Name: Steph's review of Witch Please by Ann Aguirre
Item: Witch Please
Rating: 3.5
Author: Steph

Ann Aguirre

Danica Waterhouse is a fully modern witch--daughter, granddaughter, cousin, and co-owner of the Fix-It Witches, a magical tech repair shop. After a messy breakup that included way too much family "feedback," Danica made a pact with her cousin: they'll keep their hearts protected and have fun, without involving any of the overly opinionated Waterhouse matriarchs. Danica is more than a little exhausted navigating a long-standing family feud where Gram thinks the only good mundane is a dead one and Danica's mother weaves floral crowns for anyone who crosses her path. Three blocks down from the Fix-It Witches, Titus Winnaker, owner of Sugar Daddy's bakery, has family trouble of his own. After a tragic loss, all he's got left is his sister, the bakery, and a lifetime of terrible luck in love. Sure, business is sweet, but he can't seem to shake the romantic curse that's left him past thirty and still a virgin. He's decided he's doomed to be forever alone. Until he meets Danica Waterhouse. The sparks are instant, their attraction irresistible. For him, she's the one. To her, he's a firebomb thrown in the middle of a family war. Can a modern witch find love with an old-fashioned mundane who refuses to settle for anything less than forever?

Witch Please

Steph

Very very cute small-town witchy romance. Characters in their 30’s. Bisexual male MC. Exploring complicated family relationships. Lightly spicy - healthily written with explicit consent. Fast easy read with a lovely happily ever after. 

Sophia 

This book was okay.  A lot of the pop culture references were a bit too on the nose for my tastes.  Including passing information about the pandemic also felt a bit forced and will dramatically date the book.  And are we really going to end this book glossing over the familial trauma that never resolved?  I can't say I'll be picking up the sequel.

Catherine Tepper

Gillian Rose

Ahhh, this was as sweet as I imagine Titus' cinnamon rolls to be! Just the right kind of romance I love to read with good banter and steamy sex scenes. Danica was so much fun, and I couldn't stop swooning over Titus. I will say that her grandmother really got on my nerves though.

Fátima

You see, I was facing my biggest reading slump yet when they approved this arc for me, and I wanted to scream because God, this cover is just so beautiful but I couldn't bring myself to read the book. So I decided to take a break and give it the opportunity when I was feeling a little better. And so I did it.

First of all, excuse me if there's any mistakes of grammar or something, this is not my first language and I'm still practicing it. Second of all, I really liked this book. It's not my favorite in the whole world, but it was a cute read to pass the time. I feel like the concept of modern witches was funny and entertaining, and I liked that there was diversity and the story, but there was something so... convenient? Yeah, let's call it that, convenient about all of this. Like, all the stuff with the curse in Danika's family, how they know the truth just until the end? Why nobody asked questions way before?? The grandmother was making all of their lives miserable and they never asked anything about it, I mean... 

Also, I think the romance was so sudden, they were in love way too fast for my liking, but again, they had a reason for that to happen and it's reveled at the end, so I'll take it, but can you see where I'm coming from with the convenient factor thing?

I liked the characters too. I don't know why I didn't feel any deep connections with them, because they were endearing and had hilarious thoughts all the time. Let's blame that on me, I guess. There was something I just didn't click with, and that's okay because it doesn't made me hate it or dislike it. Maybe it was the practically instant romance they had... I wanted angst, pinning and forbidden love, all with funny banter and slow burn... because the premise of the book have all the potential for it. But they were in love since the beginning and Titus wanted to marry her since he saw her for the first time. I think this sounds romantic in the theory... but in practice, not so much.

I also laughed out loud when they explained why Titus had terrible luck in love since he was young and remain a virgin all that time. Poor guy, he had no idea. But again, all that situation could be handled in a different way... I felt like it didn't have the importance they made it seem to have in the sinopsis, and it was over without much thought. I mean, I guess it's better not to put much idea in it, after all is a social construction and all that, but the concept of a male virgin love interest it's quite rare, and it would be interesting to see it develop the way it is with female ones. Like that would be cool, you know? See the roles reverse just for once.

Overall, like I said in the beginning, it was a cute read. It has diversity, it has family drama and friendships... and I think this series has so much potential. Looking forward to the next one.

Very cute romance about a midwestern witch who falls in love with a sweet unproblematic bi king. Don't think the whole bit about the bf being virgin was neccesary and her powers controlling only technology are a little lack luster. Very Sabrina -esque. Pretty PG until you hit the sex scenes.

Abbey

Emma

I wanted so badly to like this book... but it was so cringe-y that I could barely get through it. So many pop culture references that will immediately date this book. Getting insight into Titus' out of control anxiety thoughts was painful and repetitive (my dude. please. seek therapy). It is a very sweet story, very light, very fluffy, with a bit of smut to wrap up the book. I simply personally could not bring myself to care about any of the characters except for the coven sisters that didn't get much time. I DID appreciate the lgbt+ inclusion, sex positivity, and casual consent checking.

Megan BV

I really liked this. It was cute and I read it in less than a day. Some drama is a bit forced and could have been solved with a few quick conversations but sometimes I guess we all just love the torture. 😂 I love the chemistry between the two main characters and I’m excited to read the next book. 

Alexa Auerbach 

This is close to a 3.5? The first half of the book was great. Then there were two subplots thrown in that I felt didn’t need to be there? I loved the characters. Just felt a little all over the place.

Lauren Sullivan

Content notes: (view spoiler)[Death of MC’s mom from illness (off-page, before book starts), grief, toxic family, property damage, fatmisia (immediately challenged by character), blackmail, threats to hurt character (hide spoiler)]

Yes, the book is just as sweet and adorable as the cover suggests. At one point, Titus feels like he’s “stumbled into a mystic portal where everything was weirder and more interesting and infinitely better” which honestly is a pretty good description of how I felt reading this book.

Danica and her cousin Clem manage a repair shop called Fix-It Witches in a small midwestern town. Their secret? They are actually mechanically-inclined witches who use their magic to repair malfunctioning appliances. Her life’s pretty great, except that the elderly neighbor’s cat won’t stop popping up on her porch (Danica’s allergic to cats) and, oh, the fact that her ex of several years is happily planning to marry his new girlfriend. And then in walks Titus, the local bakery owner, with an issue with one of his ovens. Her book club – aka coven – calls him the CinnaMan, partially for his delicious cinnamon rolls and partially because he’s ridiculously handsome. But, also true to that name, he’s very sweet, and Danica can’t seem to resist him, even if he is a mundane. She intends to have a simple no-emotions-involved fling to get him out of her system, but then all of a sudden she’s meeting up with him at a park bench everyday for lunch, bringing him juice concoctions and sampling his attempts at updating old-fashioned treats to be healthier. That’s what people do with hookups, right?

“Are you all right?” she asked instead of a more conventional greeting.
“I…think so?”
“You don’t sound sure.”
“It’s because I never realized beauty could be a blunt object before.”
“Are you saying that you’ve been assaulted by my attractiveness?”

From their meet-cute, Danica and Titus are ridiculously adorable together (and horny, very horny). Their banter starts out very silly – Titus has a quirky sense of humor, which Danica gets completely – but gets hotter as their relationship progresses. Titus is literally the CinnaMan cinnamon roll. He’s sweet and kinda, and he even has a dog named Doris whom he loves dearly (and lets take up most of his bed). He works and lives with his younger sister and they have a great relationship (the relationship with the rest of his family… well, I’ll get to that later). Like Danica’s aforementioned ex woes, he’s also been unlucky in love, and frankly considers himself cursed. Things with Danica feel different, though, and he’s terrified of somehow ruining this relationship as well.

“Why do you have to be both absurdly hot and wickedly smart?”

On Danica’s end, she’s got her own expectations causing issues. Witches can’t tell mundanes they exist; they’re ensorcelled at birth to alert the witch council if they do, and offending parties are mind-wiped/turned into animals. Danica thinks that there’s a curse on her family where if she marries a mundane, she’ll lose her magic, like her mother. Nothing, she imagines, could be worth sacrificing the bonds of friendship she has with her coven. So no matter how much of a connection she feels to Titus, any sort of relationship with him has no future… but she can’t quite keep away from him, even when her nearest and dearest are dead-set against the relationship.

One of the things I liked in this book was its exploration of family. Danica’s grandmother claims she only wants the best for her, and that’s why she keeps pushing her to make a match with a witch from an old, established family. Problem is, they’re all jerks who are only interested in her for her pedigree. Titus’s dad remarried shortly after his mother died and moved away from the town they grew up in, leaving Titus and his younger sister Maya in order to play step-dad to his newest wife’s kids. To say his actions are hurtful, well, that would be downplaying Titus and Maya’s feelings, and they don’t really want anything to do with his new family. But as each character gets various bombshells dropped on them by their families, they’re each forced to reckon with their own definitions of families and needed boundaries. Each character makes different choices in how they deal with them, and they felt true to the character.

There’s definite sequel bait with Danica’s cousin, Clem, and the witch hunter who comes into town, and several plot threads involving him are left hanging. To be honest, I had mixed feelings about Clem. She seemed very harsh to Danica when it was obvious to everyone else how much she was hurting and I’m curious how much overlap there will be between her book and this one.

Overall, this was an adorable and hot read. Definitely recommend reading this one with at least one gooey cinnamon roll handy!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Tatiana Alvarez 

4.5!

This book is such a cute little witchy rom com. Danika and Titus are absolutely adorable. What I love most about their dynamic is how their characters are written. Danica is written more as the dominant, protector role that is usually reserved for males in romcoms. Titus is definitely a cinnamon bun character like he’s perfect.

If you are in need of a quick fun read that this is definitely the book you want to check out.

Esther

[...] he drove home, plugged the Leaf in to charge, and then went to play with his dog Doris.
more characters should be environmentally conscious and drive an electric car, it also helps if they are cute dog loving bakers

Nikki van Zoom

This book is described as being a crossing between Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls, and that's no lie! I absolutely LOVED IT!!! The small town vibes, the bond between two cousins raised as sisters... The chemistry between Danica and Titus is off the charts, it definitely made my heart flutter a bunch of times. I love how Danica is so accepting over the fact that Titus is bisexual, and doesn't even ask questions about it ones. And how Titus is so open about her "being pagan". Throughout the entire book I was so certain that this was going to be a 5-star read for me. Unfortunately the ending did leave me a bit unsatisfied, mainly the whole situation with the witch hunter. Because of the ending, I have to knock off half a point and rate it 4.5/5 stars. As it's not a full 5-stars for me, I'm rounding it down to 4-stars. And I'm hoping that the next book will anwer the questions that I have left. 

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author, for providing me with an eARC in return for an honest review.

laura

I thought this was a fun read. I really liked both characters and also loved how the world was built in this read. I look foward to future books as the world gets more complicated. I also thought the romance was fun and engaging. It def a very steamy read and i was not expecting that but it was a fast read. I also loved the male baker aspect and it was a very fun read!! I will def check out book 2!!

Amanda J 

OMG loved it! The beginning starts out a little slow. But the banter from the beginning is great. So many good lines that made me lol. My only thing was that something is just a little off with the characters, they're almost too stock-character; it's hard to describe.

Regardless, the ending of this book made it 5 stars. The 3rd act conflict is resolved timely and get to spend time in their HEA. Like I kept waiting for unnecessary drama but never came. So great.

An issue that would've bugged me if the ending hadn't been perfect, was the dangling plot threads (view spoiler)[grandma's reaction and the whole witch hunter thing (hide spoiler)]. But as there is a book 2 coming, I'm sure it'll be resolved then. Still, Danica and Titus' story is complete in this book.

