This was such a cute book! I enjoyed all of the magical themes, as well as the characters. It is always interesting when someone loses their memory. I love how this book played out, and I hope others enjoy it too. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Dial Press for an advanced copy!

Gemma is dealing with heartbreak after being dumped by her long-time boyfriend as any woman in her late 20s would: by getting drunk on margaritas with her sister, aunt, and best friend, Dax. Gemma's aunt encourages her to try a cleansing spell to erase the memory of her ex-boyfriend.

What happens though when one little wish changes everything she holds dear in her life?

I really enjoyed this friends-to-lovers story. Aunt Livi was one of my favorite characters with her witty comebacks and intuition. It was interesting to see Dax and Gemma's relationship in each reality but loved the fact that they always seemed to have a strong connection to one another. The angle with them in a curling club was a fun addition to the story. My final favorite in this story was the sisterly bond. With a sister who is 5 years younger, I loved watching Gemma and Kierst's relationship grow by the end of the story. Their relationship reminded me of the one I have with my sister and it was fun to see their love for each other's dreams.

I'll never decline a story centered around a ~magical realism~ time traveling moment. Gemma makes a wish over a cleanse that takes her to another timeline, and then learns some life lessons along the way. I loved seeing the way little moments impacted each version of the world Gemma was living in. One complaint though is that our supporting characters (her sister and her aunt, mostly) were essentially props. They had a little bit of a story, but were mostly just called in when Gemma needed them for support. To be fair, this was one of the lessons Gemma had to learn (about others having their own lives, and how they aren't just there to center her experiences), but it still felt like we were just bringing these characters in so Gemma had someone to bounce things off of.

Overall, a cute read that I enjoyed, but there are other books with similar premises that I think are better.

Life got in the way with this one, but once I picked it back up I knew this would be a winner. As someone who's a sucker for a time slip, this book hit all the right marks for me. Dax and Gemma are a friends turned lovers dream. They had chemistry, hot tension, and endearing qualities. This had I'd fall for you in any universe vibes and I just swooned the whole time.

4.5 stars.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

This is the second book I've read consecutively that deals with the altering of time so the main character can get a different view of their life. I think it's interesting that two similar storylines can come out on the same day from different publishers and wonder if it's a conscious decision due to trends in publishing or possibly just happenstance. I will say that the two stories are not so similar that I felt like it was a rinse and repeat situation.

Going through a breakup after four years together, Gemma Wilde looks to rid herself of her ex and what better way to do so than drink tequila and perform a spell - as one does.

Well, turns out Gemma wakes up in an alternate timeline where she never dated her boyfriend. To top it all off, looks like she's quit her corporate job and opened her own clean beauty shop - a distant dream in Gemma's previous time. Everything seems better. Then the other shoe drops and Gemma finds out that her best friend Dax doesn't know her in this timeline.

Doesn't matter how great things are, a world without Dax as her best friend is not one she wants to be in. She has a month until the moon aligns and she is able to perform the spell again to right time. But in order to do so, she must be friends with Dax as he helped perform the spell in her timeline. But as Gemma moves through her new life and learns things about herself that she barely dreamed of, she also starts to see Dax as something more than a friend. But what is she willing to sacrifice in order for things to be perfect?

I like the way that Kate Robb builds up the new timeline. At first seeming like the ideal life for Gemma to pick up on, to the point where she questions if staying would be such a bad thing. Looking closer, she sees all the ways that her changing even the smallest thing can have far reaching consequences.

I don't know that this story tells us anything new that we haven't read in countless other stories that force the main character to re-examine their lives. I wish that there had been more focus on Gemma's family. One thing that I absolutely loved is that Gemma was never alone in this new dimension. She still had her family and I loved seeing how she could confide in them and, whether or not they believed her story, they still accepted Gemma and supported her. I think there could have been a few more avenues to explore because, as we discover, the timeline didn't just mess with Gemma and Dax's relationship. Everyone around her is a slightly altered version of themselves.

Overall, though, it was a very thoughtfully crafted story about how sometimes we get so used to what is safe and secure that we forget how great it feels to take risks.

I'm certainly looking forward to what Kate Robb brings to us next!

Set in Toronto, this best friends to lovers romance is low stakes and had a bit of magical realism.

There were some things about the book that weren't for me based on my personal preference. It was nice to see Dax and Gemma get a chance to build a new relationship, but their physical relationship in the second half felt out of sync when Gemma had to go back to her "real" life. I would have liked more space back in the "real" timeline for Dax and Gemma to explore that together for the first time.

That said, the author did provide some great details:

"Goodnight, Dax McGuire," I call to him.
"Goodnight, Gemma McGuire," he calls back.
"Slip of the tongue?" He shrugs and smiles.
"Something like that."

3.5 stars rounded up.

