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Homegrown Magic #1
Homegrown Magic
A delightful queer romantic fantasy full of friends-to-lovers chemistry, found family, rival family drama, and cozy garden magic from two acclaimed YA authors making their debut in the adult space.
Yael Clauneck is the only scion of an obscenely wealthy banking family with its fingers in every pie in the realm. They’re on the precipice of a predetermined life when they flee their own graduation party, galloping away in search of…well, they’re not sure, but maybe the chance to feel like life can still be a grand adventure.
Margot Greenwillow—talented plant witch, tea lover, and greenhouse owner—has never felt further from adventure in her life. She’s been desperately trying to keep what remains of her family's magic remedies business afloat. So when her childhood friend and former crush, Yael, rides back into her life, she’s shocked. But perhaps this could be a good thing. After all, Margot could use an assistant in the greenhouses.
Yael has no experience or, honestly, practical skills, but they’re delighted to accept. They can lay low for a while, flirting with Margot while they figure out what to do next. Meanwhile, Margot has plans of her own—but plans are notoriously unreliable things, unlikely to survive a swiftly blooming mutual attraction, not to mention the machinations of parents determined to get their heir back . . . no matter the cost.
Yael Clauneck is the only scion of an obscenely wealthy banking family with its fingers in every pie in the realm. They’re on the precipice of a predetermined life when they flee their own graduation party, galloping away in search of…well, they’re not sure, but maybe the chance to feel like life can still be a grand adventure.
Margot Greenwillow—talented plant witch, tea lover, and greenhouse owner—has never felt further from adventure in her life. She’s been desperately trying to keep what remains of her family's magic remedies business afloat. So when her childhood friend and former crush, Yael, rides back into her life, she’s shocked. But perhaps this could be a good thing. After all, Margot could use an assistant in the greenhouses.
Yael has no experience or, honestly, practical skills, but they’re delighted to accept. They can lay low for a while, flirting with Margot while they figure out what to do next. Meanwhile, Margot has plans of her own—but plans are notoriously unreliable things, unlikely to survive a swiftly blooming mutual attraction, not to mention the machinations of parents determined to get their heir back . . . no matter the cost.
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First published March 11, 2025
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March 18, 2025I will not be reading this book due to the antisemitic stereotypes within. For more information, check out: https://www.threads.net/@zoereadss/po...
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March 6, 2025Yael Clauneck is the scion of a wealthy banking family who doesn’t want the life set out for them. Fleeing their graduation party on a stolen mechanical horse with no plan in place might not have been the best choice, but it felt like the only one at the time. Luckily, they found themselves in their childhood friend’s hometown. Margot Greenwillow is a plant witch who is quickly running out of ways to keep her family’s magic remedies business in operation. When her childhood crush, Yael, arrives and asks for a place to stay, she accepts their help right away. Even in the countryside, life cannot be put on pause forever, and eventually, Yael and Margot will have to confront how their growing attraction fits into their real futures.
—Silvana Reyes Lopez, 11 Must-Read New Queer Books Out in March 2025
—Silvana Reyes Lopez, 11 Must-Read New Queer Books Out in March 2025
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August 6, 2025I am officially pulling the plug on this at 25%. It is just not for me. I can't drag this out any longer when there are so many other enticing books to read!
Original:
ARC received! Thank you so much, Del Rey!!
I think this sounds fantastic, and magical and cozy. I am saving this for Winter, because that's exactly what I like at that time of year!!
Original:
ARC received! Thank you so much, Del Rey!!
I think this sounds fantastic, and magical and cozy. I am saving this for Winter, because that's exactly what I like at that time of year!!
April 5, 2025
“You’re so beautiful... I’ve no artistic talents whatsoever, I swear, but I’d learn how to paint so I could paint you.”
this was so adorable! witchy cottagecore sapphic stardew with all the coziness <3
the chemistry between margot and yael was present from the start, and i felt like the conflict was strong enough to give the story drive but without being overwhelming and ruining the cozy vibes. the potion / magic making was really fun and creative and the descriptions of the gardens and various flowers felt so whimsical.
i like how the resolution came to pass and i'm definitely sensing the next book to be about two side characters i was very intrigued by 👀
if you need a feel-good fantasy, this is a great pick!
an honest arc review ♡
this was so adorable! witchy cottagecore sapphic stardew with all the coziness <3
the chemistry between margot and yael was present from the start, and i felt like the conflict was strong enough to give the story drive but without being overwhelming and ruining the cozy vibes. the potion / magic making was really fun and creative and the descriptions of the gardens and various flowers felt so whimsical.
i like how the resolution came to pass and i'm definitely sensing the next book to be about two side characters i was very intrigued by 👀
if you need a feel-good fantasy, this is a great pick!
an honest arc review ♡
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March 17, 2025No stars. The bigotry in this book is unconscionable. The author might as well have put horns on Yael and completed the racist cliche.
