Impractical Magic by Emily Grimoire Published by HarperCollins UK on October 1, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / General, Fiction / General, Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Fantasy, Fiction / Romance / General, Fiction / Romance / Holiday, Fiction / Romance / Paranormal / Witches, Fiction / Small Town & Rural
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: NetGalley
Perfect for readers of Pumpkin Spice Café, Erin Sterling and Lana Harper.
In Oak Haven, this witch is about to brew up more trouble than she bargained for...
When Scarlett Melrose receives a call from her estranged sisters, she immediately knows something is wrong. The magic at their mother’s inn – and in fact, the whole of Oak Haven – has gone awry, and they need her help to save it.
As the conflicted middle-child, returning home has given Scarlett the heebie jeebies. And to make matters worse, she’s just come face-to-face with charming old flame and handyman, Nate.
When her spell to fix the magic goes horribly wrong, all Scarlett wants to do is flee back to the peace and quiet of her San Francisco flat. But she can’t keep running away forever, and she’ll need all the help she can to solve this magical mess.
With time slipping away, Scarlett must learn that sometimes the greatest spells really do come with the greatest responsibility – especially when love is involved...
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Perfect for fans of:
Grumpy x sunshine ☀️
Slow burn 🔥
Witchy aesthetic 🔮✨
Cosy small town 🍂☕
My Review
I want to start this review by thanking Netgalley, Avon Books UK, and Emily Grimoire for gifting me with a digital copy of Impractical Magic in return for an honest review. I am so happy to say that I loved this book and had a hard time putting it down. Honestly, I did not want it to end. The cover is what drew me to the book in the first place because it is so cozy, autumnal, and witchy looking. Really, what isn’t to love? Then I noticed in the corner that it said perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls and Charmed, which had me asking right away for the ARC. I am so glad that I have had the chance to read this one before it hits shelves. Emily Grimoire really delivered on the cozy fall vibes.
This story takes place in New England in a small town known as Oak Haven. This town is like no other town simply because it is run by magic. Seriously, there is actual magic in the air in Oak Haven. The town is always perfectly maintained and decorated for each season, and the smell of the town is the coziest of smells. Oak Haven is run by witches. The town is full of them, and only females are able to do magic. The men of the town hold no magic, but that does not seem to upset them because they all appear content with their lives. Anyone who enters this town once they leave it will not be able to remember a thing about it, no matter how much they loved their stay. The town is kept safe because of a forgetting magic that was placed upon it years before, and this spell is in every part of the town, right down to the crosswalks. When the men of the town leave it for more than three days, they will simply forget it along with everyone they know, whether friends or family; their memories will be gone.
Scarlett Melrose (one of the main characters) has been away from this little autumnal paradise for ten years, and she has no intention of returning anytime soon. It isn’t until her oldest sister reaches out and tells her that something is wrong and she needs to get home now. It is not long before Scarlett leaves California and heads back to New England, where she notices that something is definitely off the second she hits the town. The off feeling she has only gets worse when she walks into her family’s Inn. The signature smell is off, just as it was in town. Not to mention that she has been warned not to use her magic because the magic has been unpredictable. Granted, she hasn’t used it in the ten years she was gone, but it can’t be that bad, right? Scarlett soon discovers just how unpredictable the magic is when she tries to move a piano with it. It is up to the Melrose family to figure out what is happening with the magic. It is clear that if it isn’t fixed soon, the whole town will be struggling. Since the Melrose women come from a long-standing line of witches in the town’s history, it is up to them to figure out what is going on with the magic. The responsibility rests upon their shoulders.
This story is not only full of magic and coziness, but it is also full of second chances, discovery, spells gone wrong, and finding your place in the world. I loved the complicated relationship that Scarlett has with her quirky family and the realizations that she came to toward the end of the book. I thought the author did a great job with the descriptions of the town, and it really made me want to live there. I think that the way the author handled the magic was great. I also enjoyed learning about the different witches that reside in the town, along with the sense of community and belonging. The mystery of what was happening with the magic in the town and the steps taken by the community to try and solve the problem kept me interested. The slow-burn second chance romance I found to be sweet (I mean, he waited forever for her) and meeting all the endless Earls made me smile. Once you read the story, you will understand what I mean about the Earls. If you are looking for a story to get you into the autumnal vibes, then please give this book a go because I do not think you will be disappointed. I know I wasn’t, and I may have suffered a bit of a book hangover after I finished it. The story was just so darn good. Have you read anything lately that put you into the fall spirit Reader? If so, please let me know because I am always eager to read fall books. Until Next Time, Reader, Happy Reading.
Trigger Warnings:
- Talk of Parental Death
- Missing Person
- Extreme Guilt