Described as a "fun, light romantic comedy", The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic delivers exactly that. I was very intrigued by the setup; a magic competition between the most powerful witches sounds incredible. But it should’ve been sold as a scavenger hunt slash friendly game with relaxed rules to allow time for making friendships and tackling outside problems. The writing was fun and light, and everything is very serious, but not so serious that there isn’t time for coffee and pastries.

It does seem a little strange that the central love story is a slow burn disguised as enemies to lovers based on one conversation many years ago when the age gap was more than a little troubling. It’s an awkward setup that takes some time to explain and ease into. Once that’s done, though, the obstacles seem to be overcome quite quickly, like most of the challenges in the narrative are. With all the supposed power and seriousness of this competition, I was expecting a little more going on below the surface, but I still enjoyed this read.

If you’re looking for light and enjoyable with a side of sweet romance, The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic has got you covered.