TESSA TALKS BOOKS

Love is a hex of a thing. Former childhood sweethearts fake a relationship in this charming witchy romcom.

There’s nothing wrong with being a wallflower. Not to Emmaline Bluewater, anyway. Emma may have been born into witch society, but her days of trying to fit in where she doesn’t belong are over—they ended seven years ago, when the man she’d hoped to marry left town without a word. She’s much happier now, living a delightfully mundane human life in Chicago and running her bar, Toil and Trouble.

Until Bastian Truenote walks through the door and announces that he wants her back.

Bastian had his reasons for leaving—even if he can’t tell Emma what they are. Now, to win Emma’s heart, he’s got to face down an adorably goofy dog familiar, a best friend who’s all too eager to hit him with a carefully aimed hex, and a woman who’s far from the meek witch he remembers.

Magical contracts aren’t easily broken, but as far as Emma’s concerned, not even a marriage of convenience will have her falling under Bastian’s spell again…

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The Witch is Back by Sophie H. Morgan is a fun witchy romcom with layers and layers of deep human-type issues. It’s a childhood friends turned enemies to lovers story that entertained me from start to finish and issues that hurt my heart for the main character Emma. With several family themes that magic could never repair, the story takes on darker, more severe tones the further I got into it but still with a delightful touch of magic.

I enjoyed the relationship between Bastian and Emma. They were meant to be together, which is evident starting with the scene where they see each other again for the first time in years. The romance has a bit of steam to it, but not overly much. The miscommunication adds plenty of tension to the story. It keeps it from becoming dull, as does the magical, witchy elements, which I just adored. As a matter of fact, I would have loved to see more magic. Still, with a main character determined to live in the human world as a human, it definitely cuts into how much magic can be done.

I also enjoyed Emma’s human bar named Toil and Trouble. What a fun name for a bar that made me want to open a coffee shop with the same name. And I loved that she owned it with her two friends, who were like family to her and supported her at every turn. It’s a wonderful place for support, love, and even to bring Emma’s dog familiar.

The family themes are so sad but also uplifting. Even though Emma’s mother is the worst of the worst, her relationship with her brother and her friends is a bright light in the weighty dark atmosphere her mother creates. The story moves a bit slower than I would have liked. Still, overall it was a lovely witchy romcom with just enough magic to hold my attention until the end.

Tilly in Technicolor is Mazey Eddings’s sparkling YA debut about two neurodivergent teens who form a connection over the course of a summer.

Tilly Twomley is desperate for change. White-knuckling her way through high school with flawed executive functioning has left her burnt out and ready to start fresh. Working as an intern for her perfect older sister’s start up isn’t exactly how Tilly wants to spend her summer, but the required travel around Europe promises a much-needed change of scenery as she plans for her future. The problem is, Tilly has no idea what she wants.

Oliver Clark knows exactly what he wants. His autism has often made it hard for him to form relationships with others, but his love of color theory and design allows him to feel deeply connected to the world around him. Plus, he has everything he needs: a best friend that gets him, placement into a prestigious design program, and a summer internship to build his resume. Everything is going as planned. That is, of course, until he suffers through the most disastrous international flight of his life, all turmoil stemming from lively and exasperating Tilly. Oliver is forced to spend the summer with a girl that couldn’t be more his opposite―feeling things for her he can’t quite name―and starts to wonder if maybe he doesn’t have everything figured out after all.

As the duo’s neurodiverse connection grows, they learn that some of the best parts of life can’t be planned, and are forced to figure out what that means as their disastrously wonderful summer comes to an end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tilly in Technicolor by Mazey Eddings is the perfect love letter to neurodivergent teens entering adulthood. How Eddings can take her experiences and write about them in a way that helps people understand Autism and ADHD makes my heart happy. Having worked with teens who experience the world the way Tilly and Oliver in the novel do, I would recommend it to all YA readers to help them better understand their neurodivergent peers.

The romance between Tilly and Oliver is so charming and pure. I loved how incredibly authentic it felt. I wasn’t sure at first how someone with Autism would handle someone with ADHD, but as I followed them and watched how they learned about one another, I became convinced it was possible.

I also loved watching the two main characters, who narrate the story in alternating first-person chapters, make that transition into adulthood. It’s messy and uncertain, but Tilly, in particular, shows that she can figure it out and tackle challenges in her own way. I think it is so important to show these positive aspects. I love how utterly captivating the story and the characters are and how their story is told in such a refreshingly bold manner. It makes all the difference.

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