DNF Review: Spellbound by Murder by Stacie Ramey

Source: From Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in now way alters my feedback or review. 

Spellbound by Murder by Stacie Ramey 

Series: A Mystic Hollow Bookshop Mystery #1
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publication Date:  March 10, 2026

 

Format: Ebook

Rating: DNF at 35%


Goodreads Synopsis: 

Gilmore Girls meets Charmed in this spellbinding cozy mystery featuring a magical bookshop run by three generations of women.

When her grandmother suffers a nasty fall and asks for help managing the family business, coffee-addicted single mother Veronica Blackthorne moves her sixteen-year-old romcom-obsessed daughter to Mystic Hollow, Connecticut. Veronica is ecstatic to return to New England but when she arrives, she quickly finds out that Mystic Hollow Books, her grandmother’s pride and joy, needs more than a little TLC.

Hoping to save the bookstore from a big box rival, Veronica enlists her sometimes-mentor and sometimes-crush Adam Whitford, a controversial but popular author, as the keynote speaker to kick off a literary festival that will hopefully bring in a new wave of customers. But when Adam turns up dead, all that romantic potential turns into a nightmare as Veronica becomes the prime suspect in his murder.

As the local sheriff investigates his murder, Veronica decides to take matters into her own hands to solve the case and clear her name. With the bookstore’s future on the line, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Until her gran reveals the biggest secret of all–the bookstore is magical and it was a botched love spell that led to this entire mess.

Witty and heartfelt, this mystery explores the price of magic and how it might be more hefty than one can hope, perfect for fans of Amanda Flower and Nina Simon.

Review: 

I was initially drawn in by the note about Gilmore Girls and Charmed vibes, but unfortunately it felt like the book wanted to be those shows rather than simply be inspired by them.  The plot felt too in the weeds with those fandoms for me to fully immerse myself in the story that was meant to be here. 

The sarcastic (or what they thought was witty) vocabulary lessons came across as more pretentious than clever, which made it harder to connect with the characters.  The mother read much younger and more naïve than I expected, and I found myself wishing the daughter and especially the grandmother had been given more depth and focus or even the spotlight really, I think I could have connected with them better. 

In the end, the plot just didn’t carve out enough of its own identity for me to stay invested. I set it down and moved on. 

That said, I think that if you are looking for something that heavily relies on its inspirations and are a lover of Gilmore Girls or charmed, this could be for you. I stopped right as they mystery was starting to unfold, so there might be some fun that I missed out on.