How to Succeed in Witchraft is a young adult fantasy with protagonist Shay Johnson—an overachieving teen witch at a prestigious magical high school. She has her eyes on university and the Brockton Scholarship is her way in. To improve her chances at winning the scholarship, she joins her school’s musical. Right away, this premise hooked me because I can’t tell you what is not to love about a diverse, sapphic witchy book with high-achieving teens and musicals! Beyond the premise of this book, the story is so well written with characters that leap off the page and worm their way into your heart. The story is funny and heartfelt, the characters are vulnerable and rounded, and there are so many important discussion about queerphobia, racism, and grooming/abuse of power. The book is definitely doing a lot, so I found that I lost touch with the fantasy element. But the fast paced plot and the familiar tropes kept the story moving forward and me invested. Fantasy or not, this is a true coming of age story that’s sure to hit the right notes for all types of readers.