The Lone Wolf Cafe is the first novel in the Mainely Magic series that takes places in this cozy world of magical beings. The story is first person POV with a very relatable FMC, Nettie, who flees from her secluded home island to the mainland and stumbles upon a village of witches called Wisteria Grove. (Oh and did I neglect to mention the FMC is a werewolf?) With little knowledge of how the world works Nettie befriends a cafe owner, Rowena, who in turn gives her a job and helps her with a living arrangement. Trouble of course ensues when the local werewolf pack causes Nettie to question her comfortable new way of life.
Along the way we get to meet many of the towns inhabitants along with some fun elementals that you just want to know more about, each having their own unique personality. During Netties time in Wisteria Grove she learns a lot about life, friendships, and acceptance. The relationship that builds between Nettie and Rowena is a slow build and throughout the book kept me smiling because we get to see the feelings that each has for the other growing and the awkwardness between them is so relatable. While this story is a paranormal romance there is more to this story that will keep you hooked until the very end, and then make you want more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4.5/5
🌶️1.5 Spice level
🏠Small-Town Romance
🔥Slow-Burn Romance
👩‍❤️‍👩Sapphic Romance
📖Cozy Fantasy

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early.

The Lone Wolf Cafe follows Nettie, a young werewolf who runs away from home and finds community and love in a town of witches, the long time enemy of werewolves.

I really enjoyed the story of this book and the world it began to set up. Nettie and her elemental Aria were some of my favorites in it and I really enjoyed seeing Nettie's friendship and relationship with Rowena blossom as they grew closer working in the cafe. It was so cool seeing a cozy cafe romance with all of the magical elements added in.

However, I wish the first couple chapters were focused less on simply telling us about Nettie's past and instead got right to the story as that was what I was most interested in. The entire book also took place in less than a month which made the main romance feel a little rushed (but that timeline does make sense with the wereworlf element of the book). The world and how magic fit into it was also a little confusing at times but as this is the first book in a series the world will almost certainly be cleared up in future instalments.

But overall this was a fun and cute romance between a werewolf and a witch that was a delight to read!

Thank you Victory Editing and NetGalley again for the chance to read this early.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

As soon as I saw this cover on NetGalley I immediately requested it. Witches, werewolves, cafes and baking are everything I want in a book 😍

This absolutely lived up to my initial thoughts. I loved it and didn’t want to put it down.

Although, Nettie gets some slight minus points for the Earl Grey slander 😉.

This was a perfectly comforting sapphic romance with some beautiful messages of acceptance and forgiveness.
The shared understanding, if mostly hidden towards the beginning that Nettie and Rowena had for each other led into amazing chemistry.

One of my favourite parts was the emotional reveal and reunion towards the end. I didn’t expect or see it coming but it made sense looking back at the story and I was glad to see a happy ending for all.

An absolute recommendation for autumn. I mean if that cover does scream cosy autumn read, what does!

I’ll be keeping my eye out for the next book in the series 🧡

Get ready for cozy and comforting ✨🍂

From the get go, the book does a great job of building ambience. To me, that’s HUGE for a fall or cozy book. You need to feel sort of hugged by all the coziness.
I found characters to be charming and to have a personality of their own. I feel like some cozy books try to be too ‘easy’ or plain thinking it’ll be too complex or something but I think the author made a great job at balancing story and simplicity.
I very much look forward to rereading this one once fall season hits!

This entire book is like a Halloween-themed weighted blanket made of pure serotonin.

Rowena (an ostracised witch) employs Nettie (a runaway and secretly a werewolf) as her new baker in The Lone Wolf Café when she finds Nettie has let herself into the closed café and started eating her own (extremely tasty) baked goods. The audacity 😅

They are like chalk and cheese but have instant chemistry. Nettie is very friendly, and loves coffee but hates tea, and Rowena is a quiet loner, who loves tea but hates coffee. Rowena is quite taciturn and aloof most of the time but also extremely protective of Nettie, which I find incredibly cute.

The little accidental touches and longing looks, as they work alongside each other in the café, edge you to perfection. When the spice hits it's so sweet and gentle; just two lovers basking in each other's beauty. Also, Rowena is a consent Queen 👑

Wisteria Grove keeps a lot of secrets, and the tension is palpable. The confrontation with the mysterious man in Rowena's garden had my heart in my mouth! And the revelation near the end was like a sledgehammer to the ribcage.

The ending is so beautiful! It filled my heart with joy and my eye holes with tears 😭😍

Omg the little recipes at the back! What an amazing touch, I can't wait to try them.

