Member Reviews
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Random House for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3.5
Friends-to-Lovers meets parallel universe - what would happen if we made a different choice in life?
This was a really fun read! To start, I read 44% of the e-ARC in the early summer of 2023. I put the book down and didn't pick it back up again until January 2024. With that being said, I picked up right where I left off and didn't skip a bit - I felt as though the characters were strong enough to hold their own in my memory, as well as the unique plot line of parallel universe. The final 56% was fast and quick & I thought it wrapped up nicely.
I love the sisterly bond element of the story & I love a kookie-witchy aunt with a bookclub.
I have so many questions about the ending's timeline & overall parallel universe concept entirely. Does Gemma just disappear from other timelines? What happens to Dax & the family members & the store in the other timeline when she jumps? What timeline is she at the end!?
Highly recommend for a quick, light read.
2🌶️
Easily one of my favorites of 2023! Kate Robb’s storytelling pulled me in instantly and left me feeling like I didn’t want to let go! Not only will This Spells Love be an absolute delight the whole way through, you will easily fall in LOVE with the two main characters, Gemma and Dax. And her talent for writing spicy scenes is one I will hold all others up against.
I found the FMC Gemma to be so lovable and adored how she unabashedly sought after her own pleasure and desires. We would all benefit from more examples of women being adorable hornballs in the media! And frankly, I don’t blame here! Her bestie Dax is a total dream of a guy and I would also be stumbling over myself to get my hands on him. I really just loved this book. It was the perfect mix of light fun and deep personal evolution. I can’t wait to read more from Kate Robb!
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
After a bad break-up, Gemma Wilde wishes she'd never met her former boyfriend, Stuart. One night during a visit to her eccentric Aunt Livvi's bookstore, they "cast a spell" for this purpose. The next morning, Gemma awakens in an alternative reality. Her life has taken a different path--one that doesn't include Stuart, but also initially doesn't include her best friend, Dax. Gemma starts to wonder, did her relationship with Stuart lead to other good things in her life, and can she get them back? While pretty predictable, This Spells Love is a light, spicy, fun read. Readers of adult contemporary romance, particularly those who like a little of the supernatural sprinkled in, will enjoy this title.
I went into this one not knowing what to really expect, but rather only what I could garner from the title. (I'm a sucker for a good romcom.) It was an adorable story, in which our FMC, Gemma, has just broken up with her boyfriend of four years, and is devastated. She doesn't know what to do to emotionally recover, and seeks advice and solace from her Aunt, older sister, and our MMC, her best friend, Dax. Performing what seemed like a harmless spell from one of her Aunt's old books, she wakes up the next morning and is no longer in her bed. She's still her, and her family still remembers her, but she's entered almost like an alternate reality in which she would have never met or dated her ex, thus changing the lives of everyone else around her. She's left after a month with a tough choice. To return to her former life by performing the spell again, or to stay in her new reality where she's experienced things she could only have dreamed of. If you love a little bit of magic, a decent amount of open door spice, and just an overall good romcom, this is worth a read.f
This Spells Love honestly was the cutest book I have read this year. I always love what if/alternative universe/serendipity stories and this was just the perfect one. Gemma is a fun main character despite some of the mistakes she makes throughout, it's nice to see how things truly end up for her and Dax. I'm a sucker for a Friend's to Lover's trope and enjoyed the way this one built to it. There are few moments that had me kicking my feet out of cuteness. This was a great debut novel and looking forward to the next book from this author.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Random House for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for honest feedback.
This cute story gave me Groundhog Day/Thirteen Going on 30 vibes. A good friends-to-lovers romance that was fun to read!
Anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for a romance that has the smallest hint of magic -- like Ashley Poston's recent books -- so I *loved* this. Gemma's a fun character to spend time with, and Dax is a charming MMC. It's also the sort of book that makes you reflect on your own life -- what might happen if one of our unfulfilled dreams came true, or if the one who got away never actually got away.
Thank you, Net Galley & Random House Publishing Group for giving me access to this title in exchange for an honest review!! This book was delightfully captivating and I could not put it down.
Fresh out of heartbreak, Gemma Wilde is trying to pick up the pieces of her life and realizes the wrong turns she's made in the process. With a little magic and a whisper into thin air, she is put into an alternate universe to explore more of life's possibilities before her. She quickly realizes where she went wrong and what she cannot live without. The banter between Characters and the character development throughout the book makes you fall in love with each and every one of them! I'd love a sequel because I was sad to leave these characters behind.
I found myself saving excerpts from this book because the writing grabbed me by the heart!
"He's staring at me with his big green saucer eyes and this crinkle in his forehead that only appears when he's concerned about something. Like when he finds a baby bird flung from its best or read about natural disasters in the news. That look, that crinkle, is aimed right at me. I'm the broken baby bird."
