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Samantha Spük: Paranormal Wedding Planner
Aleese Lin’s delightful, spooky—or Spük-y?—contemporary romance debut is perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes and Netflix’s Wednesday.
Samantha Spük is your go-to wedding planner, be it for werewolf, vampire, or fae!
...even if that's the last thing she would’ve imagined. Samantha “Sabby” Spük has spent her life trying to escape her family’s legacy of supernatural chaos. She’s finally graduated and landed a nice, normal 9–5 at a New York accounting firm. But then she gets the Grandma Rose is gone, and Sabby has been named executor of her (ahem, magically binding) will.
Now Sabby is stuck in her dreaded hometown of Salem, Massachusetts, taking on odd jobs—some very odd, like wedding planning for not-so-human locals—until she can sell the family home. At least this means a date with Hanry, the mysterious hottie Sabby meets in the neighborhood graveyard. With help from Hanry, a talking-head sidekick, and a manic pixie assistant, Sabby might pull these weddings off in time to salvage her accounting career…but is she ready to say goodbye to her paranormal one?
Samantha Spük is your go-to wedding planner, be it for werewolf, vampire, or fae!
...even if that's the last thing she would’ve imagined. Samantha “Sabby” Spük has spent her life trying to escape her family’s legacy of supernatural chaos. She’s finally graduated and landed a nice, normal 9–5 at a New York accounting firm. But then she gets the Grandma Rose is gone, and Sabby has been named executor of her (ahem, magically binding) will.
Now Sabby is stuck in her dreaded hometown of Salem, Massachusetts, taking on odd jobs—some very odd, like wedding planning for not-so-human locals—until she can sell the family home. At least this means a date with Hanry, the mysterious hottie Sabby meets in the neighborhood graveyard. With help from Hanry, a talking-head sidekick, and a manic pixie assistant, Sabby might pull these weddings off in time to salvage her accounting career…but is she ready to say goodbye to her paranormal one?
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 2, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
June 2, 2026
I usually try to rate ARCs higher that have a low average rating like this one to give them a boost, but I just couldn't with this one. I know it will find its audience because it had some cute elements that people who like cozy fantasy will enjoy, and Sabby was a relatable character, but that audience was not me.
Enjoyment of this book all depends on whether you find Sabby's sense of humor charming or grating. Written humor is also always such a fine line between annoying and making one smile, and this was just so over the top with the lame dad jokes that I was rolling my eyes more than smiling. She did mellow out when she found her groove with her wedding planning business, but less is more with this rather juvenile humor and this book did not understand that.
I do think this book had some good pieces. I stuck it out because I loved the premise of Sabby thirsting after a normal, beige life as an accountant after her witchy grandma's friends traumatized her as a child. I loved the quirky head without a body, Bulan. And the wedding planning adventures seemed pretty authentic to me. I also liked that Sabby was a BTS stan. But I felt like I was bludgeoned over the head by a sledgehammer of one bad dad joke after another and I actually like dad jokes. It started to feel tedious after awhile even if I wanted to laugh sometimes.
I also found Sabby to be an annoying, shallow, self-absorbed character. The romance in this was boring. Both their names were kind of ridiculous; her love interest was named Hanry. They were both mispronounciations of more boring names that they ran with. But I couldn't help but thinking of Hanry as Hangry and wincing. Hanry was a bland love interest as well. They hardly got to know each other and Sabby spends most of the lukewarm romance mooning over how hot Hanry is, but I never get to know him. Even his twist at the end didn't increase his desirability.
I guess this book also needs a trigger warning for a name drop of ChatGPT. I personally do not mind modern references in a book even if I myself do not use ChatGPT and find it problematic. Like it or not, AI is a part of our modern world and ignoring it in a modern book won't make it go away. She uses it once and finds it unhelpful, and it's a joke that's part of the long running gag. So it didn't really bother me. Her accountancy firm also uses AI and her character is critical of it. So it's not like the character is a champion of AI, it's just a modern reference. But if that bothers you then I wouldn't read this book because it's dropped in the first 15% of the book, which is a poor decision by the author because that will cause a lot of people to DNF.
I guess I need to go watch some stand up comics I like now because this book made me feel like I don't have a sense of humor. But maybe it's just not for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Enjoyment of this book all depends on whether you find Sabby's sense of humor charming or grating. Written humor is also always such a fine line between annoying and making one smile, and this was just so over the top with the lame dad jokes that I was rolling my eyes more than smiling. She did mellow out when she found her groove with her wedding planning business, but less is more with this rather juvenile humor and this book did not understand that.
I do think this book had some good pieces. I stuck it out because I loved the premise of Sabby thirsting after a normal, beige life as an accountant after her witchy grandma's friends traumatized her as a child. I loved the quirky head without a body, Bulan. And the wedding planning adventures seemed pretty authentic to me. I also liked that Sabby was a BTS stan. But I felt like I was bludgeoned over the head by a sledgehammer of one bad dad joke after another and I actually like dad jokes. It started to feel tedious after awhile even if I wanted to laugh sometimes.
I also found Sabby to be an annoying, shallow, self-absorbed character. The romance in this was boring. Both their names were kind of ridiculous; her love interest was named Hanry. They were both mispronounciations of more boring names that they ran with. But I couldn't help but thinking of Hanry as Hangry and wincing. Hanry was a bland love interest as well. They hardly got to know each other and Sabby spends most of the lukewarm romance mooning over how hot Hanry is, but I never get to know him. Even his twist at the end didn't increase his desirability.
I guess this book also needs a trigger warning for a name drop of ChatGPT. I personally do not mind modern references in a book even if I myself do not use ChatGPT and find it problematic. Like it or not, AI is a part of our modern world and ignoring it in a modern book won't make it go away. She uses it once and finds it unhelpful, and it's a joke that's part of the long running gag. So it didn't really bother me. Her accountancy firm also uses AI and her character is critical of it. So it's not like the character is a champion of AI, it's just a modern reference. But if that bothers you then I wouldn't read this book because it's dropped in the first 15% of the book, which is a poor decision by the author because that will cause a lot of people to DNF.
I guess I need to go watch some stand up comics I like now because this book made me feel like I don't have a sense of humor. But maybe it's just not for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I was incredibly excited to read this book and was enjoying it so much until 15% when the character decides to use ChatGPT to answer a question. I instantly put the book down. I'm incredibly disappointed that the author and the publisher for allowing this. As a writer/artist myself I wish more people understood the harms of generative ai. It's not cute or funny to use even in the fictional world. I would consider finishing the book if I knew for certain that the author didn't use generative ai herself to write the book and that part was taken out as it was completely unnecessary. I’m not accusing the author of using it herself to be clear. However it was still Instant DNF for me. Using generative ai and naming ChatGPT is an instant no for me. I won't be requesting or reading anymore books from Saga Press in the future. I'm incredibly disappointed as I was truly enjoying the book before this point. If I could give it zero stars I would. I got this ARC as a read now option on NetGalley.