To the team at Del Rey and the agents and editors who supported this book: please do better.
To the team at Del Rey and the agents and editors who supported this book: please do better.
Read
August 2, 2024I finished this book in less than 24 hours and am grinning from ear-to-ear. What a swoony, cozy, magical, and delightfully queer read✨This one is for all the bookish folks who dream of relinquishing corporate city life and retiring to a small town with their lover, tending to a greenhouse, and making strawberry jam everyday 🍓 Full thread of reading reactions here:
https://x.com/ana_scribe/status/18186...
https://x.com/ana_scribe/status/18186...
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August 27, 2024it’s cozy fantasy season!!!!!
March 19, 2025
Some classic Antisemitism just to spice things up
March 19, 2025
This book reinforces antisemitic stereotypes in a very ugly way. Shame on the publisher for putting this out without major edits. I guess publisher feels the same as writer about Jews.
June 7, 2025
I’m sure there are people who will enjoy this book. I wasn’t one of them.
1. This book is racist. The most obvious example is that the authors made a deliberate choice in giving one of the MCs a Hebrew first name (Yael) and a last name that literally means demon/devil (Clauneck). Then took it farther and made the Clauneck family totally self interested, money hoarding and greedy bankers that control the wealth and economy of Harrow, sounds a lot like the world Jewish conspiracy aka Jews control the government and banks. I don’t care if one of the authors is Jewish, it’s racist and if it were any other minority group being represented with such obvious racist stereotypes, I’m sure a sensitivity reader would’ve flagged it and the name would’ve been changed. So in a way I’m glad it wasn’t changed because now these authors will have to forever stand by their obvious racism and bigotry.
2. There was a mechanical horse that can ride for miles but no running water. I get that it’s fantasy but come on, that’s just silly.
3. The MCs lacked chemistry. Their conflict was immature, boring and predictable.
4. The authors are good writers which made it so I could get through the book and read it in its entirely despite points 1-3.
1. This book is racist. The most obvious example is that the authors made a deliberate choice in giving one of the MCs a Hebrew first name (Yael) and a last name that literally means demon/devil (Clauneck). Then took it farther and made the Clauneck family totally self interested, money hoarding and greedy bankers that control the wealth and economy of Harrow, sounds a lot like the world Jewish conspiracy aka Jews control the government and banks. I don’t care if one of the authors is Jewish, it’s racist and if it were any other minority group being represented with such obvious racist stereotypes, I’m sure a sensitivity reader would’ve flagged it and the name would’ve been changed. So in a way I’m glad it wasn’t changed because now these authors will have to forever stand by their obvious racism and bigotry.
2. There was a mechanical horse that can ride for miles but no running water. I get that it’s fantasy but come on, that’s just silly.
3. The MCs lacked chemistry. Their conflict was immature, boring and predictable.
4. The authors are good writers which made it so I could get through the book and read it in its entirely despite points 1-3.
November 2, 2024
₊˚ʚ 🌱 ₊˚✧ ﾟ. COTTAGECORE COZY FANTASY ROMANCE WITH FARMING GAME VIBES ₊˚ʚ 🌱 ₊˚✧ ﾟ.
Oh, boy. This was just a superb type of book. I seriously want to read it again for the first time. If you're looking for a cozy fantasy romance, this for sure will be something you would adore. If you loved The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, hands down you need to read this book when it comes out.
🧺🍓🍄🌿🌻
I don't want to give anything away because it hasn't come out yet, so the only thing I will say is that it's adorable, fun, romantic, and feels like a warm hug. It's about a plant witch and a flirty runaway heir who reunite in a small town. There's a slow-burn romance, strawberries, lots of tea, remedies, pining, masquerade balls, and cute dialogue.
Oh, boy. This was just a superb type of book. I seriously want to read it again for the first time. If you're looking for a cozy fantasy romance, this for sure will be something you would adore. If you loved The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, hands down you need to read this book when it comes out.
🧺🍓🍄🌿🌻
I don't want to give anything away because it hasn't come out yet, so the only thing I will say is that it's adorable, fun, romantic, and feels like a warm hug. It's about a plant witch and a flirty runaway heir who reunite in a small town. There's a slow-burn romance, strawberries, lots of tea, remedies, pining, masquerade balls, and cute dialogue.
March 28, 2025
DNFed at 33%. While I found the setting to be adorable and cozy fantasy. The characters were lacking for me. The main character is a rich entitled party boy who doesn't even know how to make tea at the age of 23? The other main character has put her parents into a permanent sleep because they didn't care for her or their property how they should. I just didn't have empathy for either of these characters. So, I DNFed.