Renee Delcourt

I think this was a cute contemporary romance. I wouldn't call it a fantasy romance at all since the magic aspect is so minimal that if your looking for a strong punch of fantasy romance, I wouldn't suggest this. I think it's cute and fluffy and sometimes a bit unrealistic, but I kind of knew that going in. I think the only aspect that really grated on me is the focus on Titus' virginity. The first and second time didn't bother me, but the fact it kept being brought up felt really ridiculous. I would definitely read the rest of the series though. Its fun and cheesy in the best way.

Ava Shaffer

ok i’m sorry but i did not enjoy this book at all!! the dialogue was so unnatural, there was barely any magic in it, the characters were lifeless & boring, there was way too much unnecessary detail, and the title !!! who decided that 😭😭

Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls in this adorable witchy rom-com with: A bisexual virgin baker with a curse A witch looking to avoid romantic entanglements And a chemistry between them that causes literal sparks Danica Waterhouse is a fully modern witch—daughter, granddaughter, cousin, and co-owner of the Fix-It Witches, a magical tech repair shop. After a messy breakup that included way too much family "feedback," Danica made a pact with her cousin: they'll keep their hearts protected and have fun, without involving any of the overly opinionated Waterhouse matriarchs. Danica is more than a little exhausted navigating a long-standing family feud where Gram thinks the only good mundane is a dead one and Danica's mother weaves floral crowns for anyone who crosses her path. Three blocks down from the Fix-It Witches, Titus Winnaker, owner of Sugar Daddy's bakery, has family trouble of his own. After a tragic loss, all he's got left is his sister, the bakery, and a lifetime of terrible luck in love. Sure, business is sweet, but he can't seem to shake the romantic curse that's left him past thirty and still a virgin. He's decided he's doomed to be forever alone. Until he meets Danica Waterhouse. The sparks are instant, their attraction irresistible. For him, she's the one. To her, he's a firebomb thrown in the middle of a family war. Can a modern witch find love with an old-fashioned mundane who refuses to settle for anything less than forever?

Rebecca McKay

Cute rom com with all the cheesy, lovey elements. Easy Halloween read with a bit of a twist. Great for a weekend with some tea or hot cider curled up under a warm blanket. Better plot development, and more NSFW than a hallmark movie but quick easy read, especially if you're trying to get out of a reading slump.

b.andherbooks

What an absolute delight of a romance. A cinnamon roll bisexual virgin baker who bakes actual cinnamon rolls? A witch who owns an appliance repair shop with her cousin called "The Fix-It Witches"? The horniest yet sweetest vibes? Casually diverse and queer small-town with a cast of characters who I want to read more more and more about? All of these things just wrapped me up in a warm hug!

I am only sad I read this now and have to wait to yell about it with other readers because I loved it so very much.

Horny and charming is the perfect combination.

My only slight quibble is there are a lot of loose ends from the witch hunter subplot that I'm hoping will be tied up with further books.

Krystal Pollock

If you like forbidden/insta love then you will really enjoy this book. How about witches? Yup definitely up your alley. I enjoyed this book, it was funny, interesting, great pacing and the characters were amazing. The love interests and everything that leads up to the end was perfect. You do find out more on why this is a forbidden love in the end which I liked. Definitely recommend picking this one up.

Daphne De Grandpre 

I really enjoyed this book, it didn't feel like a rom-com that I have read recently. The dynamic between Danica and Titus was cute, and I really rooted for their success. The grandmother became quite annoying and jarring in her methods of keeping Danica in line, but as someone who has had interfering older family members I can appreciate the potential accuracy. I really appreciate this new troupe of having a sexually confident female and a more innocent male who have to learn together, it is refreshing to see after many (especially romance) books where the woman has to be a virgin. 
I think the most startling part of the book was that it mentioned the recovery from the pandemic, that was incredibly odd to read, and I think that it might end up dating this book. 
I would recommend this for anyone that wants a light-hearted read with magic and humour. May we all find our own CinnaMan. The worst part about reading this book is that I now have to wait over a year for the next one, which I expect a certain forbidden witch hunter to be the focus of.

Steph &
Witch Please by Ann Aguirre

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