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Pushing Daisy
Sparks fly when witches brew.
Return to Leeside in this sapphic, witchy, and spicy interconnected stand-alone romance to With This Witch!
Daisy Hale has spent her life being ostracized by the supernatural community for failures that are not her own. Dealing with the aftermath of a visit with her parents, Daisy is offered the opportunity of a lifetime– a chance to be a consultant for the supernatural council. Problem? She has to work with the perfect-in-every-way Sloan Wilks.
Sloan Wilks, social nemesis extraordinaire, is miserable and tired of living in her family’s shadow. Searching for something to call her own and looking for a way to change her image, she lands a chance to work for the council. If only it didn’t involve working alongside the infuriatingly hot Daisy Hale.
Forced into a partnership to organize a new community event, Daisy and Sloan are thrust into a world of clashing personalities, unpredictable magic, and undeniable attraction. To succeed, they must confront their history and a chemistry that refuses to be ignored.
Can two strong-willed witches find harmony, or will their partnership be a spell for disaster? Discover how they navigate a connected past, their struggle for personal space, and an unexpected desire in Pushing Daisy.
Return to Leeside in this sapphic, witchy, and spicy interconnected stand-alone romance to With This Witch!
Daisy Hale has spent her life being ostracized by the supernatural community for failures that are not her own. Dealing with the aftermath of a visit with her parents, Daisy is offered the opportunity of a lifetime– a chance to be a consultant for the supernatural council. Problem? She has to work with the perfect-in-every-way Sloan Wilks.
Sloan Wilks, social nemesis extraordinaire, is miserable and tired of living in her family’s shadow. Searching for something to call her own and looking for a way to change her image, she lands a chance to work for the council. If only it didn’t involve working alongside the infuriatingly hot Daisy Hale.
Forced into a partnership to organize a new community event, Daisy and Sloan are thrust into a world of clashing personalities, unpredictable magic, and undeniable attraction. To succeed, they must confront their history and a chemistry that refuses to be ignored.
Can two strong-willed witches find harmony, or will their partnership be a spell for disaster? Discover how they navigate a connected past, their struggle for personal space, and an unexpected desire in Pushing Daisy.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 25, 2024
7 people are currently reading
223 people want to read
About the author
Isla Winter
4 books41 followersIsla is an enigma - even to herself - and is figuring all this author's business out as she goes. She enjoys spending time with her husband and furry family of two cats and two dogs. When she's not reading or writing, she's likely playing Mario Kart.
Please note: I am anti-AI, and generative AI tools have never, and WILL NEVER, be used in my writing.
Please note: I am anti-AI, and generative AI tools have never, and WILL NEVER, be used in my writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
October 26, 2024
Pushing Daisy by Isla Winter was a fun little romcom that gave us enemies-to-friends with benefits-to-something more. I chuckled a bit at the creative expletives and the humorous situations. Love the body positivity in this one. There are some important topics addressed amid the fluff, comic relief, and steamy no-strings arrangement. It was about two women in their early thirties trying their best to distance themselves from the negativity of their families and create their own identities. They dealt with past trauma, insecurities, and misunderstandings to find their way to their genuine selves and each other. There was significant character growth despite the miscommunications.
The backdrop to this journey of self-discovery was a joint effort to plan a community event to help members bond and create new relationships. It occurred in a town where magic and various non-human beings were the norm. I enjoyed how the variety of beings coexisted. The diversity was interesting, although the focus was on our witchy ladies.
Overall, the writing was well done. I did get confused a few times as to who was speaking. I liked the perspective changes for insight, and the pace was consistent. It was a quick and enjoyable read.
Several tropes were included, such as forced proximity, only one bed, and opposites attract.
Trigger warnings apply, such as past bullying.
Kudos for a feisty plus-sized MC.
I am giving this one a 3.5 rounded up.
#plussizedmain #bodypositivity #bullying #forcedproximity #onlyonebed #bisexualrep #romcom #oppositesattract #2over30 #spicy #nostrings
I received a free ARC from the author. This is my honest opinion.
The backdrop to this journey of self-discovery was a joint effort to plan a community event to help members bond and create new relationships. It occurred in a town where magic and various non-human beings were the norm. I enjoyed how the variety of beings coexisted. The diversity was interesting, although the focus was on our witchy ladies.
Overall, the writing was well done. I did get confused a few times as to who was speaking. I liked the perspective changes for insight, and the pace was consistent. It was a quick and enjoyable read.
Several tropes were included, such as forced proximity, only one bed, and opposites attract.
Trigger warnings apply, such as past bullying.
Kudos for a feisty plus-sized MC.
I am giving this one a 3.5 rounded up.
#plussizedmain #bodypositivity #bullying #forcedproximity #onlyonebed #bisexualrep #romcom #oppositesattract #2over30 #spicy #nostrings
I received a free ARC from the author. This is my honest opinion.
October 25, 2024
Daisy and Sloan are paired up to create an event for the community the live in.
Daisy wants to be part of the community and Sloan wants to be her own person and not just known gif her family name.
Due to some past trauma and insecurities both women must learn to work with one another and lean into their gifts to grow into the current places in life.
This is book 2 and I was able to keep up without having read the first book. It’s a perfect fall, witchy, sapphic read.
Thank you to the author Isla Winter for the free epub and opportunity to read this book. My review is being left voluntarily.
October 22, 2024
3.75🌟
I was lucky enough to get a free ARC of Pushing Daisy, it took me a while to finish, but here’s my review!
You HAVE to check it out—it’s such a fun witchy fall read. The enemies-to-lovers trope between Daisy and Sloan is fantastic—especially with their history of dislike slowly turning into something more. I loved the forced proximity and the humor sprinkled throughout! Some parts felt a little fast with the romance, but honestly, if you’re into sapphic witchy vibes and a cozy mix of magic and romance, you’ll love this one. Perfect for a fun, light read this season!
I was lucky enough to get a free ARC of Pushing Daisy, it took me a while to finish, but here’s my review!
You HAVE to check it out—it’s such a fun witchy fall read. The enemies-to-lovers trope between Daisy and Sloan is fantastic—especially with their history of dislike slowly turning into something more. I loved the forced proximity and the humor sprinkled throughout! Some parts felt a little fast with the romance, but honestly, if you’re into sapphic witchy vibes and a cozy mix of magic and romance, you’ll love this one. Perfect for a fun, light read this season!
October 7, 2024
3.5
Thank you Isla Winter for this ARC. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was initially interested in this book purely for the name. I saw that it was sapphic, and I had to read it. It did not disappoint.
This book is filled with several tropes: one bed and enemies to lovers to name a few. It’s also filled with quite of bit of spice, including some magic spice.
The universe that Winter created isn’t overly complicated, and the added magical elements are easily understood and they add to the overall fun of the story. This book deals with some heavier topics, but it also had me laughing at magic puns and gave me butterflies.
Daisy feels like she has something to prove; she wants to be accepted by the community that ostracized her.
Sloan wants to be known for more than her name. After the shenanigans she was wrapped up in With This Witch, she’s trying to distance herself from her family’s expectations and strict views of society.
This book picks up not long after With This Witch, and with a new council, there are some changes and goals to make the community more inclusive and accepting.
Daisy and Sloan are paired up to create an event for the community, but these two have a history, and it’s not pretty. Insert some forced proximity and the story starts rolling. The pacing for this book was decently done. I never got bored or felt like it was rushed, but there were some moments that I felt were out of place. These moments didn’t take away from the story as a whole, but they occasionally had me scratching my head. That being said, I liked seeing these characters grow and reflect on their past. In contrast to With This Witch, there isn’t a villain or enemy, all of the tension is created between the MCs themselves.
Overall I liked this book! The spice is something else, and I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between these two. It’s not all unicorns and sunshine, there are some deep issues, but they don’t drag the story down, if anything it build it up.
Thank you Isla Winter for this ARC. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was initially interested in this book purely for the name. I saw that it was sapphic, and I had to read it. It did not disappoint.
This book is filled with several tropes: one bed and enemies to lovers to name a few. It’s also filled with quite of bit of spice, including some magic spice.
The universe that Winter created isn’t overly complicated, and the added magical elements are easily understood and they add to the overall fun of the story. This book deals with some heavier topics, but it also had me laughing at magic puns and gave me butterflies.
Daisy feels like she has something to prove; she wants to be accepted by the community that ostracized her.
Sloan wants to be known for more than her name. After the shenanigans she was wrapped up in With This Witch, she’s trying to distance herself from her family’s expectations and strict views of society.
This book picks up not long after With This Witch, and with a new council, there are some changes and goals to make the community more inclusive and accepting.
Daisy and Sloan are paired up to create an event for the community, but these two have a history, and it’s not pretty. Insert some forced proximity and the story starts rolling. The pacing for this book was decently done. I never got bored or felt like it was rushed, but there were some moments that I felt were out of place. These moments didn’t take away from the story as a whole, but they occasionally had me scratching my head. That being said, I liked seeing these characters grow and reflect on their past. In contrast to With This Witch, there isn’t a villain or enemy, all of the tension is created between the MCs themselves.