*I was provided an ARC copy of this book via the publisher & NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

After having a chaotic childhood, Gemma Wilde has always chosen the safe and practical options in life. Same job for years, same relationship for years, same donut order. When her four year relationship ends, her aunt invites her over for a "love cleansing" spell so she can wipe away her ex from her life. However, when she wakes up the next day she has woken up in a different timeline of her life. In this timeline she didn't meet her ex or take the safe routes along the way. But this also means she never met her best friend, Dax. Now she has to try and recreate a friendship with Dax, but finds herself falling in love with him. Should she stay in this timeline or go back to her real life and risk never having a romantic relationship with Dax?

I enjoyed parts of this book, but overall it felt way too predictable and cheesy. The alternate timeline felt SO rushed with Gemma forming a relationship with Dax. I love a friends-to-lovers rom com, but this was just a little too unrealistic. It was a cute debut novel, and a very lighthearted read. If you are a fan of Jasmine Guillory or Josie Silver this is probably a book you would enjoy!

This Spells Love by Kate Robb was a seriously fun, fast read. I enjoyed the relationship between the main character and her sister and grandmother. I loved the friend to lovers. I loved that it had an alternative time line. I felt like it lost a little steam about halfway through, but once the attraction that had been building, boiled over, it got back in the swing of things. Might have been just a small passing issue for me. I don't want to give the ending away but the decision she ended up making felt like the right one and everyone was happy. Thank you NetGalley for access to the ARC. I would recommend this book to people. I really enjoyed it.

I thought the idea of this book was adorable. There were some really cute scenes, some hot scenes, some emotional ones too. They were all done really well. But for some reason I did not find myself LOVING this book. Maybe it was the characters. Although their relationship was adorable - and I loved the alternate universe spin, I found them to be kind of ehh as individuals. Honestly, they got on my nerves at times and could not understand why they did some of the things that they did. I felt similarly about the supporting characters, they could have been removed from the book and the story and characters would be unchanged. Overall, a cute and enjoyable read 
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Gemma is having a hard time getting over a relationship. When she teams up with her aunt, sister, and best friend Dax to try and rid herself of her ex’s memory - things turn out wildly different than expected.

This was a cute debut! I liked Gemma and Dax as characters and really liked the spell gone wrong premise. While I obviously knew what the ending would be, it felt a little abrupt and I wish it had played out a little differently.

Rounding up, really cute story that sucked me in from the beginning. Gemma and Dax made such an adorable couple. Magical realism + Canadian setting is a win from me.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy.

Thank you netgalley for my copy of this novel!
I really enjoyed this “be careful what you wish for/alternate timelines” novel.

I felt that Gemma, our main character, grew a lot and became even more grateful for her friends and family after wishing herself accidentally into the alternate timeline. Watching her and Dax grow and develop deeper, more romantic feelings was so fun.
I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one and I thought it would be more of a witchy vibe, but I am happy with how it turned out.

I also like that the plot focused on both Dax and Gemma growing in their careers and figuring out more of what they wanted to do. I thought Kiersten and Aunt Livi were all-knowing and loving support characters to Gemma. And I’m so happy Gemma wound up being able to return to her actual reality and take the lessons she learned and apply them both in her relationship with Dax and to get what she wanted out of life.

I can’t wait to read other books by Kate!

I want to thank Netgalley and Random House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have started this book review several times and honestly, I think I had such a hard time writing this review because I was truly ambivalent about this book. I didn’t hate the book and I thought that Robb’s writing style was excellent and funny. However, I didn’t like Gemma (as a person, she was well-written) or Dax (I think this was more a lack of understanding of who he was in both timelines).

This book had lowkey 13 Going on 30 vibes throughout which I liked and I did think that their ending was lovely. However, my favourite part of the book was Kiersten, Gemma’s sister. She was funny and well-rounded and always gave the best advice. I wanted her to be my older sister. I do think that my love of Kiersten’s character is part of why I did not end up liking Gemma as much. I think in many respects their relationship highlighted Gemma’s self-absorption throughout the book.

I also think that Gemma’s donut (and to a lesser extent food) habits at the beginning of the book made me judge her as a person. I understand having a comfort food or neurodivergence about ordering specific things at specific restaurants, but the description of Gemma’s donut (food habits) does not fall into either category. She appears to have grown into such a rut in her life that she never tries a different kind of donut (or anything for that matter) even though it is a specialty shop she visits. I understand trying to highlight that Gemma never takes risks. Still, she seems so paralyzed by something negative happening (which might be an anxiety disorder) that she rarely deviates from her routine because she knows she likes something and/or it’s safe. I do feel a bit like Robb took it a bit too far.

[This is a sidebar, but as a way to highlight how Robb’s writing created imagery and sensory experiences, I’m going to highlight the donuts. Kiersten takes Gemma to the local donut shop and orders the “surprise me special” while Gemma only orders apple fritters. The way that Robb wrote about what these donuts looked like, smelled like, and tasted like made me go on a donut run before I finished the book.]