March 11, 2025
The cozy fantasy genre and I have a relationship. I wouldn’t say it’s love/hate. More like yearning/apathy. I keep dreaming of a book that will make me feel the way I felt when watching a Ghibli film, or playing Stardew Valley. Yet every time, my heart sinks and I’m left unfulfilled. And in fact, yearning->apathy (with a side of annoyance) pretty much describes my personal journey with Homegrown Magic.
It starts out well. We have one protagonist, Yael, at a breaking point, running away from their stifling, emotionally abusive family. We have another protagonist, Margot, facing the daunting task of creating an impossible potion to keep not only her home but her whole beloved village from getting repossessed. Both the leads start likable. Yael’s great non-binary rep. There are stakes!
And that’s when it all goes wrong. It soon becomes clear that in many ways, Margot is the author of her own problems. I absolutely believe and empathize with her not wanting to tell the people of Bloomfield they might be on the verge of losing their homes. (Though now that I’m typing it out, leaving them without a chance to prepare is its own kind of selfish.) What I cannot wrap my head around is her failing to tell someone like Sage or Yael, who wouldn’t take it as personally and might be able to help her. Her pigheadedness keeps her from making any progress in her goals With her own happiness on the line, it would be a believable character flaw. When she holds other people’s lives in her incapable hands, it’s contrived, self-absorbed dumbassedry.
Fortunately (?) the shallow writing of Bloomfield and its citizens keeps me from raging on their behalf too much. And here’s the thing: I’m a co-housing resident. I am primed to care about a plucky intentional living community! If only a single one of these townsfolk had a single trait aside from name and occupation. At one point, the narrative goes “they say goodbye to [insert five names here,]” and it was prime-grade character soup. I could identify only one of those named, and cared about none.
(At first it seemed like Margot’s friend Sage was better characterized, but then I realized, she’s not a supporting character here to further this book. She’s sequel bait. And there went that.)
Going back to Margot, ironically, the thing she angsts the most about, , is the thing she turns out to hold no actual responsibility for. Which transforms it from a believable source of guilt and anguish to wangst. If the authors’ intent was to show how guilt distorts reality and festers, it should not have been immediately fixed by an earnest appeal from Yael. I really wish writers—not just Pacton & Podos, but writers in general—had the guts to let characters actually earn their guilt. Let the character do something bad! An honest mistake that still harms someone is a lot more forgivable (to say nothing of interesting for the reader) than the mental loopty-loops required to believe the character is stricken by something she clearly didn’t do. I would have had a lot more empathy for Margot if I learned she made the mistake of out of her own youthful cockiness and desperation. Mistakes are relatable! Mistakes are a catalyst for growth! Wangst, meanwhile, is a catalyst for raising my blood pressure.
For the first half of the book, Margot’s inability to communicate or take useful action is pretty much the only source of tension. She and Yael have no reason not to hook up—except she doesn’t date friends, apparently. Contriiiiivvaaaaaance. The relationship building is theoretically slow burn, except we keep cutting away via time skips and not showing much depth or development. Just a whole lot of nothingburger.
Yael’s role in said first half is both to be a good deal more likable and active than Margot, and to not have much of an arc of their own. If things kept going the way they did, I’d be grousing about this lovable character getting shafted to prop up Margot’s stagnant tuchis.
This will change.
Yael’s parents, mustache-twirling villains though they may be, clearly have the book’s best interests at heart. Around the 50% mark, they finally kick the plot into plotting by trying to drag Yael back home and
I will say, I found the concept of Yael’s warlock patron—an evil ancestor feeding on family glory—to be an interesting one. And if it weren’t fueled by stupidity, Yael attempting to It reminded me of a deeply spoilery twist in another, better-known and much better-written speculative novel with sapphic protagonists. But sadly, it was fueled by stupidity, and ultimately didn’t wind up having much bearing on the plot.
To give a bit more credit, though, Margot did redeem herself a little in my eyes at this point,
A bit more credit still, I appreciate Pacton and Podos offering a somewhat more nuanced take on cozy fiction’s tendency to characterize rural life as good and cities as bad. (An uncomfortably reactionary trend in a genre which at least wants to be seen as progressive.) While the protags’ time in the capital is mostly characterized as lonely and stressful, the narrative does acknowledge that it contains great cafes and gardens, as well as its own common folk who deserve better that late stage capitalism. It’s a small gesture, but one I appreciate.
