I got this book for BBNYA 2024 in exchange of an honest review/rating!

😍 I love the cover, it is so terrifying, haha, and the first thing that lured me to this book! Though I have to say that I expected her to hold a strange monsters head, and not a turnip. #sorrynotsorry
😍 The fact that it is set in Germany! I live in the Netherlands and I am always happy to get more Europe(and then not UK)-centred stories. OK, I have to say that I first thought it was set in the US or the UK (again, a lot of stories take place there), but as soon as we got more clues on where it was set I got more and more hyped.
😍 Our MC is such a strong girl and I love how brave she is! As I will also mention in the eh part I would have probably not gone through such lengths, even if the brother had a couple of good bits to him. For most he is an ass. But I loved that she tried her best to make people remember her brother, try to figure out how to get him back, and even do some very scary/brave things. She is smart, and I love that she is a big bookworm!
😍 The Order of the Strawberry Circle, OK, I have to say I laughed a bit when I saw the name, but I do like it. I loved seeing who is in the order but also learn more about them and what they are doing and how they are trying to protect the world. Because back in the day people listened to superstitions and had customs, but these days people seem to have forgot.
😍 The Rye Mother! OH MY GOODNESS. That was just delightfully spooky and scary. I am already NOPING when I read about corn mazes or corn fields, but now I guess a new fear is rye fields. Thanks, author. XD The Rye Mother is written in such a way that you will definitely have some nightmares (I mean something that crawls behind you holding a knife and oh yes is doing a spider impression, HECK NO BYE).
😍 The rhymes. I have a soft spot for creepy rhymes in horror stories. It really amps up the scariness of it all and I am 100% in for it (and also 100% hiding, haha).
😍 The ending! Because while a lot of things are solved.. there is still something lingering!
😍 The fact it takes place around Halloween! I love that so much! I wish Halloween was a much bigger thing in my country. Plus, now I kinda want to see if I can find some turnips and carve them to make a lantern!
😍 Her brother’s best friend (well, OK, they haven’t exactly been the best of friends) who first seemed like just as much an ass as the brother but turned out to be actually quite kind!

🤔 Sorry, but I understand siblings have their quarrels but what a piece of dung that brother was. I get that he forgot things at the end, but that is no reason to treat your sister like crap again. Seriously, if I were Jo? I would have yeeted him back to the Rye Mother. Here, take him.
🤔 I am just not a fan of the trope adults are useless. The adults in this case CANNOT really exactly do anything because the Rye Mother prefers juicy children. What do you want them to do find a magical potion to change forms? They are doing the best they can by monitoring, warning, and tracking. And later on they show some great skills. So can we please just stop with this trope?

All in all, this is one book I will recommend to all! It was spooky, scary, and awesome!