Salem – Past Midnight Book Reviews & More

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Before I Do

Author: Sophie Cousens

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 10/11/22

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Categories: Romance, Wedding, Women’s Fiction

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

What would you do if ‘the one that got away’ turned up the night before your wedding?

Head-in-the-stars Audrey is about to marry down-to-earth Josh. Though they are polar opposites, they have a healthy, stable relationship; Josh is just what Audrey needs. But romance should be unpredictable and full of fireworks, and as the big day approaches, Audrey’s found herself wondering if Josh really is The One.

So, when Josh’s sister shows up to the rehearsal dinner with Fred, Audrey’s What If? guy–the man she met six years ago and had one amazing day with–Audrey finds herself torn. Surely Fred’s appearance the night before she is due to get married can’t be a coincidence. And when everything that could go wrong with the wedding starts to go wrong, Audrey has to ask herself: Is fate trying to stop her from making a huge mistake? Or does destiny just have a really twisty sense of humour?

Content Warning: divorce, sexual harassment

Sophie Cousens is becoming a must read author for me. I read one of her books last year and decided to request this one because I liked it so much. She did it again! I really enjoyed this one so let’s take a look at what did and didn’t work for me:

+ I usually hate jumping timelines, but I was hooked from the prologue! There are a few timelines: the present timeline – where Audrey is about to get married. We also follow her childhood to get an idea of her home life and what made her feel underserving of happiness plus how she came to view love and marriage as an adult. Lastly, there is another timeline involving the guy who “got away” – was he the one? I think the way the timelines are written is done so well.

+ Audrey questions if her fiancé, Josh, is really her soul mate or is it that guy, Fred, from the past who she can’t stop thinking about? Is she supposed to follow the signs and fate? Or is she supposed to stick to what’s solid and there for her, like Josh? At some moments the book reminded me of the movies Serendipity and The Wedding Singer…haha – in good ways! I found Audrey so relatable in the ways she questioned soul mates or how she felt about Fred in the past and Josh in the present.

+ I honestly loved Audrey’s meet cute with Fred – I can see why she never forgot about him. But I also fell in love with how she met Josh and how their relationship grew over time. I was Team Josh but because the way the timelines are written, I really wasn’t sure what Audrey was going to do! I was worried for her and it kept me engaged in the story.

+ I love the side characters like her best-friend Clara, who give us a tiny glimpse into her life and dealing with having twins. And Josh’s sister Miranda represented the bridesmaid who is never the bride and feeling bad about it. Honestly weddings bring out the worst emotions in people sometimes. It’s stressful for everyone but I found everyone gathered for the wedding so much fun because of the chaos.

+ This book was full of emotions when it came to the story of Audrey, her dad, and their shared love of astronomy. Then there is her relationship with Josh which in essence is sweet because they are opposites but that’s why they work even though sometimes it got challenging.

~ Oh Audrey was about to throw it all away because she was stressed out about Fred! It was stressing me out because Fred was barely in her life except for as a memory about a day!

~ Audrey’s mother is her own person but she really broke up their family and let Audrey see her go in and out of relationships not even thinking of the consequences. I thought she was lucky Audrey loved her so much and was so forgiving of her constant infidelity. I don’t think i could have been that forgiving! But I think it shows how Audrey was mature enough to let her mother be who she was and not make it her problem – except for Benedict, who is a despicable man.

Tropes: opposites attract, what ifs

Spice Level: 🌶

Why you should read it:

it’s a heart felt story filled with humor, emotion, chaos, bad omens, and love
great writing – the timelines really drew me into the story, making me want to find out what happened at the wedding!
Audrey’s story: her past with her mom and dad, her mom’s infidelity, her own dating choices before meeting Josh, and her what if guy-Fred…I was sucked into the story

Why you might not want to read it:

Some people might not be a fan of Audrey having cold feet about Josh before the wedding, but marriage is a big step and weddings are super stressful.

