Rachel_R

I wanted to love Stay for a Spell. A cozy fantasy romance with a curse-breaking premise and a magical bookshop setting should be right up my alley. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me in several significant ways.

The central plot follows Tandy, around 22-years-old who must discover "her heart's desire" to break a curse. While the premise had potential, the execution felt rushed and overly simplistic. The ending tied everything up far too neatly, with conflicts resolving without meaningful struggle or growth. This might work for readers seeking the lightest of escapism, but for me, it crossed the line from "cozy" into "juvenile."

The People-Pleasing Problem
My biggest issue was with Tandy's character arc. While I could relate to her people-pleasing tendencies, her characterization felt inconsistent. Despite being early 20's, Tandy's voice and emotional maturity often felt much younger. Extreme people-pleasing often emerges in emotionally neglectful or narcissistic family systems, where safety and approval are conditional. Tandy's parents exhibit clear narcissistic traits, yet they conveniently change their entire worldview in a single conversation. This felt deeply unrealistic and robbed Tandy of the more intense, necessary confrontation that would have been both satisfying and authentic to that dynamic.
The only redeeming aspect of Tandy's journey was watching her finally understand what it means to think and act for herself. That growth was genuine. I just wish it hadn't taken the entire book to get there, only to be resolved in the last few rushed chapters.

The Romance Falls Flat
The instant-love trope with Bash the pirate simply didn't work. Bash is barely developed as a character, which is particularly problematic in a single-POV romance where we need the love interest to have presence on the page. The one-POV structure only succeeds when the other main character is actively engaging and communicating, which Bash notably does not do. He disappears for days or weeks at a time, only showing up when other princes arrive to attempt breaking the curse.
Most frustratingly, when we finally learn about Bash's backstory, it's Tandy's best friend Honeyrose who explains it. With Bash sitting right there in the room, apparently unable to speak for himself. This moment was both infuriating and sloppy writing. There's zero justification for Bash falling in love with Tandy on sight beyond lazy plot mechanics, and I never bought into their romance.

The One Bright Spot
The only character who fully captured my attention was Sasha, the 15-year-old emo dracone-girl who openly expressed her disdain for all the adults around her. Same, girl. Same. She was the most authentic voice in the entire book.

Final Thoughts
Stay for a Spell had the bones of an interesting story: a sheltered young woman breaking free from narcissistic family dynamics, discovering her own desires, and finding her voice. But it needed a more developed male lead, a more realistic confrontation with family trauma, and a romance built on actual connection rather than convenience. What could have been a thoughtful exploration of self-discovery in a cozy fantasy wrapper instead felt like a missed opportunity.

Recommended for: Readers seeking the absolute lightest fantasy romance with minimal conflict.

Not recommended for: Anyone looking for character depth, slow-burn romance, or realistic family dynamics.