Review of The Cottage Around the Corner by DL Soria

The Cottage Around the Corner

This You’ve Got Mail inspired tale with an eye-catching, heart-snagging cover is full of autumnal vibes.  In the small town of Owl’s Hollow, witches and mages have distinctly different approaches to magic, and in a world in which magic is feared and resented but needed, this distinction causes strife. This conflict is mainly between the small, family-owned Chanterelle Cottage spellshop (adorably titled for a specific mushroom reference as a source of magic for this family) and large corporation (but also family-owned) Maven Enterprises. But when the entire town is under attack by a seemingly unknown magic source, these two families may need to bond together to rescue everyone.

What I liked

I enjoyed the family bonds and the small town vibes. I also liked the banter between the love interests for the most part.

I liked the references to You’ve Got Mail…it felt very meta.

What I didn’t like

The cursing/language which felt a bit classless and vulgar in some cases.

The magic system seemed a bit convenient: in some instances it was small and contained but in advantageously necessary instances, it was galaxy-large.

I didn’t like the goofiness of the main female character (her schtick was to spill drinks/liquids on the main male character).

I don’t like open door spice but at least it was brief (skip chapter 28).

I could predict the cause of the town’s problem almost immediately after meeting specific characters so there was no big reveal for me as a reader.

Thank you to D. L. Soria, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey, and Netgalley for the ARC.

Chanterelle Cottage is Charlie Sparrow’s whole world. The cozy spellshop where she and her moms practice their witchcraft, selling goods and services to the people of small-town Owl’s Hollow, has been in her family for generations.

Okay, business has been a little slow and a recent burglary hit their inventory pretty hard. And the bank may not agree to restructure their loan. But Charlie is talented and savvy, and she’ll keep things afloat once her parents finally let her buy into the business as a co-owner. Still, when a competing magecraft firm opens in town, things start to look bleak. After all, everyone knows there’s room for only one magic shop in Owl’s Hollow.

So what if Fitz, the mage who owns the new Maven Enterprises, happens to be ridiculously handsome in his ridiculously expensive suits? Who cares that, when Charlie can forget for a moment or two that Fitz is her competitor, things between them are as easy as breathing? None of that matters—because Charlie is not going to get involved with the competition. In this battle of the businesses, she’ll do whatever it takes to make sure Chanterelle Cottage is the last spellshop standing.

But when strange supernatural events begin to plague the citizens of Owl’s Hollow, Charlie and Fitz must put their rivalry aside and their magic together to save the town. As they grow closer, it becomes harder for Charlie to keep her carefully drawn line in place—maybe Owl’s Hollow is big enough for a witch and a mage, after all.

Thank you to Random House and Netgally for the ARC.