Such a Witch

by Sarah Henning

Clueless meets Wednesday in this delightfully light, fast-paced read set in a magic boarding school - part fluffy romcom and part murder mystery, featuring a (literal) witchhunt.

✨🔮🌙💜🪄⚡️

Pretty, popular, and a total witch, Embry Woodcross is queen bee at Raven's Head School for the Magically Gifted. Entering senior year as head prefect, Embry is a celebrated fashionista and unrivalled solver of problems big, small, and unattractive. (She's quite generous with her handcrafted magical beauty products.)

When she meets Oakley Riddle, clueless transfer student and ultra-rare vampire, Embry's mission is take the new girl under her wing and make sure she's not thrown to the (were)wolves. Coven mate Rye Knighton may scoff at Embry's aggressive benevolence, but Raven's Head students reward her with love and appreciation...

Until one good deed too many makes Embry the lead suspect in a murder investigation.

Suddenly, the same people who begged Embry for enchanted acne potions are convinced she's a cold-blooded killer. Apparently, everyone loves a witch until something bad happens, and then it's all pitchforks and anecdotal evidence. As everything she's ever done is used against her, Embry teams up with Rye to find the real murderer, clear her name, and maybe fall in love along the way.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Witches, Paranormal, Mystery, Magic

390 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 28, 2026

About the author

Sarah Henning is a recovering journalist who has worked for the Palm Beach Post, Kansas City Star and Associated Press, among others. While in South Florida, Sarah lived and worked through five hurricanes, which gave her an extreme respect for the ocean. When not writing, she runs ultramarathons, hits the playground with her two kids and hangs out with her husband Justin, who doubles as her long-suffering IT department. Sarah lives in Lawrence, Kansas, which, despite being extremely far from the beach, happens to be pretty cool.

Reviews

[luna ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

the minute i saw this book at my local bookstore, i was intrigued by the cover. i said to myself "why not?" i'm so glad i picked this book up because oh my goodness did i enjoy it so so so so much!! if you loved the movie clueless, this gives off similar vibes with the matchmaking if you know what i mean.

this was a perfect fall read with romcom, supernatural and mystery going on. although, i called it from the very beginning on who was the killer and the plot twist too, i still enjoyed it regardless.

[abigailscupoftea · Rating 4 out of 5]

“she’s perfect in every way. but she’s also the perfect suspect.” 🩷🔮🍂🪄

such a witch is a delightfully fun and whimsical mystery for fall! i picked this book up on a whim, and i’m so glad i did. this is a clueless retelling, but if cher horowitz were a prefect witch at a paranormal academy. there were so many witty and laugh out loud moments. sarah henning, please turn this into a series! 🙏🏼✨

[Kari Turcotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this was such a good pick for me. Im OBSESSED with clueless (and Emma obviously but this was definitely more clueless than Emma) but like witchy and Murder mystery but not in too scary of a way. I'm obsessed with it. So freaking good! 5 out of 5 witches for the witch hunt 🧙‍♀️🧙‍♀️🧙‍♀️🧙‍♀️🧙‍♀️

[Cyd’s Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for approving me to read this book, I’m rating it 3.0 stars.

This gave me what I was looking for, an easy supernatural fantasy read that read quite light but had a little mystery and depth at points. It was easy to devour and had a gossip girl young adult vibe going on.

I like an academic setting with a multitude of magical beings, and this ticked those boxes. The murder mystery plot that co insided with a little romance worked for me.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
📚 Genre: YA Fantasy Romance
📖 Format: Ebook

🔍 How I Found This Book
I was looking for a book for the Goodreads Fall Challenge prompt “Spellbound.” There were a few other books I was interested in, but they had really long waits at my library. So I took a chance on this one because the premise of Wednesday + Clueless was too good to pass up.

