Thank you to Atria Books for an advanced reader copy of Hopelessly Teavoted by Audrey Goldberg Ruoff in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Hopelessly Teavoted is a steamy small town witchy romance paired with a complicated cozy mystery. The main plot centers around Azrael Hart and Victoria Starnberger. Azrael is a lovable witch who returns to his hometown after the death of his beloved parents. “Vicky”, a spunky human who can communicate with the dead because of a deal with a minor devil, is his childhood best friend and forever crush who bought his parent’s tea shop after their deaths.

The book attempts to bring together a variety of different plot points. Unfortunately the over complicated plot did not work for me. It seemed as if the author was trying to do too many things at once. There’s a primary second chance romance, a touch-him-he-dies curse (but they get creative with magic), a corrupt megachurch, someone stealing souls from witches and humans to fuel their power, a fake medium in a coma, a villain boss who sexually harasses female colleagues, a queer sister who is dating the interim president of the witches council, and even a sword fight with the villain. All of the side plots felt like a distraction from the spicy supernatural romance I had anticipated. If readers can tune out the noise from the extraneous scenes, I think they will enjoy the love story between Azrael and Vicky. 2.5/5⭐️

Hopelessly Teavoted
Audrey Goldberg Ruoff
Out September 16, 2025

The book has some fun characters, Azrael who is a witch and Victoria who can see dead people. Hopeless Teavoted is a friends to lovers romance. Victoria comes back to town and is disowned by her parents because she dropped out of college and bought a tea shop formerly owned by Azrael’s late parents. While Azrael comes back to town to become a high school teacher. I love the aspect of the tea shop and the different drinks and pastries that Victoria makes.

Throughout the novel Azrael and Victoria combined their powers to save their town. I loved the cat in the story because I own a cat myself. It was the perfect fall book to get you into the Halloween spirit. Something that I thought was cool was that Victoria helped Azrael by using her power in a special way. Overall I loved how the novel ended and how the different events brought them together. Thank you to Atria books and Negally for the arc.

unfortunately, this is a DNF at 30%.

initially, i picked this book up because the cover & synopsis sounded intriguing and like something i would greatly enjoy!

things i liked:
- the writing/narrative were well written and easy to read.
- it had a cute & cozy setting perfect for the upcoming halloween season.
- the overall concept of the book sounded super intriguing.
- it’s a classic small town witchy romance that many others will find charming.

things i (unfortunately) did not like:
- the dialogue felt far too corny,
- too insta-lusty (note i said LUST, not love). while i understand the characters have history, i would have liked more tension/yearning/background that is typically standard for a second chance romance or childhood friends to lovers. also, the MMC only seemed to talk about the FMC in terms of how hot he thought she was, what he wanted to do to her, etc. and rarely had inner monologue that was actually sweet or romantic.
- there were too many odd pop culture/other modern references that took me out of the story. examples: the COVID situation, taylor swift’s “you need to calm down” music video, disney princesses, etc. this can be one in a subtle, tasteful way - but the references here really took away from the atmosphere of the story.

overall, i chose to DNF this because i could tell this story was not for me. it was a bit too quirky for my taste, though i 100% understand why others have and will greatly enjoy this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the Hopelessly Teavoted of Audrey Goldberg Ruoff by AUTHOR.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Unfortunately I will not be rating this book as I marked it do not finish. I was about a quarter into the book and realized I wasn’t really paying attention to what I was reading which tells me it was not holding my attention. All I know is Az and Vickie are not on good terms and Az is not doing well after is parents died (I think I caught that!). Vickie is on the outs with her parents and owes something to a devil or demon. I suspect if you like the Halloween type reads this may be for you as that was the vibe I was getting.

Note: Star rating given here is not accurate but to write this must rate it.

I was saving this one for the start of fall and it's the perfect vibe! Spooky and magical, while also being sexy and full of yearning. I love the relationship and the magic system is very well fleshed out. The pace can be slow in some spots, but the vibe is enjoyable enough to keep me reading even when things were moving more slowly than I wanted.

Thank you @atriabooks #partner for the gifted copy of this book!

I’ll admit...I had higher hopes for this one (yes, I totally judged the book by its super cute cover 😅). The premise sounded like the perfect witchy romcom setup. A cozy teashop, a past love interest getting a second chance, and even a curse that keeps them from touching until they can break it. All the ingredients for something magical!