So the reason I wanted to read this is because I actually follow the author on tiktok, and when she mentioned that this was very similar to Legends and Lattes but make it werewolves and witches I knew I wanted to read it. When I saw that it was on Netgalley I applied for it straight away! Friends, this was everything that I wanted from a cozy fantasy and more. First of all, the world building in this story was beautiful, I genuinely sat there feeling like I was in the places the author was describing. The author really took their time to describe every scent, sight, magic etc but did so in a way that wasn't too overly descriptive. This book was beautiful, and magical, and I genuinely feel like this would 100% be the perfect Halloween read. I loved the characters, and the magic system and almost every little thing about this story. The only one downside I had with this book, was it took a little longer than I'd of liked to get into the "good parts". However, once it was there, it was incredible. There was so much action, so many twists and turns I was just not expecting and it really had me on the edge of my seat towards the end. I was fully rooting for our main character and genuinely fell in love with both Nettie and Rowena. Heck, it was truly hard to not fall in love with all of the characters. I cannot wait for this to come out and will 100% be picking up a copy for my shelf. I am also excited to see the future books in the series and can't wait to see where their stories go.

I absolutely adored this book. I’m usually not into super cozy or fluffy romances—they lose me fast—but this one totally won me over. The main characters were so lovable, and the tiny side characters, the “Elements,” were ridiculously cute. I wanted to squeeze them all. I also loved the world-building, and the pacing was perfect. I couldn’t put it down.

Highly recommended!

I absolutely ADORED Nettie and Rowena’s story. The concept of the elementals was beautiful, and I loved that they had mutually beneficial relationships with their bonded witches, which is what all great real friendships should have. This book was hygge wrapped up in a warm blanket crocheting and drinking cocoa on a cold day type of cozy. 🥰 It was also so important on the lessons it reiterates about healthy boundaries, misunderstandings, nature, ostracism, diversity acceptance, kindness, friendship, compassion, making amends, breaking ancestral trauma/curses, and doing the right thing. It also brings up important issues like post partum depression and anxiety - and methods to heal from them, even if delayed - in a gentle, empathetic, respectful and loving way. Just an all around, amazing, cozy, fluffy book. I can’t recommend it highly enough. 🫶🏻

Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book!!

WOW I loved this so much. A cozy witchy sapphic romantasy complete with free therapy, found family, and so much magic? PER👏🏻FEC👏🏻TION👏🏻. I immediately added this to my books-to-buy list 💕

Also, without this being a spoiler - what Wilder reveals about Nettie's magic towards the end had me feeling so seen and validated and in awe. I absolutely loved this one 😍

Thank you netgally and Sydney Wilders for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I did not expect to fall in love with this book as quickly as I did. Usually it takes me a little bit to connect with the story but Nettie had me in her hold as soon as I read the first page. I thought she was adorable trying to buy something with her scones instead of money.

The storyline also was very well written. It had me on the edge of my seat at certain parts and I really didn’t know how they would fix things. I also did not expect the big red thing. Looking back it all makes sense but I just overlooked all the clues.

Rowena and Nettie are perfect together. The way Rowena took Nettie under her wing and helped and protected her? I love to see it. But also Nettie taking care of Rowena after she got bitten en taking care of her wounds, perfection.

Lastly, the recipes at the end of the book are such an amazing touch.

A sapphic romance plus a cozy fantasy?! Count me in! Set in a world where magic beings exist in hiding from humans, a werewolf sets out to explore a world she's never been a part of. Things get exciting when she accidentally stumbles into a town just for witches.

Set during fall with a lead up to Halloween, this is an excellent book to read while curled up with a blanket and an apple cider.

A must read for anyone who loved Rebecca Thorne's, Can't Spell Treason Without Tea, and Travis Baldree's, Legends and Lattes.

The cover is what drew me in to check out this book and I’m so glad I did! I didn’t know I needed a cozy Halloween fantasy romance but it was perfect. Nettie and Rowena were absolutely adorable and the mysteries were fun, really enjoyed this one!

I thought this was a really cute, cozy story! Nettie and Rowena feel like a grumpy x sunshine pairing, and I really liked how their friendship and relationship developed throughout the story. The setting description was beautiful, and I loved the world-building and supernatural elements that were worked into the story.
This was a fun story with an air of mystery. Definitely something I'm looking forward to re-reading during the fall and I hope to see more from this series!

The literal definition of a cozy witch story. I loooooooved this book! It's got werewolves, witches, sapphics, AND a cafe?? HELLO COUNT ME IN!