It is much harder to pin down how I feel about Dax. I feel like I didn’t get to know enough about him as a person in one timeline before I met him in another. And some aspects of him in the one timeline where he featured a bit more made him feel a bit like he suffers from toxic masculinity (see Gemma’s CVS purchase). I get that his life was in a bit of turmoil, but he lacked effective communication skills. It was also hard to go from one version of Dax that I didn’t like, back to the one that Gemma was in love with.

I also struggled with the ethics of Gemma’s time travelling and having all these experiences with Dax and then just acting like every first was a first in the other timeline. When he said “I’ve waited 4 years to kiss you” it was kind of heartbreaking because she had been making out with him for weeks.

Also, in terms of the time travel. Is Aunt Livi a witch? Is her book club a coven? Why were there so many clues that indicated this, but were never picked up again?

Overall, if you enjoy well-written romance novels, I would recommend this book. However, if you want to be able to identify with or like the characters in the book, I cannot give you a recommendation because I did not walk away feeling that way. And while some loose ends were tied up quite nicely between the timelines I was left with several questions that are just left unanswered.

Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, and Sexual content

*I received a free arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This book was a sweet friends to lovers romance with an alternate reality twist. I really enjoyed it, it was super fun and sweet. It was a solid debut and I’m looking forward to more from this author!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I read This Spells Love in basically one sitting. Kate Robb provided a unique premise on a love story affected by a magic spell gone awry. I truly enjoyed the characters and their relationships. But Aunt Livi’s nonchalant “magic” was by far my favorite.

I do think there were some small continuity issues that were missed in editing, but it did not change my experience. Gemma and Dax and their intrinsic relationship was adorable, and made for a perfect light romance read. 3.5 stars!

A beautifully written friends to lovers debut novel. Kate Robb did such an amazing job with this book and i am thoroughly impressed by her ability to make me fall in love with Gemma and Dax within the first 50 pages.

This spells love is a fun, cute, perfect rom-com novel, filled with witty banter, magical elements, amazing tropes and scenes/moments that will have you in your feelings, This book feels like a big warm hug and i couldn't get enough of it. I loved the friendship between Gemma and Dax, the storyline is so enchanting, the characters and plot were so well executed.

It all starts when Gemma goes through a breakup and she performs a love cleanse ritual to forget about her ex boyfriend. She then wakes up in an alternate reality where everything is different, she's never met her ex, but her best friend Dax is not part of her life either. Gemma is now rushing to reverse the spell and get Dax to be her friend again, when she realizes she is falling in love with Dax!

Our FMC's character development is so well done, and seeing her overcome and grow was so refreshing. Dax is such a kind and thoughtful MMC. He is the definition of a cinnamon roll and will do absolutely anything for Gemma! This book made me so giddy and i was kicking my feet, twirling my hair at their palpable chemistry.

100000% recommend this one. If you are looking for a cozy, heartwarming story that will have you smiling ear to ear look no further and pick up This Spells Love by Kate Robb.

Read if you love: friends to lovers, magical realism, parallel universe, magical spells, fast paced

Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Ughhh I loved this book so much. It was such a fun and easy read. Literally the perfect mix of romance with a little twist of magic. It’s always a hit or miss when it comes to alternative universe and/or time loop stories and this definitely was a hit. I was hooked from the start. I loved Dax’s character so much. He’s such a cinnamon roll. I wanted to scream at Gemma for missing all the signs that this man was crazy about her.

I loved all the side characters, the amazing food descriptions that left me hungry and the small town homey vibe.

I will definitely look forward to any more books coming out from Kate in the future!

I absolutely ADORED this book! Its so charming, funny, heartwarming and just pure fun! I love Gemma and Dax and hope this is the start of a series! Witty and engaging. Full of sugar and spice. Friends to lovers.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishers for this arc for my honest review.

3.5
It's such a cute book. Gemma is really likeable as is Dax. Their relationship is really cute as well, especially because I love friends-to-lovers. But I wanted a little bit more of the magic and the whimsy - it's really just a sprinkle.

The thing that made me not give a higher rating is that there is a particular thread in the book related to Dax and her sister that is pretty obvious since the beginning. But the main character doesn't see it and she keeps not understanding what's going on and bringing attention to it. So, the reader knows right away and we are just waiting for her to catch on. That makes the book incredibly predictable and the tension due to some decisions that she has to make is just not there.

I liked the book and I really liked following their relationship grow. I liked how Gemma went through some changes along the story that helped her in the end.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

I must first start this review by giving an absolute kudos to @kate_robb_writes !! This book was equal parts cozy, heartbreaking (at times), and ohh so fun and clever!

The supernatural aspect of this book was done so IMPECCABLY and creatively and I was absolutely blown away. I am extra picky with this troupe in books because if not done right it’s either highly predictable and boring or so outrageous it becomes not even fun to read. This was definitely not your average deja vu/life redo storyline and I’m so happy I got a chance to read this ARC!!

⭐️OUT TODAY 12/5⭐️

4.5⭐️

Special thanks to NetGalley @thedialpress for the review copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

#thisspellslove #katierobb #dialpress #randomhouse