This book was the epitome of a cozy fantasy romance, and explored what it means to forgive yourself. Violet is a believable heroine, grappling with her past actions and her commitment to "be good", as difficult as she may find it. The setting itself felt like its own character, and I loved the townspeople and their quirks. The signs outside the two stores at the start of each chapter were a very sweet touch. The romance felt well paced and Nate's surliness was explained better than most gumpy-sunshine pairings. I also absolutely loved Peri. Would recommend!

Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore is what happens when you throw cozy fantasy, emotional damage, sentient plants, and some open-door spice into a greenhouse and shake it up. Violet's redemption arc is the heart of this story. She's trying to be good, whatever that means, while navigating small-town gossip, magical blight, and a grumpy alchemist who clearly needs therapy and maybe a nap.

The vibes are peak Stardew Valley with magic and slightly stabby foliage. Bartleby the houseplant honestly deserves his own spin-off. The romance is classic grump-meets-sunshine and it works, even if the sex scenes felt like they wandered in from a different book. I'm not against spice, but it did clash with the otherwise wholesome tone. Some parts of the plot felt rushed, and I had questions about how the magic actually works, but the emotional themes and character growth pulled it through.

Overall, this is a warm, weird, and slightly chaotic ride. If you liked Legends and Lattes but wanted a little more bite, this one's worth checking out.

Rating: 4.25 stars, rounded down

This was such a lovely, cosy read with a wonderful redemption arc for a plant which who definitely deserved it! I loved all the warm, inviting details around the town, the villagers, and the greenhouse/ apothecary especially. Plant magic is a particular favorite of mine and though Violet’s iteration worked really well, especially the contrast of “light vs dark” magic that she was trying to weed out. The romance was sweet and developed at a natural pace, and I really enjoyed the side characters. Big stardew valley vibes. My only minor gripe is that because it was pitched, and definitely followed through, on the cosy vibes with themes of finding yourself and community, the sex scenes felt a little out of place. Personally, even coming from someone who likes a decent amount of spice in romantasy, I do feel it could’ve done with fade to black. But overall I did really enjoy this and think it’ll really do well for readers who like cosy, feel good fantasy that still has solid stakes to keep you interested!

*Thank you to Ace and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

This book will absolutely be your newest obsession. It's cozy, it's cute, and it's captivating. But don't let that cute cover fool you, because this book absolutely *fucks*. Nathaniel is so buttoned up in contrast to Violet's wild nature, so it was only a matter of time until they collided (in bed this time). Their banter gave me LIFE. I loved the dueling sidewalk signs, the magic system, and the found family of Dragon's Rest. I still have so many questions about the lore of this world and I hope we get to see other magic practitioners in the future.

I cannot WAIT for more books in this series because I need to see Pru and Bartleby get their happy endings. I'd recommend this to fans of the Glimmer Falls series and Legends and Lattes or anyone who just needs a good cozy read.

A cute, cozy romance (with some spice, you've been warned!) that does cliches very well. All the characters have a unique story and unique connection that's revealed later in the book! I enjoyed this book and the character growth, as well as the signs!

This book poses the intriguing question of whether former villains deserve happy endings.

First, I just want to say this book is magical and wrapped its way around my heart. To preface this review: it is definitely a cozy fantasy romance. While there is a precipice of a major world problem, it’s handled from a small-town perspective, and you get to see the beauty in that. So if you’re looking for epic quests, trials, or gory deaths, this book isn’t for you. Instead, you get to see the power we have to change our lives, banding together to save the town, trial-and-error alchemy, bountiful magic, and a couple where one is hesitant to accept change and the other is searching for her place. I genuinely loved this book. I’d give it a 4.8, only because someone’s word choice or catalyst moment felt a bit off near the end. But the book was truly beautiful, and it shined a new light on internal conflict and growth.

• 1🌶️
• Knows she’s not a damsel
• Forced proximity
• He worships her bravery, kindness, joy, and resilience
• They banter through wordplay
• They help each other find themselves and grow in self-confidence

Summary: Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore follows Violet, a plant witch who wants to turn over a new leaf and become good, despite her actions under the villainous shadow of Guy Fade. Violet wants nothing more than to be good, so she sets down roots in a quiet town with dreams of opening a flower shop. While her sunshiny personality easily charms the townsfolk, Nathaniel Marsh, her grumpy landlord who happens to be an alchemist turned apothecary owner, is not impressed. But when a mysterious Blythe threatens Dragon Rest, the pair must work together in new ways to save their community.