But for me, the execution just didn’t quite land. Instead of leaning into that sweet, witchy vibe I was expecting, the story ended up feeling like a mashup of topics that didn’t always connect in a way that made sense to me. I also found the romance sometimes overshadowed the mystery element, which made it hard to stay fully invested in the overall plot.

That said, I do think the premise is fun, and I can totally see why it’s working for other readers. I’ve spotted plenty of glowing reviews out there! So if you’re looking for a blend of romance, magic, and a little bit of mystery, it still might be worth checking out. For me, though, it just missed the mark a bit.

I was looking for a whimsical and spooky book to start off my TBR and boy was this book everything I could ask for and more. I love the way magic works in this book. The author found a unique way to incorporate it into the story different from others. The Hart parents love story was a beautiful part of the book and they reminded me for much or Morticia and Gomez Addams in the best way. I loved the yearning and pining in the book between our two main characters. My only wish was that we had a little more interaction with the protagonist before the reveal that gave us more of a reason to suspect them instead of just taking our characters word for it. This was the perfect start to my fall reads and I can’t wait to see more from this author.

Sabrina the teenage witch meet a small town, super whimsical romance.

Book Stats:
📖: 368 pages
Genre: Supernatural Romance
Publisher: Atria Books
Format: eARC from NetGalley
Series: Standalone

Tropes:
💗: Small town romance
💗: Childhood friends to lovers
💗: Second Chance

🥵: Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Potential Triggers: **check authors page/socials for full list.

General Thoughts:
This book was sadly a miss for me. But may be a hit for others. In fact, I can see why other people would absolutely adore this. It can be seen as cute, quirky, and cozy. It was a little too whimsical and cutesy for me. Throwing bubbles filled with glitter? Not my jam honestly. The pieces and various plot lines did just not fit together well or create a cohesive story that I was interested in paying attention to. It felt like the author was trying to do too much with the storyline instead of focusing on one main plot. The main character's parents and the way they died seemed very weird to me considering they're two very powerful witches. And the mystery was just jumbled and seemed out of place within the story.

That being said, the writing was decent. But ultimately a little repetitive. It was so frustrating to watch the characters dance around each other for 70% of this book when it was completely unnecessary. I did also find some pacing issues throughout the book, where it slowed down a little too much for me to maintain my interest.

I was really looking forward to some Grease vibes here. Grease is one of my absolute favorite movies/musicals and I was so excited to see the play on the hit song in the title. But I got none of those vibes. It was more Sabrina the teenage witch then it was Grease and that was super disappointing.

But if you're into small town chaos against a cute romance with witches and supernatural beings and humans. Then this might be for you. Unfortunately, I just like my romance with a little more banter, more tension and less of whimsical glitter.

Disclaimer: I read this book as a eARC from the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This is for fans of the witchy rom com. It's got all the tropes and good world building (always key in this genre). Azrael is back in town and he's shocked to discover that Victoria has purchased his parents' tea shop. See, they had a thing until they didn't but he's always carried a torch for her. Her parents are unhappy that she's bought the shop. she wants to delve deeper into magic and she's also interested in Azrael. This leans in on both miscommunication and yearning (pining!). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good characters and fine storytelling make this a good read.

Let's talk about "Hopelessly Teavoted" by Audrey Goldberg Ruoff.

This book is one for those that love a cozy, spooky-ish, witchy read. It's layered with interesting devil may care characters, a sassy FMC, a cinnamon rolled MMC, and a mystery to be solved. For those that are looking to embrace their "Charmed" era with a slight nod to the Addams Family, this book will tick the boxes.

For me personally, I rated this a 3 out 5 only because of the fact that I felt the characters needed more exploration. I was curious on why - throughout the years - their miscommunication was so apparently in their faces. EVERYONE in their families, friends, and community KNEW how they felt about each other, but for some reason, they would not even mutter the words. What I did enjoy was the mystery that was going on around town and how the two main characters were "hell bent" on solving it - even if it meant they would have to hold off on their own love debacle.

In all - the book was good and a fun little ride.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Audrey Goldberg Ruoff for this ARC and a chance to give my open and honest feedback.