Overall I liked this book! The spice is something else, and I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between these two. It’s not all unicorns and sunshine, there are some deep issues, but they don’t drag the story down, if anything it build it up.
November 27, 2024
This book was not it. Daisy just really bothered me with how whiny she was. She’s got all this trauma so yes I understand her feeling broken and having these insecurities but she needs to go see a therapist for real. The whole time her attitude was just “poor me”
I also didn’t enjoy that the event they were putting on was for individuals that have been essentially socially exiled because they were different. It was an invitation only event which means they had to go “hmm who have we been bullying this whole time and done nothing about it until this moment right now. We won’t actually apologize. We’re just gonna single them out and throw them a party so they forget how mean we’ve been as a community”
Her writing was good so I would give this author’s books another read. This is the 2nd in a stand alone interconnected series so I may visit the first one
I also didn’t enjoy that the event they were putting on was for individuals that have been essentially socially exiled because they were different. It was an invitation only event which means they had to go “hmm who have we been bullying this whole time and done nothing about it until this moment right now. We won’t actually apologize. We’re just gonna single them out and throw them a party so they forget how mean we’ve been as a community”
Her writing was good so I would give this author’s books another read. This is the 2nd in a stand alone interconnected series so I may visit the first one
October 16, 2024
This was a cozy, witchy tale with an enchanting enemies-to-lovers arc and a touch of childhood bully redemption. I loved watching Daisy go on her own journey of self-worth, learning to trust not only those around her but also herself, despite her traumatic past and the grief tied to her parents’ actions. Sloan’s growth was equally powerful, as she found her voice and broke free from the weight of her family’s reputation. It was so satisfying to see her take accountability for her past while forging a better present and future.
June 1, 2025
Can you fall for your childhood bully?
This was a fun sapphic enemies to lovers romcom! Daisy starts the story with much happening, and not such great things. We see her heart and her strength, even as she feels heart broken and powerless. Sloane was her childhood bully, and during all this turmoil, has been assigned as Daisy’s partner in a special project both want to succeed at. Can they get over the past to work together and maybe even find some magical sparks?? Read what happens in this fun story!!
This was a fun sapphic enemies to lovers romcom! Daisy starts the story with much happening, and not such great things. We see her heart and her strength, even as she feels heart broken and powerless. Sloane was her childhood bully, and during all this turmoil, has been assigned as Daisy’s partner in a special project both want to succeed at. Can they get over the past to work together and maybe even find some magical sparks?? Read what happens in this fun story!!
October 21, 2024
I received a free ARC copy in exchange for my review. Despite, these thoughts are my own.
A super fun enemies to lovers sapphic story. There were moments that I struggled to get behind the characters, but mostly I was excited to see them fall for each other. A fun fall witchy read.
A super fun enemies to lovers sapphic story. There were moments that I struggled to get behind the characters, but mostly I was excited to see them fall for each other. A fun fall witchy read.
November 2, 2024
2,5 ★
German review
(English review below!)
Trigger Warnungen: Fluchen, explizite Sexszenen, Verlust von Familienmitgliedern (nicht durch Tod), Mobbing (in der Vergangenheit stattgefunden), Trauer
Tropes: Feinde zu Liebenden, Missverständnisse, erzwungene Nähe, Gegensätze ziehen sich an
Repräsentation: lesbische Romanze, Bisexualität, positive Körperwahrnehmung, Hauptcharaktere über 30
Daisy Hale und Sloan Wilks erhalten vom Stadtrat die Aufgabe, gemeinsam eine Veranstaltung zu planen, um ausgegrenzte Mitglieder der Gemeinde zusammenzubringen. Das Problem: Sloan hat einen großen Anteil daran gehabt, dass Daisys Highschool-Zeit für sie wie die Hölle war. Dementsprechend unvorstellbar ist es für Daisy, mit Sloan zusammenzuarbeiten. Können die beiden für das Projekt die Vergangenheit hinter sich lassen und gemeinsam eine Lösung finden?
Charaktere
Daisy ist eine Außenseiterin. Als sie noch ein kleines Mädchen war, wurden ihre Eltern aus Leeside verbannt, da sie verbotenerweise Magie an Menschen verkauft haben. Für das Verhalten ihrer Eltern wurde Daisy ausgegrenzt und schikaniert. Infolgedessen sind ihr Selbstvertrauen und ihre Selbstwahrnehmung niedrig. Durch die Veranstaltungsplanung kann sie der Gemeinde endlich ihre Fähigkeiten beweisen und Teil von etwas sein.
Sloan ist das genaue Gegenteil von Daisy: wohlhabend, beliebt, selbstbewusst. Ihre Familie hat Einfluss und einen gewissen Ruf – dessen möchte sich Sloan allerdings gerne entziehen und ihren eigenen Weg gehen. Mit dem Event möchte sie nicht nur ihr Image verbessern, sondern auch zeigen, dass sie sich verändert hat.
Mir hat gefallen, dass beide Hauptcharaktere in ihren 30ern sind (obwohl sie sich für ihr Alter teilweise sehr kindisch verhalten) – ich finde, die Repräsentation „älterer“ Charaktere ist in vielen Büchern viel zu selten. Insgesamt mochte ich die beiden auch gerne, nur war Daisy manchmal echt anstrengend, da sie oft abweisend zu Sloan und nicht kompromissbereit war.
Liebesgeschichte / Sexszenen
Ich lese nicht sehr oft Liebesromane, aber mir gefällt in der Regel der „Enemies to Lovers“-Trope, da ich das Gefühl habe, dass in dieser Art von Liebesgeschichte die Beziehung realistisch aufgebaut wird und sich romantische Gefühle langsam entwickeln. Leider kam dieser Aspekt meiner Meinung nach in Pushing Daisy zu kurz. Daisy und Sloan können sich zwar zu Beginn nicht leiden und lernen sich im Verlauf der Handlung mehr und mehr zu schätzen, dennoch ging mir die Liebesgeschichte viel zu schnell voran. Im Grunde finden sich beide von Anfang an attraktiv und fühlen sich (körperlich) zueinander hingezogen. Das hat für mich gar nicht funktioniert.
Der Fokus liegt stark auf der Liebesgeschichte (die Streitereien, die gegenseitige Zuneigung, der Sex). Das gemeinsame Projekt nimmt zwar eine zentrale Rolle ein, da es der Auslöser für die Liebesgeschichte ist, ist aber dennoch eher im Hintergrund. Die Beziehung zwischen Daisy und Sloan entwickelt sich sehr schnell und mir fehlte es insgesamt an Tiefe. Ich konnte bis zum Schluss nicht ganz nachvollziehen, warum sie sich gegenseitig attraktiv finden und was sie aneinander mögen. Einige Dialoge wirkten dahingehend für mich etwas unrealistisch.
Auch mit den Sexszenen hatte ich ein paar Probleme. Ich habe nichts dagegen, explizite Szenen zu lesen, ich habe mich aber beim Lesen etwas unwohl gefühlt, gerade weil beide sehr oft über Sex nachdenken, ohne dass es einen passenden Kontext gibt. Die Sexszenen, die ich bisher gelesen habe, enthielten zwar ebenfalls Verbalerotik, allerdings in deutlich „eleganterer“ Form. In Gegensatz dazu wirkte die Wortwahl in Pushing Daisy etwas plump und albern. Die Szenen würde ich deutlich mehr in Richtung „smut“ einordnen – sehr heiß und explizit waren sie allemal.
Der Schwerpunkt liegt in den ersten 60% der Handlung eher auf Streitereien (welche auf Dauer genervt haben), der gegenseitigen Anziehung und dem Sex, im späteren Verlauf der Handlung stehen die Gefühle mehr im Mittelpunkt. Deshalb mochte ich die zweite Hälfte der Geschichte auch lieber. Eine bessere Balance zwischen beiden wäre ideal gewesen.
Sonstiges
Mir hat super gefallen, wie Magie in dieser Geschichte funktioniert: die Magie unterscheidet sich individuell nach Person und passt sich den Emotionen und Situationen an. Das fand ich sehr spannend und ich hätte mir gewünscht, dass der Fokus mehr auf Hexerei/Magie liegt. Auch das Grimoire fand ich interessant, man hätte so viel mehr mit diesem Erzählstrang machen können. Dafür, dass Daisy und Sloan beide Hexen sind, wird in der gesamten Handlung nicht so viel gehext, wie erwartet. Die Geschichte hätte auch ohne Magie geschrieben werden können und es hätte sich nicht sehr viel verändert.
Andere Sachen, die mich ein bisschen gestört haben: Es wird unnötig viel geflucht. Wörter oder Phrasen werden in kurzen Abständen oft wiederholt, was meinen Lesefluss gestört hat. Die Massage ist komisch und macht in dem Projekt-Kontext meiner Meinung nach keinen Sinn. Die Spitznamen und der Epilog waren für meinen Geschmack zu kitschig.
Einzelband oder Fortsetzung?
Pushing Daisy ist der zweite Band der Leeside-Reihe, den man aber unabhängig von Buch eins (With This Witch) lesen kann, da es eine eigenständige Handlung ist. Es wird aber oft auf den Inhalt vom ersten Band eingegangen – wer Spoiler vermeiden will, sollte deshalb With This Witch zuerst lesen. Alles Wichtige, was im Vorgängerband passiert ist, einschließlich der Vorstellung von Personen, wird erklärt. Dennoch hatte ich immer mal wieder das Gefühl, Hintergrundinformationen aus Band eins verpasst zu haben, um bestimmte Gedanken/Handlungen besser nachvollziehen zu können.
Fazit
Leider konnte Pushing Daisy meinen Erwartungen nicht ganz gerecht werden, was vorrangig aber vermutlich schlicht und einfach an meinen persönlichen Präferenzen für Liebesgeschichten/Sexszenen liegt. Falls du gerne spicy Romance-Bücher liest und nichts gegen oberflächlichere Beziehungen hast, bei denen der Fokus mehr auf die Anziehung und dem Sex liegt, wird dir das Buch deutlich besser gefallen als mir. Insgesamt ist es eine süße und auch gemütliche Geschichte, bei der mir jedoch der Tiefgang und besser integrierte Magie gefehlt hat.
Vielen Dank an Netgalley und Wordy Whims Press für die Möglichkeit, dieses Buch im Austausch gegen eine ehrliche Rezension vorab lesen zu dürfen.
---------------
English review
Trigger warnings: swearing, explicit sex scenes, loss of family (not through death), bullying (occurred in the past), grief
Tropes: enemies to lovers, misunderstanding, forced proximity, opposite attracts
Representation: lesbian romance, bisexuality, body positivity, main characters over 30
The city council has commissioned Daisy Hale and Sloan Wilks to plan an event with the goal to bring marginalized members of the community together. The problem: Sloan played a big part in making Daisy's high school years like hell for her. It is unimaginable for Daisy to work together with Sloan. Can the two of them put the past behind them and cooperate for the sake of the project?
Characters
Daisy is an outsider. When she was a little girl, her parents were banished from Leeside for selling magic to humans. Daisy was ostracized and bullied for her parents behaviour. Thus, her self-confidence and self-perception are low. Through the event planning, she can finally prove her abilities to the community and be part of something.
Sloan is the exact opposite of Daisy: wealthy, popular, confident. Her family has influence and a certain reputation - but Sloan would like to escape all that and go her own way. She wants to use the event to improve her image, but also to show everyone that she has changed.
I liked that both main characters are in their 30s (although they act very childish for their age at times) - I think the representation of 'older' characters is far too rare in many books. Overall, I liked them both, but Daisy was sometimes really annoying as she was often dismissive towards Sloan and unwilling to compromise.
Lovestory / Sex Scenes
I don't read romance novels very often, but I usually like the “Enemies to Lovers” trope because I feel that in this type of love story, the relationship is built up realistically and romantic feelings develop slowly. Unfortunately, in my opinion, this aspect came up short in Pushing Daisy. Although Daisy and Sloan don't like each other at the beginning and learn to appreciate each other more and more as the story progresses, the love story moved far too quickly for me. Basically, they both find each other attractive from the beginning and feel (physically) attracted to each other. That didn't work for me at all.
The focus is very much on the love story (the arguments, the mutual affection, the sex). The project does play a central role, as it is the trigger for the love story, but it is still more in the background. The relationship between Daisy and Sloan develops very quickly and I found it lacked depth overall. I couldn't quite understand until the end why they find each other attractive and what they like about each other. Because of this, some of the dialogues seemed a bit unrealistic to me.
I also had a few problems with the sex scenes. I don't mind reading explicit scenes, but I felt a bit uncomfortable reading them, especially because they both think about sex a lot without there being a suitable context. The sex scenes I've read so far also contained verbal eroticism, but in a much more “elegant” form. In contrast, the choice of words in Pushing Daisy seemed a bit clumsy and silly. I would classify the scenes more in the direction of “smut” - they were definitely very hot and explicit.
In the first 60% of the plot, the focus is more on arguments (which were annoying in the long run), mutual attraction and sex; later on, the feelings take center stage. That's why I liked the second half of the story more. A better balance between the two would have been ideal.
Miscellaneous
I really liked how magic works in this story: the magic differs from person to person and adapts to emotions and situations. I found this very exciting and I would have liked the focus to be more on the witchcraft/magic aspect. I also found the grimoire interesting, so much more could have been done with this part of the story. For the fact that Daisy and Sloan are both witches, there isn't as much witchcraft in the entire plot as I expected it to be. The story could have been written without magic and not much would have changed.
Other things that bothered me a bit: There is an unnecessary amount of swearing. Words or phrases are often repeated at short intervals, which disrupted my reading flow. The massage is weird and doesn't make sense in the project context in my opinion. The nicknames and the epilogue were too cheesy for my taste.
Stand Alone or Sequel?
Pushing Daisy is the second volume in the Leeside series, but it can be read independently from book one (With This Witch) as it is a stand-alone story. However, it often refers to the content of the first volume - so if you want to avoid spoilers, you should read With This Witch first. Everything important that happened in the previous volume, including the introduction of characters, is explained. Nevertheless, I sometimes had the feeling that I had missed background information from volume one in order to better understand certain thoughts/actions.
Summary
Unfortunately, Pushing Daisy didn't quite live up to my expectations, but this is probably primarily due to my personal preference for love stories/sex scenes. If you enjoy reading spicy romance books and don't mind more superficial relationships where the focus is more on attraction and sex, you'll like this book a lot more than I did. Overall, it's a sweet and cozy story, but I found it lacked depth and could have integrated the magic better.
Thank you to Netgalley and Wordy Whims Press for the opportunity to pre-read this book in exchange for an honest review.
German review
(English review below!)
Trigger Warnungen: Fluchen, explizite Sexszenen, Verlust von Familienmitgliedern (nicht durch Tod), Mobbing (in der Vergangenheit stattgefunden), Trauer
Tropes: Feinde zu Liebenden, Missverständnisse, erzwungene Nähe, Gegensätze ziehen sich an
Repräsentation: lesbische Romanze, Bisexualität, positive Körperwahrnehmung, Hauptcharaktere über 30
Daisy Hale und Sloan Wilks erhalten vom Stadtrat die Aufgabe, gemeinsam eine Veranstaltung zu planen, um ausgegrenzte Mitglieder der Gemeinde zusammenzubringen. Das Problem: Sloan hat einen großen Anteil daran gehabt, dass Daisys Highschool-Zeit für sie wie die Hölle war. Dementsprechend unvorstellbar ist es für Daisy, mit Sloan zusammenzuarbeiten. Können die beiden für das Projekt die Vergangenheit hinter sich lassen und gemeinsam eine Lösung finden?
Charaktere
Daisy ist eine Außenseiterin. Als sie noch ein kleines Mädchen war, wurden ihre Eltern aus Leeside verbannt, da sie verbotenerweise Magie an Menschen verkauft haben. Für das Verhalten ihrer Eltern wurde Daisy ausgegrenzt und schikaniert. Infolgedessen sind ihr Selbstvertrauen und ihre Selbstwahrnehmung niedrig. Durch die Veranstaltungsplanung kann sie der Gemeinde endlich ihre Fähigkeiten beweisen und Teil von etwas sein.
Sloan ist das genaue Gegenteil von Daisy: wohlhabend, beliebt, selbstbewusst. Ihre Familie hat Einfluss und einen gewissen Ruf – dessen möchte sich Sloan allerdings gerne entziehen und ihren eigenen Weg gehen. Mit dem Event möchte sie nicht nur ihr Image verbessern, sondern auch zeigen, dass sie sich verändert hat.
Mir hat gefallen, dass beide Hauptcharaktere in ihren 30ern sind (obwohl sie sich für ihr Alter teilweise sehr kindisch verhalten) – ich finde, die Repräsentation „älterer“ Charaktere ist in vielen Büchern viel zu selten. Insgesamt mochte ich die beiden auch gerne, nur war Daisy manchmal echt anstrengend, da sie oft abweisend zu Sloan und nicht kompromissbereit war.
Liebesgeschichte / Sexszenen
Ich lese nicht sehr oft Liebesromane, aber mir gefällt in der Regel der „Enemies to Lovers“-Trope, da ich das Gefühl habe, dass in dieser Art von Liebesgeschichte die Beziehung realistisch aufgebaut wird und sich romantische Gefühle langsam entwickeln. Leider kam dieser Aspekt meiner Meinung nach in Pushing Daisy zu kurz. Daisy und Sloan können sich zwar zu Beginn nicht leiden und lernen sich im Verlauf der Handlung mehr und mehr zu schätzen, dennoch ging mir die Liebesgeschichte viel zu schnell voran. Im Grunde finden sich beide von Anfang an attraktiv und fühlen sich (körperlich) zueinander hingezogen. Das hat für mich gar nicht funktioniert.