This book reminds me of Legends and Lattes. A cozy romantasy for fans of second chances. I absolutely loved the first 80% of this book. I wasn't wild about the end, but that's an area where people can agree to disagree. I wanted to give it six stars in the first part of the book, but then at the last twenty percent I wanted to give it 4. So, I guess that makes it a five star book.

This was an enjoyable read! I absolutely loved Violet. She’s a compelling, endearing protagonist, and I found myself rooting for her from the very first page. The story has that warm, cozy vibe that’s perfect for curling up with on a quiet afternoon, and Krempholtz’s writing has a charm that’s hard to resist. That said, there was something that didn’t fully click for me. I’m still not quite sure whether it was the character dynamics or the plot pacing, nothing overtly off, but something didn’t quite connect. It might just be a case of "it’s not you, it’s me." Sometimes a book doesn’t hit perfectly on the first read, and that’s okay. I’m definitely planning to revisit this once it’s officially published.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.25 | 4.25 stars rounded down

✔️sunshine FMC
✔️grumpy MMC
✔️sentient plant
✔️magical creatures
✔️found family and family trauma

This book is full to the brim with charm, whimsy, and heart. I love the premise of this book, and Violet is truly the most lovable former villain. I adored her dynamic with Nate and learning more about each of their histories as the story developed.

The author did a fantastic job of keeping the cozy fantasy atmosphere and humor while also adding much-needed emotional depth.

This book also sets up a potential series of interconnected stories excellently. Pru next please!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Ace for the eARC!

This book was cozy, whimsical, and full of all the good feels. The town of Dragon’s Rest was like a character in itself. It felt alive with kitschy businesses and housed all kinds of magic users. Violet herself was complex, and I rooted for her happiness the whole time. The romance was sweet and sexy, the yearning was unmatched and gave me butterflies while I read. Some reveals did come out of left field, though, and I found them to be not entirely believable, but some small slip ups at the end were not enough to mar my enjoyment of the book as a whole.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the advance copy of this book.

This book is the perfect palate cleanser. It is a whimsical and cozy romance with a some darkness and mystery to keep it interesting. Violet is a plant witch and was raised to be a villain and committed her fair share of villainous acts, but when the real villain is vanquished she suddenly finds herself leaving that life behind to start fresh. This whole book is her redemption arc, she struggles with the darkness inside her, but focuses on the things that matter, her flower shop, and saving her new home. On her journey to living and doing good she meets all manner of creatures and a grumpy, but totally swoony love interest, Nathaniel, in the small village she makes her home. There is plenty of banter and adventure along with a slow burn romance. If you loved Assistant to the Villain or The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating then you need to add this book to your TBR. Also, there is Bartleby, a sassy and stabby houseplant that has a mind of its own. I never knew I needed a murder-y houseplant, but here we are.

Thank you Berkeley Publishing Group|Ace for the eARC I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I had a strange experience reading this book. I felt so distant from the characters as I read the first 25% of the book. The best way I can describe it is that I felt I was reading an animated story with flat characters that just didn't feel real. Now it is fiction and it is fantasy, but that wasn't it. Later I thought it was because it's written in 3rd person, but one of my favorite series' is written that way. That wasn't it. Towards the middle, I just wanted to know how it ended so I kept reading. Finally, I decided I just didn't care about the characters.

Don't get me wrong, it's well written and the story (meaning what's happening in the town) is interesting. I admit to wondering about the legend around dragons for the small town of Dragon's Rest and what is going on with the blight. And I really liked the little rock, Peri. This book definitely has the feel of a cozy fantasy. It's set in a small town where a big bad guy named Shadowfade was just killed by the good person, Karina the Tempest. Violet was Shadowfade's enforcer. But there is more to her than that. Karina tells her to be good and she agrees to try. This is her story of trying to be good.

