Amber works at her mother's magic shop--Windy City Magic--in downtown Chicago, and she's confident she's seen every kind of happy ending there is: except for one--her own. (The Fates are tricky jerks that way.) So when Charlie Blitzman, the mayor's son and most-desired boy in school, comes to her for help finding his father's missing girlfriend, she's distressed to find herself falling for him. Because while she can't see her own match, she can see his--and it's not Amber. How can she, an honest peddler of true love, pursue a boy she knows full well isn't her match?

The Best Kind of Magic is set in urban Chicago and will appeal to readers who long for magic in the real world. With a sharp-witted and sassy heroine, a quirky cast of mystical beings, and a heady dose of adventure, this novel will have you laughing out loud and questioning your belief in happy endings.

This story is about Amber Sand, whose family line dates back to Salem, but she herself is not a witch. She did get one very specific magical talent though, in that she can actually see true love. Amber is a matchmaker, but her life is not all turtle doves and happy endings. Her Cupid’s arrow gets her in trouble quite often, but no matter what, she never gives up fighting for what she believes in. 

Buffy was the first show to bring out the fangirl in me, and it opened me up to the magical world in a new way. Before watching this show, it always seemed like mystical creatures could only exist in the past or in far away lands, but these were real people learning to live with supernatural consequences in their everyday lives. Willow’s journey with witchcraft and Buffy’s struggle with her slayer powers definitely shaped aspects of The Best Kind of Magic, as Amber and her best friend, Amani, both have their own conflicts with their magical abilities. 

Amber’s style is very low key: t-shirts, jeans, sneakers. Most of the time she’s either wearing her school uniform or something that’s work appropriate, so she doesn’t spend much time thinking about how she’s dressed. Her standout style point is her hair, which she’s dyed with peacock blue and green streaks. 

Without a doubt, Buffy is a huge influence for me, not only for the stuff about monsters and magic, but also the group dynamic of the Scooby gang. I really wanted Amber’s mystical community to feel authentic, and to showcase the different relationships and dynamics of what it means to have a gift like no one else. Harry Potter, The Vampire Diaries, and Emma also played in here; watching a matchmaker pair up couples in an enchanting world is definitely a mash up of my love of romance and magical realism. 

Any scene where Amber gets to show off her sassy personality was fun for me since I could live vicariously through her funny one-liners, but one of my favorite scenes was during a dance party at Navy Pier, where she works. Although Amber has no problem intervening on other people’s love lives, she’s very guarded with her own, so when a boy she’s having complicating feelings for asks her to dance, she isn’t quite sure what to do. I like this point of the story because she starts letting her guard down, and we begin to see a different side. 

Amber aspires to be a professional baker, so there are many mentions of pastries and treats throughout the book. I spent a lot of time looking up recipes and sampling different desserts while I was writing (it’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it!). Enjoying a cupcake while turning the pages would be a perfect fit!