The Charmed List: A Novel

"The best friends to enemies to lovers story I needed in my life! The Charmed List utterly enchants with its delightful characters and heartfelt themes of family, friendship, and first love. I adored this fun-filled and swoony road trip romance with a magical twist!" - Axie Oh, author of XOXO and The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

Sometimes you need a little magic to fall in love
.


Ellie Kobata has spent most of high school on the sidelines, keeping her art Instagram private and shying away from the world. She can't even tell her only friend, Lia, who she really is: Ellie is part of a secret magical community, and no one outside of it can know it exists. The only person Ellie could fully relate to was Jack Yasuda - her childhood friend who mysteriously started to snub her a few years ago.

But before senior year, Ellie is ready to take some risks and have a life-changing summer, starting with her Anti-Wallflower List - thirteen items she's going to check off one by one. With this list, she hopes to finally come out of her shell; even though she can't share her full self with the world. But when number four on Ellie's list goes horribly wrong-revenge on Jack Yasuda-she's certain her summer is cursed. Instead of spending her summer with Lia, Ellie finds herself stuck in a car with Jack driving to a magical convention. But as Ellie and Jack travel down the coast of California, number thirteen on her list-fall in love-may be happening without her realizing it.

In The Charmed List, Julie Abe sweeps readers away to a secret magical world, complete with cupcakes and tea with added sparks of joy, and an enchanted cottage where you can dance under the stars.

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books.

1146430307
The Charmed List: A Novel

"The best friends to enemies to lovers story I needed in my life! The Charmed List utterly enchants with its delightful characters and heartfelt themes of family, friendship, and first love. I adored this fun-filled and swoony road trip romance with a magical twist!" - Axie Oh, author of XOXO and The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

Sometimes you need a little magic to fall in love
.


Ellie Kobata has spent most of high school on the sidelines, keeping her art Instagram private and shying away from the world. She can't even tell her only friend, Lia, who she really is: Ellie is part of a secret magical community, and no one outside of it can know it exists. The only person Ellie could fully relate to was Jack Yasuda - her childhood friend who mysteriously started to snub her a few years ago.

But before senior year, Ellie is ready to take some risks and have a life-changing summer, starting with her Anti-Wallflower List - thirteen items she's going to check off one by one. With this list, she hopes to finally come out of her shell; even though she can't share her full self with the world. But when number four on Ellie's list goes horribly wrong-revenge on Jack Yasuda-she's certain her summer is cursed. Instead of spending her summer with Lia, Ellie finds herself stuck in a car with Jack driving to a magical convention. But as Ellie and Jack travel down the coast of California, number thirteen on her list-fall in love-may be happening without her realizing it.

In The Charmed List, Julie Abe sweeps readers away to a secret magical world, complete with cupcakes and tea with added sparks of joy, and an enchanted cottage where you can dance under the stars.

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books.

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The Charmed List: A Novel

The Charmed List: A Novel

by Julie Abe

Narrated by Natalie Naudus

Unabridged — 7 hours, 32 minutes

The Charmed List: A Novel

The Charmed List: A Novel

by Julie Abe

Narrated by Natalie Naudus

Unabridged — 7 hours, 32 minutes

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Overview

"The best friends to enemies to lovers story I needed in my life! The Charmed List utterly enchants with its delightful characters and heartfelt themes of family, friendship, and first love. I adored this fun-filled and swoony road trip romance with a magical twist!" - Axie Oh, author of XOXO and The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

Sometimes you need a little magic to fall in love
.


Ellie Kobata has spent most of high school on the sidelines, keeping her art Instagram private and shying away from the world. She can't even tell her only friend, Lia, who she really is: Ellie is part of a secret magical community, and no one outside of it can know it exists. The only person Ellie could fully relate to was Jack Yasuda - her childhood friend who mysteriously started to snub her a few years ago.

But before senior year, Ellie is ready to take some risks and have a life-changing summer, starting with her Anti-Wallflower List - thirteen items she's going to check off one by one. With this list, she hopes to finally come out of her shell; even though she can't share her full self with the world. But when number four on Ellie's list goes horribly wrong-revenge on Jack Yasuda-she's certain her summer is cursed. Instead of spending her summer with Lia, Ellie finds herself stuck in a car with Jack driving to a magical convention. But as Ellie and Jack travel down the coast of California, number thirteen on her list-fall in love-may be happening without her realizing it.

In The Charmed List, Julie Abe sweeps readers away to a secret magical world, complete with cupcakes and tea with added sparks of joy, and an enchanted cottage where you can dance under the stars.

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books.


Editorial Reviews

AUGUST 2022 - AudioFile

A little magic and a road trip reunite ex-best friends, whose quick banter and chemistry is performed by the highly skilled Natalie Naudus. Ellie and Jack belong to Palo Alto’s magic-aware community. After a mishap they’re forced to embark on a road trip together. Ellie’s perception of Jack is deeply rooted in their shared childhood memories; Naudus brings lightness to those joyful moments, which abruptly ended when Jack’s mother passed away. The excitement in Naudus’s voice portrays the wonder and awe the teens experience on the road as they explore magical attractions and rediscover their lost relationship. Naudus pulls out several delightfully fun voices for the magical shop owners they meet along the way. An enchanting performance fit for this magical teen romance. J.E.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

