When three betrayed wives stumble into a magical apothecary shop, they discover that revenge is sweet—but finding true love and their own power is even sweeter in this witty, romantic novel about second chances from New York Times bestselling author Maisey Yates.
Nora, Daisy, and Soraya think their marriages are just fine. Until their husbands prove them wrong.
Nora’s says he needs distance and flits off to a wellness retreat in Chile. Daisy’s confesses to an affair with someone younger. And Soraya’s sends her a pic of that special part of himself—meant for another woman. At a loss for what to do, they follow their intuition right into Lady’s Mantle Apothecary.
As they embrace their untapped magic, their fortunes begin changing fast. Getting even with their exes is satisfying, but the real magic happens when they start opening their hearts to new possibilities. Nora discovers that true love might have been right in front of her all along in the form of her childhood best friend. Daisy finds herself falling for her ex-husband’s handsome business partner, a former TV star who sees the real her. And Soraya, who never dated before marriage, experiences an unexpected attraction to the mysterious owner of the game shop across the hall.
With the help of an enigmatic shopkeeper, these three women discover that the best revenge isn’t just about hexes and karma—it’s about finding your own path to love, friendship, and claiming your power. And that is positively magical.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit. In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book.
Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard.
She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.
3.5 I got to read this a month early since it was included in this month's Amazon First Reads. This is First Wives Club with a dash of Practical Magic. Were there any great revelations or unexpected outcomes? No, I knew what I was getting. But I still very much enjoyed it. There's feminine rage, a little witchy revenge along with a fairy godmother-esque shopkeeper, some new and sexy romances, all thrown in with finding oneself outside the labels and expectations of others. Really, all that was missing was a cute, four-legged companion.
For most of this story, I had intended on giving this book a higher rating - women coming together as a community/ covenant, finding their magic, loving themselves - but another part of me got tired of the repetitive dialogue + even some of the characters' superficial ties to the story. I loved the women coming together in the end to support all women in need. I wish I'd had that kind of community at multiple times in my life.
Great characters and good storytelling, each of the main ladies had a distinctive 'voice', and you definitely, quickly begin to care about them. I wouldn't say the ending was a surprise, and i find if hard when people fall into the 'Christians are all judgy mysogenists' trope, as that's not my experience at all. But then, I'm not a Christian in 'bible-belt' America, so a book seemingly set there is always going to have a different point of view. Would recommend as an engaging, well written, holiday novel, when you don't want to risk there not being a happy ending...
I chose this book for my First Reads choice this month, and I think I did ok. However, there was a.point when I almost.put the book down and said forget it. I didn't want to play naive in order to enjoy the story. Slight spoiler alert: the story is about 3 women at age 35 who knew each other in high school. They had drifted apart, but came back together unexpectedly when all 3 of them happened to separate from their husbands. The husbands were all jerks. I mean, big time jerks! One man sent the mother of his children a text telling her to get out of the house, he was moving back in! The women rallied round her, helping her since she was now 'homeless'. While I loved the comaraderie, I was really irritated that nobody suggested she consult a lawyer. I can suspend disbelief on a lot of things, but this is common sense. She had legal rights that would likely not make her such a victim. This is where I nearly put the book aside. I'm glad I decided not to be so picky, because the story went on and eventually redeemed itself.
The story is about how these 3 women found magic within themselves, and created a community for women. Not all the men in the story were jerks, lol. The women were required to take an unflinching look at themselves, and that part was genuine. Parts of the book were laugh out loud funny. Great women's fiction!
I went into First Witches Club thinking I was getting witchy chaos, magical revenge, maybe some women reclaiming their power with a little hexing on the side. What I actually got was The First Wives Club… but make it herbal tea. And listen, I LOVE The First Wives Club. Bette Midler, Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn? Iconic. Untouchable. But if you’re going to retell something that recognizable, you have to bring something new to the table. Something bold. Something messy. Something worth the extra 300 pages. Instead I kept having these moments of déjà vu like… wait, didn’t I literally watch this scene already? The writing style didn’t help either. It’s technically third person, but the narration keeps repeating the character names in a way that makes the prose feel weirdly stiff and juvenile. Every few sentences my brain had to stop and re-anchor itself in who was speaking, which is not exactly the immersive reading experience we’re aiming for. And then chapter two hit me with the most convenient plot setup imaginable: the women walk into a shop and the owner immediately lists the exact jobs they all just happen to need. Bookkeeper. Baker. Counter help. Oh great, the plot arrived and it fits everyone perfectly. How convenient. That was the moment I closed the book. Maybe the witchy revenge kicks in later and things get wild. Maybe spells start flying and husbands start mysteriously suffering from hex-related inconveniences. But honestly? If what you want is betrayed wives getting their power back, you might save yourself a few hours and just rewatch The First Wives Club. Shorter. Funnier. And Bette Midler is already perfect.
I love the friendship. I love that all of the women were so different yet best friends. I love the witchiness but not in a fantasy novel kind of way. Love the tarot! (I feel like tarot will be my new hyper focus that I want to learn about in the near future lol) Sooo many things in this story that I could relate to - maybe that's why I liked it so much.
This wasn't the usual Maisey Yates book that I was expecting. 3 former classmates meet up after another friend has a bad accident. What transpires between these 3 is nothing short of fantastic. When they go to this little shop they stumble upon they find a store full of spells, chants and other fun stuff. This is where there shenanigans begin.
DNF at 60%. Amazon First Reads Fail. I love the idea of an updated First Wives Club and of women coming to help each other in times of need. But this was just anti-man, anti-religion and with poorly developed characters. The husbands were all awful caricatures of the worst stereotypes and the new love interests were caricatures of "perfect" men. I really tried, but could not get through this one.
Is it cliche? Probably a little bit. Do we know how it'll end before reading it? Yes, it's basically in the description of the book? But was it one of my most favorite reads ever? Absolutely. Delightfully funny. The characters felt so real and beautiful. Women I've been throughout my life and women I've known. I love a good story about women finding their magic, their power, their own inner voice. And the book does. I laughed several times. Teared up once or twice. And internally said "heck yeah (well I used another term but this is public Soo...) several times. Find your magic ✨
Magical in the best way, not just because there’s actual witchy sparkle, but because it’s a story about finding yourself again when life looks like it’s falling apart.
I loved that this is three women’s stories, all interconnected, all different, and all wildly easy to root for. Watching them find each other, lean on each other, and build a friendship that feels like a life raft (and a battle plan) was honestly everything. The romance is sweet, but the real heartbeat is the way these women reclaim their power, their joy, and their sense of possibility.
Is it dramatic and a little bonkers at times? Yes. And I mean that as a compliment. It fits the tone perfectly, and I never wanted it toned down. I actually found myself reading slower than normal because I didn’t want the story to end.
I didn’t expect this to be a five-star read for me because it’s such a soft, hopeful book, but here we are. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
I got the opportunity to listen to this book which was narrated by Ava Lucas. She brought the rules for witches forward in such a sweet tone.
Second chances come to three betrayed wives after they find a new apothecary in town.
Karma has found their exes and Daisy, Nora and Soraya are learning to open their hearts again to new possibilities.
This was a sweet read about friendship, finding your way and empowerment. A cosy find your magic and your bond retelling of The First Wives Club fits perfectly for this one.
I loved the incorporation of the tarot cards and readings for the women from start to finish of the book, bringing it full circle!
Thank you to the author, Maisey Yates , Brilliance Publishing/ Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book. I received a gifted copy and am leaving my review voluntarily.
I was able to read this book as an Amazon First Reads pick and I am so happy that this is the book I chose. Something in the description spoke to me as someone going through a similar situation.
It was a beautiful story of women banding together and finding their power after loss and separation. I absolutely loved the quotes and “rules for witches” at the beginning of each chapter it added such a cute touch to the book.
I highly recommend this book to anyone going through separation or even if they are just wanting to find their power and own it. There is such a beauty in a community that stands together through life’s hardest battles and every woman deserves that.
“What are spells but prayers men find too powerful.”
This is not my normal read but I really enjoyed it. Nora, Daisy and Soraya find themselves betrayed by their husbands and they all come together. They support each other through the hardest times and they stumble upon the new apothecary store and soon learn they all have magic but they have to find it. Together the girls find their magic, sisterhood and the next chapter of their lives. This was a seriously sweet girl supporting girls story. I loved it. It was a little slow at times but I did really enjoy all the characters.
I have developed a fascination with witch stories..
And this was one of the best I've read. It went beyond just being a romance novel, although that was predictable. It had lessons about becoming a full person, claiming the power we each are born with, and the destructive power of dishonesty.
It also made me want to go find my old Tarot deck.
This was a good, easy, fun read! Great book to break up your reg genre and thought it was very well written! I got this as my free reads for the month from Amazon. Def has a great story and follows the plot throughout! Would recommend any day! 3.5 ⭐️
This was giving first wives club, meets practical magic - ish. While it was fairly predictable, it was a good read. Loved the magic. Didn’t like how repetitive it was at times. But I did love how the women regained their own power and came into their own.
I was expecting something different, more like The Witches of Eastwick. None the less, I found the reimagined The First Wives Club storyline pretty good. I did find the dialogue a bit too long, but for the most part I enjoyed the story and the writing...
I have to applaud this author's writing, Ms. Yates writing skills are excellent. Perhaps some of her other books have more pizzazz, I will have to check them out.
From start to finish it was a captivating read that consumed me. As someone who grew up watching charmed and other witchy shows, this book gently reminded me of them.
This little confection of a book has a lot going for it. Yes it’s frothy and not nearly as weighty as Happy After All, but it’s a fun read. It’s the story of three “ discarded” women who come together with a bit of help, find their magic and decide to help other women.
I loved this. The first wives club has been one of my favorite movies as long as i can remember. I loved the play on the movie. It was funny, and dramatic and the romance was perfect ❤️ 🌶️🌶️
Women supporting women + magic + men get the karma they deserve! A fun story that, that gripped me from the start. Wish there was a little less romance like in The First Wives Club, but the themes and character growth are strong. The story had me GAGGED in so many parts!
Sadly the plot and characters of this book were lacking. I felt like she spent the whole book trying to prove, justify and try and win your approval of the "witches". She could have spent more energy on character building or plot so that we did like and approve of them. The romance plots were so flimsy they were ridiculous.