"It's like trying to put together one big jigsaw puzzle with the picture facing down."
"I can't deny that this is the happiest I've been in years. These last few weeks have been a weird kind of blessing. A chance to see all of the wrong turns I've made over the last four years and all of the things that could have been if only I'd trusted in my own abilities instead of taking the safe route."
10/10 this book will be one that I think of time and time again as a story I very much enjoyed. And I love that we got to witness the chemistry and moment the characters fell in love time and time again.
The book This Spells Love was an enjoyable read. I would recommend any book written by Kate Robb. Happy Reading!
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.
This was soooo cute, I really enjoyed it! I loved the two main characters and the storyline made this such an easy read to get lost in. I loved the friends-to-lovers trope aspects and loved seeing Gemma’s alternate life and the way she handled all the changes throughout the story. There were times I wished there was a little more focus on Gemma’s life versus the romance because I think they deserved equal time, but I was left wanting a bit more. Lastly, Gemma’s family members were really sweet and I loved their interactions with each other. Pick this romance read up, you won’t regret it!!
I absolutely connected immediately with these characters. It was so well written I was swept into the new hoping it would merge with the old. grab this one up and enjoy!!
Sweet and romantic! "This Spells Love" by Kate Robb was a very enjoyable read about best friends and soulmates, living in parallel realities until they get it right. Full of career ambitions, passion, and deep bonds. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the copy for review. All opinions are my own.
This Spells Love was a fun read! I really enjoyed the characters Dax and Gemma. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.
After her long term boyfriend dumps her, Gemma seeks a night of drunken debauchery with her sister and best friend Dax. When their joking “spell” leads to Gemma waking up in a different life however, she doesn’t know where to turn. Dax doesn’t even know who she is! Can she befriend him enough to make him kiss her and help reverse the spell?
This was such a delightful read. I love a story with just a touch of magic and this one fit the bill! I just adored Dax and Gemma, and was rooting for the two of them to be together from the get go. I think we all wonder how our life would change with just one small adjustment, so I love to read books where that happens! Plus the ending was just chefs kiss!
Wow! What a book! This book the perfect amount of magic realism that I personally like and romance …perfection!
After Gemma’s boyfriend has ended their relationship, her mystical aunt helps her cast a “love cleanse” spell to remove the relationship from her life. She goes to sleep in her bed but the following morning she wakes up in a different bed along with a different life! Add to the fact that now her best friend Dax who she had shared a drunken kiss with the night before doesn’t know who she is. They say, be careful what you wish for.
I adored this book! I loved how Gemma grew as a person. I love sister relationships and I loved to read how Gemma and her sister’s grew with a lot more understanding. You can’t help to root for Dax and Gemma’s relationship. You can feel the sparks from the beginning. But I also loved the secondary characters so much. They were well developed and captivating. I look forward to reading what Kate Robb writes next!
Thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for a digital copy of the book for my honest opinion. This book was published on December 5, 2023.
This book has given me all the feels! It has wonderful characters including those in secondary roles. It has a friend's to lovers trope with an alternate world.
This is a wonderful debut that I can't recommend enough! Totally magical! I look forward to reading future Kate Robb book.
I am in love with Gemma and Dax! The whole time warp thing - let’s face it, we’ve all wished we could erase the memory of an ex - was such a fun concept! I loved every moment of this romantic comedy, from the little details like Dax calling her by HIS last name, to her crazy aunt calling her Poodle, to her sister’s struggles with raising 3 kids. I definitely need to read more of this author’s work.
If you’re on the fence, just read it! You won’t regret it. :)
4.5 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
full review is up on goodreads:) thank you netgalley and sorry for the late review😘
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5603124978
I adored the characters in this book - both the main and the supporting characters! I’m usually here for a supernatural romance and this one definitely met my expectations. This was the perfect friends to lovers romance and I thoroughly appreciated that there was no third act breakup!
I cannot believe this was a debut novel - it was beautifully written with phenomenal character development, plenty of tension, heat and banter to keep me wanting to come
Back for more. I can’t wait to see what Kate Robb does next!
After I read the last line of this book, I said "awww!" out loud. This book was adorable!
I'm not usually into magical realism books, but this one did it well. Gemma falls into an alternate universe after breaking up with her boyfriend Stuart. In this world, she re-meets her best friend Dax, and they fall in love. During the experience, Gemma realizes that a lot of small decisions altered her life and she has the chance to re-do them or see what life could have been like.
If I didn't have other responsibilities, I would have devoured this book in one sitting. The dialogue was hilarious, the romance scenes were extra steamy, and it was just a treat to read.
Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review!