Did Not Finish
May 25, 2026DNF @ 11% . The premise was intriguing and I was hoping I would love it! But the female main character came off as whiny and the constant complaining of her not liking anything supernatural was getting on my nerves. The male main character was ok I didn’t hate him. He was ok.
Read
April 19, 2026Mad after the normal life of an accountant in the city, she gets cursed to return to kooky supernatural Salem to fulfill her grandmother’s last will. Aleese Lin’s debut novel caught my fancy when I spotted the cover and title, the blurb was a bonus inducement. A blend of lighthearted spooky, mystery, romance, and a finding-herself tale.
My full review will post at Caffeinated Reviewer TBA.
My full review will post at Caffeinated Reviewer TBA.
June 1, 2026
*this teetered on the edge of a 2 star read at moments, but other parts redeemed it so I’m going to round up to a 3 for Goodreads ratings*
This was a cozy, quirky, paranormal rom-com styled story with some very hit-or-miss moments. For the most part I liked the non-seriousness of it (even if at times it felt a little too ridiculous and stereotypical), but if you’re not a fan of the genre then this might not land well with you.
Sabby (FMC) has tried her best to avoid all things paranormal and non-human her entire life, despite spending a lot of her childhood with a very eccentric grandma while her mom was awol. As she got older she tried to be as ‘normal’ as she could, which meant perusing an accountant career and separating herself from her Grandma. However, when her grandma passes away and leaves her business in Salem, MA. to Sabby, her normal life gets turned upside down and she’s thrust into interacting with the paranormal side of society as a wedding planner.
The love interest and Sabby felt a bit insta-lovey, but for a book just over 300 pages I kind of expected that, so it didn’t necessary bother me. I am a little surprised by how some parts played out though, and wish a different outcome occurred. I did really enjoy watching Sabby’s growth and adaptation to the things thrown at her, and finding who she IS.
I think my biggest qualm was the language used in dialogue exchanges. It just felt too….much? Idk how to explain it, but seeing the phrase ‘bet’ used for a confirmation of something made my skin itch (and that alone made me unable to rate this higher) 🙈😅
Thank you to Saga Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts! 💫
This was a cozy, quirky, paranormal rom-com styled story with some very hit-or-miss moments. For the most part I liked the non-seriousness of it (even if at times it felt a little too ridiculous and stereotypical), but if you’re not a fan of the genre then this might not land well with you.
Sabby (FMC) has tried her best to avoid all things paranormal and non-human her entire life, despite spending a lot of her childhood with a very eccentric grandma while her mom was awol. As she got older she tried to be as ‘normal’ as she could, which meant perusing an accountant career and separating herself from her Grandma. However, when her grandma passes away and leaves her business in Salem, MA. to Sabby, her normal life gets turned upside down and she’s thrust into interacting with the paranormal side of society as a wedding planner.
The love interest and Sabby felt a bit insta-lovey, but for a book just over 300 pages I kind of expected that, so it didn’t necessary bother me. I am a little surprised by how some parts played out though, and wish a different outcome occurred. I did really enjoy watching Sabby’s growth and adaptation to the things thrown at her, and finding who she IS.
I think my biggest qualm was the language used in dialogue exchanges. It just felt too….much? Idk how to explain it, but seeing the phrase ‘bet’ used for a confirmation of something made my skin itch (and that alone made me unable to rate this higher) 🙈😅
Thank you to Saga Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts! 💫
June 2, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Aleese Lin for the ARC.
Unfortunately, this was just not it for me. The FMC annoyed me!! She was whiny and negative and it drove me nuts. The MMC, meh, he was fine I guess. I just felt very bored... I think this has a lot of potential, but just wasn't doing it for me. I was going to push myself to finish and hope it got better in the second half but life is just too short to read books you don't want to read.
Unfortunately, this was just not it for me. The FMC annoyed me!! She was whiny and negative and it drove me nuts. The MMC, meh, he was fine I guess. I just felt very bored... I think this has a lot of potential, but just wasn't doing it for me. I was going to push myself to finish and hope it got better in the second half but life is just too short to read books you don't want to read.
Read
April 13, 20262.5 stars from me, Thank you so much to Saga Books for this ARC copy. Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me, I think the concept is super cute, but I wasn’t the target audience for it. If you are looking for a silly, very meta, chaos filled, sort of romance/mystery?? Then i’m sure you would love! Just wasn’t for me!
February 23, 2026
1.75✨ ~ the premise of this book was cute but the writing just wasn’t it. The author throws in random lines that don’t add up to what’s happening on the page and her supposed jokes don’t make sense. It felt like she submitted a semi-rough draft as the final copy without removing the changed lines I don’t even know how to describe it. Loved Bulan and his crow posse though so I guess that’s a win 😅
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Samantha Spük: Paranormal Wedding Planner had a premise that was exactly up my alley. Fun and whimsy and vampires and pixies and silliness is exactly what I was looking for, and I was excited to read this book.
Sabby is an accountant intent on living the most boring life possible, far away from her eccentric grandmother in Salem and her absent mother. She’s about to start her dream job as an accountant, living with a roommate named Jane Doe, when her grandmother dies and leaves her property. Sabby has to return to Salem, and is unfortunately cursed to stay there until her grandmother’s spirit passes to the next life. In the meantime, Sabby begins using her organizational skills to help the paranormal community of Salem with their eccentric weddings, starts dating a hunky man, and forms a friendship with a pixie and a decapitated head.
This book did a good job of surprising me plot-wise. I thought I knew what would happen, based on my love of a small-town romance, and I found myself surprised by the twists and turns of the plot. The author did a good job of subverting stereotypes, allowing for some tropes to be upended. In particular, Sabby’s relationship takes a number of twists and turns that felt unexpected, and I appreciated Sabby’s ability to subvert my expectations.
Unfortunately, the writing in this book doesn’t live up to the premise. The writing is clunky, the love interest is unappealing, and Sabby’s fascination with boredom is uninteresting. The plot itself was well done, and the pacing was good, but the actual style of writing felt awkward. Maybe that was intentional—Sabby is unable to accept her place in the paranormal community of Salem, and therefore the prose is awkward—but it made for difficult reading.
The book generally feels like it’s missing descriptions. I would love to have had more time to settle into the setting, but there were almost no descriptions of grandma’s quirky house or silly shop, no explanations about the cute streets of Salem. It made the world feel unmoored, not grounded in something tangible. The only real descriptions are descriptions evaluating the attractiveness of various characters, which felt disjointed.
