The Charmed List | ARC Review

After spending most of high school as the quiet girl, Ellie Kobata is ready to take some risks and have a life-changing summer, starting with her Anti-Wallflower List—thirteen items she’s going to check off one by one. She’s looking forward to riding rollercoasters, making her art Instagram public (maybe), and going on an epic road-trip with her best friend Lia.

But when number four on Ellie’s list goes horribly wrong—revenge on Jack Yasuda—she’s certain her summer has gone from charmed to cursed. Instead of a road trip with Lia, Ellie finds herself stuck in a car with Jack driving to a magical convention. But as Ellie and Jack travel down the coast of California, number thirteen on her list—fall in love—may be happening without her realizing it.

This book was so cute! I loved the magical bits that were combined with everything I love about contemporary romance novels. It was such a fun book!

Ellie was a great main character! She was a little sassy, passionate about so many things, and really good at holding a grudge. It was so great to follow her as she worked on her “anti-wallflower” bucket list. Her character development throughout the book as she learned who she wanted to be moving forward and what relationships she wanted to continue was inspirational. I just loved that she was the main character.

I love the magical world Abe built! It was just detailed enough to have some uniqueness, but not so complex that I didn’t easily learn it. It reminded me of “Glimpsed” or “Instant Karma” and I loved it.

Also, this book was very clean. By that, I mean the language was mild and there was no sexual content, but there was still plenty of romantic tension.

A few tropes I loved:
-one bed
-ex-bff
-enemies to lovers
-slow burn

Overall, I loved this book so much and wish I could read a hundred more like it! It was magical, romantic, and everything I was hoping it would be. I full heartedly recommend it!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating

To check out my other reviews, click here. Or to check out more books by Julie Abe, go to her Goodreads profile or visit her website.