Spells for Forgetting: A Novel

By Adrienne Young

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “Lush with secrets, magic, and a past that won’t stay where it belongs, this novel is (quite fittingly) spellbinding.”—JODI PICOULT, author of Wish You Were Here A deeply atmospheric story about ancestral magic, an unsolved murder, and a second chance at true love ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: She Reads Emery Blackwood’s life changed forever the night her best friend was found dead and the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her. Years later, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence on the misty, remote shores of Saoirse Island and running the family’s business, Blackwood’s Tea Shoppe Herbal Tonics & Tea Leaf Readings. But when the island, rooted in folklore and magic, begins to show signs of strange happenings, Emery knows that something is coming. The morning she wakes to find that every single tree on Saoirse has turned color in a single night, August returns for the first time in fourteen years and unearths the past that the town has tried desperately to forget. August knows he is not welcome on Saiorse, not after the night everything changed. As a fire raged on at the Salt family orchard, Lily Morgan was found dead in the dark woods, shaking the bedrock of their tight-knit community and branding August a murderer. When he returns to bury his mother’s ashes, he must confront the people who turned their backs on him and face the one wound from his past that has never healed—Emery. But the town has more than one reason to want August gone, and the emergence of deep betrayals and hidden promises spanning generations threaten to reveal the truth behind Lily’s mysterious death once and for all.

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Published Aug 8, 2023

368 pages

Average rating: 7.36

389 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Spells for Forgetting* offers a richly atmospheric small-island setting with an engaging, twist-filled mystery that keeps readers guessin...

literarily_occupied
8/10 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars

This is an atmospheric and enchanting read that I didn't want to put down. I love Adrienne Young's writing style as it flows so smoothly, making her books enjoyable for me to read.

I really liked how this book had a little of everything; young love, a mysterious death, and a hauntingly magical island set in the Pacific Northwest.

It's told from multiple POV's and moves between past and present but is easily followed.
Annie.S
8/10 stars
Love the sprinkle of magic and the lineage that is spread out through this story!
TheCleverReader
5/10 stars
3.5 Rounded Up to 4 stars

This was an interesting read. The pacing was a bit too slow for me and I know that's a trend with adult novels but it was almost too much so.

The mystery and setting was unique. I do give credit for that but in the end it was a bit predictable. I didn't really feel invested in any of the characters and didn't find myself really rooting for anyone. I love Adrienne Young's YA books and will continue reading them in the future.
Vicki Davison
8/10 stars
I loved this, great storyline. Who killed lily mystery kept me guessing all the way through. The story took many twists and turns and kept me turning the page. I got a great sense if the island and its inhabitants, some great characters. Although the book was set in usa i felt like it could also have anywhere in the UK. I loved the magic element weaved into this book and the wicker man vibes.
Kinsey
10/10 stars
Could not put this one down! It grabbed me from the first chapter and didn’t let go until the last page.

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