ARC Review: Spells for Lost Things by Jenna Evans Welch

From the New York Times bestselling author of Love & Gelato comes a poignant and romantic novel about two teens trying to find their place in the world after being unceremoniously dragged to Salem, Massachusetts, for the summer.

Willow has never felt like she belonged anywhere and is convinced that the only way to find a true home is to travel the world. But her plans to act on her dream are put on hold when her aloof and often absent mother drags Willow to Salem, Massachusetts, to wrap up the affairs of an aunt Willow didn’t even know she had. An aunt who may or may not have been a witch.

There, she meets Mason, a loner who’s always felt out of place and has been in and out of foster homes his entire life. He’s been classified as one of the runaways, constantly searching for ways to make it back to his mom; even if she can’t take care of him, it’s his job to try and take care of her. Isn’t it?

Naturally pulled to one another, Willow and Mason set out across Salem to discover the secret past of Willow’s mother, her aunt, and the ambiguous history of her family. During all of this, the two can’t help but act on their natural connection. But with the amount of baggage between them—and Willow’s growing conviction her family might be cursed—can they manage to hold onto each other?

REVIEW:

I want to thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with an e-galley of this book to read and give my honest review.

Let me start by saying I truly enjoyed the Love and Gellato series by Welch. So when I was contacted to see if I might want to read this one, and it was about witchy things, I jumped at the chance. And I am so glad I did.

Not only does Welch create a setting where you feel right at home, but she weaves her story in a way that keep you turning the pages and not wanting to put a book down.

I love the two person point of view of this book. Mostly because you know from the beginning the worlds are going to collide and the build up to get there is fun. 

I easily connected with Willow and Mason. Each with their own issues, each working to becoming the best person they can be. Willow with her traveling bug and Mason with his need to keep a connection to his mother. Both super important but in such different ways. Willow wanting to escape while all Mason truly wanted was to be home. 

The one thing about the witch part of this book is its connection to nature and the universe and how things happen because they are meant to happen. It's not everyone casting spells and magic happening in the paranormal way. It's those connections happening because the universe has set things to happen in a certain way. It's why things collide. And it works and makes my inner witchy heart happy!

This book also made me want to visit Salem. I've been there before (though many years ago) but it made me really want to go and see the history and feel that special connection I saw through Willow's eyes. I just might do it!

My only issue with this book was the rushed ending.. Throughout the book, the pacing was on point. But at the end, I felt like Mason's story was more rushed at the end than I would have liked. I appreciated the way it was done but at the same time felt like the author may have been unsure of how to actually get where she wanted the story to go.

Overall this was truly enjoyable and I would definitely love to read future books from this author as her story telling is fun and interesting.

Jenna Evans Welch was the kind of insatiable child reader who had no choice but to grow up to become a writer. She is the New York Times Bestselling author of LOVE & GELATO and the upcoming LOVE & LUCK. When she isn’t writing girl abroad stories, Jenna can be found chasing her children or making elaborate messes in the kitchen. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and two young children.