Book 3 of the Practical Magic series
”Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can.”
Sally and Gillian Owens were raised by the aunts Franny and Jet after their parents died. They grow up seeing women come to the back door of the house for enchantments and potions.
Gillian gets out of town as quickly as she can with her high school sweetheart. She does stay in touch with Sally who remains in town. Sally married a local man and had two girls: Antonia and Kylie. When Sally’s husband dies, Gillian returns to town with a dead body in the car with her. The sisters bury Gillian’s boyfriend’s body in the garden and when the authorities come looking for him, they do their best to hide the truth.
If you expect a book that’s exactly like the film, don’t read this one. It is completely different from the 1998 movie starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. It starts out very similarly but the film makers veered off after Gillian leaves town. I love the film. It is one of my favourites – and I love the book as well.
Read for the Book List Queen Reading Challenge 2026
Prompt 52: Reread a Favorite
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️