witchbuns

Regina Black, 2025

5 Stars for Finesse and Craft

Absolutely beautiful story of romance and beginnings and family/community. This story is a ballad, and it’s told in three different timelines but it transitions between each of them with perfect timing. I was so taken by August and Luke as these imperfect characters that fight within themselves and fight against the perceptions that hold them back. This isn’t some frivolous miscommunication trope or friends to lovers storyline, it’s about two people who try to make music together and have to face deeply affecting family dynamics as both teens and early thirties adults. 

I also really loved the timeline with JoJo being interviewed for a podcast – that was sublime. In some ways JoJo was my favourite character, her moments and failures as a mother were so interestingly laid out and placed into the dynamics, it’s heartbreaking how she hurts and what setbacks she faced and where she’s wise and absolutely gut-wrenchingly awful. 

Highly recommend, savour this book. You don’t need to be a fan of country music to like it, just someone who appreciates love stories. Special thanks to the Smart Romance substack for recommending this as October’s book of the month. One of the best books I’ve read this year or last.