I love the premise of this book, and I wish the execution would have been able to live up. I had a lot of buy-in, as this kind of humorous paranormal rom-com is exactly my interest, but the writing was so poorly executed that I couldn’t enjoy it.
This advanced reader copy was provided to me by Saga Press in exchange for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Sabby is an accountant intent on living the most boring life possible, far away from her eccentric grandmother in Salem and her absent mother. She’s about to start her dream job as an accountant, living with a roommate named Jane Doe, when her grandmother dies and leaves her property. Sabby has to return to Salem, and is unfortunately cursed to stay there until her grandmother’s spirit passes to the next life. In the meantime, Sabby begins using her organizational skills to help the paranormal community of Salem with their eccentric weddings, starts dating a hunky man, and forms a friendship with a pixie and a decapitated head.
This book did a good job of surprising me plot-wise. I thought I knew what would happen, based on my love of a small-town romance, and I found myself surprised by the twists and turns of the plot. The author did a good job of subverting stereotypes, allowing for some tropes to be upended. In particular, Sabby’s relationship takes a number of twists and turns that felt unexpected, and I appreciated Sabby’s ability to subvert my expectations.
Unfortunately, the writing in this book doesn’t live up to the premise. The writing is clunky, the love interest is unappealing, and Sabby’s fascination with boredom is uninteresting. The plot itself was well done, and the pacing was good, but the actual style of writing felt awkward. Maybe that was intentional—Sabby is unable to accept her place in the paranormal community of Salem, and therefore the prose is awkward—but it made for difficult reading.
The book generally feels like it’s missing descriptions. I would love to have had more time to settle into the setting, but there were almost no descriptions of grandma’s quirky house or silly shop, no explanations about the cute streets of Salem. It made the world feel unmoored, not grounded in something tangible. The only real descriptions are descriptions evaluating the attractiveness of various characters, which felt disjointed.
I love the premise of this book, and I wish the execution would have been able to live up. I had a lot of buy-in, as this kind of humorous paranormal rom-com is exactly my interest, but the writing was so poorly executed that I couldn’t enjoy it.
This advanced reader copy was provided to me by Saga Press in exchange for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I was excited for SAMANTHA SPÜK: PARANORMAL WEDDING PLANNER, but ultimately it left me disappointed.
The humor in SAMANTHA SPÜK definitely wasn’t for me. It read like millennial-bait, littered with random pop culture references. I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with that style of humor, and I think there’s absolutely an audience for it, even though it didn’t work for me specifically. The paranormal characters were mostly fun, and the mini-mystery of the magically binding well was resolved in a really interesting and sweet way, which I enjoyed.
Sabby is unfortunately just a nothingburger of a person. She’s very concerned with being “basic” and “normal” and “boring” and it’s presented as though she has to make a real effort to be those things, but aside from sarcasm and annoyance at her circumstances, she really has no personality to speak of. She mentions using ChatGPT for research, then says she can’t find anything and has to resort to Pinterest, and then a few pages later she’s being derisive about AI. Using ChatGPT is an incredibly “basic” thing to do, so perhaps that’s the connection the author was trying to have readers make, but really Sabby just ended up looking like a hypocrite with no real opinions or thoughts of her own. There were some events in Sabby’s past that were briefly mentioned, like her experience living without her mother and what happened to her as a teenager with her grandmother’s coven, but the book is more focused on quirky paranormal hijinks than fleshing those out and Sabby’s characterization suffers for it.
The biggest issue I had with this book is the constant “telling” rather than “showing.” I wasn’t invested in Sabby and Hanry’s relationship because I barely saw it; Sabby interacts with him on-page a few times, but the majority of their relationship is just recounted casually and randomly in the middle of other scenes. I have no idea what anything looked like, because nothing was described. It sort of felt like reading a summary of plot events rather than actually experiencing the plot of the book.
It may work for some readers, but it did not work for me. I would probably recommend this book to readers who enjoy cozy mysteries or silly, tropey vampires and werewolves, with the caveat that the plot sort of meanders.
Thank you to Netgalley and Saga Books for the ARC.
The humor in SAMANTHA SPÜK definitely wasn’t for me. It read like millennial-bait, littered with random pop culture references. I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with that style of humor, and I think there’s absolutely an audience for it, even though it didn’t work for me specifically. The paranormal characters were mostly fun, and the mini-mystery of the magically binding well was resolved in a really interesting and sweet way, which I enjoyed.
Sabby is unfortunately just a nothingburger of a person. She’s very concerned with being “basic” and “normal” and “boring” and it’s presented as though she has to make a real effort to be those things, but aside from sarcasm and annoyance at her circumstances, she really has no personality to speak of. She mentions using ChatGPT for research, then says she can’t find anything and has to resort to Pinterest, and then a few pages later she’s being derisive about AI. Using ChatGPT is an incredibly “basic” thing to do, so perhaps that’s the connection the author was trying to have readers make, but really Sabby just ended up looking like a hypocrite with no real opinions or thoughts of her own. There were some events in Sabby’s past that were briefly mentioned, like her experience living without her mother and what happened to her as a teenager with her grandmother’s coven, but the book is more focused on quirky paranormal hijinks than fleshing those out and Sabby’s characterization suffers for it.
The biggest issue I had with this book is the constant “telling” rather than “showing.” I wasn’t invested in Sabby and Hanry’s relationship because I barely saw it; Sabby interacts with him on-page a few times, but the majority of their relationship is just recounted casually and randomly in the middle of other scenes. I have no idea what anything looked like, because nothing was described. It sort of felt like reading a summary of plot events rather than actually experiencing the plot of the book.
It may work for some readers, but it did not work for me. I would probably recommend this book to readers who enjoy cozy mysteries or silly, tropey vampires and werewolves, with the caveat that the plot sort of meanders.
Thank you to Netgalley and Saga Books for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5, rounded up (but feeling very unsure about it.)
I’m super confused on how I feel about this book!
I am an all things paranormal lover, so truly I was super excited about this as a concept.
Sign me up to attend all of the weird weddings of all of these creatures.
And I do think the story was a good one, and enjoyable for the most part. But, perhaps I just had something slightly different in mind.
I think where things got weird for me, is in the fact that it feels somewhat random.
Like, 2012 quirky random. Which is certainly a choice when it comes to aesthetics!
I noticed this not too far in, but it didn’t really bother me until maybe the 50% mark, when I felt the story just started going in odd directions. I think the plot sort of got lost in a lot of fast-paced changes.
At one point they even started mentioning AI companies? Which just doesn’t really fit into this story organically, and felt forced.
I do love the “Wednesday” sort of vibe this has though.
We get a fun side character, who is basically like “thing”, a dark-ish main character whose personality is very much “I’m not interested in this”, along with a bit of a Halloween-esque feel.
This alone helped a lot with my rating, and how I enjoyed the book as a whole.
Simply because I was able to imagine it as less of a serious book, and more nostalgic Disney channel Halloween movie! (One of my favorite things in life)
Overall, there are some elements that I think could be improved on, but I like the plot and the idea shines through really well.
I only wish that the writing had been done a bit better, and that things were a bit less random.
Thank you to Netgalley, Saga Press and author Aleese Lin, for providing me with the eARC of “Samantha Spük: Paranormal Wedding Planner”, in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: June 02, 2026
I’m super confused on how I feel about this book!
I am an all things paranormal lover, so truly I was super excited about this as a concept.
Sign me up to attend all of the weird weddings of all of these creatures.
And I do think the story was a good one, and enjoyable for the most part. But, perhaps I just had something slightly different in mind.
I think where things got weird for me, is in the fact that it feels somewhat random.
Like, 2012 quirky random. Which is certainly a choice when it comes to aesthetics!
I noticed this not too far in, but it didn’t really bother me until maybe the 50% mark, when I felt the story just started going in odd directions. I think the plot sort of got lost in a lot of fast-paced changes.
At one point they even started mentioning AI companies? Which just doesn’t really fit into this story organically, and felt forced.
I do love the “Wednesday” sort of vibe this has though.
We get a fun side character, who is basically like “thing”, a dark-ish main character whose personality is very much “I’m not interested in this”, along with a bit of a Halloween-esque feel.
This alone helped a lot with my rating, and how I enjoyed the book as a whole.
Simply because I was able to imagine it as less of a serious book, and more nostalgic Disney channel Halloween movie! (One of my favorite things in life)
Overall, there are some elements that I think could be improved on, but I like the plot and the idea shines through really well.
I only wish that the writing had been done a bit better, and that things were a bit less random.
Thank you to Netgalley, Saga Press and author Aleese Lin, for providing me with the eARC of “Samantha Spük: Paranormal Wedding Planner”, in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: June 02, 2026
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Saga Press and NetGalley for the ARC!
The most important thing is that I was absolutely pissing myself laughing while reading this book!
There were a few downsides for me, like how much I rolled my eyes at Samantha’s thoughts about Henry. With all those constant thoughts about how sexy and hot he was, he just wasn’t that interesting to me. But I loved that, despite all that, the plot is mostly about wedding planning! I liked that the fmc’s realization of what she actually likes wasn’t sudden but felt gradual (in my opinion). She didn’t do it for a man, but only for herself.
I laughed so much at this book! I loved the atmosphere and the diversity of paranormal creatures. The only downside is that I still haven't quite figured out the world-building system. It’s urban fantasy set in a small town full of paranormal beings, but there are also modern ordinary cities and technology.
The book is pretty specific and won't be for everyone. I had zero expectations and was afraid it would be some "dumb romance," but it turned out much better than I expected!
!!!The book includes: BTS, TikTok, ChatGPT, and Pinterest.!!!
I know many people dislike it when books include modern references. For me, it’s also a bit of a weird feeling, but I got used to it and it didn't affect my reading experience at all. I enjoyed the author’s energetic writing style and would definitely read more from her. I love books with humor, and this one was no exception (though I make no promises about my sense of humor!).
I liked this book. The fmc wasn't perfect, but that’s fine—there were moments where I really related to her.
There’s a hint of a sequel at the end, and I’m so excited!!!
⭐️ 4.5/5
The most important thing is that I was absolutely pissing myself laughing while reading this book!
There were a few downsides for me, like how much I rolled my eyes at Samantha’s thoughts about Henry. With all those constant thoughts about how sexy and hot he was, he just wasn’t that interesting to me. But I loved that, despite all that, the plot is mostly about wedding planning! I liked that the fmc’s realization of what she actually likes wasn’t sudden but felt gradual (in my opinion). She didn’t do it for a man, but only for herself.
I laughed so much at this book! I loved the atmosphere and the diversity of paranormal creatures. The only downside is that I still haven't quite figured out the world-building system. It’s urban fantasy set in a small town full of paranormal beings, but there are also modern ordinary cities and technology.
The book is pretty specific and won't be for everyone. I had zero expectations and was afraid it would be some "dumb romance," but it turned out much better than I expected!
!!!The book includes: BTS, TikTok, ChatGPT, and Pinterest.!!!
I know many people dislike it when books include modern references. For me, it’s also a bit of a weird feeling, but I got used to it and it didn't affect my reading experience at all. I enjoyed the author’s energetic writing style and would definitely read more from her. I love books with humor, and this one was no exception (though I make no promises about my sense of humor!).
I liked this book. The fmc wasn't perfect, but that’s fine—there were moments where I really related to her.
There’s a hint of a sequel at the end, and I’m so excited!!!
⭐️ 4.5/5
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was unfortunately not for me. While I ultimately finished the book, I considered DNFing it several time and it was an overall rough read. I'm sure there is an audience who would enjoy this, but I am not a part of it, and I think I've largely boiled it down to a few reasons why.
First, the humor and constant references just did not hit the mark. I felt continually drawn out of the book which made it feel like a slog to keep going. (The reference to ChatGPT was particularly rough to read, and it made me question why the author felt the need to include it...). TikTok, KPop, Lizzo, and even Home Depot made an appearance. Just wasn't for me.
Secondly, the characters were hard to connect with. Sabby was sarcastic and wanted to be boring/normal; that seemed to be the extent of her personality for most of the book. Most of our paranormal beings were inept to a degree that I just wanted to move past them. Hanry... I had some hope for him and that's why I kept reading. That was a mistake.
Finally, and what I feel is the most important, I think this book is being marketed in a way that is detrimental to itself. Yes, this is paranormal and fantasy-esque, but I disagree that it is a romance. What occurs between our "love interests" is at best a subplot, and I'd argue that it ultimately occurs as a plot point to show Sabby coming into herself and embracing the weirdness of this world. I also think leaning into the comedy and satirical nature of this book would help it land with the right audience. Comparing the description to what the book ultimately is felt misleading.
The idea behind it all was decent, but as it was presented, not for me. 1 ⭐ (1.25 on Storygraph). ARC provided by Netgalley and Saga Press in exchange for an honest review.
First, the humor and constant references just did not hit the mark. I felt continually drawn out of the book which made it feel like a slog to keep going. (The reference to ChatGPT was particularly rough to read, and it made me question why the author felt the need to include it...). TikTok, KPop, Lizzo, and even Home Depot made an appearance. Just wasn't for me.
Secondly, the characters were hard to connect with. Sabby was sarcastic and wanted to be boring/normal; that seemed to be the extent of her personality for most of the book. Most of our paranormal beings were inept to a degree that I just wanted to move past them. Hanry... I had some hope for him and that's why I kept reading. That was a mistake.
Finally, and what I feel is the most important, I think this book is being marketed in a way that is detrimental to itself. Yes, this is paranormal and fantasy-esque, but I disagree that it is a romance. What occurs between our "love interests" is at best a subplot, and I'd argue that it ultimately occurs as a plot point to show Sabby coming into herself and embracing the weirdness of this world. I also think leaning into the comedy and satirical nature of this book would help it land with the right audience. Comparing the description to what the book ultimately is felt misleading.
The idea behind it all was decent, but as it was presented, not for me. 1 ⭐ (1.25 on Storygraph). ARC provided by Netgalley and Saga Press in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Samantha is married to the paranormal and that is where she decides to establish a business where she plans paranormal weddings; until her own romantic desires come about. Romance – as you know if you have been reading my reviews is not my go to genre because there needs to be a queer or spooky element to it. That is exactly what this book delivers – a trip into the realm of the fae and the romance of it all. Samantha could not escape her fate to work with the paranormal because it is in her blood to be sensitive to the parapsychology influences of her life.
What drew me into this book is the glimpses of her life in Salem, Massachusetts and then her working in Manhattan. As a New Yorker living in Massachusetts – this felt like it was written for me. What paranormal creatures can you meet in these every ay places? That is what makes it an exciting adventure. Now, this book does start slow but it really picks up after chapter 5 and Lin’s worldbuilding comes alive. When the world comes alive you really get to immerse yourself into what it means for Samantha to try to run away from her paranormal legacy.
She is falling in love with the paranormal while running away from exactly the thing she is afraid of – her paranormal ties. This is a fun story that will enchant the spooky goth hearts in your life. A beautiful cover that screams 1980s creature feature with a bit of steamy romance. A fun read to kick off the summer. Thank you Aleese Lin, Saga Press, and Netgalley for this advanced digital copy. All opinions are my own.
Visit my blog for more tarot readings, recommendations, and reviews here, https://brujerialibrary.wordpress.com/
What drew me into this book is the glimpses of her life in Salem, Massachusetts and then her working in Manhattan. As a New Yorker living in Massachusetts – this felt like it was written for me. What paranormal creatures can you meet in these every ay places? That is what makes it an exciting adventure. Now, this book does start slow but it really picks up after chapter 5 and Lin’s worldbuilding comes alive. When the world comes alive you really get to immerse yourself into what it means for Samantha to try to run away from her paranormal legacy.
She is falling in love with the paranormal while running away from exactly the thing she is afraid of – her paranormal ties. This is a fun story that will enchant the spooky goth hearts in your life. A beautiful cover that screams 1980s creature feature with a bit of steamy romance. A fun read to kick off the summer. Thank you Aleese Lin, Saga Press, and Netgalley for this advanced digital copy. All opinions are my own.
Visit my blog for more tarot readings, recommendations, and reviews here, https://brujerialibrary.wordpress.com/
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to Netgalley and S&S/Saga Press for the ARC!
Samantha Spuk: Paranormal Wedding Planner is cute and an easy read. I did have a hard time getting into the book at first, but around the 40-50% mark, the story picked up. I struggled with Sabby at first because she was a very frustrating lead. However, as more side characters were introduced and she chilled out, I did begin to like her more. Still, the real stealers of the show were Bulan, a snarky, disembodied head and Mandy, a literal manic pixie dream girl. Also, I kind of hated Hanry. As a male lead, he was kind of lame and I literally did not care what he was doing. I was far more invested in Sabby’s friendships, her background with her family and her new business. I had almost zero interest in the romance (which, as an avid romance reader, was disappointing).
I’d say this is a 3.5 rounded up to a 4. Sometimes, it felt like the story was trying too hard to be funny and zany. I enjoyed about 75-85% of the wacky plot/hijinks. The rest just felt like a bit much. Also, as stated above, I can’t stand Hanry. I’m sure some people would love him, but he just isn’t my type of MMC. A little too much of a golden retriever energy and I enjoy some tension in my romances which this one lacked. I’d like Sabby to find love with literally anyone else.
I do think there is potential for this to be a great series in future books and I am curious about what Sabby and her friends will get up to next. I’d recommend this one to anyone looking for a fun, light-hearted urban fantasy (maybe people would say paranormal romance, but I think the romance was more of a subplot) with cozy vibes.
Samantha Spuk: Paranormal Wedding Planner is cute and an easy read. I did have a hard time getting into the book at first, but around the 40-50% mark, the story picked up. I struggled with Sabby at first because she was a very frustrating lead. However, as more side characters were introduced and she chilled out, I did begin to like her more. Still, the real stealers of the show were Bulan, a snarky, disembodied head and Mandy, a literal manic pixie dream girl. Also, I kind of hated Hanry. As a male lead, he was kind of lame and I literally did not care what he was doing. I was far more invested in Sabby’s friendships, her background with her family and her new business. I had almost zero interest in the romance (which, as an avid romance reader, was disappointing).
I’d say this is a 3.5 rounded up to a 4. Sometimes, it felt like the story was trying too hard to be funny and zany. I enjoyed about 75-85% of the wacky plot/hijinks. The rest just felt like a bit much. Also, as stated above, I can’t stand Hanry. I’m sure some people would love him, but he just isn’t my type of MMC. A little too much of a golden retriever energy and I enjoy some tension in my romances which this one lacked. I’d like Sabby to find love with literally anyone else.
I do think there is potential for this to be a great series in future books and I am curious about what Sabby and her friends will get up to next. I’d recommend this one to anyone looking for a fun, light-hearted urban fantasy (maybe people would say paranormal romance, but I think the romance was more of a subplot) with cozy vibes.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Samantha “Sabby” Spük is an accountant who has spent years trying to distance herself from her family’s supernatural roots, but after her grandmother’s death, a magically binding will pulls her back to Salem and keeps her there until the estate is settled. As she adjusts to her unwanted return, she becomes an accidental wedding planner for the town’s paranormal community, juggling vampire brides, fae clients, a disembodied head, a pixie assistant, and a complicated connection with Hanry. The story follows Sabby as she moves through a mix of cozy fantasy, light mystery, and romance while confronting her family legacy and deciding whether the ordinary life she imagined is really the one she wants.
For me, this had a fun premise and some charming side characters, but the execution never fully matched the idea. Sabby often felt emotionally distant, and the romance was not strong enough to carry the story when the plot started to wander. I think my biggest issue was the clunky first-person narrative, which made the humor and character voice feel more forced than natural and kept me from getting completely immersed in the story. There are flashes of quirky appeal here, especially in the paranormal wedding setup, but overall, this landed at about 2.5 stars for me.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *
For me, this had a fun premise and some charming side characters, but the execution never fully matched the idea. Sabby often felt emotionally distant, and the romance was not strong enough to carry the story when the plot started to wander. I think my biggest issue was the clunky first-person narrative, which made the humor and character voice feel more forced than natural and kept me from getting completely immersed in the story. There are flashes of quirky appeal here, especially in the paranormal wedding setup, but overall, this landed at about 2.5 stars for me.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.25 stars
I struggled with what to rate this because it has just about everything I could want in a cozy fantasy; low stakes but interesting plot, great side characters/found family, and humor. I had a super great time, pretty quick read too.
A great story about finding yourself and your place in the world even if it’s the exact opposite of what you thought it would be like. This had a great blend of zany fun and humor and also some more triggering topics like grief and absent parents. I really liked the writing style of this book. Hope to see more from this author.
Would be an easy 5 stars apart from how the romance was handled. It almost would have been better if it wasn’t explored at all in my opinion. Sabby was all in on this guy after a few weeks and then *SPOILERS ARE COMING NOW* offers to plan his wedding and then he just bunks off to find himself? It is more realistic for sure but this is a book about fairies and vampire weddings! Also the blurb says this is a contemporary romance…hard disagree there. Romance implies HEA I will accept no criticism there. Still really enjoyed it.
Recommend for ppl looking for fresh new cozy fantasy with paranormal elements
Not recommended for the ‘romance’
Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for an early copy of this book in exhange for an honest review.
I struggled with what to rate this because it has just about everything I could want in a cozy fantasy; low stakes but interesting plot, great side characters/found family, and humor. I had a super great time, pretty quick read too.
A great story about finding yourself and your place in the world even if it’s the exact opposite of what you thought it would be like. This had a great blend of zany fun and humor and also some more triggering topics like grief and absent parents. I really liked the writing style of this book. Hope to see more from this author.
Would be an easy 5 stars apart from how the romance was handled. It almost would have been better if it wasn’t explored at all in my opinion. Sabby was all in on this guy after a few weeks and then *SPOILERS ARE COMING NOW* offers to plan his wedding and then he just bunks off to find himself? It is more realistic for sure but this is a book about fairies and vampire weddings! Also the blurb says this is a contemporary romance…hard disagree there. Romance implies HEA I will accept no criticism there. Still really enjoyed it.
Recommend for ppl looking for fresh new cozy fantasy with paranormal elements
Not recommended for the ‘romance’
Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for an early copy of this book in exhange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2026
This was such a fun read.
Was it perfect? No. The FMC got on my nerves a few times, and there were moments where I felt the story wandered a bit more than I wanted. But honestly, I still enjoyed myself the entire time.
The real stars of this book are the paranormal characters. Every new creature that showed up brought something entertaining to the story, and the talking head assistant absolutely stole the show for me. Every scene with him was a delight.
I also loved the wedding planner concept. Watching supernatural creatures navigate wedding drama was just as chaotic and amusing as it sounds. The book leans into its quirky, offbeat humor, and that’s where it shines the most.
This isn’t the book to pick up if you’re looking for intense romance, high stakes, or a deeply complex fantasy world. It’s much more focused on being a fun, cozy, paranormal adventure with plenty of laughs along the way.
Overall, this was a cute and entertaining read that left me smiling. The paranormal cast, the humor, and the wonderfully weird situations made it an easy book to enjoy, even when a few elements didn’t completely work for me. If you’re looking for something lighthearted, spooky, and a little different, I’d definitely recommend giving it a try. Thanks so saga press got the gifted arc.
Was it perfect? No. The FMC got on my nerves a few times, and there were moments where I felt the story wandered a bit more than I wanted. But honestly, I still enjoyed myself the entire time.
The real stars of this book are the paranormal characters. Every new creature that showed up brought something entertaining to the story, and the talking head assistant absolutely stole the show for me. Every scene with him was a delight.
I also loved the wedding planner concept. Watching supernatural creatures navigate wedding drama was just as chaotic and amusing as it sounds. The book leans into its quirky, offbeat humor, and that’s where it shines the most.
This isn’t the book to pick up if you’re looking for intense romance, high stakes, or a deeply complex fantasy world. It’s much more focused on being a fun, cozy, paranormal adventure with plenty of laughs along the way.
Overall, this was a cute and entertaining read that left me smiling. The paranormal cast, the humor, and the wonderfully weird situations made it an easy book to enjoy, even when a few elements didn’t completely work for me. If you’re looking for something lighthearted, spooky, and a little different, I’d definitely recommend giving it a try. Thanks so saga press got the gifted arc.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*Copy provided by NG*
This book starts off really strong, but around the 60–70% mark, it completely falls apart. I ended up skimming the last 15% because it just wouldn’t end. The story becomes overly fluffy, with unnecessary additions that drag everything out. It feels like the author lost sight of the main goal and struggled to bring the plot to a clear, satisfying conclusion.
There are essentially two separate plotlines that are only loosely connected through the weddings. The first conflict is barely developed—there’s a single clue dropped early on, and then suddenly the FMC figures everything out. From there, the story awkwardly transitions into the second plot, which quickly spirals into chaos.
By the time we get to the rescue of “Hanry,” it’s hard to stay invested. He's indecisive and frustratingly wishy-washy, making it difficult to understand why the FMC would continue risking herself for him. That dynamic really weakened the emotional payoff.
Overall, the book feels disorganized and in need of serious condensing. With tighter plotting and clearer direction, it could have been much more impactful.
This book starts off really strong, but around the 60–70% mark, it completely falls apart. I ended up skimming the last 15% because it just wouldn’t end. The story becomes overly fluffy, with unnecessary additions that drag everything out. It feels like the author lost sight of the main goal and struggled to bring the plot to a clear, satisfying conclusion.
There are essentially two separate plotlines that are only loosely connected through the weddings. The first conflict is barely developed—there’s a single clue dropped early on, and then suddenly the FMC figures everything out. From there, the story awkwardly transitions into the second plot, which quickly spirals into chaos.
By the time we get to the rescue of “Hanry,” it’s hard to stay invested. He's indecisive and frustratingly wishy-washy, making it difficult to understand why the FMC would continue risking herself for him. That dynamic really weakened the emotional payoff.
Overall, the book feels disorganized and in need of serious condensing. With tighter plotting and clearer direction, it could have been much more impactful.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Not a giant fan of a character who uses ChatGPT. It give me unflattering ideas about the rest of the book.
Sabby is boring. Flat. Dull and listless. She reacts to nothing, she has no emotion, she is dishwater grey and to call her two dimensional would be a discredit to every cardboard cutout character I’ve read before. She’s a collection of apathetic actions and a lack of humor that, combined with equally listless and uninspiring writing made this a numbing experience. I had to actively force myself to keep reading - never a fun experience — and then I realized … I don’t have to read this book!