06/13/2022

Former best friends Ellie and Jack reluctantly road-trip to a magic convention in Abe’s (Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch) lighthearted contemporary fantasy. Japanese American Ellie Kobata, a rising high school senior, has struggled to understand why her Japanese and Italian former best friend, Jack Yasuda, started pretending she didn’t exist back in seventh grade, despite their connection as two of the few magic-aware individuals in Palo Alto, Calif. Tired of feeling invisible, Ellie develops the Anti-Wallflower List, comprising 13 goals, which include crashing a wedding and getting revenge on Jack; Ellie plans to complete the list before starting senior year. But when the revenge plot goes wrong, Ellie and Jack are forced to travel together to the California Magical Retailers’ Convention to mind their families’ respective enchanted establishments. Despite their constant bickering, Ellie is shocked to realize that Jack is inadvertently helping her cross things off the list—including falling in love. While the magical system is only perfunctorily explored, its fantastical elements, such as whimsical secret cottages and enchanted tea, add nuance to an otherwise straightforward courtship. Equal parts road-trip romp and endearing second-chance romance, Abe’s rom-com is a sweet summer treat. Ages 13–up. Agent: Sarah Landis, Sterling Lord Literistic. (July)

From the Publisher

"The best friends to enemies-to-lovers story I needed in my life! The Charmed List utterly enchants with its delightful characters and heartfelt themes of family, friendship, and first love. I adored this fun-filled and swoony road trip romance with a magical twist!" —Axie Oh, New York Times–bestselling author of XOXO and The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

"A delightfully sweet escape. This magical enemies-to-lovers romance made me grin and tugged at my heart—I’m thoroughly charmed!" —Rachel Lynn Solomon, nationally-bestselling author of Today Tonight Tomorrow

"If you could press the feeling of summer nights, birthday candle wishes, and first love in the pages of a book, you would get The Charmed List. Not only is this a sweet romance that sparks with magic, it is also a heartfelt story about taking chances and becoming your own definition of brave." —Sarah Suk, author of Made in Korea

"This novel is a charming welcome to YA!." —Buzzfeed

"Abe’s YA debut is a delightful standalone filled with romance and magic." - School Library Journal

School Library Journal

08/01/2022

Gr 9 Up—Ellie Kobata has been looking forward to her road trip for months, driving from Palo Alto to the California Magical Retailers' Convention where magical merchants like Ellie's parents can showcase their wares. Traveling with non-magic-aware best friend Lia poses some challenges, but Ellie is used to keeping magical secrets. She is excited to have Lia's help knocking items off her Anti-Wallflower List which Ellie hopes will be able to change her quiet girl persona at school into someone more interesting to her classmates and herself. Ellie's high hopes for the trip are dashed when item four—getting revenge on her ex-best-friend Jack Yasuda—goes horribly wrong, leaving Ellie grounded for the foreseeable future, in a fight with Lia, and, worst of all, driving to the convention with Jack. With so many disasters, Ellie's list is starting to feel as if it might be cursed, but as Ellie and Jack are forced to spend time together, they might also have the chance to rehab their friendship and maybe even check off some other items—like dancing under the stars and falling in love. Abe's YA debut is a delightful standalone filled with romance and magic. Artist Ellie's initially prickly narration will win readers over as she explains details of her magic-aware world. Ellie is Japanese American; Jack is biracial Italian American and Japanese American. VERDICT Fans of the romance genre will recognize tropes including hate-to-love, there's only one bed, and more in this cozy and engrossing story about second chances and new beginnings.—Emma Carbone

AUGUST 2022 - AudioFile

A little magic and a road trip reunite ex-best friends, whose quick banter and chemistry is performed by the highly skilled Natalie Naudus. Ellie and Jack belong to Palo Alto’s magic-aware community. After a mishap they’re forced to embark on a road trip together. Ellie’s perception of Jack is deeply rooted in their shared childhood memories; Naudus brings lightness to those joyful moments, which abruptly ended when Jack’s mother passed away. The excitement in Naudus’s voice portrays the wonder and awe the teens experience on the road as they explore magical attractions and rediscover their lost relationship. Naudus pulls out several delightfully fun voices for the magical shop owners they meet along the way. An enchanting performance fit for this magical teen romance. J.E.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2022-04-27
Ellie is thrown together with her ex–best friend in this work that weaves light fantasy elements into a contemporary romance.

Junior year is over, and Japanese American Ellie Kobata is excited to start her summer road trip with her best friend, Lia Park. They’re driving from Palo Alto to the California Magical Retailers’ Convention in Huntington Beach: Ellie, who is from a sorcerer family, will work the trade show while Lia, who is non-magic-aware, visits family. Ellie’s family has a tea shop, and the joy charm they use gives their tea a little something extra. Ever since Jack Yasuda, her Italian and Japanese childhood best friend whose parents run CharmWorks (“basically the Walmart version of charm shops”), abruptly dropped her in middle school, Ellie began to feel invisible. She has created an Anti-Wallflower List consisting of 13 things to challenge herself and show who she truly is. Seeking revenge on Jack is on there, but when her prank goes wrong, it has consequences for Lia and their friendship, and Ellie is forced to drive to CMRC with Jack instead. The trip starts off awkwardly, but with time, Ellie sees the old Jack she remembers and realizes that there is more to him—and maybe more to their relationship. Abe’s sweet, fun coming-of-age tale incorporates themes of friendship and family in a beautifully described world with captivating details, including enchantments and secret magical cottages.

Rom-com lovers will be charmed by this magical story. (Romance. 12-18)

Product Details

BN ID: 2940176473100
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication date: 07/05/2022
Edition description: Unabridged
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