📝 Summary
Embry Woodcross is practically royalty at Raven’s Head School for the Magically Gifted. Her family donated the land that the school sits on, her father’s estate is right next door, and he also happens to be the head of the local witch coven. She is head prefect and is known for her acting skills in the school musical. The only person who doesn’t adore Embry is her next-door neighbor, Rye. They have a unique relationship where they are constantly keeping each other on their toes.

A new girl has entered the school for her senior year. Em and her best friend Ames are immediately intrigued by Oakley and want to do their best to help the new vampire fit in. Things are going well until the homecoming dance, when someone is murdered. Now Em and Rye need to solve the mystery or risk putting the entire coven in danger.

💭 Favorite Part
I loved how Em used her magical skills to create beauty potions. This may seem superficial, but it seemed like she used them to help others feel more confident in themselves. At one point, Rye is super impressed by her potions, and you see that Em is a really talented witch. It’s not just about the beauty side of her magic.

👤 Favorite Character
I really liked Em’s best friend, Ames. She is only in parts of the book, but I loved how she always had Em’s back. She was also able to help with the investigation from the school. She seemed like the type of friend you would want in your corner because you know she would always have your back.

🎯 Themes / Takeaways
* The fickleness of social standing
* Perception vs. Reality
* Loyalty and True Community
* Inclusivity and Acceptance

⚡ My Thoughts / Reactions
This was a fun, easy read, and I really enjoyed it. You could easily pick up on the Clueless “Emma” influence, but I loved the creativity of the boarding school and the different cliques of Bitches, Stitches, Glitches, and Witches. I thought the murder investigation was a good mix of finding clues while also showing the relationship between Em and Rye grow. I guessed the true villain about halfway through the book, but that didn’t really bother me.

I thought there was a lot of thought put into the spells that Em and the other witches could do, and I loved how we got to see so many different sides of Em as the main character.

I do wish we had learned more about Oakley. At the end, we find out that she lied about how she became a vampire, but it’s never really explained why she lied about it. It’s also not clear why she joined the school in the first place. There was a connection to the only other vampire, but it wasn’t clear if that was the reason she joined or not.

✅ Would I Recommend
Yes! I would recommend this to someone who likes YA and is looking for a fun, easy read.

🔖 Notes for Next Time
I really enjoyed the author’s writing style, and if I came across another book by her with a description that caught my interest, I would definitely read it.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Okay, this one was cute. Fair warning though: it reads a lot younger than it should given how often "bitch" gets thrown around; my brain kept doing a double take between "cute magic school YA" and "wait, how old are these kids supposed to be."

Premise is great: witch academy, a dead vampire, and Embry Woodcross going from beloved queen bee to prime suspect overnight because apparently everyone loves a witch until something bad happens. Genuinely fun first half.

Now, the Clueless thing. I've never actually seen Clueless (I know), but enough reviews brought it up that I went and read the plot on Wikipedia out of curiosity, and: yeah. It's eerily close. That said, there's no murder investigation in Clueless as far as I can tell, so calling this a straight clone feels like a stretch; more like "heavily inspired, filed the serial numbers off, bolted a mystery onto the back half." Comparing this to Mean Girls: the clique hierarchy, the "cool girl" whose whole world implodes, the makeover arc. The makeover trope and the "fall for your childhood best friend" trope have both been done a thousand times, and finding something 100% original at this point is basically impossible.

Where it lost me a little: the middle-end. Loved the premise, but the actual investigation dragged hard, and by the time we hit the big confrontation scene I was less "on the edge of my seat" and more "okay, finally, we're here." Bigger issue: the villains have zero motivation. We know they're vampire hunters going after witches for their power. Cool. But why? What are they doing with all that power once they have it? Why does the plan require wiping out an entire group instead of just dealing with the one vampire and leaving? Nobody ever explains it, so the "big bad" ends up feeling like a plot device instead of an actual threat.

TLDR: fun premise, cute banter, wears its Clueless inspiration loudly, reads younger than its cursing suggests, and the villains needed one (1) reason for doing literally anything.

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clueless but make it magical and add a murder investigation. I was smiling the entire time.

📚 Such a Witch by Sarah Henning
Genre: YA paranormal rom com
Vibes: queen bee witch, magic school drama, murder mystery, enemies to lovers energy

Embry Woodcross is pretty, popular, powerful, and absolutely aware of it. As head prefect at Raven’s Head School for the Magically Gifted, she runs the social scene and hands out enchanted beauty potions like party favors.

Then a new vampire transfers in. And someone ends up dead.

What I loved:

🪄 Clueless energy wrapped in a magic school setting
🧛‍♀️ A clueless but endearing vampire transfer student
🔥 Banter heavy tension between Embry and Rye
🕵️‍♀️ A murder mystery that keeps things moving
💄 Fashion, beauty magic, and high school clique chaos

This is fluffy rom com meets witch hunt in the most literal way. One minute Embry is solving social crises and crafting glam potions, the next she is the prime suspect in a murder case. Watching her go from adored queen bee to public enemy number one is both funny and sharp.

There is something delicious about a popular girl who knows her power and then has to fight to keep it when the pitchforks come out.

The romance threads are sweet and tension filled without overpowering the mystery, and the whole thing feels fast paced and charming without losing its bite.

If Wednesday and Clueless had a magical school baby, this would be it.

💬 Are you more likely to trust the queen bee or immediately suspect her?

#SarahHenning #SuchAWitch #LittleBrownBYR #YAFantasy #ParanormalRomance

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐💫

SUCH A WITCH by Sarah Henning (July 28, 2026)

Thank you Netgalley and LBBYR for the eArc

Embry Woodcross is a popular witch. Entering her senior year as head prefect, she meets Oakley Riddle (transfer student). After taking Oakley under her wing, Embry finds herself wrapped up in a m*rder investigation. Soon she teams up with neighbor Rye Knighton to find the real k*ller.
SUCH A WITCH is a YA paranormal mystery. This book had tons of potential, especially in the paranormal department. This is a very long book with a lot of descriptive writing that lead more toward the paranormal-y/ fantasy part. Normally, I would not have minded as much, but...the premise alludes to a mystery. I felt like it took a bit longer than I would have liked for it to get to the mystery aspect. The length of the book itself was pretty daunting as well, and there were parts that dragged on. Speaking of the mystery at hand it was predictable (called the k*ller from the moment they were introduced). It seemed so obvious, and I don't know how Embry didn't connect the dots sooner. I get it, she was blinded.
Now, though I am complaining, I enjoyed this book. At its core, it was very interesting with the witches, the und*ad, werewolves, etc. There was drama, betrayal, and magic with found-family (Embry's friends, Rye, the coven) and action that rounded it all out.

[Stephanie Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew I was going to love this book as soon as I saw the chapter titles…

This book was adorably morbid and I had such a fun time reading it. This book is like if Clueless and Wednesday had a baby and the nanny played Scooby Doo and Glee in the background all day.

Embry “head prefect” Woodcroft has it all. A great life with her dad, a group of friends that adores her, a lead role in the upcoming musical, and a panache for matchmaking.

Ravens Head academy is a school for the magically talented where students fall into one of four groups: witches, stitches, bitches, and glitches. I love the social hierarchy in the school!

When new student Oakley Riddle shows up, all the groups want her! She is a super rare vampire and Embry takes her under her wing immediately. She shows her around the school, gives her a makeover, and introduces her to all her friends.

When Oakley is found murdered, it’s clear someone is trying to frame Embry.

Embry and her friends have to prove that she didn’t kill Oakley and find the real killer. Magical mayhem ensues.

Read this if you love:
- Friends to lovers
- Witty banter
- Magical schools
- Murder mysteries

Thank you NetGalley, Little Brown and Company, and Hachette for the e-ARC!

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5.
When I say this book is based off of Clueless, I mean it’s REALLY LIKE CLUELESS. Frankly I was kind of shocked at how similar they are. It honestly felt like the author watched the movie and wrote down key points, and then wrote this book on top of that doc. If you love clueless and don’t mind Harry Potter/fantasy settings, you’ll probably love this book.