I can’t tell you what a weight that lifted from my shoulders as I closed the book, deleted the file, and moved on with my life.
It’s boring. It’s not forced, it’s not trying to cram a plot down your throat. It’s just an unexceptional book that inspires no emotions but antipathy and exhaustion. There’s no pace. No sense of moving forward or growing tension; just a dull plodding as one word follows another. The plot is utterly predictable and the talking head is the best part of the book. Alas, he’s not the main character.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.
Sabby is boring. Flat. Dull and listless. She reacts to nothing, she has no emotion, she is dishwater grey and to call her two dimensional would be a discredit to every cardboard cutout character I’ve read before. She’s a collection of apathetic actions and a lack of humor that, combined with equally listless and uninspiring writing made this a numbing experience. I had to actively force myself to keep reading - never a fun experience — and then I realized … I don’t have to read this book!
I can’t tell you what a weight that lifted from my shoulders as I closed the book, deleted the file, and moved on with my life.
It’s boring. It’s not forced, it’s not trying to cram a plot down your throat. It’s just an unexceptional book that inspires no emotions but antipathy and exhaustion. There’s no pace. No sense of moving forward or growing tension; just a dull plodding as one word follows another. The plot is utterly predictable and the talking head is the best part of the book. Alas, he’s not the main character.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the galley!
This is going to be a very weird thing to say, but I’m grieving a loss right now and this book helped me get through the last 12 hours without completely freaking out, so I’m giving it a 4.5. Is it the most spectacular, life-changing novel I’ve ever read? Absolutely not. Was it quirky, campy, silly, fun, endearing, and a perfect break from reality? Yes, absolutely. In this book, we follow Sabby a girl who just wants a normal, vanilla, suburban life get pulled back into her grandmother’s world of the paranormal after a trip back to Salem. There’s found family, a lil romance, and a just a lot of fun. 1/2 a point off for a character using chat gpt (to be fair, she does later refer to it as “nefarious and inaccurate AI”) and calling the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice “regency trash” because how dare you! If you liked the vibes of the Ex Hex trilogy or really wanna visit Salem during its kitschy Halloween season, this is the book for you!
This is going to be a very weird thing to say, but I’m grieving a loss right now and this book helped me get through the last 12 hours without completely freaking out, so I’m giving it a 4.5. Is it the most spectacular, life-changing novel I’ve ever read? Absolutely not. Was it quirky, campy, silly, fun, endearing, and a perfect break from reality? Yes, absolutely. In this book, we follow Sabby a girl who just wants a normal, vanilla, suburban life get pulled back into her grandmother’s world of the paranormal after a trip back to Salem. There’s found family, a lil romance, and a just a lot of fun. 1/2 a point off for a character using chat gpt (to be fair, she does later refer to it as “nefarious and inaccurate AI”) and calling the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice “regency trash” because how dare you! If you liked the vibes of the Ex Hex trilogy or really wanna visit Salem during its kitschy Halloween season, this is the book for you!
Did Not Finish
May 26, 2026Based on the premise I was so excited for this book. Wedding planner? PARANORMAL wedding planner? Two of my biggest interests merging for what I hoped would be wedded bliss. Unfortunately I cannot force my eyeballs to continue past 18% into this story.
The writing in this is so..forced? It's overwritten to try and cram as many adjectives or pop-culture references as possible into one paragraph and like it's pausing for sitcom laughter to be inserted.
Sabby is one of the most insufferable female characters I have ever read. Her verbiage was so juvenile I truly did not know if she was 15 or 26. (Turns out by about 16% in we learn she is 22.)
I had hoped I could trudge through this and make it to some redeemable qualities in Sabby and the rom-com I was promised, but unfortunately the author made the decision to have Sabby consult ChatGPT out of desperation, and just WHY are we doing this?!! Turned me off from the book completely.
Thank you NetGalley and Saga Press for the opportunity to read this early. All opinions are my own.
The writing in this is so..forced? It's overwritten to try and cram as many adjectives or pop-culture references as possible into one paragraph and like it's pausing for sitcom laughter to be inserted.
Sabby is one of the most insufferable female characters I have ever read. Her verbiage was so juvenile I truly did not know if she was 15 or 26. (Turns out by about 16% in we learn she is 22.)
I had hoped I could trudge through this and make it to some redeemable qualities in Sabby and the rom-com I was promised, but unfortunately the author made the decision to have Sabby consult ChatGPT out of desperation, and just WHY are we doing this?!! Turned me off from the book completely.
Thank you NetGalley and Saga Press for the opportunity to read this early. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Not impressed with this one. The writing read amateurish and overly memey, including the plague of random product placements that seems to be overrunning modern romance. Just missing a Taylor Swift quote at this rate...
The main characters were bland and behaved immaturely (I'm really not into mcs who "just want to be normal" and are obstinately uncurious, it makes them needlessly passive), and the side characters read like 1-dimensional "quirky" cast. The plot was all over the place. The romance was underbaked. This read like Chick Lit when it was still a subgenre with a paranormal twist. Why is this marketed as paranormal romance when it doesn't fulfill the markers of the romance genre?
I don't know how this book was picked to be the promoted debut with sprayed edges by Saga Press, it doesn't stand out in any way and surely could use a few more rounds of editing. It feels like every publisher is trying to jump on the "cozy" bandwagon, but some attempts are really scrapped from the bottom of the barrel, it seems.
The main characters were bland and behaved immaturely (I'm really not into mcs who "just want to be normal" and are obstinately uncurious, it makes them needlessly passive), and the side characters read like 1-dimensional "quirky" cast. The plot was all over the place. The romance was underbaked. This read like Chick Lit when it was still a subgenre with a paranormal twist. Why is this marketed as paranormal romance when it doesn't fulfill the markers of the romance genre?
I don't know how this book was picked to be the promoted debut with sprayed edges by Saga Press, it doesn't stand out in any way and surely could use a few more rounds of editing. It feels like every publisher is trying to jump on the "cozy" bandwagon, but some attempts are really scrapped from the bottom of the barrel, it seems.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
SAMANTHA SPüK: PARANORMAL WEDDING PLANNER by Aleese Lin was, overall, a fun read. The Salem setting makes this a great one to pick up around spooky season as well as some of the *cough cough* abnormal traits of some of the characters we meet throughout.
The story did drag quite a bit for being just over 300 pages and also became rather repetitive, and the main character Sabby did utilize ChatGPT at one point, which I personally don't think should be something used in the real world let alone in fiction... I'm not entirely sure what the point of that was other than to give me a distaste for this character who supposedly got an accounting job in NYC??? I digress.
