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A review by alainasanders
Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle
lighthearted
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I loved this book! It was the perfect blend of christmas cheer, and realistic family dynamics. Even though it was magical (the whole Christmas spirit granting wishes thing) it felt very real and grounded, like it was written about a real family.
The magic rules in this felt so open-ended and a little random, which I loved. It felt like this was only a piece of the spirits and magic that this book world had, and the possibilities could be endless.
The magic rules in this felt so open-ended and a little random, which I loved. It felt like this was only a piece of the spirits and magic that this book world had, and the possibilities could be endless.
In this book Bettie comes from a very wealthy and famous family. (kardashian esque -but not really- although I could totally see Athena as a kardashian) And after blowing all her money, and having people wreck her online image, she’s now living in a broken down house in an as cold as it can get city. (🎶livin’ la vida broka🎶) She’s also lying to her family and the internet, who thinks she still has money. When in her low of lows she plays a record player backwards and summons an attractive christmas spirit ‘Hall’ to her house, she is overwhelmed with the possibilities. She can get back at anyone who has ever wronged her, show up at her family’s Christmas with fancy and expensive gifts for all her family members, prove to her family that she’s doing well in life, get a new house, get another new house, own a yacht, and the list goes on. But when Hall can’t grant the wishes in the way she wanted, and she starts opening up her heart, she starts to wonder if expensive things, and upstaging her family is really what she wants for Christmas.
TROPES: Spoilers ahead (these are just some I remember, don’t come for me if I forget some)
-fake dating/engagement
-Rich/wealthy characters
-forced proximity
-holiday/christmas
-opposites attract
-slight sunshine x grumpy
-magic
Thank you to Netgalley and penguin random house publishing for an e-arc of this book in exchange for a fair review.
Thank you to Netgalley and penguin random house publishing for an e-arc of this book in exchange for a fair review.