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The Trouble with Becoming a Witch
Veronica thinks she’s happy. But with fight after fight, night after night, she knows that something isn’t right anymore. Then her husband busts her researching witchcraft―and her picturesque suburban life is turned upside down. As her marriage falls apart, she knows that for her own sake and for the sake of her small daughter, something has to change.
The Trouble With Becoming A Witch is about what happens when a woman decides to stop living the life everyone has told her she is supposed to lead and starts living a life true to her desires. But seizing your own magic isn’t easy―and as Veronica’s marriage spirals downward, she’s forced to look deeply into who she wants to be-come. Is risking the security of life as she knows it worth becoming the witch―and woman―she knows she truly is?
The Trouble With Becoming A Witch is about what happens when a woman decides to stop living the life everyone has told her she is supposed to lead and starts living a life true to her desires. But seizing your own magic isn’t easy―and as Veronica’s marriage spirals downward, she’s forced to look deeply into who she wants to be-come. Is risking the security of life as she knows it worth becoming the witch―and woman―she knows she truly is?
192 pages, Paperback
Published October 22, 2019
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 4, 2019
I really disliked this book and would never recommend this to anyone else because:
It was boring, repetitive, unbelievable, memoir-ish but fiction, overly angsty, filled with religion and it has a very political bent.
There is really no plot, just another woman bemoaning how her husband doesn't understand her -actually he was just an idiot -they both were and frankly I think they deserved each other. They were supposed to be in their 30's but acted and talked like young teenagers and the husband had ideas that you would have seen in the 1950's and I found it to be unbelievable for that particular religion. Though I do know that there are very religious families, this just seemed to be very cliché.
*ARC supplied by the publisher.
It was boring, repetitive, unbelievable, memoir-ish but fiction, overly angsty, filled with religion and it has a very political bent.
There is really no plot, just another woman bemoaning how her husband doesn't understand her -actually he was just an idiot -they both were and frankly I think they deserved each other. They were supposed to be in their 30's but acted and talked like young teenagers and the husband had ideas that you would have seen in the 1950's and I found it to be unbelievable for that particular religion. Though I do know that there are very religious families, this just seemed to be very cliché.
*ARC supplied by the publisher.
November 5, 2019
If I could, I would give this book 3.5 stars. Rounding up cause I'm like that.
Review: Content scrappers are the bane of a bloggers existence. They are bots that scrape content from blogs and then republishes them on another site and then steals your traffic. I won’t accuse Amy Edwards of being a content scrapper, but good gawd I felt like I had read so much of what she gives us in The Trouble with Becoming a Witch. Edwards beautifully has collected many of the complaints that wives and mothers have expressed over the years into a painful and realistic narrative of one woman taking control of her life.
When I was pitched this book, I accepted it based on the mere fact the title has “witch” in it and the main character shares my name. I didn’t read much else. Thus when I started the book, the honesty hit me like a ton of bricks. I had heard Veronica’s thoughts over the years. Women who complained that their husbands had no idea how to manage the kids. Who worried about the kids when they went on business trips. Women who let loose on girls night out but would have to sober up before they could get home for fear of showing they had too much fun without their husband. Women who prioritized peace over their own needs.
Veronica’s curiosity about witchcraft is a classic feminist trope. It is almost a full stage in one’s growth as a feminist. One of the biggest reasons I earned a minor in women’s studies is because I wrote my freshman rhetoric paper on feminism, goddess worship, and witchcraft. My instructor read my first draft, handed me a Ms. Magazine, and said “Get thee to the women’s studies department.” (Mike, if you’re reading this, thanks.) Alas, Veronica is married to a pretty strong Catholic and controlling man. As soon as she tips her black hat to her husband, he flips out.
This fairly short novel takes us on Veronica’s journey of figuring out what she wants her life to look like and how her husband fits into that plan. She discovers how much of her life has just happened to her, versus her choosing the life she has. It is a journey that has you gasping and cheering. The Trouble with Becoming a Witch is a great beach read - that’s where I read it - as it is a quick and easy read. If you don’t take time to assess your own life choices that is.
I should also give a content/trigger warning for domestic violence (economic and mental) and pregnancy loss.
Review: Content scrappers are the bane of a bloggers existence. They are bots that scrape content from blogs and then republishes them on another site and then steals your traffic. I won’t accuse Amy Edwards of being a content scrapper, but good gawd I felt like I had read so much of what she gives us in The Trouble with Becoming a Witch. Edwards beautifully has collected many of the complaints that wives and mothers have expressed over the years into a painful and realistic narrative of one woman taking control of her life.
When I was pitched this book, I accepted it based on the mere fact the title has “witch” in it and the main character shares my name. I didn’t read much else. Thus when I started the book, the honesty hit me like a ton of bricks. I had heard Veronica’s thoughts over the years. Women who complained that their husbands had no idea how to manage the kids. Who worried about the kids when they went on business trips. Women who let loose on girls night out but would have to sober up before they could get home for fear of showing they had too much fun without their husband. Women who prioritized peace over their own needs.
