Witch You Would by Lia Amador was such a fun and cozy read. It’s a laugh-out-loud funny rom-com with just the right amount of magic. The story takes place in our world, but with magic as a normal part of life (like, spells and enchantments are everyday stuff), so it’s super easy to get into without needing to learn a whole new fantasy universe.

The plot centers around a witch who ends up on a magical reality TV competition and gets caught up in fake dating, secret identities, and a bit of a mystery along the way. It has awoke really fun tropes: fake dating, a golden retriever MMC, and a twisty little mystery to keep things interesting.

The characters were so lovable and earnest. I especially appreciated how they actually communicated…like, when there was a misunderstanding, they talked it out instead of dragging the drama on forever (which is one of my biggest pet peeves in romance). It made the relationship feel healthy and sweet without losing any of the tension or charm.

I also really liked the little touches that gave the characters depth. Things like their backstories, cultural references, and especially their relationships with family. The grandparent relationships were adorable and added such a wholesome layer. And the FMC’s character arc had a great full-circle moment that made the ending super satisfying.

It was also nice to see different types of characters represented without it feeling forced. Everything just blended naturally into the story.

Overall, Witch You Would is the perfect read if you want something funny, magical, romantic, and genuinely heartwarming. Highly recommend if you’re into rom-coms with just the right amount of chaos and charm.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive this book as an ARC and give my honest review.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a very cute read ~
Penelope, our FMC, is a broke sales girl who is tired of working her dead end job as a "spell technician" under her Bosszilla. She's been perfecting her magic skills for years and her time to shine is coming soon when she's selected to be on a magic competition show. Leandro Presto is a glorified "twitch" streamer and Himbo who's gig is basically screwing up spells for laughs. Who would ever take him serious? Except Penelope has to when their paired on Cast Judgement.

There is sooooo much depth to this story-- there's magic, love, a lil latin spice, AND a mystery! I truly enjoyed this, the ending isn't what you'd expect and honestly made me rage a lil bit. LIKE HOW CAN YOU END IT LIKE THIS? UGH. Great story overall.

I don't usually go for the fake dating tropes but WOW this one caught me by surprise! The banter, the wit, the punny jokes. This was a wonderful light hearted quick read that I didn't realize I was devouring until it was all gone. I sense a sequel tho 👀 I can't wait!!

Penelope Delmar thinks that reality show, Cast Judgement, could be her key to escape retail and start her spellcraft career. Then she is paired with Leandro Presto, an internet magician who has never impressed her, and she is afraid her dreams may be over before they really began. But then, Leandro surprises her by being a fabulous partner.
Leandro, whose real name is Gil, is excited to find that he has been paired with a girl he has been talking to online for months, the problem is that she has no idea that Leandro and Gil are the same person.
This book was so cute and fun that I read it in a day because I couldn't put it down. The main characters are so fun and I loved watching them move from reluctant partners to friends to more. Penelope insisting on helping others in spite of competition, and Gil embodying his Leandro persona while still being a solid partner for Penelope, made you root for them and hope that everything would work out.
The ending certainly implies a sequel and I cannot wait to read the next one.

Your usual modern-day-magic romcom gets a reality competition upgrade in Witch You Would! The story had a totally different vibe than the boilerplate cozy small-town witch novels, with big stakes and Miami heat. I loved the creativity and craft of the magic the characters made, and the push and pull tension between main characters Gil/Leandro and Penelope.

Read if you like: Dorky guys with rizz, competition shows, secret identities, magic as hard work instead of just vibes and mindwork

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for providing me with a copy of the book.

I was immediately pulled into this young adult-ish romance set in a magically reimagined version of Miami—and Penelope and Gil’s story did not disappoint.

With some of my favorite tropes—fake dating, mistaken identity, and grumpy/sunshine—this book was such a fun ride. Penelope and Gil (PenGil, anyone?) are exactly the kind of main characters I love: flawed, kind, and completely easy to root for.

There’s a lot of spell-casting talk with little explanation around the magical rules, which might throw some readers off, but it didn’t bother me one bit. I was fully along for the ride and hoping we get more stories set in this world!

#WitchYouWould
#NetGalley

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the chance to read the ARC of this book.

I witch you would…give this book a shot this fall. See what I did there?

In all seriousness this book was absolutely adorable and pretty close to everything I want in a light and fluffy romance book. My husband and I watch quite a lot of competition shows from cooking to blacksmithing so as soon as I read the synopsis and saw that the basis behind this book was a competition show but with magic I was set. Penelope and Leandro Presto are partnered up on a show called Cast Judgement. Penelope is a by the book caster buuuttttt Leandro is know for his comical magical mix ups. Throw in a little secret identities and hidden crushes and you’re definitely in for a good time.