I thought the plot was fun, and I liked our characters. It just didn’t wow me or anything. Pretty standard read.

My only complaint is I felt like the writing was VERY juvenile. At first, I brushed it off, cause to be fair, the book is YA. I thought maybe it was just targeted towards the younger end of YA, but the word “bitch” is used constantly, and there’s no shying away from cursing. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind cursing, but for a 12/13 year old?

Overall it was just average.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC.

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review the ARC of this book.

3 stars

As other reviewers have said, this book is the movie Clueless (which I know was based on Emma, but this book is Clueless). It’s not that it’s based on Clueless. It IS the movie, practically down to the scene, but with changed names, and everyone being a different fantasy being - witches, werewolves, vampires, it goes on and on.

It is somehow a mix of a quite juvenile YA book, yet it includes quite a few (fairly tame) curse words, like “bitch” so it can’t me meant for middle schoolers, but as the parent of a high schooler, I will say if will not hit with them.

It also has a very chaotic energy - something about the writing style is the opposite of calm, but I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. Maybe too much chatter along with too many descriptions of everything.

Overall, it’s not a bad book, but it’s not a home run, either.

[Cait Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the very first chapter title, I could already tell this book was going to match my sense of humor. It’s campy, dark, dramatic, and ridiculously entertaining all at once. The magical boarding school setting was so much fun, especially the over-the-top social hierarchy, and the story balanced mystery, friendship, romance, and supernatural chaos really well. I loved following Embry as everything around her started unraveling after Oakley’s arrival, and the murder mystery kept me invested the entire time.

This was such a bingeable read with great banter and a perfect mix of spooky and funny. If magical schools, messy friend groups, murder mysteries, and a little romance are your thing, this one is worth checking out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[DeAndre Theisen · Rating 2.75 out of 5]

This is definitely a crime but I'd never seen Clueless, so unlike most people I couldnt see the first part is definitely clueless. Which might have made me like the book more had I have. However once the murder happens I feel like there isnt any real justice for the character murdered. The bad might be defeated, but literally everyone just moves on. Like everyone goes sure you only thought of her as a side character in your story, but now that you've been through this you've grown to see that and change. Had this worked like Clueless and maybe the other character wasnt dead then maybe I would have felt different. But nope main characters life is still great at the end and she was able to have everything continue pretty much like normal.

[Corinne · Rating 3 out of 5]

a Clueless/Emma adaptation set at a boarding school for paranormal creatures in which the Emma character is a witch framed for murder. I love the concept and enjoyed the characters, but it often felt there was too much going on and not enough depth to any facet to make it all work. like a mass reprint of Emma in a trendy new cover: the text was the same. the romance was cute but pretty hammy. i honestly forgot about the paranormal aspect a third of the time. the murder mystery was both convoluted and quite obvious, and i'm not sure all the threads were tied up. Henning had a very fun idea here, but it could've used another pass to tighten it all up and dig deeper.

[Jessica Schwartz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is Light Academia a thing? If so this is it. Weird premise but it's a pretty light, fun read. It reads like Clueless fanfic. The plot before the murder mystery is essentially a straight up rip off of the movie, minus the fact that they're magical beings. The mystery itself was totally predictable, and the worldbuilding was meh, but luckily, I adore Clueless and it had a nostalgic 90s vibe, so I found myself enjoying it more than I might have if the tone had been serious and dark the way most YA dark academia is.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clueless meets Wednesday — a cool and unique premise


This was a witchy retelling of Clueless (which of course is a retelling of Emma) with a murder mystery backdrop. How fun, and perfect for Halloween!

I found the story to be a little slow at the start. Once the Clueless elements gave way into the mystery, I liked the book a lot more. The ending was interesting and I liked that this was a standalone with everything wrapped up neatly. The romance was fine, and I really liked the main character’s relationship with her best friend. They had a really strong bond and I loved that.

