Review: The Charmed List

The Charmed List by Julie Abe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - I'll tell you to read it, if you ask me

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for this free advance copy. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

Book Summary:

The Charmed List is about Ellie Kobata and the “Anti-Wallflower List” she has created to help get herself out of her shell and out into the world before senior year. The problem is that Ellie can’t really be 100% authentic in front of most people, including her best friend Lia, because she is a member of a secret magical community.

One person who had always been a friend and confidant about the magic world was her neighbor Jack Yasuda. She’s not sure why, but Jack started snubbing and ignoring her several years ago. Now he’s more like an enemy than a friend. This is why #4 on her list is “Revenge on Jack Yasuda”. When things go terribly wrong, she’s convinced her entire summer is cursed. The punishment for the outcome of the revenge is a change to her entire summer plans. Rather than driving down the coast of California with Lia to a magical convention (that Lia knew nothing about), she’s now being forced to go with Jack instead. Throughout the road trip, things between Jack and Ellie slowly start to thaw…

Review:

This was a fun, light hearted story that makes you stop and think during several parts.

While I wasn’t a complete wallflower in high school, I regularly felt like I was a “hanger on” rather than the center of things with my friends. At this point in my life I found Ellie’s list to be amazing and brave. In high school I would have been terrified to put words to some of those, let alone actually try to follow through on them. Having the added burden of the secret of the magical world hanging on her shoulders makes Ellie’s list that much more brave, as the chance of accidental exposure is always present.

Another part of the story line that made me stop and think about relationships in my life, was the reasoning behind Jack’s change in attitude. Without giving anything away, some of the reasoning becomes more clear as Ellie and Jack spend the days preparing, driving, and working at the magical convention. You never know what another person or family may be dealing with, especially if they’re too proud or ashamed to ask for help from friends.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will be looking for other books by this author.

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