I will also admit that there was a twist I certainly didn't see coming. It came at the point when everything is falling apart and you figure she has failed to be good. I liked the twist. It made the story much better. But it couldn't overcome the way I felt about the characters. They fell flat and stayed that way for me. Peri had me reading to find out more about that rock character. He was interesting. I also wondered about Bartleby, the murderous potted plant. But Violet and Nathaniel and even Prudence? I just didn't care about them.

As a character driven reader, all I can say is that this book is okay. Peri and the twist is a good enough to read the book but if you are in it for the romance you might want to pass.

Absolutely adored this one. Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore is clever, chaotic, and full of heart—with magic, mayhem, and just the right amount of emotional depth. Violet’s redemption arc had me rooting for her the whole way through. Funny, fresh, and so much fun.

This was totally fine! Not that memorable, sufficiently cozy. I found Violet much more interesting than Nathaniel. Not sure how the magic system worked but that's also so besides the point.

This was so cozy and heartwarming! I absolutely loved it! The romance was swoony and I love the idea of what happens to the villains after they’re defeated.

If you’re a fan of Sangu Mandanna’s books, you’ll enjoy this. It’s a cozy fantasy story that has some real substance to it, and a healthy dose of spice. Is it fluffy in places? Absolutely. But as an adult woman who has adult relationships and adult life struggles, I much prefer a cozy fantasy book with fluffy surface elements that are grounded with more adult themes (which includes spice). Sangu Mandanna’s books hit that nail on the head, and so does Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore.

As is par for the course with most cozy fantasy stories, the setting is cute, quaint, and flowery. The descriptions of Dragon’s Rest, its residents, the greenhouse and Violet’s shop are delightful. Yet what really sold me on this book are the two main characters. I really understand why Nathaniel is so angry and rough around the edges, and I really empathize with him. Violet is one of the most compelling and complex characters I’ve read in a cozy fantasy, two things that usually don’t go together

The only reason why this isn’t a full five star read for me is because the plot is just fine! It was very sweet and strong enough to keep me reading, but nothing to absolutely rave over.

I absolutely fell in love with Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore. It’s the kind of cozy fantasy that wraps around you like a warm blanket, with just enough bite to keep things interesting. Violet, once the right hand of a dark sorcerer, is trying to start over—not as the infamous Thornwitch, but as someone good. She moves to the charming town of Dragon’s Rest, opens a flower shop, and tries to keep her mildly homicidal houseplant in check (yes, really).

Violet is such a compelling character, witty, self-aware, and genuinely trying to change. Her interactions with Nathaniel Marsh, the grumpy alchemist next door, are full of tension, banter, and slow-burning chemistry. When a magical blight threatens the town, the two are forced to work together, and watching them navigate their pasts and their growing feelings was such a joy. This book is heartfelt, funny, and full of redemption and second chances.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

I am not sure if there is going to be a sequel to this book, or another book set in the same world, but I would definitely read it! The only reason I would have finished this book in one sitting, but I was falling asleep last night when I was about 88% done with it. It was ridiculous, too, because it was during the big, dramatic confrontation, but my eyes just wouldn't stay open. Finished it right away this morning, though.

This book has all the great tropes, like enemies-to-lovers (more like I just met you but despise you for no reason to lovers), secrets, and quests. But it also goes into the idea of 'can people really change'?

Loved this so much and would definitely recommend it!

This was pretty good.
I liked the found family aspect of the story and the romance was really well written, but there was one tiny thing that made me question wether I just read it wrong or wether the author made a somewhat bad / questionable joke.
Nevertheless, this was entertaining.

This was such a fun, emotional, humorous book! The two main characters, Violet and Nathaniel, were both very complex, and I adored both of them. While this book was fun and entertaining, it also contained deeply emotional themes and scenes. I found that the author effectively weaved these elements together, and I had a wonderful time reading this book! Both characters underwent plenty of development throughout the story, and watching them help each other and grow together was great. I thought the romance was very well done, and I loved the sort of grumpy-sunshine thing between Nathaniel and Violet! The plot was also very entertaining, and the setting was cozy. Overall, I had a wonderful time reading this book and wholeheartedly recommend it. I look forward to whatever Emily Krempholtz writes next! :)