanser.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Books for young readers for this ARC opportunity. This is an honest and voluntary review. </i>