Ratings11
Average rating3.1
A witchy rom-com from New York Times bestseller Meg Cabot about a plus size witch who must team up with a handsome stranger to help protect her village from an otherworldly force—but will she be able to protect her heart?
It’s Magic When You Meet Your Match
In her teenage years, lovelorn Jessica Gold cast a spell that went disastrously wrong, and brought her all the wrong kind of attention—as well as a lifetime ban from the World Council of Witches.
So no one is more surprised than Jess when, fifteen years later, tall, handsome WCW member Derrick Winters shows up in her quaint little village of West Harbor and claims that Jess is the Chosen One.
She’s the Chosen One
Not chosen by West Harbor’s snobby elite to style them for the town’s tricentennial ball—though Jess owns the chicest clothing boutique in town. And not chosen finally to be on the WCW, either—not that Jess would have said yes, anyway, since she’s done with any organization that tries to dictate what makes a “true” witch.
No, Jess has been chosen to help save West Harbor itself . . .
As Summer Ends, Her Power Grows
But just when Jess is beginning to think that she and Derrick might have a certain magic of their own—and not of the supernatural variety—Jess learns he may not be who she thought he was.
And suddenly Jess finds herself having to make another kind of choice: trust Derrick and work with him to combat the sinister force battling to bring down West Harbor, or use her gift as she always has: to keep herself, and her heart, safe.
Can she work her magic in time?
Series
1 primary bookWitches of West Harbor is a 1-book series first released in 2023 with contributions by Meg Cabot.
Reviews with the most likes.
Cozy Paranormal Small Town Apocalyptic Romantic Mystery. Holy shit, what a combination of genres we have here. This is absolutely one of those "cozy" mysteries you keep hearing about - there aren't any bodies or even any particularly dark secrets here, and the focus is more on the lighter, almost Hallmarkie, side of things. But there is active witchcraft involved in this small town... and possibly (absolutely) a few other paranormal elements, but that gets into spoiler territory. And the mystery involves an almost Buffy the Vampire Slayer type Apocalypse... but *only* for this particular small town. Yes, it may face annihilation but the world as a whole will be perfectly fine. And of course we have the requisite "Angel" type character for our more grown-up "Buffy", the dark and mysterious dude with serious connection issues yet who manages to "randomly" connect with our female lead. But hey, it all works, it all has a more relaxed yet serious vibe, there's quite a bit of humor and heart here. I mean, really... what more do you actually want? Bodies? Erotica? World wide catastrophe? Well, if you want those last three... as I've alluded to or outright said earlier in the review, this book aint that. But if you're looking for a more relaxed read by the fireplace or while the kids are at yet another practice or some such... this is a great book for that. Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
Enchanted to Meet You by Meg Cabot was a funny and enjoyable fantasy romantic comedy with excellent fall vibes in a cozy small town, perfect for the Halloween season. Enchanted to Meet You stars a witch named Jessica who lives in a small Connecticut town and owns a cute clothing boutique. The fun begins shortly before Halloween when Derrick comes into her shop and tells her about a prophecy that might involve her. This book had delightful main characters as well as great side character friends. It also has some flashbacks to events from Jessica's high school days, and has chapters from the perspectives of both Jessica and Derrick. Meg Cabot's narrative style is friendly, light, and funny. If you're looking for a fun romantic comedy to read this fall, Enchanted to Meet You is a great choice. Tropes/themes: fake dating, witches, small town in peril, Halloween season, forced proximity, mid-2000s high school flashbacks, dual timeline, multiple POVs, romantic comedy Thank you to NetGalley and @Avonbooks for my digital Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.
3/5
I've got mixed feelings about this book.
The descriptjon promised something else entirely. It said that Jess would find out that Derrick was lying to her but she would be forced to team up with him to save her town.
And it seemed like he would be the enemy.
Instead, the big secret was only that Derrick was a son of goddess Gaia, and THAT'S IT. And we (and Jess) didn't learn of it until 80% of the book.
Also, the fact that main character readily believed the woman who hated her was laughable.
Amd she wasn't forced to team up with him, not at all. She forgave him literally the next day.
So really, the description promised something entorely else and it spoiled a part of the book in the process.
And the scary demons that would destroy the town? Defeated by a 16 year old girl's speech? Oh, come on. That was ridicullous. Why did she had to train her powers then? The book and decription was preparing us for a big battle and what we got was a letdown. Honestly, I'm disappointed.
The romance is cute though. Derrick and Jess are a cute couple but I just didn't care enough. And the change in perspective - Jess's in first person and Derrick's in third person was jarring to say the least. I would have preferred them to be both in the same person and for more chapters from Derrick's point of view.
Speaking of characters, I'm not sure what was the deal with Billy. Half of the book seemed like he was still in love with Jess and tried to win her back, part of the book seemed like he wanted to avoid her, and another part that he was deeply in love with Rosalie and dodn't care about Jess. It was a mess, honestly.
Overall, the book was cute and the vibes were also,just like the romance. But it wasn't wbat I was expecting based on the description which I'm dissapointed in.