I’m even more glad for this nuance, because the book’s/protagonists’ stance on class was… wobbly otherwise. And I ain’t talking about the IWW. Sure, capitalism is the vile villain of the piece. But then, we have Yael freely admitting they don’t remember the name of a coachman employed by their family for years and bullying this coachman into taking them where they want to go, even though it could mean reprisal from the man’s employers. This could have been part of Yael’s character arc. They thought they’d set aside their decadent upbringing, but those roots run deeper than they believed. Shame this incident is never challenged or brought up again. Meanwhile, I may not be a dressmaker myself, but I know enough costumers it made me want to slap Margot silly for casually wrecking two couture gowns which probably took a team literal months to make. Together, it doesn’t make a good case for those two respecting others’ labor. Unless the labor is wholesome farming, natch.
To go a bit further, this novel’s take on couture felt like Pacton & Podos wanting to have their cake and eat it too. Look, the protagonists get to dress up real pretty, but it’s not like that matters to them, and besides, bad guys made them do it, and peasant clothes are better! The whole thing is stupid, really, and weirdly smacking of Puritanism.
The world building aside from all of that that was boilerplate LitRPG, the kind that refers to quests and D&D classes by name.
The sex scenes were surprisingly plentiful, but also kind of boring/generic. The lack of tension hurt in this department as well. If I’m not dying for the characters to kiss/bang already, then why bother?
In fact, both world building and smut could have used a greater attention paid to sensual details. To me, sensuality and vibrant sensory detail is what makes a good cozy. I want to smell the flowers, feel the sea on my toes, taste the food. Homegrown Magic was decidedly mid when it came to those qualities.
It did make me crave strawberry jam, though.
All in all, two stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are my own.
It starts out well. We have one protagonist, Yael, at a breaking point, running away from their stifling, emotionally abusive family. We have another protagonist, Margot, facing the daunting task of creating an impossible potion to keep not only her home but her whole beloved village from getting repossessed. Both the leads start likable. Yael’s great non-binary rep. There are stakes!
And that’s when it all goes wrong. It soon becomes clear that in many ways, Margot is the author of her own problems. I absolutely believe and empathize with her not wanting to tell the people of Bloomfield they might be on the verge of losing their homes. (Though now that I’m typing it out, leaving them without a chance to prepare is its own kind of selfish.) What I cannot wrap my head around is her failing to tell someone like Sage or Yael, who wouldn’t take it as personally and might be able to help her. Her pigheadedness keeps her from making any progress in her goals With her own happiness on the line, it would be a believable character flaw. When she holds other people’s lives in her incapable hands, it’s contrived, self-absorbed dumbassedry.
Fortunately (?) the shallow writing of Bloomfield and its citizens keeps me from raging on their behalf too much. And here’s the thing: I’m a co-housing resident. I am primed to care about a plucky intentional living community! If only a single one of these townsfolk had a single trait aside from name and occupation. At one point, the narrative goes “they say goodbye to [insert five names here,]” and it was prime-grade character soup. I could identify only one of those named, and cared about none.
(At first it seemed like Margot’s friend Sage was better characterized, but then I realized, she’s not a supporting character here to further this book. She’s sequel bait. And there went that.)
Going back to Margot, ironically, the thing she angsts the most about, , is the thing she turns out to hold no actual responsibility for. Which transforms it from a believable source of guilt and anguish to wangst. If the authors’ intent was to show how guilt distorts reality and festers, it should not have been immediately fixed by an earnest appeal from Yael. I really wish writers—not just Pacton & Podos, but writers in general—had the guts to let characters actually earn their guilt. Let the character do something bad! An honest mistake that still harms someone is a lot more forgivable (to say nothing of interesting for the reader) than the mental loopty-loops required to believe the character is stricken by something she clearly didn’t do. I would have had a lot more empathy for Margot if I learned she made the mistake of out of her own youthful cockiness and desperation. Mistakes are relatable! Mistakes are a catalyst for growth! Wangst, meanwhile, is a catalyst for raising my blood pressure.
For the first half of the book, Margot’s inability to communicate or take useful action is pretty much the only source of tension. She and Yael have no reason not to hook up—except she doesn’t date friends, apparently. Contriiiiivvaaaaaance. The relationship building is theoretically slow burn, except we keep cutting away via time skips and not showing much depth or development. Just a whole lot of nothingburger.
Yael’s role in said first half is both to be a good deal more likable and active than Margot, and to not have much of an arc of their own. If things kept going the way they did, I’d be grousing about this lovable character getting shafted to prop up Margot’s stagnant tuchis.
This will change.
Yael’s parents, mustache-twirling villains though they may be, clearly have the book’s best interests at heart. Around the 50% mark, they finally kick the plot into plotting by trying to drag Yael back home and
I will say, I found the concept of Yael’s warlock patron—an evil ancestor feeding on family glory—to be an interesting one. And if it weren’t fueled by stupidity, Yael attempting to It reminded me of a deeply spoilery twist in another, better-known and much better-written speculative novel with sapphic protagonists. But sadly, it was fueled by stupidity, and ultimately didn’t wind up having much bearing on the plot.