Veronica’s curiosity about witchcraft is a classic feminist trope. It is almost a full stage in one’s growth as a feminist. One of the biggest reasons I earned a minor in women’s studies is because I wrote my freshman rhetoric paper on feminism, goddess worship, and witchcraft. My instructor read my first draft, handed me a Ms. Magazine, and said “Get thee to the women’s studies department.” (Mike, if you’re reading this, thanks.) Alas, Veronica is married to a pretty strong Catholic and controlling man. As soon as she tips her black hat to her husband, he flips out.
This fairly short novel takes us on Veronica’s journey of figuring out what she wants her life to look like and how her husband fits into that plan. She discovers how much of her life has just happened to her, versus her choosing the life she has. It is a journey that has you gasping and cheering. The Trouble with Becoming a Witch is a great beach read - that’s where I read it - as it is a quick and easy read. If you don’t take time to assess your own life choices that is.
I should also give a content/trigger warning for domestic violence (economic and mental) and pregnancy loss.
October 11, 2019
I did not know what to expect when this book was offered to me as an ARC. I accepted this book with excited and a little hesitant because I normally don't read books like this. This book was a little slow starting out but towards the middle it started to get better. This book follows Veronica a women who wants change. She has the cutest little baby girl Annie and a husband Pete. I found that both characters were a little immature at times. What brought this book to a four star was the hidden underlying meaning of this book. I'm not sure if it was intended to be like that or not but that is how I read it. This book focused highly on western gender roles in my opinion. Meaning that the female stayed home, cooked meals, and took care of the children while the husband was the provider of the family. This makes readers feel more for the main character Veronica while hating on Pete. Playing along with the idea of gender roles comes the idea of toxic masculinity which I believe is also represented in this book.
Now getting into Veronica, the main character. I think she was okay. I found I was frustrated with her a little bit when I know I really should not have been. Towards the end, I liked her even more because she became a badass. I'm so proud of her.
This book sole focus is not on magic, I think that the amount it had in it was suiting and went well with the storyline. This book has great potential in being a good teaching tool. It can teach people about gender roles and toxic masculinity where the female gets out of it. The only story I know that has this element is the "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. I think this story could be the modern version of this story in regards to gender roles and toxic masculinity. I really wanted to dive into the gender roles and toxic masculinity that I think this book has but I feel like it would be to much of a spoiler. If you want to know more about my thoughts on this please feel free to message me or email me at Booklovingredhead@gmail.com.
I just wanted to say a big thank you to Julia Drake for sending me this book.
Now getting into Veronica, the main character. I think she was okay. I found I was frustrated with her a little bit when I know I really should not have been. Towards the end, I liked her even more because she became a badass. I'm so proud of her.
This book sole focus is not on magic, I think that the amount it had in it was suiting and went well with the storyline. This book has great potential in being a good teaching tool. It can teach people about gender roles and toxic masculinity where the female gets out of it. The only story I know that has this element is the "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. I think this story could be the modern version of this story in regards to gender roles and toxic masculinity. I really wanted to dive into the gender roles and toxic masculinity that I think this book has but I feel like it would be to much of a spoiler. If you want to know more about my thoughts on this please feel free to message me or email me at Booklovingredhead@gmail.com.
I just wanted to say a big thank you to Julia Drake for sending me this book.
August 5, 2019
Intrigued by the blurb, this story would have been better served with a different title - as I expected a story of a 'struggling' practitioner, and instead got a story full of the dissolution of a marriage - with all of the associated blame, angst, rhetoric and 'teen-like' wishful spellcasts that did little to enhance the story.
What did work well was the character of Veronica - her voice is solid and her cocncerns and questions are honest and feel very organic. The detailing of the differences between her upbringing and her husband, the family life differences and her own struggles with religion and spirituality were clearly presented and easy to understand. But then, the shock, horror and frequent 'push' to drag her into compliance with what the 'family' thought was right, and her rather childish reactions just pulled the story into pathways that had less to do with her 'struggles with witchcraft' as I would have expected and more into a teen-like tantrum.
Interesting but overall not what I expected, and not reaching the level of "I must know"
What did work well was the character of Veronica - her voice is solid and her cocncerns and questions are honest and feel very organic. The detailing of the differences between her upbringing and her husband, the family life differences and her own struggles with religion and spirituality were clearly presented and easy to understand. But then, the shock, horror and frequent 'push' to drag her into compliance with what the 'family' thought was right, and her rather childish reactions just pulled the story into pathways that had less to do with her 'struggles with witchcraft' as I would have expected and more into a teen-like tantrum.
