Review: The Charmed List!

Review: The Charmed List by Julie Abe

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.

In The Charmed List, Julie Abe sweeps readers away to a secret magical world, complete with cupcakes and tea with added sparks of joy, and an enchanted cottage where you can dance under the stars.

-summary and cover via Goodreads

Plot: This book has such a perfect summer vibe! Reading about Ellie and Jack going on the road trip together, and finding their way back to each other was wonderful. I loved the idea of Ellie's list. And the magic in this book was just so fun! The small magic (from lipstick that can match any color, to the magical cottage they stay in) was delightful, and I loved it!

Characters: Ellie was a wonderful narrator, and Jack was great! My heart broke for both of them and what they were going through. I loved their family and friends as well. (Plus, Ellie has great taste in music!)

The Cover: It's really cute, I like it!

Overall: This was an absolutely wonderful YA novel, that I can't recommend enough! Overall, this is a perfect book for summer (or anytime of year), that I highly recommend

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.