Book Review :: Summerween by Joss Wood

Summerween (Halloween Town, #1) by Joss Wood
ISBN: 0008811482
Published by One More Chapter
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads

Halloween just got hotter…Professional dancer Wren Callahan’s plan for the summer is sip margaritas by the lake, bask in anonymity, and dodge any drama from her ex. Instead, her meddling godmother Luna – Halloween Town’s mayor and resident white witch – ropes her into choreographing a teen performance at the first Summerween festival.

Her most challenging student? Dane – a burned-out former trauma surgeon hiding out for the summer in Halloween Town. Despite his two left feet, he’s determined to prove to some of the uptight locals that guys can – and should – express themselves through dance.

As they learn new steps, and more about each other, will Summerween season work its magic on them? Or will the skeletons in their closets keep them apart?

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What is Summerween by Joss Wood about?

Summerween by Joss Wood is the story of professional dancer Wren Callahan as she returns home to Solace Springs, aka Halloween Town, and the chaos that ensues from there.

Wren plans to spend the summer by the lake, ignoring most, if not all, responsibilities, and avoiding her ex. But when she returns home to the aforementioned Halloween Town, her godmother Luna is determined to put her to work for the annual Summerween festival.

Wren is roped into choreographing the teenagers’ performance for the festival, and somehow Dane, a former surgeon, is in her class. He can’t dance to save himself, but he’s determined to prove that he can.

As the summer weeks start to pass and the festival creeps closer and closer, Wren juggles her new choreography job, her emerging feelings for said surgeon Dane, and all the quirky members of her quirky hometown.

Oh and there are ghosts.

My thoughts on Summerween

If Summerween sounds like a cheesy Hallmark movie that would be released at the beginning of October … you’d be exactly right.

This is a very low-stakes read, with fun-ish characters, ghosts who haunt the town and have their own input into the lives of the living, and a romance which is very friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, and small-town vibes.

Sounds like a good time, right? Right.

Hoooowveer, I just really didn’t jam with it. I could get past the silly premise (because I actually like a silly premise), but then the ghosts showed up, and I wasn’t about that aspect of it. Which I do realise was a major part of the story … and the whole Halloween Town thing. Buuuut I think I would have liked it if it didn’t have the paranormal aspect to it and it was just a small-town romance with all the usual tropes.

While I enjoyed some of the characters, none of them was actually that gripping for me, or super likeable. There wasn’t really a stand-out favourite; they were all just meh. Fun, sure, but a bit meh.

While the cover of the book is very fun and bubbly-like, there are some heavier themes in the story. But I have to say, by the time we got to them, I was a bit bored. 🙈🙈🙈 Eeek! I know I know.

So would you like this book? If you’re a fan of small-town romance, with a quirky element like ghosts, friends-to-lovers, a bit of dance in there … sure, give it a go. If you want a bit more depth to your romance reads, or even just less paranormal … maybe give it a miss.

Have you read Summerween by Joss Wood? What did you think? 

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Disclaimer: I received this book from NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.