I enjoyed the characters, the world, story; honestly every part of the book. Rowena and Nettie are absolutely adorable, and the elementals were such a nice touch (I love that they had their own personalities, and I think I'd get along with Mavro since I also like to snooze).

The only reason I didn't give it a 5 stars is because I felt that some of the plot twists were a little predictable and that the story moved a bit too fast for my liking after the first half of the book. I wish it was a little more in depth, but that's only nitpicking! It's insane the author managed to write something so heart-warming in only a couple of months.

Major, major praise for this book! I'm looking forward to buying the physical copy when it releases, and will definitely be reading the second book when it comes out next year. 4.5 Stars rounded up to 5.

A massive thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy of The Lone Wolf Café

I DEVOURED this book just like I would devour Nettie’s baking if I could try it😋

The story was incredibly well-written, not too slow or too fast paced and had a great concept!

I got quickly attached to Nettie, Rowena and the elementals! (Especially Aria, literally the cutest). I also did not expect the end and was pleasantly surprised!

I would highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a cosy, lighthearted sapphic fantasy!
I cannot wait for book 2 to come out now! 🤩

There's nothing like a cozy fantasy to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside and this sweet sapphic story does just that!

After Nettie runs away from her home in Hollenboro, she stumbles upon a witch village called Wisteria Grove.

Here she meets Rowena Hawthorne, a herbalist and a café owner, who offers Nettie a job after tasting her blueberry scones.

Both of them however have secrets that become difficult to hide from the rest of the village.

When I first read the synopsis, I was so excited to read this. I immediately thought of Legends & Lattes, but after reading both, they’re actually not similar at all.

The Lone Wolf Café sounds good on the paper, but I really struggled with the writing style. This book is unfortunately the prime example of telling not showing and the characters suffer because of it. This book lacks depth, and the characters feel very one dimensional (I also feel like Nettie has a slight main character syndrome).

There were some good moments between Nettie and Rowena, but I wish we got more dialogues between them instead of unnecessary descriptions.

Rowena is mostly here to be the love interest and plot device, and the rest of the minor characters are just there.

There were a few things I found weird - we were told that Nettie was sneaking out to the human city throughout the years, yet she doesn’t know that people use money or what phones are? And the main characteristic of a werewolf is that they have a really good hearing, yet when she spies on Rowena with a strange man, she can’t hear what they’re talking about (and they’re not even that far)?

This book feel like a first draft instead of a finished book, which I would get if this was a debut novel, but it’s not.

I’m still deciding whether to rate this 2 or 3*. There’s definitely a potential here, and the familiars are really cute. It’s also a little bit spicy, which I didn’t expect.

I appreciate the focus on mental health that’s in the later chapters, and the recipes at the end of the book are a really nice touch.

Overall - not that great, but not terrible. It is a low stake story, with a little bit of action, so if you like these kind of storie, I think you’ll enjoy The Lone Wolf Café too - especially if you’re looking for sapphic Halloween reads.

Disclaimer: A free e-arc was provided by the publisher through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a sweet and atmospheric book that I unfortunately read at the wrong time of year! I would recommend reading this with a hot drink and a baked good, under a blanket, in the week running up to Halloween. It follows a runaway werewolf baker who has to hide her identity when she stumbles into an enchanted witch village (and meets a grumpy, but lovable cafe owner), and the book follows their relationship.

This book felt warm, while it didn't shy away from more serious topics (e.g. abandonment and complicated feelings toward family were explored). There was a good balance of plot to romance, with a little spice to keep things interesting. There were also a couple plot twists that were harder to guess and engaging.

My main complaint about this book would be the side characters- the main couple was well fleshed out, but most of the other characters felt a bit 2D. Maybe there could've been less, with more page time dedication.

Overall, a good read that definitely fits into the cozy fantasy genre =) 3.5 stars, rounded up

Thank you Netgalley for the free ARC. This was such a cute read and I loved the characters, the setting, the magic. It was such fun!

The Lone Wolf Café is a cozy, character-driven story with a lot of heart. Sydney Wilder creates a charming small-town atmosphere that’s easy to sink into, and the found-family themes really shine. The café setting adds a warm, comforting backdrop to the emotional journey of the characters.

While the pacing was a bit uneven in parts and some character dynamics could’ve used a little more depth, there’s still a lot to enjoy here. The main characters are likable, and the story hits some genuinely heartfelt notes along the way.

If you’re looking for a low-stakes, feel-good read with a touch of emotional depth, this one is worth checking out. I’m curious to see what Wilder writes next!