To give a bit more credit, though, Margot did redeem herself a little in my eyes at this point,
A bit more credit still, I appreciate Pacton and Podos offering a somewhat more nuanced take on cozy fiction’s tendency to characterize rural life as good and cities as bad. (An uncomfortably reactionary trend in a genre which at least wants to be seen as progressive.) While the protags’ time in the capital is mostly characterized as lonely and stressful, the narrative does acknowledge that it contains great cafes and gardens, as well as its own common folk who deserve better that late stage capitalism. It’s a small gesture, but one I appreciate.
I’m even more glad for this nuance, because the book’s/protagonists’ stance on class was… wobbly otherwise. And I ain’t talking about the IWW. Sure, capitalism is the vile villain of the piece. But then, we have Yael freely admitting they don’t remember the name of a coachman employed by their family for years and bullying this coachman into taking them where they want to go, even though it could mean reprisal from the man’s employers. This could have been part of Yael’s character arc. They thought they’d set aside their decadent upbringing, but those roots run deeper than they believed. Shame this incident is never challenged or brought up again. Meanwhile, I may not be a dressmaker myself, but I know enough costumers it made me want to slap Margot silly for casually wrecking two couture gowns which probably took a team literal months to make. Together, it doesn’t make a good case for those two respecting others’ labor. Unless the labor is wholesome farming, natch.
To go a bit further, this novel’s take on couture felt like Pacton & Podos wanting to have their cake and eat it too. Look, the protagonists get to dress up real pretty, but it’s not like that matters to them, and besides, bad guys made them do it, and peasant clothes are better! The whole thing is stupid, really, and weirdly smacking of Puritanism.
The world building aside from all of that that was boilerplate LitRPG, the kind that refers to quests and D&D classes by name.
The sex scenes were surprisingly plentiful, but also kind of boring/generic. The lack of tension hurt in this department as well. If I’m not dying for the characters to kiss/bang already, then why bother?
In fact, both world building and smut could have used a greater attention paid to sensual details. To me, sensuality and vibrant sensory detail is what makes a good cozy. I want to smell the flowers, feel the sea on my toes, taste the food. Homegrown Magic was decidedly mid when it came to those qualities.
It did make me crave strawberry jam, though.
All in all, two stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are my own.
May 30, 2025
"Margot smiles too, loving this work of connecting people with the plants she's worked so hard to grow. In the morning's bustle, she feels Granny Fern at her side, gently guiding her, encouraging her, telling her it'll all work out."
"Homegrown Magic" was a cute and easy read, filled with cozy cottages, greenhouses full of colorful flowers and so many strawberries, and, of course, with magic.
I really liked the magic system in this story and I wish it had been explored a lot more than it was. The romance between Margot and Yael, while not unsatisfactory at all, definitely took center stage in the narrative and I believe having had extra details about other aspects of the book could have elevated the story into something a lot more complex. I also really liked the descriptions of life in Bloomfield and in Ashaway, it really helped with the world building and the settings were always marvelous and enchanting, in my opinion!
Now, Margot and Yael... their relationship was super cute and sweet!! I liked that they became such an important support system for each other, having been able to find the courage to change their own lives after connecting again. The time skips in between chapters didn't allow for a slow progression of their relationship, which I feel like I would have enjoyed more, but still, we get enough on it to understand their decisions and why they would go against such a powerful family, like the Claunecks.
I feel like the final chapters were very interesting, but short. In these we find a lot of the resolution Margot needed in order to save Bloomfield, but I felt like the pacing was too fast for so much new information. Either way, this story concludes in a very cute and cozy way, with a happy ending!
"Homegrown Magic" was a cute and easy read, filled with cozy cottages, greenhouses full of colorful flowers and so many strawberries, and, of course, with magic.
I really liked the magic system in this story and I wish it had been explored a lot more than it was. The romance between Margot and Yael, while not unsatisfactory at all, definitely took center stage in the narrative and I believe having had extra details about other aspects of the book could have elevated the story into something a lot more complex. I also really liked the descriptions of life in Bloomfield and in Ashaway, it really helped with the world building and the settings were always marvelous and enchanting, in my opinion!
Now, Margot and Yael... their relationship was super cute and sweet!! I liked that they became such an important support system for each other, having been able to find the courage to change their own lives after connecting again. The time skips in between chapters didn't allow for a slow progression of their relationship, which I feel like I would have enjoyed more, but still, we get enough on it to understand their decisions and why they would go against such a powerful family, like the Claunecks.
