This Spells Love is the cutest witchy dual timeline romance I've read.
Gemma is going through an unexpected break up when her witchy Aunt Livi talks her into drunkenly performing a spell to forget her ex but ends up waking up in an alternate timeline where her best friend Dax doesn't even know her. While scheming to become a part of Dax's life again, she and alternate reality Dax end up dating. The Dax from her timeline and the Dax of the alternate timeline are not the same though, and Gemma takes FAR too long to realize that alternate timeline Dax is having financial issues. Although Gemma is kind of self-absorbed (to be fair, we all can be...especially after a break up), I loved this book and thought the story was super cute with the perfect amount of spice. I also really loved the witchy auntie aspect and how her aunt "just so happened" to know what she needed at every turn.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kate Robb for the digital ARC of this book.

This is such a cute friends-to-lovers or friends-to-alternate reality strangers-to-lovers. I absolutely love the friends-to-lovers trope, and this was a great spin on that with an alternate universe. I love the message, What would your life be like if you did just one thing different?
I really liked this book. I thought it really hit the mark with the friends-to-lovers. I absolutely loved the friendship and romance between Gemma and Dax. I thought it was written really well. I also loved Aunt Livi; she is the eccentric, fun, and extremely caring aunt everyone needs. I really enjoyed and related to Gemmas sister. When she talks about finally doing something for herself after years of taking care of her family as a stay-at-home mom, I really understand her. Kate Robb really knows how to write characters well.
For the most part, I really liked Gemma. I liked her personality more in the alternate reality than I did in her original at the beginning. Her character development was great; she really transformed into the person she really is and should be from the person she kind of forced herself into. My biggest issue with her was that she really didn’t think about anyone but herself, which gets addressed in her character development, but it still just bothered me. I know that she was primarily affected by the multiverse thing since she was the only one who knew about it, but it still bothered me how she didn’t seem to notice the clear struggles of those around her. Dax was also a great character, but I just wish we got more of the original Dax and less of the alternate reality. Dax because there were clear differences. I liked both versions of Dax, but I just felt like they were two different characters. I would have loved to see the romance develop between Gemma and Dax in their original reality.
Overall, this is a great book with a super sweet romance and a fun plotline. It has some great spice in it too; it was written well and was very steamy without any cringe, which is very important for me.

Ah, "This Spells Love" by Kate Robb! A delightful rom-com with a touch of magic that swept readers off their feet in 2023. Gemma's heartbroken. After a brutal break-up, she seeks solace in a boozy girls' night with her aunt, a dab hand at the mystical arts. One too many margaritas and a mumbled spell later, Gemma wakes up in a parallel reality where her ex never existed! Sounds like a dream come true, right? Well, not quite. The only thing that bothered me was the predictable plot: The friends-to-lovers trope is well-trodden territory, and the overall story arc might not surprise seasoned romance readers. However, the execution is so charming and witty that it's hard to hold it against the book.

If you're looking for a witty and charming rom-com with a touch of magic, a friends-to-lovers romance that sizzles, and a heartwarming message of self-discovery, then "This Spells Love" is definitely for you!

Arc received from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This wasn’t my favorite. I liked the idea. Decent spice. I found Gemma annoying and manipulative. Super self absorbed, she kinda discovers that at the end. Communication would have really helped them from the beginning.

18+ multiple scenes. Descriptive and explicit

This book was so sweet and fun. There was also some great spice in this book. I appreciated that the magic aspect of this book felt small enough that it was believable. I thought this was a classic friends to lovers with a magic twist. This was really enjoyable and really makes you think about how important every action you take is, and how each choice can impact your life, as well as the lives of those around you. I highly recommend this if you are looking for a fun, spicy, lighthearted read!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Random House for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.
something about the cover caught my eye, and I am so glad I received the ARC because this is an amazing read.
Fun enchanting read that really makes you think if things were different , Gemma trying to get over an ex cast a spell for him to be gone from her life and poof he is.. and it changes everything but not for the best.
I really enjoyed this book and hope to see others from this author.

This Spells Love follows Gemma as she accidentally ends up in a life where her best friend Dax doesn’t know her anymore. She starts to see him in a romantic way and wonders if she wants to go back to her previous life. I really enjoyed this book. I usually do not like books with magic but this one works.

Many thanks for the ARC! This was a sweet friends to lovers! I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book and found myself loving Gemma, her family and of course, Dax. This book made me giggle, kick my feet and smile the whole way through. I love a magic-themed book. If you like The Ex Hex, you'll love this!

I really loved this book. It kept me up late at night to finish it, I couldn’t get enough. I really like when the story like takes place in an alternate life and the character has a choice to make. I can’t help but think what I would do in their shoes.

It was a fun, easy, read with very likable characters! Highly recommend!

I’m conflicted. When I started this book, I was absolutely obsessed! It gave me serious PWMOV vibes, with a little bit of BTTM, a.k.a., my two favorite books, so I was obviously very happy! I’m a sucker for besties to lovers and Dax and Gemma were great together, both as friends and as practical strangers in the Other World. They felt like they were soulmates, which is one of my favorite things in romance books. Also, they had amazing chemistry! This book got four stars on the butterflies it gave me alone! I was sure this would be a solid five stars, probably in my top books of the year. Then I got to the middle of the book and a few things went wrong for me…

(Warning: the following contains light spoilers because I couldn’t do my review justice without specific examples)

I think the first thing that really went wrong is about Gemma’s personality. I tend to like when my main characters are a little annoying because I usually find that both endearing and realistic. Gemma, however, is annoying because she’s both judgy and hypocritical. I will preface this by saying that she admits to be self-centered by the end of the book and does go through character growth, but there were certain moments that I couldn’t get over. The most glaring moment was when she practically fat-shamed Dougie during the roof scene. It was a few off-hand comments that made me really uncomfortable and made me think differently about both the author and the book as a whole. Besides that insensitivity, Gemma was also very insensitive about Other World Dax’s career choices. She made a big stink about him not being able to drop everything and go to Toronto with her. A lot of times in the book, she seemed for forget that that Dax hadn’t known her for the past four years, and I think this was the most glaring example. There were a few other moments that had me shouting “GIRL, SERIOUSLY, YOU CAN’T SAY THAT!”

