t’s summerween which means i don’t feel bad post any witchy, spooky or spooky adjacent reads 🎃

when i saw the cover to hopelessly teavoted, i RAN to request it on NetGalley.

following the death of his parents, Azrael returns home and is forced into a partnership with his childhood friend and former crush, Vickie. Mutual pining ensues.

Set in a cozy town with a magic system, I thought this was a cute and charming read, certainly perfect for the -ber months.

Az’s feelings for Vickie never went away as they grew up and apart and it is cleeeearly evident that man is down bad. We love a pining man.

Vickie gets herself caught up in a situation with a high level demon, not quite the devil but close enough. Az and Vickie must navigate their feelings while trying to get themselves out of this pesky situation.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an arc of one of my most anticipated reads!

If you want an Addams Family vibe, queer characters, a lil mystery, and a LOT of yearning (that pays off at the end🥵)….then please read Hopelessly Teavoted!

I really took my time reading this arc because I knew it was going to make me feel a lot of emotions and cry…and wouldn’t you know?! It did!

Hopelessly Teavoted was so fucking beautiful and dorky and spooky and sexy and funny, and I just adored it. 😭😭😭

I can’t wait to hug a physical copy of this book AND THE AUTHOR, Audrey Goldberg Ruoff, herself when I see her again at RomanceCon this September! 😘

This was a 5⭐️ read, and I already have it preordered!!!

This book really just wasn't for me. The synopsis sounded amazing and I was really excited to read it but unfortunately I just didn't enjoy it.

Vicki and Azrael are next door neighbors who have been in love with each other for as long as the both remember but neither of them ever told the other one. The prolouge takes place as they are both leaving for college and then the next chapter jumps to 8 years later when they are both back in their home town after the death of Az's parents from COVID. (which made no sense that in a world of magic 2 seemingly pretty powerful witches died from COVID of all things)

Then we find out that Vicki and Azrael had actually gotten together during college but it's extremely vague about if it was a one night stand type of situation or if maybe there was some kind of long distance thing going on before he came to visit her, but it made the relationship feel like immediately after a 3rd act breakup scene when both characters are miserable without each other but also afraid to be hurt again. Except it goes on forever. 70% into the book these two were still pining after each other and half of their internal monolog was that they should tell the other one how they feel. But do they? Of course not. It was all just extremely repetitive and boring after about 20%.

Then you add in the mystery which felt thrown together and made very little sense, side characters that almost all felt flat, and the author throwing in multiple political statements that added nothing to the plot, there really just wasn't anything about this book that was enjoyable to me.

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

What if Pugsley from the Adams family had a love life? If your first thought was “what’ll be weird” then you are right! This was a doozy of a book. I got about half way through it but couldn’t keep going. There was a lot of back and forth between him and the love interest in a will they or won’t they type of way. But it became too much. The magic was really fun and I enjoyed the hell out of his sister and her pranks. The mystery was….weird. It felt a bit jumbled for me. Also the miscommunication is a big no no for me. But would I still recommend this book? I’d say about 70% yes. This one just wasn’t for me.

This was such a fun, Pushing Daisies-esque witchy romance—the childhood friends-to-lovers arc was nuanced and deliciously slowburning, and the layers of family, community, and growing into adulthood dreams added depth. I can't wait to read more by Ruoff!

I wasn't expecting much from another witch romance, but this completely surprised me. The grief storyline hit harder than anticipated, and I literally laughed out loud multiple times. The chemistry grows authentically without feeling forced. Its cozy autumn vibes meets genuine emotion. It was exactly what I needed.

I am sorry I really tried to enjoy this but something about the writing just made me cringe a little so I did not end up really enjoying this book.

I requested this for two reasons.

I love a good punny book title. Like adore them.
I also love a good witchy romcom.

It was cozy and I loved the magical elements but feel like the will they won't they got in the way and overshadowed it all.

The idea of this book was so cute, adorable cover, a sweet second chance storyline, but the more I read the more I felt removed from the story. It’s compared to the ex hex but that series is very low stakes and feel good. This became far too political for a fun romcom (and this is not to say I disagree with the stances) but it felt like virtue signaling with everyone being bi or gay. I didn’t feel comfortable when they found their parents sex toys? And as someone who has experienced a school shooting during their life, I think this really missed the mark….. story had lots of potential but unfortunately felt like Sarah Hawley’s books just going on a political tangent and totally getting away from the rom-com genre. There’s a place for political stances but personally I don’t want to have it heavily in my romance books, references are one thing this was just non-stop.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria publishing for the e-ARC.

DNF @40%

I had so much hope for this book, but it just sadly was not my vibe.

I honestly thought I would love this! I had read nothing but great reviews, the yearning I heard was amazing (and I love a man that yearns) so I thought this would be a grand slam.

I really tried to get into it, but at around the 15% mark I was debating dnf-ing but decided to keep going in hopes I would be able to get more into it, but I just could not.

I'm not sure if it was the narrative/the 3rd person format but something just would not allow me to get into the story.

I love the plot idea but it just wasn't for me!

Hopelessly Teavoted is such a cute, witchy read that’s perfect for spooky season! It has small-town charm, magic, and a second-chance romance in this cozy story that’s easy to curl up with.

Azrael and Victoria’s relationship- childhood friends with tons of unresolved feelings- brings sweet, slow-burn feels as they work together to save their town. The setting, with its Addams Family-style manor, sentient houses, and quirky tea shop, gives off the best fall vibes.

While some parts of the plot felt a little slower or more focused on the magical hijinks than the romance, overall this was a fun read. If you’re looking for something light, magical, and full of Halloween-ready charm, this is a great pick!

