Hello and welcome to another installment of Sparks Unlocked, the Musical, a place where we read, crochet, knit, and gaze at the moon. Are you currently in need of a reading escape? Specifically looking for a genre of books that mixes the otherworldly with the natural occurrences of a realm called Earth? Here are six magical realism romances that I would highly recommend.
1. A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
If this book had over 1000 pages, or even unlimited stories that went on forever, I would still read it today. A Love Song for Ricki Wilde had three of my favorite sub-genres: books written by Black women, magical realism, and neurodivergent representation. The book briefly mentions that the main character, Ricki, may or may not be neurodivergent, but I’m taking it!
The story is a modern tale of the past and present merging in a way that may have lasting effects on the future. Ricki moves to New York City to start a new life and comes across a man she is unreasonably drawn to, but she can’t explain why. We soon learn the man has been immortal for about 100 years, and Ricki has the face of his one true love. This is a story of true love, but also finding love within, finding community and belonging in friendship, found family, and learning how much power the past can have on our current timeline if we don’t face and address it head-on.
My rating: 5/5 stars
2. Every Version of You by Natalie Messier
I really enjoyed reading this book. For several reasons. This was one of two books that got me out of a reading slump this year. It also reinvigorated my love for reading. Every Version of You was a wild ride in the best way. The characters were messy, imperfect, genuine, human…all the things. Their actions let me reflect and compare notes with my own experiences. It also helped me to change my mind on certain perspectives I had before. The author has a special knack for helping you not only put yourself in the characters’ shoes, but, if you’re willing, reach inside yourself and see what you find.
A thirty-two-year-old lawyer dies on the night she goes to a party for her best friend (who she also has unresolved feelings and undying love for). That same night, she reunites with her arch-nemesis, a guy she knew in college who helped change the course of her life on one fateful night. After her unexpected death, she gets a chance to return to the land of the living and shift certain events in her timeline a bit. Well, what do you know: chaos ensues.
If you’re looking to get out of a reading slump or want something fun to read, I highly recommend this book.
My rating: 5/5 stars
3. The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
This book is set in New York City, one of my favorite book settings. Clementine’s aunt recently passes away and she inherits her apartment. What she doesn’t know is that the apartment has its own magic: it can travel seven years into the past at any moment’s notice. There, she finds a man subletting his aunt’s apartment for the summer.
I really enjoyed this book for the romance; I liked that the FMC’s love interest called her “Lemon,” even though her name is Clementine. However, what reeled me in was the relationship Clementine was cultivating with herself and with grief. She was falling in love with someone while she was in the throes of grief. She learned to navigate a new reality while time literally shifted for her at random, unexpected moments. There was a scene that I can recall that did me in and made this a five-star book for me (see Chapter 38, 304-305, paperback edition). I won’t spoil it. If you read this book, I would be interested to know your reaction.
This book is about containing multitudes and embracing nuance when it comes to understanding your emotions. Learning to hold sadness and joy in the same breath. Learning to move on and discover new loves while remembering past loves and holding grief as tenderly as you can. This book is about the unending constant of change and living bravely through each moment of it.
If you’re looking for more magical realism romances by this author, check out The Dead Romantics and Sounds Like Love.
My rating: 5/5 stars
4. In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
This is a wonderful book about love, grief, rediscovering yourself, and how deeply embedded our friendships are. Sometimes, they carry the same weight, if not more, than our romantic loves. The story follows Dannie Kohan, who has a specific plan for her life. According to her plans, things are turning out the way she wants them to: she is up for promotion at a new job, she is in a healthy, comfortable relationship that turns into an engagement, and she lives in New York City with plans to move to Gramercy. Life is just as it should be. However, the operative word is “should,” because does that word really apply to anything? On the night of her engagement, she wakes up in another apartment in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, wearing a different ring, and has relations with a man who isn’t the fiancé who proposed to her a few hours earlier. Oh, she’s also been catapulted five years into the future. Then, she returns to her present timeline.
What happens when you know how your future ends up but it’s not what you wanted? What happens when you’ve cultivated neat plans for your life and they come undone in the span of less than 24 hours? This book sets us as readers on a crash course in pondering the possibilities and versions of who you can be and how that is likely to change at any moment.
I read this book in five to six hours, one sitting; I couldn’t put it down. It was also one of two books that got me out of a reading slump. If you’re looking for a book that shifts time and keeps you guessing from start to finish, you’re gonna want to read this.
My rating: 5/5 stars
5. The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood
This book was so good. It was hilarious, touching, and heartbreaking at times. I felt incredibly moved by it at the end. Think of it as a meet-cute from the beyond. A stubborn woman has resigned herself to living a solitary life because it feels safer and easier…and then she dies choking on food. In the afterlife, she meets a beautiful man, but he is sent back to Earth and she loses her chance with him. Then, she gets the chance to live again and find this man in ten days.
I laughed as much as I teared up while reading this book. The main character, Delphie, thought her life was lonely and desolate, but my favorite part of the book was when she realized she had community all along. Her found family was her neighbors, the familiar faces she’d see and interact with when she was out and about. She realizes the magic she was seeking was right in front of her. Her falling in love is just the icing on the cake.
One of my favorite things about books is when the authors write the supporting characters so well you would read a sequel. Kirsty Greenwood definitely had me intrigued and made me want to stay a while in the world she created.
My rating: 5/5 stars
6. The MASH Up by Laura Marie Meyers
This book left me pleasantly surprised. I was unsure of it at first because of the pacing, but I am glad I kept going. When the fireworks start between the FMC and her love interest, I was hooked. I was committed to seeing things through to the end. Ruby Wynne and her twin Ryan celebrate their 35th birthday, but it is also the night that Ruby’s life completely changes. Her long-term relationship goes kaput and her best friend reminds her of a MASH game she played decades ago. Somewhere between reeling from her sudden breakup and adjusting to the life she once knew, she ends up in the MASH game reality of her childhood.
While in the MASH game, she understands why certain events led her to her 35th birthday, the gap between who she was as a kid and who she’s become, and an underlying truth about what love means to her. Honestly, it is a wild ride, but one worth reading about along the way. This is definitely a book I would like to reread at a later date.
My rating: 4/5 stars
And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this list of magical realism romances. I stumbled upon this genre after reading The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston. Since then, I’ve been looking for more books in this sub-genre to read and discover. If you are looking for more magical realism books or book recs in general, you can take a look around on my website or my curated book lists on Bookshop.org. Have you read any of these books? What other magical realism romances would you recommend?
Thank you all for being here and for reading this article. I’ll chat with you in the next one. Good day or good night.
RELATED POSTS:
- The Best Bookish Apps for Readers
- 5 Types of Reading Slumps and How to Get Out of Them
- Books to Read at Least Once in Life | Book Recommendations
- Why Do You Crochet, Knit, and Read So Much? | My Origin Story
Hi, I’m Kerri Olivia, an author, fiber artist, and founder of Sparks Unlocked Co. At Sparks Unlocked Co., we help fellow readers and crafters find beauty, comfort, and meaning in slow living through occasional crochet and knitting tutorials, digital third places for crafters and readers, book recommendations, and storytelling. Join me in these conversations on Threads and Pinterest.
Looking for book recs? Read my book, REQUITED.
If you’re interested in crocheting, knitting, and reading more, you’re invited to the Knots & Chapters Book Club, a place where we crochet, knit, and talk about books every month. Join here.
Disclaimer:
Affiliate links may be included in this post. By purchasing a product or service with the links provided, I may receive a small commission with no additional charge to you. Thank you for supporting Sparks Unlocked Co., so that I can continue providing you with free content!