The other major thing I didn’t love was the magic system. I love time travel/alternate reality movies and tv shows, so the fact that I was so confused does not bode well for this book. My most major question is: does the Other World still exist after she leaves?? Like, has she completely screwed over Other World Dax and Gemma?! Also, I kind of hate that she basically lost a month of her actual life. She should have woken up that morning, because otherwise I’m left with the question: what Gemma was living her life for that month? One other thing, why did Aunt Vivi seem to know everything in the Other World? That was not explained other than Kiersten’s comment at the end about her being magical.

I do still recommend this book for Dax and Gemma’s relationship alone, because they really seemed to be destined for each other. Just know that I really wish I could remove multiple of Gemma’s thoughts and words.

NetGalley Review — my rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

“This Spells Love” by Kate Robb is a fast-paced, funny, lighthearted novel following Gemma, a 28 year old who is trying to bounce back from heartbreak by doing what all sane women do! Reciting a cleansing spell to purge her ex from her life! When Gemma wakes up the next day, she finds herself in a life she doesn’t recognize!

I adored this book! The banter between characters was very witty and fun. I loved the friendship turned relationship between Gemma and Dax, her bestie of 4 years. And watching her alternate reality play out? How fun! It was like watching a movie in my head.

If you’re into this kinda thing, give it a try! “This Spells Love” was released on December 5, 2023!

Big thanks to Dial Press for the ARC!

#netgalley #thisspellslove #katerobb

Following a bad breakup and a night indulging in one too many margaritas, Gemma Wilde performs a love cleansing spell with the help of her sister, aunt, and best friend Dax. But after waking up in an alternate reality, Gemma realizes that the spell has changed more than just erasing her ex from her life. While her family recognizes her, Dax doesn’t.

This Spells Love is a perfect blend of so many great things, magical realism, a fun plot, friends to lovers, a swoony MMC, rom com movie vibes, and amazing character development. I had such a good time reading this!

This was a sweet, cute, and fluffy debut from miss Katie Robb that i enjoyed for what it was. The magic and sisterly bond were done so well and overall this was a decent, magical realism book. The only thing i could gripe about was the main character, who made this book slightly less investing as she was a bit of a pain.

2.5 stars

This book had such an interesting premise that i was hoping would be well done and unfortunately it kind of let me down. I enjoyed the story and the writing itself and it was an easy read, but I found that I didn't like the characters that much. They kind of felt fabricated and like they were afterthoughts. I was hoping that there was going to be more witchy stuff in the story, but the only thing was the spell at the beginning.

It just kind of left me with a meh feeling like I currently can't remember the characters names I just know that they weren't fully worked out and that the girl kind of annoyed me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dial Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This was such an amazing alternate universe book! It really makes you think about the “what ifs”.

After Gemma’s boyfriend breaks up with her, she wishes she had never even met him. The next morning she wakes up and nothing is the same. Her best friend, Dax, has no idea who she is. And as she gets to know him again, she starts to fall for him.

I absolutely loved this book! Such a sweet friends to lovers story! It was charming, hilarious, steamy, and adorable!! I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book!!! This will be one that I’ll read over and over again!

📘: This Spells Love by Kate Robb
🗓️: December 5, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Robb, and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley and Goodreads.

This book was so magical and fun! I loved all of the characters, and the plot was so well done. Can’t wait for more from this author!

I love this cover. You had me at witchy romance. I love a story about how one thing could change your whole life. Gemma wishes to go back to where she never met the ex who broke her heart. You also feel for Gemma. Most of us know what heartbreak is like and it's not fun. What she doesnt know is that she will lose more than just that relationship. She loses her best friend. Now in this new life she is doing everything she can to get him back without looking like a deranged person. This Dax does not see her as a friend but as something more. The more she spends time with him, she starts to see it too. The romance between these two was just great. I love all the chaos that started the new relationship. It made the story so fun. I did not want to put this one down. I cannot wait to read more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

“A young woman tries to heal her heartbreak by casting a spell to erase her ex from her past, but she wakes up in an alternate reality where she’s lost more than she wished for in this witty, whimsical friends-to-lovers debut.”

What if one little wish changed everything?

This was an incredibly cute rom com full of both heartache and hope. I’m not usually into books with magical moments, spells, etc, unless I am reading a fantasy book, but I have to say I got sucked into this one. Gemma and Dax are just the cutest and this book felt so cozy and homey…a perfect book for the season of hot chocolates and fires in fireplaces.

This was a wonderful debut novel from Kate Robb and I cannot wait to read more from this author!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the Arc of This Spells Love!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC of this!

I loved this magical do-over friends to lovers holiday romance! This has so many of my favorite tropes. I loved that Gemma realized how much changing one thing could change everything in her life.

Although aspects of this book were cute, it didn't work for me. Part of my issue may be the amount of time loop or alternate reality books I've read recently that I've liked more than this, but I didn't find any parts of this story particularly memorable. I wasn't entirely satisfied with most of the romance happening in one reality then picking up in the other, though I think the author made this a viable part of the story.