This was so adorable, and I truly loved it. I love a book that can balance a lighthearted atmosphere with true pain, life, and growth.

Violet, as you might be able to guess, was a villain. She did terrible things, and the book doesn’t try to hide that. What it does do is dive into the why — what shaped her into the person she was? It’s a great commentary on emotional manipulation and abuse.
Nathaniel is a grumpy strict alchemist who is trying so desperately to fit into a mold he thinks he should be. He is doing everything he can to keep up the family business after he and his sister lost their parents.
Told in a lighthearted, hopeful tone, this book does a great job balancing tragedy, understanding the depth of grief, and the loss of who you are. It also tells you that you aren’t alone. No one is good or evil solely.
Honestly the only thing on my end was that I thought the ending was rather cheesy, but that's nothing massive.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

While the premise of this book sounded promising, a cozy fantasy with plants, redemption, and a grumpy/sunshine romance, it ultimately fell short. The execution just didn’t work for me. I struggled to connect with the characters, especially Violet, whose inner conflict about being “good” felt repetitive rather than layered. The grumpy alchemist’s love interest also fell flat, with little chemistry or depth to make me root for their romance.

Overall, it had much potential, but I found myself disengaged and disappointed. Fans of very light, whimsical fantasy might enjoy it more, but it wasn’t the cozy yet gripping read I had hoped for.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for my ARC!

This is a 4.9 stars for me. This book is so good. I had a really fun time reading it. I love a villian-turned-normal story. I love morally gray characters. I obviously love grumpy-sunshine. Sprinkle in some daddy/mommy issues and you've got a guaranteed five star rating for me.

Really the only criticism I had was the beginning. The first 50 pages or so felt a little repetitive but it eventually stopped being a problem. Hence the .1 reduction of stars.

I love a cozy magic romance with some hearty character growth. If that's your cup of tea, then this is your book!

After the murder of her boss, Violet Thistlewaite, the Thornwitch, escapes to Dragon's Rest. She wants to be good, using her magic to bring life and color (flowers) into others' lives, rather than pain. Her landlord is Nathaniel, a grumpy, anxious alchemist trying to keep his family's business alive. When a blight starts destroying plant life in the town, the two have to work together to fix everything. Throw in some old rivals, season with trauma-laced backstories, and mix with local legends, and you have a recipe for something interesting.

This is a decent-enough cozy romance. I appreciate the depth of the character development, with interesting townsfolk in addition to the main characters. The dialogue is formulaic in parts but gets the job done. The plot has a few interesting twists and comes to a satisfying resolution.

Recommended for those who want a cozy fantasy romance that's big on vibes. Caution for past (non-sexual) grooming and abuse.

4.5 starts

I was worried at first that, despite a strong premise, this was going to be another cozy fantasy where the protagonist just sets up their respectable small business in a quaint town. I’m glad I stuck with it! There is some really solid depiction of what it is like to untangle from an abusive background in Violet’s story. I also have to give a shout out to the depiction of anxiety in Nathaniel. I am a sucker for redemption stories and the belief we are all worthy of a second chance!

I absolutely loved this book! Violet Thistlewaite’s story of transformation from a feared villain to a hopeful florist is both unique and deeply moving. Raised by a dark sorcerer, Violet’s past is filled with difficult choices and dark magic, but when she decides to leave that behind and start fresh in the charming village of Dragon’s Rest, the story truly blossoms.

The world-building is delightfully cozy, filled with quirky magic, sentient plants, and a warm, welcoming community that felt like a found family. Violet’s struggle to redefine herself, learning to grow instead of destroy, paired with her developing relationship with the grumpy but caring alchemist Nathaniel, created a perfect blend of humor, tension, and sweetness. Their slow-building romance is full of genuine moments and chemistry that keeps you rooting for them every step of the way.

This book explores heavier themes of redemption, trauma, and forgiveness with a light touch and plenty of humor, making it an emotionally rich yet comforting read. While some parts felt a bit fast-paced or resolved quickly, Violet’s journey of self-discovery and healing was beautifully portrayed and incredibly satisfying.

With its blend of cozy fantasy, heartfelt romance, and a magical small-town vibe, this debut is a wonderful addition to the genre. Fans of redemption arcs, found families, and charming fantasy worlds will definitely want to pick this up. I’m already eager for more from this author and this world!

I was completely immersed the whimsy and mystical allure of 'Violet Thistlewaite Is Not A Villain Anymore'. It's truly a delight!

Fantasy sometimes can be a difficult genre for me to feel comfortable with but I was immediately at ease with Emily's world building and writing. It's comforting, cozy, and loving towards plants. I got Beauty and the Beast vibes (the part with the house hold appliances having personalities).

But ultimately this story is about redemption, redefining yourself after mistakes, it’s embracing happiness when it feels foreign. The story moves quickly and the pacing is much appreciated. This was really well executed and delivers the warmth I crave from novels in the ‘ber’ months of September, October, November, and December.

My thanks to Emily for the digital arc, and to Berkley Publishing! I can’t wait to chat about this book with Emily soon.

Violet is a powerful witch yearning to leave her villainous past behind. She comes to Dragon’s Rest to remake herself and open a flower shop. As she tries to leave the past behind it seeps into her new life and threatens her new found happiness.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well drawn and the story moves at a good pace. We can empathize with Violet’s desire to change and her misgivings that she will fail and lose what she wants. The plot itself is somewhat predictable but the characters are so relatable that the trip to the conclusion, though familiar, is thoroughly enjoyable. This is a warm story of people changing themselves as well as finding acceptance and each other. I look forward to reading more of Emily Krempholtz’s work.

This is such a fun fall read!!
Sentient plants?? Small town?? Grumpy sunshine?? Gillian redemption arc?? I loved it. She’s also a lil spicy and the romance is HOT!

Looking for a fun palette cleanser or just something new? Absolutely try this. Loved it from start to finish!!

For a debut, this is a fantastical, cozy read, with an interesting underlying mystery. I enjoyed Violet's journey to find a new life in Dragon's Rest as a blooming florist. Her landlord, Nathaniel Marsh, is skeptical of his new tenant and her intentions in his home town, which causes a palpable tension between these two that leads to a quasi-friendship that grows into more. The small community of quirky characters help round out this whimsical story. There is a lot happening throughout that moves the story along and had me turning pages.

A very satisfying read: a unique fantasy that doesn't seem too improbable with subtle, effective world-building.

Some of the inner reasoning of the developing characters felt too long, too wordy. And while the author kept some details hidden until just the right moment, some character progression seemed overly explained.

But this was a pleasure to read, and I loved the well-woven resolution. Watch for the coming publication date, November 18, 2025, and thanks to Berkley Publushing Group and NetGalley for the pleasure of an advance copy.

4⭐️ first off thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC of the book. I enjoyed this one. What's not to love about a villain redemption story mixed within a cozy fantasy/romance subplot. I loved all the characters, the plot, the drama. There's magic, mystical creatures, a plot to resurrect the bad guy, friendships, love, starting over. It comes out in November so yeah I would definitely recommend this book to readers when it becomes available for purchase.

This was a fun and cozy read with really fun side characters and some unexpected twists. Overall an enjoyable read!

A delightful book, as promised by the title and description. Very low-stakes with charming characters. It's very sincere, which could be grating, but it is nice to have a heartfelt book with so much heart.

(Spoilers for the end of the book!!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Ace books for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a decently cute cozy fantasy, but I have to admit I started getting bored about halfway through. I believe that all stems from the writing style.

To start with, a great majority of the book is just telling us stuff (as opposed to be shown it). The relationship between Violet and Nathaniel is very instalusty**, and all of a suddenly they both love each other and can’t stop thinking about how they feel and how the other makes them want to be a better person. Which is cool, but show us you acting in a better manner! It felt like we were just told about stuff they had done instead of actually getting to read that scene happen.

**Nathaniel doesn’t like Violet and doesn’t want to get to know her, but has one sex dream about her and all of a sudden he can’t stop thinking about her. Not my favorite.

The story had potential to be more than “just” a cozy fantasy because of Violet’s past as a villain/sidekick to the main villain. Violet is given a second chance by this hero lady to be better person but we only ever see her wanting to do good. She kiiiinda wrestles with doing the right thing every now and then, and the book does explicitly talk about how being good is the act of always consciously choosing to be good, but I still felt like more could’ve been done with this—like showing Violet have a harder time being good than she actually does. If she thinks she’s having a hard time being good, but we only ever see her do good, did she really have trouble in the first place??

The ending kind of annoyed me too. You’re telling me that not only were random people in the village also former sidekicks to this big villain guy, but that Nathaniel’s sister Pru was also somehow able to guess Violet’s secret identity even though we the reader were never once shown them picking up on that?? That’s the downside to sticking with just two POVs, I guess, but that still makes for bad writing. :/

I also didn’t like the final fight at the end because it felt like it was over way too quickly, especially since the rock dragon came in and finished it for them. And somehow during all that, the group almost nearly died twice, but I never felt they were in any danger because of how fast it was over with.

Nitpicky bit: there’s a blight infesting their town/crops and Violet and Nathaniel just decide to take on solving this problem in their own. Is there a mayor in this town? I know they’ve been terrorized by the big bad villain guy for years but there’s no one running the day-to-day stuff? A Town Hall is even mentioned at some point, so it seemed like the main characters took on the problem just because they were the main characters and not because anyone appointed them to do so. Just seemed weird/like some details were omitted somewhere.

Anyway, it’s not my favorite cozy fantasy but it wasn’t terrible. The writing unfortunately causes the plot to drag quite a bit.

I greatly enjoyed reading Violet Thistlewaite's story. Her transformation from Villain to Friendly Neighborhood Plant Lady was believable and adorable. The interactions between the characters were sweet while still being relatable. The twist of the real villain's identity was not something I saw coming, and I appreciated that. Overall, this was a fun, cozy, romantasy that I will happily buy for my own as well as my public library.

What a cute read! I absolutely loved reading about Violet and her journey in trying to run of her past and learning to embrace and grow from it! Nathaniel my beloved as well, what a wonderful character who struggles knowing that what he loves is also something that has been used for harm. Sometimes it is hard to see the good in things that have been used to harm, but we learn, grow and embrace!!! Such a great read!

What a charming, lovely, and cozy romantasy. Violet is the reformed Thornwitch, known throughout the land as the evil villain's right-hand sorceress, capable of eradicating entire villages in one fell swoop. After the death of her "master," Violet swears to be a better person, and sets up shop the small town of Dragon's Rest, the nearest village to the former evil sorcerer's castle.

Some of the best characters in this book are non-speaking (er, sort of) side characters - Bartleby, the homicidal pothos plant; and Peri, the adorable rock goblin who likes nothing better than romping with Daisy, the puppy. Seriously, I could go on about all the characters I wish I knew better. I really hope there are more in this series, as I can't get enough of all of them.

The story occasionally gets a bit heavy-handed with the moral lesson, but overall it's sweet and hopeful. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I LOVED this book! And well done to a local author (for me)! The banter was superb, the twists in the plot I did not see coming, and the romance had me squeaking like I was the one receiving the affections. The book is a wonderfully written standalone cozy fantasy romance that has a spice level of what I would consider 1. There is suspense, mystery, intrigue and genuine growth amongst characters. I found it easy to connect with characters as they had depth, flaws and quirks. I feel like this is a book I will not only recommend but will re-read. The ambience, the vibes make it a great read all year round and manage to hit every ounce of my elder millennial heart. 4.75 stars.

In short before reading, if you love plants, if you love banter between MMC and MFC’s, quirky side characters, and well rounded plots, this is for you.

Book: Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore
Series: Standalone, Out November 18, 2025
Author: Emily Krempholtz
Narrators: N/A
Completed Series: N/A
# of Books in Series: 1
Genre: Romantasy
Format: eBook ARC

First Thoughts/Summary:
I really wanted to like this, maybe I am just not in my cozy book era?

Storyline/Plot:
Let me start by saying that there is nothing wrong with this book. It had a clear second-chance arc, and the characters were nice. For me, it was just slow. It was hard for me to get into anything because everything took so long to get anywhere. It was more of a character storyline than a plot storyline (which isn’t a bad thing), and I think I wasn’t expecting just a little more plot.
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Favorite Characters:
Pru was my favorite character. She was the most vibrant and had the most emotional intelligence.

Spice:
In the 1st 50% of the book, there is no spice. I thought it was going to be closed-door spice and was pleasantly surprised that I got one scene. I found the scene a little awkward… I don’t want to ruin it, but for such a proper small town, there were a lot of windows…

Triggers:
Loss of parents