Small Town, Big Magic

“If fairy tales are real, I’m going to be pissed.”

I found this book highly enjoyable even though at times the leading lady was a little too ‘girl power’ for me personally. That didn’t detract from the well crafted story that unfolded that had me on the edge of my seat until I turned the last page thankful I already have book 2 in my tbr pile considering how it ended!

Small Town, Big Magic is a fun and witchy read with just the right mix of romance, mystery, and small-town charm. Emerson, the smart and sassy main character, finds out she’s a witch and her sleepy town is hiding a lot more than she thought. There’s great banter, a swoony love interest, and plenty of magical twists to keep things interesting. Perfect if you like stories with strong heroines, found family, and a cozy paranormal vibe. I wanted to like this book, but it just didn’t work for me. The plot was hard to follow at times, with too much going on and not enough explanation. I also didn’t connect with the characters as much as I’d hoped. The cliffhanger ending was frustrating — it felt more like a setup for the next book show more than a satisfying conclusion. Overall, it had potential, but it didn’t quite deliver. show less

Imagine the most insufferable character you've ever read: a busybody that thinks she's superior to everyone else; the one that had to do everything herself because otherwise it wouldn't get done right; had to organise everybody around her, with an outsized ego. Someone who actually thinks she is better than everyone else Now imagine someone making her the main character of the story and tacking on a penchant for lecturing everybody she interacts with on the evils of the patriarchy and the wonders of girl power, and you have a book that has all the subtlety of the sledgehammer.

I did not like this book. I instantly wanted to DNF it because OMG she represented everything I dislike in people, never mind book characters and on top of that show more the whole feminist/patriarchy thing made me want to spit, because if you have to preach it honey, you aren't living it.

I kept going though because I thought maybe this was a - admittedly stupid - brave ploy the author was using to make the revelation of her memory wipe pack more of a punch - sort of making her supremely annoying personality a side effect of the memory wipe.

Alas, not really. She did improve, but not enough to make her likeable. I continued reading at this point because, frankly, I'd just spent 30 bucks on this damn book and by god I was going to finish it, and let that be a lesson to me on the evils of impulse buying.

On the plus side, her 4 besties were lovely characters - any of whom I'd have vastly preferred as the subject of this story over her, and the romance ... what does it say about how much I didn't like this book that the romance was one of the few bits I enjoyed? Also, I liked the animal familiars.

The plot was predictable but would have been fine had it not been for the massively irritating MC. This is obviously the start of a series, since it ends on something of a cliff-hanger, but I absolutely could not care less about whatever may happen next. Not even for free. show less

As much as I wanted to find out the mystery, and as promising as the premise, I could not take another 20 chapters of the smug protagonist. What was supposed to be self assured and staunchly feminist falls apart if you’ve got to keep saying it over and over.

3.75⭐️ So I liked this book, but I will say it took a bit for me to like the FMC. Emerson was too much ‘I am feminist hear me roar.’ I am all for strong women that realize they don’t need a man telling them what to do or how to live or survive. But Emerson was almost unbelievable and it made her look weak instead of strong. I have difficulty asking for help, but know that I can turn to my husband, friends, and family and ask and they will never question or make me feel weak. Eventually she got there but it took a little too long and it was over and over again of down with the patriarchy.
I very much enjoyed her friends and the other characters introduced. They are why I want to carry on with the series and hopefully Emerson show more will grow on me. show less

There’s far more focus on witchcraft here than on quirky small town vibes, and I was definitely hoping for more of a balance between the two.

Setting wasn’t as prominent in the story or as vividly described as you’d think considering that the setting features in the title. I felt like there could have and should have been a greater sense of this town than just taking us into a couple shops, not only because it’s part of the title but because the heroine’s love for this town is so deep that at a young age she made a drastic choice rather than leave it, so I really wanted a better understanding of what makes St. Cyprian so special to her.

I liked that Emerson is a leader and confident but her confidence frequently crossed the show more line into arrogance to the point where there were times where she came across as every bit as obnoxious as the one-note villain in this novel. I just have a hard time with someone who pumps herself up at the expense of others.

Emerson’s arrogance with her so-called friends, particularly how harshly she treats her best friend, along with the initial strain between Emerson and a potential love interest and the vitriol between two others in their group, on top of a giant lie they’ve all lived for a decade made it difficult to buy that they were genuinely close friends. Would anyone willingly get together on a regular basis when there’s consistently that much tension in the room? It seemed like their dynamics might have fit better in the type of book where a group has grown apart and is then forced to work together.

The pacing of this one felt off in some areas. The friend group initially provided Emerson with very few answers, the reasons for withholding that information seemed more about dragging the story out rather than being actually story dictated plus making Emerson wait for answers just added to my feeling like these were questionable friendships. Meanwhile a romance more suited to a slow burn escalated quickly and also Emerson adjusted unbelievably fast to her new circumstances. Basically, I would have preferred world-building answers sooner (or at least better explanations for why those answers had to be withheld) and where emotions were concerned, I would have liked to see this novel take a little more time to truly dig in.

I guess just overall wanted some different things from this one than it delivered.

I received this ARC through a Goodreads giveaway. show less

Took a bit to get going but a freight train when it does. A story as much about friendship and duty as a romance. Really loved this world. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger so I'm looking forward to the next one.