Deja Brew

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review

For the first time in years, Sirena allowed herself to make a request from the universe. “I wish I had a second chance,” she said.

Sirena has had the worst October ever, she's lost one of her jobs and did horribly at an interview for a chef position she's been trying to get back into ever since she left her job to take care of her grandmother. When a special tea grants her wish for a second chance, Sirena finds herself living October all over again and this time, she's determined to change all those mishaps into successes. Deja Brew is third in a series, but I haven't read the first two and didn't have much of a problem jumping in here. It's set in Freya Grove, a magical realism world where every kind of supernatural is present. Sirena's a witch, specifically a kitchen witch, and has lost her ability to cook. She's currently living alone in her family home, her two sisters seem to have moved on in life while Sirena's stuck. This second chance at October has Sirena making changes, taking the opportunity to have fun and find her spark again.

These feelings he had for Sirena weren’t a simple crush, it was something more. Something exciting.

While Freya Grove is Sirena's hometown, Gus moved there a few years ago and while they've danced around in each other's orbit, they've never really got to know one another. On the night of Halloween, Sirena had a moment with Gus and when she gets her second chance, she remembers him. Gus moved to Freya Grove to slow down and recuperate, he was tired of being the “Good-time Gus” magician on his family's reality tv show and when he gets his heart broken on tv, his marriage of convenience started to feel real to him only to have his wife serve him divorce papers, he needs to reevaluate. He works at the historical society now and can't believe how much it suits him. While he's a little apprehensive when Sirena comes to him to teach her how to have a good time, he doesn't want to just be about fun anymore, but he can't escape the feeling of deja vu and finds himself wanting to be around her. They strike a deal that he'll help Sirena have fun and she'll help him decipher a cook/spell book the historical society was just donated.

“There are some things you don’t leave up to fate,” he said.

If you're looking for something that felt very low angst with Fall festive vibes, this would definitely be it. I really loved the beginning of this, with learning about Sirena and her world, then the anticipation of her and Gus getting to know one another in a Fall setting. While they do get some open bedroom scenes, this was still more along the lines of sedate, almost too low angst for me. I really liked the first half of this but the second half seemed to drag on too long, there just wasn't enough happening for me, Sirena drags her feet way too much and for way too long on finally acknowledging and accepting that her and Gus belong together. After I thought both sides accepted being together we got a, nope not yet, and the story dragged from October into November and December. I think readers of the series might enjoy where the story meander to more, as past characters feature more in these later chapters but I couldn't help just tapping my watch and wanting Sirena and Gus to wrap it up.

“My soul has found yours across lifetimes and oceans. We tempted fate, and we’ve played with fire. We are destined for each other.”

Wanting them to wrap it up doesn't mean I didn't enjoy them together, I liked how they both felt stuck in life and were trying to find who they wanted to be and find their place in the world but there just wasn't enough tension to keep me locked in, this should have been a shorter story. I enjoyed the fun the two got to have together, game playing, but I missed some delicious tension at the end. However, if you're looking for something more lowkey with Fall additives, pumpkin spice, apple cider, candy corn coffee(!?!), set in a magical world, and a sweet couple that clearly belong together, this would be a great seasonal pickup.