witchbuns

Katherine Center, 2026. 4.25 Stars.

This is a true romp, a quick read abundant with the rat-a-tat back and forth volleying between childhood friends that are obviously meant for each other, when they are not holding each other in headlocks. Katherine Center is straight up playing in this novel, I suspect there was an umbrella in her drink and she said, why not? And we all win, on every page. She penned a love story that revels in sweet tension on a cruise ship with a dreamboat hunk and a modestly imperfect heroine that is living her emotional evolution out loud. JoJo is our female that throws herself into seducing a childhood crush and Cooper is her trustworthy, always saving her hide bff that turns up after a four-year absence as kind of the most attractive man alive.

This is a book that should come with a beach towel, it should be shared with your best friend, and also it kind of begs a sequel, focusing on the younger brother, followed by another sequel with the crazy cousin. There is a secondary plot about the family dynamics that helps bring more heft to JoJo’s emotional crests, which is important because we don’t meet any of her girlfriends and only know her within her family. That’s what kept this within the four stars realm for me, because we’re missing more of JoJo’s interior life outside of attending and ruining weddings (not a spoiler, it’s her own, and it’s a delicious first chapter). 

But I’m not holding grudges on the lack of a best female friend or a scene where she’s an actual math teacher (please, in the sequel) because this book has a singular purpose of fun and froth and dopey crush feelings for the reader to escape within. There’s a long author’s note in the beginning that expresses Center’s intentions to give people a hug right now, and I think there’s going to be a mad crowd lining up to get in that line. I think this will be her most popular novel yet, and it’s a wonderful introduction into her portfolio. Well done. 

Thank you to Katherine Center,  St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.