One of my favorite things about this book was the added Cuban culture. I love anything where I get to peak into a culture that isn’t my own.

My only mild complaint is that there is a LOT of gen z slang, which is fine, but it felt borderline too much. However, that didn’t stop me from enjoying it and honestly the more I think about it the more I feel it possibly made it more realistic. I felt like the main character felt like real people that made it more enjoyable.

Overall I really felt like this book was well done and would be a great read during the fall months. I’ll be rereading it for certain and recommending it for bookclub also.

Also, there are a lot of puns in this book and I love puns. It might annoy other people but I am here for it.

Thank you so much to Lia Amador and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for the eARC of this book. One of the tropes, which is my favorite, is Fake dating with enemies to lovers. It is a great fall/halloween time vibe book. The magic elements and puns are great. It definitely could use a bit more world building but overall a great book!

stage magicians have been ruined for me forever 😭 i think this book had too much going on—either stick to spells and magic or to stage magicians and pranks.

This is the perfect fall romance book! It would be a great Halloween book! The romance was wonderful and banter filled.

Witch You Would by Lia Amador is a great contemporary romance that I really enjoyed.

Who doesn’t love a good romance with a witchy vibe? This a cute contemporary romance that has humor, magic, Cuban flare, and a miscommunication/“ You’ve Got Mail vibe.

I liked the dialogue with serious and comedic moments and definitely liked the two main characters and their chemistry. It was a fun and enjoyable ride.

4.5/ 5 stars

Thank you NG and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 9/2/25.

I adored the magic elements and all the puns in this book! I wish there was a little more backstory to the actual magic system and maybe some world building. Other than that I had a lot of fun with this one.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC!

I absolutely adored this one! It's Bewitched meets Top Chef in possibly the cutest witchy rom-com I've ever met.

This book had me cackling out loud multiple times. The puns were on point and it was just giggle after giggle.

There was also <i>some</i> miscommunication, but not in the way that typically drives me insane. This kept the story moving, provided entertainment, but didn't bog the story down with unnecessary drama.

Unlike manyyyy romances that use miscommunication to stage a messy break up like the MCs are middle schoolers, both Penelope and Leandro actually talk to each other with good intentions and don't make dumb decisions to hide shit that will, inevitably, blow up in their faces.

I also loved the inclusion of Cuban culture. My only complaint is really that there weren't translations for a lot of the Spanish used, so I either had to google it or just gloss over it.

I highly, highly recommend this one! It's cute and funny and everything you could want in a witchy rom-com.

3.75 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins and the author for the ARC in exchange for review!

The premise of this book was so intriguing to me, a young witch enters a spellcasting competition where she's paired with a "Spellebrity" for a chance to win $100,000 and a year long internship at a prestigious spellcasting studio. Penelope, our FMC, is paired with Leandro Presto, a self-proclaimed derpy guy who has a huge online following for his purposeful mistakes in magic. Penelope has always been wary of his magic as she feels his mistakes could get someone seriously hurt. However, Leandro isn't just a goofy guy online, that's just his stage name. In real life, he's Gil, the sweet, technical guy that Penelope has been emailing for months! These two must work together to win the spellcasting competition and further both of their careers.

Things I loved about this book: the infusion of Cuban history and culture, all the magic, the chemistry between Penelope and Gil, the relationship our leads have with their grandparents, and the dealing with past trauma with their parents.

Things I wanted more of: I wish we had a little more world building. I wanted a little more backstory on the magic system. Is everyone magic? Or only some people? And what determines how strong you are magically? Practice? Genetics?

Things that weren't quite a home run for me: As a millennial, there was a lot of Gen Z slang and it felt a little juvenile mixed in with the spicy scenes.

All in all, this was a fun read that will be perfect to reread around Halloween. It was sweet and cute and proves that you don't always need to win to get what you need!

Cast Judgment es un concurso de hechicería en el que Penelope Delmar ve la oportunidad de cambiar su vida. Para ganar los $100,000 y dejar su aburrido trabajo, necesita un compañero confiable. Sin embargo, su compañero, Leandro Presto, es conocido por sus ridículos videos de hechizos fallidos, y Penelope no lo soporta. Lo que ella no sabe es que Leandro es en realidad, su amigo por correo con quien ha compartido secretos y sentimientos, pero él no puede decirle quién es y dejar de actuar como su torpe personaje. Mientras ambos intentan ganar el concurso y salvar una causa importante para Gil, los hechizos mal lanzados y las intrigas del programa pondrán a prueba no solo su magia, sino también sus corazones.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.