HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST CHARM by Lillie Vale
YA, Romance, Fantasy, Lesbian, LGBT, Contemporary
4****
Blurb: The occasionally magic, always superstitious town of Prior’s End is famous for three. Whimsical charm at the annual Fall Festival. The legend of the wishing well hidden in a forest bristling with secrets. And Nova Marwood’s missing hiker father. Every year without him, it gets easier to pretend Nova doesn’t believe in myth and magic. Easier to pretend she’s doing okay. Easier to pretend she doesn’t have a secret crush on the girl she fake-hates. Kiara Mistry is the luckiest girl in town and the thief of every crush Nova had her heart set on first. In theory, Nova should resent Kiara. But it’s getting harder to deny her feelings. When Nova lays an unintended hex on Kiara at the Fall Festival, and one misfortune after another swiftly follows, soon Kiara’s very survival at stake. To reverse the bad luck, Kiara’s exes turned BFFs commence a quest for the miraculous wishing well. There’s only one person who can get them there . . . Nova. But to save Kiara—and maybe find her dad, too—she’ll have to believe in something much stronger than magic. Nova will need to believe in herself.
Thoughts: This is a story about love, grief, family, magic, and believing in yourself. There are definitely issues that the characters have that work well for the age of them (17). I will say that Nova seemed like a brat more often than not, but I understood her issues. She lost her father when she was ten to the forest. He went into the magical forest to search for his friend and never came out again. This story takes place on the 7th anniversary of his disappearance as Nova’s mother, on the advice of her psychic friend, is about to declare him dead. In addition to that problem, Nova has feelings (that she denies) for the perfect Kiara. When Nova pretends to be the psychic one evening, she hexes Kiara to have problems.
Words have power, as Nova finds out. Could she also be responsible for the disappearance of her father?
The only way to undo the hex is to find the mysterious well deep in the forest and wish her hex undone. But which hex should she undo? The one for Kiara? Or for her father? Because you only get one wish.
This is a story with a lot of depth. With nastiness, and goodness, with lies and truths, and with difficult decisions that could change a life.
Recommended.
Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book from Netgalley and Viking with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
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