I feel like the final chapters were very interesting, but short. In these we find a lot of the resolution Margot needed in order to save Bloomfield, but I felt like the pacing was too fast for so much new information. Either way, this story concludes in a very cute and cozy way, with a happy ending!
December 17, 2024
cottagecore-ly mid
March 11, 2025
3.5 stars
April 22, 2025
3.8 ⭐️ This one is for the cottage core gays with a love of gardening and magic🙂↕️
A bit of a slow start but absolutely adored the characters and world once I got into it.
The relationship is between a they/them non binary MC and a she/her woman MC. It was refreshing to have a non binary character in a world that’s so accepting and not questioning of the queer & trans characters.
I also adored the plant magic, farming and potions elements and how they tied in together.
It’s definitely a slow paced and low angst story like many cozy fantasy books are, so it’s perfect if you liked Legends & Lattes or Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea.
Rep// queer woman MC (she/her) , queer non-binary MC (they/them). Central relationship is NBLW / queer / sapphic.
TWs listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.
TW// alcohol, loss of property, sick parents, sex on page (multiple tame & brief scenes), parental pressure & expectation, death of a family member (recent past.)
A bit of a slow start but absolutely adored the characters and world once I got into it.
The relationship is between a they/them non binary MC and a she/her woman MC. It was refreshing to have a non binary character in a world that’s so accepting and not questioning of the queer & trans characters.
I also adored the plant magic, farming and potions elements and how they tied in together.
It’s definitely a slow paced and low angst story like many cozy fantasy books are, so it’s perfect if you liked Legends & Lattes or Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea.
Rep// queer woman MC (she/her) , queer non-binary MC (they/them). Central relationship is NBLW / queer / sapphic.
TWs listed below, please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.
TW// alcohol, loss of property, sick parents, sex on page (multiple tame & brief scenes), parental pressure & expectation, death of a family member (recent past.)
March 17, 2025
2⭐️ Decreased my rating for antisemitism I didn’t pick up on during my first read. Also didn’t recall much even though I read it less than 2 months ago.
Cute and definitely hits the cozy mark, but ultimately this is just a basic witchy romance in my opinion. I thought the transition between the two authors’ writing was pretty seamless and the writing overall is good without too much of the cringey dialogue you sometimes get in this genre. I wish the magic felt more immersive rather than a sprinkle on top of the story, and I wish the theme of what you have to give up for magical power was explored a little further. If you like cozy, cute romantasy and want a queer-normative story with a non-binary love interest, then this book is a decent pick.
Thanks to the authors and Netgalley for this ARC! All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.
Cute and definitely hits the cozy mark, but ultimately this is just a basic witchy romance in my opinion. I thought the transition between the two authors’ writing was pretty seamless and the writing overall is good without too much of the cringey dialogue you sometimes get in this genre. I wish the magic felt more immersive rather than a sprinkle on top of the story, and I wish the theme of what you have to give up for magical power was explored a little further. If you like cozy, cute romantasy and want a queer-normative story with a non-binary love interest, then this book is a decent pick.
Thanks to the authors and Netgalley for this ARC! All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.
Want to read
July 24, 2024Margot could use an assistant in the greenhouses.
Yael has no experience or, honestly, practical skills, but they’re delighted to accept.
... ijbol, yeah girl! apply anyways!
Yael has no experience or, honestly, practical skills, but they’re delighted to accept.
... ijbol, yeah girl! apply anyways!
February 27, 2025
3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley, authors Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
This is really sweet with great character development. Not just the 2 MCs but all of the side characters felt fleshed out which I love to see. The development of the friends-to-lovers story between Margot and Yael was very well done.
The world building and magic system had some very creative elements but it felt a little underdeveloped to me. Especially the bits of dark magic, Yael’s patron, the castor spell, etc. I would have loved to read more about that!
There were also a few plot holes. The one that bothered me the most was the explanation of how Yael’s family managed to get control over an entire town? It seemed like some sort of alternate reality feudal system I think?But again I felt there wasn’t enough information to really get a feel for the stakes. Overall it just felt like the book was ambitiously trying to take on a LOT plot wise and world building wise, and it didn’t quite manage it.
Finally, the sex scenes… and I can’t believe I’m saying this… but.. I think there were too many sex scenes in this. And this is coming from someone who regularly (and with enthusiasm!) reads books that are 95% sex. And look, it’s not that there is a LOT of sex in this- it’s only maybe 3-4 scenes total, BUT they just felt forced to me.
I’d rather no sex than bad sex ya know? I think it’s because the author was (maybe) trying to keep the nonbinary character’s genitalia somewhat ambiguous, but at the same time write a fairly explicit sex scene? But anyway it just ended up feeling awkward to me idk. Maybe it’s just me.
