witchbuns

Joss Richard, 2025

4.25 Stars for Style and Immersion

The swoons are a full five stars and so is the wish fulfillment between these highly attractive dream chasers who are finding success in New York City and running around a brownstone ignoring their real feelings. As a friends to lovers, this was a deep slow burn over a decade with a satisfying tipping of the scales into intimacy. Where I needed a little more structure was the third act conflict, because they flipped into it so quickly that I felt sick to my stomach because we’d come so far, only for them to fight insecurity.

Someone needs to be on a podcast and tell the world that if you’d don’t reconcile your family trauma, you are doomed to a third act breakup in your relationship. Romance has taught me this, and Joss Richard reinforces it so hard. Beware of the unloved, they will not love. For a good solid chunk of the relationship when it starts to feel just right. 

But overall – what a debut, totally smashing. Even though June was a gorgeous triple threat actor with perfect hair, she still felt vulnerable on the page and I was rooting for her to make her way forward to start trusting her choices. Adam may have been too perfect, if I am allowed to even say that, and I wonder now if we needed more of his imperfection to help that third act have more foreshadowing. BUT I feel guilty with that feedback because this book gave so much, and Joss Richard you are a Canadian queen and you are just so effortlessly good at writing. Highly recommend, read this in a book club. Wear a chunky cardigan and drink something with nutmeg, because this is book is Fall flavored and you feel it on every page.