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.

Summary
Gemma's boyfriend of four years broke up with her. In her sadness, her aunt, along with her sister and best friend Dax, do a Love Cleanse spell that will make Gemma have never met Stuart, the ex. It's all margarita fueled fun and games until she wakes up the next morning in at an apartment that's not hers. In this alternate reality, where Gemma never met Stewart, she also never met Dax. And instead of working as a buyer for a big box store, she owns her own small clean skin care shop. To reverse the spell, she needs Dax to kiss her in a month, but he doesn't even know who she is. And as she gets to know him, Gemma realizes maybe their friendship was meant to be more.

Review
This was a fun, magical read. I'm not usually super into stories with magic spells and such (especially if it's not a witchy read) but this one was pure joy. It was a sliding doors vibe... seeing not only how that would change Gemma's life, but also everyone in her orbit. It is a cozy read, and it felt like a warm hug. I couldn't recommend this story enough. It was a heartwarming story about the grass not always being greener and taking chances.

A fun and flirty book that will appeal to all romance readers.

A classic mix-up and discovering who you are in and out of a relationship.

Such a cute romance with a little twist of different dimensions. I really enjoyed the writing, the pacing and the characters. It was a fun, light read with some spice.

This one was rather middle of the lane for me.

I enjoyed the 13 going on 30 vibes and I find the idea of parallel worlds/timelines really interesting, the execution just wasn't my favorite. The story as a whole felt pretty surface level, unfortunately, and although I found the characters lovable and fun, and the emphasis on sister relationships was great, it wasn't a book that will stick with me for a long time.

This Spells Love is a cute time-travel romance with just the right amount of spice. Similar to titles like The Seven Year Slip and The Good Part, This Spells Love tells the story of a woman who isn't satisfied with her life. When her aunt convinces her to cast a spell and undo her boring and pointless four-year relationship, she ends up wondering if dating that asshole was necessary after all. Though this one started out a little rocky for me, the middle and end of the book redeemed the story. I gave this one four stars because I liked it and would recommend it to a friend, but wouldn't read it again.

As soon as I saw the synopsis for this book I knew I’d want to read it asap. This book was sweet, fun and very enjoyable! For anyone that likes friends to lovers romances with a hint of whimsy this would be a great read for you.

This was a very easy read with low(ish) stakes and a fun premise. I liked all of the characters (especially Aunt Livi) and their relationships with each other, however, I did feel that they lacked a little bit of depth. I was a lot more interested in the magic aspect of this story than what the characters were actually going through.

I very much enjoyed the overall plot but unfortunately the ending felt a little thrown together, almost like the author didn’t know what to do with all of the loose ends. I think I would’ve liked the stakes to have had more of an effect on the final few chapters.

Overall, this was a very quick, easy read that would be great for beginner romance readers!
3.5 Stars

This Spells Love by Kate Robb is a rom-com with a magical realism twist. While the story was cute, I'm not sure how much of it I will remember next week.

Gemma is 28, and after a four year relationship ends she is reasonably heart-broken. Her sister gets her drunk an margaritas, her eccentric aunt gets her to perform a love cleanse to get rid of the memory of her ex, and her best friend Dax is around for moral support, and even a platonic kiss to help perform the spell.

Gemma wakes up the next day in a new reality. The spell has worked, and while some things are the same, many things are different, but most importantly Dax has no idea who she is. To reverse the spell she has to perform the spell again, and somehow get this stranger Dax to kiss her, but along the way she finds herself falling in love and realizing she has been in denial for too long about her feelings for Jax. Now she has the hard choice before her, does she stay in the reality where she has everything she wants, or go back?

What a debut. This was such a fun time and unique premise. I really felt for the characters and their romance, chemistry and attraction felt so believable. The characters started as best friends, and their actions at the beginning of the novel really showed it. There were so many little moments throughout the novel that spoke louder than what the character's expressed through words. Gemma got on my nerves a bit, but I think it was true to her character, and her past traumas that made her act the way she did. There was a beautiful balance of light hearted moments, serious moments, and spice. Daxon stole my heart in this novel, he was such a wonderful book boyfriend. The author is also lives quite close to me, and I could really picture all the place she described and it added a whole new layer for me.