Welcome to British Isles Friday! British Isles Friday is a weekly event for sharing all things British and Irish — reviews, photos, opinions, trip reports, guides, links, resources, personal stories, interviews, and research posts. Join us each Friday to link your British and Irish themed content and to see what others have to share. The link list is at the bottom of this post. Pour a cup of tea or lift a pint and join our link party!

Last week, I enjoyed The Midnight Train by Matt Haig. Tina read The Coast Road by Alan Murrin and reflected on what life was like for women in Ireland before divorce was legalized in 1995.

Book: A Witch in Notting Hill by Alexandra Paige
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Avon
Publication date: 2025

Source: e-book borrowed from the library

Summary: Willow is a good actress, about to start production in her first ever lead role in a rom-com. Willow is also a bad witch — not a wicked one, a bad one, as in she causes magic unintentionally and doesn’t know how to reverse it.

In the present case, Willow accidentally turned her manager, Vera, into a cat. She needs her grandmother to help her fix this problem. But Granny Annie recently died. She left one piece of advice for what to do if Willow is ever in a bind.

That is why Willow packs up the cat and flies to London. According to Granny Annie, the Coven & Codex bookshop in Notting Hill can help her fix this problem.

Oliver inherited Coven & Codex from his granduncle. He is probably the least equipped person to run an occult bookstore, since he doesn’t believe in magic. At all. He is surprisingly good at tracking down antique and rare books, however, so he is making this work.

When Willow walks in expecting a solution to her problem, only to discover a skeptical nephew instead of a knowledgeable wise granduncle, Oliver’s lack of conviction proves to be a difficulty. Especially when Oliver finds himself attracted to Willow with a strong desire to protect her from her clinging fans while she is on her secret mission to turn Vera back into a human.

Thoughts: A Witch in Notting Hill gives a strong nod to that movie we love, Notting Hill, starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. First, we start with an actress and a bookshop owner, destined for romance. A rumored romance between the actress and another actor halts progress in what looked like destiny. The bookshop owner has a couple of quirky friends who help smooth things along.

Spotting similarities to Notting Hill was only part of the fun. I really enjoyed the quest plot that required finding obscure texts and, then, proceeding step by step through the instructions. There were hurdles at every step and both Willow and Oliver needed to improve themselves and earn their relationship along the way.

Appeal: Read this when you’re in the mood for a romance with the added zing of autumn and Halloween vibes, beloved film references, and wonderful characters.