"Something to mark my time on this earth, not my kids’ accomplishments, but something that’s all mine..."This easy-to-read and insightful adventure featuring a mother of adult children is a pleasure! I was lucky enough to get an ARC from the author; all opinions are my own.Like Harry Potter, it follows a chosen one who abruptly learns magic is real and is enrolled in magic school. Like Naomi Novik's Scholomance, it's in a different dimension and practically mandatory for all magic users around the globe. Like Deborah Harkness' All Souls, our first-person narrator is a middle-aged woman and romance is a big component of the book.I love the premise - Chloe, a divorced mother of college students, ends up in college too... for witchcraft! The lectures, the magic campus, the textbooks all made my geeky heart sing. In addition to Witches, there are Shifters and Elementals, and Witches tend to have talking familiars - basically, it's an awesome world. It also starts with a good and evil dichotomy, but the more Chloe learns, the more complicated it gets - my fav! I like it when the answers aren't easy, just like in real life.Unsurprisingly, Chloe sometimes has trouble connecting with her much younger classmates, but between giving relationship advice to some dorm mates and helping out the overworked cafeteria lady, this book has great friendships. But the romance fell flat for me. For a 56yo man who had never dated, Lex was oddly charismatic and his Painful Past felt contrived (how had he made no progress on his trauma in 44 years but was soothed by Chloe's declaration that he's a good man?). Some scenes from Lex's POV might have improved the romance for me, but as it was, I forgot him the moment he was off-page. However, once they were together, they had a comfortable and trusting partnership that I enjoyed. Wells does a great job with showing communicative, supportive relationships of all kinds.Although the school was fun, I missed the way that Scholomance brings culture shock and language barriers to the fore. Despite ethnic diversity and globe trotting, all of these characters felt American (except for Lex because who has a "sexy British accent" and frequently says "bloody"). Maybe I missed an explanation about translation magic?I was really excited to have a mom main character (so rare in fantasy!), and Chloe's determination and strength shines. However, some of Chloe's decisions and feelings puzzled me - just little things that jarred me out of the story. That being said, Chloe's scenes with her children were great. The parts of the book that raked me over the coals the most were her worries about them, especially when there was no action to be taken. Every parent's nightmare!The book has plenty of action and intrigue, and the ending definitely left me excited for the next book! I want to know more about Chloe's family - both her heritage and her children. If you sighed when you turned 11 and no letter came from Hogwarts, sigh no more - pick up Midlife Magic School instead!