My Thoughts:

This story is entertaining, engaging, funny, sweet and heart warming. I was invested in Audrey and her photo booth meet cute with Fred and then boring Josh comes along and what do you know…he’s not that boring after all. I love this story and it just makes me want to read more books from this author!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Here are other books by this author that I have read or reviewed on this blog:

Just Haven’t Met You Yet by. Sophie Cousens | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Spells for Lost Things

Author: Jenna Evans Welch

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 9/27/22

Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, Coming of Age, Family, Witches, Contemporary, Teen Readers

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Willow has never felt like she belonged anywhere and is convinced that the only way to find a true home is to travel the world. But her plans to act on her dream are put on hold when her aloof and often absent mother drags Willow to Salem, Massachusetts, to wrap up the affairs of an aunt Willow didn’t even know she had. An aunt who may or may not have been a witch.

There, she meets Mason, a loner who’s always felt out of place and has been in and out of foster homes his entire life. He’s been classified as one of the runaways, constantly searching for ways to make it back to his mom; even if she can’t take care of him, it’s his job to try and take care of her. Isn’t it?

Naturally pulled to one another, Willow and Mason set out across Salem to discover the secret past of Willow’s mother, her aunt, and the ambiguous history of her family. During all of this, the two can’t help but act on their natural connection. But with the amount of baggage between them—and Willow’s growing conviction her family might be cursed—can they manage to hold onto each other?

Content Warning: foster care, parent with drug addiction, running away, divorce

I requested this book because I loved the colors of the book cover and the title. I love books about witches. The name of the author seemed so familiar to me and of course it is, since she wrote the Love & Gelato series. Here is what did and didn’t work for me:

+ I love Willow and Mason. The characters don’t meet until about 20% into the story but we get a good background of Willow and her need to travel, her feelings of being trapped with a mom who has pushed her away and a dad busy with his new family. Mason’s mom is a drug addict and he’s been in the foster care system for a long time but all he wants is to be with his mom again, but he can’t find her. He moves to a new foster family but maybe this time it will be different or not.

+ The story is set in Salem, Massachusetts and with their history of witches its the perfect setting. Willow learns more of her mother’s secretive past there and meets Mason. I love uncovering the Bell women’s past, including meeting Willow’s aunts who all dabble in a little witchcraft – they are so sweet and funny. The restored house that is part of the secret history sounds absolutely magical.

+ The romance is sweet and really beautiful. I love how Willow and Mason meet, become friends and partners, but feel a magical bond between them. They are still young and have a future wide open to them but I love how they start falling for one another even with their futures undecided. I like the hope of the two of them together.

+ I found myself tearing up at the end of this story mostly because of Mason’s story. He’s had a tough time and all he wants is his mom. He has to realize in the end that she might not be the best person to raise him and I can only imagine his pain and hurt. It’s a surprisingly emotional story! On the other hand, Willow has her own issues with her mom and it does get resolved in the end. I’m just happy Willow found her family and home…same as Mason.

~ Willow’s mom is a hard one to crack – she’s kept her past secret and it hurt Willow a lot. Willow doesn’t know her mom like she thought and I was so frustrated with her mom because all Willow wants, is to be close to her mom. It’s a sad situation. This book was about romance and family, but definitely the bonds between a mom and her child which I can relate to.

~ I thought Nova, one of Mason’s new sister was an interesting character who was there in the beginning but as Mason and Willow spent more time together, we heard less of her – but I’d love to know more about her!

~ the characters don’t meet right away and I do wish they meet sooner. We get a lot of background information on Willow and Mason in the first few chapters, but I do think some of that could have moved quicker to them meeting.

Tropes: broken families, family secrets, first love

Why you should read it:

it’s a heartfelt story with innocent romance, and tells a story about bonds between sisters, family, mom and child
it’s got a little bit of witchcraft, and mystery
Willow and Mason’s romance is the sweetest thing
Willow and Mason have their personal life challenges and I like that each had to deal with it in their own way, but they come out safe and loved in the end

Why you might not want to read it:

it’s not a book about witchcraft – there isn’t much of it

My Thoughts:

This is such a heartwarming story, especially around the themes around family and moms. Mason’s story brought tears to my eyes as he struggles with moving to a new foster home and trying to find his mom. I love that he meets Willow in the process, a girl who is always dealing with trying to find a place that feels like home. There isn’t much witchcraft in the story but I feel like whatever was tied to witches or witchcraft was used to help them hope for something better for both of them in their separate situations. Lovely story and I look forward to reading more from this author.