Overall though I DID like this! These are just my picky complaints because this was an ARC but I’ve actually had a hard time putting this down. The romance was solid.
Thank you to NetGalley, authors Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
This is really sweet with great character development. Not just the 2 MCs but all of the side characters felt fleshed out which I love to see. The development of the friends-to-lovers story between Margot and Yael was very well done.
The world building and magic system had some very creative elements but it felt a little underdeveloped to me. Especially the bits of dark magic, Yael’s patron, the castor spell, etc. I would have loved to read more about that!
There were also a few plot holes. The one that bothered me the most was the explanation of how Yael’s family managed to get control over an entire town? It seemed like some sort of alternate reality feudal system I think?But again I felt there wasn’t enough information to really get a feel for the stakes. Overall it just felt like the book was ambitiously trying to take on a LOT plot wise and world building wise, and it didn’t quite manage it.
Finally, the sex scenes… and I can’t believe I’m saying this… but.. I think there were too many sex scenes in this. And this is coming from someone who regularly (and with enthusiasm!) reads books that are 95% sex. And look, it’s not that there is a LOT of sex in this- it’s only maybe 3-4 scenes total, BUT they just felt forced to me.
I’d rather no sex than bad sex ya know? I think it’s because the author was (maybe) trying to keep the nonbinary character’s genitalia somewhat ambiguous, but at the same time write a fairly explicit sex scene? But anyway it just ended up feeling awkward to me idk. Maybe it’s just me.
Overall though I DID like this! These are just my picky complaints because this was an ARC but I’ve actually had a hard time putting this down. The romance was solid.
April 11, 2025
(1 star is how I mark my DNF here on Goodreads since they won't give us a DNF feature.)
As much as I wanted to love this one, it ended up being a DNF for me at about 15%.
Cozy fantasy is usually a sweet spot for me, but I just couldn’t stay engaged. I found my mind wandering and kept wanting to reach for something else instead. I really thought it had potential—those first few chapters seemed promising, with characters I was curious about and a setup I usually enjoy. But the spark just didn’t stick, and I wasn’t feeling invested enough to continue.
I also want to acknowledge that there’s been some controversy surrounding the book, including concerns about antisemitic tropes. I’m not an expert and didn’t read far enough to speak to that myself, but I think it’s worth being aware of if you’re considering picking this one up.
As much as I wanted to love this one, it ended up being a DNF for me at about 15%.
Cozy fantasy is usually a sweet spot for me, but I just couldn’t stay engaged. I found my mind wandering and kept wanting to reach for something else instead. I really thought it had potential—those first few chapters seemed promising, with characters I was curious about and a setup I usually enjoy. But the spark just didn’t stick, and I wasn’t feeling invested enough to continue.
I also want to acknowledge that there’s been some controversy surrounding the book, including concerns about antisemitic tropes. I’m not an expert and didn’t read far enough to speak to that myself, but I think it’s worth being aware of if you’re considering picking this one up.
May 9, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was very cute and cosy, but I struggled to stay invested. The characters were really lacking for me, I just couldn't connect to them - and while I'm not Jewish so I can't speak on this, I have seen reviews discussing antisemitism within this story, which is definitely something to bear in mind before you go into this.
This was very cute and cosy, but I struggled to stay invested. The characters were really lacking for me, I just couldn't connect to them - and while I'm not Jewish so I can't speak on this, I have seen reviews discussing antisemitism within this story, which is definitely something to bear in mind before you go into this.
November 20, 2024
I really wanted to like this, and I really didn’t. It seemed like it would be perfect for me (cozy gay fantasy) but, again, like Dippell says, “you guys know I’m all about voice,” and I hated the voice. Everything just droned on and ran together for me. I was so uninterested, I didn’t ever want to pick this up. But maybe that’s a me thing (another Dippell quote, “not enchanted by whimsy”)—I can definitely see the charm and how this would work for other people, but TO ME the execution left a lot to be desired.
July 1, 2025
1⭐️
Holy antisemitism!!
Don’t buy this book because you liked the cover and didn’t bother to read the description like me. This is egregious and I had to DNF.
Holy antisemitism!!
Don’t buy this book because you liked the cover and didn’t bother to read the description like me. This is egregious and I had to DNF.
February 1, 2025
While the story idea itself was cute and simplistic, the story dragged on way longer than it needed to. The book definitely could have been cut down a little. And despite its length, the book cut out a large amount of Margot and Yael’s budding romance. For example, one chapter starts with Yael’s first day as Margot’s greenhouse assistant. The next chapter is 2 months later. We miss out on all of Margot and Yael’s budding romance and their forced (working) proximity.