✨ They Both Fall First
✨ Found Family
✨ Magical House
✨ Witches/Devils
✨ Unique Magical Powers
✨ Dual POV

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🔥🔥
Series: Standalone

I really liked the plot of this book, however the writing style just wasn’t for me.

This book was a cute little spooky read! I liked the characters and the plot a lot, and I really enjoyed all the spooky vibes.



Perfect for reading before Halloween!

⭐️⭐️💫 (Rounded up to 3 stars)

Hopelessly Teavoted was unfortunately not quite the read for me. While the premise had some cute elements, I struggled to fully connect with the romance. The MMC often came across as more obsessed than genuinely yearning, and I personally prefer when a story leans into that slowburn pull and emotional depth.

I also felt the love story itself was missing something, I couldn’t quite grasp why the characters couldn’t be together, and when they did come together, there seemed to be an ongoing push-and-pull of “we shouldn’t” without a clear reason behind it. This dynamic left me feeling a bit disconnected from their relationship and less invested in their journey.

That said, there were charming touches sprinkled throughout the book that kept it from being a total miss for me. While the romance didn’t click, I think readers who enjoy a lighter love story with cute moments may find more to appreciate here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Atria for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this is a DNF at 61% for me.
While the writing itself is good, the plot and character building is falling short and feels repetitive. There is so much pining that I don't feel like we are getting to know Azrael and Vickie outside of it. I'm getting whiplash from the lust, the "pretending", and the "we can't touch or else". The mysterious plot wasn't enough for me to see past my issues to keep reading.
Sorry and thanks to Atria for the ARC.

dnf @ 60%. this story just unfortunately didn’t do it for me. the characters did not have chemistry and things felt so back and forth repetitive. There was a lot going on but jisy didn’t make sense

I adored the premise of this one and thought it was going to be a cute and cozy romcom but unfortunately I had to DNF at 20%. I wasn’t connecting to the characters or the story. Then when the warning mentioned a certain event from 2020. I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be my jam but I tried it!
But I hope it is received well!

I really thought I was going to love this. The concept seemed so cool, and it did have some cool parts. BUT....I was not a fan of how much from the real world they brought into the book. I read to escape and thought this would be a cute spooky romance, not a romance with hidden messages where you can clearly tell what political side the author is on. It took away from the story and made me not even excited to read the book.

Such a sweet, fun, suspenseful, emotional, grief stricken, beautiful story about second chances, life after death, and some magical moments in-between!

I was so lucky to receive an ARC from NetGalley and I’m so so thankful I did! This was the perfect book to get me into the fall, Halloween mood, while also still delivering depth, emotion, suspense, and romance! I really enjoyed seeing Vickie and Az find their ways, through grief and hardships, and figure out what works for them! The miscommunication (or maybe just more so not telling each other) did drive me crazy, but I could overlook it as it truly was the main point of the story.

All in all, I really enjoyed and will absolutely recommend to anyone looking for a good, witchy, Halloween read!

Cute cover? Yes! Cute title? Yes! Good premise? Yes! The book as a whole? No. Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. How can 2 super powerful witches die of covid? It was quite repetitive and I just found myself wanting to be finished with it. I wanted to love this book so much, but it just wasn’t for me. It’s definitely written for somebody though!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced e-arc of this book for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley, Audrey Goldberg Ruoff and Atria books for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute witchy read for the fall, but at the same time it felt like it was lacking something. It gives off a bit of the addams family/90s witch TV show vibes. Azreal and Vickie have essentially been pining for each other the entire 20 something years of their lives. As you read the book you learn there were moments when they were younger, a moment in college that is kind of tip toed around and not entirely clear what occurred. So where the "lacking something" really came in for me is that when these 2 both move back home there's really no pining or super special moments to suck you in to their love story. It's just an immediate re-sparking of feelings while they also dance around them without having an adult conversation about it, and then a curse that interferes all while they STILL continue to dance around their feelings and have "pretend" moments for a while.

I was so excited about this book - a cute title, cute cover, and a nice cozy fall-themed synopsis. Unfortunately it just was not for me. The writing was very stilted and jumped around in unconnected ways and the dialogue was kind of clunky.

I hate this overused critique, but have found myself in the position where it actually feels valid: This book had a lot of telling, and not enough showing. This made it difficult to really settle in to the world and connect to the characters.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC!