I loved the premise but I had a hard time keeping the characters straight or connecting with them. I think I needed a little more depth.

This book just was not for me I’m not sure if it was the setting but I just couldn’t connect with what I was reading I hope it does well

A Circle Outside was not for me. I was excited to read about a feminist coven and was hoping that this book would explore the different dynamics within the friendships of the members. I think, unfortunately, there were too many main characters and that because of that, the author wasn't able to develop them fully. I remember feeling quite overwhelmed trying to keep track of who was who at the beginning of the novel since so many characters were introduced at the same time.
While I enjoyed reading it more as I went along, I didn't really connect with the writing. It felt quite stiff at times.

While this one wasn't my cup of tea, if you enjoy feminist, queer or witchy elements in your books, it might be your perfect read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lightning Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was not for me. I wanted to read a book about lesbian witches akin to Juno Dawson's magnificent HMRC series, but the witch side of things was very much about taking drugs and arguing about goddesses and everything else was about the politics of setting up a commune and how patriarchal tractors are. The characters were not well realised or particularly sympathetic. The dialogue was stilted and the plot was unsatisfying.

They say never judge a book by it's cover, but I picked this up because the cover design caught my eye and the blurb sounded good fun! I often enjoy magical themes, and love when there's some feminism and queerness entwined into a story, but despite persisting to the end with this, it just didn't work for me personally. I found the majority of the characters abrasive and lacking depth, and a good amount of magical elements were confusing, I don't think the world building went deep enough for me to understand it/or invest in the story. It did pick up towards the end, but this one just wasn't for me. I re-read the blurb after finishing this to see what I might have misinterpreted, as it was darker, more fantastical, and not as comedic as I was expecting, but it is a fair description, probably just not to my taste. It's definitely subversive, and if you enjoy messy characters with feminist narratives (with a good smattering of sapphic sex thrown in) A Circle Outside might be for you!

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.