Overall this is a cute read, perfect to add to your October reading.

[Jillian Pezanosky · Rating 4 out of 5]

When “Clueless meets Wednesday” is your pitch for a book, you know it’s going to be a ridiculously cute and murderous story for the ages. Embry Woodcross is your absolute Cher lookalike down to the fashion but with the spin of being a witch. Following her around Raven’s Head as she tries to clear her name is fun, anxiety driven, and a lot of magic.
This is definitely the next book that should be on everyone’s TBRs.

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Embry is the popular IT girl on campus at her school for the magically gifted and she tries hard to use her social cache to help the less popular. But when homecoming ends in a murder with her as the top suspect, she has to use all of her witchy ways to find the real killer before they strike again.

If you ever wondered it would be like to plop Cher from "Clueless" down into the weird world of "Wednesday (Addams)," this book is for you!

[Ju ᥬᩤ · Rating 1.5 out of 5]

this book had me checking my progress like it was a prison sentence.

i tried to like it but the plot was so predictable the pacing was painfully slow and nothing ever really happened every time i thought it was finally going somewhere it somehow circled back to the same boring shit.

i was gonna give this 2 stars but omg it got even worse in the last 15% and somehow managed to push itself down to 1.5 stars.

i should’ve DNF’d this and called it a day…

[Akshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
thank you for the arc hbg canada. this was an interesting book. i love the plot and the concept of the book,first half was a little slow and dragged on but the second half of the book was an absolute knockout. i also love a man who will do anything for his girl, so loveddd seeing the whole embry - rye story. it was cute.

[Diana Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the chance to read Such a witch by Sarah Henning. This was a fast and cute read that is perfect for teens who love movies and shows like Clueless and Wednesday. While I did find the writing to be a bit juvenile, that is the main audience for Such a witch, so seemed appropriate.

[Candace W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a super easy read. Witchy high school vibes. The cool girl is accused of killing the new girl at school who won homecoming queen over her. So she teams up with the cute older guy who grew up next door to try and prove that she’s innocent.

It was a palate cleanser with no spice. (Ok, sometimes I need a break spice!!) Perfect for high schoolers! Easy 3 stars!

[Amanda Shepard (Between-the-Shelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one didn't necessarily wow me like I thought it might. While the world building was interesting, especially this magical world that Henning has created, I wasn't necessarily a fan of the characters. I thought the murder mystery was a fun way to frame the overall story, but it also felt like it dragged on for a bit at the end. Overall, just an okay read for me.

[LeeAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Jane Austen's Emma (and the movie Clueless)

If teen Mary Poppins was a Pick Me girl with a latte instead of an umbrella

And Charmed + Buffy + Wicked

But it's a murder mystery too (add Nancy Drew to the list).

This shouldn't work. And it's delightful.

I think my high schoolers are going to adore this.

[Laura Mauro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book!!! I flet like this book was less witchy then i was hoping. i really liked the murder mystety elments. I also really liked the romacne and thought this was prefect light fall read!!! i def loved the romance in this one. I think this book was fun read and thought this book was prefect fast paced read!!

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like Clueless you will enjoy this book. It is the exact storyline of Clueless. This made it a little boring and redundant for me because I already knew what was going to happen. I also could not get past how juvenile the writing felt.

[Katie Megregian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, 3 stars may be generous but I did like the story as a whole. However, it is in need of some serious editing. The repetition of details for literally no reason was exhausting. I think if the book was like 50 pages shorter it would have been great.

[Mo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book! It was a fun combination of high school drama, a little romance, some supernatural and a good mystery.

The villain was a bit obvious, but how the heroes could overcome was still exciting.

[Meghan · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Clueless meets magical murder mystery. For me the book was dragging and I wanted to DNF at 35% but I switched to audio and it was much more entertaining so, this rating is a blend of what I would have rated the book vs. the audiobook lol.

[rachel x]

"Wednesday meets Clueless set in magic school that's part fluffy romcom, part murder mystery with a literal witch hunt!"