Reviews

A Girl's Guide to Love & Magic by Debbie Rigaud

Only show reviews with written explanations

ssinforshort's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

This was a cute, magical, adventure.

imgunnagetyou's review

Go to review page

3.0

really short and sweet
only complaint is the usage of very aged dialect. not counting "bruh" or "sis" but rather the usage of "sus" or a character saying "OMG" out loud was ,as the kids say, fucking cringe. otherwise i liked it lol

bella_and_the_bookstack's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

When I saw this at my local library, I immediately had to grab it. A Girl’s Guide to Love and Magic is a fast-paced book. It follows Cicely, a girl trying to find herself amidst her torn apart family. Cicely doesn’t quite know what side of her culture she should embrace. While she loves all her family, she’s always looked up to her Aunt Mimose. Mimose is a famous social media star known for her big personality and her practice of Haitian vodou. However, Cicely’s mom wants her to stay far away from Mimose and her magic practices.

When Mimose gets possessed by a spirit during Carnival (and Cicely’s birthday,) Cicely recruits the help of her friends to free her aunt.

•
•
This was such a beautiful book! I loved this story. It’s a wonderful YA book full of culture, young love, and family. The story had so much packed into there. Something was always happening! The author’s descriptions were so colorful and so well written.

I do wish it was a little bit longer so it didn’t feel quite as rushed at the end. However, I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

book_dragon88's review

Go to review page

lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

bookishmillennial's review

Go to review page

funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial

This was so precious!!!! It is the first book I’ve read by Rigaud and it will not be the last! I loved the way Rigaud weaved in so much about Caribbean culture in Brooklyn. You could really tell that this was a love letter to her culture. 🤎 This book is very short — you could read it in one sitting, and is packed full of cultural pride, fraught family dynamics, Vodou, friendship, food, and puppy love (they are 15, it’s so sweet🥹). This was such a feel-good book & I highly recommend it!