Der Fokus liegt stark auf der Liebesgeschichte (die Streitereien, die gegenseitige Zuneigung, der Sex). Das gemeinsame Projekt nimmt zwar eine zentrale Rolle ein, da es der Auslöser für die Liebesgeschichte ist, ist aber dennoch eher im Hintergrund. Die Beziehung zwischen Daisy und Sloan entwickelt sich sehr schnell und mir fehlte es insgesamt an Tiefe. Ich konnte bis zum Schluss nicht ganz nachvollziehen, warum sie sich gegenseitig attraktiv finden und was sie aneinander mögen. Einige Dialoge wirkten dahingehend für mich etwas unrealistisch.
Auch mit den Sexszenen hatte ich ein paar Probleme. Ich habe nichts dagegen, explizite Szenen zu lesen, ich habe mich aber beim Lesen etwas unwohl gefühlt, gerade weil beide sehr oft über Sex nachdenken, ohne dass es einen passenden Kontext gibt. Die Sexszenen, die ich bisher gelesen habe, enthielten zwar ebenfalls Verbalerotik, allerdings in deutlich „eleganterer“ Form. In Gegensatz dazu wirkte die Wortwahl in Pushing Daisy etwas plump und albern. Die Szenen würde ich deutlich mehr in Richtung „smut“ einordnen – sehr heiß und explizit waren sie allemal.
Der Schwerpunkt liegt in den ersten 60% der Handlung eher auf Streitereien (welche auf Dauer genervt haben), der gegenseitigen Anziehung und dem Sex, im späteren Verlauf der Handlung stehen die Gefühle mehr im Mittelpunkt. Deshalb mochte ich die zweite Hälfte der Geschichte auch lieber. Eine bessere Balance zwischen beiden wäre ideal gewesen.
Sonstiges
Mir hat super gefallen, wie Magie in dieser Geschichte funktioniert: die Magie unterscheidet sich individuell nach Person und passt sich den Emotionen und Situationen an. Das fand ich sehr spannend und ich hätte mir gewünscht, dass der Fokus mehr auf Hexerei/Magie liegt. Auch das Grimoire fand ich interessant, man hätte so viel mehr mit diesem Erzählstrang machen können. Dafür, dass Daisy und Sloan beide Hexen sind, wird in der gesamten Handlung nicht so viel gehext, wie erwartet. Die Geschichte hätte auch ohne Magie geschrieben werden können und es hätte sich nicht sehr viel verändert.
Andere Sachen, die mich ein bisschen gestört haben: Es wird unnötig viel geflucht. Wörter oder Phrasen werden in kurzen Abständen oft wiederholt, was meinen Lesefluss gestört hat. Die Massage ist komisch und macht in dem Projekt-Kontext meiner Meinung nach keinen Sinn. Die Spitznamen und der Epilog waren für meinen Geschmack zu kitschig.
Einzelband oder Fortsetzung?
Pushing Daisy ist der zweite Band der Leeside-Reihe, den man aber unabhängig von Buch eins (With This Witch) lesen kann, da es eine eigenständige Handlung ist. Es wird aber oft auf den Inhalt vom ersten Band eingegangen – wer Spoiler vermeiden will, sollte deshalb With This Witch zuerst lesen. Alles Wichtige, was im Vorgängerband passiert ist, einschließlich der Vorstellung von Personen, wird erklärt. Dennoch hatte ich immer mal wieder das Gefühl, Hintergrundinformationen aus Band eins verpasst zu haben, um bestimmte Gedanken/Handlungen besser nachvollziehen zu können.
Fazit
Leider konnte Pushing Daisy meinen Erwartungen nicht ganz gerecht werden, was vorrangig aber vermutlich schlicht und einfach an meinen persönlichen Präferenzen für Liebesgeschichten/Sexszenen liegt. Falls du gerne spicy Romance-Bücher liest und nichts gegen oberflächlichere Beziehungen hast, bei denen der Fokus mehr auf die Anziehung und dem Sex liegt, wird dir das Buch deutlich besser gefallen als mir. Insgesamt ist es eine süße und auch gemütliche Geschichte, bei der mir jedoch der Tiefgang und besser integrierte Magie gefehlt hat.
Vielen Dank an Netgalley und Wordy Whims Press für die Möglichkeit, dieses Buch im Austausch gegen eine ehrliche Rezension vorab lesen zu dürfen.
---------------
English review
Trigger warnings: swearing, explicit sex scenes, loss of family (not through death), bullying (occurred in the past), grief
Tropes: enemies to lovers, misunderstanding, forced proximity, opposite attracts
Representation: lesbian romance, bisexuality, body positivity, main characters over 30
The city council has commissioned Daisy Hale and Sloan Wilks to plan an event with the goal to bring marginalized members of the community together. The problem: Sloan played a big part in making Daisy's high school years like hell for her. It is unimaginable for Daisy to work together with Sloan. Can the two of them put the past behind them and cooperate for the sake of the project?
Characters
Daisy is an outsider. When she was a little girl, her parents were banished from Leeside for selling magic to humans. Daisy was ostracized and bullied for her parents behaviour. Thus, her self-confidence and self-perception are low. Through the event planning, she can finally prove her abilities to the community and be part of something.
Sloan is the exact opposite of Daisy: wealthy, popular, confident. Her family has influence and a certain reputation - but Sloan would like to escape all that and go her own way. She wants to use the event to improve her image, but also to show everyone that she has changed.
I liked that both main characters are in their 30s (although they act very childish for their age at times) - I think the representation of 'older' characters is far too rare in many books. Overall, I liked them both, but Daisy was sometimes really annoying as she was often dismissive towards Sloan and unwilling to compromise.
Lovestory / Sex Scenes
I don't read romance novels very often, but I usually like the “Enemies to Lovers” trope because I feel that in this type of love story, the relationship is built up realistically and romantic feelings develop slowly. Unfortunately, in my opinion, this aspect came up short in Pushing Daisy. Although Daisy and Sloan don't like each other at the beginning and learn to appreciate each other more and more as the story progresses, the love story moved far too quickly for me. Basically, they both find each other attractive from the beginning and feel (physically) attracted to each other. That didn't work for me at all.
The focus is very much on the love story (the arguments, the mutual affection, the sex). The project does play a central role, as it is the trigger for the love story, but it is still more in the background. The relationship between Daisy and Sloan develops very quickly and I found it lacked depth overall. I couldn't quite understand until the end why they find each other attractive and what they like about each other. Because of this, some of the dialogues seemed a bit unrealistic to me.
I also had a few problems with the sex scenes. I don't mind reading explicit scenes, but I felt a bit uncomfortable reading them, especially because they both think about sex a lot without there being a suitable context. The sex scenes I've read so far also contained verbal eroticism, but in a much more “elegant” form. In contrast, the choice of words in Pushing Daisy seemed a bit clumsy and silly. I would classify the scenes more in the direction of “smut” - they were definitely very hot and explicit.
In the first 60% of the plot, the focus is more on arguments (which were annoying in the long run), mutual attraction and sex; later on, the feelings take center stage. That's why I liked the second half of the story more. A better balance between the two would have been ideal.
Miscellaneous
I really liked how magic works in this story: the magic differs from person to person and adapts to emotions and situations. I found this very exciting and I would have liked the focus to be more on the witchcraft/magic aspect. I also found the grimoire interesting, so much more could have been done with this part of the story. For the fact that Daisy and Sloan are both witches, there isn't as much witchcraft in the entire plot as I expected it to be. The story could have been written without magic and not much would have changed.
Other things that bothered me a bit: There is an unnecessary amount of swearing. Words or phrases are often repeated at short intervals, which disrupted my reading flow. The massage is weird and doesn't make sense in the project context in my opinion. The nicknames and the epilogue were too cheesy for my taste.
Stand Alone or Sequel?
Pushing Daisy is the second volume in the Leeside series, but it can be read independently from book one (With This Witch) as it is a stand-alone story. However, it often refers to the content of the first volume - so if you want to avoid spoilers, you should read With This Witch first. Everything important that happened in the previous volume, including the introduction of characters, is explained. Nevertheless, I sometimes had the feeling that I had missed background information from volume one in order to better understand certain thoughts/actions.
Summary
Unfortunately, Pushing Daisy didn't quite live up to my expectations, but this is probably primarily due to my personal preference for love stories/sex scenes. If you enjoy reading spicy romance books and don't mind more superficial relationships where the focus is more on attraction and sex, you'll like this book a lot more than I did. Overall, it's a sweet and cozy story, but I found it lacked depth and could have integrated the magic better.
Thank you to Netgalley and Wordy Whims Press for the opportunity to pre-read this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 19, 2024
Loved this book. The characters and their chemistry, the storyline, the side characters, and all the steamy moments. Daisy is a girl after my own heart, and Sloan felt like someone you could easily connect with.
This was my first read by this author and it definitely won’t be my last.
This was my first read by this author and it definitely won’t be my last.
November 29, 2024
Thanks Isla Winter for the ARC! <3
[ENG]
Pushing Daisy is a light and fun read, a romance set in a world of witches, werewolves and many other creatures, with spicy scenes and a rival to lovers that has managed to captivate me.
The first thing I want to highlight is the body positivity of the novel. The protagonist has not a normative body and it has been wonderful to read spicy scenes with other types of bodies. As I always say, spicy scenes are not the reason why I approach a novel and that's why, on many occasions, they feel repetitive to me, but in this case it has not been like that at all. I do not consider that there are too many of them and they are different enough from each other so that it doesn't seem like you are reading the same thing all over the book.
Daisy has a lot of personality, and she has an enormous internal conflict, which is worked on throughout the novel and which directly affects her relationship with Sloane. It is curious to see how this character grows and how little by little her barriers come down.
As for Sloane, she is that "popular girl" who wants to prove that she is something more than her family name, and in that personal growth phase she's going through she meets Daisy, who represents totally the opposite. These two contrasting realities are something quite interesting and it is carried out in a very good way.
The love relationship is forged slowly and it seemed realistic to me. It is that attraction that both think they are not meant to feel and that "they don't want to feel" but they can't avoid, which generates conflicts not only between them but on an introspective level.
The writing is light and easy to understand, and I didn't find it heavy at all but quite the opposite. The book practically reads itself and having short chapters I just wanted to keep reading. It is one of those "one more chapter" books, but one after the other.
The fantasy plot itself is not the main thing in the book and that is why, personally, it has felt a little short for me. There are small touches but they are not explored in depth. I want to read the first book that the author published set in that same world, to find out more about it.
In short, a book that has entertained me a lot and, in general, a good romance read with a slight fantasy touch in its setting.
[CAS]
Pushing Daisy es una lectura ligera y divertida, un romance ambientado en un mundo de brujas, licántropos y muchas otras criaturas, con escenas spicy y un rival to lovers que ha conseguido atraparme.
Lo primero que quiero destacar es el body positive de la novela. La protagonista se aleja de los cuerpos normativos y ha sido maravilloso leer escenas spicy con otro tipo de cuerpos. Sabéis que no son el motivo por el cuál me acerco a una novela y que, en muchas ocasiones, me resultan algo repetitivas, pero en este caso no ha sido para nada así. No considero que sean demasiadas y son lo suficientemente distintas entre sí cómo para que no parezca que estás leyendo mismo.
Daisy tiene mucha personalidad, y tiene un conflicto interno muy grande, que va trabajado a lo lago de la novela y que afecta directamente en su relación con Sloane. Es curioso ver como este personaje va creciendo y como poco a poco sus barreras van disminuyendo.
En cuanto a Sloane, es esa "chica popular" que quiere demostrar ser algo más que su apellido, y en esa búsqueda se encuentra con Daisy, quien representa todo lo contrario. Esas dos realidades contrapuestas son algo bastante interesante y está llevado de muy buena manera.
La relación amorosa se fragua a fuego lento y me ha parecido bastante realista. Es esa atracción que ambas se cuestionan y que "no quieren sentir" pero que no pueden evitar, cosa que les genera conflictos no solo entre ellas sino a nivel introspectivo.
La escritura es ligera y fácil de entender, y no se me ha hecho para nada pesada, más bien lo contrario. El libro se lee prácticamente solo y al tener capítulos cortos sólo quería seguir leyendo. Es uno de esos libros de "un capítulo más", pero uno detrás de otro.
La trama de fantasía en si no es lo principal del libro y es por ello que, a título personal, se me ha quedado un poco corta. Hay pequeñas pinceladas pero no se profundiza en ellas. Quiero leer el primer libro que sacó la autora ambientado en ese mismo mundo, para averiguar más sobre él.
En definitiva, un libro que me ha entretenido mucho y, en general, una buena lectura de romance con un ligero toque fantástico en su ambientación.
[ENG]
Pushing Daisy is a light and fun read, a romance set in a world of witches, werewolves and many other creatures, with spicy scenes and a rival to lovers that has managed to captivate me.
The first thing I want to highlight is the body positivity of the novel. The protagonist has not a normative body and it has been wonderful to read spicy scenes with other types of bodies. As I always say, spicy scenes are not the reason why I approach a novel and that's why, on many occasions, they feel repetitive to me, but in this case it has not been like that at all. I do not consider that there are too many of them and they are different enough from each other so that it doesn't seem like you are reading the same thing all over the book.
Daisy has a lot of personality, and she has an enormous internal conflict, which is worked on throughout the novel and which directly affects her relationship with Sloane. It is curious to see how this character grows and how little by little her barriers come down.
As for Sloane, she is that "popular girl" who wants to prove that she is something more than her family name, and in that personal growth phase she's going through she meets Daisy, who represents totally the opposite. These two contrasting realities are something quite interesting and it is carried out in a very good way.
The love relationship is forged slowly and it seemed realistic to me. It is that attraction that both think they are not meant to feel and that "they don't want to feel" but they can't avoid, which generates conflicts not only between them but on an introspective level.
The writing is light and easy to understand, and I didn't find it heavy at all but quite the opposite. The book practically reads itself and having short chapters I just wanted to keep reading. It is one of those "one more chapter" books, but one after the other.
The fantasy plot itself is not the main thing in the book and that is why, personally, it has felt a little short for me. There are small touches but they are not explored in depth. I want to read the first book that the author published set in that same world, to find out more about it.
In short, a book that has entertained me a lot and, in general, a good romance read with a slight fantasy touch in its setting.
[CAS]
Pushing Daisy es una lectura ligera y divertida, un romance ambientado en un mundo de brujas, licántropos y muchas otras criaturas, con escenas spicy y un rival to lovers que ha conseguido atraparme.
Lo primero que quiero destacar es el body positive de la novela. La protagonista se aleja de los cuerpos normativos y ha sido maravilloso leer escenas spicy con otro tipo de cuerpos. Sabéis que no son el motivo por el cuál me acerco a una novela y que, en muchas ocasiones, me resultan algo repetitivas, pero en este caso no ha sido para nada así. No considero que sean demasiadas y son lo suficientemente distintas entre sí cómo para que no parezca que estás leyendo mismo.
Daisy tiene mucha personalidad, y tiene un conflicto interno muy grande, que va trabajado a lo lago de la novela y que afecta directamente en su relación con Sloane. Es curioso ver como este personaje va creciendo y como poco a poco sus barreras van disminuyendo.
En cuanto a Sloane, es esa "chica popular" que quiere demostrar ser algo más que su apellido, y en esa búsqueda se encuentra con Daisy, quien representa todo lo contrario. Esas dos realidades contrapuestas son algo bastante interesante y está llevado de muy buena manera.
La relación amorosa se fragua a fuego lento y me ha parecido bastante realista. Es esa atracción que ambas se cuestionan y que "no quieren sentir" pero que no pueden evitar, cosa que les genera conflictos no solo entre ellas sino a nivel introspectivo.
La escritura es ligera y fácil de entender, y no se me ha hecho para nada pesada, más bien lo contrario. El libro se lee prácticamente solo y al tener capítulos cortos sólo quería seguir leyendo. Es uno de esos libros de "un capítulo más", pero uno detrás de otro.
La trama de fantasía en si no es lo principal del libro y es por ello que, a título personal, se me ha quedado un poco corta. Hay pequeñas pinceladas pero no se profundiza en ellas. Quiero leer el primer libro que sacó la autora ambientado en ese mismo mundo, para averiguar más sobre él.
En definitiva, un libro que me ha entretenido mucho y, en general, una buena lectura de romance con un ligero toque fantástico en su ambientación.
March 21, 2025
2.75 rounded up.
Pushing Daisy follows Daisy, an ostracized witch, and her nemesis Sloan, the perfect daughter of a powerful family, as they are thrust together on a project for the supernatural council. They must confront their history and growing attraction to become successful partners, each with a passion for their work and improving their community.
This is the second book in the Leeside Witches series. I read the first, With This Witch, prior to starting this as the plot sounded intriguing. Whilst both can be read as standalones, there is information and history you learn from the first that is useful for the second. I preferred Pushing Daisy to its predecessor, as I felt it had more substance. Both feature a fair amount of spice, almost gratuitously, but more so in WTW. In Pushing Daisy, their work drove their romance through forced proximity, and whilst predictable, developed a bit more naturally than in WTW. Whilst this review is for Pushing Daisy, I find it hard to separate them as they were very similar. There were multiple instances across the two that felt lifted from the same base story, even down to characters choice in movie snack. I have to say reading them back to back also highlighted the similarities further, and I was tired of reading the same expressions over and over (goddess!) and cringey/stilted pet names for partners. Sentences and plots meandered, whilst other details were forgotten about until it was time in the overarching plot to be relevant again. It may be unfair of me to review Pushing Daisy with the paired thoughts of WTW but they're too intertwined for me to judge it alone.
I found the story(/ies) to be slower paced than I would prefer, often wishing the book(s) would just get on with it. Side characters, such as friends and family were very superficial and in both I felt that the relationships between them were lacking - especially for best friends Daisy and Petra. I feel both would've really benefited from exploring their friendship more, especially with them being so close, both losing family and only really having each other, and both subject to societal opinions. They felt more like acquaintances than anything, with their friendship told and not shown.
It was an easy read and enjoyable enough, but as I'm writing this review a week later, I'm struggling to remember most of what happened. I'd say it was fine, but I wasn't rooting for them, I wasn't twirling my hair, it was just okay. I wanted to like it more than I did, and maybe I shouldn't have read the two back-to-back but that's the benefit of hindsight. Daisy and Sloan do both have difficult family backgrounds but this could've been explored deeper, as could insecurities. I think with the combination of the above, I was just over it and wanted to get to the inevitable ending.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
Pushing Daisy follows Daisy, an ostracized witch, and her nemesis Sloan, the perfect daughter of a powerful family, as they are thrust together on a project for the supernatural council. They must confront their history and growing attraction to become successful partners, each with a passion for their work and improving their community.
This is the second book in the Leeside Witches series. I read the first, With This Witch, prior to starting this as the plot sounded intriguing. Whilst both can be read as standalones, there is information and history you learn from the first that is useful for the second. I preferred Pushing Daisy to its predecessor, as I felt it had more substance. Both feature a fair amount of spice, almost gratuitously, but more so in WTW. In Pushing Daisy, their work drove their romance through forced proximity, and whilst predictable, developed a bit more naturally than in WTW. Whilst this review is for Pushing Daisy, I find it hard to separate them as they were very similar. There were multiple instances across the two that felt lifted from the same base story, even down to characters choice in movie snack. I have to say reading them back to back also highlighted the similarities further, and I was tired of reading the same expressions over and over (goddess!) and cringey/stilted pet names for partners. Sentences and plots meandered, whilst other details were forgotten about until it was time in the overarching plot to be relevant again. It may be unfair of me to review Pushing Daisy with the paired thoughts of WTW but they're too intertwined for me to judge it alone.
I found the story(/ies) to be slower paced than I would prefer, often wishing the book(s) would just get on with it. Side characters, such as friends and family were very superficial and in both I felt that the relationships between them were lacking - especially for best friends Daisy and Petra. I feel both would've really benefited from exploring their friendship more, especially with them being so close, both losing family and only really having each other, and both subject to societal opinions. They felt more like acquaintances than anything, with their friendship told and not shown.
It was an easy read and enjoyable enough, but as I'm writing this review a week later, I'm struggling to remember most of what happened. I'd say it was fine, but I wasn't rooting for them, I wasn't twirling my hair, it was just okay. I wanted to like it more than I did, and maybe I shouldn't have read the two back-to-back but that's the benefit of hindsight. Daisy and Sloan do both have difficult family backgrounds but this could've been explored deeper, as could insecurities. I think with the combination of the above, I was just over it and wanted to get to the inevitable ending.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
October 12, 2024
2.7⭐️
Los padres de Daisy, cuando tenía 11 años, fueron desterrados por vender posiciones a humanos. Su castigo consistió en no acercarse a menos de 5,000 km de Leeside, lo que obligó a Daisy a vivir en un hogar de acogida. Allí, la comunidad no la trató bien, convirtiéndola en una paria social.
Veinte años después, Daisy se reencuentra con sus padres, quienes, no han cambiado y buscan aprovecharse de ella. Como castigo por sus acciones, se les borrará la memoria. Daisy, que no se encuentra en el mejor estado de ánimo con todo ll que esta pasando, también recibe la noticia de que deberá trabajar con Sloane, quien le hizo bullying en la escuela.
El consejo, en un intento de reparar el daño a Daisy, la nombra coordinadora de eventos. Su misión es diseñar un evento comunitario que fomente un renovado sentido de pertenencia entre aquellos que han sido marginados. Ella deberá crear un espacio donde otros miembros de la comunidad puedan reunirse, relacionarse y establecer conexiones.
Sloane, proveniente de una familia privilegiada. Era parte del grupo que atacaba a Daisy. Aunque al final se reveló que no participó directamente, pero no intentó detenerlas y guardo silencio.
En cuanto al romance, me pareció poco convincente, ya que surge de la nada; los personajes pasan de un odio mutuo a un interés amoroso sin una transición clara.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Los padres de Daisy, cuando tenía 11 años, fueron desterrados por vender posiciones a humanos. Su castigo consistió en no acercarse a menos de 5,000 km de Leeside, lo que obligó a Daisy a vivir en un hogar de acogida. Allí, la comunidad no la trató bien, convirtiéndola en una paria social.
Veinte años después, Daisy se reencuentra con sus padres, quienes, no han cambiado y buscan aprovecharse de ella. Como castigo por sus acciones, se les borrará la memoria. Daisy, que no se encuentra en el mejor estado de ánimo con todo ll que esta pasando, también recibe la noticia de que deberá trabajar con Sloane, quien le hizo bullying en la escuela.
El consejo, en un intento de reparar el daño a Daisy, la nombra coordinadora de eventos. Su misión es diseñar un evento comunitario que fomente un renovado sentido de pertenencia entre aquellos que han sido marginados. Ella deberá crear un espacio donde otros miembros de la comunidad puedan reunirse, relacionarse y establecer conexiones.
Sloane, proveniente de una familia privilegiada. Era parte del grupo que atacaba a Daisy. Aunque al final se reveló que no participó directamente, pero no intentó detenerlas y guardo silencio.
En cuanto al romance, me pareció poco convincente, ya que surge de la nada; los personajes pasan de un odio mutuo a un interés amoroso sin una transición clara.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 7, 2024
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book, while not without some entertaining moments, is a bit all over the place. Also there's a few things I didn't understand such as why an event for outcast people meeting for the first time would require couples massage classes. And the bigger one, why Sloane is attracted to Daisy in the first place. Daisy treats her badly from the beginning asking to switch partners, ghosting her, yelling at her, and demanding she leave. Yes, Sloane did some bad things to Daisy in the past, but with the way Daisy is acting now, I just don't see how Sloane could feel any kind of attraction to her. All of a sudden after one awkward dinner filled with mostly silence, Sloane is feeling like Daisy could be "someone special" and starts being attracted to her. It just didn't make sense to me.
There's many moments where it seems like they're making progress only for Daisy to decide otherwise and revert to hating Sloane out of nowhere. This makes sense somewhat for her character having trust issues, but it made the book frustrating to read at times.
It wasn't all bad, however, there were a couple of cute scenes and good chemistry between them when they aren't fighting, or I should say when Daisy isn't starting something or pushing Sloane away. Overall, 3.2/5 stars.
This book, while not without some entertaining moments, is a bit all over the place. Also there's a few things I didn't understand such as why an event for outcast people meeting for the first time would require couples massage classes. And the bigger one, why Sloane is attracted to Daisy in the first place. Daisy treats her badly from the beginning asking to switch partners, ghosting her, yelling at her, and demanding she leave. Yes, Sloane did some bad things to Daisy in the past, but with the way Daisy is acting now, I just don't see how Sloane could feel any kind of attraction to her. All of a sudden after one awkward dinner filled with mostly silence, Sloane is feeling like Daisy could be "someone special" and starts being attracted to her. It just didn't make sense to me.
There's many moments where it seems like they're making progress only for Daisy to decide otherwise and revert to hating Sloane out of nowhere. This makes sense somewhat for her character having trust issues, but it made the book frustrating to read at times.
It wasn't all bad, however, there were a couple of cute scenes and good chemistry between them when they aren't fighting, or I should say when Daisy isn't starting something or pushing Sloane away. Overall, 3.2/5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2025
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book
a witchy themed book but with ohhh so many tentacles to it that it made for a compelling read....
daisy hale is an outcast well that is what she thinks of herself after years of bullying and neglect from the people around her and its not even her fault....
the fault belongs to her parents who have been banished for the atrocities they had done and though people had taken her in it wasnt the same....
sloan wilkes has it all money, position but she is unhappy . she recognises that things are right and in her own way tries to do the right thing so when the council approach her after all her volunteering to help the less unfortunate she jumps at the chance after all she is more than her surname
the council want sloan and daisy to work together theres only one stumbling block.... daisy views sloan as one of the worst bullies in her life.... but they have to work together to make this happen.....
ohhh my so many issues this book covers..... it was a joy to read... i felt such sorrow for daisy and empathy for sloan each a victim of their upbringing and learning to trust each other was a bumpy road for them both but man this book kept me reading late into the night
will be keeping an eye out for more books from this author
a witchy themed book but with ohhh so many tentacles to it that it made for a compelling read....
daisy hale is an outcast well that is what she thinks of herself after years of bullying and neglect from the people around her and its not even her fault....
the fault belongs to her parents who have been banished for the atrocities they had done and though people had taken her in it wasnt the same....
sloan wilkes has it all money, position but she is unhappy . she recognises that things are right and in her own way tries to do the right thing so when the council approach her after all her volunteering to help the less unfortunate she jumps at the chance after all she is more than her surname
the council want sloan and daisy to work together theres only one stumbling block.... daisy views sloan as one of the worst bullies in her life.... but they have to work together to make this happen.....
ohhh my so many issues this book covers..... it was a joy to read... i felt such sorrow for daisy and empathy for sloan each a victim of their upbringing and learning to trust each other was a bumpy road for them both but man this book kept me reading late into the night
will be keeping an eye out for more books from this author
September 30, 2024
Rivals-to-lovers romance with witches, an inn (and one bed), and an event to plan... what could go wrong? AND what could go right!
Rivals Sloan and Daisy had some beef back in school, having grown up in the same town, and are now forced to work together to create an event. Sloan has changed since her bullying (maybe bullying, I don't think it's explicitly stated) days, not that Daisy has forgotten or forgiven.
I've got some beef with Daisy, though. Sloan has obviously made changes in her life, including ditching her assholey friends and her overbearing, stuck-up parents, and is apologetic to Daisy, and while it's stated that Daisy is hard to get to know, I wanted to constantly shake her for some of the attitude she was pulling. The first couple of chapters was fine, but it felt like it was halfway through the book and Daisy was still pulling the same old crap. I'm surprised Sloan didn't just drop her.
While I was meant to feel sympathy for Daisy, she kinda ended up becoming the villain and was her own reason for her demise.
With this relationship last? TBH, probably not. Daisy might want to get back with her ex. LOL.
Besides that, the writing was good, and the story was well paced. The dialogue was natural, and I overall enjoyed the book.
Rivals Sloan and Daisy had some beef back in school, having grown up in the same town, and are now forced to work together to create an event. Sloan has changed since her bullying (maybe bullying, I don't think it's explicitly stated) days, not that Daisy has forgotten or forgiven.
I've got some beef with Daisy, though. Sloan has obviously made changes in her life, including ditching her assholey friends and her overbearing, stuck-up parents, and is apologetic to Daisy, and while it's stated that Daisy is hard to get to know, I wanted to constantly shake her for some of the attitude she was pulling. The first couple of chapters was fine, but it felt like it was halfway through the book and Daisy was still pulling the same old crap. I'm surprised Sloan didn't just drop her.
While I was meant to feel sympathy for Daisy, she kinda ended up becoming the villain and was her own reason for her demise.
With this relationship last? TBH, probably not. Daisy might want to get back with her ex. LOL.
Besides that, the writing was good, and the story was well paced. The dialogue was natural, and I overall enjoyed the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2024
This review poses a challenge, doesn’t it?
On one hand, acknowledging the effort authors invest in their narratives is crucial. Yet, the struggle to articulate a fair critique remains. I received this ARC, just like countless others, eager to dive into the tale. However, I found myself grappling with the writing style.
Take, for instance, a line from the start:
"Now, thanks to Petra and Lachlan— Petra’s husband, the demon representative on the council, and Daisy’s boss and friend— she finally gets to see her family again."
This sentence, while ambitious, feels tangled. The attempt at a flowery prose style seems to create distance rather than connection.
PLOT VS. STYLE
Now, let’s discuss the plot.
The enemies-to-lovers trope, a classic favorite, holds potential. Yet, it requires a reader’s commitment to truly engage. The story, filled with entertaining moments, offers glimpses of excitement. However, the writing style detracts from the overall experience.
In conclusion, while the premise intrigues, I wouldn't recommend this as a reread. Sometimes, even the most imaginative plots falter under the weight of their execution. It’s a reminder that flow and coherence often play pivotal roles in storytelling.
On one hand, acknowledging the effort authors invest in their narratives is crucial. Yet, the struggle to articulate a fair critique remains. I received this ARC, just like countless others, eager to dive into the tale. However, I found myself grappling with the writing style.
Take, for instance, a line from the start:
"Now, thanks to Petra and Lachlan— Petra’s husband, the demon representative on the council, and Daisy’s boss and friend— she finally gets to see her family again."
This sentence, while ambitious, feels tangled. The attempt at a flowery prose style seems to create distance rather than connection.
PLOT VS. STYLE
Now, let’s discuss the plot.
The enemies-to-lovers trope, a classic favorite, holds potential. Yet, it requires a reader’s commitment to truly engage. The story, filled with entertaining moments, offers glimpses of excitement. However, the writing style detracts from the overall experience.
In conclusion, while the premise intrigues, I wouldn't recommend this as a reread. Sometimes, even the most imaginative plots falter under the weight of their execution. It’s a reminder that flow and coherence often play pivotal roles in storytelling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2024
An enjoyable paranormal sapphic romance!
Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for this review.
I liked this story between Daisy and Sloan very much. I didn't read the first book in the series before this and that didn't hinder the ability to catch up on anything you may have missed in that first book.
Daisy and Sloan have a rough history. Daisy was tormented for who her family was growing up on and Sloan was part of that. Now they have been tasked to work together on an event for the town to bring people together.
I quite enjoyed the forced proximity of them spending so much time at the hotel together - being forced to get close to each other and work out their problems.
I wish I could say I enjoyed the one bed trope but if you're going to have one bed... ahem. USE the bed, if you know what I mean.
This book was spicy and there were a lot of deeper moments of them trying to figure out a life away from their family's toxic influence.
I wish more time and care was taken on that and the these characters similarities, and not so much on the numerous miscommunications they had in the book.
Overall though it was a good book and I enjoyed it!
Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for this review.
I liked this story between Daisy and Sloan very much. I didn't read the first book in the series before this and that didn't hinder the ability to catch up on anything you may have missed in that first book.
Daisy and Sloan have a rough history. Daisy was tormented for who her family was growing up on and Sloan was part of that. Now they have been tasked to work together on an event for the town to bring people together.
I quite enjoyed the forced proximity of them spending so much time at the hotel together - being forced to get close to each other and work out their problems.
I wish I could say I enjoyed the one bed trope but if you're going to have one bed... ahem. USE the bed, if you know what I mean.
This book was spicy and there were a lot of deeper moments of them trying to figure out a life away from their family's toxic influence.
I wish more time and care was taken on that and the these characters similarities, and not so much on the numerous miscommunications they had in the book.
Overall though it was a good book and I enjoyed it!
October 5, 2024
First, I'm a sucker for a good Enemies to Lovers trope, and this book covers that. The story revolves around two witches, Daisy an outcast shunned by the town due to the prior actions of her parents and Sloan who is well known and highly popular in their town, mostly because of her family name. Daisy gets the chance of a lifetime to organize an event for other shunned individuals in their community. The only catch, she has to work side by side with Sloan as her partner. Sloan needs this event to prove she's more than just her last name, but she has to figure out how to break through Daisy's walls to get her to work with her to make the event a success. All in all the story was captivating, I did feel at times both characters seemed a little immature, especially since both were in their 30s. But it kept my attention for the long run and I wanted to see how Daisy and Sloan's story ended. As a side note, this is a sequel, but it definitely can be read as a stand alone. I did not read book one and didn't feel like I was missing any information to understand this story.
October 12, 2024
I really enjoyed Sloan + Daisy's story. I feel like the mental health representation is a huge factor in this book. Both characters are dealing with their own set of struggles + learning how to be this new version of themselves that they've wanted for so long. Their pasts, shared + not, complicate things while being forced to work together on a project that is important to both of them. This was the most interesting part of this book for me because I felt like this made the characters so relatable. I found myself getting frustrated with one of the characters due to the way she was acting, but after looking at it from her POV + all she's been through, I can't say I would have acted better.
Other thoughts: LOVE Sloan; she's just perfect. Loved the setting; the town is just so magical (which makes sense lol). This book is *spicy, spicy*! This is an interconnected standalone but I would still highly suggest reading With this Witch first (if your interested) because this book might give away what happens in the first one.
Other thoughts: LOVE Sloan; she's just perfect. Loved the setting; the town is just so magical (which makes sense lol). This book is *spicy, spicy*! This is an interconnected standalone but I would still highly suggest reading With this Witch first (if your interested) because this book might give away what happens in the first one.
October 13, 2024
I really enjoyed this cozy tale of witches finding their powers, themselves and their love. I related more to Sloan than Daisy, which I found interesting; I feel like the novel should center us towards Daisy and her troubles, but I found her slightly annoying. But maybe I recognise stubbornness in Daisy that I dislike in myself! I enjoyed Sloan's journey of self discovery, understanding her failings and moving towards a happier existence.
I haven't read the first book in this series yet, but my glimpse at Petra and Lachlan has made me want to pick that up soon ( it was already on my TBR!). From the main characters to the side characters, all are very well written and help you build an understanding about Leeside and the world we are reading.
I've been wanting to read more sapphic fiction and this was a great addition. There is spice, it is well placed within the story and helps to move along the relationship building between the main characters.