Hopelessly Teavoted

Read this if you like:
- [ ] Fun banter and cheesy puns
- [ ] Slow burn
- [ ] Friends to lovers
- [ ] Born with magic and cursed with magic .
- [ ] Witches
- [ ] Enchanted house
- [ ] Solving mysteries before one of the characters dies
- [ ] LGBTQ+ representatives


This was a fun, silly, spicy read! I liked all the main characters (which is rare for me)! Each characters was diverse enough, while still having an amazing emphasis on healthy relationships. I’m here for all of it !

Hopefully we get a sequel for the sister (please!!)

🔥✨ "She thought she had known what it was to pine, but this, this was what it meant to burn for someone." ✨🔥

I was lucky enough to read an earlier version of this book while Audrey was querying it, but I was SO excited to dive back in and see all of the changes. And, your honor, I loved it JUST as much the second time around.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:

💜 LGBTQ Characters (bi FMC and pan MMC)
💜 Fall/Halloween vibes
💜 Childhood friends to estranged-ish to lovers goodness
💜 Angst and pining (they can't touch each other... but do end up finding creative ways around that 🔥)
💜 Addams Family, Pushing Daisies, 0r Taylor Swift (or all of the above!)
💜 Soooo many fun puns (a cat named Emily Lickinson HELLO!?)
💜 Cozy witchy tea shop vibes and sentient houses that act as a wingman on occasion
💜 On-page spice 🌶️
💜 and so much more!!

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Audrey for the e-ARC in exchange for this honest review!

This was a perfectly fun cozy romance read. I love romance books with fall and witchy vibes. They truly are my cup of tea.

There’s queer characters, yearning, spooky vibes, hard topics. What isn’t to love?

My one peeve is the Pop Culture references. Personally I always find them jarring when in fiction books. I takes me out of a story right away when they start mentioning things that come from real life.

This was such a cozy and cute little spooky romance. I loved Azrael and Vicki’s relationship and how this book also had a mystery with some stakes involved. I do kind of wish we had gotten a spicy scene with them plus Lex, I think it would have been magical lol 😂. I loved how open this book was about everyone’s sexuality and how the author portrayed that it was okay to like everyone without shoving it down our throats. The world building was wonderful and the spicy scenes were epic despite the characters not being able to physically touch for most of the book. I loved the character growth and the journey that everyone went down during this book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it is definitely the perfect October read.

This was such a fun and cozy read. The tea shop setting was adorable, and I loved the mix of humor, romance, and small-town charm. The characters were quirky in the best way, and the banter kept me smiling throughout. It felt like the kind of story you curl up with on a rainy day—light, comforting, and just a little bit sweet.

The reason it’s 4 stars instead of 5 is that I wanted a bit more depth in some of the character relationships and motivations. A few parts felt a little rushed, and I would’ve loved to sit with certain moments a bit longer.

But overall, this was a delightful, cozy escape, and I’m definitely excited to read more from this author.

Absolutely gorgeous book with such PINING. Every word was written with intention and care, creating the most comforting atmosphere with all the best Addams Family vibes. If you love settings and houses that feel like characters themselves, nerdy references casually slipped in, hopeFUL romantics, and devastating curses rudely keeping the perfect couple apart, this book was written for you.

3.5 stars.
I'll be honest, I requested this book because of the tea themed name. Am I sucker for tea and tea things? Yes, yes I am. And I wanted to really like this because of this but it just felt repetitive after awhile. And the will they, won't they miscommunication really got on my nerves after awhile too sadly. I really enjoyed the mystery and the different magical elements. It was cute but also there were a lot of heavy political themes which didn't really bother me but some people may find that cumbersome. Overall it was cute but it could have been shorter and gotten the point across sooner.

3.75 ⭐️

This was a cute cozy romance mixed with a little bit of mystery. I liked both Victoria and Az’s characters. Their dynamic was lusty and fun while not being too over the top or cringey. Pricilla was my favorite character for sure. She was spunky and always very blunt in a funny sisterly way.

I did feel like I was reading the same thing over and over again. The romance side of this book got very repetitive and kind of annoying after awhile. There’s a thin line between pining and just being pathetic and I think we crossed it several times. I didn’t care for the back and forth of “I’ve always loved you and wanted you” and the “we can’t be together”. It was exhausting. I did like the mystery side of things but overall the whole plot just felt very dragged out. I didn’t really find myself reaching for this book as much as I had hoped.

Y’all I’m a sucker for a witchy romcom. Hopelessly Teavoted cover and synopsis screamed everything I could want in a book. And let me tell you this book was a lot of fun. Was it perfect? No, but I still throughly enjoyed reading Audrey’s debut novel.

First up…

My Cons: Like I mentioned this book was a lot of fun. However, there are a lot (and when I say a lot I mean it) of repetitive moments. It got so bad at times I wanted to skim, because it felt like we just had the same conversation but with different side characters the chapter before. Most of those repetitive moments revolved around the will they/wont they relationship dynamics between Azrael & Victoria. Like we get it they were both dumb college kids. They both said and did things that they now regret as adults. Communicate about it and then move on. Regretfully that didn’t happen instead they had to have a demon remind them to quite literally “get their shit together”.

The Pros: I loved the Magic system in this romcom. We have two different types at play. Witches Magic and devils Magic. I loved that we got to learn and dabble with both types.

I loved our characters Azrael in particular. That man is so in-tuned with his emotions that I need modern day men to take freaking notes. His loyalty, love and compassion for Victoria from beginning to end was perfection. Victoria was also great in her own rite. Now it did take me a little longer to connect to her but I’m glad I stuck through because watching her overcome her emotion barriers was worth it.

Overall, even though this isn’t my favorite witchy romcom I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to see what Audrey writes next. Please check this book out when it releases September 16th!

Lastly big thank you to NetGalley & Atria for allowing me to read and review this book!