Enchanted to Meet You: A Witches of West Harbor Novel

Forced myself to finish. Was hoping to like it more since I loved reading Cabot as a teen but this just wasn’t for me.

3.75- cute, quick, fun

#MegaSpoilerAlert #badbook #honestreview If I could give it a 0 I would, but I can’t, so I give it a 1. Was this book written by a 5th grader? I don’t even know where to start, this book has so many things wrong with it. The writing is poor, there is little to no explanation of lore, the romance is boring, and Cabot in attempt to be hip, went so far the other way. The story as a whole is choppy and the characters are simple. Cabot repeats the same words over and over, I don’t think she knows what a thesaurus is. I get it, they are witches and the word witch is gender neutral. However the plot lines are what bugged me the most. There are two main ones, save the town from the rift and the romance between Jessica Gold (Chosen One) and Derrick Winters. From my understanding the rift would destroy West Harbor which is the town where they all live. At one point, Derrick says, no not the whole world just West Harbor will be affected. As the reader why should I care about this town I have no connection too? Cabot made no attempt to make this a relatable story for the reader. For West Harbor to be saved the Bringer of Light and the Chosen One must meet and channel their powers together. In theory it is a cool idea, but what was written was possibly the lamest cop out I have ever read. The town was saved by a speech that was half a page, and I could not tell you the main point of it. After Esther (Bringer of Light) spoke, the rift magically stopped, the rift being a thunderstorm, and everyone cheered. I was most confused about the lore for the witches. I know that they have been around for a long time, Gaia is the mother of all creation, and Bartholomew started the World Council of Witches in the 80’s. Other than that, where the HELL is the lore? There are real witches and cottage witches. The first are witches who have ancestors and the latter is just anyone who wants to practice magic. I’m confused because why can everyone practice magic if there are actual descendants of real witches? Also you’re telling me the World Council of Witches was started in the 80’s? That’s the biggest scam ever. The book mentions that witches have been around since the dawn of time and then to trust an organization that has been around for 40 years. Seems a little sus ngl. There were also mentions of Demons and Wolves. Come to find out the Wolves were there to protect the town from the Demons. There was never a Demon interaction. For the amount that the word Demon was used, I thought there would be an interaction. The romance is half baked and is awkward. They meet and then two days later he’s living with her, eating her food, showering with her, and loving her? Kinda fast champ. There’s no tension, no pain and no gain. No sexual build up. Both of them just want to bone and there’s no hiding it. They are also fake dating? But for fake dating there’s a lot of real sex. The lack of secrets in this book is astounding. There are two options: the answer is revealed on the following page or a bomb is dropped out of nowhere. Cabot does not know what foreshadowing is. The writing is so simple that if it weren’t for some of the adult themes, a fourth grader would eat this up. Don’t get me wrong I am all for inclusitivioty but when it is written about by a Gen X author who is trying to reach a younger audience it is just cringy. Throwing together 10 different popular stereotypes of millennials and gen-z’ers just ends in disaster, especially when the author is solidly in her 50’s. There were many points in the book that I was just blatantly uncomfortable. Cabot made a big deal about body positivity and being comfortable in your own skin then used words like “plumper” and “small and round.” The author also made a big deal over describing the two friends, Esther and Gabby, who are in high school and the difference in their bodies. To a point where it seemed to me to be fat-phobic. Then of course the one who isn’t conveniently attractive is the one with anxiety and confidence issues. Maybe I’m wrong for thinking this but it just feels like a step in the wrong direction. Overall this book is bad. I can’t believe I actually spent money on it. Besides the title there are no Taylor Swift references. The only other references to popular culture made are: Mean Girls and Frozen. I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy to read this book.

October 2023 Book - Sam