A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon

• Author: Hannah Reynolds
• Genre: YA Fantasy
• Publication Date: February 3, 2026
• Publisher: GP Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Thank you to GP Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a scholarship student at the magical Lyceum, Naomi would rather focus on deciphering ancient scrolls than dating. Especially since the only boys asking her out are less interested in a night in Naomi’s company than an introduction to her influential aunt.

So, Naomi devises an ecuse to turn down her persistent suitors: She claims to be betrothed to a demon.

Her story works perfectly. Until she arrives home one night and finds the demon Daziel lounging in her rooms, insisting he’s her betrothed. Naomi knows he’s lying—after all, the betrothal was never real—but the gorgeous and infuriating demon is surprisingly resistant to her banishing spells. And with his penchant for baking and home decor, it’s not so bad having him around.

Besides, she has other worries—like the scroll she’s trying to translate and the way the city’s magic has suddenly become unstable. But the more Naomi learns about the scroll, and the more she gets to know Daziel, the more it seems like she might be at the center of something bigger than she could have imagined.

I’m a huge fan of all of the cozy genres that I’ve read so far, and I was ready to love this one just as much. I was even more interested in the ARC once I heard it had Jewish representation, since I don’t see that in fantasy as often as in other books. When I was offered the chance to receive a copy of this book, I was thrilled, and couldn’t wait to read it. Turns out, once I started reading I couldn’t put it down, and didn’t want to stop reading, so I flew through this one.

To start with, the Jewish representation in the book is outstanding, and I especially appreciated that it focused on Jewish joy and folklore rather than Jewish pain or persecution. The world that Reynolds creates is one where Jews are the dominant (or only) group, and Jewishness is casually woven throughout the story without feeling forced. The naming conventions follow ancient Jewish customs, for example, Naomi bat Yardena, meaning Naomi daughter of Yardena. The city of Talum is governed by the Sanhedrin, a religious and civil court based on the original Sanhedrin that ruled ancient Israel in the time of the Holy Temple. 

The title was a bit misleading, in my opinion. It implies that the story is focused on dating the demon, but instead, Naomi spends a good portion of the story trying to rid herself of the demon. And when it comes to demons, Daziel is not the typical demon you’re thinking of: he’s a shayd (Jewish demon) and is bound by different rules, reading more like a Djinn than what I am used to seeing of a demon. Daziel was a fantastic character, and completely breaks the stereotype of your usual demons. This one is domestically trained, cooking and decorating, and being all-around helpful to his betrothed, even though she doesn’t recognize the betrothal as real. 

Naomi is a girl with a good head on her shoulders. She’s smart, inquisitive, and witty, although she’s fed up with guys asking her out just to get closer to her powerful and influential aunt, who is part of the Sanhedrin of Talum. When she comes up with the brilliant idea of telling potential suitors that she is engaged to a demon, it seems like a great way to avoid being asked out. And it is … until she is asked to name her betrothed, and she comes up with Daziel. Unfortunately for her, Daziel is a real demon and her words are binding, so she is stuck with him. At least he’s charming and respectful, along with making himself helpful whenever possible. 

Aside from the witty and engaging banter between Naomi and Daziel, I also loved seeing how they learned to work together as a team, even if they (or she, at least) didn’t want to have to cooperate. There are some other side plots, including one featuring the students deciphering an ancient scroll, reaching back to the deep Jewish tradition of learning and study. I really enjoyed seeing how Daziel, Naomi, and her other friends working in cryptology pieced together clues to figure out what the scroll had to say. The weather and magic system is changing in Talum, a city that sounded beautiful with echoes of Jerusalem’s sandstone buildings and boulangeries.

Unusually for a cozy fantasy, the stakes get more serious, and Naomi and her crew find themselves responsible for basically saving the world. I did really enjoy reading this story, and seeing how Reynolds incorporated Jewish culture, folklore, and mythology and kept it upfront was a wonderful feeling—seeing our practices, beliefs, and joy on the page was such a welcoming feeling when so few books offer good Jewish representation. The story moved fast, likely because of how busy it was with subplots, along with the romance slowly developing between Naomi and Daziel, no matter how much she resists it. The center part of the book felt a little too busy for me, making it confusing to keep track of everything going on, but overall, this is a fantastic read.

Bottom line: An outstanding book featuring Jewish joy and folklore in the context of a wonderful accidental romance between Naomi and a truly charming shayd, Daziel. 

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