Overall I recommend this book if you are looking for a cozy sapphic romance with magical realism and autumn vibes!
I haven't read the first book in this series yet, but my glimpse at Petra and Lachlan has made me want to pick that up soon ( it was already on my TBR!). From the main characters to the side characters, all are very well written and help you build an understanding about Leeside and the world we are reading.
I've been wanting to read more sapphic fiction and this was a great addition. There is spice, it is well placed within the story and helps to move along the relationship building between the main characters.
Overall I recommend this book if you are looking for a cozy sapphic romance with magical realism and autumn vibes!
October 10, 2024
The second book in the Leeside Witches series, Pushing Daisy focuses on Daisy and Sloan. Daisy's parents trashed their family reputation, leaving Daisy to be raised in a foster home and as a bit of a social pariah. Sloan was one of Daisy's tormenters in school... but was she really? They get put together to work on a big social gathering following the events in book 1 of the series, With This Witch. Daisy has the lived experience of being ostracized from the community and Sloan has the name and connections to get things done. I was really looking forward to this after the first book, but the insta-love threw me. I needed a bit more build-up I think before the intimacy was introduced. I liked the characters, but the story left me wanting a bit. If you're looking for an LGBTQIA+ story about witches, check it out... however, if that isn't totally your vibe there may be better books out there for you.
Thank you to Wordy Whims Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!
Thank you to Wordy Whims Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!
September 22, 2024
3.5
I really enjoyed this. Where to start I am not usually one for the miscommunication trope however this was handled very well and it wasn't miscommunication for the sake of it. One bed trope? Forced proximity? Sign me up two of my favourite tropes that with found family you basically had me in the first page. The boop on the nose is when I knew this was going to be good!
'I Wouldnt't want me either' OUCH. Minus the witchy skills I love how relatable the characters are Daisy pushing people away to try and protect herself, Sloan trying to make a name for herself not just her families name to stand on her own.
Thank you for letting me be an arc reader for this.
Pre reading:
Yes I may be starting with book 2 🤣
I really enjoyed this. Where to start I am not usually one for the miscommunication trope however this was handled very well and it wasn't miscommunication for the sake of it. One bed trope? Forced proximity? Sign me up two of my favourite tropes that with found family you basically had me in the first page. The boop on the nose is when I knew this was going to be good!
'I Wouldnt't want me either' OUCH. Minus the witchy skills I love how relatable the characters are Daisy pushing people away to try and protect herself, Sloan trying to make a name for herself not just her families name to stand on her own.
Thank you for letting me be an arc reader for this.
Pre reading:
Yes I may be starting with book 2 🤣
September 25, 2024
Just the first line in the book brought a huge grin to my face. I knew this was going to be a fun read 😁
You know what makes it even better? FMC is 31!! Love that!
The story is set in the same world as a previous book by the same author. It's written in such a way that you don't even need to read the first one in order to know what's happening or who is who. It can definitely be read as a standalone (though knowing myself and being introduced to events that happened in the first book, I'm definitely adding that to my tbr 😁)
I enjoyed this book. Daisy and Sloan start off as enemies, stuck together to organise an event. Cue drama, favorite tropes (enemies to lovers, only one bed!!, forced proximity) banter, and HAE.
Thank you to the author for the chance to read the eARC of this book.
You know what makes it even better? FMC is 31!! Love that!
The story is set in the same world as a previous book by the same author. It's written in such a way that you don't even need to read the first one in order to know what's happening or who is who. It can definitely be read as a standalone (though knowing myself and being introduced to events that happened in the first book, I'm definitely adding that to my tbr 😁)
I enjoyed this book. Daisy and Sloan start off as enemies, stuck together to organise an event. Cue drama, favorite tropes (enemies to lovers, only one bed!!, forced proximity) banter, and HAE.
Thank you to the author for the chance to read the eARC of this book.
October 8, 2024
Thank you NetGalley, Isla Winter, and the publisher for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pushing Daisy was a real treat! I really enjoyed getting to know both Daisy and Sloan and see their dislike for one another (or more so Daisy's dislike of Sloan) turn into an understanding, and eventually something more. The enemies to lovers trope played out wonderfully in this book, and was not too slow or too rushed. I also love a good one bed, forced proximity trope and Isla Winter did it SO well! I hadn't read the first book in the series, but reading this one has made me more interested in Petra and Lachlan's backstory as well, so I'll be checking that one out asap :)
Overall, a really fun and easy read!
Pushing Daisy was a real treat! I really enjoyed getting to know both Daisy and Sloan and see their dislike for one another (or more so Daisy's dislike of Sloan) turn into an understanding, and eventually something more. The enemies to lovers trope played out wonderfully in this book, and was not too slow or too rushed. I also love a good one bed, forced proximity trope and Isla Winter did it SO well! I hadn't read the first book in the series, but reading this one has made me more interested in Petra and Lachlan's backstory as well, so I'll be checking that one out asap :)
Overall, a really fun and easy read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2024
I LOVE an enemies to lovers plot, I also love supernatural books so this was great :)
I didn’t read the first one as I didn’t know about it so some of the things I say could have happened in the first but I’d of loved more background on her parents, like what exact were they doing, were they helping people and others didn’t like it or were they actually causing harm, it wasn’t clear to me. I also would of liked background to why the wilks disliked Daisy so much especially the mum, I didn’t understand why she hated her so much.
The ending was perfection, I can’t stand when a book ends and I’m left wondering what happens so I love that it wrapped it all up.
*full disclosure I was given this book in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley*
I didn’t read the first one as I didn’t know about it so some of the things I say could have happened in the first but I’d of loved more background on her parents, like what exact were they doing, were they helping people and others didn’t like it or were they actually causing harm, it wasn’t clear to me. I also would of liked background to why the wilks disliked Daisy so much especially the mum, I didn’t understand why she hated her so much.
The ending was perfection, I can’t stand when a book ends and I’m left wondering what happens so I love that it wrapped it all up.
*full disclosure I was given this book in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley*
September 23, 2024
I enjoyed this little witchy novel filled with other beings like trolls, demons and fairies! Sloan and Daisy are two women who think they have nothing in common but honestly they are very much alike. Each trying to find a name for themselves outside of their family who are literally both dysfunctional af. Both wanting to protect themselves from judgement and heartbreak. They are enemies but have to work together to put on an event for the council for all the townspeople. I mean whats the worst that could happen right?! lol.
Trope: enemies to lovers, friends w/ benefits, forced proximity, found family, bi-rep, queer rep, plus size baddie, small town
Trope: enemies to lovers, friends w/ benefits, forced proximity, found family, bi-rep, queer rep, plus size baddie, small town
October 4, 2024
This is a cute story with witches, demons, etc. - but it is more that this is just their world and this isn’t an Autumn/Fall/Halloween-inspired witchy novel, despite its October release date.
This was a sweet story full of miscommunication, forced proximity, and personal / emotional growth. Daisy and Sloan are both relatable and, in the end, likable. Though it has drama and emotion, I would classify this novel as sweet rather than angsty.
This is the first book I’ve read by the author, and despite it being the second book in a series, I feel it can definitely be read as a stand alone.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.
This was a sweet story full of miscommunication, forced proximity, and personal / emotional growth. Daisy and Sloan are both relatable and, in the end, likable. Though it has drama and emotion, I would classify this novel as sweet rather than angsty.
This is the first book I’ve read by the author, and despite it being the second book in a series, I feel it can definitely be read as a stand alone.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.
October 21, 2024
I received an advanced reader copy and this is my honest review.
I LOVE Sloan. I think she is absolutely hilarious and I’m not sure if I want to be her friend or be on her! I really enjoyed the relationship between Sloan and Daisy, they each overcame their own issues to find love in such an unexpected place. I did enjoy the undertones to the story about the queer community and fitting in. The pieces about being more than your family are also very relatable. I hope the Leeside universe continues to expand because I find the magic and idea of all the magical creatures together so fun. It’s like a real-life Halloweentown! I love reading spicy, sapphic stories and this one hit the spot 😉
I LOVE Sloan. I think she is absolutely hilarious and I’m not sure if I want to be her friend or be on her! I really enjoyed the relationship between Sloan and Daisy, they each overcame their own issues to find love in such an unexpected place. I did enjoy the undertones to the story about the queer community and fitting in. The pieces about being more than your family are also very relatable. I hope the Leeside universe continues to expand because I find the magic and idea of all the magical creatures together so fun. It’s like a real-life Halloweentown! I love reading spicy, sapphic stories and this one hit the spot 😉
October 16, 2024
Pushing Daisy by Isla Winter is a beautifully crafted novel that explores themes of love, loss, and personal growth. With its evocative prose and relatable characters, Winter captures the complexities of human relationships and the challenges of moving forward after heartbreak. The narrative is both poignant and uplifting, offering moments of humor and introspection that resonate deeply. This heartfelt story is a must-read for anyone seeking a touching exploration of resilience and the transformative power of love.
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