Just Like Magic - by Sarah Hogle (Paperback)

About the Book

"From the author of Twice Shy comes a sprightly Christmas novel, a rollicking romp through the absurdity of family holidays and the hope of new love"--

Book Synopsis

The holidays were never her thing, until she accidentally conjures the Holiday Spirit...before her very eyes.

Bettie Hughes once knew the comfort of luxury, flaunting a collection of designer purses and an enviable dream home in Hawaii. That was before she lost all her money. Long obsessed with her public image, Bettie boasts an extravagant lifestyle on social media. But the reality is Bettie is broke and squatting in Colorado, and her family has no idea.

Christmas, with its pressure to meet familial expectations, is looming when Bettie plays a vinyl record of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" backward and accidentally conjures up Hall, the Holiday Spirit, in the form of a charming and handsome (if offbeat) man. Once the shock wears off, Bettie knows she's stumbled upon the greatest gift: a chance to make all her holiday wishes come true, plus a ready-made fiancé.

But as some of Bettie's wishes lose their charm, she finds herself thrown off-kilter by Hall's sweet nature. Suddenly, grumpy Bettie is finding her heart merry and light. But the happier she gets, the shorter Hall's time on earth grows. Can Bettie channel the Christmas spirit and learn to live with goodwill toward all men? Or will her selfish ways return as soon as the holidays are over?

Review Quotes

One of PopSugar's Best Books of 2022
One of Country Living's Best Christmas Romances 2022
One of PopSugar's Best New Holiday Romances 2022
One of Buzzfeed's Best Romance Novels 2022
One of Paste Magazine's Best Holiday Rom-Coms

"Hilarious, magical, comforting and wholesome, this book was so much fun from the first page. . . It has just enough magic in it to make it a great option for readers who usually stick to fantasy, and honestly, who doesn't love a little magic around the holidays?" --PureWow

"In Sarah Hogle's delightful Just Like Magic, Buddy the Elf's love of all things festive is matched (and maybe even surpassed?) by Hall, the sexy embodiment of the Holiday Spirit." --People

"A sweet, light escape in the way the best holiday romances always are. If you're a fan of fantasy romance but want something grounded in our world for the Christmas season, this ridiculous (and ridiculously hilarious) read is for you." --Reader's Digest

"A hilarious holiday romp with a splash of magic." --Paste Magazine

"Pair the unhinged Christmas spirit of Elf with the redemption narrative of A Christmas Carol and you'd get something like Just Like Magic . . . . Hogle has the unique ability to take an absolutely bonkers premise and spin it into an instant classic--this will be a keeper on our holiday shelf for a long time." --Entertainment Weekly

"[An] outrageous, hilarious adventure . . . . Bettie's journey towards redemption made me feel like I was wrapped in a warm hug. [It] was exactly what I needed to kick of the season!" --FIRST For Women

"[A] whimsical yuletide twist on fantasy." --The Week

"Sarah Hogle's Just Like Magic is the type of book the words over the top were made for. . . . It's impossible to predict where this clever romance will go next. Bettie and Hall are an unlikely pair, and their unlikely story will steal hearts." --BookPage

"The book has layers of emotions, mystery, lots of characters that you somehow grow to love, a sunshine and grump trope between the protagonists, comical lies and their even more comical consequences and most importantly: humor and love." --The Nerd Daily

"The perfect comfort read: emotionally healing and so much fun." -BookRiot

"Rom-com queen Sarah Hogle is back with an epic holiday romance." --Buzzfeed

"Hogle returns with a chaotic holiday romance that will make you smile . . . After reading Just Like Magic, I can assure every single person that whatever Sarah Hogle writes, I'll be reading it." --Buzzfeed

"Treat yourself to this hilarious, ridiculous, magical, transformative read." --Paste

"Hogle brings a touch of magic to this cheery Christmas romance. . . . Hall's unabashed, almost childlike love for all things Christmas [is] flat-out sweet, and his influence on Bettie transforms her life for the better. This lighthearted and witty tale is sure to put readers in a holiday mood." --Publishers Weekly

"If I have a new Sarah Hogle book to read, I drop everything else immediately to dive in, and I'm never disappointed. Just Like Magic gives us the most unlikeable heroine and the most unlikely hero, and by the end you want nothing more than for them to find happiness together. It's both the holiday romance we need and the holiday romance we deserve." --Jen DeLuca, author of Well Met

"Sarah Hogle's Just Like Magic is a brilliant and totally bonkers romance told with hilarious, effervescent charm. Imagine spinning in blissful abandon amongst sparkling lights and rollicking music, then being caught by steady arms before you fall. That's what reading this book is like. It's sheer joy and true heart and utterly glorious pandemonium, and I adored it." --India Holton, author of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels

"I would pay so much money for all Christmas content to be as gleefully unhinged as this. I cannot remember the last time a book made me literally laugh out loud this much." --Martha Waters, author of To Marry and to Meddle

"This gloriously zany holiday rom-com completely stole my heart. Sarah Hogle's Just Like Magic is hilarious, topsy-turvy antics wrapped around a heartfelt, touching gift--a reflection on the bittersweet, delightful, unexpected ways we can encounter hope, healing, and head-over-heels love." --Chloe Liese, author of Two Wrongs Make a Right

"This book stole my heart and ran away with it. It is mischief and mayhem and pure, unfiltered joy!" --Timothy Janovsky, author of You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince

"Full of hope and holiday cheer, Just Like Magic is an unforgettable laugh-out-loud romance sure to become a Christmas classic. With over-the-top antics, lovable characters, and a romance sure to melt even the coldest of hearts, Just Like Magic cast a spell that kept me turning pages all night just to see what would happen next. This book is Sarah Hogle at her best." --Sarah Grunder Ruiz, author of Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships

About the Author

Sarah Hogle is a mom of three who enjoys trashy TV and provoking her husband for attention. Her dream is to live in a falling-apart castle in a forest that is probably cursed. She is also the author of You Deserve Each Other and Twice Shy.