I am typically not a huge fan of characters who keep secrets because it drives me nuts. They really are their own worst enemies. So Margot keeping some major secrets for the majority of the book was maddening. And when she told Yael after sex, well, that was just cold 🥶
I was not a huge fan of how the book ended with Yael being celebrated as the town hero. Especially when Margot was the one who was stressed and anxious and did everything in her power for the town for 3-4 years. I would have appreciated it more if it was a joint celebration.
I was also disappointed that the ending said nothing about Araphi – Did she get married? Did she dump her loser fiancé? Is she pursuing a musical career?
Overall, the book was a cozy romance that could have been shorter but was still pretty good.
I am typically not a huge fan of characters who keep secrets because it drives me nuts. They really are their own worst enemies. So Margot keeping some major secrets for the majority of the book was maddening. And when she told Yael after sex, well, that was just cold 🥶
I was not a huge fan of how the book ended with Yael being celebrated as the town hero. Especially when Margot was the one who was stressed and anxious and did everything in her power for the town for 3-4 years. I would have appreciated it more if it was a joint celebration.
I was also disappointed that the ending said nothing about Araphi – Did she get married? Did she dump her loser fiancé? Is she pursuing a musical career?
Overall, the book was a cozy romance that could have been shorter but was still pretty good.
May 12, 2025
I absolutely love it when a book successfully uses They/Them pronouns! Okay now there is: found family, romance, spice, coming into one’s own, and so much more including lots of cozy magic. If this sounds interesting to you trust me it is.
# Homegrown Magic
# 5/10/2025 ~ 5/10/2025
# 5.0 / 5.0
# Homegrown Magic
# 5/10/2025 ~ 5/10/2025
# 5.0 / 5.0
October 26, 2024
A delightfully cozy romantic fantasy about a plant witch and her village. This book is full of plants, greenhouses, tea, taverns, strawberries, vines, and fabulous outfits. Fans of queer cozy fantasy will enjoy this book!
I do so wish it had more magical elements. We are presented with a handful of potions and a few other things I won’t say for spoilers. For a book with magic in the title it is woefully short of on page magic. However; Bloomington it is still a welcome world to visit for cozy novel fans. Just don’t go in expecting a lot of fantasy and magic.
P.S. The description says it’s the YA authors adult debut. It still reads like YA but with a touch of spice, and the characters are in their 20’s, so it is classified as adult. However; if it matters to your reading preference, these characters still read like those in a YA novel.
P.P.S. Please don't introduce a chicken witch in one sentence and then proceed to never tell us anything about her for the rest of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All opinions are very much my own.
I do so wish it had more magical elements. We are presented with a handful of potions and a few other things I won’t say for spoilers. For a book with magic in the title it is woefully short of on page magic. However; Bloomington it is still a welcome world to visit for cozy novel fans. Just don’t go in expecting a lot of fantasy and magic.
P.S. The description says it’s the YA authors adult debut. It still reads like YA but with a touch of spice, and the characters are in their 20’s, so it is classified as adult. However; if it matters to your reading preference, these characters still read like those in a YA novel.
P.P.S. Please don't introduce a chicken witch in one sentence and then proceed to never tell us anything about her for the rest of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All opinions are very much my own.
August 24, 2024
Ohhhh this was simply adorable... I feel like this was written for me...
This was like if Stardew Valley was a book! Yael runs away from their big city life and pressure from their parents, stumbling into their old childhood friend Margot's rural town. Potion making, strawberry growing, romance ensuing.
This had the perfect balance of cottagecore garden living, lovable characters, romance, and conflict. I think what makes the "conflict" so good in this is that it's there--Margot must save her town--but it never feels like the tension is ever too high. Just enough to keep things interesting, but cozy!!!
Would definitely recommend this one. Thank you so much to the publisher for reaching out with an arc. :)
This was like if Stardew Valley was a book! Yael runs away from their big city life and pressure from their parents, stumbling into their old childhood friend Margot's rural town. Potion making, strawberry growing, romance ensuing.
This had the perfect balance of cottagecore garden living, lovable characters, romance, and conflict. I think what makes the "conflict" so good in this is that it's there--Margot must save her town--but it never feels like the tension is ever too high. Just enough to keep things interesting, but cozy!!!
Would definitely recommend this one. Thank you so much to the publisher for reaching out with an arc. :)
October 11, 2024
Lgbtq+ childhood friends that reunite after years apart and become lovers!! In a cozy fantasy!! This was so cute and also has a few spicy scenes! This was described to me as rivals to lovers but one family is mostly like dead/unconscious(I PROMISE IT IS COZY LOL) but loved the other tropes. I like both those authors it’s fun to read a book written by them both!
dnf-2025
May 8, 2025DNF - why is antisemitism in 2025 published books a thing??? hello?
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