Payback's a Witch: an absolutely spellbinding romcom (The Witches of Thistle Grove Book 1)

We follow Emmy who is a witch loving away from her magical hometown, family and witchy responsibilities. Upon her return to Thistle Grove, she is confronted by the reasons she left and in charge of chaperoning a set of challenges for the leading magical families. 👀I LOVED this. The magic system? Obsessed. The queer rep? PERFECT. The discoveries of Emmy’s history whilst she explored her place, purpose and path in life? Gripping. This ticked so many boxes for me, to be honest! 🌟I absolutely loved the tournament vibes that we got from the challenges; these brought action and fast plot pacing to the revenge plot line. I loved seeing the relationships (familial, romantic, friendly and with Emmy’s self) develop and be worked on. I felt like I was right there with them. 🥹If you’re after some revenge fuelled alliances between witchy families, with self discovery, humour and queer romance thrown in, PICK UP THIS BOOK! You won’t regret it. 🤩

So much fun and the first witchy fic I’ve read that centres an lgbtq+ relationship! Really excited that there’s more sequels

Payback's a Witch by Lana HarperEmmy Harlow is a witch but not a very powerful one—in part because she hasn't been home to the magical town of Thistle Grove in years. Her self-imposed exile has a lot to do with a complicated family history and a desire to forge her own way in the world, and only the very tiniest bit to do with Gareth Blackmoore, heir to the most powerful magical family in town and casual breaker of hearts and destroyer of dreams.But when a spellcasting tournament that her family serves as arbiters for approaches, it turns out the pull of tradition (or the truly impressive parental guilt trip that comes with it) is strong enough to bring Emmy back. She's determined to do her familial duty; spend some quality time with her best friend, Linden Thorn; and get back to her real life in Chicago.This book was recommended to me and I have very mixed feelings about i it. I really wanted to enjoy it and I enjoyed the setting but it fell a little bit short of what I was expecting. I know people that have really enjoyed this book but for me it was just too slow although I am open to reading future books in the series.Rating 3/5

If you like fantasy witch craft stories with a queer flare then this book is perfect! I also really like that each book in the series follows a different character and a different orientation, gay, straight, non binary...plus there's none of that having to explain your orientation rubbish, the characters just like who they like and its left at that!

Payback’s a Witch has been on my kindle for about 6 months now and I’ve finally gotten around to reading it. I downloaded it about the time I read The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling.I devoured the first half of the book on the plane and then when I came back home I had to dive into uni work so it’s taken me quite a while to finish it! The characters are great - sarcastic, witty, emotional, fiery. It’s kind of similar to The Ex Hex and other paranormal stereotypes with duelling founding families, grimoires and a magic current surrounding the town.This is a paranormal f/f romance about finding yourself, your place in the world and learning to be happy. I’m not sure what to read next to get over it but starting with What the Hex by Alexis Daria on audible might just be the ticket!

This was such a fun light-hearted read that I enjoyed from beginning to end. My only issue was that if you're going to go down the immature (no shade on that) payback route I would have really liked more actual immature payback throughout the book rather than what we got - I was hoping for a little more John Tucker Must die vibes. Saying that I probably will pick up the sequel for my gal Talia because she was great!

An excellent story of returning home to take up duty, and figuring out, is it still home, what has changed, what needs to change and what do you really want.

It was just *chefs kiss* so cute and the romance was like a teasing slow burn. My poor friend has had her hands full with me blabbing away about the book everyday 😂

condizioni non proprio bellissime, era pieno di colla sulla copertina davanti e ci ho impiegato un’ora per toglierla

I was recommended it as a "cosy fantasy read", which, in my opinion, it isn't.However, I still think it was a really nice read. Our protagonist and narrator, Emmy, has some really fun quotes, and I can't deny that this book made me smile a lot!The romance between the two characters was really nice, I think they had some cool alchemy, and I absolutely loved their interactions.The city in which it takes place, Thistle Grove, felt a little plane to me, though, but there were still some nice descriptions.I would also have loved to get more "witchy stuff", because in the end, I feel like this part wasn't exploited as it could have been.It may not be my favourite book of the year, but I really had a nice and enjoyable time with it, and I'll probably still try to read the next volume!

There’s so much fantasy into this book that your imagination creates a whole movie in your mind, and the visual effects are amazing.Never stop believing in yourself.Sometimes, you need a little help from your family and friends to realize that you, in your little, are one heck of a powerful creature.A return-to-home with adventure, fireworks, passion, challenges, and an incredible misunderstood and mysterious character: Talia. Got a soft spot for darkness.If you want to dream and have a 3D experience while reading, you need to read this. Power to the books!What a gift to imagination this book is!Knowledge is all. Have faith.

From first page to last. I loved the world, the MCs, the developement and their growing and rising up above their self constructed borders. Best read I had over the last years. And that means something considering the amount of books I wolfed down these times.

Loved it. New to tk reread.