Interesting but overall not what I expected, and not reaching the level of "I must know"
January 21, 2020
I had different ideas for what this book was going to be when I first accepted the ARC copy. Between the title and the blurb, I thought maybe some magical realism would be at play, which is favorite genre of mine. That didn’t really come to light in this novel, and we get more of your traditional women’s fiction story of an unhappy female lead who is unsure how to find her true self. While the story was interesting enough to follow along, I kept waiting for something big to happen, and that never really came. It was like we never got that peak of the story, and again referencing the synopsis of learning her marriage has fallen apart, that storyline got strung along from the first to last chapter, and I found myself confused at the pacing. I still read from beginning to end, but it wasn’t a favorite and I think the synopsis could be misleading for readers.
I received a review copy
I received a review copy
September 1, 2019
I quite enjoyed this book. very well written & compelling account of a woman whose husband dominates her & refuses to allow her ANY freedom to express herself and live her life as she wishes to and needs to.
November 2, 2019
Originally reviewed for Chick Lit Central (www.chicklitcentral.com)
It’s mentioned a few times within The Trouble with Becoming a Witch, but it’s worth mentioning here that Veronica and her experiences remind me of the experiences the actresses had in The Craft. I always enjoyed that movie during my teen years, so reading about Veronica and how she’s branching out into witchcraft brought me back to those days. The excitement, the hesitancy, her visit to a metaphysical shop that begins to awaken something that has lied dormant in Veronica for so long. In her search for trying to better her life by use of witchcraft, the reader discovers that there is much more beneath the surface.
In the moments shared with her husband, I could feel the frustration and hurt. Many times I wanted to become a third character in the scene, wishing for an opportunity to interject and stand ground against him. Just when Veronica gains the strength to do that for herself is when he deflates her power, leaving her second guessing on the choices she’s made in her life, and what the future holds for her and for this marriage. One particular scene that really represented their dynamic is when he tells her she is no longer allowed to answer the door when someone rings the door bell, or knocks. When she questions it, he tells her yet again that she is not allowed to be a grown-up within their home, but instead of standing her ground, she throws out catty remarks, much like a child would.
While this book mentions Veronica’s renewed interest in witchcraft and focuses from time to time on that, what it is really about is a woman’s need to regain her power. It’s a means to helping her find her way, while also attempting to be the type of role model she would like to be for their child, a young daughter. In order to stop the borderline abusive patterns, she has to rise up. It reminds me of one of the final scenes in The Craft, where one of the witches has to hit bottom, on the cusp of death, before she finds her way. While Veronica isn’t brought to anything that resembles the severity of death, in some respects it could be a death of her own former ideals and opinions, of the shackles she’s allowed to be placed on her psyche, in order to find a way towards the light. In order to essentially do what is right for her and for her daughter.
It’s mentioned a few times within The Trouble with Becoming a Witch, but it’s worth mentioning here that Veronica and her experiences remind me of the experiences the actresses had in The Craft. I always enjoyed that movie during my teen years, so reading about Veronica and how she’s branching out into witchcraft brought me back to those days. The excitement, the hesitancy, her visit to a metaphysical shop that begins to awaken something that has lied dormant in Veronica for so long. In her search for trying to better her life by use of witchcraft, the reader discovers that there is much more beneath the surface.
In the moments shared with her husband, I could feel the frustration and hurt. Many times I wanted to become a third character in the scene, wishing for an opportunity to interject and stand ground against him. Just when Veronica gains the strength to do that for herself is when he deflates her power, leaving her second guessing on the choices she’s made in her life, and what the future holds for her and for this marriage. One particular scene that really represented their dynamic is when he tells her she is no longer allowed to answer the door when someone rings the door bell, or knocks. When she questions it, he tells her yet again that she is not allowed to be a grown-up within their home, but instead of standing her ground, she throws out catty remarks, much like a child would.
While this book mentions Veronica’s renewed interest in witchcraft and focuses from time to time on that, what it is really about is a woman’s need to regain her power. It’s a means to helping her find her way, while also attempting to be the type of role model she would like to be for their child, a young daughter. In order to stop the borderline abusive patterns, she has to rise up. It reminds me of one of the final scenes in The Craft, where one of the witches has to hit bottom, on the cusp of death, before she finds her way. While Veronica isn’t brought to anything that resembles the severity of death, in some respects it could be a death of her own former ideals and opinions, of the shackles she’s allowed to be placed on her psyche, in order to find a way towards the light. In order to essentially do what is right for her and for her daughter.
August 27, 2024
This has been on TBR forever, and I was excited to finally get to it. I thought it was going to be about a woman becoming a witch… but it’s 99.9% about a woman thinking she wants to leave her husband and flip flopping every other paragraph, and occasionally she looks up spells, visits a witchy store and lights a few candles. The witchcraft in the book is much more in line with modern Wiccans, and no broom riding like the cover implies. So… basically it’s a book about a woman who wants to buy crystals and be happy but it married to a Christian man who just wants things to be a basic and vanilla as possible, and probably finds tarot cards to be alarming. The writing is very diary/stream of consciousness, and I was bored. Their little daughter was adorable, but that’s really the only highlight.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews