I really loved the main story here! I loved the Addams Family vibes - but how the author was able to make Azrael and Vickie seem like wholly unique characters. The central mystery they're trying to solve was interesting although it was incredibly easy to guess who the big bad was. The magic system was a little confusing, particularly around Vickie's deal, but we didn't really need to get bogged down in devil contract law so not a big problem.

My chief issue with this book is how repetitive it is - we get multiple long internal dialogues about how in love Az & Vickie are. And it's overbearingly repetitive! Like WE GET IT. It actively pulled me out of the story multiple times. I get that the author was trying to create a balance between plot and characters but we spent so much time hearing their "I'm in love with him/her" that the story falls by the wayside. The plot feels thin.

Overall it was cute but I think it could've used a better balance between character and story to make it really stand out.

Thank you to NetGalley, Audrey Goldberg Ruoff, and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Just in time for spooky season 👻 Hopelessly Teavoted is a magically whimsical childhood friends x second chance romance.

Sadly, this was a miss for me. The writing was, at times, overly descriptive, and other times, I found myself not understanding exactly how something was supposed to be working. I always suspend my disbelief when reading a book with magic or magical realism, but I need there to be some sort of explanation when discussing certain aspects, especially if they are a major plot point or a part of a character’s development.

The pacing was far too slow. There was a lot of rehashing and restating things we already know. The first 40% of the book, you could hardly go a few paragraphs without the “unfortunate happenstance at college” being brought up yet again. And when Az and Victoria finally do discuss it, we get the barest of explanations and never discuss it again. The remaining 60% of the book of them still fumbling around each other was actually hard to read.

Which leads me to the romance between Az and Victoria. I personally felt it was way too lust forward. Being a dual POV, we have the luxury of seeing into both of their thoughts. Az’s are all about Victoria’s body and what he wants to do to her, not about her as a person. I wish there was more of their actual friendship shown to see why they are such a good fit and in love with each other. (Side note: If I had to hear about how tight his pants were every time he was around her one more time… 🙄)

Since the romance wasn’t working for me, I was hoping to lean into the magic and mystery side of the story. Unfortunately, this also wasn’t working well for me. Considering they are on the clock to reap three souls and solve the mystery of who the “big bad” is, nobody seems to be in a hurry to actually do anything. Then when it is solved, all too easily and obviously, I was let down with a lackluster and boring ending.

An overall frustrating and disappointing read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

This cover drew me in. Do you love a hot cup of tea in the spooky season like me….then grab your mug, settle right in with a blanket and get to reading the fast paced book. I thought that this sounded darling. A spooky little small town with a friends to lovers trope and I was sold. Azalea and Vickie are such a great duo in this. You have a little pinch of magic and a slow burn that leaves our characters yearning. This is a cozy read that needs to be on your TBR right away.

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Friends to Lovers, Witches x Devils, Second Chance, Forbidden Love, Small Town, Spooky, Drama, Mystery, Magic

Large thank you to our Author, NetGalley as well as Atria Books

Thank you to Audrey Goldberg Ruoff and Atria Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Unfortunately I did not vibe with this book. From the jump, the way the book talked about sex gave me the ick. I wasn’t able to develop affection for the characters because I was uncomfortable.

This is unfortunately a DNF for me. I wanted to love it so bad, but I the writing just was not vibing with me. I also thought it was going to be a cute cozy witchy book, but it was being set up to be super spicy.

I DNF’d the book at 39%. It just kept dragging. I also didn’t get why they were so mad and kind of tired about their pettiness. Also they hinted the town is in danger but still nothing. Too many things going on but nothing really happening.

𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
🌟🌟🌟
Hopelessly Teavoted will be right on time for the fall/spooky season. This was a cute rom-com. The cover art is what caught my attention; it's super pretty.

🔮Romance
🔮Witchy
🔮Paranormal

Thank yoy, NetGalley, and Atria Books for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Hopelessly Teavoted by Audrey Goldberg Ruoff was a phenomenal debut!
I love a good witchy rom-com and this one was so satisfying.
A light-hearted story with outstanding characters who you’ll absolutely love.
This would be a perfect fall read if you love cozy romance witch stories with a little bit of spice.
If you want a super cute, cozy, witchy read definitely check this one out.

DNF @ 39%

This was cute and made me excited for Halloween.
But Unfortunately it wasn’t my cup of tea.
The writing was hard for me to follow and I wasn’t very invested in their story…

Thank you for the e arc!

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for this arc.

This book just was not it for me. Both of the characters were extremely immature and there was a significant lack of communication.

It was disappointing because I loved the cover and title was cute, but at the end of the day this book just wasn’t for me.

The cute title and cover is what drew me in and gave me high high hopes ,but this one fell very flat for me.

I wanted this to work for me but in the end.. I thought this was just okay. I liked the basic concept and the characters. After awhile I just thought the pacing started to drag and I got bored. A lot of the romantic scenes/thoughts/feelings got kind of repetitive and it started to bother me. It took a bit for the plot to kick in, but I needed more plot with the romance. This got a little too political for me at points. This book was fine, it was entertaining and a good read for the fall. Just didn't work fully for me and not my favorite in this genre.

I was kindly provided with the arc of this book by NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review, thank you ✨

4⭐️

This book was really good and swoony and spooky and I really enjoyed it ✨ I was hooked from the first chapter and I loved that Azriel and Vickie could have their chance to find each other again while they were helping each other fight a curse 🙂‍↔️🖤 I don’t know why I like spooky books so much either withches and Halloweeny tropes but I do and this book was the perfect combo ✨

I was really interested and engaged with this book at the beginning, but probably at the 45% mark I began to lose interest. The book dragged from the 45%-70% and I just didn’t even want to pick it up. There are a lot of moving parts to this book. There’s the second chance romance piece between Azrael and Vickie. There’s the spooky witch vibe. There’s the mystery aspect when Vickie starts reaping souls for the devil and uncovers a mystery at the mega church in her town. Plus there’s major grief represented as a result of the pandemic. It became muddled at times. However, I loved the coffee shop aspect. I loved Asraels powers of snapping his fingers to get whatever he wanted. I also loved how genuine the characters were. They were truly trying to do good in the world. I think if you like spooky books, then I would recommend it.

If you're in the mood for a witchy rom-com that blends magic, mystery, and a dash of spice, Hopelessly Teavoted might just be your cup of tea. Set in the quirky town of Hallowcross, the story follows Azrael Ashmedai Hart, a witch returning to his family manor after a failed screenwriting career, and Victoria "Vickie" Starnberger, his childhood best friend and former crush. Their reunion is anything but ordinary, as they find themselves entangled in a supernatural mystery involving spirits, curses, and a sentient house.
The chemistry between Az and Vickie is palpable, with their slow-burn romance keeping readers hooked. The magical elements add an enchanting touch, though some aspects, like the curse preventing them from touching, felt a bit contrived. The town of Hallowcross is charming, with its eclectic cast of characters and whimsical settings, reminiscent of The Ex Hex and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches.
While the book offers a delightful mix of magic and romance, it does have its flaws. The pacing can be uneven at times, and certain plot points may feel underdeveloped. However, for fans of cozy paranormal romances with a hint of mystery, Hopelessly Teavoted provides an enjoyable escape into a world where love and magic intertwine.

This was a fun and festive fall read, but had a bit too much going on for me personally!

I really loved the general premise of this one, and I am a HUGE fan of any seasonal/themed reads. However, there was so much going on in this book that things felt a little muddled to me - a lot of characters, a lot of plot, and a lot of nuances to the magic that felt hard to keep track of or slightly distracting. I still really enjoyed the relationship unfolding between the FMC and MMC, just felt things could’ve been simplified a tad!

Thank you to NetGalley and SS Atria Marketing for this eARC!

This is a second chance romance between Vickie and Azrael. Trigger warnings are at the beginning of the book so be sure to read them. There are also a lot of expletives used so also be prepared for that.

Vickie is a human that can communicate with the dead thanks to her parents deal with the devil when she was a child. When she goes against her parents wishes and buys Azrael's parents tea shop they disown her requiring her to fulfill the remaining part of the bargain.

Vickie and Azrael were best friends and moved away after school without revealing their feelings. Azrael returns after the death of his parents and discovers Vickie is the new owner of Hopelessly Teavoted.

There's a lot going on in this book. There's another person that made a deal with a higher devil that is causing havoc and, after several warnings, Vickie and Azrael are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. When the devil finds out Vickie and Azrael care for one another he puts a curse on them and if they touch Azrael will die.

The pacing slows down around the middle and picks back up around the last third of the book. Overall, this is a good debut novel from this author.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This was pretty cute, actually it was really cute, perhaps too cute?

This will work for a lot of people but I found myself wanting to rush to the end. The pacing was a little too slow and the content a little too silly and cute for my tastes. The man did yearn though!

Whats to love…
- Second chance romance
- small town
- magic
- yearning
- queer MCs
- a little mystery

What didn’t work for me, but might work for you…
- so many pop culture references
- slower and overly descriptive at times

Dnf at 30%
Unfortunately, this book was not for me.. I sort of knew it at the beginning but I tried to push through for the sake of the arc.. I HATE dnfing books especially arcs.. but I just couldn't do it, I was skimming paragraphs and thats not fair to the book.

The lack of communication was awful and the real world issues were mentioned way too much.. I dont understand why there are so many real world issues mentioned in a book about demons and witches. Especially powerful ones.

I wanted to like this because it sounded like such a great story from the synopsis. But unfortunately it was not for me.
FMC- Vicki, MMC- Azrael
The first thing I noticed that seemed incredibly unbelievable were Azraels parents dying from the pandemic. They were powerful witches in a magical setting so that just seemed off.
The story was really repetitive