A fine read that held much more promise than it delivered on, unfortunately! Thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press for the early copy for review - out June 2!
The story did drag quite a bit for being just over 300 pages and also became rather repetitive, and the main character Sabby did utilize ChatGPT at one point, which I personally don't think should be something used in the real world let alone in fiction... I'm not entirely sure what the point of that was other than to give me a distaste for this character who supposedly got an accounting job in NYC??? I digress.
A fine read that held much more promise than it delivered on, unfortunately! Thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press for the early copy for review - out June 2!
May 30, 2026
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up. So I really thought this was going to be right up my alley so idk why I had such a hard time getting into it. I struggled with trying to understand Sabby wanting such a boring life tbh even with the story she mentioned. I find it weird the whole dagger/cabal thing wasn’t really explained or addressed really. I loved the quirky Wednesday vibes of the book. The humor was good at times, disjointed at others, and I never really laughed out loud sadly. I loved the side characters especially Mandy and Bulan. I can’t say that I really liked Hanry. I was almost disappointed that it seems like she is going to take him back after his soul searching journey. Love that she chose the wedding planning as being more important to her than him. Hopefully the writing will improve with possible future books!
Thanks to the Simon and Schuster booth at Bookcon for the ARC!
Thanks to the Simon and Schuster booth at Bookcon for the ARC!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2026
I'm trying to figure out how to properly articulate why this novel didn't work for me.
I considered putting the book down (never to pick it up again) fairly quickly into my reading journey both because of the writing style and the main character.
Samantha "Sabby" Spuk was utterly obnoxious. I went into this book expecting a lighthearted paranormal romance but the main character just complained the whole time about everything. She was unlikable and not in a redeemable way.
The writing also just felt off from page one. I couldn't wrap my brain around why it grated on my nerves to keep reading. I truly went into the book with high hopes for a cozy paranormal romance. Everything about the blurb had me hooked but the execution fell flat. I'm sure there will be an audience who loves this book but I didn't connect with it the way I'd hoped.
I considered putting the book down (never to pick it up again) fairly quickly into my reading journey both because of the writing style and the main character.
Samantha "Sabby" Spuk was utterly obnoxious. I went into this book expecting a lighthearted paranormal romance but the main character just complained the whole time about everything. She was unlikable and not in a redeemable way.
The writing also just felt off from page one. I couldn't wrap my brain around why it grated on my nerves to keep reading. I truly went into the book with high hopes for a cozy paranormal romance. Everything about the blurb had me hooked but the execution fell flat. I'm sure there will be an audience who loves this book but I didn't connect with it the way I'd hoped.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I thought the story was entertaining and built around a really cute, creative concept that made it an enjoyable read. The characters were engaging, and there were several moments that felt fun and charming, which kept me interested in seeing how everything would unfold. At times, I did notice a few plot holes and some pacing issues. A few certain parts felt a bit rushed while others could have used a little more development to fully connect the story.
That said, for a debut author, this is a very promising start. The writing shows a lot of potential, and the overall idea behind the story is compelling. I’m especially interested to see how the author expands the world, deepens the characters, and builds on the storyline in the next book.
That said, for a debut author, this is a very promising start. The writing shows a lot of potential, and the overall idea behind the story is compelling. I’m especially interested to see how the author expands the world, deepens the characters, and builds on the storyline in the next book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
👻💍 Samantha Spük: Paranormal Wedding Planner 💍👻
This wasn’t quite the romcom I was hoping for, but I still ended up enjoying it overall. It took me a bit to warm up to the characters, especially in the beginning, but they did grow on me as the story went on. The mystery ended up taking over most of the book, which shifted the tone more than I expected. And the ending felt a little odd for me. Not bad, just not fully satisfying.
🔍 What to Expect
• Paranormal mystery
• Salem setting
• Wedding planner FMC
• Supernatural clients
• Ghosts vampires and fae
• Cozy spooky
_ _ _ _
⭐ Final Rating: 3.5 ⭐
📅 Pub Date: June 2, 2026
📝 Thank you to Saga Press and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
This wasn’t quite the romcom I was hoping for, but I still ended up enjoying it overall. It took me a bit to warm up to the characters, especially in the beginning, but they did grow on me as the story went on. The mystery ended up taking over most of the book, which shifted the tone more than I expected. And the ending felt a little odd for me. Not bad, just not fully satisfying.
🔍 What to Expect
• Paranormal mystery
• Salem setting
• Wedding planner FMC
• Supernatural clients
• Ghosts vampires and fae
• Cozy spooky
_ _ _ _
⭐ Final Rating: 3.5 ⭐
📅 Pub Date: June 2, 2026
📝 Thank you to Saga Press and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
June 3, 2026
Samantha Spük: Paranormal Wedding Planner is a cozy tale of reluctant homecomings with a massive side of snark.
Samantha "Sabby" Spük is an aspiring accountant hoping to escape her family's witchy past, but finds herself tethered to the town of Salem, Massachusetts, when she returns to settle her grandmother's estate. While Sabby is a rather self-absorbed protagonist, her brand of humor was delightful, and I found she grew on me as the tale unfolded. I frequently giggled at her quips and enjoyed her interactions with her assistant, the rolling head Bulan. If you enjoy Gen Z humor, mysterious love interests, and a plethora of supernatural characters, pick this one up for your next breezy weekend read.
Samantha "Sabby" Spük is an aspiring accountant hoping to escape her family's witchy past, but finds herself tethered to the town of Salem, Massachusetts, when she returns to settle her grandmother's estate. While Sabby is a rather self-absorbed protagonist, her brand of humor was delightful, and I found she grew on me as the tale unfolded. I frequently giggled at her quips and enjoyed her interactions with her assistant, the rolling head Bulan. If you enjoy Gen Z humor, mysterious love interests, and a plethora of supernatural characters, pick this one up for your next breezy weekend read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.75/5 rounded up.
This was super fun and random (in a good way)!
This is another book for fans of Jenna Levine's vampire books. Paranormal, but casually so. (Hopefully that makes sense.)
This follows (like the title says) a paranormal wedding planner and the chaos that ensues with that.
This was unique and fun and chaotic and I really enjoyed the ensemble cast of kooky paranormal characters. This is definitely for fans of a fun ensemble cast. I think the characters are really what makes this story shine.
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
This was super fun and random (in a good way)!
This is another book for fans of Jenna Levine's vampire books. Paranormal, but casually so. (Hopefully that makes sense.)
This follows (like the title says) a paranormal wedding planner and the chaos that ensues with that.
This was unique and fun and chaotic and I really enjoyed the ensemble cast of kooky paranormal characters. This is definitely for fans of a fun ensemble cast. I think the characters are really what makes this story shine.
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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