Name: There's Magic Between Us
ISBN: 9781733863513

Jillian Maria

Carefree city girl meets determined small-town girl in this young adult fantasy romance packed full of faerie magic and giddy crushes.

There's Magic Between Us

Jude Silberfeld

4.5⭐️ – When she told her grandma she hoped to visit soon, sixteen-year-old Lydia meant it in a polite way, not in an I’ll-be-there-next-week way. Her grandmother was so happy though that when her mother drives her from Chicago to the tiny town of Fairbrooke, Wisconsin, Lydia vows to make the most of the week. Even without other people her age, even without wifi and with crappy cell service. Despite everything her mother – who couldn’t leave town fast enough – told her about the forest next to her grandmother’s property, Lydia can’t help being curious. The woods don’t look as dangerous as her mom insisted and she feels strangely safe there. When she meets Eden, a mysterious girl her age, who invites Lydia to join her on a treasure hunt in the forest, the week suddenly looks a lot more exciting.

I don’t know what I expected when I opened this book but it kept surprising me. It’s told in first person from Lydia’s point of view and I simply loved her. She’s both your typical teenager and not. She’s a rebel and she’s kind, she’s fierce and impulsive, she’s sassy, she’s flawed, she’s adorable. She’s out and proud and definitely not afraid of being loud about it… until a pretty girl catches her attention. She then has unexpectedly shy moments and she’s terribly cute. She’s the kind of well-adjusted girl (despite what others might think) who says stuff like “And okay, she’s super cute and I’m a useless pansexual who sort of likes the idea of helping a damsel in distress” and how could you not love her? The chapter titles sum up her thoughts in the most perfect way. They’re funny and loud.

There’s Magic Between Us begins as a light YA story, funny in a sarcastic kind of way, full of energy and enthusiasm. Pretty soon, Lydia – and the reader with her – realises that things aren’t what they seem at all. Keeping an open mind when you’re a blasé teenager is easier said than done, but Lydia soon learns that magic is real and that Eden’s treasure hunt is a lot more serious and a lot more dangerous than she expected.

The story gets darker and darker, progressively. Fear not, there’s a happy ending. To get there though, Lydia and Eden will have to be strong, smart and brave.

I don’t want to say too much about Eden, it would be easy to spoil, and I loved being surprised. Suffice it to say I liked her character a lot. The single POV makes sense for this story but I would love to know more about how she feels about everything. If the author ever decides to write a sequel to this book, maybe it could be told from her side. Lydia and Eden also have this way of talking about things that feels so normal and yet mature but not unbelievably so.

Among the secondary characters, my favourites are Lydia’s grandmother, her mother (I would have loved a bit more of her too) and the genderfluid fae I won’t discuss further because, again, spoilers.

This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed it a lot. I liked the style, the tone, the pace and, most of all, the characters. When I finished reading, I was going to give this book 4⭐️ because it’s really good. But now, two days later, as I reread this review, I realise how much I love Lydia, even more than I thought while reading. I’d love to read more in her voice. So I guess that’s more than just really good. Maybe I’m overrating it a little, maybe I’m not. Read the book, decide for yourself.

I received a copy from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Paige Green

Disclaimer:. I received this e-arc from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: There's Magic Between Us

Author: Jillian Maria

Book Series: Standalone for now

Diversity: Pansexual MC, F/f romance, Lesbian love interest, Gender fluid side character

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: Young adults, fantasy, fae, sapphic

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publication Date: July 6, 2021

Publisher: Indie Published

Pages: 324

Recommended Age: 14+ (Language, Parental death, Teen pregnancy, Kidnapping mention, Victim blaming)

Explanation of CWs: 

Synopsis: A diehard city girl, 16-year-old Lydia Barnes is reluctant to spend a week in her grandma’s small town. But hidden beneath Fairbrooke’s exterior of shoddy diners and empty farms, there’s a forest that calls to her. In it, she meets Eden: blunt, focused, and fascinating. She claims to be hunting fae treasure, and while Lydia laughs it off at first, it quickly becomes obvious that Eden’s not joking—magic is real.

Lydia joins the treasure hunt, thrilled by all the things it offers her. Things like endless places in the forest to explore and a friendship with Eden that threatens to blossom into something more. But even as she throws herself into her new adventure, some questions linger. Why did her mom keep magic a secret? Why do most of the townspeople act like the forest is evil? It seems that, as much as Lydia would like to pretend otherwise, not everything in Fairbrooke is as bright and easy as a new crush…

Review: I absolutely loved this book! It was so cute and magical. I loved the characters and I really really loved how strong willed and sassy Lydia, our MC, was. I also loved the world building and the character development of all of the characters. I really loved the addition of the fae magic as well and I liked that it didn't lean too heavily on fae. I thought the plot was great and if you're looking for a quick sapphic read then this will be your book!

The only issues I had with the book is that I felt like the book had too fast of a pace for some of the moments. Sometimes I'd be reading and it felt like I was running 100mph and I'd blink and we'd be at another section of the book. I also thought the ending was too fast and I wish there was more time to have carved it out some more.

Verdict: Highly recommend!

There's Magic Between Us

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